Coco Crazy Pants: Misadventures in Parenting

Tot School and the Firestation

2011-09-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a few years, four to be exact, that I, Michelle have not experienced those "Back to School" feelings that most feel during this time of year. Well, this year I have. Inspired by my mom, a former preschool teacher, and my friend Lori, who hosted a tot school for us last year and again this year, I decided to host my own tot school. This week we had our first school day and first field trip. My mom came down to help and really showed me so many things. I have to say I had a lot of fun. This is what we did.

During song time we sang some stand-by children's songs and played instruments. We also added "I'm a Little Firefighter" (sung to "I'm a Little Teapot") while the kids wore different pieces of Mekiah's firefighter costume. Story time began with a brief Bible story about The Good Samaritan, because firefighters are good samaritans. We colored a page with an injured man and placed a bandaid on his wound and a pillow under his head. We then colored our firefighter worksheets and made a thank you card for the firefighters that we visited on our field trip. We read some stories about firefighters and then practiced stop, drop and roll - a favorite of all the kids! We learned how to use scissors and make small play-doh balls to create "apples" for a tree. We sorted small red toys in an ice cube tray and sorted numbers on a cookie tray. We also learned about Ricky the Rectangle and played musical rectangle/circle (think musical chairs). We played hot rectangle (instead of hot potato) and even put rectangle envelopes in the mailbox while we played mailman. We also went on a rectangle hunt, finding rectangular shaped household items to put in rectangle bags. I think though that the kids liked most the games at the end of the day that we played until their mommies came to pick them up - duck, duck goose and simon says.

Our tot school focus this month is the color red, rectangles and the letter A (crafts for next time). Hopefully the kids enjoy this and continue learning.

Today we went on our field trip to the fire station and the kids loved it. Here's a preview of our school.

Growing up...

2011-09-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

July Has Come And Gone

2011-08-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

July has come and gone and we haven't had a single post. I think that's the first time we've gone a whole month without posting since we found out we were pregnant with Mekiah. So, here's the month in review. Enjoy the snapshots and the captions!

We recovered from Zeid and Mariam's wedding...

Visited with Dodo...

Learned that we have some pretty big shoes to fill...

Celebrated Teta's 29th Birthday... Again...

Tried to enroll at Stanford...

Got my hair done by Cana and Macy...

Went to the park...

Played fish...

Loved the Slip n' Slide at Cana and Macy's house...

Celebrated Dana's Birthday...

Learned to do push-ups...

Hung out...

Went to a beach wedding...

Learned to touch my toes...

Spent time with Memere and Pepere...

Shocked them with our brotherly love...

Learned some tricks of Pepere's trade...

Tried to hide from getting a haircut...

Got one anyway...

Played in the bathtub...

Slept a little bit...

Cooked...

Played superheroes...

And cowboys...

Swam with Baba...

Learned how to sort colors...

Played with Emily...

And rode a horse!

Family Festivities

2011-06-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend, our family drove down to San Diego to spend the weekend with my (Nader) family for three major occasions: 1) my cousin's rehearsal dinner; 2) my cousin's wedding; 3) Fathers' Day. Though all three were special and allowed us to share some meaningful moments, my cousin's wedding was the one that created the most photo opportunities.

Here's a preview...

For a more comprehensive look, copy this link into your url, then enter:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2131305688073.129799.1408927909&l=ac72668931

BBFs: Brothers & Best Friends

2011-06-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

In our earlier blog account, we described the awesome dynamic between Ameen and his big brother, Mekiah. The boys are well on their way to becoming best friends -- a prayer that Michelle and I have held onto since we knew we were having a second boy. Though we know there will be moments of sibling rivalry and moments of chaos, we see the seeds of deep love and friendship being sown between the boys, even at this early age. Our deepest hope is that this dynamic continues to take root in their lives and that they remain the best of friends well into their senior years.

Below are the videos we promised...

Video #1: Mekiah teaching Ameen his ABCs and Jungle Sounds

Video #2: Mekiah teaching Ameen to dance, telling him a story, and Ameen trying to talk back

One can only imagine what will happen when the two interact as equals. We might start charging to view the videos at that point... too fun.

Superheroes and Family Time

2011-06-05T08:12:00.000-07:00

My entire life, I have been obsessed with superheroes. I am particularly fascinated by the Green Lantern, and never imagined that a full length movie would ever be made about him; after all, he was not the most familiar or iconic. Little did I know that the American ethos has room even for the less notable hero... maybe we have Napolean Dynamite to thank for this... wasn't he the original anti-hero that opened the door for the less "famous" to rise from obscurity to the mainstream? Probably not, but it sounds like a great piece of cultural insight, so I'll go ahead and hold onto it.

Interestingly, so many of our friends know about my affinity for superheroes, that they have already bought our sons Green Lantern paraphernalia... and Mamere (Michelle's mom) has even made the boys their first superhero capes! Needless to say, Mekiah and I have been "flying" all around the house trying to save the helpless...

We have also been thoroughly enjoying watching the brothers bond. There was a three day stint where Mekiah was fiercely jealous of his brother and tried to stomp on Ameen's ankle, but they have turned a corner. Mekiah is now fiercely protective of his brother and Ameen is enamored with Mekiah. Their interactions are some of the sweetest times for me to watch as their father...

Ameen has also been coming into his own. He has become more interactive and verbal in the last two weeks, regularly cooing and squealing to communicate his involvement in a conversation. His smiles are much more common as well and effortlessly melt our hearts. He is such a pleasant and kind natured child.

Needless to say, our hearts are full and our home is alive. As exhausting as this parenting process is, the joys FAR outweigh the sacrifices. It is well worth the effort and investment. We will post videos of the boys talking and playing in the next few days, but for now, let these pictures do the talking.

Nader and Brian Williams - from NBC News

2011-05-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

This week Nader was asked to be present in the audience for two different panels that Education Nation put on for an open discussion about the state of education in our nation. Nader was also invited to a wonderful dinner afterwards where education was celebrated with many local influencers, ranging from the superintendent of LA Unified, to Brian Williams of NBC - the moderator of the actual panel- and even Randy Jackson from American Idol, a strong supporter of education. Nader was unable to speak at the forum because of the time constraints that live television has. It was an extremely interesting discussion and worth watching if you are interested in current trends in education. You can find Nader in the audience a couple of times when others were speaking.

http://www.educationnation.com/index.cfm?objectid=73912066-8181-11E0-8D54000C296BA163&aka=0

My Second Month

2011-05-17T09:57:00.001-07:00

To say that adding a second child to your family doubles the amount of work is quite an understatement. We've been learning new routines, new habits and new sleep patterns - again. We love our family of four. Sorry we haven't blogged in a while, it's been crazy. We are finding our new rhythm and look forward to the many memories to come. Here's a few pictures of Baby Ameen. He's growing quickly and is so easy. He's quite laid back and goes with the flow - unless in the car, and then it's a whole other story. Ameen is starting to smile and coo. He loves his brother and his parents. Here's a couple of pictures of his growth.

The Simple Joys

2011-04-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

When Mekiah was born, Michelle and I expected our lives to change... and even more so with Ameen's birth. We knew that the "dying to self" we experienced in marriage would be amplified in parenting. Little did we realize that our joy in the simple things would also be multiplied.

A simple Easter Egg Hunt becomes an event worthy of professional commentators and world class athletics:

In addition to moments like these, some of the simple things that have brought us the most joy in this season include:

1. Mekiah and Ameen's matching Easter outfits courtesy of Michelle's mom. SO STINKIN CUTE!

2. Mekiah asking for cuddle time with his brother in the morning. Once together in Mekiah's big boy bed, Mekiah whispers words to his brother like: door, light, window, and mommy.

3. Ameen's long stretches of sleep and Mekiah finally sleeping through the night. Hallelujah.

4. Trying to figure out which of our features have made it into our kids. Right now it's 75/25 in Michelle's favor with Mekiah, but Ameen came out strong with his father's features... we know, lucky kid :).

5. Seeing the brothers hold hands in the double stroller on our long walks.

6. The insane amount of laundry that we have to do with two kids in the house. So much, but reminds us that we have a full house.

7. Knowing that Mekiah and Ameen belong to a church family that loves them and knowing that they have so many friends their age. The year Mekiah was born, over 30 children were born to families in our church.

8. Time off from work so that I can finally have bonding, alone time with Ameen.

9. Watching people's reactions when we tell them Ameen's name. Most common responses: "Oh, that's nice... so is it a boy or girl?" and "Oh, wow. What does that mean." SO funny.

10. Hearing Mekiah talk to his brother in the car on our long drives. Favorite quote: "Brother, stop crying."

We really value these moments and have learned to savor them. Below are some of the simple moments we captured on film from our three days with my family over Easter. Nothing overwhelming, but so rich with meaning:

Easter Morning - Brothers

2011-04-24T08:16:00.001-07:00

Michelle has been spending some quality time trying to teach Mekiah about the Resurrection. While tending Ameen, she will recount the story of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection to Mekiah using "Resurrection Eggs" that help to make the story comprehensible to children. Though Mekiah (and certainly Ameen) cannot comprehend the impact or depth of the cry, "He is risen!", Mekiah has taken to spontaneous shouts of "Hallelujah!" or "Hosanna!". Very endearing.

Today, we are excited to celebrate that our LORD took on flesh, died for our sin, and rose again to new life that we too might rise with Him. Praise the LORD!

Happy Easter Boys!

2011-04-23T20:34:00.001-07:00

Love Mommy, Baba, Memere and Pepere

(You'll get your basket from Teta and Jido tomorrow at Teta's house)

Ameen!

2011-04-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

Easter Eggs

2011-04-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

Mekiah and I colored some Easter eggs yesterday. We had a great time!

My Very First Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

Last week Mekiah and I got ready for his very first Easter egg hunt. I can't describe to you the excitement the night before as Mekiah helped me cut stickers and then place them in each egg. We bought a special basket for him to carry and filled the basket for the park the following day. When waking up the next morning, Mekiah could only talk about the egg hunt and he carried his bucket around the house until we were ready to go. He even had to hold the bucket in the car on the way to the park. At the park, Mekiah waited impatiently as some other moms placed each egg in its "hiding" spot for all the kids. Mekiah ran to the starting line with the biggest grin on his face. When the kids were told to "go" Mekiah ran to a nearby egg, bent down to pick it up and was promptly knocked over by another kid's head, a kid that happened to be going for the same egg. After that, well, Mekiah had no desire to try to get any more eggs - even after I showed him that there were treats inside of all the eggs. After me forcing him to get 3 more eggs, we simply sat down in the grass, Mommy holding the baby in the carrier and her big 2 year old at her side. Mekiah cried for a while, not sure of what was going on. His only consolation was when he got to eat the chocolate inside of his 3 eggs that I forced him to pick up. It wasn't a "success" in egg-terms, but I'm sure Mekiah will keep his eyes open a little more during his next egg hunt - considering that the next one will only have 2 kids in it, I'm sure Mekiah will "find" more eggs.

My New Scooter!

2011-04-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

All Aboard The Two-Two Train!

2011-04-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

With perfect weather at the perfect park, we celebrated Mekiah's birthday with some of his best little buddies We played with bubbles, flew a kite, kicked the ball around and the best part, we rode the choo-choo train. Of course, we had cupcakes too! Here's just a few pictures of what we did.

I'm a fire fighter!

2011-04-10T20:43:00.001-07:00

Thanks Auntie Dana for my new fire fighter costume. I love it! Mommy said that we could go on a field trip to the fire station soon. I think I'll wear my hat and bring my walkie talkie when we go.

Two Today

2011-04-06T20:55:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday dear Mekiah.
Happy Birthday to you!

We are so proud to call you son. Just remember that the Terrible Twos are a figment of the Western imagination. We welcome your compliance, joy, and laughter as you enter your third year of life.

You bring so much laughter into your home. You are witty, though young; articulate and sweet; kind and fun. Your little brother is blessed to have you as an example. Love you.

Spoke Too Soon

2011-04-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

Please read the previous blog before continuing on with this one...

So, I just posted "2 Days, 2 Passes, 2 Bad" and went into the living room to share it with Michelle. Her eyes teared, and Ameen woke up. He was hungry so she tended his needs.

She just finished feeding him, lifted his his rear, only to find that, yes, he had yet another explosive diaper. Looks like the day's not over yet.

We choose joy :).

2 Days, 2 Passes, 2 Bad...

2011-04-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

In two days, Mekiah turns 2 years old. On his first birthday, Michelle and I decided to buy Disneyland passes (to mark our year with family memories of Mickey and Friends) because Mekiah so loved the cartoon. Since then, we have frequented the park as often as we could. We have more than gotten the value out of our passes.

In two days, those passes expire and we will not be renewing them for at least a year. To mark the occasion, I took the day off of work and promised Michelle that I would take the family to Disneyland one last time, to celebrate Mekiah's 2nd birthday with just us.

To say that the day was an EPIC FAIL would be the understatement of the year. Why? Oh, let me count the ways...

1. It takes 1 1/2 hours to get everything packed and ready (including the kids) for even a short adventure to Anaheim.

2. Needed to stop by the chiropractor on the the way to make sure that my back (which I threw out on the wonderful reclining chairs that hospitals provide for new daddies as they keep their wives company) could handle the day. Mekiah has a meltdown and I have to walk him out after my appointment so that Michelle can be adjusted. Here's how that went: Doctor: "Hey Michelle, do you want me to do a quick adjustment? It looks like Mekiah is having a tough time and Nader is as well." Michelle: "Sure." Doctor: "Ok." Pop, Pop. Pop. "Have a fun day... and oh, tell Nader, that Converse may look good, but he needs shoes with better supports." Wow, my doctor is also a fashion critic :).

3. Once in the car, Ameen spends the majority of the trip crying, with Mekiah echoing, "Brother, stop crying!" I have to crawl into the back seat and wedge myself between the two car seats in an attempt to comfort both kids. Time check... not even 10:30 am yet!

4. Before reaching the parking structure, we have to pull into a Best Western parking lot, so Michelle can feed Ameen to help quell his cries. Mekiah at this point falls asleep. Amen.

5. Now, onto the parking structure, where we proceed to pick the SLOWEST line, which gives Ameen just enough time to relieve himself... everywhere... yes, explosive diaper. So once parked, we change his diaper... and his clothes.

6. In the stroller, on the way to the park, we stop at least 5 times to remind Mekiah that the "Terrible Twos" are a figment of the Western imagination. Children in the rest of the world actually pay rent by his age... or so we tell him. He is not convinced and continues to test the boundaries, which is so out of character for him. Though strong, he generally respects boundaries.

7. Once in the park, we have to eat lunch, which Mekiah picks at rather than eat. We decide to go home... this is not worth it.

8. In one last attempt to salvage the day, Michelle has a heart to heart with Mekiah which seems to turn the tide in our favor and results in a Carousel ride and a turn on Casey Jr.'s Train Ride. Just when our hopes begin to get restored, Mekiah has another meltdown and we proceed to leave the park. Time check... exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes from the time we entered.

9. On way home, Ameen has another hunger pang, causing me once again to wedge myself in the back seat to console him... to no avail. We pull over into a beautiful park so Michelle can feed in the car and I can let Mekiah run around. All seems to be good until Michelle announces that Ameen has wet himself, his pants, and her. Sure enough, he saturates everything and undergoes his third wardrobe change.

Now, we are home. Mekiah is asleep. Ameen is cuddling with Michelle. Worship is playing in the background. All is right in the world again.

Though the day was VERY challenging, we accept that this is what family life might look like at times... not the misbehavior, but the unpredictability. We recognize and welcome the flexibility that this transition requires. Marriage has been a refining experience that we have both enjoyed. Parenting is a formative and refining experience that is pushing us even further. We see how God uses these experiences to craft our hearts to be more like His Son's. We appreciate His companionship in this journey.

Here are some moments we were able to salvage from the day...

What Did We Do This Week?

2011-04-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic visit from Auntie...

Mekiah went to his first slumber party at Teta's and Dodo's

We had a mini-birthday party

Mekiah shared his hammer with Ameen

Mekiah kicked back on the couch after a good week

We're so tired, but oh so happy

2011-03-29T11:32:00.001-07:00

Our days and nights are blurred because our vision is impaired because of lack of sleep, but we are so, so happy. Here's a little bit of what's been going on the last few days at home!

Absolutely content!

Yes, Baba is very tired but couldn't be happier!

My new favorite perch

Working with my tools to put together our double stroller

Holding hands on our first outing

Cuddle time this morning. It was Mekiah's idea

Parenting and Comedy Routines

2011-03-28T18:44:00.001-07:00

Though it has only been 4 days since Ameen's birth, the funny stories between the brothers already abound. A few of the more memorable ones are recounted below:

Story #1: Is That What He Eats?

Mekiah has been fascinated by Ameen's feedings. As one who has learned to use a spoon, fork, plate, and cup, Mekiah seems dumbfounded by his brother's need to be held close to his mother when he is hungry. Today, when it was time for Ameen's feeding, Mekiah leaned over to me on the couch to make sure that I understood what was happening. He studied his brother, looked at me, pointed to Ameen, and announced with great pride, "Eat Milk!" Sounds like the "got milk?" ads have it wrong... shoulda read "Eat Milk!".

Story #2: Nasty Diaper

We have set up a Pack and Play next to our bed for Ameen to sleep in the first few months of his life. Since he does not have a sleeping pattern, it seemed illogical to put him in the room with Mekiah, especially because of the frequency of his feedings this early on. Attached to the Pack and Play is a small changing station for those late night emergencies. We have chosen to simply make it our primary changing station for the baby.

In order to continue making Mekiah feel like a helper with his little brother, we invited him into the room today to "help" us with Ameen's changing. After the diaper was off and the new one on, I handed the dirty diaper (curled up tight and bound using the diaper fasteners) to Mekiah and asked him to follow me to his room to throw it away in the diaper trash can.

As we walked out of the room, I heard him whisper, "Small." He was clearly referring to the mini-diaper his sibling had soiled, as compared to the little boy ones Mekiah uses. Then, as we neared his room, Mekiah looked up at me, curled his nose, held out the diaper, and said, "Gross!" It took all that was in me not to laugh out loud. Little did he know that it only gets worse from here.

Story #3: Buying Groceries

Michelle has been feeling so much better post-pregnancy this time than last time. She has more energy, less pain, and more motivation to do things. Today, she decided to go grocery shopping with her mom and the boys to get a sense of the "new normal." Since he is fresh out of the womb, Ameen loves being held and hates being in the car seat away from his mommy (unless he is asleep). Since the car ride to the store is short from our house, Michelle took both kids and put them in their respective car seats in the back of the car. The minute the car moved, Ameen began crying. Michelle's mom, attempting to encourage Mekiah to be a good big brother asked him to say something to his little brother. Mekiah looked over at his brother, thought for a moment, and uttered, "Brother, stop crying." Looks like the honeymoon is over. Let the good times roll.

We love being parents. This is an exhausting, fun, and rewarding adventure. I'm sure there's a comedy routine in all of this. Just need more time to gather material. In the meantime, we will enjoying chuckling at these simple moments.

What A Wonderful Life

2011-03-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

I have heard it said that when your second child is born, you always find room in your heart to love them as much as the first. I don't know that I ever questioned that, but having experienced it with Ameen's birth, I have to confess that I am overwhelmed at times with the depth of the love. I was most unprepared for the flood of emotion affiliated with Mekiah and Ameen meeting. Watching Mekiah embrace his little brother and already develop a protective instinct surprised me. It was so innate for him to step into this role and I have to credit Michelle for the weeks she has spent preparing Mekiah for this change.

About two months ago, Michelle suggested that we begin having Mekiah practice having a baby brother by nurturing his stuffed Curious George. Michelle taught Mekiah to change diapers, to comfort the distraught George, and to kiss him when he was sleeping. I then encouraged Mekiah to talk to his brother in mommy's tummy and to pray for him when we went to bed. Mekiah began urging his brother to "Come out!" It was endearing to watch, but we were unsure how it would play out when Ameen was born.

Needless to say, their interactions thus far have melted our hearts. Mekiah is proud to be a big brother; the practice has paid off. We know that the fights will come, but we are excited to see that the foundation laid for these brothers is one of love and kinship.

For those who do not have a Facebook account, below is link to the album we created for Ameen's homecoming. There are some wonderful moments between Mekiah and Ameen captured in these images. Enjoy: http://on.fb.me/gfpSZo.

Welcome Home...

2011-03-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

When I woke up yesterday, I had every intention of calling "the authorities" to make sure that Baby #2's eviction went without incident. We live by the water (actually, we rent... no delusions of grandeur here) and we simply couldn't have the neighbors talking about our delinquent child if he chose to stay in utero past his lease. Our city is a big city, but a small town... people would know.

To our great surprise, Baby #2 had decided to pack his things. Though he had until midnight to vacate the premises, he chose to leave with 9 hours to spare. Once here, our hearts melted and any intention of pressing charges on unpaid rent fell by the wayside. So here's the real story...

At approximately 4:30 am Thursday morning, Michelle began feeling strong and consistent contractions. I heard her discomfort and joined her in the living room at about 5:45 am. My thinking was that we take turns showering, and get ready to go to the hospital; however, Michelle wanted to wait out the process as long as possible. I asked her how frequently the contractions came, and as expected with anyone experience that type of pain, she replied, "I don't know." Without informing her, then, I began to time them... 7-10 minutes apart. I calmly got in the shower, got ready, packed the bags, and came back out to the living room.

At that point, Michelle had decided that she wanted to wait until after her check-up appointment at 9 am to be admitted to the hospital . Fortunately, the doctor's office is in the same facility as the natal ward where we were going to have Baby #2 delivered. Within 10 minutes of arriving at the appointment, we were taken in for the check-up.

Michelle contractions were growing very strong, but were difficult to gauge because she was also nursing her bronchitis-induced violent fits of coughing. The doctor left Michelle hooked up to the "contraction measuring machine" for 20 minutes in order to get a more accurate read on the situation. When she came back in to examine Michelle, she said, "Oh my gosh! You're at 5 centimeters. I just felt the baby's head and he shook it telling me to leave him alone." I have to admit that at this point, I was glad that we were inches away from the hospital.

We walked across the walkway and got Michelle situated to deliver. By 2:30 pm, Michelle had fully dilated and was fighting the urge to push. Our doctor had gone to pick her daughter up from school. The daughter had participated in a school-wide Jog-A-Thon and was getting an award. With Michelle ready to burst, the hospital paged the doc, who wisked her daughter home and rushed to the hospital in time to coach Michelle through delivery. Within 15 minutes of the first push, our Baby Boy was born.

Vital Stats

NAME: Ameen Micah
BIRTHDAY: 3/24/11, 2:51 pm
WEIGHT: 7 lbs, 11 oz
LENGTH: 21 inches long
APGAR: 8/9 (out of 10)

As expected, I sobbed and Michelle felt relieved.

Our first hope was for Mekiah to meet his brother before the flood of family members did. Prior to Michelle pushing, we had brought Mekiah in to talk to his brother. When asked, "What do you want to say to him?", Mekiah replied with an emphatic, "COME OUT!" So when Ameen "came out," I walked out to the waiting area and brought Mekiah in to meet his brother. Mekiah was so enamored. I lifted him onto the bed where his mommy lay with his little brother, and he gently leaned over and gave his baby brother a hug and kiss. It was the most tender and beautiful moment a parent could hope for. He then scurried over to the reclining chair in the room and insisted that we let him, "Hold it!"

We wrapped Ameen up tightly and cradled him in Mekiah's arms, as he sat on the chair. He stared quietly at his brother and kissed him gently. [Even recalling this moment, I am getting choked up.] We were able to capture this moment in pictures and will post them soon. The hilarity of it all came when I went to scoop his brother away. Mekiah fought me, tightened his grip, and insisted that I let him "Hold it!" I laughed, and gingerly pried Ameen away so that his grandparents could have a chance to hold him.

My father was the most moved by these moments because he was in the Middle East for Mekiah's birth. Their first meeting occurred on Mekiah's 4 month birthday, so to be present for the entire process with Ameen was especially touching for him. He wept as he watched Mekiah hold Ameen, and couldn't contain his emotion when he held the baby in his own arms for the first time. At the very least, after watching these moments, Michelle and I are confident that our sons will never be short on love.

As I reflect on the entire day of Ameen's birth, there are so many other moments I want to capture in words, but cannot seem to find. So, I will try to capture it in this brief letter to my beautiful second born:

My Dearest Ameen,

Today you drew your first breath in the company of a family who loves you beyond comprehension. Though your mother suffered through the last trimester with you, her heart aches for you and will bear any burden to lighten yours. Her tender touch will comfort you on the nights when you are scared, and her heart will always beat for you. Your father and brother will protect you and work had to mentor you in the ways of the Lord, so that others might know Him and be drawn to Him because of the compelling life you live.

My dear son, we labored for months trying to select the perfect name for you. Your mother eventually trusted me to make the final choice. So many names flooded our hearts and minds, but I finally settled on Ameen Micah because it reflects all that we hope for you. Ameen means "faithful and trustworthy" in Arabic, in order to reflect the character we pray for you. We chose a Middle Eastern name so that you cold be proud of your heritage and draw on the strength and history it reflects. Micah, which is a derivative of your mommy's name (Michelle), asks the question, "Who is like the LORD?" The meaning is shared by your brother, Mekiah's name. We want your life to compel others to faith because of your integrity and substance. We pray that those who see you live your life will feel moved to ask, "Who is this child's God and how are we to know this God?" It also roots you in your mother's story. You and your brother will always have my last name. It is important to us that you also have a reflection of your mother in your name as well. Her life, her faith, her character, and her heart are an example for you to study.

Beautiful Ameen, we welcome you into our family. You grew our hearts when we did not know this to be possible; you drew tears from our eyes, when we felt no more left to share; and you have enlivened your brother who has been anxiously awaiting your arrival. May your life be blessed, your heart be pure, your mind be keen, and your character be substantial.

We love you. Welcome home... eviction rescinded :).

Love,
Baba

Eviction Day

2011-03-24T06:47:00.000-07:00

Well, today's the day... eviction day. Within the next 17 hours, Baby Boy #2 has to vacate the premises he has occupied since late July, early August of 2010. We have tried to respect his needs and timing, and have done a good job loving him.

Our suspicion is that he gets the hint. When we hold our ears close to the wall, we can hear the rumblings of him packing his things and getting ready to move out. If he is the respectable man I know him to be, he should be out of his current residence before midnight tonight.

Pray that he chooses wisely :)... and if he doesn't choose, that nature would for him.

A Compelling Case, But Check The Facts

2011-03-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

So my last blog seems to have evoked some deeply emotional appeals from the Twal family proper on behalf of Baby #2. In order to catch up, review the "Comments" under the last post: "Eviction Notice."

I would like to refute a faulty premise that there is no precedent for this eviction in our family. If the defense recalls, Mekiah, whose offenses exceeded Baby #2's, was in fact extracted from his rental 4 days before (April 6) his lease was technically up (April 10). His aggressive behavior in utero led to a punctured amniotic sac, rendering the rental property damaged beyond repair, while he still occupied the space. Los Alamitos Hospital can verify that we contacted them for assistance and that they evicted Mekiah upon his parents' request from the aforementioned property. In fact, he tied himself to the property (umbilical around the shoulder and the waist) and had to be extracted by force (suction).

Therefore, that line of reasoning in null and void, though a valiant effort on Aunty Dana's part. My recommendation: Brush up on the facts to build a strong case... refernce public record 04.07.09 [Blog entitled "And Then There Were Three..."].

Eviction Notice

2011-03-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

I have been doing some research with respect to rental properties. According to the reputable and legally-informed www.expressevictions.com website, a landlord can serve a tenant with a 3-day eviction notice if the tenant has done ANY of the following:

1. Failed to pay the rent.
2. Violated any provision of the lease or rental agreement.
3. Materially damaged the rental property ("committed waste").
4. Substantially interfered with other tenants ("committed a nuisance").
5. Used the rental property for an unlawful purpose.

Fortunately, as the considerate parents we are, Michelle and I have opted not to charge Baby #2 rent for his occupancy in Michelle's womb. As a product of God's hand, we felt that we could waive that stipulation of his residence (refer to item #1). We have also not required a written agreement which renders #2 and #5 irrelevant. However, after a careful review of Baby #2's track record over the course of the past 39 1/2 weeks, we will be seeking legal counsel and representation in heaven's court around items #3 and #4 in particular.

With respect to item #3, Baby #2 has reeked havoc on his mother and the aforementioned "rental" space. We will submit evidence that he has bruised up his mother's ribs with incessant kicking, coupled with a crippling cough induced by our son's liberal use of his rental space. With a short torso, his mother can only provide so much legitimate space for him to grow, but he has decided to extend himself beyond the boundaries of this space and invaded space occupied by her diaphragm and lungs... without invite. He has also indirectly induced third trimester nausea that has led to violent bouts of vomiting.

With respect to item #4, all I need to say is the Michelle has had to sleep on the couch for the past 2 1/2 months so that the acid reflux can be controlled. None of us have slept because of her discomfort directly associated with aforementioned tenant's occupancy of aforementioned space. Enough said.

I think our case is strong. We really love this little guy, but feel compelled to raise a man of integrity who abides by the legitimate laws of the State. This kind of education begins early, some even arguing that it begins in the womb. As responsible and committed parents, we want to teach these lessons to our sons early on. We need to make sure that the habits they form now (including in the womb) lead them to be men of substance. We don't want their wives worrying about rentals and their security.

So Dear Lord, we plead our case using California law as our framework (hoping this is recognized at the gates of heaven), urging you to help our son to move from the womb to the cradle. We have a space prepared for him that will meet his growing needs. We are not seeking any material damages or back pay. We will call it even when our son draws his first breath and allows us to cradle him in our arms. Our hearts and capacity to forgive and love him unconditionally run deep. We simply request that our reconciliation happen face to face... soon :).

Little Boy #2, we do this out of love for you. Please come out before we have to have the doctor come in and get you.

With love,
Your Baba

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are...

2011-03-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

Dear Baby Boy #2,

As your father, I feel compelled to advise you that today is a good day to be born. Your brother, Mekiah, is anxious to meet you; your mommy would like to hold you in her arms rather than her tummy; and your daddy would like to finally be able to tell everyone your name.

I checked the weather for Long Beach. With an average temperature of 64 degrees and some rain, you are guaranteed much coddling and love. We will make sure to wrap you up real tight in your receiving blanket so that you are warm.

If you decide that you want to stay in a bit longer, let me kindly remind you that obedience to parents is one of the basic commandments. Yes, I am playing that card.

Looking forward to meeting you face to face.

Love,
Baba

Letter from a Father's Heart

2011-03-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

Recently, someone recommended that I begin writing letters to my sons -- letters that they could read over and over as they grew up, and some even addressed to them later in life. At first, I didn't understand the recommendation, though it intrigued me. The more I consider it, the more I am moved by the thought of my sons opening up HAND-WRITTEN letters from their father, with reflections on their childhood or advice for various milestones in their lives: the teen years, adulthood, going to college, even marriage.

Though I have yet to compose one of these letters, here are some of the themes that I want to confer in my words:

1. Time is a precious gift. Once you give it, you can never have it back. Spend it wisely and communicate your love to people by spending time with them.

2. Listen to what people say; believe what they do. The world will watch your behavior, more closely than it will listen to your words. Live a life where your words and actions complement one another; therein lies your integrity.

3. Spend less time worrying about finding a best friend, and cultivate in your heart the capacity to be one.

4. Rather than seeking the perfect spouse, become the man who will attract her.

5. Love your mother; treat her well. Your wife will thank you.

I have yet to refine my thoughts, but the themes are ones that I value deeply and want my children to emulate as they mature into godly men who live compelling lives. Mekiah means, "Who is like God?" Our hope for him was that his life would draw others eyes and hearts to Jesus. Our second son's name is a derivative of the words: trustworthy and faithful. In the Middle East, a child's name reflects some of the hopes that the parent seeks for their child. As Mekiah and his brother grow, we pray that their lives will not only live up to the meaning of their names, but will also teem with examples of the character traits described above.

I welcome any suggestions of additional themes or topics that I may need to weave into additional letters to my sons. Any suggestions?

I'm testing out my new camera

2011-03-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

We just bought a new camera in anticipation of the new baby. I'm testing out posting pictures from it. Here they are.

More Clues... and a Video to Distract You!

2011-03-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

For those of you committed to cracking the mystery of Baby #2's name, here are a few more hints...

1. The name begins with a letter than appears in the 1st half of the alphabet.
2. It is less than 7, but more than 3 letters long.
3. A word from which this name is derived appears over 75 times in the Bible... though it may not be used as a name in the text.
4. All of the letters in this name appear in part, in the names of the existing members of our family.

This will be as much information as I give. At this point, if you guess it, chances are it will still be the child's name because Mekiah drew this name from a choice of two scribbled on paper. He affirmed that I had made the right choice :)... for now.

In the meantime, here's a cute video of Mekiah playing in a green area at an outdoor mall... how's that for a distraction!

Tick, Tock... and Baby Names

2011-03-05T12:27:00.000-08:00

Time is ticking and the baby is almost here. Michelle has had a rough time lately, especially with all of the coughing. She has been on "baby-safe" antibiotics for 2 weeks now, but there seems to be no break from the coughing fits. She even popped a blood vessel in her left eye from the violence of it all.

Sad, but she continues to be an incredible mother to Mekiah and continues to prepare her heart to love another son. You hear about the depth of a mother's love, but it is another thing to experience it... or even observe it. Michelle's self-sacrifice, consistency, and patience continue to astound and impress me.

Here's the up-side of it all... the coughing and nausea has taken such a toll on her, that she has surrendered ALL naming privileges to me. Of course, being the incredibly compassionate man that I am, I was more than willing to take this additional burden from her. She needs to concentrate on breathing right now and can't be expected to legitimately name a child.

Our families have been busting at the seams to hear what the choices are, and I will not budge. Michelle herself will not know the name of our child until he takes his first breath. In fact, I just changed my mind this morning as to what the name would be. Oh the liberty and joy! There really are only 2 or 3 real contenders at this point. She has a hunch about one of them, but I am confident that the final choice will not be what she is expecting... and yes, I do believe that she will love it... or at least grow to love it.

Here's your hint: the name I have chosen describes a value that Michelle and I hold dear, and hope that both of our children emulate their entire lives. It will resonate with my Middle Eastern family, but allow our son to function seamlessly in Western cultures. In the 1990 U.S. Census, this name was in the top 35,000 surnames out of a potential 89,000. It currently does not appear in the top 1,000 baby boy names in the U.S., though in 1977 and 1997, this name actually made it into the top 1,000 names in the United States... the highest rating it has received since such statistics have been collected. In 2000, this name accounted for less than 12 of every 1,000,000 babies in the United States. Final clue, it does not begin with any of the following letters: b, d, f, g, h, j, o, p, q, u, x, y, z.

First person to figure out the baby boy's name prior to his birthday has veto power over my choice and has the right to choose the first letter of the name Michelle and I will finally settle on for this child. How's that for democracy?! I may still change my mind, but this should keep those of you who are invested in this process entertained until the baby is born and the chosen name goes public.

[Cue Lion King music and fade to black...]

Taxes, Pizookies and Sleep

2011-02-22T07:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks to President's Day, Nader had the day off work yesterday. As a family we went to Costco, picked up Turbo Tax and came home to do our taxes. What else would a family of almost 4 do on a day off? (Keep in mind that we are on the mend but don't have tons of energy for super fun day trips yet). When Mekiah napped, we did our taxes. To celebrate the fact that we were done and that we don't owe anything we went to BJs to share a pizookie (a cookie inspired by the size of mini pizzas). I think Mekiah LOVED it - who wouldn't love a chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream.

Another major milestone happened last night too! Mekiah slept in his bed all night long for the first time ever without waking up once in the middle of the night. Yes that's right, he's almost two and slept through the night for the first time, 8 to 6 to be exact. Of course, Nader and I both woke up several times in the middle of the night because our bodies are so used to it. We're excited! We may just have ourselves one sleeping through the night before our little baby boy arrives to wake us up all night long. Nader says that Mekiah gets to have a pizookie everyday if it means he'll sleep. What do you think? Should I make Mekiah a pizookie today?

4th Clue

2011-02-19T07:36:00.000-08:00

Today, Michelle and I are hosting a HUGE EVENT for our College Community at Grace Brethren Church of Long Beach. We are modeling it off the popular TV Show "The Amazing Race," which will air again on CBS in the coming months. My (Nader's) dream would be to one day appear on the show.

For the kids today, we have planned an eating challenge, finesse challenges, physical challenges, trivia searches, and all out races! It has taken some time to put together, but has been immensely gratifying for both Michelle and me. We love this College Community and are having a blast building community with them.

The funniest part of the whole thing is that this blog is a part of their 4th Clue. In order to receive it, they will need to read this blog to know that their clue is hidden right here: "Find your way to the Rancho Los Cerritos. In the museum, find the 1866 deed signed by this man that transferred ownership of the Rancho to Flint, Bixby, and Co. Take a picture next to this document and text it to Nader with the name of this man in the subject line of the text. You will then receive your next clue." Let's see how long it takes some of them to find the blog. If you are follower of this blog and you know students in the College Community at Grace, please let them find this on their own. It's part of the fun and part of the challenge.

Health Update #2

2011-02-18T14:03:00.000-08:00

We are continuing to fight illness here, but things are slowly getting better. Nader feels a lot better than he did on Monday; he's on day 3 of his antibiotics. It looks like by the middle of next week he will be doing great! Michelle feels great for about an hour or two after taking her medication. In fact, she thinks she can conquer the world, but as the medicine wears off, she realizes she won't be doing that any time soon. She's only on day #2 of her antibiotics, so we're hoping that things start looking up this weekend.

We took Mekiah to the doctor today. He too will be on antibiotics. He's on a stronger version of amoxicillin. He has the slightest of ear infections in his right ear, but nothing to worry about. His lungs are clear and it just appears that this is a very strong cold that seems impossible to kick.

We all slept much better last night; we were only awake with Mekiah from about 11-12, which considering the way this illness has been going, is great!

With all three of us trying to get better at the same time, we're hoping that our family will be super duper at the end of next week. Thanks for continuing to pray for us.

A Health Update

2011-02-16T19:46:00.001-08:00

This is just a quick update for those of you who have been asking.

Nader - He is currently on antibiotics for pre-walking pneumonia. He has had a fever, chills, runny nose, and cough. The fever broke last night after taking his medication. The doctor normally would have waited a couple more days to see if his body would fight it off, but because Michelle is pregnant he immediately put Nader on antibiotics. Nader charged ahead today and survived, however things always get worse at night, so he needs your prayer for healing and for a good night's sleep.

Michelle - After being on and off sick for two months, the doctor finally put her on antibiotics to prevent pre-term labor, the same ones she took when pregnant with Mekiah. The irony, she visited the doctor the same week during her last pregnancy as this pregnancy. Thankfully, she has not had a fever at all, just a very bad cough, congestion and chills. The cough has made it difficult to sleep, making it more difficult for her body to heal itself. She too could use prayer for healing and a good night's sleep.

Mekiah - Two weeks ago Mekiah was on antibiotics for a cold that he just couldn't kick. He got much better, but then was exposed to something different because he had a slight fever for two days straight this week. Thankfully, the fever broke with over the counter medication and now he is just suffering from a cough and congestion. Today he was quite uncomfortable; he is sick enough to be miserable, but not sick enough to be lethargic. He hasn't gone to the doctor yet, because unless it's a high fever, the doctor always asks us to wait a couple of days to see if his body will heal itself. This way, we aren't pumping him through with so many antibiotics when he is young, that his system becomes immune to their magic. He too needs your prayer.

The best part of this situation... Michelle's mom put her things on hold this week and came down to rescue us. She has been amazing, doing almost all of the cooking and picking up. She has entertained Mekiah with crafts and books and games.

Thank you Lord for two good moms who always come to rescue us. When I (Michelle) grow up, I want to be like them.

We'll keep you posted and are sure that in the days to come we will have good news to share!

Our growing boy

2011-02-12T19:34:00.001-08:00

Mekiah has been changing so much lately, but it's mostly noted in his speech and his opinions. He tells me to turn the music off in the car when we get all buckled in, that is of course, unless the music is off and then he tells me to turn the music on. He really pours it on in the car, if Mom hasn't buckled up before pulling away from the curb to drive off. He asks for cheese and then "changes his mind" and decides on berries instead. He is finding his own voice and has an opinion on everything. The other day, his opinion looked like this picture. He decided that he needed to wear his Handy Manny t-shirt without pants, but insisted on his "Toodles" hat.

Mekiah got his big boy bed last weekend and has been LOVING it. His face and expressions when we put on his new truck sheets were the best, followed by a lot of oohhs and aahhs as we looked at all the pictures on the bed spread. The first two nights were a battle keeping him in his bed all night - in fact, we were up both nights from 12-2 keeping him there. The next two nights took 15 minutes at about 2 in the morning and he was back to sleep. Unfortunately, the last two nights have been a bit more difficult as Mekiah has had a fever of 100.1, so he struggled and woke up every hour. Thankfully, his fever broke today and he is snug in his bed. Here's hoping for a good night's sleep tonight.

This final picture is just one of the reasons why I love Nader. I have continued to struggle with my health during the final part of this pregnancy. Fortunately, Mekiah's bed is one of the most comfortable places for me to rest, so today I took some "time out" to rest. This is what I came out to an hour later. Nader and Mekiah had set up a special movie pillow set to watch some tv together. I love these boys. I can't wait for the third boy in our house to come too... only 5 1/2 more weeks!

2011-01-26T19:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Mekiah and I had the most wonderful day, reading all kinds of books about colors, letters, numbers, Groundhog Day and Valentine's Day. I have to say the best part about storytime yesterday was when Mekiah counted from 1-10 on his own twice while we were reading through a number book. It sounded something like this, "1,2,3! 4,5! 4, (Mom says 6), 7,8,9,10!" Of course, numbers 3, 5, and 10 are said much louder and with much more emphasis than the rest.

Tonight Mekiah had me wondering if he's a prophet. While Nader and I were praying with him, Mekiah repeated after me, "Dear God, Thank you for Baba, and for Mama, and for brother, and (and then I let Mekiah take over) sister!!! and for Jesus!" Well, I'm not so sure about the sister part, but maybe he needs a little girl in his life to take care of.

2011-01-24T17:02:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I, Michelle, have blogged. I guess I just didn't know what to say or what pictures to put up. Such a long while in fact, that I never posted any Christmas pictures or pictures of Mekiah's new hairstyle. So, here are a few pictures to catch the family from far away up on the happenings here.

This Christmas, Mekiah definitely figured out the best way to open a present. Rip and tear and then ooh and ahhh. It was a lot of fun to watch him as he marveled at each individual gift from family and friends. Thankfully, he's still a little too young to understand everything and "get greedy" with his gifts. He enjoyed passing out gifts to his family and was just an all around unbelievable joy for us.

I'm sure everyone in a room would know that these two are cousins - well, maybe not now that I cut Mekiah's hair (yes, I'm still a bit sad over that). Mekiah and Emily are the best of buddies and have fun keeping busy while together, playing bubbles or kitchen or ball or anything for that matter.

I love this sweater on Nader - only the most handsome of men could pull this off!

Mekiah and Auntie Reem made homemade play-doh. Mekiah didn't so much like the salty taste though :)

Yep, I'm pretty cool!

This is one of my best buddies ever, can't you tell!

My new hairstyle - Mommy cried quite a bit when she cut it. Thankfully, it's been about a month so it's grown out some and looks much better. And, the curls just might come back. It looks like they are attempting at the moment.

Resilience and Beauty

2011-01-23T15:22:00.000-08:00

In the past month, Michelle's cold has turned into bronchitis and Mekiah seems to have an everlasting cold. Michelle can't take medication because of the pregnancy and Mekiah can't sleep because he is congested. Needless to say, our home has been challenged, but we still manage to function. Still, she has remained resilient and in this resilience is such a beauty.

As I observe Michelle in this state, I am struck by her character and commitment to parenting in spite of her suffering. Here are some of the most valuable insights I have gleaned from observing her:

1. No matter how uncomfortable she feels, Michelle ALWAYS musters up the energy to meet Mekiah's legitimate needs.
2. After a hard day at work, when I get home, Michelle insists on caring for Mekiah so I can have some "down time" although she has had none all day. I still step in, but the authenticity of her desire to relieve me is touching.
3. I don't know how, but our home is ALWAYS clean, inviting, and warm. Even when her internal life is chaotic, Michelle manages to pull it together enough to make sure that this inner turmoil does not diminish the ministry that she so deeply values... our home.
4. Michelle is humble enough to accept help. A number of family members, friends, and even some of the college kids have watched Mekiah and even cooked for us to help lighten our load. It has been an immense blessing.
5. Mekiah's healthy development and education remain a priority even when watching endless of hours of TV would be easier child care. Michelle makes it a priority to read with Mekiah, set up play dates to socialize him, and sing praise songs to teach him to value faith and worship. Mekiah usually has at least on craft a week that he gives to someone in the family to let them know that he is thinking about them... clearly this is a reflection of Michelle's priorities.
6. Michelle uses her weakness to teach Mekiah compassion. She asks him to be her "helper" when she is struggling and he has learned to be gentle and caring with her when she is ill. This week, she recounted a story, where he gently caressed her and repeated, "Ok Mommy, Ok," to comfort her while she was at the peak of her illness.
7. Michelle knows her limits. When the healthier option is to rest, Michelle will. She cares for her body knowing that she also needs to care for our son in her womb. For someone who has always overachieved, this is quite the feat.

I do work hard to help my wife, ESPECIALLY when she is riddled with sickness. Still, I cannot be here 24/7 and rather than take the bitter road, Michelle has remained committed to excellence as a parent, wife, and friend. I am inspired by her resilience and taken by her beauty in this time.

There is so much for me to learn from her example. I am blessed to have the rest of our lives to study.

Where is Jesus? Under the Couch...

2011-01-16T13:11:00.000-08:00

This morning, Michelle and I woke up still chuckling about Mekiah's prayer last night. He prayed for all of those things in his immediate world and it was endearing to watch him make sense of the purpose and content of prayer.

Naturally, as a parent, one has to wonder at what age a child begins to comprehend the idea of Jesus and his place in our lives. I often hear parents speak about how their children received Jesus into their hearts as early as three years old! How does one even begin to explain that concept to a child? Well, this morning, Mekiah educated me about Jesus and how he lives under our couch.

As we were getting ready for church, I walked into the living room to help Mekiah get ready. He was flat on his belly, swatting his hand under the couch. He kept reaching deeper and deeper, and showed increased frustration that his whole body couldn't fit. I figured he had lost a toy and asked, "What's down there Mekiah?" He looked up at me with the most serious look and uttered, "Jesus!" I entertained the thought that we were somehow heretical and leading our child astray because the couch is no where near his heart, where Jesus should be according to other parents. So I responded with, "Jesus is under there?" He said, "Yeah!"

At that moment, Michelle walked into the room and agreed with Mekiah, "Nader, Jesus IS under there." At that point, I went through all of the theological possibilities that could make that statement ok... Jesus is omnipresent; the LORD is everywhere. Anything to make my wife a non-heretic. Nothing. Hoping for sanity, I asked again, "What?" Then it all made sense...

Michelle began to laugh hysterically at me realizing what was going through my mind... "My wife is crazy. Mekiah spends the whole day with her. Now I have two heretics in my family. Do I need to quit my job? Do Christian psychologists know what to do with this shade of crazy? What am I to do?" It was at that point that she confessed, "Jesus really is under there. He lost the Baby Jesus figure from his Little People Nativity when he was playing this week."

Needless to say, I am relieved and I think I will be laughing for days. Great stories come with Mekiah growing older. Can't wait to laugh more.

Mekiah's First Prayer

2011-01-15T20:03:00.000-08:00

For the past few months, Michelle and I have been teaching Mekiah to pray. The words are simple and the sentences are short, usually comprised of "Dear Jesus, thank you for.... [fill in the blank].... Amen." Today we decided that he need to try to do it on his own.

Here is how his first attempt went: "Dear... Jesus.... George.... George.... Toodles.... Clubhouse.... Jesus.... for... Amen." It took every ounce of self control not to break out laughing. It was the most tender and sweet thing ever.

For those who may not know, the following is your key to unlocking Mekiah's prayer:

George = Curious George (his favorite stuffed animal)
Toodles = Mickey Mouse and all his friends (his favorite show)
Clubhouse = Where Mickey lives

My heart melts even writing this.

Speaking the Truth in Love

2010-12-26T18:45:00.000-08:00

Just finished reading a friend's blog and felt inspired to write a brief reflection.

Our friend is an accomplished Christian speaker, author, and friend. She has done more with her short life to advance the gospel than many people do in a lifetime. Much like any of us, she has issues and faults... but because she shares them on her blog, they are much more public than any of ours. People who do not know her, feel as if they do because she opens herself up to them on her blog. They feel a sense of kinship with her sentiments and stories, so they often feel compelled to leave comments for her. Some, however, boggle my mind, especially when they are personal and critical.

I (Nader) understand that our friend invites people into her life through her blog --that reads more like a journal, teeming with reflections on living out the faith. I also understand that many people build pseudo-intimate perceptions of their friendship with her because of this. What shocks me is their candor when they do not agree with a choice she makes. I appreciate honesty and anyone who knows me well can attest to this fact. However, I also value gentleness and diplomacy.

Why do I feel so passionately about this? Because I think that people's feelings matter. The truth is the truth, but it can be delivered gently. There is not need to sugar coat it or even dance around the issue, but we are speaking into the life of someone who is made in the image of God. I suppose we should consider how our comments either build up this likeness or diminish it.

Yes, I have to grow in this area along with the rest of the world. The difference is when we write it down, we have the time to process it and then hit send. I guess I just want Mekiah to build that habit... the habit of processing how to speak truth in life-giving ways. Again, I don't want him to dance around the truth, but I definitely want him to consider the delivery.

If you're curious about the blog that generated this reflection, click this link...
http://blog.inthenameoflove.org/archives/1745
The comments are what struck me... don't know why.

A Christmas Story... Without Red Rider BB Gun

2010-12-25T17:38:00.000-08:00

With each year that passes, Michelle and I grow more and more grateful for the simplicity of the holidays. We had the perfect Christmas morning with the Michelle's parents, by a lit wreathe, in our home. Each person only had one gift, except Mekiah, so we were able to savor our time together and celebrate the genuine reason we gather together at Christmas. We attended a substantial and concise Christmas Eve service at Grace Long Beach last night, that really oriented us for this beautiful morning celebrating together.

Michelle's family has a thoughtful tradition that Michelle and I want to continue with our kids. To help build appreciation and to teach kids to celebrate for and with one another, we open each gift one at a time. It is such a simple gesture that creates such a different atmosphere. It moves the mood from "getting stuff" to sharing joy. I am so grateful for the family that I married into.

On a lighter note, Michelle's family is also HUGE on stockings. Michelle and I have different ideas on what constitutes an AWESOME stocking. Here is a breakdown of what each of us got Mekiah in his stocking:

Michelle:
- Bert and Ernie toothbrush
- Thomas the Train toothpaste
- Scented bags for poopy diapers
- Mickey and Pluto spoon and fork
- Lightening McQueen plate

Nader:
- Handy Manny metallic (BPA-free, of course) water bottle
- Marine-themed toddler Starbucks mug

Both:
- Toy Story beach towel for summer fun

I think our gifts definitely reflect our personalities. Michelle is the thoughtful, pragmatic one, while I'm the sentimental, out-of-the-box one. Michelle wants Mekiah to get excited about doing the normal (great idea!), while I picture us doing "Daddy & Me" Starbucks Fridays with Mekiah drinking hot chocolate and me, a mocha. Truth be told, it's the only way I could convince Michelle to reintegrate a "Starbucks allowance" into our weekly budget :).

Now we are wrapping up our Christmas afternoon with my family in San Diego, where everyone picked up on the "Disneyland" theme we have had going for the year. He got a Mickey pillow, Disney character waffle/cookie/etc. maker, Mickey and Minnie snow globes, among others! Needless to say, he received it well :), exclaiming, "Toodles!" as he opened each gift!

All in all, this has been one of our best Christmases to date. Can't wait to celebrate with two next year. Family life is definitely for me.

Final Count... and Gag Orders

2010-12-24T11:31:00.000-08:00

So the votes are in and our investigation of voter fraud has concluded with some definitive results. Charges will not be filed against RT, who has been identified as the ring leader in "Operation: Skew the Results," because the evidence, though conclusive would dampen the holidays. Suffice it to say, that were RT to hang a stocking by the fireplace, she might well find a big lump of coal in it on Christmas morning! Enough said... you draw your own conclusions.

Sadly, we are bound by a gag order by Judge Michelle, and will not be announcing Baby Boy #2's name until birth. To comfort those of you in a panic, GIlles is officially NOT an option... never really was, though it did generate some wonderful conversations :). I am currently pursuing an appeal in the higher courts to repeal the gag order and announce the name, but have not been met with much success. Judge Michelle's reach (via tasty meals in our home) has "bought" the majority of our friends. I cannot seems to persuade anyone to take the case and challenge her decision. Oh well, I suppose there are more meaningful battles to fight.

In the meantime, we have been keeping busy with some rich family time. Though the California rain, I mean TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR!, has kept us indoors for most of my vacation, we have managed to fill our time...

Building forts...

Baking cookies...

And just plain having fun... Now that the sun is out, we are enjoying some great walks in our neighborhood and some lovely nights looking at the lights in Naples with old friends.

As Christmas day nears, I can't help but reflect on how incredible this season is with a family. Children open our eyes to see the world anew. Old traditions breathe new life; common chores become adventures; Christmas meals become cherished memories; and time together builds a sacred history between us. Mekiah has been the most profound blessing in our lives and continues to be the most precious tangible gift we have ever received. With the addition of our nameless child (Thank you, Judge Michelle), I can only imagine how much more we will enjoy this incredible season commemorating our Savior's birth.

Baking Christmas Cookies

2010-12-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

I have to say this year at Christmas time has been quite fun, because we are starting to establish our own family Christmas traditions. Some of these are from memories of our childhood and some are new to us. Here are some pictures of two of our family Christmas traditions. The first: baking. Mekiah has been helping me in the kitchen quite a bit lately, and today we had friends over to decorate some sugar cookies. The second: watching Mickey Mouse in his version of A Christmas Carol. We look forward to so many more traditions being established as our family grows!

Hanging Chads and Voter Fraud

2010-12-01T18:36:00.001-08:00

Sadly, the polls for naming Baby Twal #2 are officially closed on all coasts. As the votes were being counted, a controversy emerged regarding voter fraud and a sister of Nader's with the initials RT, who rigged the voting. After some investigation, it has become apparent that in an effort to sway voters away from Gilles (pronounced 'Jeel'), the unnamed sister voted multiple times for the same name and deleted her cookies every time so that the fraud would not be detected in the Twal household.

Though the numbers remain unclear, and hanging chads are still being studied, it would seem that as of today, Noah and Athan are in a statistical dead heat.

I will consult with the Voters Commission (Michelle and Mekiah) and report the final results as soon as we can verify the authenticity of count.

Thank you for your patience.

Furlough-cation... A Much Needed Rest

2010-11-23T14:20:00.000-08:00

Much like the rest of the working class in the country, anyone in the field of education is feeling the pain of the California budget situation right now. This year, in order to prevent more teacher layoffs, the teacher's union and managers in Long Beach Unified agreed to five furlough days. Though there is a financial impact on everyone's pocket book, our family has decided that this is a much needed furlough-cation! We are going to enjoy the time together and make memories.

On Sunday, we hosted a dinner party for a marriage group that we joined. Five couples have agreed to meet together over the course of the next few months for accountability, prayer, honest conversation, and reflection based on readings from Gary Thomas' Sacred Marriage. This week, we examined the idea that perhaps God created marriage more for holiness than happiness. Though we agree that marriage should not equate misery, neither should it be rooted in a desire for happiness. Rather, as Gary puts it, "For the Christian, marriage is penultimate rather than an ultimate reality. Because of this, both of us can find even more meaning by pursuing God together and by recognizing that he is the one who alone can fill the spiritual ache in our souls... I believe that much of the dissatisfaction we experience in marriage comes from expecting too much from it... Yes, without a doubt there should be moments of happiness, meaning, and a general sense of fulfillment, but my [spouse] can't be God, and I was created with a spirit that craves God. Anything less than God, and I'll feel the ache... [so] spiritual growth is the main theme; marriage is simply the context." Michelle and I found such joy and meaning in wrestling with this countercultural perspective on marriage alongside our new friends. We all sat around the table and wrestled with the idea that romanticism in its purest form has no elasticity to it. It cannot be stretched. It is our spiritual kinship and commitment to leaning into one another in times of challenge and refining that keep us growing and ultimately married. Michelle is nor here to please me... she is here to please God. In so doing, I find that I too am satisfied. Needless to say, the dinner was a great way to set the tone for the week off.

Oh, and we got to enjoy this dinner around our new dining room table (early Xmas gift that Michelle and I got each other), which has now become Quiet Time central for our devotions and Bible reading. Yes, even Mekiah has a seat at the table :)...

To follow up our lively discussion from Sunday night, on Monday, we decided to celebrate all day at Disneyland, which was all decked out for Christmas. Disney spared no expense and we enjoyed the fruit of their visionary labor. We spent over eight hours there and only rode one ride because we had so much fun looking in the stores, watching the Christmas parade, and enjoying the people. Here are some of the highlights...

Tonight, we will enjoy an early Thanksgiving Feast with the College Community at Grace Brethren Church, Long Beach. We are truly blessed to be a part of this community.

What's left for the rest of the week, more family time! AND.... picking a name for the new baby boy to join our family in late March. Any suggestions?

Happy Fall

2010-11-02T20:36:00.001-07:00

Happy fall! Here's a look at what we've been doing the last couple of weeks. We went to Disneyland with Aubrey and her mommy last week. I think we were trying to send them a subliminal message when we stuck them in front of Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming to take a picture. Mekiah and Aubrey loved the fall decorations and enjoyed pointing out the pumpkins to us.

Mekiah got a new Curious George tea set this week. He lined up his favorite stuffed animals for a tea party and then served them up some scrumptious tea and crackers.

Memere came to visit us and we went to the pumpkin patch. Mekiah had fun picking up all the pumpkins and carrying them around.

"Mommy! Mommy! Hiding!!!!!" - This is what I found when I looked.

For our church carnival, Mekiah was a soccer player. We went as the quarterback and the head cheerleader! We were quite the athletic family!

These pictures were from tot school today. Mekiah had a blast using fingerpaints for the first time. His fall tree turned out great! I think we might frame the picture.

Friday Fun Day

2010-10-22T11:38:00.001-07:00

Today Mekiah and I went to the Aquarium of the Pacific. He loved it and ran around shouting "fish" and "birds cheep cheep." He loved most of all though watching the sea lions. He was mesmerized, that is until one sea lion was doing a trick and came right up to the glass where Mekiah was standing and started hugging the glass. That scared him for sure! I also thought it was funny that he wouldn't dare touch the sting rays, star fish or any other living thing that moved in the petting tanks. He also wouldn't go within 20 feet of the shark tank. I guess he's smarter than we thought.

Recent things...

2010-10-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

We went to Disneyland for Nader's birthday. Mekiah loved the petting zoo in Big Thunder Ranch.

Trying out my new backpack

I LOVE hummus!!!!

This is my best friend Aubrey and her mommy.

Yes, these are Christmas jammies and he is playing with a nativity in the last picture. Apparently, I haven't done laundry enough and these were the only warm jammies that were left in his drawer. Here's to Christmas in October!

18 months and growing

2010-10-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

Mekiah had his eighteen month check up this week and came in at 27 pounds (55th percentile) and 33 1/2 inches (85th percentile). He has 6 top teeth and 5 teeth on the bottom. His molars have caused a bit of frustration for him this month as three of them have come in and the fourth will follow shortly.

He's super fun right now, doing things like discovering and chasing his shadow (I think Peter Pan may need be to on his Christmas wish list), completing puzzles, playing with pretend food and a pretend knife to cook meals, building all kinds of things with legos, and his favorites, playing choo-choo train, cars and ball and reading books - over and over and over again.

He has some special little friends now, mostly Aubrey, Graham and Samuel. He's sees them at church and other functions, like park days, etc. When Mekiah is at the park, he thinks he's five, because he climbs on all the ladder-type toys, thinking that his balance is impeccable. He even swings now on the big boy swings because they're more fun.

Mekiah's language development is really taking off and he is often a parrot, saying any word that pops out of our mouths. He's said things like circle, strawberry, money (for monkey), roar (for the lion), e-i-e-i-o (during song time) and his favorite word besides mommy (which he must say about 500 times a day), toodles (it's on Mickey Mouse clubhouse and he actually thinks it's Mickey's name).

In the mornings Mekiah enjoys watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Handy Manny if I need a few minutes to get things going before we head out for our walk or for a scheduled event. We are keeping busy each week with park dates, a MOPS group at church (Mother's of Preschoolers), and a bi-monthly tot-school where we get together with friends and focus on specific concepts through play. This is where Mekiah learned the words car and circle. We still go to Disneyland, but not as often.

Mekiah still is a great eater, but now has preferences, letting me know exactly what he wants to eat and when. He still has most of the same favorites, fruit, yogurt, crackers, cheerios and cheese. Most interesting though is that he has given up string cheese in favor of swiss cheese. I know, this kid is going to have a sophisticated palate later in life!

Nader and I started working with the college group at church in September, and Mekiah has adjusted so well to all the love that the college kids give him. They are always chasing him, hugging him or throwing him in the air, and being the social butterfly that he is, Mekiah loves it!

Mekiah kisses my belly now and says baby, although I seriously doubt he understands what's going on. We'll keep you up to date on baby news as we get it!

Calgon, Take Me Away!

2010-10-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

Yup, the title of the blog title says it all... I'm tired. Praise God for a patient wife and a loving son. Family life is definitely the answer to a long day with five million responsibilities and vocal critics.

Today, when I got home, Michelle was working so hard to meet my unspoken needs. She had an amazing dinner of barley vegetable soup, baked potatoes, and Santa Maria tri-tip cooking. She gently reminded me that the trash needed to be taken out without demanding that it be done now. She served me with a willing heart, and enhanced my desire to serve her as well.

Mekiah greeted me at the door with a loud, "Baba!", a sweet smile, and an eagerness to play. We danced, chased each other around the house, and read books. I felt so loved and valued by both my wife and my son.

Family life may not pay in cash, but it is work that restores the soul with life-giving smiles, heart-felt conversations, and well-intentioned hugs. I don't know what I would do without my precious wife and beautiful son.

I'd probably go broke trying to keep the Calgon supply flowing!

A Day at the Beach With the College Group

2010-10-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

Perspective...

2010-09-30T04:54:00.000-07:00

To say that life has been overwhelming lately is to understate the situation. I (Nader) have been drowning at work with increased responsibilities, fewer resources, and less time to accomplish more... that is the reality of the budget situation in California. My bosses care deeply for all of us an work hard to keep us sane, but the bottom line is that kids are still showing up every day and we owe them a world class education in spite of the budget crisis. It is a frustrating reality, but one informed by a covenant Michelle and I made when we became members of Grace Brethren Church in Long Beach; we committed to be a part of this "community of the new creation, living out the gospel, for the flourishing of all." Creation is fallen, clearly; however, we stand apart as a part of His new creation. The world breeds death, but we are called to LIVE out a LIFE-GIVING gospel. Our nature is selfish, but God draws us to "the other" - a commitment marked by a righteous desire for the flourishing of all.

Why is this important to note? Because it is 5:00 am CA time and I have been up for 3 hours mulling over the cares of this world. I have been planning out my day, reviewing my decisions from the past week and considering their implications once again, mentally balancing multi-million dollar budgets for which I am responsible, and trying to navigate the maze of personalities needed to get real work done for kids in our schools. What would be the worth of these reflections were it not for the eternal implications they have?

With my eyes turned outward and upward, planning out my day becomes an opportunity to steward the precious time God has given me to join Him in His work all around me; reviewing the implications of decisions becomes a call to prayer or praise; balancing budgets becomes a commitment to equity and access for all; and navigating personalities to get things done becomes an obligation to understand before seeking to be understood as a means to building meaningful and mutually encouraging relationships around shared goals.

As Mekiah grows up, I don't want him to remember our family as busy or Daddy as always working. What I want him to see is a family that stewards its time with an eye on the eternal, that prioritizes relationships for the purpose of community, that listens to the unheard, that manages money to create opportunities for all, and that gets its direction from the things that concern our Father in heaven.

I need to keep this at the forefront of my mind as I go about my day. It is a breathe of fresh air in an increasingly suffocating world. Praise the LORD for perspective. Amen.

Dance Dance Toddler-ution

2010-09-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

So we have discovered that Mekiah is in fact an urban kid to the core. When any kind of dance music comes on, he transforms into an inner city toddler with some "mad" moves on the dance floor (a.k.a. our living room carpet). We have had so many fun nights dancing as a family in past few nights... great memories we will carry with us into adulthood.

Not sure how this can be used later in life to "persuade" Mekiah (a.k.a. blackmail), but I'm sure it'll come in handy. Michelle agrees.

Here a few of his signature moves... try not to swoon :).

Rings and Things...

2010-09-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

The first three days of this week, Michelle, Mekiah, and I had the HONOR of attending one of the most beautiful, thoughtful, and moving wedding ceremonies of our lives. Our dear friends Matt Olthoff and Bianca Juarez made a covenant before God and a small group of family and friends, to weave their individual narratives into a new, intertwined one. The Olthoffs chose Solvang and the Sunstone Winery in the Santa Yney Valley as the backdrops to their beautiful ceremony. For those who don't know, Solvang is a small town about 45 minutes from Santa Barbara, lined with windmills, bakeries, wooden clogs, and all things Dutch. The entire city can fit into Belmont Heights in Long Beach, but packs so much personality that it is worth a visit. What better place to celebrate a covenant between two stunning human beings with an even more compelling future ahead of them?

Matt and Bianca's journey has been one of the most inspiring and redeeming that Michelle and I have had the privilege of witnessing. Their dating relationship and engagement mirrored ours so closely that the similarities were almost frightening at times; however, their personal histories and family roots seasoned their experiences in ways that ours could not. Their maturity in handling conflict, their commitment to reconciliation, their depth of faith, and their transparency at all times, made us want to invest more in them than time even allowed. Quality people of this caliber come rarely, and any time we can surround Mekiah with these living examples of Christ's love, we invest.

Perhaps most moving of the entire experience was the ceremony itself. Matt and Bianca's vows brought us all to tears because of their deep sincerity, raw emotion, and firm faith. Michelle and I found ourselves reflecting on our own marriage and the vows that we made to one another. In fact, our entire friendship with Matt and Bianca enriches our marriage, which is part of the reason we so enjoy spending quality time with them. If you get a moment, reading their blogs will edify your heart beyond words...
Matt's blog... http://www.mattolthoff.com
Bianca's blog... http://blog.inthenameoflove.org/

On a lighter note, here are some of the funnier highlights from the three days:

1. Mekiah throwing his sippy cup at a FULL cup of water, which thankfully didn't soak the floor of the restaurant where we had breakfast after the wedding. Why? Because it landed in the bride's lap and was quickly absorbed by her leggings... must have been expensive material.
2. The bride and groom completing their vows, kissing, being introduced as a married couple, leaving the venue.... returning 2 minutes later. Why? Ummm, someone forgot to do the whole "ring thing" that you're supposed to do at a wedding. Olthoff Wedding 2.0 was also fabulous nonetheless.
3. Zoe, Bianca's little sister, schooled all of us on the dance floor. She popped; she locked; she blew the house down. Mexiricans must have some serious good genes! No Soul Train here... it was all SALSA!
4. Watching Matt break it down to Flo'Rida's "Low" with Bianca was priceless. The German planner didn't see this coming in the itinerary he had prepared :), and still smiled the whole way down to the floor!
5. Hearing Mekiah laugh at the right times at the dinner table (reception) to make sure that his presence was felt and that he was included in the conversation. Adorable!

All in all, a great experience. Congratulations Matt and Bianca. We are proud to know you, excited to share life together, and energized by your example. Come home soon so we can play!

Play-doh

2010-09-01T19:40:00.001-07:00

Today I bought Mekiah some play-doh and he loved it! He kept himself busy for at least 30 minutes; of course, this was after I taught him not to eat it. He's so much fun to play with right now!

Oh the trauma of a first haircut!

2010-08-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

Mekiah got his first haircut last week, and let's just say he wasn't happy. He's much cuter now though and doesn't resemble Bozo the Clown with his wild hair anymore. He actually looks much older to me and I (Michelle) was a little bit sad that we cut it. Here's some pictures. Good thing he doesn't cry like this when we take him to the doctor!

We don't have any pics yet of the finished product because we were taking scissors to Mekiah's hair all day after this. You can't get a great haircut with a squirmy kid, so it took a couple of times for us to get it all. I'll post more pics soon!

Cinnabon In The Oven

2010-08-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

When I came to America in 1987, I had to grow accustomed to some unusual idioms that everyone else seemed to understand, except for me. People would speak of not counting your chickens until they were hatched; or they would allude to the fact that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. My favorite today is, "We have a bun in the oven!" Given the option, I think Michelle and I would prefer a "Cinnabon in the Oven." Why? It seems so much more accurate... A Cinnabon is sweet, inviting, satisfying, fills the air with joy :), and one has to be careful when to share it!

As Michelle and I have grown as parents over the past 16 months, we have also grown more and more in love with one another and the idea of adding to our family. Mekiah has been an incredible addition to our lives, enriching it with laughter, softening it with hugs, and seasoning it with "challenges." It has been a blessed ride and has stretched us in all the right ways. Our love for our son deepens each moment we spend with him.

It is with the greatest joy that we announce Michelle is about 8 weeks pregnant with Baby Twal #2! Our hearts are filled with anticipation and excitement to give Mekiah a sibling and to share this rich love we have for Mekiah with his brother or sister.

At this point in her pregnancy with Mekiah, Michelle was violently ill. She suffered for 9 months with nausea and 4 1/2 months with bronchitis during that term. As of today, I excited to report that she has not thrown up once and is as full of life as ever! Though she has the normal bouts of fatigue, her disposition and demeanor are as pleasant as usual. Praise God!

In the coming days, I am sure that Michelle will be posting her reflections, but we wanted to at least let those of who did not know yet that we are welcoming another family member into the fold around late March. Thank you for any prayers that you can offer on our behalf. We love and appreciate all of your support.

Playing at my cousins' house

2010-08-05T10:14:00.001-07:00

Disneyland with the cousins!

2010-08-05T10:04:00.001-07:00

Swimming Like A Fishy!

2010-07-08T18:26:00.000-07:00

With each day of swim practice, Mekiah has grown more bold. Here is a video to validate his growth as a future Olympian :)...

A- fraidy cat no more!

2010-07-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Um, Mom, I really don't think I like the looks of this pool!

In fact, I know that I don't like it; I'm not ever going to let go of you!

Even if you tie a floaty around me I won't let go of you!

Ok, but maybe I'll just jump in off the side because that's super cool. It makes me look good in front of Aubrey, my friend!

Mekiah didn't so much like his first day at the pool, but today, well that was another story. Just give him a ball to chase after in the water and he forgot all fears and let go of Mom, creating much fear in Mom! Today he even tried to doggie paddle with his arms flailing in the water as Mom was holding him. He also discovered how much fun it was to splash with his hands -- thank you amazing swimming instructor for this one :) Hopefully the next five lessons will continue to give Mekiah courage in the water. (As for Mom, she's not so excited about diving in the deep end next week and "saving" a brick from drowning to death. I guess she has to practice though)

Daddy's Top Ten

2010-07-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

Since Michelle hasn't had time to update the blog in a few weeks, I taking charge and writing a top ten list of my favorite new things that Mekah has learned since the last update:

10. At 15 months, he knows how to turn on the TV and change channels although we never taught him how to do it. I now understand why people say kids are a mirror of the parents. I didn't think I watched TV that much, but apparently he learned it somewhere.

9. Mekiah can keep a beat. Whenever music comes on, Mekiah begins to dance, swinging his hands and hips to the beat. His favorite move... spinning backwards with one hand behind his back. It's his "money" move.

8. Our son loves to play pretend. Michelle has taken our island in the kitchen and turned it into Mekiah's "pretend kitchen" where he has his own mix of cooking regalia to help Mama make tasty meals.

7. He is taking swim lessons and loves jumping from the side of the pool into Mama's arms... and yes, Twal/Zora family, this is part of the class and not a display of reckless abandon :).

6. Mekiah loves to feed himself using his baby utensils. He enjoys being a big boy and has quite a palate, having tried AND enjoyed Indian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, American, Italian, and Thai food. Quite the connoisseur.

5. He has gotten past his obsession with cheese and now has a love affair with banana's which he affectionately calls, "Nanas."

4. He likes to walk down the sidewalk while holding our hands... excuse me, fingers :).

3. He loves to read books... or at least have us read to him. It is not unusual to see him grab 10 books at a time and go through them one by one in order to learn his alphabets, shapes, and colors. No favorites have emerged yet.

2. He now has his own Starbucks baby tumbler mug for the "Daddy and Me" Fridays when he is old enough to drink hot cocoa. Each Friday, I will take the boy to school after a quick trip to Starbucks where I will get my coffee, he will get his cocoa, and we will have some man time in God's Word (Kiddie Bible) and prayer. We already do parts of this occasionally though the can't drink anything hot yet.

1. He waits for me by the window when it is time to come home from work and runs to the door to greet/hug me when I come in. Even the toughest days melt away in his embrace.

Being a parent is one of the most gratifying experiences I have ever had. Sharing it with Michelle makes it even more special. We will post some pictures of the aforementioned milestones very soon. Thanks for the patience!

A crazy month...

2010-06-11T10:45:00.001-07:00

I realize we've done a stinky job of blogging lately. The way I see it, there could be two possible reasons. We are so busy with several life crises, or we are so busy with fun that we just don't have time to blog. Thankfully, it's the second reason. So, to not bore you with numerous paragraphs of what we've done in the last month, I'll let the pictures do a rough summary for you.
(Some of the pictures I've been trying to post will not post, so I may have to blog again later to give you a better summary.)

Mekiah's dedication lunch

Mekiah and Jido

What Mekiah was originally wearing for his dedication. We had to change him just moments before because he got sick. Enough said.

Disneyland with Auntie Dana... she surprised us with a visit!

Mekiah with his farmer's tan getting ready for a poolside barbeque with friends

This is Mekiah hogging our bed last night

Nader doing his thing

2010-05-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

I must say, I married a very smart man. And to watch him in his element, Wow!!!!! A couple weekends ago we went to Santa Monica for the Milken teacher awards. Nader was a moderator for a break-out session and was also on a panel, speaking to teachers about the far reaching effects they can have after winning this award. Nader loves going to this conference, because being around people who live excellently is always inspiring. (not to mention, that several award winners are ordinary people who put their faith into action by simply loving kids and doing an excellent job at the tasks before them).

Here's some pictures of Nader being Nader!!!!

Urgent Care Please!

2010-05-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

Oh what a day!

After the 2 am fiasco with Mekiah two nights ago, I fell so ill, that for the 2nd time in my career I had to take time off from work... but I didn't go without a fight. I went in for 4 hours and was sent home by the secretaries who insisted that I looked like I was going to pass out. Needless to say, I came home and slept for hours, while my wonderful wife watched the boy and spent time with friends. It was a quiet time that was much needed.

Still, I woke up this morning very ill, but had to go to work because I had a 3 hour meeting in the morning that I couldn't miss. Having gone in an hour early, I decided to leave an hour early to come home. Upon arriving home, I spoke with Michelle who saw my dire condition and agreed to let me sleep for an hour alone at home. I promised to give her a break right after. I went into the room to change, and she poked her head around the corner to chat.

That's when it happened... THUD!!!!!!! Owwwwwww! We both darted around the corner to see a heavy wooden, mosaic box on the floor next to Mekiah's feet. He was crying because the sound was so loud when he pulled it down... or so we thought. I walked into the room to continue getting ready for my nap, when Michelle alerted me to the fact that Mekiah was bleeding between his 3rd and 4th toes. I walked over and sure enough, he wasn't just bleeding... he had a gash that cut deep. We saw his little baby fat through the skin and realized this was serious. I grabbed ice and a rag and got dressed to go to the hospital.

Michelle was smarter. She had me look up a local Urgent Care because it would be quicker, so we drove as safely and quickly as we could to Signal Hill. When we arrived, it was clear that we would be waiting a while so I asked the people at the desk to have a nurse look at Mekiah's foot. I didn't want the blood to dry and for the skin to split permanently. They were kind enough to oblige. A nurse greeted us at the door and washed his foot in iodine to see the depth of the wound. They determined it wasn't going to be critical for him to have it stitched immediately, though the cut appeared to be deep, so out we went into the waiting room for what we were told would be at least a one hour wait.

Little did I know, when we first arrived, a woman with a burn on her leg walked up to Michelle and asked if we were at Urgent Care for Mekiah. After realizing we were, she asked the gentleman behind the counter to give us her spot. Truly amazing. They took us within a half hour and the lady added another 1 1/2 hours to her already long wait. In fact, by the time we were done she had gone out for dinner because her wait was so long. We wanted to thank her so desperately but had no idea who she was... all we could do was leave a note.

In the meantime, we sat Mekiah down on the Urgent Care bed and tried to distract him until the Physician's Assistant could come to see him. When she came in and examined him, she could not decide if she wanted to give him stitches or just tape his chubby toes together. She needed a 2nd opinion so she called in her supervising doctor who decided that the gash was deep enough to warrant stitches, but that stitching between the toes was too hard. He looked closely and decided that Mekiah's chubby toes, if taped properly, would naturally close the wound. We opted for the tape.

Mind you, five minutes after the initial wound, our little trooper stopped crying and began to talk as if all was good and well. He has such a high tolerance for pain that it is ridiculous. In fact, he kept insisting on walking even though he was bleeding. Naturally, we didn't let him, but I have to admit I was proud of the little guy for being so brave!

All in all, for a first major BOO BOO, we are thankful that it wasn't as bad. Here are some wonderful pics from the traumatic event...

The most amazing weekend!!

2010-05-06T19:40:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was amazing. Teta came to visit for four whole days and we all had a wonderful time together. Nader and I even snuck in a "friends only" trip to Disneyland and an evening out with our dear friend Rachel who recently returned from Virginia. The highlights though of the weekend were breakfast with Teta on Saturday morning and a trip to America's Teaching Zoo for Mekiah's cousin's birthday. Here are some pics.

This one's from Saturday morning with Teta.

Playing on the lion with Memere

Doing crafts with Memere

Mekiah got to see many exotic animals at the zoo, including 10 different varieties of monkeys, Madagascar hissing beetles (he was quite interested in these), and a king snake. He even wanted to touch the shed skin of the snake. Yes Twal family, we washed his hands afterwards :)

2:00 am

2010-05-05T01:45:00.000-07:00

It's 2:00 am... my child is screaming in his crib because his teeth hurt... my throat is inflamed because I am sick as a dog... and Michelle just walked out of the room because she can't sleep. Tough night, but still worth it all. It's amazing. All it takes is a smile and hug from the little guy and these things do truly fade into a distant memory. Always thought these cliches were lame... come to find out they are true.

Parenting is quite the responsibility, but I cannot think of a more gratifying experience.

Is it summertime yet?

2010-04-27T20:54:00.001-07:00

Mommy's Little Helper

2010-04-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

Fend For Yourself

2010-04-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

We all have those nights. Sure, they go by different names, but most families call them "Fend For Yourself" night. Yup, that's right. Those nights when Mom and Dad don't feel like cooking so each family member peers into the refrigerator to find dinner and well, there's nothing good in there. They rifle through the cupboards in hopes of getting to the "something good" before anyone else in the house finds it - nope, once again, nothing. Growing up, we usually ended up eating pancakes or a canned vegetable or (like my brother and father) mixing all former leftovers into one dish to make a full meal. (Don't try it, it's gross!) We had one of those nights tonight. It wasn't because there wasn't any food in the house, but rather because I hadn't prepared well. We've been really trying to limit the amount of processed food that comes into our house, in the pursuit of good health. Translated that means, if we don't get organized and prepare, there's no food. I forgot to soak the black beans last night. So, well, no savory Latin beans and rice dish. Really, this doesn't matter when it's just me and Nader; we can cope. But with Mekiah, it matters. He doesn't eat baby food. In fact, he doesn't even eat anything that's not seasoned well. No more plain brown rice or plain yogurt for him. He wants flavor. Add salsa. Add veggies. Add teriyaki sauce. Spices please! Anything but plain will do. So, what was Mekiah going to eat tonight? A variety of things... really anything I could find that he could handle. So, Mekiah was offered some pear, some braided Armenian string cheese, and some turnips pickled in beet juice. Guess what his favorite was. That's right, the turnips. I had to force feed him the pears. We have a weird kid! Pears are by far his favorite fruit. Maybe he was just in the mood for something a little salty :0)

(Did I mention the other day I made myself a pear and gorgonzola salad and Mekiah preferred the gorgonzola cheese over the pears.)

Grace-Filled Community

2010-04-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

For the past six months, Michelle, Mekiah, and I have been transformed by a community committed to both Christ and this city beyond anything we have corporately experienced before. The people that we have met at our church, Grace Long Beach, are some of the most substantial, well-intentioned individuals in our lives. As a community of faith, Grace LB seems so passionate about being a covenant people that it astounds us, especially me.

For so long, my intentionality about life (especially after recovering from kidney failure) was perceived as intensity... here, I am surrounded by people who value being purposeful about life and see it as an opportunity to glorify God. They have fun, they love one another, and they love the Word of God. Seems simple, but it's so incredible. They want their lives to matter in the kingdom and they position themselves before God and alongside one another to attain this end.

It is nice to finally say that we are home after a long time of searching for a church family. We have enjoyed and appreciated most parts of the journey that have gotten us to this point, and we value all of those who have sown (and continue to sow) into our lives. All of you have helped to shape our thinking and our desire to be people committed to a community of the new creation, living out the gospel, for the flourishing of all.

If you are ever hungry for an incredible sermon from any one of our pastors, I encourage you to listen online at www.gracelbmedia.org. It has enriched our lives in unspeakable ways...

You know... the baby with the crazy hair!

2010-04-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my friend Lori stopped by to drop something off and overheard her kids talking about Mekiah. Josh, age 5, who is usually at preschool when we get together was asking his mom who Mekiah was. And Malia, age 3, without skipping a beat says, "You know, the baby with the crazy hair!"

Disneyland and a Picnic

2010-04-11T20:01:00.000-07:00

Disneyland with Daddy! We went on It's a Small World and watched a parade together.

At the beach, playing in the sand

Who knew he would look so good in an apron?

Our first picnic of the season... It's going to be a great summer!

Yes, I'm officially a Twal... that's hand sanitizer that you see!

Fit Challenge 2010: Baby Squats

2010-04-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

Today, Mekiah joined his mommy in a rigorous workout while holding his sand toys. He seems to favor doing squats as evidenced by this video...

Next on the list, one armed pull ups and one armed push ups. He seems to be up to the challenge. Love that boy!

Fatherhood - Lessons Learned Year #1

2010-04-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

It has been so long since I have taken the time to sit down and compose a thoughtful reflection on parenthood that I don't know where to begin. Since I am on Spring Break and Mekiah just turned one, I have had some time to actually slow down and reflect on the past year of life. In short, it has been nothing but amazing!

Lesson #1: Kids develop at different rates than one another

With Mekiah being our first child, Michelle and I have been glued to parenting books to know "what to expect" and to gauge Mekiah's development. We used the milestones to determine our son's progress in his first year. We felt confused and asked a lot of questions: Wait, he only has two teeth and he's one year old.... is that reason for concern? Why do everyone else's kids seem to sleep through the night week 2 of life? If he's in the 97th percentile for height now, where will he be when he turns one? What solids should he be able to eat? Should he be able to say more than 2 words by now? SO many questions.

What I learned is that Mekiah is fine. Our answers came at different times: His teeth are coming in late. In fact, he has five coming out right now! Mekiah refused to sleep through the night for 12 months, but decided when he turned one that he would allow us to win the battle and has slept through the night for three days straight. He is in the 50th percentile for height now and can feed himself. Literally, the majority of these developments happened this week.

Instead of using our conversations with other parents to figure out where our kids need to be, I find it so much more helpful and productive to create a community where we can all be honest with one another and walk through the challenges hand in hand. It's hard enough to raise a child without the pressure of "developmental milestones." Each kid is different, worthy of love, and will come into his or her own in time. We love our family and friends because they have become this community for us. They don't judge or evaluate our parenting. Rather they support and encourage us to be the godliest and most committed parents we can be.

Lesson #2: Redeem the time, because it is short.

It was not that long ago that Michelle and I would lose our minds feeling like we never got a break form holding or tending to Mekiah. He was in constant need of attention and there seemed to be no end in sight. Though we loved him, we felt drained and needed restoration. We would hold him for hours and cuddle on the couch with him until our shirts were soaked with sweat... so uncomfortable!

Then, like the flip of a switch, it all changed. Mekiah is so independent now. He likes to walk and talk, and prefers not to be cuddled for long periods of time. He can play alone for an hour at a time and sometimes pushes us away when we come in for a hug. He grew up.

Now, we find ourselves longing to hold him for long periods of time and reminisce the days when he would lay on our chests for hours on end. Lesson learned, enjoy it while it lasts. Each stage is there for a short time and it is our challenge to bathe these moments with joy and cherish them.

Lesson #3: Mama knows best... most of the time.

For the first 11 months of Mekiah's life, I defered to Michelle in major decisions involving Mekiah if we were not able to come to a consensus. He seemed to need her so much more than he needed me and I felt horrible making hard decisions that Michelle would have to enforce while I worked away from home all day. She knew him best, so who was I to interfere if we disagreed? Well, I suppose the answer is that I am the father and that I have tremendous value to add to the dynamic. I forgot that sometimes, mommies who are immersed in this world might need an "outside" and safe voice to make decisions because they are reacting to things in exhaustion. Though Michelle knows Mekiah best, he is OUR child and it is my moral obligation and choice to raise him.

Our battle with sleep was won when I finally decided that no matter what we were going to use Spring Break to train Mekiah to sleep on his own. Michelle suffered through his initial bouts of crying only to emerge a stronger mother. Now, as he sleeps for hours on end, she is better rested, more clear headed, and able to accomplish so much more because she has regained some independence. Awesome lesson.

Lesson #4: Family and friends make the journey so much more enjoyable.

Before Mekiah, I bought into the American Dream of independence marked by a white picket fence that one enters only upon invitation. Learning to be self-sufficient was the mark of maturity and adulthood. Family and friends are to be involved in our lives only when invited. What a delusion!

Community is essential to the child rearing. None of us are the final word on all that is right an true in parenting. Without the wisdom of those who raised us and the companionship of those who are raising kids alongside us, Michelle and I would be LOST! God created us for relationship and that compels us to not nurture an insular lifestyle. We love our families and their rich love for our child. Sometimes their love for him seems to pale even ours if that is possible. Our friends have also adopted our son as their own. They care for him and celebrate his achievements alongside us. Mekiah will grow up in a culture of love and support because of these amazing relationships. We would be cheating him out of a meaningful faith experience were we to "discriminately regulate" those who could have relationship with him. Our lives are more meaningful even with the dissenting voices because even these voices are laced with love and concern. Those who surround us now want nothing but the best for our family. They sharpen us and cause us to love better.

We have been blessed. There are so many more lessons to consider, but these are the first to emerge from memory this morning. I cannot wait to see what year 2 brings :). Thank you all for what you have added to our son's life. We love you dearly.

My first trip to Disneyland!

2010-04-06T22:39:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Sweet Mekiah!

2010-04-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

Opening presents...

I'm ONE!

Eating my organic birthday cake from Memere

Easter with my Teta

The cake and chocolates that Teta made me

Family shot for Easter

I like my presents, but I like this bracelet too!

My cape, my daddy, my monkey and my crayons!

2010-04-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

I'm super baby!!!!!!!

Me and Dad

This is where I like to hide my toys (It's the mail box)

Coloring

I just took these

2010-03-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Surprises!

2010-03-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Mekiah surprised me with a couple of new things.

1. He thought the remote control belonged in the trash can.
2. He learned how to put his blocks into the right hole to put them in his box.
3. He scrubbed the floor and the small tables with a napkin.

I think I'm going to have a great helper when it comes to housework :)

Here are some recent photos...

Mekiah telling Daddy to get out of the bathroom so he can play with him. This happens almost everyday when Nader gets home from work.

Mekiah eating a mini cupcake from Frosted on our street.

Greeting Teta at the airport.

Two of his favorite aunties!

Today Mekiah fell asleep in his chair.

A Sunday afternoon stroll

2010-03-07T16:09:00.001-08:00

Baby Boy's First Steps!!!

2010-03-07T15:13:00.000-08:00

Just for Fun 2

2010-02-19T15:39:00.000-08:00

Eating homemade ice cream with Papere.... Papere was supposed to be feeding him yogurt :)

Making pizzas with Memere. Mekiah really liked the goat cheese on top of it.

Posing for the camera

Valentine's Day - Don't you think he could be an e-trade baby

Just for Fun

2010-02-13T20:37:00.000-08:00

I just figured out how to drink out of my sippy cup

Playing at the park...

... and wearing my special shoes

Eating grape leaves with Teta

CHEEZE!

My new best friend

In the tub

Out with Baba
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One of my favorite toys
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A visit from Teta!

2010-02-12T13:45:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Teta arrived to have a short visit with Mekiah before traveling for a bit. Wow, what fun! Since arriving Mekiah has done several things. First, he has started wearing his first pair of big boy shoes. I have to admit, that when he has them on, he looks so much older and at first, my heart was a little sad - he's growing up. He loves the shoes, especially when he's at the park. Mekiah also has tried a few more foods lately, but the most interesting was his love for grape leaves, upside down and falafel. He just kept eating and eating and grabbing at the food and the spoon. Mekiah has also learned to play catch and say Teta (not at the right time of course, but still, I mean, the kid's a genius). He's been having so much fun and will miss his Teta while she is gone.

He told me today that he was looking forward to next week too, because he is going to see his Memere. Mekiah loves being around his family!!!!!

How Big Is Mekiah?.... SOOOOOO BIG!!!!

2010-02-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

Mekiah: Mommy's Helper in the Kitchen

Curly Hair!!!!

Mekiah getting his workout

Big Boy at the Grown Up Table

Mekiah and Uncle CJ

Popeye smile...

Mekiah's 1st Super Bowl... Go Saints!

Things Mekiah loves at 10 months

2010-02-05T21:29:00.000-08:00

Clapping his hands
Jumping in his Jumperoo
Playing with balls - he doesn't play catch, but he can play fetch :)
Riding in his blue car
Eating anything off of my plate (but not everything off of his plate)
Seeing dogs while we're on a walk
Cruising around all of the furniture
Letting go and standing on his own (until he realizes what he's doing)
Bumping heads with Daddy
Standing up in the bath tub
Playing by himself, and especially playing with older kids

A long, overdue update

2010-01-12T12:04:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you are all wondering, where are all the Christmas pictures? Well, our camera wasn't working, and we used Nader's sister's camera. She promptly sent us a disc with all of the Christmas pictures - so cute - and we then stuck them in the nearest computer, Nader's dad's, to look at them. Yup, you guessed it, we forgot the disc in Nader's dad's computer which is now somewhere in Saudi Arabia. So, we'll get the disc when we see him again and then post pictures of Christmas. Hey, we all like to celebrate year round anyway right?

Mekiah and I just got back from his 9 month well baby appointment. He is now 31 inches (still almost growing an inch a month) and in the 97% for height. He weighs 21.5 pounds and is now between the 50% and 75% for weight. The doctor said everything looked great, except he has one problem. She checked his ears and made a comment about the massive amounts of wax in his ears. I firmly believe this was inherited from Nader (If you haven't heard the story about being in Georgia with my family and the wax in Nader's ears, you should ask Nader about it next time you see him!)

Mekiah was great while getting his shot today and fell asleep before we even got home. When Mekiah is not sleeping he loves being very busy, and has even starting "talking" in the last week. (Why is it that moms get to stay home and spend all this time with their babies and then babies always say "da-da" first?) We love hearing him babble!

Lots of love to all our family and friends!

Resolutions... well, not really

2009-12-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

I, Michelle, have been inspired by Nader's friend's father-in-law, who's retired, to develop a list of things that I want to devote an entire month to. This man has devoted each month to a different topic and I thought I'd give it a try. I'm going to write my list here, because really I need help filling in some of the months. So, for each of the following months, I will devote all of my extra reading time to the following topics.

January - Parenting and childrearing
February - Arabic
March - A book of the Bible
April - Nutrition
May - Fitness
June - Modern fiction
July -
August -
September-Classics that I haven't read before
October -
November -
December - Cheezy Christmas novels

Please, post your suggestions. I'm excited about learning some new things this year!

'Tis the Season... For Family Traditions

2009-12-22T07:11:00.000-08:00

Since Michelle and I have been married, we have developed some traditions around Christmas time that we have grown to love and value (all 3 times we have had the chance to do them :))... traditions that we look forward to sharing with Mekiah each year that he grows older.

Tradition #1 - Setting up the Xmas Tree... Michelle is a huge fan of ornaments that have meaning. Every single ornament on our tree has a story behind it, so as she assembles our tree, she tells stories about her life and our lives (in the case of ornaments we have purchased in the past 3 years). Every time we take a special trip or celebrate an anniversary, we buy an ornament to commemorate the event. This year was particularly fun as we put up ornaments made by our niece and nephew, and added Mekiah's first ornament purchased by my mom.

Tradition #2 - Belmont Shore Parade... Michelle and I live about 1 1/2 blocks from the beach, so our community has a subculture all its own. Every year for over 20 years, the city has organized a Christmas parade in one block from our house. The entire area is closed down at 5 pm and over 80,000 people pile into the streets to see high school marching bands, decorated trucks, firemen, and dressed up doggies walk down the street. People start camping out at 3 pm to get the "right spot" and when the cops give the go, if you don't already live here, its a melee to claim your spot :). Fun to watch for those who drive miles to come see the parade. Sadly, last year Michelle was too sick to see it and this year it rained on us :).

Tradition #3 - Naples Christmas Lights... Every Year, the wealthy in the exclusive Naples Island community either hire professional decorators, or take days off, to decorate their homes with the most beautiful lights I have ever seen. People from all over collect in the canals and walk the paths between the houses and the water to get a view of the most intricately decorated homes I have ever seen. Official judging even takes place! It's quite a sight.

Tradition #4 - Naples Boat Parade... Much like the decorating of the houses, the residents of Naples love to decorate their boats for the Boat Parade that takes place in the canals of the island. Gondolas, motor boats, and catamaran-like row boats all pass through, adorned with Santas, reindeer, and holiday "funness". People in the homes host extravagant parties that are catered and themed. This year, as we walked to the parade with our friend Jessie, Michelle and Jessie mused that it was their life goal to get invited to one of these parties before they died. As soon as we had settled into our spot close to the beginning of the parade, Jessie noticed an older gentleman dressed as Santa. She looked over at me an Michelle and said, "I think I know that man! I have an old teacher friend, who retired, whose daughter lives on Naples. Every year, he dresses like Santa and watches the parade." Afraid to look the fool, Jessie commissioned me as the scout and I (with Mekiah in tow) approached Santa. Sure enough, it was the very person she had hoped to see. We took pictures and reassumed our great spots, while Jessie continued talking to her friend. Then she called us over and said that they wanted us to come in to the house to get food and enjoy the company! Bucket List Item #1- CHECK! The home, I mean MANSION, was unbelievable! It was huge and impeccably decorated by professionals. The entire time we were enjoying our lamb and other delicious servings, I was worried that we were losing our spot. Little did I know that we would be watching the parade from their private dock attached to the house! The night just kept getting better. After 1 1/2 hours of watching boats pass by, getting pelted with candy from zealous kids on the boats, and laughing at the thought of our situation, we thanked our gracious hosts and parted ways.... but not before receiving a RE-invite for next year! Wow!

Tradition #5 - Abel Skeevers... I know it sounds like a skin rash you get when you go camping and forget the Caladryl, but it is actually a Danish pancake ball. Every Xmas, Michelle's mom makes these pancake balls, and tosses them in powdered sugar and serves them with jam. Though I am not a big fan of sweet food in the morning, I must admit that they are tasty. I'm sure our son will have no problem with sweets in the morning :).

All this to say, Michelle and I are thrilled to be sharing this holiday season with our precious baby boy. We have had some time to develop some simple traditions that we are excited to pass on to him. Some of the best memories of childhood come from these times. I hope and pray that the same is true for Mekiah.

The best noise ever!

2009-12-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

Last night I walked out of the office to see Nader chasing Mekiah on his hands and knees; Mekiah trying to "run" away as fast as possible with his one leg out crawl; and so much laughter coming from both of them that I too burst out in laughter.

Being a mom is great!

He liked the green beans today!

2009-12-08T14:36:00.000-08:00

For us, Mekiah's eating solid foods has been somewhat of a challenge. But, I'm glad to say that we are making progress. Today's green beans with rice was not even half of the fight that I was expecting, so I deem today a success!

I also forgot to mention that on Thanksgiving, Mekiah tried sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, turkey and cranberry dressing. Oddly enough, he liked everything except the mashed potatoes -go figure!

Pictures!

2009-11-30T09:52:00.000-08:00

7 1/2 months - for the family far away

2009-11-21T06:41:00.000-08:00

Mekiah is 7 1/2 months and he has developed some favorite things.

1. He loves to look at himself in the mirror and even kiss the baby in the mirror.
2. He loves to open his toy box and take everything out of it that he can reach - some days that's a lot of stuff!
3. He loves to take a bath and has learned to splash around quite a bit.
4. He loves to stand up on just about anything and has learned to pull himself up. He's even started the beginnings of cruising.
5. He loves to put everything in his mouth - his first tooth just appeared two days ago. You can't see it yet, but I can sure feel it.
6. He loves to eat his fruit, but any vegetable that's green he's not so fond of. Orange vegetables are ok though, like sweet potatoes and squash.
7. He loves to wrestle with both of us.
8. He loves to blow air out of his lips in the mornings to hear the noise.
9. He loves to go to the park and see the other kids. He likes the swing, but it more interested in what everyone else is doing.
10. He loves his blocks!
11. He loves to flap his arms like a bird when he's excited.

Things he doesn't like.

1. He doesn't like sleeping in.
2. He doesn't like being confined to specific spaces - the car seat, the stroller, a specific room, etc.
3. He doesn't like that he bangs his head all the time when he's trying to climb up under the table, but he still tries this everyday.
4. He doesn't like really deep voices; it scares him.
5. He doesn't like that he can't play with his books, because I don't want them in his mouth or the pages ripped (I let him play with his board books though).

Mekiah can't wait to see all his relatives for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.

Just Monkeying Around and Other Such Nonsense

2009-11-06T14:54:00.001-08:00

Covenants and Contracts... Lessons to Impart

2009-11-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

As I reflect on my childhood, the most significant thing that I think my parents imparted to me was faith. Though I value the manners, ethics, care for social justice, culture, and choices that they instilled in us, I can't seem to find an appropriate context for these experiences in my childhood apart from the faith that was modeled for us. As Mekiah grows up, I feel the gravity of this responsibility and often wonder how our investment of faith in his life will manifest when he grows up.

For the past month and a half, I (Nader) have been auditing a seminary class at Fuller Theological Seminary (my alma mater) on the Old Testament Writings alongside my friends, Steve and Megan. About 3 weeks ago we encountered a lesson that has profoundly shaped my understanding of our relationship with God - a realization that I want to impart to Mekiah as he grows up.

The issue arose in the context of the Psalms of Lament. The idea was that the Psalmist's raw, and often direct, emotions toward God reflected a deep relationship with God. Even in his anger, the Psalmist presses into the LORD, and though brutal at times, he still engages God in conversation. One theologian we were studying noted: "Unless you are living in the context of a covenant, you don't dare get angry" because the relationship will not hold. In covenant, there is an inherent sense of solidarity that affords an individual the freedom and the security to lament without fear of losing the relationship. In this way, covenant is distinct from contract. Contracts hinge on a series of promises on the parts of two or more parties. If any one party does not fulfill his/her end of the bargain, the contract is nullified and the offended party is justified in abandoning the relationship. In covenant, however, there is a deeper, almost visceral, commitment that binds the two parties, in spite of contractual obligations. As such, there is no fear of abandonment. This does not mean that covenant gives us license to abuse the bond and lash out indiscriminately in lament and verbal acts of hostility. What it does is give hurt a context in which it can be safely expressed and then worked through.

I have never understood people who say that they are "angry" with God. I have never felt justified or able to be angry at God. I suppose much of this was rooted in fear... fear that if I offended Him (because I have no right to such anger), then He might find cause to abandon me. How could I fault Him since He is perfect? If the relationship dissolves, there is only one option: I am the problem. But in the lesson shared above, He doesn't abandon me in my anger or weakness. My relationship with Him hinges on covenantal not contractual obligations. It hinges on what Jesus has done. I can love because He loved first. I am able because He makes me able. I am the weaker party in the relationship and He knows it already. When I am angry, he listens, walks through it with me, and walks me out of it. My responsibility in this raw state is to press into Him - to fall forward into His arms.

What an incredible God, that we could have such a dynamic and living relationship with Him. He isn't threatened by our hurt, but embraces us in it. What cause for comfort and security. Our God is a good and great God. Amen.