"Union Jack"

Some of you will remember that when our family was preparing to leave Wichita, Kansas, some very dear friends of ours, the Kinnans, made a Build-a-Bear for my kids. Friends Furever traveled with us and helped us document all the places we stopped to see along the way, and he continues to be a well-loved member of our family. We have moments when we miss our Kansas friends so deeply that it physically hurts...and FF has helped soothe many tears over the past four months. He is a tangible, huggable token of a friendship that now spans thousands of miles. (You can read here for the story from the Kinnans' perspective. :) You can also see the pictorial documentation of our travels with FF in most of my August 2012 posts.)

After arriving over here, I think before we even moved into our house, the kids started asking about what we could send back to our friends to give them a piece of England. When we took our first trip into Cambridge (the nearest big town) and saw they had a Build-a-Bear workshop there, well, the ideas just started streaming from the kids.

"Union Jack," as we dubbed him (and "UJ", or "Jack" for short), was 'born' in early December, a B-a-B cousin to our FF. We found the greatest guard uniform for him, and also a t-shirt with the British flag on it...and a pair of bear-sized wellies. (If you don't know what wellies are, definitely google the term. They are a MUST HAVE over here!) The kids had all sorts of ideas to put in the letter we sent with him, and I did my best to put it in my best British lingo. The folks at the workshop were super sweet, and they let each of the kids (even Julia) put in a heart, and they waited patiently as the kids each said a prayer before stuffing their heart inside.  It was something the Kinnan kids did with FF that meant a whole lot and offered encouragement when we were feeling weary and lonely.

UJ and FF

The kids with UJ and FF just before sending him to Kansas

Even though I'm pretty sure mail doesn't run on Christmas day, somehow Jack arrived on the Kinnans' doorstep on Christmas morning! The timing could not have been more perfect! :) From the pictures, he seems to be having a marvelous time Stateside already! (You can read what Angie wrote here.) If it's possible, I think I'm as moved and excited as the kids...maybe more! I was almost bursting the day we brought UJ home to our house and then again the day we sent him off; I know the kids hope, as much as I do, that Jack will be for our friends what FF has been for all of us. We sure do miss you guys!

Julia is 18 Months Old!

I haven't done very well at keeping up with my "regular" photo updates on Julia (or any of the kids, for that matter.) The idea was that I'd take her picture every so often with this bear so it would give perspective to her size... Better late than never, though. :)

On December 13th, Julia had her 1 1/2-year birthday (not that we actually did anything to celebrate, really.) She did have a doctor's check-up, which revealed that she is just over 22 pounds (which put her in something like the 35th percentile) and she's in the 30th percentile for her height...though I don't remember the number off-hand (and the paper is in her room, where she is sleeping...and it's not worth waking her up to go and get it.) Her head circumference is in the 98th percentile, which could explain why she always seems to have bruises on her forehead and how she manages to bump it on the ground every time she falls; poor girl is still a little top-heavy. :)

She is doing great as far as development goes...she's such a bright little thing. She is really starting to talk a lot more, I think adding to her vocabulary daily. She calls family members by name (all six of us who live with her anyway), and she regularly says "hi," "bye/bye-bye," "up," "down," "eat," "milk," "cup," "night-night," "yes," "no," "I want to..." "thank you," "baby," "bed," "walk," "help," and a handful of random other things. She occasionally says "Grandma," "Grampa," "Nana," "Papa," "Mimi," and "Ben," and she will usually attempt to repeat other names and words if we ask her to. She will NOT say "please," but she will consistently sign it. It's the only word, I think, that she continues to sign (it was actually one of her first signs) without attempting to say it. Goober.

She has trouble stacking blocks; she is quick to figure problems out, though, and will readily find someone else to stack them for her. She also knows that she should ask Collin for a snack instead of me...because while I'll likely tell her no, he will always try to get her something. :) Clever...

She is really good at climbing up stairs (on all fours still), and she is extremely cautious coming down. This is a pleasant shift from Collin, who still falls all the way down them sometimes because he's NOT so careful.  Naturally, she's not particularly coordinated yet, so even though she's cautious, we do keep the stairway gated.

Julia, in typical Eidson form, has a flare for the dramatic. She also has quite the piercing temper and an astounding set of lungs! She is learning some restraint, though, (and also that screeching is a sure way to get the opposite of what she wants) so I'm really happy to report that her sweet, easy-going side seems to be making a little bit of a come-back. She loves to giggle and snuggle, and she's getting a little more out-going. She also loves her thumb and any soft, fleecy blanket. Some of the men at church have become favorites of hers. I wouldn't have expected her to warm up to them first, but they certainly don't seem to mind. :)

I keep meaning to catch her on video with a couple of her favorite toys, one being her brothers' Incredible Hulk action figure. I won't spoil it by saying more right now, but she is hilarious!

Her hair is finally starting to grow out a little and thicken up. Just tonight, I managed to get a picture on my phone of her sweet little pigtails. I know I'm a little biased, but I sure think she's a cutie.

On Facebook, several people said she reminded them of Cindy Lou Who...I can see it. :)

I can't believe we only have 6 months left before you're two, Julie-bean! Time is flying, as it tends to do... I sure love you, baby girl!

Christmas Service

All the kids but Julia were part of our church's Christmas program this year. They were all so excited. :)

Ian and Collin are in the same class (Kingdom Kids). They sang a couple of songs together. Ian is dressed as a shepherd, and Collin is a wise man (despite some confusion for a week or so leading up to the event. He kept insisting that he was going to be the manger, haha! In his three-year-old defense, he was confusing it with the word "ranger," which is much like a super hero in his mind.) :)

The girls are the only ones in their Sunday School class (All-Stars), so they joined the Covies (the teenagers) for their Christmas play.  It was a comedy, but made a serious point about how Jesus is the whole point.  The characters were supposed to be figures from a nativity scene, but due to the humans losing/breaking/forgetting some of them, Emily (a lion) was the replacement for the other lamb, a police officer was a replacement for a broken wise man, and the humans had forgotten Jesus altogether.

I thought it was brilliant. :) And even better, the service contained a very clear Gospel presentation.

Afterwards, there was time to fellowship with one another over tea or coffee and mince pies. We invited our neighbors (landlords), and they came! We were so delighted, and they really seemed to enjoy their time as well. We are so blessed by their kindness to our family.

Here are a few pictures that Scott managed to take with his phone. The whole room was lit only by Christmas lights ("fairy lights") and candles, so many of them ended up blurry or just too dark for me to even touch up. :( It was also too dim for us to get any viewable video, which is so sad to me because I was hoping to share it with all my friends and family back home. *Sigh* Oh well.

Kingdom Kids minus 1 before the service started. 

Emily with her lion costume and face paint, except for the mane. My dear friend made both the girls' costumes, which saved me a massive amount of time and stress, and she also painted their faces. Thank you, Abby! They looked so cute!

Kingdom Kids singing this song.

All-Stars and Covies taking the stage (Emily is second from the right, and Katy is third--the lion and the lamb)

They all did a great job! Thank you to all the teachers for your hard work and initiative in organizing this, and also for your weekly investment into our kiddos! We are so blessed by your time and efforts!

Scandalized!

One of the beautiful perks to homeschooling is the flexibility.

And also that you can have pajama days pretty much at will. :)

I promised the kids that we would have certain days where our mornings could be more relaxed and they could hang in their PJs all day, if they wanted to. Up until last Friday, we had only done this once.

I woke up Friday feeling relaxed...likely because it was our last school day until after New Year's. (PRAISE THE LORD!) We didn't have any appointments or any place we needed to go... I scampered downstairs in my socks to make a pot of coffee and lounge in my jammies next to the radiator for a bit.

It was fabulous.

So when Katy came down for breakfast, I made the announcement: "Don't get dressed! Pajama Friday, it is!"

She disappeared back up the stairs to enlighten the rest of the crew.

We had an arbitrarily productive time, finishing the majority of our work by mid-morning.

And then, there was a knock at the door...at which point, I'll admit, I had a momentary panic attack about how I was supposed to answer it IN MY PAJAMAS!

So, I did the only thing I could do. I sent Emily. :)

Thankfully, it wasn't my landlord...or the mailman...or the fish man...(and yes, a fish man comes every now and then to see if we want any frozen fish...) It was my dear friend who not only MADE costumes for my girls' roles in their Christmas play at church, but also brought a bag of clothes for the boys...AND SHE BROUGHT ME FLOWERS!

Aren't they lovely and cheerful?

Truthfully, I debated telling you only that she came over to bring a mane and a fleece, and that she was scandalized by my pajama'd self...but I thought that might make for a traumatic read. ;)

The whole visit completely made my day.

Friday evenings also tend to be our family movie (or game) night. We don pajamas (we like to be comfortable, ok?) and eat snacky stuff like popcorn and trail mix...and chicken poppers...and whatever other finger food we can find. Scott had texted, though, saying he would be late due to...well...I'm not sufficiently unfrustrated with the situation to write about it well. Basically, an arbitrary commitment by someone else (who was conveniently gone) and which had nothing to do with actual work ended up preventing him from getting home until 10 pm...after going in at 6:30 all week and...  Well, I said I would talk about it. *Ahem*

ANYWAY, at the time, I didn't know how late he would be, so at 7:00, we still hadn't started eating. Around this time (or maybe a little after), I got a call from the same sweet friend who had popped by earlier asking if it would be okay to drop some things by our house. (Seriously, this family is delightful!) Of course, I said yes.

So they came over with all KINDS of Christmas decorations and crafty materials, and maybe zillions of ideas for what we could do with them. As I've mentioned, we put all our holiday decorations in storage before moving here, so our house has felt, well, a little less festive and just...foreign...this year.  Now, with the kids, we are able to make some new decorations and, in a sense, redefine what "festive" looks and feels like for our family. I absolutely LOVE the idea!

I'm not very good at pursuing crafting opportunities with the kids, part of my control-freak flaws...but I always LOVE their homemade designs and end up glad I've taken the plunge in the end. Sometimes, I think I just need that nudge. :)

Admittedly, we didn't finish a whole lot (yet), but we have a lot of potential! (Maybe we'll finish some things before next Christmas.) Here are some pictures from the evening:

Christmas Day!

We finished up our Advent devotions this morning and hung our 25th and final ornament. I am SO glad to have gone through this with the kids, and we'll definitely be doing in future years. The kids all got a lot out of it, and honestly, so did I! I was so blessed by their questions and comments, and I felt like it really helped us to maintain focus each day on the Reason we celebrate, with more consistency than we've been able to have in the past.

Here are some pictures from today:

The kids with all the gifts! Our family was ridiculously blessed this year (obviously, in many more ways than just materially). Several different families at our church gave EACH of the children a gift, some relatives mailed gifts, and our sweet neighbors brought huge candy-filled packages. We are overwhelmed by the generosity we have encountered, and we're all so grateful. (Emily is not pictured much because she was taking pictures of her own and wanted to stay out of mine.) :)

Julia was SO fun this year. She is at such a cute age, and just giggled when she saw all the shiny packages. :)

My boys... <3 td="td">

Ian, the storm trooper

Katy received a violin! She has been asking consistently for, literally, years. Lessons are imminent (especially since neither mommy nor daddy know anything about string instruments!)

We've had a really lovely, relaxing day. For the first time, we didn't have a huge feast. We set out a veggie platter with dip, a fruit salad, green chile flavored pistachios (thanks, Mom!), sliced sausages and cheeses, chex mix, and cookies! It. Was. GLORIOUS!

Christmas Crafting

We really didn't do a whole lot in the way of crafting this year. I didn't even send out Christmas cards. (Sorry, everyone who sent us a card, you won't be getting one from us this year.) :(  If you don't give up on us, I'll try to get my act together next year.

One of the FEW things we did, though, was to make a nativity set for our neighbors. We had discussed a few different ideas, but the kids really took off with this one. They turned out SO cute that I was sad to give it away that I'm planning to make several more sets next year to give away (and I'll probably also keep one, heehee)...undoubtedly each one will be unique. :) Here are some pictures:

the whole set

Angel, sheep, shepherd, ...

cow

baby Jesus

manger

Joseph and Mary

Three magi, with gold, frankincense, and myrrh 

camel

shepherd

So impressed with my sweet kids. :)

We Laughed 'Til We Cried

Today was an absolutely splendid day! We started off by heading to Ely to hear a friend sing with the Ely Youth Choir. (She, and the rest of the group, did great and sang beautifully!) We even met one of the facilitators of the youth choir, who gave us some more information; I think Emily will be joining in January! :)

After the concert, our two families had lunch together. I think we probably could've chattered the afternoon away, but we both had Christmas shopping to get to, so we restrained ourselves.  I'm so pleased to report that all our "missions" were accomplished.

Afterward, we had to make a quick stop by the commissary for some coffee creamer. (Abby, I'm prepared now! ;) ) The kids and I waited in the car while Scott ran in, and we passed the time by Britishizing "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer." In no time, we were giggling our heads off...not huge guffaws, but the kind of deep giggling that leaves you breathless, with sore abs and tears in your eyes. Finally, I had to record our concoction. Even though we were in a dark car (so I didn't even try to aim the camera at anything), I think you'll still get the gist.  Also, for any of our new English friends who are reading, I hope you won't be offended or think we're poking fun at you. We are just so tickled by the differences in vocabulary and accent here, and we equally love all the fun attempts at "speaking American!" :)

Without further adieu, I give you the Eidsons-in-England rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!"

What I Wish I Would Have Thought About

This is a difficult post for me to write, I think only because I care too much about what others will say or think. Since I'm trying to get past that hang-up, I'm going to share this anyway, as it's an important matter and I want to remember these thoughts.

Years ago, when the girls were about 5, they each (independently) made a profession of faith. And by that, I mean that they voiced the understanding that they were sinners, that Jesus died on the cross to pay the debt their sin incurred, and that they wanted to give Him their hearts and spend eternity with God in heaven. Emily even insisted on baptism.

I didn't think I was coercing their decision. I know that it's easy to get young children to say or believe almost anything, and I consciously didn't want to just get them to mimic my beliefs...even though my deepest desire for them is that they would understand their need for a Savior, that they would cling to Jesus and pursue Him with their entire being for their entire lives. I also took to heart Jesus' exhortation in Matthew 19 and Luke 18, not to hinder little children from coming to Him. I knew that a childlike faith was to be respected, and I wanted to take them at their word and not stand in their way if they really did understand...if they really were being drawn by the Holy Spirit.

What I wish I'd done, though, was to be a little more laid back with my response. I wish I'd realized how many 5-year-olds get baptized* only to realize later on that they really hadn't understood...or, more tragically, to rely on that testimony alone for years and then turn their backs on it entirely as adults.  I saw many cases like these in high school and college. Why didn't I think more about that when the 5-year-olds were my own children?

Or maybe I did try to think about it, but I was so fixated on trying to "raise them right" and "lead them to the Lord" (in quotes only because it can often be more of a catch phrase than a lifestyle), that I didn't stop to examine them thoroughly and ask the harder questions. I didn't stop to wonder if they understood about counting the cost and dying to self.

Would I have slowed down if someone had told me? Maybe people DID tell me, and I just missed it.

I know I did wonder periodically if Emily really understood. I often question lots of things I do as a parent, almost always uncertain if I'm doing things "right." The response wasn't a bad or wrong one; I was encouraged to just watch for fruit in her life.  Even that, though, can be misleading with little kids. They want to please their parents, so how does a parent distinguish if their growth is in compliance with family rules and expectations or whether it's truly out of love and obedience to the Lord?

A year or so after Emily's baptism, Katy made her profession and began asking often when she could be baptized, too.  We waited, initially because we wanted her to care about it enough to be the one to approach the pastor first. (Emily had been than confident.) By the time Katy was bold enough, we were preparing to move, so we decided to wait a little longer. Over the course of almost another whole year, she continued to ask regularly...and finally built up the courage to approach our new pastor.

He didn't deny her, but he did give Scott and me an article to consider. I think this is the one...or at least it's very much like it. (Please, read it!) After reading it, I definitely questioned the way we'd gone about everything with Emily, and so we encouraged Katy to wait...to certainly read her Bible, and pray, and ask questions, and share her faith with her friends...but to make sure she was really sure and that she really  understood what giving her life to Christ meant.

In the years since all of this, I've begun to see that it's harder to tell a difference in other people (maybe especially young children) between knowing/understanding who Jesus is, what He did, and what all of that means for all people...and having a saving dependence on Christ in a personal, life-changing way.

I can remember when that shift in thinking occurred for me...not an exact date and time, but a period of time when my heart was absolutely and forever changed.

So, even though I'm disappointed by my own ignorance and the way I inadvertently pushed my girls into a blind profession of an incomplete faith, I can't say I was totally surprised when they came to me the other night and tearfully confessed that they were unsure.

I'm so glad that they COULD talk to us about this. I'm grateful that I could explain to Emily why she was baptized when she was, why we allowed it, and that she doesn't have to feel ashamed to be unsure now, because it wasn't her mistake. I'm glad that we can talk with both girls about their questions and doubts and fears, and that they can verbalize where their hearts are and what they think. They have some amazing insight.

But I'm also a little scared.  I'll admit, in recent weeks, I have had some very pointed conversations with more than one person who was raised in a Christian home, who made a profession of faith in his childhood, who even lived as like a Christian as anyone from the outside would be able to discern...but the animosity toward God (even though these people claim He doesn't exist) is sobering, saddening, and discouraging. My heart cries out with every parental insecurity, and I pray that my children will never feel like they've been bamboozled or brain-washed into believing.

I fail and fall and set an absolutely pathetic example of what Christ calls His people to be...a lot (too much) of the time. One would not have to look very carefully at my life to find examples of hypocrisy or failures to live what I preach. In His mercy, God uses these flaws to bring me repeatedly to my knees and to reveal to me the greatness of my need for Him...but I confess, it's more difficult for me to trust that He will also use my blunders for the good of my kids. It is a LIE of Satan to think I can somehow thwart God, but yet, I also know that my actions and attitudes have a profound impact on the people in my life, not the least of which are my children. They see, more clearly than anyone else save my husband (and sometimes, because of the amount of time spent with me, maybe even more than he), who I really am. I do NOT want to make faith more difficult for them because I am undisciplined or inconsistent.

The girls are asking excellent questions and truly seeking the truth. Please pray for them, and please pray for their parents.


*I realize that not everyone agrees with my beliefs about baptism. None of this is intended to begin an interdenominational debate about infant vs. believer's baptism. Many devoted brothers and sisters have extensively explored Scripture on this matter, and still disagree. It is a non-essential matter, so I hope you'll all extend some grace to me. :)

Frost

Sunny days aren't the only beautiful ones...
Even though today is cold, damp, and foggy again, waking to a frost-lined world does add a lovely dimension to the gray. I snapped a picture of a frozen spiderweb through the window and then had to get my shoes on to explore outside.

crunchy grass :)

It is impossible to escape spiders while in England. It seems equally impossible for them to escape the frost. (I'm sure there will be new webs by tomorrow.)