Some random stuff and as usual, lots about Ella

Andrey and I finally got to celebrate our anniversary this weekend. Yes, nearly a month late but we were fasting during the actual day and couldn't take advantage of any of the usual celebratory foods - namely chocolate and alcohol. We ordered some yummy food from one of our favorite restaurants and had a date after Ella went to bed. A bottle of champagne, some posh Mexican food, a homemade six minute chocolate cake and a viewing of My Big Fat Greek Wedding (love that movie!) made for a fun date night at home to celebrate the beginning of our tenth year together.

Last week I grabbed a few shots of Ella on our little street. She was in a rare mood  - relatively willing to be herself in front of the camera. This girl has so much personality. Her mind and body are active and busy and so much fun to watch.

Ella's weekly play date with R. How cute are they!?  

I found some finger paint this week.  Ella was so excited about it when I bought it for her that she even passed up an opportunity to enjoy the slide at the mall playground (unheard of) because all she wanted  to do was go directly home to paint. After a quick trip to the grocery, that is what we did.

We joined Andrey on a business trip this week. Ella amazed us again with her love of all things travel. Her excitement level is set to high anytime we are in an airport or airplane. When we returned to Cebu, Ella told my friend, whom she's spent a bit of time with, "Airport! Airplane! Fly! Manila!" This photo is fuzzy but it shows how elated she is and how good she feels about pulling her own bag.

Even on long taxi rides, this girl is amazing. Not having a car seat helps. 

At the Manila airport, beginning our trip home to Cebu. Look at my big girl!

Back at home... Sometimes she just does not want her picture taken.

We did a bit of yard work yesterday. Andrey had the garden shears out and Ella really wanted to help so we got her scissors (the ones we recently realized she can use like a pro) and let her go to town on the shrubs. The plants in our garden grow like crazy so it's no harm to cut anything back. After a while, Ella grabbed a chair and sat down in front of the bushes and continued her work. Then she went inside and got a chair for Daddy saying, "Chair! Own!"

Some things Ella is into these days:

•  Loud music, especially her favorite song, that Chris Tomlin song that goes... strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord we will wait upon the Lord... when it comes on she says, "Loud! Sing!" and will sing along with gusto. Oh and she often demands us to sing with her. No talking, Mom & Dad... Sing! (I wonder if I should have her hearing checked because she also really likes turning the TV volume up when watching Elmo)

• Cutting - as I mentioned she is able to use scissors now. When she first found this skill she spent long periods of time (okay, long for a toddler) cutting paper into a gazillion tiny pieces. Lately she is more intrigued by trimming plants outside.

• Food - she's been eating so much lately! Favorite food these days? Chicken. Man can she eat a lot of chicken. 

• Trying out two words together - Up until recently she has been limited to stringing single words together but not making sentences yet. I have encouraged her for months to say things like "blue cup" or "hot coffee." She can say blue and cup but when prompted to say them together she'd just put an uhh or ahh in front of the second word, like "ahh cup." Well last week, she, completely of her own accord, started putting adjectives with nouns. It's very sweet because we can see that she is really focusing and concentrating and when she says something and we understand and praise her, she clearly feels very good about herself. Lately, she's been saying things like water slide, yellow bus, black pants, brown shorts, purple shirt, hot egg, etc... Way to go, Ella!

The other day I told Ella we were going to pick Daddy up (from the airport). She then motioned as if to pick up something heavy and said, "Daddy, 'im up, ughhh, heavy!" She is total cuteness!

You may have noticed I've been letting Ella's bangs grow. This is what it looks like when she takes her clip out. I think it's hilarious because it reminds me of the Adam's Family It. She is not happy about me taking this photo at all.

Next month, Ella will turn three! I am already planning her party. This first birthday together just feels so significant. It will also be one week short of us being together a year so we feel it is appropriate to make a big deal out of it. If anything it is to reflect how full our hearts are. We just want to celebrate! So a pool party we will have at a place near the mountains. I just booked the place today. We're so excited. I am currently researching woodworking plans for the play kitchen I hope to make for her. I'm eager to start a fun project. I bought a bunch of kitchen supplies when we were in the States so I have all that ready to go. Just need the kitchen. There are tons of really cute do it yourself ideas that can be found on line. I just have to pick one and then figure out how to go about it. Should be interesting.

Nine Years! (Our Story)

Nine years ago I married this Canadian guy, Andrey. We met at church four years prior. We were friends. We hung out in the same social circle. We went to coffee shops to study together (he was in law school, I was studying nutrition). We were not remotely interested in each other.

I thought he was too nerdy and clean-cut for me. That was back when I still cared about being cool and actually thought I was. (Turns out self-awareness comes with age and putting off of the old self, or false self, comes with discipleship.) Andrey thought I was a little too "edgy." I used to dye my hair in wild colors - from platinum blonde to red/orange. You can see why it took nearly four years before things changed (although friends saw it well before we did).

Over those four years I changed a lot and learned more about who I really was. Andrey was still nerdy and clean cut but I began to see him very differently. He was a guy that everybody loves (still is!) with a personality that draws you to him. (How did I resist his manly charms for so long!?)

Alaska, 1999 - I'm the blonde in the front

Alaska, 1999 - Andrey is front right

Andrey and I led a home group together and got to know each other better. I was so impressed with how well we worked together and was especially impressed when he defended me to a guy in our group that said that it was okay for me to "serve refreshments" but not okay for me to pray out loud. I began viewing this nerdy guy in a different light. This guy was quality.

Then, a year or so later, God really turned on the light. I couldn't get him out of my mind so I prayed and prayed and prayed that the Lord would show me if this was it. He did. God asked me what I wanted and did I want Andrey? After listing all his wonderful qualities on paper and comparing them to my list of qualities I wanted in a husband (and I decided I could let the item good dancer go), I realized he measured up to everything. I told the Lord, yes, this is the guy I want. And this was before I really knew how great he is!

I kept this revelation to myself as Andrey was traveling in SE Asia (including Thailand and the Philippines, who knew?) after taking the BAR exam. What I didn't know is that he was also praying to try to figure out "what to do about Jen."

When he returned home to Seattle and we saw each other again at church, there was a huge spark. We made excuses to hang out a few times and soon after he asked me out on "some dates." I hid my extreme excitement as I heard this and responded with, "Umm, sure, that would be great." Then I went inside my house to my four female roommates and squealed on the floor like a school girl. Within a week of our first date we were madly in love. Like seriously giddy, drunk, can't focus on anything else, in love. Having to wait TWO months for that proposal felt like FOREVER!

He took me snowboarding and we got engaged on a snowy mountain in Vancouver. What a dreamy day!

Abbotsford, BC - January, 2002 - Engagement Party

Six months after the proposal, we married on July 12, 2002.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - July 2002 - Honeymoon

I had no idea how life-giving our relationship would be and where God would take us together. Andrey is my best friend and is absolutely my most favorite person to be with. He is so even keel and solid and kind and loving - even when I'm not so easy to love. And he is an amazing father.

He has played a huge part in the deep emotional and spiritual healing I have experienced over the past decade. I'll never forget when we got together when he called me a jewel of creation. This is a picture of true love. All made possible because of our Father in heaven who is the definition of Love. This is the kind of love that transforms and empowers and the whole thing is marked with joy.

I love you, Andrey! Happy Anniversary!

Anniversary Week (8 years!)

Yikes! How does this happen? Weeks go by and I haven't blogged. After about a month of slower days things suddenly became busy. There is much to update and I'm not sure where to start. Well I wanted to post about our anniversary so I'll start with that.

Andrey and I had a nice anniversary. A bit strange, but nice. Strange in that it was an all around untypical day. I worked all night at the clinic the night before and stayed late well into the morning to help as there were three women in labor (including the woman I was up with all night; poor thing was having a very long difficult labor making just enough progress for us to be able to keep her in the clinic), four postpartum moms and their babies, about five women waiting for a pap smear and tetanus shots, and new patients waiting to be interviewed. I stuck around to help as long as I could but eventually had to leave to get some rest. There were several extra staff around by then to help. I was disappointed I wasn't physically able to stick around long enough to see my patient deliver. I haven't had a birth in SO LONG so I was really hoping to get to deliver her baby. Okay, so that was beside the point. Needless to say I was tired.

Andrey was tired because he was up in the middle of the night to watch the World Cup final at 2:30 am. He had a few friends over. So he slept a bit in the morning then went to work when I arrived home around 11. Then I slept while he worked for a few hours. When he came home he woke me up and I stumbled out of our bedroom in a fog to find some beautiful lilies and roses in a vase on the table. What a nice surprise!

The afternoon was strange because we just puttered around the house and were a bit lazy together. By the evening we finally decided to go out for dinner, which we did and shared a bottle of wine that just about put me to sleep, but it was nice to get out.

After eight years, I'd say, we don't look half bad. It's our love that keeps us looking youthful. ;-)

I just have to give props to my wonderful husband. He is still my favorite person to be with. We laugh together often, get along great and make a great team. I knew he was the right one to marry but I didn't know how perfect he was for me until after we got married. Since then, I have been amazed at how the Lord gave me something even better than I could have asked for or imagined. Wow. I'm still blown away by that.

Andrey continually amazes me at how kind he is to me when I'm not the most lovable. He just seems to know what I need. He is affectionate and encouraging. He speaks loving, kind words to me daily - especially first thing in the morning when I am too sleepy to return the kindness.

He is a joy and a blessing and I am so very thankful for him. The lesson? Delight yourself in the Lord (and wait for His plan to unfold) and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37), even before you even know what those true desires are. God is good. We experience His goodness and love in each other daily.

So I guess this has turned into an anniversary post. Will update the rest soon...