Double Trouble

High heels, hamsters, Noggin and WIC...where to even start?

We have landed firmly, warmly but definitely not quietly on Englewood Ave! Our family and friends at Blacknall and Science and Math have gone all out to make sure that this house feels more like home than we thought possible. Everything from sofas and plush chairs, fans and lamps, to hamster cages and a fish tank have been graciously given to us. We even have enough bookshelves to fully unpack our books! As all of life seems right now, the generosity pulsing around us in prayer and support is overwhelmingly wonderful. And we are grateful, so grateful to return to the States and be enveloped in such loving care. We are learning slowly but surely to breathe deeply and just rest, to allow the last 10 years of life in BGO to swirl around us in memories powerful and painful, poignant and provoking. We are trusting the process of quietly trusting the Lord to re-grow a passion for what He would have us do, not only next year but here and now, in this place.

As for our children... Joe and Nate aged significantly by shaving their heads (although Nate immediately asked to have his hair put back on!) within days of our arrival. Savannah declared that under NO circumstances was she going to wear a dress to church. Louisa grew several inches overnight and is just as beautiful as ever. We have discovered the preschool channel "Noggin" and have realized the need to set limits on TV viewing in a home with no solar panels and thus unlimited "grid" electricity.

Nate and Savannah are growing more than ever into the cliche of double trouble. In the last few days they have liberated the hamsters. "But Mommy, da hamsters needed to SEE me! I like dim SO MUCH!" We managed to re-capture one, but Lightening, Joe's hamster, has made good her escape and is living under the floorboards in the kid's closet. Last night we heard her moving, chewing and generally making a lot of noise above our heads and then down the inside of one wall. Sigh. So much for the redemption of rodents this year. Kev is trying hard not to glare at me with every scurry. We do have a food bowl strategically placed to try and lure Lightening back to the comfort of her hamster paradise condo. I'm trying not to envision a population explosion of white furry hamsters in our walls. Yikes.

The twins are also fascinated by the hardwood staircase that connects the upstairs bedrooms to the rest of the house. They run down it, hop up it, go up and down backwards and push their toys from the top to a deafening crash at the bottom. Until yesterday this was not too problematic (although I did say earlier that as a household we aren't very quiet!). But yesterday, the dynamic duo adorned in pink plastic high heel princess shoes decided to chase each other down those same stairs. Kev and I heard the thump, thump, thump, tumble, tumble, scream, tumble, crash and were dashing through the house immediately. We caught Nate as he hit the bottom step. Savannah managed to stop her fall halfway. Both were shaken up, Nate has a good sized bump on his forehead and vowed not to wear "deese nice shoes" on the stairs again. Savannah spent the rest of the morning re-enacting the fall for anyone who would watch in slow motion. "fiwst, I went down like dis, den my shoulder went like dis..." Has this diminished their love for the stairs? Not one bit. But they are very wary of those pink high heels.

Nate and Savannah both qualify for WIC (Women, Infants and Children) a welfare program for low-income families to help with the cost of milk, juice, cheese, cereal, eggs, peanut butter and beans. It was both surreal and familiar to sit in a packed waiting area for 3 hours with other mothers and families, as we were weighed, measured, pricked, counseled and evaluated. Everyone was very nice, both English and Spanish intermingled as moms and other caregivers jostled babies, toddlers and older children while waiting for their number to be called. Joe and Louisa managed to find two empty seats and curled up to read their library books, while Kev and I chased and entertained Nate and Savannah. Our welfare system is that strange mixture of organized chaos, with definite guidelines and rules but managed (at least in the Durham office) by compassionate doctors and helpful administrators. It reminded me of BGO... once I was that person measuring, weighing and handing out help. Now, like much in life these days, I'm on the flip side.

I'll save my reflections on potty training twins for another time, for now I'll just say that peer pressure can be a good thing. Then again, so can chocolate chips.