We're Still Here!

I know that I referred to my hiatus as a diet, but it seems to have transformed into a fast. I didn't really mean for that to happen, but it did.

It's not that I'm not writing. I am writing a large amount of material, but not on a blog. I'm working on a project for church, and it's taking up more mental energy than I have stored up.

I have pictures, and I have every intention of posting them soon, but I have been ill (maybe with the flu?), so I have no desire to track down the card reader to load those pictures onto the computer, edit them, and post them.

I was going to write a list of all of the things we have been doing since I last posted, but I realized that there is only one big piece of news in our household:

Ella is officially potty trained! Even at night, she asks to get up and go to the potty, almost without fail. I have to say, though, it seems like a lot more work to constantly go through the potty process with her. There are a lot of steps involved, and both of us seem to have dry hands because of the increase in hand-washing. I'm still super-proud.

I was going to tell you about all of our other accomplishments, but my mind is either too fuzzy to remember them, or we're not doing too much to write about.

Blogging Diet

I'm sure that you may have already noticed this, but I will be cutting back on blogging for a while. I know that I've been inconsistant at best, but there are a lot of things that I need to get done, and blogging is an easy thing to reduce while I work on them. If I think of anything that really must be shared, I will definitely post it, but I'm not going to work too hard at thinking of things to write.

Gratefully,
Hannah

Ella's New Year's Resolution

This year I decided to force my own goals for Ella onto her. Her resolution for 2011 is to be potty trained (completely) by her third birthday. She's really committed... Okay, not so much.

It really helps to say the phrase, "just like DeLaynie" as often as possible.

"You need to go in the big-girl potty... just like DeLaynie."

"You're going to get to wear big-girl underpants... just like DeLaynie."

"If you have one more accident, I'm going to throw a giant temper tantrum... just like DeLaynie."

(The phrase is a pay-off for Ella, not a way of comparing her to her older sister. Ella would love nothing more than to be just like her big sister.)

She gets the concept, but just like DeLaynie, she can be too lazy to actually stop what she's doing and go to the potty. DeLaynie, however, can hold it way longer than Ella. We're using the old stand-by (M&Ms) as a reward for using the potty, which really seems to click with her. The only slight issue is that she tries to go a little bit at a time to get more candy. That's not like DeLaynie at all.

So that's my two-year-old's New Year's Resolution, even if I seem to be much more resolved than she.

If I Was an Undercover Missionary...

I would get people hurt. Not on purpose, but out of plain stupidity, the results would be disastrous.

I had an experience not too long ago that illustrates this point precisely. We were eating with some missionary friends and some of their local friends, who were unaware of the missionaries' full vocation. I was so nervous about not saying the word, "missionary," that I ended up saying one of the acrostics for a particular meeting where I met these friends. It was certainly not an obvious reference to anything Christian or missions-related, but my friend didn't acknowledge my statement. (It would have required some tricky explanation, had the local friends heard it.) So I said it again. Her face glowed with nervous annoyance, so I decided that the story was worth passing over.

On the way home, I made a preposterous comment about how happy I was that I didn't say the M-word. It wasn't until I was in bed that night that I realized my mistake. Oops! is an understatement. (It should be noted that my friends were nothing but kind. They have a great deal of patience with foolish non-missionaries like myself.)

Thank you, missionaries, for walking the tight rope of guarded vulnerability that bridges the gap between healthy transparency and cautious wisdom. I thank God for the privilege to give to you, pray for you, and love you from my American couch. There's still a large chunk of me that wishes that I could be counted among you, but it is obvious that God knows what He's doing.

Christmas Weekend

Well, Christmas is just about over. The girls have one gift left, which is going to require some serious attention from Daddy. My grandfather has a saying that Christmas isn't over until you open your last present, so the girls have a little more Christmas coming.

They have thoroughly enjoyed the gift-opening experience. Obviously, we want them to understand that Christmas is about more than stuff, but it is msot definitely about a gift, the free gift of salvation available to everyone who places faith in Christ.

We went for a Christmas Day sleigh ride this year. Edwin's mom and step-dad were with us this year, and it is a very Northern New York experience to go on a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the snowy woods. It was a great day for it, and we thoroughly enjoyed the tour of a snowy wonderland.

DeLaynie sang in church for the first time this Sunday! Mom and Dad were much more excited about it than she was, but once the song began, she warmed up to it. The crossed arms may lead you to believe that she was unhappy, but she actually seemed pretty enthusiastic about it.

Yesterday was our seven year anniversary! I like being married. I definitely plan to keep going. Seven years is nice and all, but 70 sounds a lot better. Tonight is our date night to celebrate, and I'm really looking forward to a few hours alone with my man.

Kids With Questions?

If your kids are starting to ask questions about things like Santa Clause and Christmas celebrations, this is a great little source of information! Phil Vischer (creator of VeggieTales) has begun writing other, and I believe more accurate, curriculum and videos. These short videos provide explanations for some of the more historically based questions children ask. I learned several little tid-bits myself.

A Few of My Favorite Photos

My mom had some photos taken of the girls while we were in Alabama. I thought that I'd share three of my faves. Consider it a Christmas present from me to you. :)