The other day Nathaniel was keeping an eye on Florence for me while I got a few jobs done around the house.

At some point he came into the room I was working and said very seriously:

I think there is a problem...
(me slightly concerned) Whats that?
See, Florence just wants to be kissed all the time and so I can't get anything done...
I laughed and agreed I had the very same problem.

yes our Florence has the most kissable little face...

with cheeks like this who could resist?

reminding myself

Sometimes March can be a hard month in Syracuse.

The magic of winter and snow worn off, weary of clearing snow off cars, and putting on (and taking off) layer after layer of clothing, people start to speak hopefully of Spring.

I remember my first winter here, my sister-in-law Sarah gave me The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, as if to say "just wait till you see what you are getting in for!" I read it for the first time in my life and I admit to feeling a little nervous about the winter months ahead of me.

I laugh now - certainly winter in Syracuse is a lovely thing and the only negative really is that the weather does seem to tease you during the months of March and April. A week of temperatures in the low 40s (warm as some people here call it) will melt away the snow and tempt you to wear fewer layers when out and about. Suddenly without warning the following week there will be a snow storm dropping a 15 inches of snow leaving you with freezing temperatures and often a cold because 40 degrees really is not that warm to be traipsing about with fewer layers!

This very thing happened over the weekend...

our car is the one on the left...it took N a good part of the morning to
shovel the snow enough so we could get out.

- and so this week instead of grumbling, I have been reminding myself of the beauty of winter, relishing my cozy sweaters, and making up my favorite soups.

And really I know that Spring Must come sometime, so I must not waste my time wishing for something that is not yet and enjoy the here and now!

Today, Florence is 5 weeks old.

We celebrated by taking a couple steps into 'normal' life.
(whatever that is anyway...)

• We got out of the house by 7 - I was in sweats and a hoodie, and Florence was still in her 'jammies, but still - We met up with some girls from church for our Thursday morning get together. This is the first one we have made it to since Florence arrived.
• We went to the grocery store, sure it wasn't a big shopping venture - just to pick up a few items to make Nathaniel his special birthday desert! - but there were no melt downs by either of us and we didn't forget anything. I would count that outing a success.
• We went for a walk - it was below freezing but Florence was snugged up in a couple blankets, and a lovely warm wool hat from her Gran and buttoned up into a carrier. It was good to get some fresh air even if my fingers felt frozen as I am glove less at the moment. (by the way mom - if you are reading this, I think I should try to make those sweet fingerless gloves you were wearing while you were here...where can I get my cold fingers on that pattern!?)
  

dear baby...

We've got a car seat to put in the car so you can come with us everywhere we go when you arrive.

There are tiny little diapers tucked away in a drawer.

Gran has reserved her flight to Syracuse.

I am waddling more and more as you get bigger and bigger.
('try to be graceful - and stop making those grunts every time you put on your boots or get out of the car', I tell myself - sorry if I squish you).

A bag is packed and ready for a trip to the hospital.

We can't wait to meet you little baby - please come soon...

new years resolutions

Have I mentioned this before?
I do really love the new year, there is something about having a set time to reflect and start fresh.
I generally don't make an exhaustive list of resolutions but I do try to pick one or two areas in my life I would like to focus on particularly.
A staple to my list every year seems to be remembering all the birthdays in my family...at least remember siblings birthdays I tell myself. It keeps being a resolution because be the time January is out I have missed about 3 or 4 already!

Well I have kept my list to 3 this year:

1. Keep an updated calendar - contrary to what I may feel, they are not there just to look pretty, but to keep me organized.

2. Learn how to make a Danish pastry - my mother-in-law gave me a sweet old Danish cook book to remind me it is good connect with my family history - my heritage as she puts it.

and the one I am most excited about...

3. Memorize the book of Colossians - I am doing it with 3 friends from church, we are using this bible memory scheme here where we memorize 2 verses a week over the course of
the year.

Want to join us? It would be fabulous if you did... even if you have to stop after a bit - even a small portion of scripture memory is valuable!
check out the site, they provide adorable memory cards you can print out to aid with the memorization. The cards are in NIV, which I think we may end up using the ESV translation instead - but the cards are so cute I may try to recreate them in the ESV.

*As you can see birthdays didn't make it to the list this year... I thought perhaps I needed to take the pressure off and see if keeping a calendar (resolution #1!) will naturally result in my remembering the birthdays of all my loved ones...*

moving & memories

Yesterday Nathaniel and a few other strong men collected all our belongings from around Syracuse and deposited them into our new flat. I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time, even before we made our big move from England I was looking forward to the day I would be able to unpack all our belongings.

As I considered the boxes that surrounded me in my new kitchen I saw that all the boxes had been labeled carefully to help guide my unpacking... and all the writing was done in my mom's handwriting. And that made me smile.

The more I looked around, the more I saw little traces of my parents love and care for Nathaniel and me. Two and a half years ago they came for a visit to Syracuse, and they spent the majority of their visit packing our belongings and helping us prepare for our move to England. What a delight to go about my work yesterday (and today), remembering that time together with my parents.

Sending Papi & Mom off - after all their hard work...

Unpacking boxes of cloths I remembered Mom giving valuable input on what cloths to save, give away and take with me to England. 'Yes', I thought, 'I am glad mom told me to pack this corduroy blazer away...' Mom is wise that way.

Trying to put our bed together yesterday we were thankful for Papi's packing common sense when we went hunting for all the vital little internal pieces, and found them all safely packed together in the rods of the bed. Just where they should be...Papi is clever that way.

And so my day went yesterday - one memory after another - reminded of our time and conversations together, and it was good.
...and thank you Papi & Mom for loving us in such practical ways...

today - I am thankful

Life has been pretty full these last few months.
Some days I have felt a little lost
- lost in the chaos of my life.
Do you ever feel that way?

If I can only make it through today, I think to myself.
And God is so faithful to not only help me through the day,
but to help me get through each moment -
and I am thankful.

This morning I experienced Autumns first frost.
The 6am sky was crystal clear,
the air was sharp,
and the moon made a bright crescent high above me.

The God who made this amazing world around me, is the same God who cares for me. He has not lost me in the chaos of my life...to him it is not chaos at all. He is my heavenly Father, and he knows my coming in and my going out -
and I am thankful.