Delightfully Surprised

Our kids often surprise us, don't they? Sometimes it's not always a nice surprise, but sometimes the surprises are delightful. Twice in the last few days I have been surprised at how "grown up" Cora is becoming. They were both good surprises and the kind I like to share with others.


Cora in her dress for her Preschool Christmas Program

The first was Christmas Eve. I was preparing food in the kitchen and noticed Peter toddle out of the kitchen towards the living room where Cora was playing. I heard her say, "No, that's not for Peter," but I ignored it, assuming it was a toy of hers that she didn't want him to have. I figured I'd give them a chance to work it out so I didn't even look at what it was. A minute later Cora repeated her reprimand, however kindly, and she calmly walked to me in the kitchen, handed me a lighter (!) and very matter-of-factly said, "Peter had this and the fireman said that this isn't a toy and it's only for adults. Peter shouldn't play with this." Can you imagine my shock?  I still have no idea where Peter got that from (yes, my kitchen was incredibly cluttered...but still!) but I am so thankful that Cora acted so grown-up. I probably overreacted a little bit because I praised Cora up and down and told her that she saved the day!

The second time was this afternoon. We went down the street to a neighbor's house and knocked on the door to ask if we could collect pine cones from under her pine tree. The house was recently sold to a new family and we hadn't met them yet. So when the woman came to the door, I introduced myself and told her what we were hoping to do. She kindly obliged, then bent down to Cora and said, "And who's this?" With no prompting, she replied, "Cora Beth Bierma. And this is my baby brother, Peter," pointing to the stroller. Judy, our neighbor said, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Cora. You may call me Miss Judy." Cora responded, "It's nice to meet you, Miss Judy." Yeah, I was beaming!

Favorite Toys of 2010

The winner for assisted play: Baby Slots - just kidding! It's a homemade toy! (Not my own idea.) It's a Nestle Quick box with a slit cut in the lid wide enough for the metal end of an orange juice concentrate container to slide in. We have 4 discs and Peter loves to fit each one in the slot and look inside to see it. Then I help him get the lid off, take out the discs and put the lid back on. It's a simpler version of a shape sorter.

 The winner for independent play: Mommy's Toaster! Before Peter was able to walk he loved to pull out the toaster and investigate it through and through or push it around the kitchen as a walker.

No appliances or floor surfaces were damaged in the making of this film.

For Cora, the Overall Outstanding winner is....Fisher Price Little People! Little People and their accessories are by far Cora's most played with toys. She spends a lot of time playing independently but will also ask for me to join her and "make the people talk". She has gotten good at creating conversations and stories on her own, too. In the picture below she used wooden blocks to create a classroom in a school!

Rice and Beans, Beans and Rice

When I was a college student studying Spanish in Costa Rica, I lived with a wonderful family. My host mother was an excellent cook and devoted housewife. Being "Tica" (what Costa Ricans call themselves), every evening meal included a side of white rice and another side of black beans, unless the main dish included rice, like "Arroz con Pollo" (rice with chicken). In that case only a side of black beans would have been included. Nonetheless, every evening we ate beans and rice. And in the morning, as in almost every Costa Rican home, we would eat the leftover beans and rice in a traditional dish called "Gallo Pinto".  Gallo pinto literally means "painted rooster", but don't let that deter your appetite! I've been incorporating some rice and beans main dishes into our meal plans and Gallo Pinto has been a big hit with everyone in our little family of four! Cooks take note when one-year-olds and three-year-olds eat 3 and 4 helpings of something!

Gallo Pinto

Serves 10 (?)

It's a big batch so cut in half if you don't like leftovers

Ingredients:

1 lb rice of choice, cooked (I've used both brown and Jasmine with good results)

1 lb black beans, cooked (or use 2 cans of black beans)

1 medium or large onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

2+ tablespoons oil

salt and pepper to taste

cilantro to taste (fresh or dried)

Directions:

Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion, red pepper, garlic and saute until soft. Add cooked rice and cooked beans, cilantro and salt and pepper. Mix together with sauteed onions and peppers. Serve warm and pair with a side salad or steamed veggies.

Notes:

• This is one of those recipes where you don't have to be exact! Just judge the amounts of ingredients by your preference and what seems right. You want a little more rice than beans.
• For those who like things a little more exciting, top it with Cholula or hot sauce. You can also sprinkle a few drops of Tabasco sauce and mix it around. Be creative and tailor it to your tastebuds.
• This keeps really well in the fridge and heats up easily in the microwave for a quick meal (even breakfast if you want to feel Costa Rican). If you have a lot of leftovers and get tired of beans and rice, rice and beans, it can be frozen and reheated later.
• 
  Or, use it to make a Qudoba-style burrito. Pile it in a big burrito tortilla shell with some cooked chicken or pork, salsa, sour cream and cheese. Yum!

Let me know if you give it a try and what you think!

Thanks...but no thanks.

My sister-in-law, Kristen, gave me the devotional Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young this summer and it has been a blessing to me! I'd like to share with you the reading for Dec. 18.

When you are plagued by a persistent problem - one that goes on and on - view it as a rich opportunity. An ongoing problem is like a tutor who is always by your side. The learning possibilities are limited only by your willingness to be teachable. In faith, thank Me for your problem. Ask Me to open your eyes and your heart to all that I am accomplishing through this difficulty. Once you have become grateful for a problem, it loses its power to drag you down. On the contrary, your thankful attitude will lift you up into heavenly places with Me. From this perspective, your difficulty can be seen as a slight, temporary distress that is producing for you a transcendent Glory never to cease!

Isaiah 30:20-21 says, "Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

2 Corinthians 4:17 says, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."


(The links will take you to Biblegateway.com to the whole chapter for context)

Wow! I am not there yet - thanking God for problems?? I'll try to remember that next time the car dies...But, truly, doesn't that sound wonderful to not have problems drag us down? One key to being able to be thankful for them is keeping our eyes on what is unseen and eternal, rather than what is seen and temporary. (2 Cor. 4:18) 

#99. godly women in my life who encourage me
#100. a cold bug we are all sharing and doesn't want to go away (Thanks...but no thanks!)
#101. Grandma VD - Happy Birthday today!
#102. the joy of teaching our kids about the True meaning of Christmas, and the struggle that it can be...  
#103. the endearing ways our children amuse us, like how Peter wraps his "Teddy" around his neck like he's giving him a piggyback ride!

2010 Christmas Letter

We've officially decided not to send out a Christmas card or letter this year, so instead I've compiled our favorite pictures from this year into an on-line photo album for you to enjoy. One piece of evidence that I am poor at making decisions is that there are over 100 pictures! Maybe that's partly due to having young children in the house who change so much from the beginning of the year to the end, and partly due to digital photography. Instead of snapping one or two pictures of a special moment,  I tend to take 10, trying to capture just the right look. I'm not that good, so all 10 pictures look the same, but since they are 10 pictures of faces I love, I love all the pictures!

Anyway, 2010 - good riddance! No, really, we've had some great times this year but enough challenges that I hope for a brighter 2011. Brad's Grandma Bierma passed away in January and we were able to be with the family for her funeral in Iowa. My Grandma Schippers passed away in June, and Peter and I were able to be with family for her funeral in Michigan. Cora has taken to asking to hear stories about her great-grandmas and some of her imaginary play now includes "dead boxes" and people dying. Besides incorporating ideas of death into her vocabulary and imagination, she also talks about "coming alive again" and "living with Jesus".

Cora will be 4 in a couple weeks. She loves going to both preschool (twice a week) and her Kingdom Kids class at church. She loves playing with her friends, "reading", craft time, playing outside. She is learning to write her name. Cora and Peter are learning to play together and to have a "what's mine is yours" attitude with the toys that they both enjoy. It's a process!

Peter turned 1 in September and is loving walking! He toddles in circles around the house, content to explore the same territory day after day. He has signs for daddy, down, night-night, bye-bye/hello, dog, eat, drink, more, please, and thank-you. He makes specific sounds for sheep, pig and cow and says "Oh-wa" for "Cora". "Da" is his syllable of choice for almost every thing so we rely heavily on his hand motions and circumstances to interpret what he is talking about. He uses "Na" if it's related to food! Yes, we have a bilingual home! :)

Brad and I still enjoy taking excursions of various sorts around western Colorado and spending time with friends. This past year involved family reunions with both of our families and we enjoyed the travel and time with them. Our church is doing well and we are so thankful for the work they allow Brad to do and the support they give us. It is a wonderful group of people! I still teach piano lessons one afternoon a week and help out with different ministries at church.

The big challenge of this year was that I struggled with a long period of post-partum depression. We praise God that he opened our eyes to what was going on and provided the help we needed to recover and heal, but it's been a long process. When I look back at 2010, this clouds over much of the first half of the year. It makes us grateful that we can see how God worked in us through this time, and hopeful that the growth he caused in us will remain to strengthen our faith when new times of challenge arise.

And now for the pictures I promised you. If you've been keeping up with us this year, you've probably seen most of these before. Enjoy a peek at our adventures and how we've changed! Picasa Album 2010

A thousand blessings #85-98

#85. seeing order come from chaos
#86. that new life springs from death
#87. pink and purple sunrises - that they are so peaceful and beautiful and that I can see them from my kitchen window 

#88. snuggling and reading books with my kids
#89. a warm cup of chai
#90. neighbors who return our wandering dog

#91. a working furnace, even though it's noisy!
#92. Christmas lights decorating neighborhoods
#93. that Brad can flex his schedule and help me out today while I'm sick
#94. when technology really does make something simpler
#95. generous friends who gave us their old camera to replace the one that just broke
#96. Tuesday morning Bible study women (Check out the book we're finishing: Real Moms...Real Jesus, by Jill Savage)
#97. Helping out at Cora's preschool last week (while playing with the kids I asked one of the boys what lions eat. He replied, so matter-of-factly, "Breakfast!")
#98. The joy of a simple box.

First Family Snow Fun of the Season

We ventured to the snow today! It's December and we haven't seen much in town yet, so we decided it was time to go seek it out. Boy, is it ever beautiful on the Grand Mesa! The 60 mile drive there is beautiful, too. What a delight! And to top it all off, Cora and Peter were on their best behavior all afternoon. Not that that's any different from the norm...(cough, cough). Cora tried out her cross-country skis for a while (thank you, Harrel family and garage sale), then we donned our snow shoes, packed up Peter and pulled Cora in the sled. We found a new snow shoe trail but it appeared no one had used it for a week or so, so it was nice and snowy. We actually went about 3 miles!

Now isn't this the cutest snow angel you've ever seen?

Peter was a super-trooper. He LOVES being in the backpack so we knew he would be OK, but I was suprised that he didn't complain at all about his big snow get-up. We have not succesfully kept his hat and mittens on for more than about 5 minutes, but he didn't fight them one bit today. (See - best behavior!) Maybe it's because he was so bundled he even couldn't tell where to start pulling things off!

PS. How do the pictures look? (Beside huge?) My phone took these pictures...our camera is broken. Yes, the one we just got to replace the other broken camera that got sand in it this summer. Grrr. The digital camera industry is going to love us if we keep this up.

Peter's First Steps

Peter is starting to walk! He took his first steps a few weeks ago, but just recently started doing it more purposefully. This video is from Dec. 2. We've had a lot of fun watching and helping him learn to walk!

PS: How do you get rid of the "grumpies"?

So, in light of changing the default emotions from negative to positive, how do you handle the "grumpies", as we've come to call them in our house? I catch myself telling my kids that they "don't get to be grumpy", because in my mind they have no reason to be grumpy. How hypocritical! I feel completely justified to indulge my negative emotions, but tell my kids to "shape up or ship out" essentially! So two things I'm working on here: not indulging and justifying my grumpiness, and using these skills to help Cora learn how to work through the grumpies, rather than just telling her to "snap out of it". (Peter's "grumpies" are still pretty closely linked with the joys of being 1 - new teeth, communication frustration, etc.)

But I could use your help! When you have the grumpies - either you or your kids - how do you work through them and realign yourselves towards more positive thoughts?

The Gift of Thankfulness

Thankfulness is the antidote to self-pity, and a pre-requisite to joy.

The discipline of focusing on thankfulness and praise, no matter the circumstances, is changing my heart. I experienced some heavy post-partum depression last spring and it turned my heart cold and hard in some ways. I began defaulting to despair and self-pity, rather than hope and contentment. I constantly asked God to change my circumstances, rather than to change me to rise to the challenge of my circumstances.

I was able to get the physical/chemical contributors to the depression taken care of, but it's taking much more work to change my "emotional default". The key for me has been thanking God for something, anything, even when I don't feel happy about what's going on around me. One thing I'm learning however, at least for myself, is that I have to express true gratitude sincerely.

For example, when spending a night away from home I found great frustration with the bed I was sleeping on. My default reaction was to be grumpy and angry about this inconvenience and irritation. That turned into looking for someone to blame and deciding what should be done about this problem. I was having a hard time falling asleep and thinking this way was only making me more wound up and irritated and NOT helping me relax and fall asleep. (And there was nothing that could be done at that point of the night!)

Once I realized what an awful and ugly cycle I was in I knew I had to change my thought pattern if I was ever going to fall asleep. So I started trying to be thankful that I had this bed to sleep on, and this pillow, and so on and so forth. The problem was I was not actually thankful for it and all this did was make me more irritated. So I turned my attention away from my uncomfortable situation all together and thought of something I was truly thankful for. I began by thanking God for my own bed at home, my husband and children, the delicious meal earlier that day, etc. This genuine gratitude softened my heart and calmed my irritation much more quickly than the "thanking-through-my-teeth" insincerity of my first efforts.

So, while sometimes I list here things I'm thankful for (as trite as they may seem to you), I am everyday retraining my heart and mind to default to praise, gratitude, and contentment.

And it's working.

Making peace with the laundry beast

This summer our drier went on the fritz. It was making an awful sound and each time I used it I was afraid it was going to blow up or burn up. Since we enjoy a climate with hot sun and dry air, and I LOVE the smell of sun-dried laundry, AND since we had a couple other things needing our financial attention all at the same time, I decided to try only hang-drying our laundry. The only problem with this is that I only had one clothes line and it barely was enough to hold one load of laundry. I never liked the whole "laundry day" thing anyway, which was what I had been trying to make work previously.

So, something had to change. The answer for me was to do one load of laundry each day, except Sunday. If I was caught up I would skip a day or use that day to do something I normally wouldn't pay attention to like curtains or rugs. If I felt behind, I'd do two loads a day. Flexibility is the name of the game, right?

I did this for about 6 weeks and loved it! My goal is always to get it started first thing in the morning, because I tend to forget about laundry - out of sight and out of mind! It gives me the whole day to remember to finish it and put it away. I have to admit there were a few nights when I went out in the dark to collect laundry off the line!

Well, after 6 weeks of the best smelling laundry ever, we were ready to get a new drier (thank you, Craig's list). Now that it's cold outside, I'm glad not to have to hang dry the clothes, but I've kept the same system of about one load a day. It's made doing laundry almost a joy!

How do you  manage keeping your family's clothes clean? Are you an "all in one day", "once a day, every day" or "whenever my baskets are overflowing or we've run out of clean socks" laundry family? I've been each of these types at one point or another!

Who does the laundry in your family? Husband or wife? Do you enlist your children's help? How so?

#76 and counting

#76. A weekend marriage retreat (check out FamilyLife's A Weekend to Remember)
#77. first steps! Peter took 4 steps last week but he was so focused on the toy he was holding that I don't think he realized he did it. He's taken only a couple steps since then, but this is the beginning...
#78. safe travels to and from Denver
#79. NOT being rear-ended - the cars in front of us stopped suddenly so we stopped suddenly, but the person behind us was coming so fast. We heard his brakes screeching as he approached us but, thankfully, there a large shoulder that he pulled onto. His car didn't stop until he was on the shoulder next to our car!
#80. Grandparents who care so lovingly for our children so we could go away for a few days.
#81. being reunited with our kids
#82. trusting God for healing
#83. having the means and the help to butcher and process and preserve lots of venison (Thanks, again, Mom and Dad)
#84. opportunities to help a friend in need

Mailbox Fun!

Peter received a new book in the mail today and I thought I should share with you two things that our family loves.

First is Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. I learned about it from a flier at our local library. It is completely free and there is no obligation to purchase or do anything. We've never received any junk mail or extra promotions from them. All you do is register your child, either on-line or through the mail, and they receive an age appropriate book in the mail each month for free. We've been doing this for about 6 months or so and have been very pleased with the books we've received. (Note: it's not available in all communities and it's only until children reach the age of 5.) Enter your zip code at the website and see if it's available for your kids!

Second is Highlights High Five. Maybe you remember Highlights magazines from your childhood? High Five is for kids aged 2-6. Cora received a subscription as a gift last year from Grandma and Grandpa B. and she loves her "mazagine". Each magazine has a comic strip about a cat and dog, a poem, a short article about an animal, a bilingual story (pronunciation guide and translation included), a couple illustrated stories, a search and find puzzle, a math or science game or activity, an action rhyme/chant, a recipe to do with an adult, and a game to cut out and play together.  We have been very impressed! We also recently discovered that each edition has an audio version available for free on line. The reader has a pleasant voice and some sound effects are included. We prefer reading the magazine together but it's a great option and teaches her to pay attention to when to turn the page and follow along closely to each story.

What are some ways you encourage reading in your home? (I'm not sure comics count, but Cora enjoys looking through the Sunday comics each week and asks me to read the ones that look interesting to her. She usually doesn't get the humor...When we've both read them I stash them away to become wrapping paper, per Schippers tradition!)

Endless Hallelujah

#61. Mom B. coming to stay with us
#62. her servant heart and acts of love
#63. my children laughing and playing together
#64. the gift of "firsts" - Peter stood up by himself a few times today! He was so proud of himself!
#65. delicious food
#66. wrestlemania
#67. tissues for all our runny noses
#68. a big buck for Brad on the first morning of hunting season
#69. the comfort of routine
#70. weddings, the reminder of our marriage vows
#71. the sweetness of a (my!) flower girl and a ring bearer
#72. pudding faces
#73. washcloths!
#74. firemen and fire station visits
#75. laughter streaming tears down our faces

"Through Him, then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name." Hebrews 13:15

The Thanksgiving Month

Me and my pumpkins
November 1! I give thanks today for...
#48. warm, Colorado sunshine on this first day of November
#49. crisp, golden leaves crunching under my feet, stroller and tricycle wheels
#50. candy corn
#51. remembering that we are sheep
#52. listening for our Shepherd's voice
#53. miraculous healing (our church friend has had headaches every day of her life since she #54. was 16 and was healed during a worship service and is headache-free!)
#55. three new pregnancies, and all couples struggled with infertility
#56. preschool songs and friends
#57. piano students -only three this year but I love teaching them to play the piano
#58. calm, simple days at home, enjoying my kids
#59. that Brad was remembered and appreciated during "Pastor Appreciation Month"
#60. returned health for my sister, postpartum

Cora with Miss Nikki, one of her preschool teachers
Cora in her "Queen" outfit for the preschool program (I was mistaken when I thought she was a princess!)

Learning to Praise

So here we are already, Monday. Multitude Monday. I can't believe I haven't been back here since last week, so many things crossed my mind that I wanted to share, wanted to process with you.

Maybe I don't make it here because I don't dare. Don't dare to be that real, share that much. For fear of scaring you away? For fear of giving you reason to judge me, dislike me, disapprove of me?

But here I am, ready to share this with you: my exercise in gratitude. Learning to praise God all day, every day, with my lips and my heart.

Do I say "Thanks God" if my heart isn't really thankful yet? Will my heart learn to praise God for the bumps in the road, even before I land safely on the otherside of the bump, before I can see the good in it? (It's easy to be thankful when life's road is smooth and the good is abundant.)

Like for the rain yesterday...I knew I could or should be thankful for it.
But I didn't like the gray skies
and dreary mass of cloud
and the way it made me feel tired.

I wasn't thankful, rather I was bitter
and resented that I couldn't control the weather,
and that the weather could effect my mood so profoundly.

So when I was thinking of what I was thankful for yesterday I started to say "the rain", but stopped myself because I know I can't fool God. "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me...You perceive my thoughts from afar." - Psalm 139:1-2

Here I go, listing His gifts, grace for each day:



#27. Our new niece, Elena Christine Gritter, born Saturday, October 23, 2010; she is healthy and her mama's doing well, too! Congratulations, Deb and Eric!
#28. Internet and digital cameras so I can see her beautiful little face
#29. The Bierma Bed and Breakfast in Montrose
#30. the way the sun peeks through the clouds on a rainy day
#31. the way the sun shines into my kitchen more and more, even as the days get shorter and shorter
#32. my dishwasher
#33. Immanuel
#34. Brad's ability to fix the car, start up the furnace, blow out the sprinklers, close up the swamp cooler
#35. An amazing hail storm Saturday night
#36. a solid home to protect us from all the rain, hail, wind and cold
#37. intentional questions, and the people willing to ask them and listen
#38. being able to encourage a teenager
#39. seeing the speck in someone else's eye, causing me to examine my own eyes for planks that need to be removed
#40. encouraging friends
#41. a spontaneous sleepover party for this mama and her two kids
#42. the opportunity to live in GJ and enjoy its beauty
#43. a new mama friendship
#44. Skype, to stay connected and share life
#45. patient, persevering husband
#46. Cora squealing "Mommyyyyyy!" while she runs to me and wraps herself around my legs, almost knocking me over
#47. coupons


Oh, isn't she precious? Little Elena, may your heart always praise God, for He is good; His love endures forever. And we love you, too!

in humble thanks

11. mopped floors
12. new, although old, drier
13. painting ornaments
14. accidents
15. forgiveness
16. the lost being found
17. weary feet that don't give up
18. a hunter who gave up his hunt to help another
19. hope for Gerrit
20. Monday morning coffee
21. autumn rain-fresh laundry
22. little voices
23. nigh-night songs
24. Mt. Garfield hike with Brad
25. parole hearing
26. playpens

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds. For you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-3
- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --- -- --
Please join us in praying for my cousin's little boy, Gerrit. He has just been diagnosed with brain cancer. A tumor has been removed but he will soon start chemotherapy and radiation. His parents, Jeremy and Kathy. His siblings, Clayton, Emaline, and Abby.

Sponsor a Child

Gratitude Community

1. Grace
2. loving husband
3. blue eyes
4. blonde curls

5. quiet nights
6. baby signs
7. warm October sun
8. Cora noticing changing leaves on trees
9. beautiful music
10. fish to count

Stats and Pics

Peter had a great 12 month check-up last week. He weighed 21 lbs, 13 oz. He measured 33 inches tall (I am skeptical about the accuracy, again). All in all, given a clean bill of health.

Here's some new things going on:
He is cutting 2 molars on the bottom. I think we're past the worst of it now, finally!
He signs "more" and "down", and just this last weekend added "dog" and "drink".
He can stand for a couple seconds on his own and carefully lowers himself to the ground, but shows very little interest in walking with help. He'll cruise around the furniture for a little bit but mostly crawls.
He loves to be outside or watch outside. He enjoys standing at the front screen door and watching any activity going on.
He's sleeping very well.
He's eating very well. He prefers fruits and vegetables over meat or grains. He's gotten better at accepting being spoon fed for messy foods like soup or rice. We're still working on learning not to throw food off his tray. He has happily accepted cow's milk, now that he's done nursing. We still enjoy cuddling while he takes a bottle a few times each day.
His silly personality is starting to shine through. He loves to play peekaboo, be tickled or chased, and playing with anything Cora is playing with!
He enjoys the nursery at church, but cries for a few seconds when I leave him.
His bright, blue eyes attract a lot of attention, as does his contagious smile and interest in other people.
Brad and I comment every day on how much fun he is!

Thank you to everyone who called or sent birthday wishes for Peter!

Click here to see a few more pictures from my facebook album.

Happy First Birthday, Peter!

ONE! Today is a day of celebration and memory. One year ago, Peter was born at 3:33 pm, weighing 9 lbs 12 oz and 22 inches long. He is now about 30.5 inches tall and 20 lbs. His deep blue eyes have developed a mischievous twinkle. His babyish coos have turned into "dat", "muh", "ah-ba", and contagious laughter. The once tiny, finger-grasping hands now clap with enthusiasm, bang anything like a drum, turn pages of books, and hold a spoon full of food. His soft, purplish baby feet are now often dirty and a little rough as he drags them behind his knees while he crawls up and over, around and through any surface. His once mostly bald head....is still mostly bald!

We celebrate you every day, Peter. But today we celebrate balloons and streamers, presents, song and one happy, shining candle. You are worth celebrating! We love you and praise God for blessing our lives with YOU.

(Pictures to come so check back soon! We've been having some photography kinks...)

Preschool

Cora started preschool last week! If you recall a blog post last spring, you'll remember that we had debated whether or not to send her this year. We had decided to wait until 2011 and then reevaluate, but a few days after deciding that the director of A New Adventure Preschool contacted us to say that someone had annonymously paid for Cora to attend this school year, if we would like her to! What a surprise! We feel humbled and grateful to be the recipients of such a generous offer. So, that helped us change our minds to decide to send her this year.

Preschool meets at our church and is a Christian preschool. We have been able to observe the school throughout the last few years and have been nothing but impressed. We would have chosen this school for Cora. So we are thrilled that she is able to go this year. She loves the songs that she's learning and has shown us "Hips and Lips": the posture the students take when in the hallways. One hand on a hip, the other on your lips so they are quiet and not touching anything or anyone else.

I am going to enjoy having some time with just Peter. After Cora goes to school and it's just Peter and I, I realize how much attention she gets from me. It's nice to be able to focus on Peter for a bit, and on anything else that needs my attention while Peter naps!

Bounce

I feel like we have lived this summer as if we were a human bouncy ball! I think we were gone more than we were home during the months of June, July and August. We would come home from one event and bounce back off to another after we finished laundry and repacked our bags! It has been wonderful, and now we're gearing up to bounce into the new school year.

Highlights from July:
Brad and I celebrated our 8th anniversary. Mom and Dad Bierma took Cora and Peter overnight while Brad and I camped near Lake City, CO, hiked Uncompaghre Peak, and enjoyed driving some beautiful 4 wheel drive roads in Dad's awesome Jeep - Engineer Pass, Cinnamon Pass and Mineral Springs. It was a blast!
(Below: On top of Umcompaghre Peak)

Yes, this is Brad...

Mom and Dad Bierma celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this year. We enjoyed a family reunion with most of Brad's siblings, nephews and nieces, and his parents in Pagosa Springs and some time at the cabin. It was so much fun to reunite and catch up.

I had the privelege of celebrating my 30th birthday with my nephew Josh, who turned 9 a few days later, and the rest of the Bierma gang. We had fun with a piñata, Malted Milk Ball Dessert and singing the "Happy Birtday" song 30 times in various forms!

Brad hosted/guided the 3rd annual New Life Church Gunnison River Canoe/Camping Trip later in July. I reluctantly chose not to go this year, due to our already hectic summer schedule. I guess I'll have to look for pictures from that trip. I know it was great, and Brad really enjoyed having his brother, Greg, along, too.

Finaly, on July 31st I flew with Cora and Peter to Michigan. I learned the hard way that redeeming frequent flier miles for a free ticket is NOT one of the ways that United Airlines shows appreciation for their frequent fliers. We had 4 flights to get from Grand Junction to Grand Rapids, which is normally 2 flights. We stopped in Denver, Memphis and Chicago along the way. It was a crazy day (we missed the last flight and ended up spending 5 hours in Chicago, then flying into Muskegeon at midnight and losing luggage on top of it all), BUT Cora and Peter were super travelers and I was surrounded the whole day by either angels or incredibly compassionate and helpful co-passengers. I haven't decided whether or not they were human, or undercover heavenly creatures sent to bless me and my children!

9 month update

Peter is 3/4 of a year old. He has changed a lot in the last month. He is now regularly taking 2 naps of 1.5 hours each day, and occassionally a third short nap late afternoon. Praise the Lord! He sleeps great at night until about 5:30. Then after nursing he usually goes back to sleep till almost 7 am. We're grateful for the good stretch of sleep we all get, even though 5:30 sure is early.

He's eating well, prefering more and more to self-feed. He tolerates the sweeter baby foods (fruits or sweet potato puree) but makes a horrible grimacing face and ends up getting food all over the place when I try feeding him vegetable purees or anything with meat in it. I've been disguising some food with applesauce and that is working for now. Hopefully we can get though the stash of baby food we have before he figures me out! He's recently held a bottle on his own for the first time and has figured out the sippy cup, although he doesn't seem to enjoy it. He takes one sip and then drops it on the floor.

Peter can now wave hello and good-bye. What can I say? It's adorable and we love to show it off! He has graduated from creeping to crawling just this week. He's still slow and deliberate about each movement, but I don't think it will take long before he will be racing his sister. He can get himself back to a sitting position after lying down. He loves to bang toys or his hands on the table.

Peter cut his 8th tooth on his 9 month birthday! Phew! He weighed in at 19 lbs 7 oz and measured 31 inches tall. I have to say, I think that's incredibly inaccurate. I think he's closer to 30 inches...He's doing great! Annoying habit of this phase: teeth grinding. Yuck!

Sum- Sum- Summertime

Whew! We've been busy!!! Brad took the high school students to Shiprock, NM for a service project they coordinated with Bethel CRC for 10 days. Peter, Cora and I joined them for a few days, but cut the time short when I learned that my Grandma Schippers had passed away. (Picture of Cora and Donald painting together.)
(Peter and Liam entertaining each other.)
Cora, Peter and I drove back and I dropped Cora off with Mom and Dad Bierma. Peter and I left early the next morning to fly to MI. We arrived in time to go to the visitation time and the memorial service for Grandma was the next day. It was so wonderful to be there to remember her life with my uncles, aunts and cousins, and to say good-bye to her. She is a treasure of a woman. Gentleness, patience and kindness characterize her life. (Picture of Dad S. with Peter)

A visit to Holland just wouldn't be complete without a trip out to see Lake Michigan and take pictures with Big Red! But, BRRRR, it was windy and cold so we didn't stay long!

Peter and I flew home on Monday, did a few loads of laundry and on Wednesday went camping at Ridgway State Park. Peter's first camping trip! He did great, except for the first night. But Brad and I always plan on the first night sleeping in a new place to be pretty rough. This time was no exception! The other two nights were great and the fun during the day makes up for nighttime struggles. (Peter trying to crawl!)
Cora is still a great little camper. She even cried when we left on Saturday and said she didn't want to go home! I think it really helped that we had friends join us the last two nights and she had playmates to keep her busy.
Brad made delicious dinner and dessert in the Dutch Oven one night. (Cherry/Berry Dump Cake)

Brad's Father's Day desire was to drive a new highway so we went over McClure Pass and visited the town of Marble. It was a beautiful drive, of course - this IS Colorado! :) (The marble quarry where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington D.C. was quarried. Some of the white you see is not snow - it's the marble!)
Daddy and kids next to marble pillar from the old marble mill.
Cora and I on a huge block of marble. So now we're home and finally caught up on laundry, we have fresh food in the fridge and the house is clean again - well, as clean as can be expected with a dog, two kids and summer fun trekking in and out all day! Our next adventure is just around the corner...