Child of Light...[insert cries of awe and adoration here please]

I love my family. ;)

Baby face

Even though I am technically not supposed to do this without permission (sorry Jenny, I couldn't help it!), here is my favorite picture of Lexi so far. Jenny Recotta has been practicing her photography skills on Lexi for the past several weeks - and as wierd as it may seem, her pictures are much more accessible than Eric's...(yes, I know, he does live with me). So Thank you Jenny. (And for the rest of you...no printing allowed.)

More pictures for the Grand-pops ;)

While Mexico took a tough loss against Argentina today, Lexi still continues to be as cute as always. Check out more pictures that Jenny took at http://storiesfrombehindthelens.blogspot.com/2010/06/baby-face.html

And don't worry. After the girls go home I am going to get back into my creative routine (between naps and feedings, that is) and will start taking these kinds of pictures myself!

Photo op

For todays pictures of Alexandria, check out my friend Jenny's blog at the link below. She not only was our delivery nurse, but has been a good friend of ours for many years. Thanks to all of our community dinners, Jenny gets to spend lots of camera time with Lexi.

http://storiesfrombehindthelens.blogspot.com/2010/06/something-about-babies.html

Lexi love...

Auntie Abby with Lexi. Abby has had a horrific cough, and has been very sweet to always wear her mask around the baby. Thankfully, we are all still healthy and Abby is getting better as well. Abby and Katie have been a great help with the baby - it's been fun to have them here!

I was tickling Lexi's belly and this is what it produced!

And then... the sudden shock of existence.

Fully known

In my quiet time this morning, I found myself back in Psalm 139. It is one of my favorite Psalms and one that I am constantly reading over and over again during various phases of my life. The amazing thing is that every time I read it a different part of it will strike a chord within me. And this morning, it was the first verse (and then continuing through verse 4).

O Lord, you have searched me

and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.

What does it really mean to know someone? Spanish is perfect for this, as there are two different verbs that describe "to know". To concocer someone is to know them as an aquantaince. Or to know that they exist. But to saber is to really know - not only in your head but also in your experience.

It's amazing to me how the Lord searches us and knows us. He not only knows our names and what we look like, but he knows everything that is in our hearts - our feelings, our intentions, our hopes, dreams, failures - everything. He knows us because His hands have touched us - created us.

As an artist, I can understand this through the process of creating my own work. When I finish a painting, for instance, I know the whole story of its creation. I know the painting. I know how it evolved from the preliminary sketches into the final product - the color and brush choices, the different strokes I used, and every imperfection. But not only do I know the technical details of how I created it, I also can look at that painting and see and know myself in it. I know what my thoughts were as I was painting, what was on my heart and the emotions were conveyed through paint onto a simple canvas.

And that is how God is with us. Although we are sin-filled creatures, when God looks at us - at all that makes us who we are in how God created us to be, He can see Himself. He knows the whole story. And He loves us profoundly - as we are His own work of art, His poetry, His song.

O Lord, you have searched me

and you know me.

Just to let you know...

I'm working on my blog...sorry for the ugliness.

An artist....NOT a peeping tom

Angus Lordie, portrait painter and occasional poet, walked slowly down Scotland Street, looking up at the windows. He liked to look into other people's houses, if he could. It was not nosiness, of course; artists were allowed to look, he thought - no artist could really be considered a voyeur. Looking was what an artist was trained to do, and if an artist did not look, then he would not see. The evening was the best time to inspect the domestic arrangements of others, as people often left their lights on and their curtains open, thus creating a stage for passers-by to see. And the New Town of Edinburgh provided rich theatre in that respect, especially along the more gracious Georgian streets where tall windows at ground floor allowed a fine view of drawing rooms and studies. Of course curtains could have been pulled across such windows, but often were not, and Angus Lordie was convinced that this was because those who lived within wanted people to see what they had, wanted them to see their grand pianos, their heavily framed pictures, their clutters of chinoiserie. (Love Over Scotland, Alexander McCall Smith)

Eric can no longer scold me for looking in peoples' windows when we go on our walks. After all, "if an artist did not look, then he would not see." Thank you, Mr. Smith!

The importance of not being alone

I was reminded this weekend of just how important friends are - especially during difficult or transitional periods in life. During a visit with one of my art professors, who came over to meet Alexandria, she asked me if I had found ways to take care of myself so as not to become entirely absorbed by baby and all that she entails. As I answered her question, I realized that I have been completely and utterly absorbed with my baby - which is necessary at the beginning, but can lead to rather disastrous ends. I was becoming unhappy, impatient and ready to quit the whole mom thing. I love my baby desperately, but it wasn't until Kelly said something to me about it that I realized I really needed to start doing things for myself again. Painting. Baking. Being outside. Laughing with good friends. Pleasure reading. All the things that I enjoy and have not been able to do or have been putting off need to start happening again. And while I still strive to be a somewhat unselfish mom - where Alexandria comes first - I find that in order to keep my sanity, selfishness must prevail every once in a while! (and that is entirely ok!)

Two of my best friends came over on Saturday for our weekly fellowship/prayer time. My heart has been so burdened with so many things lately, and I found such a release in spending time with them. My burden had gotten too heavy for me to carry, and being able to simply talk about what was on my heart seemed to lift it entirely. It was as if in my sharing, each of the girls came over and lifted a portion of the burden off of my heart - offering to help me carry it to the Lord in prayer. And they did. I was talking with Eric about it that evening and he said (quite matter-of-fact) "Well, that's the church life. That's what is supposed to happen."

I find it interesting that while I grew up in the church life in a house church model, I have not really experienced the Body life personally until now. It is a rich and incredibly humbling experience. One where you have to be completely vulnerable and laid bare as an offering to Lord and in your fellowship with one another in order to find healing and learn what is on God's heart. I have been daily experiencing this vulnerability through observing and caring for Alexandria - who has no choice but to come to me with absolutely nothing to receive nourishment that is life giving. How true this is for us in our Christian walks! We must come to Jesus daily as little children - completely vulnerable, empty, yearning - relying entirely on Him for our life nourishment and fulfillment. Such an easy truth, yet so hard for us adults to put into action!

Lord, may we come to you today as infants craving their mother's milk - and teach us to serve and love each other as the Body of Christ is called to do!

I will write again...

I promise.

I am currently waiting for a new batch of pictures that are on Eric's computer which I will post here when I finally get them...and I will write more too. Unfortunately, every time I have thought about writing something in the past few days, our baby starts bawling. ha. In the meantime, know that we are all well and happy...and eagerly awaiting the start of the World Cup TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (GO MEXICO!!!)

Alexandria is getting a bit fat.

Jack still hates me. bummer.

Alexander McCall Smith and Mma Ramotswe are my new best friends (yay for reading/nursing time!)

And I have been eating too much chocolate.

The end.

Morning Exercise

Hmmm....

Should I do it, Mama?

Hey hey! Look at me!!!!