This is where I make up for my lack of blogging

First of all, HELLO THERE EVERYONE.

(All one of you - Hi MOM!)

(Joking! My mom isn't into blogs, even the one her daughter writes. Perhaps especially the one her daughter writes, because then she'd freak out at all the personal information I am sharing with the world. On the other hand, mom DOES like paper shredders.)

Well, then.

We Hutchies of Hutchinlove are still alive and mostly well. Physically, tired-bordering exhaustion, some days. Mentally, mostly stable-ish. Spiritually, striving to grow.

Adding a third child to our family has definitely rocked our world. Yes, friends had warned us. I guess we thought we would just roll with it like we did with the other two. Not so much.

The thing is, Finn is literally the best, most sweetest baby ever (yes, I know "most sweetest" is the most worstest grammar ever, but he really is just that sweet), so it must be that simply adding another little person to the family is a BIG deal.

It's really not the baby that is the stresser. Not pointing any fingers in case you read this someday, Sharks and Deedo. My grandma did tell me that it wouldn't be the baby I'd need to pay attention to. True dat, grandma.

All that to say, I have been thinking a lot lately about what it means to lay down my life in service to others, in this case, serving my children. The verse I have been thinking of a lot is this one, from Colossians 3:23-24.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

This is hard stuff for me. I don't think I realized the intensity of my selfishness until Finn came along.

In the past I could still mostly do what I wanted, and the kids would simply tag along. I could hang out with friends, I could read during naptime, I could go to the grocery store without having a panic attack. Now all of those things are more dificult. And sometimes I don't like the loss of freedom, which is ultimately my selfishness rearing its ugly head.

I just watched a documentary, God Grew Tired of Us, about the Lost Boys of Sudan. Some of the boys (really they were men by the time they arrived in the States) were working themselves into exhaustion with two or three jobs, just so they could send money back to their families to help them. (By the way, it is worth watching. I cried through the whole thing though; it was very moving for me.)

The Lost Boys worked hard for their families because they loved them, and because they felt it was their duty to help them. Yet, though I have an easy life in most respects, some days I can't be bothered to put my book down to play with the kids or do the dishes.

So, while I am experiencing the loss of self that always occurs with the arrival of a new baby, a lot of it is simply letting go of my selfish desires to do what I want, when I want. Instead of serving my children as I would serve Christ, too often I see them as barriers to what I want to do.

In the interest of directing my thoughts to the Cross, this will be my refrain for the days and weeks to come, from a hymn by Elizabeth Prentiss:

More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!
Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee.
This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!

Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest;
Now Thee alone I seek, give what is best.
This all my prayer shall be: More love, O Christ to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!

We're gonna baptise Finlay!

Said Sharks, over and over, jumping into the air every time he said the baby's name. (And yes, that is how Sharks smiles whenever we whip out the camera.)

My dad prayed, Chet's dad did the baptism. (The perks of both dads being pastors - they alternate with each kid.)

It was a wonderful day!

Rapid Fire Questions

(From Sharks, of course.)

(At the dinner table. With the in-laws.)

So, Mommy, why don't girls have a pee-nis?

(And we almost spat out our food in hysterics as we tried to answer.)

Immediately followed by,

How do you say "hello" in Spanish?

Wouldn't you love to know the mind of a toddler?!

Fun Fort Fridays 2010

Playmat

It seemed like Finn was ready for some toys. So here's what the boys and I came up with.

Inspiration



Invention




Impressive, no?

(Plus, now my broom will actually get some action.)

Baldy

By the time Sharks turned one, I think he'd already had 2 or 3 haircuts. Then someone told me I was supposed to wait until he was one for his first haircut. Like it was a thing. One of those things like having six month pictures taken and making a baby book. Apparently, things aren't my Thing.

So when Finn's hair started falling out all across the front, and his large noggin began to look remarkably monkish, I had to do something. It was driving me crazy. Clearly the best solution was to shave his head.

So I did it. I shaved my 3-month old's head. I plopped him in the bumbo, pulled out the clippers, and buzzed it all off. (Later my friend told me that it's common to shave babies' heads in Russia. At least what I did is normal somewhere.)



And this is with almost a month of new growth - there is hair on his head, I promise. It's just very blond.

Unfortunately, I kept wanting to say, "Aww, look at his bald noggin." Which made me think of this. Creepy.

(Which reminds me of this: The other day, Sharks asked me what creepy meant. I told him it meant gross and weird. And he added, "And kind of a little bit dead?")

Can I play with him?

Sharing what they love with baby brother.

Sharks




Deedo



Guess Finn's not much of a bookworm. (Yet.)