Easter Pics

Not a Picky Eater!

True to both parents, Walton loves to eat, and is not a picky eater. We have yet to discover a food that he doesn't like! He has tried some of my Thai food, Indian food (loves curry!), steak and asparagus. He makes a meal out of Italian bread, cheese and olives. Soups and pancakes, eggs and paninis - so far, he chomps them all! A recently acquired fav food? Fresh orange slices!

We're Doing Ok

We really are! As most of you know, a little over a week ago we found out that I had miscarried. It was a hard day. Walking into the hospital thinking that we were pregnant, and walking out knowing that we were not. Looking at that ultrasound sceen and not seeing a little one moving like we had hoped we would see. Oh, that hurt. Last Sunday was difficult too, because we had to tell everyone at church that we had lost the baby. But, as emotionally draining as that day was, there was healing in sharing the news with people, healing in the telling of it. So, it's been about a week and a half since the miscarriage, and we're doing ok. Of course, we're still sad about it, and I'll have a good cry about it every now and then, but we're not discouraged, depressed or despairing. One of the hardest things has just been having to change my thinking. I'll catch myself thinking about how to decorate the nursery for Walton and the new baby, and then realize that I won't have to do that now. And, of course, the simple fact that what we were looking forward to in October isn't going to be happening now. It is amazing how many women have gone through this, and it has certainly helped me to be able to empathize with others, and to know how to pray about this issue. One of our friends (thanks, Chad!) reminded us of this verse in Romans 8, verse 18, "For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us." Paul doesn't minimize what we are going through, but just reminds us that the glory to be revealed will be so much more amazing than our grief. Hallelujah for that! Thanks so much for your continued prayers!

Still Doesn't Feel Like Home....

Ok, I know that it takes a while, and it hasn't even been a year yet, but it just surprises me sometimes at how it still doesn't feel like home here in NY. Don't get me wrong, it's familiar now. I know streets and directions and recognize landmarks. I can match faces with names, and am no longer the "new person". My books all have a place, and familiy pictures decorate our walls. But it just doesn't feel like home. There's no sigh of contentment when, after being gone somewhere, I walk back into our place. I live here, but there is no emotion connected with it. How different from our place in Dallas. I can close my eyes, and retrace every detail of that house, see it in my mind as clearly as if I am looking at it right now. I can see the fresh green of our little bedroom, and the way the ivy vines framed the windows, and how beautiful it was to wake up with the sun beaming through them, and to hear the birds singing in the trees outside. I loved the warm brown walls in the study lined with books, and the secret nook in the center for Bill's desk. I can almost feel the wooden bench on the deck in the backyard, where I spent countless hours reading or napping, or sitting and finding stars at night, peeking through the branches of the giant pecan trees. I can even hear in my mind the sound of the garage door opening when our neighbor went to get his Harley for a Saturday morning ride. That is still home to me. I miss it. Right now, I miss it a lot. I miss Dallas. I miss sweet friends. I miss warmer weather and sunshine. I miss walking by the lake with Bill. I miss getting coffee and strolling through the Arboretum. I miss all the different ethnic restaurants so easily at hand. I miss our old neighborhood, and discussing with Bill about which house we would live in if we could. I miss leaning across the fence and talking with our neighbors, and having a bite of the delicious something she just took out of the oven. I miss sampling all the fresh produce at the Farmer's Market and feeling like I'm in a different country. I even miss some of my students from school! I know that it was time for us to move on, and I really do feel like the Lord has a plan for us here in NY, so I'm not regretting that we came here, or even wishing that I could go back. I'm just saying....that I miss it,.... and I miss the feeling of home. And I don't know why it doesn't feel more like it here yet.

Open window day!

Though today started out glum and grey, the sun broke through the clouds later in the morning, bringing with it lovely weather. It was so sunny and warm, and being the way I am about fresh air, I thought this a perfect opportunity to "air out" the house. I opened the window in Walton's room, one in our bedroom, the one in the study, and two in the living room. Fresh. Crisp. Clean. The breeze circulated throughout the house and soon the stuffy, stale feel was gone. It felt good to breathe in our house. Hooray for open windows, and weather nice enough for open windows!

I just checked the forecast for this week, and happened to notice today's high: 34 degrees. Funny how things work out: in TX I would have turned up the heat and added another layer; in NY, I open the windows. Guess it's all relative.

January Pictures

A contemplative moment. Helping to Clean Up.

Aboard the Dragon Ship at the Museum of Play.

Astride Mother Goose at the Museum of Play.

A Taste for Books

Bill and I, being the book-lovers that we are, are thrilled to see that Walton is developing a "taste" for books at an early age. He now pulls himself to the bookshelf and takes out a book of his choice. Some of his recent picks: By Paddle Wheel and Pack Train, James Herriot's Dog Stories, Dearest Dorothy Are We There Yet, and Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette.

House-Hunting, Crawling Out of Diapers, and Tanning Beds

Yes, we are actually looking for a house. Funny thing about living in New York compared to Dallas: in Dallas, it was by far cheaper to rent an apartment than to buy a house. You could rent something pretty nice, too. Not so, here. There are very few nice places to rent, and it is not cheap! Although our place is working for now, we have discovered that it is actually equal to or less to buy a house, and would be a wiser use of our money. So, we are on the hunt. We don't have to move out of here until June 1, so we have time to look around and consider. It is a big undertaking, though, so please pray for us as we look for a place. It is both exciting and frustrating at the same time.

Walton is almost nine months old, and he is such fun right now. He isn't crawling on his knees yet, but is extremely mobile using the 'soldier crawl', pulling himself toward, over and into anything that catches his interest. Which is usually something that shouldn't! He's keeping us busy, and Bill and I are endlessly entertained by his antics and his personality! Earlier this morning I put him in an empty diaper box, as the pic shows, and he loved it! And speaking of diapers, we have to keep an eye on him if that is all he is wearing. Since he pulls himself along the carpet, the tabs of his diaper often get snagged on it, and he will completely drag himself out of his diaper! I have developed a soft spot for baby toshies, however, so I always enjoy the little peek! :)

I am missing the sun. I can take lots of snow (which we have), and I can take lots of cold (which we also have). I do not do well, though, with lots of sunless days (which we have experienced many of). I like the sun. I like the cheery way it waves through the windows and the warmth of its rays on my face. I like the way it makes my cheeks rosy so I don't look like a vampire. In short, I like sun. So, a few days ago, I was telling Bill that although I have never considered a tanning bed before, it is beginning to tempt me now. The thought of having a few minutes of sun - however fake - and warmth on my body sounds so inviting! If the next time you see me I am a burnished copper color, you'll know what happened!

And lastly, a little eye candy :)


Baby in a box

With a few tries, Walton can hold his own bottle

The boy in the Alaska pajamas ....

..or at least the pants!

Walton likes to play with the curtain - it must make him feel mysterious!

Holidays '08

Let it Snow......

We have gotten tons of snow, lately! It is so deep that we have to dig the cars out, and the dogs make tunnels when we take them outside. Drifts have piled up that are at least as tall as I am. And it's not stopping. Truthfully, it is quite lovely, though, and we are really enjoying it. Definitely looks like a winter wonderland. We've gone sledding and taken walks in the snow. I especially love it at night, looking out the window and seeing a blanket of white, glittering with diamonds. The world has a softer, gentler feel under a layer of snow. It kind of glows, too. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Walton and Uncle Sam

Samuel Walton Minatra and Walton William Bambach - two of my favorite fellas. We love you Uncle Sam!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! This is such a special time of year as we remember all that the Lord has blessed us with, "blessing piled upon blessing". For the first time since Bill and I have been married, we were able to spend Thanksgiving with his family in Michigan. Every year past, Bill had to work the day after, so we weren't able to go anywhere for the holiday. We had a great time. We celebrated Christmas early with them, which was especially fun as we watched Walton "open" his gifts. We did a little shopping, some sledding, and got together with some of Bill's friends. Bill went to a hockey game with his Dad, and had great seats. We had an unexpected blessing this year, and I am so grateful that the Lord worked it out for us. My dear cousin, Sam, lives in AK and works in Canada, so it is not often that we get to see him. However, he is dating Amanda, who happens to live in MI, about an hour from Bill's parents, and was visiting her for Thanksgiving. We were able to meet for lunch that Friday, and what a treat that was! It was so good to see my cousin, and to meet his sweet girlfriend! It was the first time that Sam had met Walton, too, which was very special. The time with them really blessed my heart. We returned to NY Saturday, and Sunday we went and got our Christmas tree. Every year in TX we went to the same Christmas tree farm to cut down our tree. It was something that we looked forward to each year. We wondered if we would find a farm here in NY that we would like as much, since that is one of our favorite traditions. Thankfully, we found a very neat tree farm about 40 minutes from our house. It had a great selection of trees, and lots of extras for Walton to look at. The only downside was that the lovely light snow we had that morning turned to freezing rain by the time we got to the farm - brrrr!! But, we still enjoyed it and picked out our tree in record time! :) And now we welcome in the Christmas season!

Lumberjack Bill cutting down the Christmas tree

Special time with Sam and Amanda

At Bronner's Christmas Store: checking out the reindeer with Daddy

Walton examining his stocking

The Bambach family after Thanksgiving Dinner

Smog the Dragon: Halloween '08

October Snow

Bill and I were reminded yesterday that we no longer live in Texas when we got a light snow. It didn't stick, of course, but still...snow...in October. I am looking forward to a white winter, but I admit that I am not quite ready for that yet! The sun is out today, and it is a crisp Fall day, but the weather is getting cooler. In preparation for this, I wrote on our grocery list yesterday, "HOT COCOA" :).

A Crying Kind of Day

Today has been a crying kind of day for me. Ever have one of those? There is nothing really wrong with me, but off and on throughout the day, I've cried about different things. I have just felt overwhelmed today with all the grief touching those I know and love. At the church we used to go to, three little girls lost their father to a brain tumor. An amazing lady at our church just brought her father home from the hospital to die with his family. Another lost her spouse unexpectedly when a routine procedure found a rare disease; she couldn't even touch him to say goodbye. A friend of ours here in NY lost his mom a few years ago, and then his dad just died in June. And a friend of my sister, a neat, godly young man, lost the battle with brain cancer Sunday morning. And there are lots more that I could list. I admit, sometimes I just want to pound my fists against the Lord's chest like a little child and cry, "No! No! This isn't right. It isn't supposed to be like this!" As I cried that today, I had the sudden realization that, no, it ISN'T supposed to be like this. We weren't created for death, and, thanks be to God, death is simply a stepping stone for us into eternal life. I thought of the verse about the Lord "making all things new". Then, with tears flowing harder, I raised my eyes to the rain-filled grey clouds and cried with new urgency, "Please come quickly, Lord Jesus. Oh, come quickly!".
And so, as I continue to cry throughout this crying kind of day, I just whisper again, "Oh, come quickly!"
Amen and amen.

Random Oct. Pics

A New York Fall

It is officially Fall in New York, and it is as lovely as we had heard it would be. After spending five years in Texas, it is nice to be back to the four distinct seasons. Though we have had quite a bit of rain lately, the weather overall has been gorgeous - in the 70s with crisp wind and sunshine. We have taken lots of walks, gone apple picking, and the leaves are really starting to put on a color show now. Supposedly the peak time for Fall color is mid-October, so I will try to post some pics of that when it comes. Last but not least, I've had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte, to ring in the season! The view from our back windows on a rainy day. This picture doesn't do it justice, as the reds and yellows are really beautiful.

A hike through Watkins Glen Gorge. This place feels like being in Rivendell, for you LOTR fans!

Pumpkin candles and a puzzle make for a cozy Fall evening.

Dressed for a blustery day.

Apple picking - this orchard is so gorgeous and only about five minutes from our house. Great apple cider, too!

Beautiful Fall colors!

Are we presenting an "Un-Christian" view of our Christianity?

About a month ago, the senior pastor at our church introduced this book to us, and Bill and I both started reading it. It was so compelling, I finished it in a few days. Now, there are not many books that I would say "everybody has to read", but I think this is one of those books. I would go so far as to suggest that if you really want to be a relevant Christian - and impact today's culture - you need to read it. (Now, if you don't read it, I'm not going to think that you are lax in your faith - I just think it is a provocative book). Based on studies done by the Barna Group, the author, David Kinnaman, addresses the six major perceptions that our culture has of Christians. To pique your interest, the research showed that the majority of people considered Christians to be:

1) Hypocritical

2) Only interested in "getting people saved"

3) Anti homosexual

4) Sheltered

5) Too political

6) Judgmental

Now, you can agree or not agree with his suggestions on how to address these perceptions, but you can't argue with the statistics. Which is why I think it is so beneficial to read this book. If we say we are Christian, then for many people, the aforementioned six subjects are what they believe our faith to be. Personally, I found this book to be convicting and challenging! Pick it up - and then let me know what you think!