what! prayer? has it come to that?

Where have I been the last few days? Trying to put the house back together after this last painting trauma, doing school, generally spinning my wheels BUT ALSO helping to organized a Day of Prayer at the church.

Long ago we had a day of prayer right before we lost our law suit and building. Pastors from many kinds of churches came and preached and prayed with us and for us. It was so encouraging and wonderful to pray together in this way and for the community to come together with us. And then we lost everything, as it were, landing in this extremely pleasant and expanded situation. Through the move there was a small group that met, and of course we prayed like anything on Sundays and at Bible Studies and individually, but we also got busy moving in and arranging the furniture and adding daily to the number of faithful, those who were being saved.

But there has lately been a really wonderful rebirth of prayer at Good Shepherd and in the course of this new and wonderful thing, it became clear that we needed to pray more Right NOW!!!

So Saturday, from midnight to midnight, there will be people praying in the church continuously for a long list of needs. I've been running around filling in the slots, making lists, gathering resources and trying to keep on top of the stream of volunteers we've had. One day out and I only have one slot empty--5am. But there's a party tonight and I'm pretty sure I can sucker someone in who isn't really paying attention and who, in the delight of food and good company, will be foolish enough to think, "5am? Oh, I can do that."

See you tonight guys! I'll be there with my lists.

That is a baby

I hope you'll congratulate me on the birth of our new baby...girl who looks just like Mr. Churchill, scowl and all. We have a real name but not a blog name yet. Some of the contenders are Ermentrude and Hyacinth (because she was born on the same day as the actor who plays Mrs. Bucket's poor husband). She weighed, at birth 8 lbs 13 oz (one ounce off of the last ultrasound in spite of being consoled over and over by the doctor, all the nurses and most everyone else, that those things are like a pound off and completely inaccurate). She's not very long and, I would say, not very big, just solidly heavy and covered in layers of fat.

I really appreciate all the prayers that she would turn--which she did without help from the doctor. I actually fell heavily in the snow right before going in to the hospital which shook us both up very much and immediately made everything feel different.

So, in case you're thinking about having a baby any time soon, I thought I would suggest some things you can do while you're in labor and then maternity.

While Laboring You Can
Listen to Matt read sermons by John McArthur about women being saved through child birth
Listen to Palestrina
Sing the Fruits of the Spirit song over and over in your head and realize that having all those things isn't actually supposed to be a passive activity but something you make an effort at (a little).
Have the hymn Come Labor On become permanently lodged in your head (I'm not kidding, I began to be hysterically unable to get the words to go away.)
Whine about being in pain and how much you hate labor and giving birth
Gaze out at the landscape and realize that Binghamton in the winter looks just like Communist Russia
Hear over and over that you 1. have a proven pelvis so everything will be fine and 2. have a tired uterus because you have had SO MANY children already
Seriously consider hugging the Epidural person for making it feel a lot like Christmas
Reminisce about growing up in Africa with the nurse who is also an MK only from the Philippines
Finally give up and give birth

While in Maternity You Can
Eat two dinners and then two breakfasts
Spend the night praying for the baby next door who is not eating, not sleeping and unhappy about everything
Read all the Father Brown Mysteries you were intending to read while laboring
Discover something called Percocet
Remodel the Maternity ward in your head
Count the seconds until you can go home
Continue to be completely amazed by how fat your new baby is
Freak out that your awesome new Kim Kardashian approved Belly Bandit will be way too small
Finally be allowed to go home

Pictures to follow!

Happy Anniversary to...

me
and Matt, since we got married nine years ago today. It wasn't a Wednesday, though. It was the inevitable Saturday, but not the evening. We got married at 10am in the morning which was already way too long to wait for such an occasion. I was ready to walk down the aisle at about 7:30 and had to sit around the whole morning watching my bridesmaids fuss over their hair and hideous pink sparkly dresses. One of the more satisfying moments of my life has been forcing five of my closest and most loved friends to wear pink at my very own wedding. This is possibly why I have never been invited to be in anyone else's wedding (or maybe because I'm always enormously pregnant when my friends are getting married).

The other more satisfying moments of my life was watching very partially hung over groomsmen realize that we were about to sing another hymn. We sang all the hymns you could sing. The service lasted an hour and 20 minutes only because my father preached such a short time. If we could have stretched it to two hours we would have. Not being Catholic we couldn't justify leaving a lovely offering in front of the statue of Mary (although  believe me, I really tried to justify it. What an excellent way to show off the dress!) Nor did we end up going with the 1662 Prayer Book Service, although we really really really wanted to. It just became too complicated. But we did sing I want to Walk as a Child of the Light and Lift High the Cross (I think) and King of Glory King of Peace. And I walked in to Not Here for High or Holy Things. Not yet being in submission to my excellent husband, I was able to fend off his great desire that we sing A Mighty Fortress NOT because its not an excellent hymn, but because the verse about Satan is so unsuitable for a wedding.

My father's sermon was chiefly about how he hoped we would have many many children and have a filthy and chaotic house as a result. This blessing, it seems, we are being blessed with abundantly. Six babies in nine years is nothing to sneeze at. However, our house is not chaotic nor filthy. So there.

And we are ridiculously happy, or at least I am. To be floating along through life, intending to devote oneself to the service of God in miserable sacrifice and instead happen, one evening over dinner in the refectory, to fall headlong in love with a strange and fascinating young man with piercing blue eyes and and an extremely quick mind and end up in the service of God without any misery at all, well, what other choice is there than happiness?

A Half Dozen

Per my request, Matt told everyone on Sunday that we're expecting Kennedy 6.0 in early February. I'm a mile wide at 10 weeks and I could tell everyone was looking at me and wishing they could ask. I was seriously toying with the idea of waiting until I was almost giving birth before admitting it and forcing so many loved ones into awkward social trauma by saying aggrievdly, 'NO! I'm just fat! And I'm throwing up because I have a chronic flu! What kind of person are you?'

We're all tickled pink. The children are wildly picking names and making plans. Elphine wants it to be a girl named Violet. Aloucious wants a boy named Daniel. Romulus wants it to actually be Spiderman. I'm pretty sure the only person who won't be uniformly thrilled will be Marigold, but who knows, she might surprise us all.

I've been telling everyone that I feel terrible, but it must not be too bad because I stripped all the kitchen wall paper and painted the kitchen last week, and yesterday I surprisingly decided to make French Fries from scratch (a stupid thing to do because I'm the only person in this family who will eat white potato and so I was forced to eat the entire bowl myself, lathered in mayonnaise--the fries, not me--Delicious!)

I have one small regret. Years ago I told everyone I 'wanted six'. The response overwhelmingly has been 'well, now you have your six' with a slight raise of the eyebrows. WHAT is everyone going to say when we go for #7? I wish I'd said from the get go that I wanted to be Michelle Dugger and have 20. But, I didn't know about her back then, and I was young and foolish, and six seemed like an outrageous lot of children. Am I allowed to grow in wisdom and maturity and up my number at this late date? How 'bout not 20 (I'm already too old) but, say, an even dozen? Isn't there a book about that? And also, my grandmother wanted 12. Its a Biblical Number.

I forgot! I forgot! But go, right this moment and check out...

this year's Advent Carnival hosted at Ten O'clock Scholar.

I meant to write something this year, but I'm still not in any kind of blogging routine and I just kept forgetting. And also, everyone has had a cold this week. Matt is the last to fall (although I continue to be unexpectedly healthy, how weird is that).

Anyway, go read all the great articles and enjoy yourself. I had a little girl in Sunday School this morning who had never really heard anything about Jesus and who was very interested. She and her friend both signed up to be angels in the Christmas Pageant. Such an encouraging start to one of my favorite seasons.

It seriously looks very much like a baby

Matt managed finally this morning to run home and pick up the device to get pictures off our camera. So I thought I'd post a few.




I gave birth to our newest baby girl last night at 10:01. Despite an ultra sound that afternoon that she was 7lbs 1oz, she weighed in at birth at 6lbs 10oz, only one oz more than Elphine 7 years ago. She is 18 inches long with some darkish hair and a mushed chin from having tried to come face first. For the purposes of this blog I'll be calling her Marigold, but if you'd like to find out her real name you can head over to Stand Firm.

After fretting all day that maybe we were inducing too early etc. etc. (and then feeling bad about worrying after listening to an Outstanding sermon by Marc Driscoll on the subject of Mary while labor was bearable enough to concentrate), I'm really grateful that we Did induce. This baby is a peanut and the cord was all the way around her neck and she was super hungry at the moment of birth. She's been eating and eating and eating and looking cuter and cuter.

We're so grateful for a really healthy baby and an excellent and clued in doctor and such excellent care. I'm delighted to meet this latest edition and wondering quietly to myself whether yet we will get one laid back child or whether she will be as intense and complicated as all the other ones....I already have my suspicions.

Happy Birthday!

Matt, I believe, is planning to spend this important and auspicious day working. It seems to be one of those years where all our birthdays fall on inconvenient work days. However, his oldest child has learned to play 'Here we go, up the road, to a birthday party' on the piano for him, so that should be Very Exciting.

Also, my dad is traveling back to Africa today and we would very much appreciate prayers for his safe travel. He'll be on three separate airplanes.

I am about to slowly and carefully rise from this spot and pack our lunch for school today. I was up most of the night feeling laborish. I am very thankful that its eased off but I'm intending to move very slowly today and try to keep everything in place.

Happy Birthday!

I just happened to write the date out carefully and deliberately and realized that I owe Many Happy Returns of the Day to my dad. Happy Birthday!
Here are some of your cats, clearly wishing you would have a really happy day.

Happy Anniversary!!!

My mom and dad have been married 35 years today. I'm so impressed. May they have another 35 years together. Here is a celebratory cup of coffee. Wish I was there to actually drink it for you.

A Couple of Announcements

Thank You For Praying
I passed my blood sugar test, may God be ever praised. Thank you so much for praying. I am very much looking forward to a piece of cake at Micah's wedding now. But I'm not going to start eating white bread, at least not every moment of the day.

Mimi and Meg are having a blow out sale!
Go check out their etsy site and buy something beautiful before its all gone.

Just to wish Many Happy Returns of the Day

to my mother who will probably not read this message as she is laid up in bed with the flu. We've all had it over the weekend, she worst of all, which is why I haven't been blogging. However, we will celebrate when she's all better with a cake and maybe a balloon. In the meantime, blogging will continue light until I can get a grip on the laundry.

An Update

Anne called with an update on her mother and said I could pass on what she told me. I am going to quote her aunt's summary since she seems to have a handle on things:

Joyce is resting in Intensive Care in the hospital, and will stay there a few days for observation. They succeeded in unblocking the artery (which had been completely blocked), but one place they were only able to unblock to about 40%. So overall, the procedure was "partially successful". The procedure was "very complicated", and Joyce was in the surgery for about 4.5 hours.

Thank you for your prayers and please do continue to pray for Joyce's full recovery

Family!!!

I found Auntie Kay!!! She's fine. She was out and about. You may all return to your regularly scheduled activities.
Good Night.

Odds and Ends

I've already been derailed by Gladys sprinkling sugar carefully into my printer, so who knows how the day will proceed (although I'm sure we can all make an educated guess). In light of this fact, I'm scrapping a beautifully written post (constructed blissfully at 5:30 in bed while Gladys tried to strangle me with her milk and mighty little arm--she slept the whole night across my neck, screaming whenever I tried to move her over slightly. Romulus settled himself carefully on my shins and wouldn't be moved either. Isn't this what we always dreamed of as conjugal bliss? Two large children, two cats and a husband? Actually, I only ever dreamed about the husband. The children and cats are a surprise) about the providence and grace of God and the graciousness of his order in our lives in favor of a list.

1. PLEASE pray for my mother who is having a medical procedure done this evening (it'll be Kenya time). She is having to be admitted to the hospital for what is normally an outpatient procedure because of insurance issues. Please pray that everything goes smoothly and we find that she's Perfectly Healthy!!!
Here are the flowers I gave to all the mothers on Mother's day. They're for my mother really but I somehow missed posting on Mother's Day.



2.Here is the 'material' I invented for my 'level 3' Sunday School class. I'm using scare quotes because even though it is in the spirit of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, its my own invention and by no means a sanctioned material.


I'll try to take some better pictures again this Sunday, but basically I wrote prettily on cards, all the resurrection appearances (the references only) and laminated them. I made the cards a reasonable size and then on tiny strips (again laminated) I wrote names, places, times of day, and items of interest. For a quick example of the strips I have: Mary Magdalen, Mary the Mother of James, tomb, stone, spices, Emmaus, two men, two men in shinning apparel, Jesus (although I forgot that card and had to go back and make it, heh), Peter, John, fish, 153 fish, boat, Galilee, Jerusalem, etc. etc. For the actual presentation, you lay the first card down, read the story, (after distributing the strips) and then everyone lays down the strips that they heard. I also printed pretty and famous art and they had to decide which pictures to lay down. Then we read the second account and they moved the strips which applied and added any new ones. As we progressed through the resurrection accounts, you could see, visually, what was the same in each and what was peculiar to each. Its taken us a long time, because we've been repeating, quickly and briefly, each previous story before adding new ones. Every week I think we're going to finish but we never do. The discussion about the details has been instructive and interesting, and amazingly, this whole process seems to be hitting them exactly where they are (9 to 12 on the ages scale). Its been very helpful to have a visual and its interactive. Its been so good that they've asked if we can do the same thing for the 'End Times' or rather 'Parousia' as we say in the atrium. I'm not sure how I would put that together, but I think it could be cool. Anyway, if you're interested and you want a better explanation, email me. For heaven's sake, if you REALLY wanted it, I'd make it again and sell it for a small and reasonable price.

3. Chicken BBQ this Saturday!!! You all better be there. 11-3.
4.Having babies is a huge consolation in times of difficulty. I've noticed, lately, that Matt, who has been under ENORMOUS stress, visibly relaxes while watching Gladys and Romulous. He can just sit and watch them being ridiculous, and they're so cute and basically pleasant (I say that with obvious reservations). I can see his shoulders relax and his brow unfurl. Of course, I recommend having older children as well, but as a pure stress reducer, if you find life especially difficult, gather yourself up a baby. It makes all the difference in the world.




5. And finally (although by this point I'm Practically doing 7 Quick Takes), here is the very nice Tea/Coffee I served to our departing students (those graduating and leaving) in the middle of their week of finals. I was forced to make brownies from scratch, being unable to locate a box, and they were delicious. We will miss the students very much and hope they will visit us periodically. One is on her way to China to do short term work, one to Korea to be in the army before returning to resume his studies, one is on her way to Cornell, and one to grad school in NYC.

And that, as they say, is that.
See you at the BBQ!!

The first onslaught of pictures

I want to wish my very own father most hearty Congratulations!!! on his ordination as a priest in the province of Kenya this last Sunday. He was ordained by Archbishop Nzimbi along with a lot of other wonderful people and as far as I can make out, an excellent time was had by all. My mother arrived in the nick of time from England and didn't miss anything (which had been the great worry). So here are a few pictures of the occasion.

Here he is with my mom, actually being ordained.


Archbishop Nzimbi asked him to be one of four to stand with him at the altar during communion.


Here he is in the general crowd.


Here he is milling around during the peace (you can also see my mom in back of him).


I must say, I'm totally delighted. I, and many others, have felt strongly over the years that my dad should pursue this course. For one thing, he's an excellent preacher. And for another, he knows everything already (that is, all the stuff that the rest of us have to go to seminary to learn). But timing is everything. And this was the right moment. We look Very much forward to him preaching and celebrating when he arrives here this summer (if you're in the area, do stop by).

More pictures of other things as the day ufolds. Right now I have to shove everybody in the car and go buy Milk and diapers.

New Shop (Shameless Appeal)

Matt's wonderful mother and sister have just opened a new Etsy Shop. They're designing and making baby clothes and things--So Pretty. I happen to know, from personal experience, that Matt's mother is an excellent designer and seamstress and I'm equally positive his sister is as well. So, if you need something beautiful for a baby, go check out Mimi and Meg. Now! Go! What are you waiting for!!

PS. I've carefully added them to my sidebar, so if you happen to be reading along, and suddenly think, Oh BLAST, what am I going to get for that baby shower!?, you have only look over just slightly to the left and click and there you'll be.

Shameless Bragging

Elphine, to the delight of us all, has won a weather coloring contest. Her picture will be shown on the local channel 34 news on Thursday both in the early morning, 6:30, and in the evening, 6. What a triumph.

Before the Closing of the Day

I have been angling for a moment at the computer ALL DAY to congratulate my dad (without his permission) on his ordination today, in Nairobi, to the deaconate.
I googled him just now and found this nice picture.

Congratulations Daddy. Joyce stood up in church today and told everyone all about it at the 10:30, and she's had everyone sign a card, which I have unfortunately misplaced. As soon as I find it, I'll send it to you. We look so forward to you coming back and doing an extensive time at Good Shepherd while we (and by that I mean I) go on vacation (just kidding).

In honor of you we've had a normal and unremarkable Sunday. E continues sick and so stayed with her favorite person in the world while the rest of us went to church. After church, having missed all the festivities, she sat with us on the couch while we debriefed about the day, offering strong and basically sound opinions about everything.
"If people don't come to choir practice" she said, "than we should go to their houses and practice them there."
And
"Everyone should come to church. Its an important and meaningful thing to do."
And
"Everyone should love God."

I am watching anxiously for signs of sickness in the rest of the brood. R looked pale this afternoon and A complained of a light tummy ache. Matt, OF COURSE, will be gone all week on some vital, if badly timed, affair. I can see it already-the long nights, the unannounced projectile vomiting, the weeping and moaning. "When are we going to die?" asked A this afternoon.
"I have no idea" I said, "Hopefully Jesus will come back tomorrow and we won't have to think about it."
"But if we do, we'll go to heaven for a while" he said.
"Yes, we'll go to heaven until he comes back to earth and gives us all our bodies back" I said.
"My tummy hearts" he said.
Well, a tummy ache can be bad. Hopefully not THAT bad.

Announcement

I have Just Posted three times. I could have spaced them out over many days, but I thought I'd overwhelm you all at once.

Also, I also received a Very Helpful email inquiring about the title of this blog. I think I wrote a vague post about it a long time ago but I'm going to write something more helpful soon and fix it permanently on the side. Keep watch.