No, I'm not under a rock

Thank God the weather in these parts is warming up! After my 13th consecutive winter in this country, I was seriously fighting depression the last couple months. Even now, I feel like I'm still "recovering" from something. The kids find it hard to believe that we can now go out without piling jackets on (for the most part). Kenny asks each time we go out, "Can I go out right away?!" They walk to the store and buy ice cream, ride bikes and roller blade everywhere. I'm just trying not to think about next winter.

Right now, Hetee and I are in the middle of teaching a parenting course. It's going great! It's called Miracle Parenting and it was written by Phil and Cynthis Phillips. We have never met them personally, but once, while traveling in the US, Hetee and I met Phil's parents, Syvelle and Lovie Phillips. Nate was just a baby and they gave us the entire course- books and DVD and asked us to teach it to the Mongolian people. It has been a big help not only to our family but to many others as well.

I'd like to thank so many of you for continuing to check my blog even though I haven't been very good about updating it. Many of you have left comments or written emails to encourage me and I appreciate each and every note I have received. Most of you know this has been a busy time for me. I have been fighting exhaustion. But, like I said above, with winter over I feel that I am getting stronger. God's Word is true. He is good. And I am finding that all out yet again.

More to come!

Cupcakes, Dahling!

Abi and I thought it would be fun to have all her guests decorate their own cupcakes. Our friend, Lydia was kind enough to send us some decorating supplies- sprinkles and decorative frosting, etc. The kids really enjoyed themselves!

We all sipped tea and spoke with funny Brittish accents because that's what little girls do when they sip tea.

Thanks again, Lydia for making Abi's day extra special and memorable for all of us!

Happy Birthday, Abigail!

Abi turned 7 yesterday! She wanted a rainbow cake. It seemed pretty simple to make but since I had never made one before I was a bit nervous about how it would turn out. Happy to say that not only was it super easy to make but it was alot of fun, too. If you have young children you HAVE to give this cake a try!

We had a lot of help!

Happy Birthday, my princess!

We had a cupcake decorating party where Abi's guests all decorated their own cupcakes to take with them. I will post those pictures next. Stay tuned! But do refresh your browser, lol...

~What's been making me smile~

• Talking to my friends in Tokyo and finding out that they and others we know there are fine. Whew!
• Playing mad libs with NATE and giggling like crazy. Who knew grammar could be so fun?!
• Mud! The snow is melting and I never thought I'd be so happy to see MUD.
• I found *Smarties* at a store in town today!!! (Apollo, for you locals) Yum! The taste reminds me of America and Bellina's and Maw Maw Teta. Now if I could just find those fudgesicles she used to get. =)
• A lovely lunch date with my husband today and being out and about with him in the warm sun.
• We can find whole wheat in Darkhan now! So we've been enjoying pancakes and tortillas and bread all made with wholewheat flour. Yum!
• Lydia, the care package queen, makes us feel so loved with her thoughtfulness. She is always making us smile with her loving and generous care packages.
• Chat times with my buddy, Sara.
• My new sewing machine, although I have yet to actually set it up and sew something. Soon!
• Eva is talking so much in both Mongolian and English and is by far the most verbal of all my babies. She really keeps us entertained!

Happy Women's Day!

I guess the best way to resume blogging is to pick up right where I left off. I feel like it's been years and not months since I last signed in to blogger. I'm sure you all wonder what I do with all my free time, right? Ha!

Yesterday I was invited by a fellow teacher to share about parenting and motherhood to a group of women at the school where I teach English. Of about 600 mothers of students, 30 were chosen to be honored and I and the school librarian, a Christian German lady were asked to speak.

The women at this meeting were of various ages and all walks of life. I was very blessed and felt honored that they had asked me to speak about what it meant to me to be a mother.

The coordinator spoke first. She told us of her mother who gave her urine to drink (her mother's urine) every day as a child and she now attributes her health to this practice. She went on to say that her life long good luck was a gift from Buddha. She even brought the little Buddha figurine that she grew up praying to to show us. Besides my German friend and myself, almost everyone else in the room was Buddhist.

Next up was Margaret, my German friend. Her 4 children were there and they had poems they had written for her that they read for everyone. The oldest daughter, 18, thanked her mother for all the sleepless nights, for nursing, mothering and caring for her. There was not a dry eye in the place and when I was called up to speak next, I was struggling to hold back the tears.

As I took the mic, I apologized for crying and explained that I had been up the night before with a feverish, teething 15 month-old. And that when Deborah, Margaret's daughter, thanked her mother for doing just that for her many years ago, it made me realize that one day before I know it, my little baby will be 18. And hopefully she'll be thanking me and thanking God for me.

I shared with the group about my mom and the hours she spent patiently and lovingly homeschooling me as a child. She shaped me and by doing so is affecting the way my children are being shaped today. My parents chose not to be average and to do things differently and I am very grateful to them for that.

I would like to leave you with 3 things I've learned since becoming a mother almost 9 years ago. It's not groundbreaking stuff, here, just a little bit of what I shared yesterday. I hope it blesses you and encourages you on your journey through motherhood.

Number 1) I learned right off the bat that if I wanted to raise godly children I would have to do the job myself. Passing my young children on to a kindergarten or day care worker would not cut it. I would have to take the time and invest in their lives.

Number 2) All children are different so accept them just the way they are and don't compare them with anyone.

And number 3) Don't be afraid to lovingly discipline and correct. So many young women in my generation are not comfortable with correcting their children. But children need the security that limits and boundaries provide. There is no way around it; we MUST set limits and teach obedience.

I could go on and on about this topic and I have already been invited to share on this with a group of Christian women at a local church tomorrow. I'd appreciate your prayers.

One final thought... as I was sitting in the auditorium yesterday, awaiting my turn to speak, I yawned a few times and felt annoyed at myself. Seems like all I do lately is yawn since I'm up a lot at night, nursing Eva, etc. Then I noticed a weird looking stain on my jeans...a stain from supper the night before, mashed potatoes, to be exact. Normally, something like this would have made me upset, or peeved at myself at the very least. But it was at that time that Deborah, Margaret's 18 year-old beautiful soft spoken "Baby"'s words cut through the air and made their way deep into my heart. At that very moment I let go of the feeling of trying to keep it all together.

I was lucky yesterday to hear those words. It was like getting a glimpse of my future should I stay on this path and follow my convictions and the example of my mom and other great mothers. What a women's day gift. =)