I have been freshly reminded to not take my husband for granted. I know that Valentine’s Day may seem cheesy to some but it can also be an opportunity to shower our husbands with respect and affection. I am not talking about the normal heart full of chocolate or dozen roses but something that is thoughtful and tailored just for them. What things speak love to your husband? For example, one year I rented a cheap car for my husband and sent him out the door with books and gift certificates. We only have one car so Lukas never got to just drive. He is also an introvert and at the time we were living in a small space with 4 kiddos. He really appreciated the day away. What is your husband like?? What things would speak love to him? What are some ideas you have for Valentine’s Day?
Worry and Anxiety January 19, 2010
As I write this my husband is in Haiti. He is there with a team to bring aid to the devastated churches there. The only news I get is by following the guys he is with on Twitter or Facebook. I see the pictures and soon will see the video of all he is experiencing. We were so heartbroken over the pictures we saw and when the opportunity came for him to go we both without question said yes. Lukas has been to Pakistan after the earthquake caused major damage there to build shelters, he has traveled to Venezuela, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Germany, Russia, Italy, and England. This is the most worry I have ever had for his safety and mental condition. I am so thankful he could go and bring some sort of aid to people who are completely devastated. When word got out that they had seen a teen boy shot dead in the streets a knot began to grow deep within me. No amount of security can protect from stray bullets. No one will ever be able to erase the mental picture of this horrific event. No one will ever be able to erase the memory of the smells he is facing. This is where my faith in a good and sovereign God is put to the test with my husbands life. I believe we are called to go to the needy and take care of the poor and defend injustice, but really Lord my husband?? The answer is yes. And so caring for my sick children alone in a warm house that is intact has caused my heart to be thankful. Holding my girls as they sob because they are afraid for and miss their daddy is not discouraging. Dealing with the mean jury duty lady who did not really believe that my husband was in Haiti and that my kids were sick is a small thing. But yes this is a continual battle for my heart and in the meantime we are all still in our jammies and the house is a mess but my heart is continually strengthened as I seek to believe. May relief come for the people of Haiti and may God be seen as mighty.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
Moving to Facebook December 17, 2009
Well everyone, it seems that us Beautiful Workers have lost our steam for writing posts. (I’m sure you noticed). We don’t want to abandon the community that Beautiful Work has created, but with two newborns arriving to half our troops within a month (me and Kate) and general family busyness, we needed to adjust the time commitment. So, we are moving to Facebook for a more interactive discussion of all things WHAM. We are really excited about this because it will be an easy way to hear from all the participants of this blog, writers and readers.
Click here or contact one of us and we’ll get you officially “invited”. :-)
See you there, and thanks for being along for this ride!
Andie and fam are heading home! December 10, 2009
The Eggimann family is on their way home with their new son! Please pray for them as they travel in the freshly fallen snow.
Andie update… December 9, 2009
Andie is currently away awaiting the final steps to adopt their son. They are with him and would just appreciate prayer as they wait for all the paper work. We are all so excited to meet this new addition! More news to come…
Christmas December 9, 2009
This week we are suppose to be sharing special things we are doing to celebrate Christmas this year. This year for us the month of December will include celebrating a very special wedding, hosting out of town guests, showers and then hosting my parents for Christmas. We are so excited!!
Our special Christmas tradition usually falls on Christmas eve. This year we will attend church and then come home to meet my parents (who will hopefully get in on time). During our Christmas eve meal we usually read through different passages of the Christmas story that will correspond to different course of the meal. Like during appetizers we will read about John the Baptist who was the forerunner to Christ. This year we are eating fish tacos and salad. After dinner the girls re-enact the Christmas story and then we open pj’s and head to bed. We try and keep the night fun and yet reflective. We will sing songs and try to keep things moving with toddlers at the table :)
What things are you doing??
Thanksgiving November 30, 2009
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We celebrated the day by having 21 friends over to share turkey and sides and fun. We had 10 kids under the age of 8 so it was a lively occasion :) Only one major mishap happened and it involved a pie loving squirrel. The much loved French silk pie was placed just outside our back door to keep it cool. Within 10 minutes a squirrel had opened the plastic container and taken out a big chuck of pie. When we ran out to try and save the pie he took his chunk and proceeded to eat it in a tree right in front of us just to taunt us. I never thought a squirrel would be able to get through a plastic, well sealed pie container but it just goes to show how I underestimate the power of chocolate. The pumpkin pies were just fine :)
Pictures from Fall November 25, 2009
Well, this week we were supposed to be posting our favorite fall pictures. Funny thing is, I am the only one who is not really busy preparing for Thanksgiving. We will be going to Gretchen’s house because our baby is due any day now and we’ll have to take off to pick him up. The other funny thing is that we have hardly any good pics from the fall. We were sick almost the whole month of October, so we didn’t get to take multiple trips to the orchard like I’d hoped. Oh well, here are a few pics to make you laugh.
A Sustainable Model for Birthdays November 18, 2009
Because we’d like to have a bunch of kids, Andrew decided early on that we needed “a sustainable model” for birthdays. Those of you who know him will not be surprised by this terminology :) Basically, we didn’t want to have huge parties for the first couple kids and then not be able to keep it up for the others. Consequently, we have pretty low-key birthday celebrations.
Ruth is turning 4 on Thanksgiving this year and we just celebrated her birthday a few weeks early since it will likely be busy on the actual day (it adds to the chaos that the baby is due 3 days after her b-day). This was the first year that we had “little friends” over for Ruth’s birthday. The past few years, we have just had a couple special adults come over to celebrate by joining us for dinner or dessert and present opening. Similar to the Naugles, we usually let the birthday kids choose special foods to eat that day. I also usually get a mylar balloon from the dollar store. We have varied when we open the gifts. When possible, we have done it at breakfast so they can enjoy new toys during the day.
Ruth’s celebration this year was tailored to what she likes- we dressed up and had a tea party with 3 of her girl buddies. We used real china and had special tea party foods, complete with mini chocolate eclairs for dessert. We asked that the friends go low key in the gift department, as I wanted it to be more about the experience than the gifts. Their gift was fitting- a tea cup with roses :) 
