Here is a quick picture update of our life and happenings since we moved to Philly. If you would like to read about our life since we moved to Philly, check out the previous post…there are also some pictures of Jane’s first birthday party at the end of it.
Let’s start with our trip to Texas for Dalton’s wedding. It is always so good to see the Rogers.
Lots of family and lots of kiddos. We love Oma and Opa!
Luke’s big boy cowboy boots! Adorable!!
Grampa and Luke.
The post-reception-clean-up dance party!
We went to Gruene for an afternoon/evening…I could have spent much longer in that little town!
Grammy and Jane
We also had my mom, dad, and brother in town to celebrate Jane’s birthday. Time with family has been especially comforting, seeing as our social circle has shrunk considerably since the move. It was fun to explore Philly with the Rekerdres!
We found a legit Texas BBQ restaurant in Philly…Dad and David approved.
cheers.
nice.
…about as close as we can get to Jane eating vegetables at the moment.
My brother is a sweetheart.
So is my dad.
G-pa and Mum Gu
My mum loves being a grandmother.
And, a few pictures of life in Philly.
We went to the park.
Checking her blind spot.
We visited another Acts 29 church plant in New Jersey, and drove by Princeton University on the way.
I have completely abandoned trying to play catch-up on my blog.
So, Jane is now a year, and she is wonderful. Also, we have moved to Philadelphia, and (while there is still a lot of adjusting to do) it is pretty wonderful too.
We will start with Jane. She is crawling and cruising everywhere, and I am trying to make sure she doesn’t seriously injure herself with her latest discovery. Speaking of latest discoveries, here are a few:
-Ascending and descending stairs. The house in which we have been staying since we moved has several staircases. Jane is much better at ascending than descending…so she keeps me on my toes!
-A plethora of new food. Her favorites are strawberries, grapes, peaches, pancakes, eggs, applesauce, yogurt, and graham crackers. Her eyes also lit up when I gave a piece of chocolate chip cookie the other day…that’s my girl.
- Cats. The couple we are staying with have a cat. Jane would chase him to the ends of the earth…and then poke him in the face. So far, the cat has been abundantly patient, but I am trying to limit their engagement.
-Her Teddy. Jane’s first word, besides “Mama” and “Dada” was “Teddin.” Absolutely adorable!! When she sees her teddy, she cries, “Teddin!” in a high-pitched, cutie-patootie voice, then crawls over and tackles him.
-Giving kisses. Dad and Mom enjoy her kisses, and so do her favorite story characters, and Teddin, of course.
-Talking. I am not at all surprised that a baby girl of mine is talkative..at all. So far, amidst the copious jibber-jabber, she is saying Mom, Dada, Teddin, no, oh no, wow, okay, hi, amen, kitty, and meow. I think that is it. She likes to take any object and put it up to her ear and say, “Hi!” like she is talking on the phone. So cute!
I will (hopefully) update more, as she seems to be learning new skills everyday! She really is such a sweetheart, and we are so thankful for her. I am praying all of the time for wisdom as she grows more independent and willful. You all can pray for me too, okay?
Now for the Philly transition. We moved here August 1st, and have been staying with a newly married couple that have a house in the suburbs. We are overwhelmingly blessed to be staying here. I mean overwhelmed. We have been staying here two months, and they irrationally generous and gracious. They have shown us hospitality that images so beautifully what we are called to do as Christians. My heart fills with joy and thankfulness when I think about how God has provided for us through their generous hearts.
Also, Brandon has a job!! God has been faithful…so faithful in His care and provision for us. Brandon really enjoys his job. I mean, he loves who he works for, he enjoys his coworkers, and he is thankful that he can support our family. We are in the process of looking for a place to live, and that is something that you can all be in prayer about for us. It has been an unexpectedly tedious process, but I do believe that God will continue to provide for us (has he ever failed us?!…no.).
So, the transition continues, and we will try to keep you updated. We have been meeting weekly with the other families that have moved here with us, and we have a couple of local additions, which is great! I feel like life is beginning to take shape a bit, which makes me feel less crazy, and I am beginning to feel some sense of community here…which is so good for my heart.
Now, I could end this here and make you all think that I am stellar, and so faithful and sinless…but I would be a big liar. This move and transition process has brought more sin to the surface than I knew was in me…which in itself is kind of amazing. I had no idea the amount of idolatry in my heart, the discontent, the envy, the bitterness, the faithlessness, the anxiety, the anger…I mean, I could keep going. The Lord has been using some relatively difficult situations to expose loads of sin in my life…and that is depressing and irritating and embarrassing. But it is good. And I am so thankful that God relentlessly pursues me and doesn’t let sin settle. He is still working on me. I am still wrestling with selfishness and discontent. I am still acting like a child pretty often…which is pretty ridiculous. However, I am thankful that God faithfully brings me to the end of my strivings and leads me to repentance. And, I am thankful that Brandon has been given a lot of patience to deal with some of my craziness. He is a good man, and I love him.
On a much happier note, let’s end with some pictures of Jane’s first birthday.
While I wanted it to look like something out of a Martha Stewart magazine…we just couldn’t afford it. <Insert, “Bethan throws several tantrums”> So, after some sit down talks with Brandon and a lot of prayer and repentance, we decided to do a pancake birthday party. And, I can honestly say that I had a really wonderful time planning and throwing the party for our little girl!!
The Happy-Face-Birthday-Pancake
Jane loved the whipped cream.
My non-functional pinwheel center piece.
The pancake buffet. Brandon made a bunch of pancakes, and then we had strawberries, blueberries, bananas, caramelized peaches, and chocolate chips to top it…and of course, syrup and whipped cream.
She was a fan.
Birthday banner!
The guys.
Precious Oliver.
The family, and Jane’s first birthday onesie!…complete with a few strawberry stains!
And, while I would like to give a lengthy and thorough defense and apology…I just don’t have time! So, here is a recap of what has been happening in our lives since Jane was five months. I’ll make this post cover her sixth and seventh months.
Let’s begin in March. Jane turned half a year old. She cut her two bottom teeth (adorable!), she mastered sitting up, started some solid veggies and fruits, and had a visit from her Mumgu and Aunt Patty. My mum did so well sharing her with Patty, and Jane loved the copious cuddles.
She also started her quest towards mobility by launching herself onto all fours! Here are some videos:
Jane doing the “floppy legs”
First solid food experience…sweet potatoes
Mumgu and Aunt Patty reading to her from the Big Picture Story Bible.
Disclaimer: This vidoe is over three minutes…brace yourself.
Also, Aunt Patty taught her how to click her tongue…so cute!
As far as solid foods go, here’s the run down of her favorites:
sweet potatoes
butternut squash
peas
applesauce
bananas
On to month seven.
April was quite busy, in a wonderful way. We had family in town almost every week! To start the month, Jane’s Auntie Gwen came in from New York. We had so much fun, the weather was wonderful, and we were able to celebrate Easter with her!
Jane, having eaten avocado.
A picnic at Cherokee park.
Jane with Auntie Gwen.
In her Easter outfit that Alex gave her…I have been waiting and waiting for her to be able to wear this. Hooray!
Next, Uncle Bret, Auntie Rachel, and cousin Luke came to visit. It was such a great time, and Luke and Jane played so well together!
Bret, Rachel, and Luke
the kiddos
The brothers
The sisters (in-law)…there was a more composed picture of us, but I liked this one better!
Just after Bret and Rachel left, we had my cousins from England, Paul and Ruth, stay with us. Paul is a pastor in England, and they were attending a conference in Louisville. They were stranded in the U.S. when a volcano in Iceland erupted and covered northern Europe with a cloud of ash. Amazing and ridiculous at the same time. We had such a wonderful time with my cousins, baking, chatting over tea, and learning about life in the ministry.
Here’s a video of Jane scooting along while they were with us.
THEN, a few days later, Grammy and Grampa came to visit! We always love our time with Allen and Kellie. We are rejuvinated when we spend time with them. And, of course, they had a good time playing with Jane! We took a few trips to Quills to get coffee, and we took a day trip to a Shaker village…very interesting. Here’s a few pictures of their time with us.
As far as Jane’s development is concerned:
She progressed from all fours to ‘scooting’ forwards and backwards…almost there!
She tried more solid foods such as avocado, carrots, green beans, and pears
She loves to point at everything!…and usually it is with her middle finger, fantastic.
She’s chatting all the time with da-da’s, ma-ma’s, ra-ra’s, la-la’s, etc. She squeals with delight, and (sometimes) screams with frustration!
She has mastered her sitting skills, and now she happily sits on the floor and plays with toys, until they roll out of her reach.
Oh, and finally here are few pictures of her that we snagged in our down time.
probably one of my favorite pictures, ever
and this one
We finally shot a family portrait of ourselves…which was tricky with out a tripod!
Sara Groves has been a favorite musician of mine for many years. When Brandon and I were first married and in a communication stalemate, he would say, “Go listen to some Sara Groves, please.” We laugh about this now because the Lord has been gracious to grow us a lot since then; but it remains true that much of her music speaks what I am thinking…but better.
So, after some background, here are the lyrics to one of her songs that the Lord has used to produce praise in my heart. Yesterday’s sermon was on praise, and I have been mulling over my heart’s lack luster worship. Dwelling on the words of this song causes me to praise the Lord for his perfect faithfulness.
He’s Always Been Faithful
- Sara Groves
Morning by morning I wake up to find
the power and comfort of God’s hand in mine.
Season by season I watch him amazed, in
awe of the mystery of his perfect ways
CHORUS:
All I have need of his hand will provide.
He’s always been faithful to me
I can’t remember a trial or a pain he did
not recycle to bring me gain. I can’t
remember one single regret in serving
God only and trusting his hand
CHORUS
This is my anthem, this is my song, the
theme of the stories I’ve heard for so long.
God has been faithful, he will be again.
His loving compassion, it knows no end.
CHORUS
As I was listening to this song with Jane earlier, I was struck by the fact that God is only one in my entire life about whom I can say, “He’s always been faithful to me.” It took me repeating it a few times in my head to let it sink in…the only one…ever. And even when life sucks and I think, “how can God use this for my good?” (e.g. getting mastitis at least 6 times in under three months and having to stop nursing)…He does. I can look back now and thank the Lord for every bout of sickness and every heart-wrenching step because I see where He has brought me through it.
This song is a rendition ( in both lyrics and music) of the hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”…one of my favorite hymns. When we counted Jane’s age in days, and I was up with her every two hours feeding and soothing, I clung to and sung the truth of this song. Specifically, I sung over and over, “Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow.”
I read a little about the (rather intriguing) history of this song, and I discovered that Chisholm was a Kentucky native…how fitting!
Great is Thy Faithfulness
- Thomas Chisholm
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Refrain
My heart is particularly quieted by these lyrics as I look to the next few months and the massive amount of uncertainty that lies therein. I know nothing of what is ahead for us, but I do know that all I have ever needed His hand has provided.
Lamentations 3: 22-23
22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end; 23they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
It’s a flood or a famine with my blogging! But, I need to get a five month post in before March. She will be six months in a few weeks. I cannot believe it!
So here are a few pictures, and a video of her laughing. If you want to see the whole five month set, you can click on one of the pictures, and it will take you to our flickr site.
This month has been so much fun, she brings so much joy to our lives. Her favorite activity is jumping in her jumperoo. If I let her (which I don’t), she would happily jump all day. We have also been working on her sitting skills, and I think she likes her developing ability. Oh, and we have started a bit of rice cereal here and there. It’s pretty hilarious, but I think she is getting the hang of it!
Oh, and did I mention that her hair is starting to come in…fun!!
Disclaimer: This will be a long post…I have a lot of catching up to do!!
England. It was wonderful. Brandon and I are SO THANKFUL that we were able to go on such an amazing trip. Yes, the flight, the new culture and accents and spellings…they were all really neat; but for me, the cherished moments were the ones I had with all the family, both immediate and extended.
I love my family. Seriously. I know that is a gracious gift from the Lord. I really enjoy the time that I spend with them. It is incredible that I can love a family so much that I see so infrequently. I love that I can have not seen my cousins for years, and enjoy them as though we were neighbors! I just love to catch up with them!! Brandon, Jane, and I had the best time chatting with family over tea (Jane had a bottle) and playing games…SO WONDERFUL.
Okay, here’s the trip in pictures:
To begin, we flew out on Christmas eve, also my birthday. So, Brandon made me a birthday breakfast. I love him so much!
Yes, waffles with raspberries and cream…delicious. Oh, and did I mention trick candles?
As for the flight, we didn’t take any pictures, but here are some videos. Jane did a stellar job, which is a huge answer to prayer. She slept almost the entire overnight flight from New Jersey to London, and she took two monster naps on the flight back. Praise the Lord.
Once we arrived, my Mum picked us up and drove us to Gu’s (my grandmother) house in London. She turned 90 on December 6th, and it is hard to believe when you see how well she is doing. She was so excited to hold Jane and sing her songs.
After a much needed nap, and after all of the out-of-towners arrived, we drove down to Dorset where my Aunt and Uncle live. The Rekerdres, Rogers, and Wrens stayed in a cottage called Taddlestones nearby.
The cottage was adorable, and perfectly suited for our needs. Although, I don’t think it was built for tall, American men.
The village where we stayed was called Tarrant Monkton. It was adorably quaint, complete with pastures of sheep, thatch-roof cottages (like ours) and old church buildings.
We spent time together in the cottage, ate yummy English breakfasts, and played games…so much fun!!
Chris playing airplane with Jane
Delicious.
Christmas dinner
Now, there are a few English family traditions. Two of which are Donkey and Uno. We have to play these games when we are together. Donkey is a card game in which you are trying to get rid of your cards and not end up with the donkey. Whoever does loses the game and becomes a spectacle, hence the carrot. And, well, Uno is…Uno.
Dan was the donkey.
We also took several day trips around Dorset. One day we went to see the school where my uncle teaches; another day everyone went to the sea side to explore (Brandon and I stayed back so that Jane could finally get some consistent naps!). Dorset is beautiful.
Jane and her cousin Milly (she’s around two and a half months older than Jane)
Chatting at a pub
The culmination of the trip was a celebration of Gu’s 90th birthday. We had a really nice dinner at the Langton Arms pub, then came back and had cake.
Gu and her two daughters
My cousins Ben and Hannah with their niece.
Lizz, Milly’s mum, at dinner.
In memory of Tadcu, Ben and David ordered Kronenbourg 1664, my grandfather’s favorite beer.
Gotta have the fish ‘n’ chips
Gu with her birthday cake
Gu told us stories about when she was a little girl in Wales.
My mum labored over a book that recounts Gu’s family and childhood. She scanned and edited hundreds of old pictures…really neat!
Gu read us a speech that she had written. It was beautiful. I am heart-wrenchingly encouraged to see a fellow believer finish well. She is unashamed of the gospel, and you can see that it has transformed her life.
Then we played some more games. Chris lost Uno.
Oh, and how could I forget, one of the best Christmas gifts given this year: the Powerball.
And, Brandon in a telephone booth.
After several days in Dorset, Gwen, Chris, and Dad headed back to America, and the rest of us headed back to London. While in London, Mum and Gu took care of Jane during the day; and David, Brandon, and I did some sightseeing. It worked out well for everyone. Brandon and David made up fake histories about the sights, which were ridiculous…we had a blast.
Tower of London
Tower Bridge
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Buckingham Palace
David making a false history of Buckingham Palace
Big Ben
The Underground stop for Gu’s house. It is very nostalgic for me.
I have no idea what David is doing here…
One of the days we took a walk to the park where Tadcu would take us when we were little.
The last full day we were there, Rodney, a family friend, took us on a driving tour of London…he knew everything about everything…it was amazing! Later, our wonderful friends Vanessa and Will came down from Cambridge to see us. I so enjoyed the time to catch up.
Well, that is it. I am sure there is more to tell, but this post was definitely long enough. I will leave you with one of Brandon and David’s fake histories. Delightful.
Oh, and just for the record, I do not advocate cheap shots about the American Revolution…David is a silly billy.
However, today I have been contemplative. Maybe it is because Jane is sick, and I have not been out of the house much this week…maybe it is because Jane has been fussy this morning, which has thrown me once again into the realization that I am striving in my own strength and seeking my own glory…maybe it is God cleaning my heart with some elbow grease…I don’t know.
But, earlier, while I was feeding Jane, I was listening to this song, sung by Sandra McCracken:
Jesus, the Lord, My Savior
1. Jesus, the Lord, my Savior is,
My Shepherd, and my God;
My light, my strength, my joy, my bliss;
And I His grace record.
2. Whate’er I need in Jesus dwells,
And there it dwells for me;
’Tis Christ my earthen vessel fills
With treasures rich and free.
Chorus: Mercy and truth and righteousness,
And peace, most richly meet
In Jesus Christ, the King of grace,
In Whom I stand complete.
3. As through the wilderness I roam,
His mercies I’ll proclaim;
And when I safely reach my home,
I’ll still adore His name.
4. “Worthy the Lamb,” shall be my song,
“For He for me was slain;”
And me with all the heavenly throng
Shall join, and say, “Amen.” (Repeat chorus)
(Repeat verse 1)
And I kind of flashed back to when I first bought the Builder and the Architect CD… Driving around College Station, Wolf Pen Creek, Carnation Court. I decided to have my bridesmaids walk down the aisle to this song. I thought I so thoroughly understood the lyrics to this song…with the various ups and downs of college life, of engagement, of early adulthood. I loved this song.
Today, as I fed my baby girl, I listened to this song for what seemed like the first time. And I almost laughed at what I thought were trials as a 22 year old. I never could have understood what it felt like to go on an adventure with my husband or move away from family or watch my stomach stretch around our growing child or cuddle my daughter. Jesus is more of my Savior, my Shepherd, and my God today than he ever has been.
And, as I look forward to the coming months…packing up our home, saying goodbye to so many beloved friends, moving to Philly, and watching God build a new community in a new place…I know that I will look back on this morning in my armchair, feeding Jane in the quiet stillness, and I will laugh at what I thought were trials. God will have brought me through valleys and plains, and He will be more of my light, my strength, my joy, and my bliss than He ever was before.
“2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
- James 1:2-4
“3More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that sufferingproduces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
- Romans 5: 3-5
Okay….here are some pictures of our baby girl. She will be five months in a couple of days (hopefully she will have recovered from her cold by then!).
Brandon, Jane and I went down to George West, Texas to visit his family for Thanksgiving. It was our first time flying with Jane, and she was able to meet her Auntie Rachel, Uncle Bret, cousin Luke, Uncle D, Granny, Oma, and Opa! We had a restful, refreshing few days, enjoying family, friends, and God’s beautiful creation. It is one thing to enjoy nature alone, but when you are around other believers who also marvel and praise God for His creations…well, then it is really glorious.
Here are some pictures from the trip:
Jane was a champion flyer…a real answer to prayer…she did SO well!!
Grammy with Jane.
Big boy, Luke, being so sweet…he is so precious!
My faithful puppy, Chaz.
Rachel and I catching up…I am so thankful that God has her in my life.
Dalton wielding an impact wrench…and, yes, I did have to ask Brandon what it was…
Luke is such a big boy, riding on driving the tractor with his Grampa.
The Rogers men making some yummy food.
Jane with Oma…can you believe she is a great-grandmother?!
Jane’s enjoying a cuddle with Granny.
So wonderful.
Allen and Kellie BUILT this cottage to house their family and friends…and they are turning it into a B&B! Namely, Rolling Oaks Bed & Breakfast…I highly recommend it!!
I love them!
The BLR (coincidentally, also my initials)!! Lauren and her sweet baby Evangeline were able to come for an afternoon play date…so fun!! I am so thankful for these two women…they have walked with me through so many transitions and phases of life. They are faithfully loving and gracious…and they speak truth into my life. Thanks ladies!
Cute, cute, Evie!!
I think Evie is trying to show Jane how to hold her head up like a champ!
the BLR 2.0
Okay, last picture…the family picture.
Thanks everyone for making our trip such a blessing. And, most of all this Thanksgiving, I thank God my Father, who has graciously given me life in Jesus Christ…when I deserved death. Praise the Lord.
A few weekends ago my mum, known to Jane as Mumgu, came to visit. It was such a fun time as Jane is much more interactive than she was at one week old! Here are some pictures that my mum took and a video of Jane making fun noises. Disclaimer about the video, it is kind of long, so if you get bored don’t feel guilty about shutting it off!!
Mumgu and Jane
Jane is wearing the outfit Grammy and Grampa gave her!
Jane being super cute and smiley.
…now for the long video:
In other news, Jane recently had her 2 month check up, and she is doing really well! She is 11.2 lbs and 22 1/2 inches. Both her height and weight are in the 50th percentile, but her head circumference is in the 90th! The doctor kindly informed that head size is genetic, and Brandon claims that he has a small head…so, I guess I have a big head!! Anyway, Jane is making loads of fun noises, squirming around, and sleeping through the night. She reminds us all the time of God’s grace in blessing us with such a wonderful child. While life does not exist without trial and my days sometimes feel like a roller coaster of emotion, we have been reminded consistently that God is faithful and gracious in the easy and difficult times.
Oh, and she is also working on holding up that slightly-larger-than-average head!
