I read this morning about the disciple John while on Patmos, and his vision of the risen Lord. (Revelation 1) The power and majesty of Jesus caused John to fall like a dead man to the ground! I wondered if there were any traces of the Jesus, God/Man who had walked on earth with him years earlier. Did John recognize in this Deity's face the same friend and Rabbi he had loved and served on earth for so long? John was the "disciple whom Jesus loved" and yet this time, Jesus came to John looking completely different from the first time. Powerful, radiant, breath-taking.
Unlike John, I have never seen Jesus face-to-face--as the Rabbi or the Judge. Yet, God forbid that I would picture Him only as the peaceful, humble carpenter's son who taught and healed people. I must see his other side as well--the Judge I will one day stand before and give an account for everything good and bad I did and did not do (II Corinthians 5:10). I must see ALL of Jesus, not just the parts I like to remember. And like John, I must fall to the ground in awe and fear of the God who is my Creator, and therefore has the right to be my Judge. Oh what a wonder that though He is my Judge, he also chooses to be my friend!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
To sum up December & January...
I have learned a few things in the past two months. I thought I'd share them with you, so that you can either agree with me, laugh at me or take these to heart for future reference.
1. Decorating a Christmas tree with family is a wonderful tradition, however, it is not good for a perfectionist to try to decorate for the perfect Christmas and take care an 11-month-old. (Thanks goodness I had the help of my husband and parents.)
2. When I go to an Open House, I will always take Hannah with me. It opens up many conversations and really they all just want to see her anyway.
3. Taking your child to a church's Christmas Candlelight service that doesn't provide childcare is probably not going to be a worshipful experience.
4. Driving to be with family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is totally worth it.
5. Shopping the day after Christmas is a great way to find good deals for next Christmas. But don't try to return something that day!
6. When flying to Wisconsin in the winter, try to avoid a lay-over in Chicago. If you get stuck there for seven hours, DO cough up the money for one nice meal; it will make the time go quicker and make the situation not look so bleak.
7. If you travel by plane with baby food, make sure to duct tape the can of formula shut. If you want white powder all over the baby clothes, diapers, etc., disregard the advice above.
8. You should always stay up until midnight on New Years Eve. (Unless of course, you live in the Midwest; then you can celebrate the ball drop in Times Square at 11pm and go to bed.)
9. Continuing to drive a car that's tire looses air every week or so would probably indicate that you have run over a nail or something else in the road. This should be dealt with before you walk outside and find your tire is completely flat.
10. Waiting with a one-year-old at a car mechanics' shop to have the tire repaired will last about 30 minutes before you and everyone else is ready for you to walk home and come back later.
11. Expect tears and frustration when your only child comes home to discover she no longer gets tons of attention or has a cousin to play with. Play with them a little more than usual, but gradually show them that you have a life outside of them.
12. Definitely limit a birthday party to the number of years your child is old. It simplifies life and your baby doesn't care anyway. (Close family and parents don't count when inviting guests.)
13. Have your husband blow up the balloons.
13. Put some of the Christmas toys away for a few months until the old toys get boring.
14. Don't super glue a mug's handle back on and expect that even though it works for a few months that the handle won't eventually fall off, spilling a hot latte all over the carpet.
15. Learn to enjoy messes. The fun of seeing your child sitting on newspaper, covered in paint, with an over-sized T-shirt on is well worth the clean-up afterwards. (We hope Grandma and Grandpa realize that when they see the art project made just for them!)
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...
16. Save precious time by not putting pictures up on your blog when your husband posts millions of them on the family website. Just go to www.heijermans.us (These pics--found under the album "Hannah Heijermans"--include pictures of our Christmas, New Years, and Hannah's first birthday.)
1. Decorating a Christmas tree with family is a wonderful tradition, however, it is not good for a perfectionist to try to decorate for the perfect Christmas and take care an 11-month-old. (Thanks goodness I had the help of my husband and parents.)
2. When I go to an Open House, I will always take Hannah with me. It opens up many conversations and really they all just want to see her anyway.
3. Taking your child to a church's Christmas Candlelight service that doesn't provide childcare is probably not going to be a worshipful experience.
4. Driving to be with family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is totally worth it.
5. Shopping the day after Christmas is a great way to find good deals for next Christmas. But don't try to return something that day!
6. When flying to Wisconsin in the winter, try to avoid a lay-over in Chicago. If you get stuck there for seven hours, DO cough up the money for one nice meal; it will make the time go quicker and make the situation not look so bleak.
7. If you travel by plane with baby food, make sure to duct tape the can of formula shut. If you want white powder all over the baby clothes, diapers, etc., disregard the advice above.
8. You should always stay up until midnight on New Years Eve. (Unless of course, you live in the Midwest; then you can celebrate the ball drop in Times Square at 11pm and go to bed.)
9. Continuing to drive a car that's tire looses air every week or so would probably indicate that you have run over a nail or something else in the road. This should be dealt with before you walk outside and find your tire is completely flat.
10. Waiting with a one-year-old at a car mechanics' shop to have the tire repaired will last about 30 minutes before you and everyone else is ready for you to walk home and come back later.
11. Expect tears and frustration when your only child comes home to discover she no longer gets tons of attention or has a cousin to play with. Play with them a little more than usual, but gradually show them that you have a life outside of them.
12. Definitely limit a birthday party to the number of years your child is old. It simplifies life and your baby doesn't care anyway. (Close family and parents don't count when inviting guests.)
13. Have your husband blow up the balloons.
13. Put some of the Christmas toys away for a few months until the old toys get boring.
14. Don't super glue a mug's handle back on and expect that even though it works for a few months that the handle won't eventually fall off, spilling a hot latte all over the carpet.
15. Learn to enjoy messes. The fun of seeing your child sitting on newspaper, covered in paint, with an over-sized T-shirt on is well worth the clean-up afterwards. (We hope Grandma and Grandpa realize that when they see the art project made just for them!)
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...
16. Save precious time by not putting pictures up on your blog when your husband posts millions of them on the family website. Just go to www.heijermans.us (These pics--found under the album "Hannah Heijermans"--include pictures of our Christmas, New Years, and Hannah's first birthday.)
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Much to thank God for
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my Mom's family last week. (This first picture shows us at the bed and breakfast where we all stayed.) I
t is good to get together each year and go around the table and share what each person is thankful for. From the oldest to the youngest, we enjoy hearing how God has blessed each person over the last year--a new husband for my sister, encouraging friends and new, biblical church for others. Some were blessed with healing from injuries and some with a good first semester of college. As usual, Nathan and I had a lot to share; we have so much to be thankful for! We praised the Lord most of all for a healthy baby girl. Hannah is the first great-grandchild on my side of the family, so she got a ton of attention. She thoroughly enjoyed every minute, particularly staying past 8pm. Being home on Monday was a real shock for her, but she managed to keep life entertaining for herself. She played with her friend Hannah on Monday and her friends Judah and Elijah today. (I had fun babysitting and seeing what life would be like with more than one child. Wow!) She pulled herself up to a stand against the coffee table and was very proud of herself. Nathan had to help her sit down though; she didn't quite know what to do when she was done standing and pounding the table. She is a real joy and we can't wait to make her first Christmas a special one.
Our whole family together for Thanksgiving.
This is Hannah being photographed at the Bed& Breakfast.
(You should have seen how many cameras were snapping pics of her!)
t is good to get together each year and go around the table and share what each person is thankful for. From the oldest to the youngest, we enjoy hearing how God has blessed each person over the last year--a new husband for my sister, encouraging friends and new, biblical church for others. Some were blessed with healing from injuries and some with a good first semester of college. As usual, Nathan and I had a lot to share; we have so much to be thankful for! We praised the Lord most of all for a healthy baby girl. Hannah is the first great-grandchild on my side of the family, so she got a ton of attention. She thoroughly enjoyed every minute, particularly staying past 8pm. Being home on Monday was a real shock for her, but she managed to keep life entertaining for herself. She played with her friend Hannah on Monday and her friends Judah and Elijah today. (I had fun babysitting and seeing what life would be like with more than one child. Wow!) She pulled herself up to a stand against the coffee table and was very proud of herself. Nathan had to help her sit down though; she didn't quite know what to do when she was done standing and pounding the table. She is a real joy and we can't wait to make her first Christmas a special one.Our whole family together for Thanksgiving.
This is Hannah being photographed at the Bed& Breakfast.
(You should have seen how many cameras were snapping pics of her!)
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Hannah's "pooped"!
Nathan and I decided to take a quick trip to the mall last night. Simple, because we only had one thing to buy and then we were going to walk around with Hannah in the stroller and get some exercise. On the way there, Hannah was a bit fussy. But since she is still rear-facing in her car seat, we weren't able to know if there was truly something wrong or if it was just that time of the evening for fussiness. When we arrived at the mall and took her out of the car seat, we realized, we had a slight problem. The back of her pants were soaked with a brownish stain. She was of course quite distraught. So were we.
Although, I had brought a diaper, I had not brought a change of clothes (unwisely thinking that now that she's 9 months old, I didn't need to carry all that stuff--everything possible, that I used tote everywhere with me). So I lay Hannah down to change her in the back seat of the car and realize that every piece of clothing she is wearing has poop on it, except her jean jacket. AND when I open the travel box of baby wipes, I pull out the very last one. Fortunately, we had paper towels in trunk and made do with that. As soon as I got her cleaned up, I practically threw the clean diaper at Nathan to put on her and ran to Old Navy to buy our daughter something clean to wear.
No one in Old Navy seemed to be in a hurry except me. I mean, who possibly has anywhere they're rushing to on a Tuesday evening at 7:30pm? I finally bought Hannah a little outfit and ran back out to the car to rescue my husband from the baby I left screaming in the car. But we're not done!
I get out to the car and Nathan has Hannah sitting on his lap, wearing only her diaper of course. She is calm but he is not. And it wasn't until he asks, "Do you have a safety pin?" that I notice what it wrong. In Nathan's hurry to get the diaper on our screaming daughter, he had accidentally ripped the tab off one side of the diaper. So he is sitting there holding it closed, less than amused that I think it's hysterical.
The only thing we had to "close" the diaper was the hair tie in my hair. So using that, we put Hannah's new outfit on her. No one feels like walking leisurely around the mall anymore, so we go in and buy our one item and leave. Upon arriving home, Nathan gives Hannah a bath while I clean up the poopy clothes and make her a bedtime bottle. As Nathan feeds Hannah, she finishes up her bottle and drifts off to a peaceful sleep in his arms. I was sitting next to him and without thinking, I smiled and said, "Poor thing. She looks pooped." That made us both burst into hysterical laughter. When I got myself together I added, "No pun intended."
Thus ends the story of our simple trip to the mall.
Although, I had brought a diaper, I had not brought a change of clothes (unwisely thinking that now that she's 9 months old, I didn't need to carry all that stuff--everything possible, that I used tote everywhere with me). So I lay Hannah down to change her in the back seat of the car and realize that every piece of clothing she is wearing has poop on it, except her jean jacket. AND when I open the travel box of baby wipes, I pull out the very last one. Fortunately, we had paper towels in trunk and made do with that. As soon as I got her cleaned up, I practically threw the clean diaper at Nathan to put on her and ran to Old Navy to buy our daughter something clean to wear.
No one in Old Navy seemed to be in a hurry except me. I mean, who possibly has anywhere they're rushing to on a Tuesday evening at 7:30pm? I finally bought Hannah a little outfit and ran back out to the car to rescue my husband from the baby I left screaming in the car. But we're not done!
I get out to the car and Nathan has Hannah sitting on his lap, wearing only her diaper of course. She is calm but he is not. And it wasn't until he asks, "Do you have a safety pin?" that I notice what it wrong. In Nathan's hurry to get the diaper on our screaming daughter, he had accidentally ripped the tab off one side of the diaper. So he is sitting there holding it closed, less than amused that I think it's hysterical.
The only thing we had to "close" the diaper was the hair tie in my hair. So using that, we put Hannah's new outfit on her. No one feels like walking leisurely around the mall anymore, so we go in and buy our one item and leave. Upon arriving home, Nathan gives Hannah a bath while I clean up the poopy clothes and make her a bedtime bottle. As Nathan feeds Hannah, she finishes up her bottle and drifts off to a peaceful sleep in his arms. I was sitting next to him and without thinking, I smiled and said, "Poor thing. She looks pooped." That made us both burst into hysterical laughter. When I got myself together I added, "No pun intended."
Thus ends the story of our simple trip to the mall.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Our Hannah is 8 months old!
Hannah is growing up so fast! She can sit up on her own now and has started babbling "da da" and "ba ba." It's fun to see her expression when she eats a new food. She had her first haircut this summer and is starting to look like a "big girl." It's hard to remember life without her. She so much fun to have around.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Summertime
It is only June but the summer seems to be flying by already. Hannah had her first road trip two weeks ago, when we drove through the night to Michigan to visit friends and family. It was such a nice trip. Our little girl loves to be held and loved by just about anyone who can get their hands on her. We have pictures of her with so many different people and you can check those out, since Nate posted them on our website. Father's Day was a special time here too, since we celebrated Nathan's first one as a Daddy and also had a Baby Dedication with Hannah at church. Nathan's grandparents were here for the weekend, so they were able to be a part of the memory. It was a fun day. Hannah has begun to roll over! And so gone are the days that I can leave her for a few seconds in the living room on a blanket. When I return, so will have found her way to another spot. =) At least we don't have any stairs in our apartment, so that's one less hazard to worry about. We are feeling the heat of 95 degree days and staying inside a lot more than usual. We have taken advantage of the hot weather as a good excuse to take Hannah "swimming" which she seems to enjoy. Enjoy the pictures! Hasn't she gotten big?!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Learning New Things
Hannah is learning new things every day. In the past couple weeks, she has learned to eat oatmeal
with a spoon, shriek loudly to get Mommy's attention, and grab my hair while she drinks her bottle. It was a lot of fun to dress her up for my sister's wedding this month and to take her hiking by the Chesapeake Bay in April. It's amazing to see how excited she gets when we talk to her. I enjoy having her around to talk with while I fold laundry and cook dinner. And although there are days when she screams all the way home from the mall because she's tired and hungry, most of the time Hannah is a joy to have around. In a couple weeks, we will try taking a ten-hour car ride with Hannah as we go to visit friends in Michigan. We'll see how that goes. It will be interesting. I don't know if we're brave or just plain stupid. I guess time will tell.
Yummy and Messy
Hannah on Easter Sunday
My sister, her husband Nathan, and family
Mommy and Hannah at Aunt Erica's Wedding
with a spoon, shriek loudly to get Mommy's attention, and grab my hair while she drinks her bottle. It was a lot of fun to dress her up for my sister's wedding this month and to take her hiking by the Chesapeake Bay in April. It's amazing to see how excited she gets when we talk to her. I enjoy having her around to talk with while I fold laundry and cook dinner. And although there are days when she screams all the way home from the mall because she's tired and hungry, most of the time Hannah is a joy to have around. In a couple weeks, we will try taking a ten-hour car ride with Hannah as we go to visit friends in Michigan. We'll see how that goes. It will be interesting. I don't know if we're brave or just plain stupid. I guess time will tell.Yummy and Messy
Hannah on Easter Sunday
My sister, her husband Nathan, and family
Mommy and Hannah at Aunt Erica's Wedding
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