A good read

Ok Asher, ready for a good book?

Here's a really good story....

It's got lots of cool pictures,
And words... hey, don't fall asleep on me!
Stay with me buddy-
oh so exciting!

another Saturday night

And we're exhausted.
It's been one of those weeks... I think I just lost a week actually. Last Saturday I came down with some bug that landed me in bed for a couple of days. By Wednesday I was feeling better, and we all went downtown via bus for a mega day of getting passport and US citizenship stuff together for Asher. Sad story, my passport picture didn't make the cut. Asher's head was too big. So Dave took him to get another picture while I baracaded Josie in the Embassy in a cubicle while Asher's paperwork was being processed. Poor kid had to be woken up for his new picture and it looks rather sleepy and drooly. Oh well. We got most things taken care of.

But it was a loooooong day. And I got home in time for boot camp, and then shortly after getting home from that, Dave took me out to a Jazz club for a date night. Lovely lovely place indeed. But by the time we got home I was feeling realllllllly exhausted. Couldn't wait for bed. And as these things go, just as my head hit the pillow and my eyes relaxed into sleep... Asher woke up and wanted to eat. And just as I fell asleep again, Josie woke up for the next 5 hours. Screaming. I could barely move any part of my body in the morning I was so tired. But, of course, we had gymnastics to go to....

Anyway, enough about that. We somehow made it though the week. Today was another exhausting day too, but I won't get into that.

Instead, lets take a look at last night's activity.

Yummy.

My little helper loves to help. I remember making cookies with my mom. And my brothers. We never got much past the dough phase with them though. It mostly just got eaten before being cooked. I do recall similar things happening when I tried to make cookies with my cousin Stephen Taylor as well:)

But back to Josie. She like to dump in the dry ingredients. And crack the eggs. This new move is completely unprompted. I told her we needed and egg and she got one and cracked it on the counter (as she's previously observed obviously) and gave me egg yoke and shell mush disaster. Twice. We've got work on that move. She did it yet again this morning while we made pancakes. What a helper!

We tried to get beyond this cookie dough phase and made it most of the way, fortunately.

Phew. Time for a soak in the tub I do believe!

Just talking

On her phone. Josie's favorite plaything by far is probably our phones. But now she has her own, thanks to a Christmas gift. So she talks. And talks. And teaches her brother to talk.
He thinks she's kind of funny.
Clearly, he needs to learn the art of verbal processing to fit in with the rest of the Coons clan.
And to take time to listen to what's being said.
Communication goes both ways.
And sing of course.
And dance.
All the essentials to life.
And to help Mama get passport photos of "Asher". This doll shares her brother's name so when I asked her to help me get passport photos of Asher this is what she did.
What a hoot!

Goin' to America (or China!)

Someday. In order to do so though, our little Canadian needs a US passport. So I've been working on it. It's taken 3 months to get here. With Josie, we got her picture when she was 20 hours old and her passport a week later! Pretty amazing since we had to go to the US embassy and fill our paperwork, and the paperwork had to be processed in the States as well. Somehow though, we got it just on time! And hopefully that will be the case for little Asher -- we need a passport for him on time to go to China in April!

So the photoshoot goes something like this....

One of these ought to work!

We should probably get him a Canadian passport as well.
Because maybe someday this little guy will have an opportunity to go to places we wouldn't be welcome.
And there are places like that in this world.
I do wonder and pray for our son. That he would be a blessing wherever he goes.

That shouldn't be hard for him though, he only needs to smile and gurgle! It gets him a long way!

3 months!

There's always a day to celebrate around here. Birthdays, anniversary's, holidays, nights of sleep (well, not too often), cuteness... whatever. And we seem to be given some kind of gift to make the occasion memorable. The thing it's taken some time getting used to in North America is the full gear that comes with childrearing. We've been getting packages in the mail from the Grands since before Christmas. I know now that when the Canada post van pulls in, there's bound to be something in it for the Coons unit, and probably not any of the other 18 units outside. We got one of those packages this morning, Thanks Nai Nai. And another delivery this week from Grandpa Coons, though not from Canada post. Our friends brought this beauty from WA for us!

I now have an art center, a plastic water table, a 3 piece plastic kitchen set, a large plastic cashier machine, a swing, a baby jumper, an exersaucer, 2 playgyms and an elmo seat with wheels. Am I missing anything? Oh yeah, 2 pack n' plays and a bassinet. And the 2 car seats, 3 strollers and a bike trailer. I think we're set for some time!!! I think we're doing pretty good for starting out with nothing a year ago! Thanks to all our friends clearing out their living rooms and storage. I think we'll have to do the same soon!

Little Buddy is 3 months old today. And what a cutie. He's been trying to get my attention as I type... and as soon as I so much as glance in his direction-- all smiles. Gotta love it! And love him too, of course!

So happy 3 months Asher! I know that don't lack for anything! We love you!

more videos

Bunny Josie

Josie sings this song at the drop in playgroup and loves it!

blog post- movement

What blogging has done to me the past five years is install one line sentences that I'd open a topic with about my life. Trouble is, by the time I have a chance to write them down at the keyboard, I've lost the train of thought. I did fancy myself a decent writer back in the day, but as of late, it seems I just do synopses of my life in paragraphs and pictures. Maybe because my life seems to be lived in paragraphs and pictures. I rarely have a chance to have a long train of thought for more than a few minutes and no, it's not because I've been trained on TV commercials.. It's because I have 2 babies.

Lately however, in an attempt to get this 2 years and 2 babies later post partum body back into some kind of condition, I've had a few 30 minute chunks of time to think while I'm on a walk, or int the pool. And that's been nice... to have a sustained thought. I think there is something about physical exercise that helps the brain also function at higher levels and both are things I've been missing lately! I also process in writing rather than talking most of the time too. So, if someone asks me how I'm doing verbally, my reply won't be all that thought out or deep. Ask me in a letter though and I can answer much better.

So, topic of today's thoughts. Exercise. Oh my. Dave got me a "boot camp" groupon as a Christmas present. 20 bootcamps before May 15th. I have now completed 2 of them and boy do I feel like an old bowl of jello!! Imagine 30 college athletes in a gym doing intense core exercises (pushups, crunches, planks, squat jumps) mixed with cardio exercises like you'd do if you were on a track or soccer team. Then place me, a 31 year old new mom of 2 kids in the middle of it. I feel very, very weak. I do the modified pushups and modified planks (just for me). Put me in the same room 3 years ago and I would have been trying to lead the pushup contests! Things have changed, that is for sure. Though, I do wonder if my left bicep is just as strong as anyone's with holding children for hours a day! So, boot camp... it's very hard. But that's not been all-- I've also been swimming and jogging a couple times. And those times, oh, so sweet. My body is starting from scratch at building up its strength, but I have hope.

I do hope that Josie and Asher will love sport as well. Today I took Josie to her first gymnastics class. She can't even jump on her own yet so you can imagine that when the instructor asks us to do all kinds of jumps on a circut, it doesn't really register much with her. But today was Josie's first time on a trampoline-- she was pretty timid, but had that "I'm scared of it but strangely interested" at the same time approach. Maybe next week will be better. I, on the other hand, LOVED it. Yeah yeah, it was the 1 year olds time to jump, but I got a few jumps in on the big tramp and had a memory of being a kid in gymnastics, able to do cartwheels and trampolines with ease. And somehow, my body remembered being 5 again and what it feels like to be weightless in the air, free. And to be a kid again, excited and full of wonder at what it feels like to being doing something soooo fun that all you can do is laugh.

I've caught a glimpse of the delight from my child's discovery of what she can do. I pray that Josie will also delight in the way God has gifted her in movement someday. I am full of wonder watching this little creation and her joy.

Believe me, squats don't do that for me, but thats the path I'll need to take to get to that powerful run, or perhaps that streamlined swim. I am looking forward to that again so much to the joy of movement. But now is the hard work, the boot camp, the sore legs, the jello middle, the back pains and the tired eyes. But it's worth it. Worth loving to move and showing my own kids that as well. I want them to have a deep joy and gratitude, not only in how they can move, but for the One who gave them movement. I sure am grateful.

12 weeks!

Was it really 12 weeks ago little guy met the world? Hard to believe, as it is with every new child, that you actually had a different life before they were born. Or, that there was a time before your child existed. But now, this child is an eternal being. So crazy to wrap your mind around! I had this same thought when I was pregnant with Josie and continue to be amazed. For viewing pleasure, here are a couple videos celebrating life!

Asher being Asher at 12 weeks

And Josie being Josie as she tell her great-grandmother "happy birthday"

Deep Cove

We visited another one of Vancouver's treasures yesterday, Deep Cove. Almost anywhere the ocean meets land here is lovely, but some places exceptionally so. I must admit, there's many more I haven't seen, but am looking forward to. We were up for an adventure when our friends Jason and Polly and fam asked us to go for the morning. We were up for adventuring upon arrival last year too, and really enjoyed finding all the little places of beauty we could walk to... but a little something happened that made hikes though the woods and lots of stairs more challenging than previously.....

So, now we're a family of four, finding a new adventure! But, with 2 kiddos, it feels more like roundup. And when we travel with other families, it's double round up, all the time. But it's worth it to enjoy the view!

Happy Anniversary Vancouver

Dear Vancouver,

Last year about this time I laid my head down in Simon and Shannon's apartment on your East Side for the very first time. I had flown into Seattle this afternoon 1 year ago, with Josie on my front, a large suitcase in tow, and kicking a box and a car seat through the airport to meet Dave who had just about finished his cross-continent drive. We drove in to see you, through the dark rainy night. I didn't know a soul and had no concept of what my life would be like here.

But Vancouver, you've been good to us. I reflected on the many things we have to be thankful for this morning as I looked over all your harbors from the 15th floor of a nearby high rise drinking coffee and journaling. You sure know how to give stunning views!! Ocean, huge forests and snow capped mountains all delighted my eyes this morning.

Little did I know one year ago I would have a Canadian son! Little did I know that I would find so many treasures here. Little did I know where I would live-- and 3 moves later, here we are on UBC's campus. I didn't know where we would worship, where we would find friends or what we would be doing. Well, a year later I can say that those questions are beginning to have some answers. We've got a great church that we are both getting more involved in, we've got a great group of friends, a wonderful small group, and lots to do each day with the diverse community that lives around us. I now know where to buy cheap produce, what trails have the best view of pines- especially when sunlight floats through on morning runs, what sushi restaurant has the best deals and most recently, where to get at $159 haircut for $20. I've discovered thatCraigslist is where most people go shopping for all their household goods (and once you've bought something, you usually find that people will continue to give you all you could need!) I'm learning to get used to so much rain in the winter, and to take advantage of a sunny day as soon as the sun peaks out.

I've discovered that speaking Mandarin is probably the best asset I have living here, and that I really should brush up on my Spanish as well! Most people here are very friendly and helpful, and when you speak their language, you have instant friends. I've even experienced working with the most patient and cheerful people in public services offices right before closing... that was surely a surprise!

I've been astounded at the cost of real estate and grateful for generosity of folks that have made living here affordable for us. In general, I've been astounded each day that we are able to do what we do, and that God is showing us slowly how he wants us to live here, in this place, at this time.

So Vancouver, here's to a good year.... And I look forward to what the next brings!