Charity Dancing

So we signed Charity up for dancing lessons. Although she doesn't appear to be too impressed, she really has learned a lot and keeps mommy and daddy amused with her latest feat.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Somebody thinks her Daddy's pretty funny....

:)

Appropriate

My Mom and Dad gave us a subscription to Tabletalk magazine and we just received our first issue last week, which we are really enjoying. Brad and I have decided to memorize their suggested memory verses and I thought this week's verse was so timely. It comes from Isaiah 26:3.

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,

whose mind is stayed on Thee,

because he trusteth is Thee."

My mind has wandered all over the map this past week-thinking about Opa, worrying about Charity (I had never left her in someone else's care before until Visitation on Tuesday), trying to time the feedings just right, wondering how I'll ever catch up on sleep... But what a great reminder God gave to me about where my thoughts should really be. And as I meditate and reflect on the goodness of God, I'm coming to realize that the peace that passes all understanding was bought for me too.

In Loving Memory of Opa Pikkert

The picture to the left is one of the biological Opa to nine grandchildren. It's also a picture of the "unofficial Opa" to countless more. Opa was called "Opa" by lots of kids-and for good reason. He did all the things every kid dreams of their grandfather doing.

He would let us eat plain sugar cubes, straight from the pot. We didn't even have to have them in tea. Looking back, I think the real reason he'd spoil us like that is so he could do the same without feeling too bad about it. Opa had a major sweet tooth. Their freezer was always stocked with ice cream and miniature cream puffs-two of Opa's favorite snacks. Whenever we'd visit, one of us would say, "Hey Opa, do you want some ice cream?" He'd always say yes, and that meant we'd could have some too-usually with whip cream on top.

Even after he had several mini strokes and could no longer eat solid foods without choking, somehow Opa managed to get things like cookies, cake, squares, and dessert down just fine. My sisters often heard a squeak in the kitchen floor when Opa lived at my parent's house after Oma passed away. That squeak was the sound of my Opa "sneakily" trying to wheel himself to the cookie jar without being heard. Fat chance.

I think being home-schooled allowed for a really unique relationship with our grandparents-especially Opa as he was very much involved in our education. He taught my brother and I all of our highschool math. Once a week, we'd make the trip to Opa and Oma's house where we would write our tests, get taught what we'd have to do for the rest of the week, hand in our work, have it marked and make corrections accordingly. Opa taught me algebra, geometry, calculus and a bit of trigonometry. I think his favorite thing to say to me was "Show your work! Show your work!"

Opa would sometimes come with us on our family outings (a.k.a. "class trips") to the Royal Winter Fair, the ROM, Science Center, etc. Although we really enjoyed his company, we really looked forward to the end of our trip because, without fail, Opa would by us an ice cream bar. Everytime.

He also taught us a lot of science and biology, although most of it was "unofficial." But to be honest, I think that's how I learned and remembered the most. He'd take us on nature walks down the Bruce Trail which ran right behind their property. He'd explain how the leaves changed color and he'd identify any plant or animal we'd find along the way. He would wade into ponds or swamps and grab handfuls of frog eggs for us to take home and watch them turn into tadpoles. Once, he taught Grade 7 biology in my parent's "school room" to a dozen homeschoolers. We loved it-maybe because a good part of the lesson was spent outside. When it was too cold outdoors, Opa would bring things to class. I remember him bringing a coconut and making us drink the milk. He'd help the older kids dissect things like fish and frogs.

Opa loved nature. Aside from being an avid gardener and bird watcher, Opa spent a lot of time up North at their cottage resort in Perry Sound. Our family would spend one or two weeks a summer up there and drink in the scenery with Opa. He'd usually take one of us with him in the motor boat to dismantle the beaver's dam. He'd take us fishing in the paddle boats, teach us how to make loon calls, help us find turtles, and go with us to the dump so we could watch the bears. He'd even rescue us from the water snake that frequently make his appearance while we were playing on the beach.

Opa was a big story teller. You can take that two ways, and I'm afraid both would be true. For the longest time I really believed that the reason Opa was bald was because his barber made a terrible accident and ever since then, his hair never grew back. After I started questioning this story, I learned that the real reason Opa didn't have any hair is because while he was out walking one day, the wind picked up, blew of his hat, and took all his hair with it. Poor Opa.

Opa had a real heart for missions. We had all sorts of little toys from around the world that Opa brought back for us (Although, many of them were MacDonald's Happy Meal toys because that was the only thing Opa knew how to order in a different language!). Opa and Oma traveled all around the world, helping to start up mission schools and teach at them. They lived in Turkey and Indonesia for a while and spent a lot of time in the Eastern European countries like Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, Budapest and Hungary because of their involvement with Come Over and Help and Bonisa Mission.

I'm always amazed at how many lives my Opa touched. As an active Church member, school teacher, principal, missionary, friendly neighbor, parent and grandparent, the amount of people that can say excitedly say, "Klaas Pikkert! Oh, yes I knew him!" is endless. If you wish to say your final goodbye as Opa's earthly body will be buried in dirt and has been exchanged for a glorious life in Heaven with his Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, you can do so:

Visitation: Tuesday from 2-4pm and 7-9pm

McCleister Funeral Home

495 Park Road North Brantford, ON

N3R 7K8

Funeral: Wednesday, at 10:00 a.m.

Hamilton Free Reformed Church.

Internment to follow at Mt. Zion Cemetary.

Gone to be with Jesus

My Opa,

Klaas Pikkert

went to be with Jesus this morning

-November 13, 2009-my brother's birthday.

He's with Oma again, but even more importantly, he's worshiping at the feet of his Saviour.

My heart feels torn apart, but whole at the same time.

Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
Your rod and Your staff,
they comfort me.

Psalm 23

Old Cookbooks

I've come to believe that some of the greatest recipes around are the ones found in old church cookbooks by seasoned members of "The Ladies Guild" with names like Mabel, Ethel, and Betty. Reading these cookbooks is one my secret pleasures I like to indulge in while feeding Charity.

Besides providing a vast array of great-tasting, old fashioned recipes, these spiral-bound, picture-less collectibles often have humorous quotes, handy hints, trivia, and encouraging Bible verses sprinkled throughout. It is through these cookbooks that I learned the many uses of baking soda and vinegar, how to live more frugally, and what sort of staples I should keep in the house for additions to quick meals.

The oil stains and cooking splatters provide character to the pages, just as the wit and wisdom of the contributors bring amusement while reading through the assortment of tried-and true tips. My copy of "The Lynden United Church Cookbook" is the perfect example of this. Scattered throughout the pages are a collection of household hints entitled There's Martha's Way...and then there's my way. I've learned a lot from them and thought I'd pass the good ol' fashioned advice along.

Martha's Way: To keep ann apple from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

My Way: Buy Hungry Jack Potato Mix and keep it in the pantry for up to a year.

Martha's Way: If you accidentally over-salt a dish, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt.

My Way: If you over-salt a dish while you're cooking, that's just too bad.

Martha's Way: Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it.

My Way: Brown sugar is supposed to be soft???

Martha's Way: Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

My Way: Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone. You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up anyway.

Martha's Way: To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it's fresh. If it rises to the surface, throw it away.

My Way: Eat cook, or use the egg anyway. If you feel bad later, you will know it wasn't fresh.

Martha's Way: Now look what you can do with Alka-Seltzer: To clean a toilet, drop two tablets in, wait 20 min, brush and flush. To remove stain from a vase or glass cruet, fill with water and drop in two tablets. To polish jewellery, drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse jewellery for two minutes. To clean a thermos bottle, fill with water, drop in four tablets and let it sit for an hour or more.

My Way: Put your jewellery, vases and thermos bottles into the toilet. Add a whole bottle of Alka-Seltzer tablets and you've solved a whole bunch of problems at once!

Martha's Way: Potatoes will take the food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub the potato on the stains and rinse with water.

My Way: Mashed potatoes will now be replacing the antibacterial soap in the handy dispenser next to my sink.

And for some final cookbook advice:

~Real Friends are those who, when you've made a complete fool of yourself, don't think that you've done a permanent job.~

Confessions of a first-time parent

1. Sometimes I'm in my housecoat until 10:30 am. Call before you visit.

2. Sometimes I don't have supper made or even have an idea of what to have for dinner by the time Brad comes home from work. On those nights, we have his specialty- grilled cheese.

3. Sometimes I let Charity live in her sleeper all day to save on laundry.

4. When I need to get things done-like making supper or cleaning the house-I let Charity flirt with herself in front of a floor-length mirror to keep her occupied.

5. I often give Charity a "sponge bath" instead of a regular bath when I'm pushed for time.

6. I don't bath Charity every day.

7. If Charity sleeps 'til 9, I do too.

8. I put my feet up on the coffee table so Charity is elevated when I nurse her.

9. Sometimes I take three days to get the basic housecleaning done.

10. I've done dangerous things-like climbing on chairs to dust the tops of the bookshelves and cooking on the stove top- with Charity in the Snuggli.

11. I've run out of nursing pads (I'll never do that again).

12. I drink a bottle of water every time I feed Charity.

13. I feel warm and fuzzy inside when people comment on all her hair, her big blue eyes, and how cute she is.

14. I've been tempted to put Charity on formula so that Brad and I can split the task of feeding her at night.

15. I've been tempted to start her on solids already just so she (and I) can sleep longer at night

16. I don't always wear matching clothes at home because they usually get covered in drool, boogers, and....other stuff...anyways.

17. My hair is always styled the same-in a ponytail or messy bun-so it doesn't get yanked on.

18. I'm thankful for soothers and swings.

19. I enjoy going places just so that Charity can stay occupied when I've run out of ideas.

20. I haven't attended to our gardens since Charity was born.

21. Sometimes I'll tickle Charity for 15 min. straight so I can hear her laugh.

and...

22. Sometimes I pick her up when she is sleeping and risk waking her up just so I can hold my baby.

picture taken by Auntie Omi

Our 3-Month Old Baby

Charity is not a wee little baby anymore. She's a rapidly growing, energetic, 16 lb. girl who makes mommy's and daddy's hearts swell with love towards her.

Charity has reached many milestones in her short life. Her list of accomplishments include being able to sleep at night for 8 hour stretches (okay, so maybe this doesn't happen every night. But she is able to do it- the question is, "Does she want to?").

Charity can talk too- not a language I can understand though. She makes a variety of noises ranging from sounds similar to "ah-goo," "goo", and "coo" to razzing with her lips. We love it when she talks to us. She's most chatty after a good long feed. Mommy usually spends a good half-hour after every feed conversing with Charity.

Another sound Charity makes is actually her latest accomplishment. Just this last week she started to giggle! And now all mommy and daddy want to do is blow on her skin, tickle her tummy, and make buzzing noises with our lips. Apparently these things are hysterical and we'd do anything-including making embarrassing noises and expressions-just to hear her laugh.

Like all babies, crying is another noise Charity utters on a regular basis. She's usually pretty good, but once in a while she can throw a real temper. Last week Charity's daddy gave her a "time out" and let her scream in the crib because mommy was at her wit's end. We're wondering when they're old enough to know better. At what age did you start disciplining your kids?

Some other things Charity can do: suck on her fingers, roll over (one way-from stomach to back), stare at ceiling fans or the fishies on Grandma's mobile, push herself up when she's on her hands and knees, support her head, "walk" around the living room when somebody's holding her hands, clasp her hands together, drool, burp, poop...okay now I'm getting desperate....

It really is amazing how fast babies grow. I see other newborns and can hardly remember when Charity was that small. Moms, enjoy your kids-they grow up so quickly. I've only been a mom for three months, but that's been long enough to figure this one out.

100 reasons -Reason No. 3

I admire my husband for being so handy. And although he'd be quick to deny that he's skillful, it really is true. In fact, just last night he fixed a broken drawer in the kitchen. I've made a short list of some of the many improvements my handsome fixer-upper has done to our home. Among them:

-installing our bathroom sink

-ripping out our old bathroom counter top and replacing it

-fixing our broken kitchen drawer

-hanging pictures on the studs (something I'm not very good at :)

-assembling furniture

-mowing the grass

-replacing hardware

-hanging cupboard doors

-washing our windows

-scrubbing floors

-pruning bushes

-cutting down our snowball tree

-trimming

-creating our front steps

-changing light bulbs

-spraying weeds

-cleaning/ organizing the garage

There are so many other ways Brad helps around the house. Even greater than his ability to do these things, is the joy with which he does them. He loves being able to help out; it makes his day being able to do something for me that I couldn't have done. I'm so grateful for his attitude. I never have to "nag." Usually the first thing I can do is say "thank-you"-he sees what needs to be done and does it before I can even ask him! Thanks, honey. :)

Pink Hat

These pictures are taken by my brother-Charity's Uncle Wes.

You can see more of his photography here.

The Pink Hat is from Auntie Omi.

yawning or singing?

:P

huh?

100 reasons -Reason No.2

I had to laugh when I read Meagan's post about her Brad being handy in the kitchen-it must be a Brad thing :) Although I can't say my Brad has made the same plethora of tasty treats that hers has. :)

Anyways, another reason Brad is so lovable is because he makes the BEST grilled cheese! Not a word of a lie. If you haven't tried his specialty, you're missing out. This is not just any ordinary grilled cheese-in fact it'll probably become famous one day. It's sooo good! No matter how many times I've tried to duplicate it, I can't quite get it to taste the same. The ingredients are basic: bread, butter, cheese, and ketchup of course. I've grilled them on our panini (sp?) grill just like he does, but to no avail.

I think his secret must be the amount of love he throws in there when he's making them for me. I've asked him just how much, so I could do the same. But the master grilled cheese maker says it's an immeasurable amount. I guess he'll always be the master grilled cheese maker in this house. And to be honest, I don't even mind.

Thanks Grandma! Love, Charity

I love my Grandma's swing :)

100 reasons -Reason No.1

I realized today that in all the excitement that a new baby brings, Charity has taken up most of the news posted on this blog since her birth! And while I love sharing her milestones with both pictures and words, I'd like to take this moment to share about someone else who's been "hiding behind the scenes."

There's lots of reasons I think he's worthy of mentioning. In fact, he's worth a whole lot more than that to me. There's so much I could tell you about Brad. That's why, just like with Charity, I've put a label on my sidebar just for him. :) This post is just one reason why I love him to pieces.

He is the spiritual leader of our family. And he does his job well. Brad is very faithful in making time with God not only a regular activity in our home, but devotions have also become very stimulating and encouraging as he brings much wisdom and insight in explaining and expounding the Scriptures. He has a knack for asking engaging questions that really make us think. He also has a deep determination to memorize Scripture and encourages me to "press on" when I complain that I'm too busy with a baby around. He helps me out with this by writing out our memory verses on sticky notes and posting them by the cereal bowl he sets out for me every morning before he goes to work. He posts them on the fridge too-that way I can read over it when I walk past several times a day.

Brad also has a passion for spiritual unity. He doesn't like getting bent out of shape over trivial issues that often cause unnecessary division in Churches. Like Bible translations for instance, or praying with "Thee and Thou" vs. "You and Your." I grew up praying to God using the pronouns "you and your." And for most of his adult life, Brad has done the same-still believing that this is a perfectly appropriate way to address God. We don't think the Bible specifies using a special language when addressing God. But recently, Brad demonstrated just exactly how strongly he desires peace and unity among the brethren when he brought up the issue of pronoun usage and made the hard choice of going back to the "old language"- Thee and Thou. Not because he believes it's holier or better to address God in this way, but because he has a vision to raise our children ( if the Lord chooses to bless us with more) in a home where Daddy does not come across as the "big authority figure who's got it all figured out." Instead, he wants them to respect what the Church holds to in this regard instead of becoming just another critical person.

To be honest, I can't say that this was a super easy thing for me be submissive to as Brad's wife. I had never in my life prayed with "Thee and Thou," and I'm not particularly good at remembering either. But I've got to say, I really admire Brad's stand. I praise the Lord for blessing me with a husband who is firmly convicted of doing what he believes is the right thing, no matter how difficult.

I'm thankful for other ways that Brad is the spiritual leader in our home as well. I could spend hours writing of his leadership in our decision to homeschool-Lord willing, his involvement in several different Church functions, bible studies, Word & Deed, his job, and in his duty towards his family as a husband and father. But time escapes me and my hungry daughter is calling my name. May God give me the grace to fulfill my duties to Charity as her mother with the same love her Daddy fulfills his.

5 Things we love about our little girl....

1. We love her hair. And apparently so does everyone else. :) Charity's head of thick, soft, black hair has been touched by so many people! We love it when it flips out at the bottom after her bath, when it dries big and fluffy, when it won't lay flat, when she has bed-head, and when her cow licks can't be tamed.

2. We love her smiles. Lately she's been full of them. We love being bombarded with them after she's finished feeding. Charity's a very happy girl when her tummy's full. I love the way her chin doubles, her cheeks get big and squishy and her dimples appear when she smiles.

3. We love her noises. Most of them anyways. When she talks to us, she makes noises that sound similar to "a-goo," and "a-coo." She probably won't be very happy with me for writing this when she's older, but my favorite sound is the one she makes when she pees herself! Apparently this must feel really funny because she bursts out with the giggles. :)

4. We love her sleeping schedule. (Most of the time-sometimes she like to throw us for a loop). She's usually only up once at night and sometimes even sleeps from 10:00-6:00! And once in a while she'll have a nice long nap during the day that enables mommy to get lots of work done!

5. We love her eyes. Big, blue, saucers, alert, trouble, gorgeous-Charity has received all sorts of comments about her eyes. They certainly are beautiful! We love it when she looks back into our eyes although it's sometimes a struggle to grab her attention seeing as everything around us seems to be more interesting to our wide-eyed girl than we are. :)

*POP*....

...goes her eyeballs.

Charity at 6 weeks

Of course I can't just leave you without a picture of Charity. :) Here are some recent ones...

The loves of my life: Charity and her daddy <3

Her hair is still as big as ever. She hasn't lost any yet-it's just growing longer and longer! No, we don't fertilize her head with Miracle Grow.

This is what is looks like after she has a bath. :)

All ready for Church in her Sunday hat...

and her plug.

Charity is starting to coo, laugh and give us tons of smiles lately. We love it!(An I LOVE that she has Brad's dimples!) At 7 weeks and 12 1/2 lbs, she's not a wee little baby anymore. But we're enjoying the fact that she's usually only up once at night now. :)

Cards

I've been in the mood for card making lately, but since I don't have a lot of card-making supplies, I've come up with a new style; it's called recycling! :) I have one stamp (congratulations), a few stickers, black ink and a fair bit of paper. Using these basic items and a ton of odds and ends around the house, this is what I've come up with (I'll post more later).

Flower:from an old calendar. Striped paper: from a used card. Twine: from the garden tool shed-I use it to keep my clematis upright!

Printed paper: scraps-I sanded the edges to give it 'texture.' I dabbed a cotton ball in black ink and rubbed the sides of the red paper to age it. Using my Oma's old sewing machine, I stitched through the top to add further interest. The ribbon is left over bridesmaid dress trim.

The 'Congratulations' on the orange paper was pre-stamped for me! :) I cut it out of a card Meagan had made for Charity's shower. I stitched holes through the sides and attached it to dark blue scrap paper and sanded the edges. The flower was made using two stickers, attaching them to the dark blue paper, cutting them out, sanding the edges and adhering it to the card with a brad. Light Blue paper: ripped. Orange paper: sanded. Twine: from the garden shed.

The duck on this card is from another used card, the buttons were found in my Oma's old sewing box. The ribbon and paper are scraps.

This is so much fun! I love seeing what I can come up with when there's not much 'new stuff' to work with. (however, I wouldn't object to a light box, heat embosser, paper cutter, stamps, colored ink pads, chalk, eyelet tools, stickers, ribbon, chipboard...haha!) My favorite ones have yet to be posted, but Blogger only let's me do 4-5 at a time. :( I'll be back.

Charity Update

So...I'm totally behind on posting pictures of our little girl. But you probably already guessed that. :) Here are some recentish ones in no particular order....

Charity at 2 weeks old. Sitting pretty in her the dress that Auntie Est brought back for her all the way from Bali!

Like all babies, Charity LOVES to stare at the light-makes for some really good pictures! Although Brad and I kind of think that any picture of her is pretty cute :)

Our friend Sarah has given me bags FULL of adorable baby girl clothes and I love dressing up our little dolly. Here she is in her Sunday outfit from Sarah. (She also was wearing little purple sandals that matched her shirt-so cute!)

Charity has a really bad habit of yanking on her hair. She'll grab a fistful and bawl her eyes out from the pain. And if I try to undo her fingers, she clenches her fist even tighter! Poor girl-I'm surprised she hasn't managed to pull it out yet. Brad snapped this picture when he heard her wailing-we knew what was going on-she does this all the time. :S

I know this picture's a month old already, but I love it. Here's Uncle Wes (my brother) and his new niece.

There's lots more, but I'll save up for another day :)

....I think.....

...we should have named her "Harriette" (Hairy-ette)....

I love my little dolly :)

.....yawn..... :)

Special Photo :)

I melted when I saw this special photo my mom sent me. Here is my Opa Pikkert holding his first great-grandchild: Charity Sofia at just six days old. She was totally content in his arms and enjoyed having Great Opa coo away to her :)

Pictures like this really make me miss my Oma. I can just hear her saying, "Now, vat a little dotcha." I have NO idea how to spell Dutch correctly but I think that's what it would have sounded like :) It's our prayer that Charity and her Great Oma can meet some day.

1 week old

More Pictures :)

See my little toes? Mommy says that they look like auntie Omi's.

Sleeping Beauty

I love sleeping on Daddy's chest :)

Pictures of our little princess

Photo courtesy: auntie Omi :)

Charity Sofia

Good Morning Everyone!

We are so thrilled to announce the birth of our first child: a healthy baby girl named Charity Sofia (Charity = Christian love; Sofia = Wisdom). She was born at 2:49 this morning and weighed a whopping 9 lbs, 10 oz. She's also quite tall: 21 inches. She's absolutely beautiful and boasts a head of thick black hair. :)

Praise the Lord for His great love towards us in granting us this precious gift and allowing the birth to go so smoothly without any complications (Even though she decided to poop inside and came out with her elbow around her head).

Pictures to follow. :)

Thank you all for your prayers and love.