Chismville

How delighted I was when our little Chalice was born! She came so quickly we barely made it into the hospital. While David had announced, “It’s a boy!” when Joel was born, I got to make the declaration at Chalice’s birth. We were excited to use the name we had selected for a little girl–Chalice Joy– a cup of joy. Chalice was a little blessing to me and very familiar as I had much experience with baby girls. It’s so special for us to see the friendship that is evolving between Joel and Chalice. They are often partners in crime, but still the best of friends. Chalice seems to like learning how to communicate these days as she tries out new words. She’s a little mixed up about her animals. The other day she said, “COW!” and waved, “Good bye, Doggie!” at the nonplussed bovine creature. Dog is her universal term for animals. Chalice is most frequently noted for her long eyelashes and her quizzical expressions. :^) Happy 2nd birthday to our little Chalice!

The high ceilings and spacious rooms of this home are so cozy when it is raining. This past week gave us several days of steady rainfall. Mopping my floors from the days of applesauce-making I listened to Mullan Rouge and thought of the sad beauty expressed in some of the songs. Movies are made of such bittersweet drama, but what a horrid sad existence that sort of life would be–much more depressing than romantic. It’s only in fairy tales that such sorrow turns into “happily ever after” and Prince charming rescues Cinderella.  I could never imagine being in such dire straits as some of the sad classics present. “Someday I’ll fly away, leave all this to yesterday…” The music soars to glorious major keys as the singer imagines her dreams, only to abruptly crash back into minor tones, darkly portraying the singer’s inescapable reality. I thought of my simple sweet life. How could I be any happier! This past week was long because my husband was in Ohio training for his new season of selling Christmas light-hanging services. What a happy reunion we experienced when he returned to us yesterday evening! I am so spoiled to enjoy dinner as a family nearly every evening. Today was like a Saturday as we enjoyed a pancake breakfast followed by a 7-mile triangle hike of Liberty Road, Dollyhyde, and Mapleville with our lime green stroller and a backpack for the kidlets. Our lives would make a boring Halmark film, but I much prefer banal happiness to a Hollywood melodrama!

Not long after my college girlfriend informed that her first word was “apple,” Joel came home from a day at Grammy’s house saying “apple” over and over. I had thought it a peculiar word to commence speaking. Today, I peaked in on my two little rascals in the garage where I had let them play and they were both perched on our riding lawn-mower and down to the core eating apples left over from my two day canning spree with my sister. I guess apples and youngsters do get along well together.

Stella’s Dream is a bucolic farm on the outskirts of Sugarloaf Mountain. Mr. Pepe diligently tends his perfectly spaced trees day after day only to give them away to his friends, amongst whom my family is prized to be called.  Grandimary Howard, Mama, Jenny, Kendra, Jesse, Seth, Joseph, Trina, and Karl and Alyssa Hjembo’s family carrivanned to the orchard with my mom’s many 1/2 bushel buckets in tow. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows on the mown lawns around us as we all sampled the sweet yellow apples. Kendra and I agreed to meet the following day to put up our pickings. We were both equally ambitious, wanting roughly 50 quarts each for our little families. Jesse was probably our best asset when it came to getting all the apples down from the trees. He used an apple picker, shook the branches vigorously and the trees dropped their produce. My hands quickly tired from my inferior method of hanging out of the tree middle while trying the shake the branch I was holding. Joel and Chalice were delighted with all the apples around them as long as they could avoid standing under the trees that were being shaken. Before going to bed, I garnered my many supplies from the Howard family menagerie. I was planning on purchasing jars, but Mama told me I cold have as many jars as my heart desired! So the only thing Kendra and I needed to purchase were the dome lids to seal the jars.

The next morning (Wednesday) Kendra arrived before 7:30AM having already changed a flat tire! We worked steadily, scrubbing, quartering and removing bad spots from our many apples. We were quite the domestic young housewives. I periodically charged into the kids room to change a diaper or wipe a bottom and administer marshmallows. The kids took long naps and cooperated nicely with our applesauce canning efforts. Kendra and I experienced the joys of watching caramel colored applesauce stream from the nifty “squeezo” as Kendra cranked and I filled the jars, cleaned the rims and lowered the jars into the Amish 15-jar canner. We let out a little cheer each time a jar lid popped indicating that our work was successful and the jar had sealed. All 75 of the quarts we processed canned successfully. I got an early reprieve the second day because I had company coming at 6 for dinner so Kendra and Jesse whisked away the supplies around 5:30 and David and I enjoyed our evening with friends!

Hours of apples left my fingernails short and my fingers sore and brown! But I still had about a bushel of apples left over. David mentioned to his boss that I’d been canning applesauce. Mr. Hall soon gave us another half bushel of beautiful apples from his orchard in Pennsylvania. There will be no dearth of apple pies, tarts, apple crisp, apples and peanut butter at this house! Amy kindly volunteered to help me finish out the last bushel of apples yesterday, which I froze and refrigerated as applesauce. That will allow me to store my canned quarts for weeks to come.

So maybe the road trip wasn’t exactly what I’d envisioned….ions of blissful one on one fellowship time with my husband as we sojourned across America’s countryside with our three happy children cooing and chortling in the background. Our first day of driving lasted approximately 14 hours and we made it to the friendly Best Western in Albuquerque. Unfortunately our children were too wired and we were too tired to enjoy the hotel swimming pool or our beds. It must have been far past midnight when at last we all fell asleep.

At the morning Aria feeding, I secured the hotel blinds, rearranged toddlers and we all continued sleeping well into the morning. When Joel woke up, he announced very happily that we had reached our “New Home.” (How thankful I was that we were not living out the next season of our lives at the Albuquerque Best Western!!) By the time we reloaded, refueled and made it to Cracker Barrel “breakfast” at noon, I was about ready to pass out. I don’t do well without breakfast. We had a short day of about five hours to make it to David’s hospitable friends, the Giedds, in Colorado Springs. We enjoyed two and a half delightful days with friends in Colorado. We went to church with the Giedds. Mandy and I were fast friends. The next day was spent with the Harvey’s rowing, mowing, hamocking, riding in a chic sports car at thrilling but slightly illegal speeds, and playing fuseball. David got his first experience on a riding mower and looked like a natural. I enjoyed meeting Rebecca, Mike’s wife and all the Harvey clan. It was a fun visit. Danny and Terah entertained us the last bit of our time in Colorado. Danny even took the day off of work and spoke Donald Duck to our rather grumpy children before we set out on our last leg of the journey. We left Danny’s early afternoon and drove til well past dark through Kansas. We were crushed to miss out on all that Kansas scenery. We arrived at Hotel 6 where they left the light on for us. The next day we made it to the Indianapolis Training Center listening to a Grisham tale from Cracker Barrel’s stash of audio tapes. I agonized over whether to wear shorts and a t-shirt or meet the ITC standard–sort of.  We identified our photos on the EQUIP wall and were amazed to see that there have been nearly twenty Equip classes since we were there! It was super weird sleeping at the ITC with a boy in my room, let alone our three children. We noticed Indy has made their breakfast menu slightly more healthy since we’d been there last with no fake bacon. Mr. and Mrs. Gergany greeted us warmly and we got to meet two of their granddaughters also. We left late morning the last day of our road trip. I think I might have won the prize for most impatient to be done driving! I more or less begged to take a turn at the wheel and be free of nursing, reading, and spanking duty in the middle seat. When Taco Bell toppled from one of the back car seats and I lost the battle to keep any semblance of cleanness in our little van or to get food in the little urchins, it nearly did me in.  One of the last movies we watched in San Diego was Supersize Me. It was a good flick to watch before a road trip. We managed the entire trip soda, chips and fries-free! Our last stop we tanked up on a very make-shift dinner consisting predominantly of sugar in various forms. Never have I been so thrilled to round the rolling hills leading to Libertytown! My brothers, sisters and parents formed our enthusiastic welcoming committee.

It was Thursday when we arrived in Libertytown. Our belongings were supposed to land that weekend or Monday, but our expectations were off by over a week. It wasn’t until the following Monday that the moving van pulled in to our new home. What a home it is! I feel so unworthy of God’s rich blessings on our lives. We now live in a safe haven for family members and friends. Our home is down a half mile long driveway off of Liberty Road, surrounded by 8 1/2 acres of beautiful green grass that we don’t have to mow! and nestled in by trees. Somewhere beyond us are cows that we can hear moaning pittifully if they are neglected and not milked on schedule. We have a lovely porch and deck that connects to the capacious master bedroom. David estimated that three and a half of his bedrooms growing up would fit in our master bedroom. The master bath is a room in itself with a whirlpool and double doors! Aria sleeps in our walk-in closet. Wood floors and nine foot ceilings are throughout the house. There’s a fireplace and an enormous beautiful kitchen. There’s also a laundry room. The appliances are all so nice. I can scarcely believe this home stood empty for roughly two years before they posted it on Craig’s list just when David was looking and for rent the same price as a two-bedroom appartment in town.

We’ve been enjoying our first week moved in. David’s parents and the Browns were in the DC area for a conference and we enjoyed spending part of the weekend with them. Our things are nearly all in their places and it’s feeling like a very regal version of home! My mom made phone calls and lined up all sorts of unpacking help the day we moved in. The kids are getting back on schedule.

This afternoon I’m off to pick apples at a nearby orchard with my mom, sisters and a few friends. I’m happy to can applesause for the first time for my own little family. David’s work is falling into place. He met with his employer to discuss particulars this morning.  Uncle Steve preached an encouraging sermon from Joshua on scripture meditation and staying in the word this past Sunday. It was timely encouragement for me to go beyond just reading by trying to also read good books, study the Bible, memorize passages and meditate on scripture. David and I also are eager to train our children well. While Joel loves to sing the Christian songs he knows, his religion seems to be Thomas the Train more than anything. It’ll happen though! Joel and Chalice are good little mirrors into our lives as they parrot the things they hear us saying. It’s so fun being back in touch with so many dear friends, though we do miss our loved ones in San Diego!

I’ve always been good at journaling when I’ve had nothing in particular to write about. It’s those times that there’s tons to say I struggle. Now I wouldn’t label this affliction writer’s block for it’s something much more banal–I’ll go for calling it plain and simple business of life. Of late details have been spinning far too swiftly for me to pin them all down and put them on paper or uhhm, pixels. (One day it’ll be poetic to say “pixels.”) What with celebrating Joel’s third birthday, David’s thirtieth birthday, our fourth anniversary and moving our little family to the other side of North America, August is loaded!

Joel’s dreams came true this past week when he received his very own wooden train set. My dreams have been coming true all of my life–my good dreams. My very vivid imagination allows for all sorts of bazaar and terrifying nightmares on occasion, but it’s my happiest daydreams that keep becoming reality for me as the days go by. The book versus blog distinction prohibits me from posting the daydreams come true of long ago. The creativity of our all- powerful God allow for the variations and design triumphs that make the garment of life more original and beautiful. I love to look back and see how God has directed the course of my life. At the same time I loathe my own persistent lack of trust in God. My worries over little and big details always boil down to a lack of trust in my ever-faithful Heavenly Father.

It is so hard saying good bye to the dear friends I’ve made here in San Diego. Last week we finished up books in two separate book studies. Almost as long as I’ve been married to David and living in San Diego, a group of us girls has met at Emily’s house or my house every other Tuesday to discuss a variety of books. Last Tuesday we discussed the last two chapters of a book entitled UnChristian. Then on Thursday we finished an intimate couples study on Love that Lasts. It is so marvelous how God takes such things into consideration! As I look forward to this family road trip across the country, I think it’s also interesting and providential how Aria is my only baby who I’ve trained to take a bottle. This will certainly save time as we won’t have to make stops every 2 ½ hours along the way!

There are many things I look forward to in Libertytown, Maryland. Amongst them is seeing my sister Kendra through her pregnancy, doing pilates in the early morning hours with various sisters, watching Joel bond with and learn from his young uncles Seth and Joseph, and having various family members, my grandparents and close friends over for a meal and games nights. I dearly treasure the possibility of being involved in my young siblings lives. I would always have a small twinge of anguish to hear of my married sisters taking Trina or Seth or Joseph on an outing. My dad will be able to visit us without having to get time off of work. I thrill with childish delight to think of exploring the pretty places of my hometown with my own husband. We’ll take walks through historic downtown Frederick, play tennis together at Libertytown park, follow the creek and let our kids get muddy playing in it like I loved to do! We’ll go sledding and make snowmen and then warm up with hot chocolate and wassail. We can drive to Annapolis, Gettysburg, Harper’s Ferry, Chincoteague, and DC to see the sights and enjoy time together.

I can hardly believe how swiftly our lives have changed. A couple weeks ago, I was painting the wooden letters of Aria’s name and mounting them above her crib. Now we’re labeling boxes. A few months ago we were preparing to have a baby and moving a few miles. That move was just a fire drill for the big cross-country venture. When I packed my luggage for my honeymoon in Maine and a new life in San Diego, I never would have dreamed that just four years later, we’d be a happy family of five, my usual car to drive would be a minivan or I’d be developing my thesis on how to regularly achieve the concurrent three-child nap! God is good to us. I certainly can’t imagine knowing the details of life for every living thing let alone orchestrating them in harmony!

Stay tuned on our adventures. Most likely my trusty, techy husband will keep people up to date even when our computer is stowed away in many layers of packaging materials on a moving vehicle.

I hate parking garages–well if I’m trying to finagle a large vehicle through one. I hate taking my kids to doctors appointments, waiting through a number of episodes of virtually the same show entitled “juggling three small children at a place they don’t particularly like at lunch time,” watching the helpless adoring eyes of my 8-week-old daughter as I assist in her unexpected torturous shots, trying to comfort two sad, afflicted little girls at the same time, waiting for an elevator that is slow and always too full for a stroller when it is going my direction, then settling for taking car seat, stroller and toddlers down stairs in shifts, then the inevitable, “YOU have your hands full!!!,” forgetting to bring change for the parking garage, and realizing upon arriving at home that I have somewhere managed to step in green bubblegum. Nevertheless I love being a mother to my precious children. Life is settling into a lovely new normal. I’m finding joy and fulfillment in the miniature joys of life like fixing myself yummy coffee drinks, crossing completed items off my list, being unpregnant and able to return to my favorite forms of exercise, and watching my two toddlers take such obvious delight in their little sister. We had a wonderful time on the east coast partaking in my dear friend’s wedding and enjoying recreating in Massanutten, Virginia with my dad’s side of the family. I look forward to the time when more of our friends and family also have children and we aren’t trying to keep up with everyone else or at the mercy of others to forego their desires to help out with our little ones. Aria is a joyful addition to our household. She’s a little more demanding than her older siblings were as infants. Her preference is to be held all the time. But since I still have only two arms, she is already learning part of the hard call of a Christian to die to self! She has been quite busy growing over the past few weeks to 150% her hospital size. She currently has one blue and and one brown eye. I don’t know whether she’s keeping us in suspense about which color will break the tie in our family, or maybe they’ll stay brown and blue. Chalice is a little character trying to keep up with her brother in some respects and holding her own in others. She and Joel are quite the duo. Joel recently told me, “Don’t be afraid, Mommy, Thomas is with you.” I know I should keep such sacrilege to myself.  I’m enjoying our new little community and the safety of taking walks right from our front door. There’s a nearby park and stores within walking distance.  Ironically my favorite asset or our new home is the attached garage or more precisely the potential to load and unload children safely without having to herd them around our condo complex along with armloads of groceries. It’s great having a small yard and being able to plant flowers, herbs, and a few vegetables, though I was a bit preoccupied during planting season this year. I’d better get on to other details of life, but after two months absence it’s nice to leave my little mark on cyberspace.

I was powerfully convicted as I stood to offer my meager praise offering during the Sunday morning worship service this morning. Although I went to bed very late last night I was awakened at 5:30 this morning with no going back to sleep. I had time for catching up on my Bible reading, fixing breakfast for the kids and family and taking a prayer walk–just me and God–something I so rarely do these days. The peacefulness of this Sunday morning ministered to my restless heart. I had the chance to let scripture percolate through my mind in random samplings of edifying sweetness. I thought of how my crazed desire to get on with the next stage and the consuming desire to have this baby is a distorted purpose for me to have. I want to seek first His kingdom and righteousness and God will take care of “all these things.” The recurring theme of my learning to trust God rested upon my heart as I also thought of the preceding verses about each day having enough trouble of its own and how God tenderly cares for the sparrows and beautifully arrays the flowers. I have never felt this pregnant before. This baby has exhausted his or her leg room and loves to stretch a foot or two out for periods of time. It was funny to feel bump of that foot go back and forth with the movement of my body as I walked.  I enjoyed motherly musings–anticipation of meeting this little one and discovering whether it’s a boy or a girl then all the little personality details that become apparent over the days and months and years which will come. So a few hours later as I stood in worship beside my husband I thought of how though pregnancy can seem like a permanent dilapidation or a terminal illness, it is in reality a great blessing. Though at this moment I feel like I never want to endure another pregnancy, I was struck by the gift that I have been given that I will soon grow to cherish. So many of the songs we sang were about the cross and what Christ did for us. They were about the selfless love that bore Jesus Christ up to the cross and through which He endured the gut-wrenching anguish of separation from the Father. Through my impatience I make pregnancy a trial when it is a gift and a chance for the Father to show me His tender mercies at my most vulnerable state.  As I was singing a thought from Prince Caspian flashed through my mind. I thought of how Peter told his little sister that he thought they’d spent enough time waiting for Aslan to come. Lucy so touchingly displays that childlike trust we are all supposed to emulate. She looked for Aslan and found him. I realized that although I managed to be all caught up on my reading through the Bible at regular increments of time, I have not truly been seeking for God in my study of His word. I’ve barely even been studying it–just reading it. I felt shame for my apathy about the things which matter most! It was so clear to me that God wanted me to be there for the service this morning. All week long I have been dreading going to church pregnant another Sunday. I grow weary from bracing myself for all the comments about popping and timing and stomachs. Yet God in His goodness planned for me to be at church another Sunday and mercifully reminded me before I set foot in the church building that I need to quit thinking about myself and store up the Heavenly treasures He had in store for me this morning.

I am amazed at how God blessed the whole unpacking ordeal. I think I was expecting it to drag on for months, but in reality it’s virtually completed now, after just over a week. I definitely put my nesting instincts to work for me! Wednesday evening my spirits were high. The plague of illness that had afflicted David most severely as well as Chalice and me had finally subsided and the house was looking like a home. I was excited to actually feel like the baby could come. Then boredom, impatience, and HOTNESS struck and this pregnant chick was ready to put nesting aside and think about the baby for real. The only problem is that baby limbo can last for not days but weeks. I find myself speculating and second guessing all the possibilities of when and why and how much false labor must occur before baby C #3 will come. The most sophisticated doctors cannot predict when a baby will actually decide to make an appearance. I grew weary of phone calls only from solicitors and mail consisting only of bills and an inbox comprised merely of updates as to who at church needed a replacement. Checking the inside thermostat was an interesting hobby as I watched it rise from 80 to 85 over the course of the afternoon. By the time David had arrived home my grumpiness had reached full bloom and I felt like I was unfit company for anyone. A sympathetic husband, chocolate chip cookies and friends perked up the evening until it was at last bedtime. Otherwise, I’m nearly certain that the refrain from a favorite childhood story would be true for me….”Could this go on all day and night? It could you know and it just might.”

This morning commenced with the happy clatter of painters sanding away at the messy exterior of our house. I abridged my devotions again due to the increasingly agitated noises of my children pleading to be released from their room. Then even breakfast proved unsuccessful. I couldn’t get my children to wear bibs and decided without bibs they would not eat. We have a lovely neighborhood for walking, but one can hardly roam the streets for hours on end without some decent destination or purpose. I called up a friend and received an ambiguous answer about arranging a rendezvous.

I decided not to let plans with other people stand in the way of rescuing my day. I piled my children in the car and headed due west, with miniature dump trucks, bananas, and sunscreen in tow. We arrived at the beach and I piled my children into our snazzy lime-green stroller. I enjoyed a leisurely phone conversation with a friend back east while I pushed the kids along the boardwalk. Eventually we found a pleasant patch of sand from which we could watch the waves dance and I could build small sand castles for the express purpose of being smashed by happy children. I thoroughly enjoyed watching my kids take such delight in the simple treasures of creation. Observing the vast ocean and bountiful beach, my stomach was almost dainty by comparison. Plus I had adorable blue toenails–professionally adorned as a Mother’s Day treat. Imagine the demise of a perfectly good respite, wrecked by messy chipping nails! As it was, our morning was glorious. It was only when my squashed bladder complained bitterly that I reluctantly loaded my two little sandcrabs back into the trendy and useful stroller to return home for a late lunch and naps.

Yesterday marked the big move from our condo on Fanita Rancho to our new home. The previous evening David had invited a number of friends for his one hour manly move in which a number of helpful and strong dudes loaded up their vehicles with much of our boxed items. My sister-in-law, Emily, generously helped me unpack the kitchen on Monday and me got most of it done! Yesterday a crew moved the remainder of our belongings and we spent our first night at our new home on Verlane Drive. The morning was tedious as we scrounged for breakfast in our empty kitchen and tried to get the remaining miscellaneous items into a movable state in a short amount of time. Chalice seemed a little extra clingy and tired by the middle of the day. Joel loved all the excitement, but fell asleep in the few minutes between my tucking him in and David coming to pray with him too. Today when I ran a few errands, Joel curled up with his head on my purse in the grocery cart and was fast asleep in no time! I sort of wish I could be the one asleep in that grocery cart right now! My baby is bumping around in his or her tight space–rather curious to investigate what all the commotion is about these days. Things are starting to take shape. I got a lot of unpacking done yesterday and David got some things set up. We have a Chism Brother’s man, Dave Olson, touching up walls and doors. A number of boxes still decorate our living room, but as soon as the bookshelves are stationary, I can get many of those boxes unloaded and broken down.  Hopefully y’all can come see our new home soon!

It’s beginning to look as though we really are moving, with a nice high stack of labeled boxes piled in the side bedroom. Little Chalice has pink eye and ear infections. She greeted me with a hoarse cough, happy giggle and little otter dive in her crib when I went to get her up this morning. She complied with my administration of eye drops and antibiotic with little protest. The only thing to rumple her good-natured spirits was parting with her daddy and big brother as they marched out the door to church and she was left to wave good-bye in her pajama shirt, diaper and slippers.

This peculiar Sunday morning I’m reminded of one of the reasons I have 2 1/2 small children and have been busily working on my degree. With some of the uncharacteristic extra time I had this morning, I flipped through the pages of a scrapbook Heidi and Eden made for me two Christmases ago. I read their touching letters and my eyes scanned the pictures of happy memories and fun-filled outings with and without me. It didn’t take long for the effects of such nostalgia-producing activity to fill my eyes with tears and my heart with longings to make more memories with these dear loved ones. The comfort of thinking of Seth’s upcoming first visit out here and Eden’s visit (the middle of next month–during baby time) only made the tears come more freely.

I was reminded of a time in our first year of marriage when David came home from work to a tearful wife. He soon saw the quilt of wedding pictures arrayed on the floor near my partially completed wedding scrapbook and practically forbade me to work on such activities alone. Of late, I am never alone. Joel chatters on about all sorts of things, especially Thomas the train, Grammy and Michael, Chalice and Daddy. Joel is making less sense to me as he tries to string many more words together and much faster than before. Even when both kids are down for their naps, I am accompanied by Chemistry studies, which keep my mind quite occupied in a realm outside my comfort zone. My normal days afford me no time to feel homesick. But this morning is a good reminder. Each time a stranger tells me, “YOU have your hands full!” I can be quite grateful for full hands and a full plate as I plod through life. My little companions and my husband are a joy and blessing each day.