End of March Happenings

Where has March gone?  It sneaked right on by almost unnoticed but at least it had the kindness to leave some great memories to hold on to. 

A week ago Jim and Maria served church lunch which gave me an excuse to bake bake bake!  I've been taking a break from sweets (mainly cookies, cakes, pies, ice cream, candy, etc.) for several months now and so baking for people without trying the final product was something I was a little uncomfortable with.  Good thing Jim and Maria weren't afraid to give me honest feedback :)  Turns out that a favorite was this knock-off Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie.  I'm not the store-bought cookie lover type.  Lofthouse sugar cookies and Oreos are about the only store bought cookies that really really tempt me...oh, and Oatmeal Cream Pies.  I looooooove them so much, along with Leah, that in the past we've split an oatmeal cream pie to feel better about ourselves but ended up splitting so many we both should've grabbed our own box.  So when I saw a knock-off recipe on Pinterest a while back I decided I'd just have to give them a try for this occasion and Leah helped me make them when she was up.  Turns out that they are not like Little Debbie's (how can they be?? she's just a pro) BUT they are fantastic.  I'm not speaking from personal experience, I just heard from fellow Oatmeal Cream Pie lovers that they were amazing.  Making them was fun, looking at them was fun, smelling them was fun, and tasting them I'm sure is fun.  

Nuf bout that.  Here's the link.  I recommend making them if you like Oatmeal Cream Pies half as much as I do.

This past weekend was especially memorable in both good and bad ways.  Since it was the kids' Spring Break Mom wanted to do something special so she brought Danny and Edie up from Thursday til Saturday.  Maria and I had been looking forward to their visit and Thursday everything went well, besides a few squabbles over who got to sit by Calvin in the car and such.  

photo credit: Maria

photo credit: Maria

photo credit: Maria

photo credit: Maria

Friday we had special plans to go to the Fredrick Meijer gardens to see the butterfly exhibit which we had done several years ago on Spring Break.  It's almost magical to walk through and see butterflies freely flitting from flower to flower.

Often the butterfly is used as inspiration because it begins as a caterpillar...

 

...hides in a chrysalis, which in the case of the monarch changes from green to black...

...and comes out as a beautiful butterfly.

It's amazing, it's beautiful, it's inspiring, yes!  However, I learned that the lifespan of some butterflies is only 2 to 6 short weeks.  It spends a remarkable time of it's life as a larvae, caterpillar, and transforming insect before it becomes the carefree butterfly.  So many times in life I want to forget the journey and just arrive at the destination but there is such beauty in the process.

In the gardens we got to enjoy many varieties and colors of butterflies and plants.

Calvin loved the butterflies, waterfalls, and other people so much we had a hard time getting him to look at the camera!

photo credit: Mom

We missed you, Kim!

photo credit: Jim

After our walk through the gardens we took some time to go outside and see the giant horse statue.  There are lots of neat sculptures at the Meijer Gardens and we decided that it would be more enjoyable in the summer!

Calvin was well cared for the whole time.

For lunch we went to the Downtown Market, a favorite among the McCormick household right now.  It's like an upscale food court/market that includes a green house where the vendors grow some of their own ingredients--definitely right up my alley.  Danny wasn't feeling up to eating and was smart to listen to his stomach...

On the way home he got sick in the car and continued to get sick the rest of the day.  That night Mom caught the bug and didn't get much sleep.  After napping in the morning and finally drinking a few sips of Sprite she felt well enough for the 3.25 hour drive home.  It was definitely a bummer that she and Danny got sick but overall we still had a great time together and it was so special to have them here.  I spent the remainder of Saturday washing blankets and sheets, disinfecting toys, and airing out the house in hopes Calvin (and the rest of us) wouldn't get sick again.  We're so over that.  Thankfully so far so good.

As time sneaks by it's amazing how much Calvin is changing!  He's recently started scooting backwards on his belly, holding and chewing on veggie sticks, contentedly sitting and playing with toys (which sometimes lasts only a few minutes), and saying 'ma-ma-ma' whenever he feels like vocalizing his opinion.  It's often an indicator that he wants more food.

With each passing day I get more attached to this sweet baby boy that I'm going to be leaving in just a few weeks.  I can't express my gratitude to God for this opportunity!  There are frustrating moments along the way, I won't deny it, but when he smiles or giggles I melt and quick grab my camera to record his voice, take a video, or snap a photo.  Someday they will be the best I have to comfort me when I miss this crazy kid!

 Enjoy the last day of March!!!

These Spring Days

Last year I wrote a whole post about how special spring is to me.  While the trees have yet to flower and the grass is still quite brown, the snow has *almost* melted and that is a good sign.  It overrules March 20th being the first day of spring in my book. 

This year has been unique because I spent half the winter in California where a day cool enough to wear a sweatshirt was a luxury and my not-so-warm ankle boots were the only boots I wore (because they were the only boots I had with me...but still).  I know I will sound crazy saying this but part of me missed the cold and when I moved to Michigan I took delight in watching the snow fall, including that gorgeous snow-globe show that we received the beginning of this month. 

All that said, when the Spring Thaw started a week ago, I remembered how much I love spring.  These spring days have begun with lots of walks.  There's no canyon with a waterfall as there was in California and no nearby country side as there is at home, but there are lots of nice sidewalks and a library, coffee shop, park, and many other places within walking distance which makes Lowell exciting in a way different than Altadena or Remington.  And a bonus is that Calvin enjoys riding in the stroller as much as I enjoy pushing him.

Today Maria and I walked to Bigby to help them celebrate their birthday (or more like to take advantage of a cheap coffee) and Calvin didn't make a peep the whole time.  I have the feeling walks will become a daily thing as long as the sun is out.  

Besides the joys that come with a change in the weather, other special things are Easter approaching and making precious memories with the McCormicks before my short time as a nanny is history.  It's hard to believe I'm here only four more weeks! Makes me cherish the present and thank God for these spring days. 

The Hole In My Heart

Is it true that after blogging three times in one week I've been silent for two whole weeks?  I had written a post about my visit home last weekend but there wasn't much to say worth your time.  My everyday life isn't varied much and I'd scare you with the things that make it interesting.  Tonight I rolled around the thought of just quitting the blog all together because it's hard to find a balance of sharing everyday life without rambling with details about how people miss-spell my name at Starbucks (that was in the post I didn't publish).  But, after this weekend I just felt like writing.

It's been a great and tough weekend all in one.  Tough because Jim and Maria are working four 12-hour shifts from Friday to Monday so it means that Calvin and I spend a lot of time with each other and since I'm not his mom there just comes a time when our patience with each other needs a refuel.  Thankfully Leah came up Friday evening and just left an hour ago.  I don't like imagining what the weekend would have been like without her here and it was a blessing to have some cousin time.  But now she's gone and Calvin is in bed, there are dishes in the sink, toys strewn across the living room floor, sheets to change on the bed, and several chapters to catch up in my Bible study.  I really don't mind doing dishes, picking up toys, and well, changing sheets isn't my favorite but probably the quickest task to complete, but the Bible reading is something I don't just need to do.  I need (italics, bold, and underline all necessary) to do it.

You see, what I've learned (often the hard way) the past year and few months is that I have this hole in my heart that can only be filled with personal time with God.  I know it sounds funny to say that He's only needed in that hole, and that's not what I'm trying to say.  He fills every place in my heart by the way He blesses me with family, friends, nice weather (aren't you loving this spring sunshine?), hobbies I enjoy, and what we call the everyday joys of life.  But in addition to blessing me with other people and other things, He blesses me with Him.  And when I don't take enough time with Him and try to replace it with other things--even good things that God has given me--that hole in my heart starts itching a little, like it is now.

One of the greatest blessings in my life right now is that I can easily fit quiet time with God into my schedule.  And it's something I should appreciate more because weekends like these remind me that 'real life' is busy, hectic, pressing, schedules, deadlines, and to-do lists.  The past year I've been almost removed from such things and realizing that life is going to pick up is sometimes frightening.  I'm amazed at how long I can draw out a task when I'm not in a hurry without even realizing it that a year ago I would have done the same thing in half the time.  It's not good or bad.  It's just how life is right now.

I was by no means thrown into a rush this weekend because Leah and I enjoyed just being together and besides keeping Calvin fed, changed, and happy, we took the weekend pretty chill.  Yet having my 'normal life' knocked a little out of orbit made me realize how easy it is for me to let my quiet time with God be one of the first things I save for later, later, and later until I'm no longer in the best frame of mind to digest the reading.  Or I get easily distracted and view the reading more as something to hurry and do because other things are waiting.

Then the dust settles after the weekend and I, who mostly socializes with a 6-month-old baby (7 months tomorrow!), begin to wonder if I'm losing the ability to relate and communicate with people; I doubt myself; I think it odd that I can have a weekend full of so many good things but still feel an emptiness.  Then I have to remember that life is simply best when I keep that hole in my heart filled to overflowing.  I love that God is willing to overflow us.  It used to bother me that I couldn't remember everything I read in the Bible and that I would always have more to learn but now I think it's one of the most beautiful things.  It's like being at a banquet table stretching miles and miles, laden with fresh fruit, hearty meats, sweet delicacies, and all those things we partake of to fill our earthly stomachs only it's the Bible, the Word of God and it floods that hole that can be filled no. other. way.

I think the psalmist sums it up pretty well in Psalm 119:103 when he says How sweet are Thy words to my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

And with that I will dismiss myself to go overflow that hole in my heart.  Have a great week, everybody!

Poor Sick Baby

Pink eye last week, croupy cough this week.  Everybody at the McCormick house is ready for Calvin to get better.  He's been such a trouper through his colds, coughs, sniffs, and fevers, but it's starting to wear down his parents who are getting a little sleep deprived.  It could be soooo much worse and we can be thankful that none of us have caught the bug.  Still, prayers for this little buddy to get well would certainly be appreciated!

Yesterday he was doing pretty well during the day as his wheezy breathing and fever didn't settle in until later, so Maria and I took a few more 6 month pictures.  I was using their camera which is a Canon not a Nikon like my own so focusing and adjusting settings was tricky. Just don't look too close!

And of a course a monthly photo with good ol' Hobbes! They're already partners in crime!

That's it for now!  Have a wonderful weekend!

6 Months (already!)

Hey all! Calvin here.  I thought that since my nanny didn't think it was too big of a deal that I've been alive and well here on this earth for over six months I'd better take over the blog for a minute.  My official six-month day was February 16th but I had pink eye and a runny nose so it wasn't necessarily a day I'll look back on as enjoyable.

Overall, life as a six-month-old baby is pretty good.  I will say that I'm ready to say goodbye to runny noses and sore gums but besides that I don't have much to complain about.

If I'd have to choose a highlight of being six months it would be a pretty close tie between being able to eat real food and bouncing in my swing/jumper.  At first, solid foods were a shocker and trying to swallow such a clumpy spoonful of mush was difficult but I've certainly picked up the hang of it and some things I've tried so far are: avocados (which Aunt Jo thinks is spectacular because she really likes avocados), apples, bananas, carrots, prunes, squash, sweet potatoes, and zucchini.  That's definitely not the full list but I might lose the privilege of enjoying samples of Mom and Dad's food if I tattle on what they've shared with me.  Don't worry, I get plenty of exercise for the food I'm eating.  As I already shared, I love my bouncy swing.  They put this mat under my feet that plays music as I jump up and down and it's pretty exciting, for a few minutes at least.

Some other things I enjoy are sitting up all by myself to play with toys which Aunt Jo also seems to think is pretty swell.  The ABC's and 'You Are My Sunshine' make me happy so I hear them multiple times every day along with 'Jesus Loves Me' and 'Hush-a-bye-don't-you-cry-go-to-sleep-my-little-baby' which must get stuck in Aunt Jo's head.  Along with nice music, I like all the funny noises the people in this house make at me.  They do all sorts of stuff to humor me and I humor them by laughing because they look and sound quite ridiculous.

Now, before you get to my six-month picture gallery I do have a confession.  Sleeping at night is just not my gift.  But I have a wonderful Mom and Dad who, well, have decided it's time I learn to fall asleep by myself in the crib which isn't fun, but they also get up multiple times in the night to soothe me and Mom lovingly nurses me with sleepy eyes.  They love me so much.  I can tell.  And I love them.

Okay, now you can enjoy some pictures of me cheesing it up.  At least I hope you enjoy them because Aunt Jo wiped and wiped the gunk out of my eyes and sat me here and there and stuck this black thing in my face that clicked.  Unfortunately I think she wants to try it again with Mom here.

Oh no! I hear Aunt Jo coming so I'd better go before she catches me writing on her blog!!! Bye-bye now!

Skiing!

I've only gone skiing twice.  Counting yesterday.  If you want to hear my woes of hitting the slopes as a rookie then read on.

The day started off when the McCormicks and I met the rest of my family at Bittersweet.  Mom had brought some winter wear from home for me and after trading around with my sisters, I somehow ended up with the pair of snow pants that had a mended hole in the crotch :/ This story can only get worse.

It took a while for us inexperienced Lehmans to get lift tickets and rental skis and thanks to Jim's instruction and patience, we finally were set to go.  For some reason we decided go big or go home and we hopped on the biggest lift first.  I got to the top and was wondering if I'd be snowplowing the whole way down, BUT turns out that once we got going it kind of came back from the one time I had skied which means that I still looked like a complete dork but at least I was mostly upright and hopefully my arms didn't flail too much.  After a few runs I was getting more confident but no less awkward at walking/sliding/skating in skis from one end of the park to the other as I still managed to wipe out on completely level ground just because I'm Adrienne the Graceful.  I wiped out on the slopes as well.  I even lost a ski once.

That's okay, I fit in with my siblings.

Kim the Graceful...

Maria the Graceful...

Danny the Graceful...

In case you can't tell, he's putting back the skis he plowed into.  Following him on various runs was more often than not a thrill ride.  While wiping out was usually his method of slowing down at the end, he really did a fantastic job and I was impressed.

Before we took a break for lunch we got in some fun runs.  I'm not sure which time it happened or how, nor does it really matter.  All I know is at lunch I noticed that the seem in my snow pants was ripping again and white stuffing was indiscreetly peeking out from black fabric.  Hmmm, that's not weird.  At least that's what Jim, Maria, and Kim tried to tell me (while dying with laughter) but I knew that getting back on the slopes could only mean ripping them more and more and the last thing I wanted was to go flying down a hill leaving a trail of stuffing and arriving at the bottom with the saddest pair of snow pants around.  I promptly took them off to find that they were ripping down a side seem as well.  With warning that I'd freeze if I just wore my sweats, I took a trip to the ski shop with Jim and got a nice brand new pair of snow pants that I should've bought years ago so I didn't have to borrow a family pair with holes in the crotch.  

Whew, with that problem solved I was excited to get back to skiing.  I got to spend most of the afternoon with Danny.

We sometimes rode the lift together, but sometimes we'd get in the single line which moved faster because our favorite lift takes four people so groups smaller than four grab a person from the single line to keep it moving.  Turns out that on one such ride I hopped on with three teen-age looking boys.  I noticed their skis weren't rental because they didn't have the sticker like mine did and I thought about asking them if they ski a lot.  But, being too shy to strike up conversation with strangers I decided to just keep my mouth shut.  When we got to the top their skis hit the snow with no hesitation and I wobbled off the lift in time to watch them zoom straight down the big hill, hit the ramp, twirl a 360, and keep on going.  I'd maybe gone three feet by the time they made it to the bottom of the hill.  Yep, I'm definitely a rookie.

With an hour left until we needed to meet back in the lodge, five of the six of us (lucky Danny), got on a ski lift to make it halfway up the hill before it broke.  Until this I'd been staying unusually warm for a girl with poor circulation, but being suspended 30 feet in the air for 30 minutes was a chilling experience and after that I never really warmed up which was probably a good thing because it made leaving a little easier.

We're all feeling a little bruised and sore today, yet in my opinion sore muscles are definitely a fair trade for the memories we got to make yesterday.

Now it's late and I'm off to bed cause I have the feeling a little snuggle bug will be joining me in the morning when his mother needs a little more sleep ;)

The Story

I was listening to Alan Jackson sing 'I Love to Tell the Story' a while back, enjoying his gentle voice and the sweetness of the song.  Unfortunately like so many hymns I've sung time after time, the words to this song hadn't really sunk in.  Then on the fourth verse the lyrics really stood out to me:

I love to tell the story,
for those who know it best
seem hungering and thirsting
to hear it like the rest. 
And when, in scenes of glory,
I sing the new, new song,
'twill be the old, old story
that I have loved so long.

-Katherine Hankey

It challenges me as a Christian that has been taught this story as a young child at home, church, and school.  Though I don't 'know it best', I certainly have down the story line.  Do I hunger and thirst to hear the Gospel story and be reminded of my salvation?  Does the magnitude of my Savior's love get drowned out in my daily life?  I'm afraid that at times it does.  For example...

There's an online devotional I really enjoy that just finished the book of Esther.  While in Haiti I had gotten behind on the study so to catch up I read through the book and then read through the devotionals instead of taking it one day at a time, reading the commentary as I read the book. They pointed out at the beginning that in a book where God is never mentioned, He certainly is present and they made their point very well.  After reading several entries it hit me that each one seemed to go back to Jesus redeeming us.  The quick thought raced in my mind along the lines of  'can we talk about something besides the cross? Go a little deeper maybe?' 

It didn't take long for my discouragement to turn to praise and gratitude as the Spirit reminded me that the story of the cross is the most important story.  If I was reading Esther to hear about a heroin who rescued her people, I might as well have never started.  The story, or rather the Story, in every book of the Bible, threading through each chapter--each verse!--is the Gospel Story.  While it's nice and important to find encouragement on things like difficult relationships, direction for which path to take, and admonishment for how to be a better believer, the most important thing we can ever focus on is the story of our redemption because in it there is life, love, and hope.

As we roll into the Easter season, my hope is that each of us will take a closer look at who we are, who Jesus is, and who we can be because of His sacrifice.  I hope we can hunger and thirst for a story we've heard so many times and get excited to consume the gospel like I get excited to eat my favorite chocolate cake or orange chicken.  It's a story that never changes, will never disappoint, and it is perfect.  The Story of Jesus and His love.

Colossians 1:12-23