Easter 2011

We started our Easter with a sunrise service at the college football stadium with 20,000 people present to hear a fantastic message and to join in worship led by band, Jars of Clay.  It was incredible.  We had a gorgeous view of the mountains and the green of Albuquerque spring, something I have come to treasure.  There was something so special about worshipping with so many others on Easter morning, and David and I agreed we would come to this service each year we are here.

After the service, we came home for a little backyard egg hunt for Elijah.  As you can see, our “yard” is mostly rocks with some gorgeous landscaping the previous owners put in that David and I are doing our best not to kill due to our botanical ignorance.

I decided to do a repeat of last year, and fill the eggs with cherry Gerber puffs (still seen as quite a treat by Elijah!)  I had explained to him the process, and he quickly started to enjoy himself.

He liked shaking the eggs to hear the puffs inside.

When he figured out how to open the eggs, the hunt got even more exciting! 

Of course, he had to stop and eat ALL the puffs in each egg before moving on to finding the next.

David had some fun “hiding” the eggs!

And Elijah enjoyed the hiding places.

This is Elijah’s “fort.”  He goes back behind this tree in the corner of our garden with his tractors to “dig and dump.”  I have pictures for a future blog post on this to be put up later!

In the afternoon and early evening we had an amazing talk with one of David’s co-workers and her boyfriend about Christ.  They came over for an Easter lunch with us, bringing “all their questions and notes!” and we spent at least 3 hours discussing Jesus with them.  She is new to any idea of faith, and is voraciously reading the Bible on her own to answer her curiosity.  She had such fresh emotion reading the Easter story for the first time, that it brought new joy to David and me hearing her talk.  And that was a perfect way to end our Easter day!

coloring Easter eggs

Time to color Easter eggs with Elijah for the first time!  He giggled when he saw the eggs change colors and wasted no time getting in on the action.

At first I tried to get him to use a spoon, but he quickly reached in with his own fingers.

Examining his colored fingers, he announced “Ooh, pretty hand!”

I love this shot!

He was very careful with the eggs, and enjoyed putting them in the egg container.

Our pretty eggs.  I made my first-ever deviled eggs for David using them, who told me he enjoyed being able to eat “As many as I want!”

the size of a lemon

at 14 weeks

Our coming-soon baby is now the size of a lemon!

I am finally starting to feel a little better… less nauseated, less exhausted (though still tired after chasing a toddler all day!), though I still have a super-hero’s sense of smell!  I have pulled out my maternity clothes, though not much can be used again. I was pregnant with Elijah during winter in Boston. Summer in Albuquerque requires a different wardrobe! With Elijah strapped to my back in his Beco (yes, he still likes it, and had to come with me because David was traveling) we hit a consignment sale and made some great finds.

I really like our midwife, Susan.  She is is patient and calm, and never  rushes me!  My first appointment, I had to take Elijah and he completely fell apart the moment I sat on the examining table.  He was so scared for me!  Of course, I had to have blood drawn, as well, and that really put him into a panic.  He was rewarded with a sticker and lollipop, which made everything ok, but I am not keen on taking him again!
A friend watched Elijah as I had my most recent appointment on Good Friday. This time I was able to hear the heartbeat without the screams of my Little Man, and able to focus on this new baby without reassuring Elijah I was ok.  A much better experience!

life with monkey

The monkey, Nana, is still Elijah's constant companion.  When clutching Nana, Elijah will bravely run into the church nursery, and hand in his sign-in paper to his nursery teacher confidently.  When holding Nana, there is no stranger Elijah will not greet.  Bumps and bruises hurt, but when Elijah has his Nana (and is held by Mama or Daddy,) he is comforted.  Nana can get a little worse-for-the-wear, as he is regularly taken to the park (where Nana slides down the slide before Elijah, with Elijah cackling with delight from above) and to the garden where he lays in the dirt while Elijah digs and dumps with his tractors.  Thankfully (and secretly) we have 3 identical monkeys. 

Note: They actually sell these little “Angel Dear” monkeys in packs of 3 called “A pair and a spare.” We are not the only ones in this position!

One is obviously always at Elijah’s side.

Two is stored in a top secret place in David and my bedroom, revealed only to babysitters in case of emergency! We end up washing the current Nana about once a week, rotating them evenly between the three for even wear, just in case!  I’m hoping an ear doesn’t come off some day.  We’ll have to think through how we handle that situation when it arises!

Three is safely kept under-wraps in the car trunk.  We keep this for the rare forgetful emergency when Nana is left at home.  The other day my book club all brought our children to the zoo.  At the zoo’s entrance, I saw one of the little boys was holding not one but TWO monkeys identical to Elijah’s Nana.  Uh oh, I thought, then realized with horror I had forgotten Nana at home. Explaining the situation to my friend, I left Elijah in her care and quickly ran back to the car’s truck and pulled out our spare Nana, returning to Elijah just as he noticed the other little boy.  Once Elijah had his own monkey, he didn’t think it was strange that the other little boy had a Nana, too.  But he did comment to me all that day, and the next, “TWO Nana!”  That was what impressed him, that the boy somehow had managed to get TWO!  (His mother told me that he had discovered that he, too, had a spare and it was all over for them.)

Nana goes for a ride with Elijah. Always such a happy little monkey.

first fondue

The other day, I heard that The Melting Pot was giving away free cheese fondue on “National Fondue Day” if you would call and give them a code word.  Feeling a little like a spy, and a little goofy, I called and gave them the code word “Cheesemonger.”  Sure enough, a free cheese fondue was awarded to us!

We decided to bring Elijah, even though fondue is not a typical place to bring a toddler (let’s see… hot fondue pot and steam, eating on long, sharp skewers, dark romantic atmosphere…). Turns out he not only loved the cheese fondue, he thought “dipping” was a perfect way to eat. He was extremely well behaved (I think realizing this was special) and enjoyed the attention of the relieved wait-staff complementing him on how good he was being.

We decided to go for a a dark chocolate amaretto fondue for dessert.  Elijah received his first taste of chocolate, a truly momentous occasion.  His eyes lit up, widened and he pointed to the chocolate fondue saying, “Dip! Dip!”

The on-looking server commented with a smile and little sigh, “Thus begins a lifelong pursuit of sweet chocolate.”

the monster truck

Or “Maka twa” as Elijah calls it, has become quite the essential toy in our house.  Our first one was lost (no surprise, he carries it and the monkey everywhere with him.)  It’s loss was so deeply felt that when I brought him to
Target, we bough a new one.  He cradled it in his hands the entire shopping trip, holding it up to passersby announcing “MAKA TWA!”  Some understood, most didn’t.  All smiled.  It was clearly important to him!

Since then, Elijah requests to have monster truck in his bed along with Nana, the monkey.  Last night, Elijah wanted a kiss, then one for his monkey, and (a new development), a kiss for his monster truck, too. First time I’ve ever kissed a vehicle. :)

train track requirements

New train track design requirements: must allow sufficient space for big backhoe & dump truck, and incorporate all 3 bridges and roundhouse.

a special wedding

Just after St. Patrick’s Day, my dear friend Karen and I traveled to attend the wedding of one of our best friends from junior high and high school, Mary!  On this trip we realized we’d been friends for nearly 2 decades!  Crazy.

This was my first time to leave Elijah over night, but he had a blast having his Daddy to himself (read about their adventures here.)  I was a little sentimental to leave, but had such a wonderful time with lifelong friends, and there was no way in the world I was going to miss this wedding!

Karen and I flew standby to Chicago (she and her husband graciously gave me a Southwest voucher so I could fly free!) and drove a rental car into Madison, Wisconsin.  A bit of an adventure getting there as the GPS had been set to avoid all major roads.  At one point when we saw a sign that just said “FOOD” pointing at a rather ramshackle building, I turned to Karen and said “Where ARE we?!”

But we made it to Madison in plenty of time and were soon enjoying the view of the capital on a gorgeous spring day.

While Mary and Brad were attending the family reunion/rehearsal dinner, Karen and I finally got to meet Mary’s college friend Rhegan, and we enjoyed a true Wisconsin dinner of Wisconsin cheese and beer soup (topped with popcorn.  Unusual and delicious) and beer-battered fish and chips. 

Mary at the beauty parlor with little sister (and bridesmaid) Eileen.  Incidentally… Karen and I have clear memories of going to the hospital after Sports Day to meet newborn Eileen.  Eileen got a kick out of the fact that we knew Mary longer than she was alive!

Karen, Mary, me, and Rhegan.

The wedding ceremony was so beautiful and God-honoring.  Karen and I cried through the entire service. The gorgeous reception site overlooking a Wisconsin lake.

Self portrait at the reception while waiting for the couple to arrive.

Mary and Brad!  Karen and I really liked him.  Always a special wedding when you know two people are perfect for each other!

My friend Karen wrote a great account of our adventures that you can read here.

the size of a lime…

We are expecting! A little Baby Voss is due October 19. 

Right now he or she is the size of a lime (but feels much bigger!)

We’ve tried to explain to Elijah that he will be a big brother and there will be a baby coming soon.  He just sweetly says “Baby!” and goes on his merry way.  How do you explain these things to a not-even-two year old?  We think he will make a fantastic big brother, as he loves people (especially babies.)
So what do you think… should we find out if Baby is a boy or girl or wait for the surprise?


This meets this week's Weekly Photo Challenge: Excitement!

a new (Red Sox) season begins

Red Sox season opens today!  We begin a new season of figuring out what games we actually get (sniff, sniff, tear) here in Albuquerque… a far cry from just opening our window and listening to the crowds cheer at Fenway Park.  And no doubt, we’ll be missing our favorite announcers Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy from the New England Sports Network.  Sill, we are proud to represent the Greater Red Sox Nation.

Our Little Fan has learned to shout at the top of his lungs,“RED SOX!” (If you know that’s what he’s saying, you can’t miss it.  Otherwise you may be at a loss.)  Next year we’ll tackle “Take me out to the ballgame.”