baby laura // katowice newborn photography

This was my first attempt at photographing a newborn other than my own (with who my sister and brother in law did most of the work!) I love how they turned out!  Newborn photos are my favourite keepsake from the little days to look back as they grow ~ there's nothing better than a dreamy, sleepy baby!

Growing Boys

I love these little guys so much! What a privilege it is spending my days, energy and creativity on them.  Our house isn't clean, and the laundry is not folded and put away but our days are full of learning, playing, eating, bathing, diaper changing and colouring.

I know they won't stay little for long, so i'm trying to love the little years and embrace the mission of motherhood. Some days are better than others. Here are some of the things I'm enjoying about them this month...

At 8 months Baby Boy:

• has discoved mobility (moving in circles)
• loves to eat!
• is a happy boy most of the time
• loves his big brother
• makes the cutest coo-ing noises
• has an amazing (shy) smile
• has a really sweet spirit
• has more and more curly red hair!
• loves kisses 
• has great giggles

At 2 years our Little Man:

• has an ever increasing vocabulary! (today he said shovel, clock...)
• loves Mater {mey-her}
• says "dowidzenia" in Polish in the cutest way 
• runs instead of walks
• loves all things music!
• sings his bedtime songs with us (without being able to say the words - so cute.)
• loves bathtime 
• says "i love you"
• is learning to share
• loves his baby brother
• is a good helper (helps mommy carry groceries to the kitchen!)
• loves to sword fight

Easter in Krakow

Easter weekend was full of people we love! We spent Easter morning with Krista's old church, Opoka in Katowice. The Easter breakfast was special because the church served a traditional Polish Easter breakfast to close to 50 people who don't have their own homes or family's to celebrate with.

 Krista serving up the eggs!

 the Easter breakfast guests

After Easter, Uncle Marshall (Ben's brother) came to visit us and the boys for a few days. Here are some of my favourite pictures of them playing together!

For picutres of Krakow's Easter Market you can click here to see an earlier post!

He is still Risen!

I love how Easter reminds me every year of the sacrifice that Christ made to make the imperfect right with God. Or as our toddler's Bible would put it, "Jesus died to pay for all our badness".  The lamb is more common here in Poland than the Easter Bunny, and reminds me of the sacrificial system that God put in place for his people to make restitution for their sins... and how Christ was the ultimate and final lamb of God.

So even though Easter only comes once a year, He is still Risen! May it be Easter in your heart each day of the year as you remember Jesus' finished work and seeking know Him and serve Him in your life!

the sketchy doll in my hallway...

Meet "Marzanna" ~ a doll that my son "made" at the preschool lesson i took him to yesterday. There's a reason she's sitting in the hall. Let me explain...

Marzanna is a the Slavic goddess of winter and death which is also a long standing "Polish Tradition".  So this week with the "coming of spring", March 21, kids in schools make dolls like this, decorating them with ribbons and beads, and take them to the river (or water), set them on fire and drown them. Sound evil?! 


The custom is rooted in pagan sacrificial rites and some researchers consider the doll "marzanna" demonic.  The ritual was supposed to ensure fertility in the coming year. One anthropologist said that it was believed that the killing of a representative of the goddess of death will also remove effects caused by it (winter) and the coming of spring. 

Christianity tried to prohibit the Slavic custom. In 1420, in the city of Poznań the clergy were ordered: 

"Do not allow on Sunday, the superstitious habit of carrying (voodoo) dolls, that they call death and drown in puddles."  

However, native tradition has proved to be stronger. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

So the question what are we going to do with this springtime tradition? How will we teach our kids as they encounter "Marzanna" yearly at school? We are far from figuring it out but a few things come to mind...

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma... Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." 
Ephesians 5:1-2, 11

I love how the NASB phrases it, "Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness..." We know for sure that we don't want to participate in this yearly ritual. But we also want to imitate God, walk in love and help others to know Christ...

As much as we love the festivals that take place in Kraków, we will choose not to visit the city center and take place in these springtime celebrations. Here's a half-marathon that's taking place this weekend (in the snow!) that uses Marzanna as the mascot in the advertisement. 

Sometimes I feel the darkness surrounding us here... in my spirit i knew that this doll was evil  (even before reading that some researchers consider her demonic!) and i didn't want her coming into our home.

That's why there's a sketchy doll is in my hallway... soon to be in the garbage room.

What cultural things do you find challenging where you are? How would you teach your kids to live according to God's truth in light of this cultural tradition/pagan ritual?

 [see Wikipedia - Marzanna for more]

truth in the business

Life's getting the better of me these days... meaning i spend a lot of my time chasing after and loving our little ones. Morning calls early and by evening i'm drained of all the energy i didn't have to start the day with!

Here are some things we're up to lately...

1 // Perfecting Polish (no, not the fingernail kind!) // so i'm preparing to take a government issued exam this june... not gonna be easy.

2 // Little Kid Classes // we recently discovered this fun kids club downtown called Likekonik that organizes concerts, classes and other fun things for little kids. Given the general "not kid friendly" environment of Poland ~ yes, please!

3 // soul food // me & hubby are enjoying reading the explicit gospel by Matt Chandler. we just finished the chapter on Christ, which talks about the sacrificial system in the Old Testament. So good for our hearts to be reminded of his blood sacrifice as we draw near to Easter...

"Nothing runs to the center of God's kindness and severity, demonstrating his justice, his love, and his glory all at once, besides his incarnate Son's sacrifice on the scandalous cross" - Chandler

In his book Chandler also talks about idolatry of the heart which has me pondering this verse...

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

{Colossians 3:1-3}

I've been thinking about this truth a lot these days and realizing how easy it is for both my heart and my mind to focus or be absorbed with the here and now... the urgent... the temporal. When in fact all of these things [kids clothes, toys, dinner, a clean house!] are fading away... but Christ and his word will never fade away. 

Easter Colouring Crafts for Toddlers

While you're stuck inside waiting for spring to come... here are a few things to keep your little people busy!

I really love the idea of colouring and cutting. It's something my toddler can do and then we can do 'a craft' together... The other day i found these Easter crafts for little ones that they can colour and you can cut out! Our don't look quite like the ones in the pictures but were a fun activity for our little guy (he's 2). While you're there check out the Easter colouring page printouts on this site ~ they're really fun! Here are some of my favourites:

DIY Play Doh for Toddlers

I found this DIY play doh recipe a few days ago on Pinterest and stored it away under kids activities for a rainy day... well it turns out today was that day! I just love the little containers they use on howdoesshe.com to store it... i haven't found anything that nifty here yet, i'll have to keep on looking! 

Our little man played with it for an hour ~ which i'm considering a small miracle for a 2 year old! Helped that we played with him... and that i had this fun George Foreman Play Doh toy stored away... found it at Value Village for $1.99! Possibly the best $2 i've spent!

So in case you're interested here's the recipe:

DIY Play Doh for Toddlers

You'll need:1 cup flour1 cup water1/4 cup salt2 tsp cream of tartar (imported from N. America!)1 Tbsp vegetable oilfood coloring (4-6 drops)

Here's how:
1. Just dump all the ingredients into your pot and give them a good stir. 

2. Put your pot on the stove and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it forms into a ball. (i had my little guy climb up on a chair and help stir!)

3. As soon as it joins into one big glob, take it off the heat and dump it onto your counter or some wax paper.  

4. Wait for it to cool, then knead it a few times until it is nice and soft.  

5. Store in an air-tight container = hours of fun!

My guesstimate is that it maybe cost $0.25 to make... SO much cheaper than how much it would cost at the store (not to mention plain play-doh is no so easy to find here in Poland - without having to buy all the accessories/toys that go along with it!)

I want to try these Play Doh Play Mats next! I found a book you can print, laminate and put together with rings on this blog! (Scroll to downloads => Playdough Mats Booklet and there is a link to a dropbox file with a great assortment of colourful & creative printouts!)

Bear Bums

Seven months old and counting! Our big boy is already the size of his older brother at one year!

I love how curious he is and how at 7 months he:

• puts everything in his mouth
• is up on all 4's and trying to crawl
• watches his older brother's every move
• is a happy baby 99% of the time
• loves to eat! (fruit, cereal & meat... not veggies)
• makes the cutest baby noises
• sits up on his own
• bats his hand at toys and hits them
• sleeps through the night most nights (8pm-6:30am)
• has 7 teeth!
• has curly red locks of hair

Perfect Day at the Park

Spring came to visit yesterday, if only for a moment... we were thankful for the warm weather, a chance to get out of the house and visit our favourite park!

Snowboard Camp 2013

What a picture of God's goodness this past week was for us...

some of our best friends in the world, Jonathan & Caitlin from Dallas came to help us serve at a snowboard camp in Southern Poland.

It was close to 5 years ago on my way to Dallas Seminary that i saw Caitlin's name on a list of potential roomates in the single student housing. I saw that she loved snowboarding, discipling young girls and Jesus and i couldn't wait to meet her!

5 years, 2 husbands, 2 kids and a kidney transplant later... It is simply amazing what God has done in our lives since the day we first met. A picture of God's goodness and grace. 

Jonathan did an amazing job speaking at camp, sharing about God's goodness through suffering. What an amazing gift he has for communicating - and such a powerful story of God at work in his own story...

Ben & Jonathan became good friends in Dallas... it is a rare treasure to have married friends as dear as them in our lives.

We named Elias Jonathan after him, such a joy to have him meet his namesake!

... so fun to hit the slopes after 5 years and actually remember how to snowboard!

... and make new friends :)

 

the week left me hungry for more of God, his truth, and excited about the years to come in helping others to know and walk with God. Here are some truths from the week that God is still stirring in my soul...

Joseph

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 

Genesis 5:20

Job

Brace yourself like a man;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me...

Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
    or seen the storehouses of the hail?

Job 38: 3, 22

Jesus 

(to the rich young ruler)

With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God. 

Mark 10:27

Jonathan's Story

... God is sovereign and good and loves and provides for His children out of the riches of His grace and the bounty of his kindess. He still does miracles today - like finding the 1% of the population who could be a match for a kidney donor, one's own wife!

so thankful to call them friends!