Thanksgiving

We were able to spend Thanksgiving with Dave's family in Knoxville. We all had a good time visiting everyone. Dave was able to get some fishing in, we were able to go out to dinner minus Hadleigh, and I worked on a sewing project.

The Worm

Before Thanksgiving Hadleigh entered into the world of crawling. She had been training really hard with Dave for a couple of weeks and finally began to get the hang of it. The funny thing is that her crawling looks like the breakdance move "The Worm". I am sure most of you are familiar with that move, the whole body is on the ground and moving around like a worm would. She is SO hilarious when she does this. I wish I could capture it on film, but alas, the camera doesn't seem to do this justice.

Recent Hadleigh Pics

Grandpa and Grandma

One of the best things about being back in the states is getting to see family often. This past weekend Dave's parents called up Friday morning to see if they could visit on Saturday. Hadleigh had a wonderful time visiting with them. It is always exciting to be fed and bathed by someone else! She just loved being with them.

The best thing is seeing how she seems to know Grandpa and Grandma. I think it is awesome to be so little and yet to be loved by so many people. We had a wonderful visit, and look forward to many more.

Eating Out

Two weeks ago our good buddy Jess offered to watch Hadleigh for us, so that we could go out to dinner. Slowly we are working our way around to all of our favorite restaurants, so we decided on a nice dinner at Maggianos (we also had a gift certificate, so the dinner was free).

We headed out to dinner and had one of my most memorable cultural experiences...welcome to America! I thought going to Kroger was a shock, as I spent 2 hours walking up and down the aisles, comparing prices and marveling at the selections. But Maggianos topped this. We committed several mistakes in this escapade.

First, we went on a Friday evening.
Second, we went after 7pm.
Third, we didn't make reservations.

Roll these all up and we were given an hour and a half wait, and then a loud, rushed dinner. There were a couple perks that came with the esperience.

First, no smoke.
Second, my first cosmopolitan in 3 years.
Third, free water and free water refills.

Other than those perks, I left the restaurant wishing I was back in Europe. IN Germany we never waited for a table, if there wasn't a table available at that moment, there wasn't a table for the whole evening, so walk on. In Europe, once you sit down at a table for dinner, it is your table for the entire evening. I think this is one of my favorites things about Europe. I can always have a leisurely meal without being rushed out by the waiter or other crazed customers hovering over my table.

After that Friday I swore off chain restaurants, but today we had to go out to another favorite of ours, Ted's Montana Grill. This time we decided lunch was the better choice and we went early, so we didn't have to wait. We were still rushed off by the waitress, but in this case the perks out weighed the disadvantages.

Now that we are back in America we have to get used to how things are done around here, but I don't think I will ever get used to the eating culture. When you have experienced the best it is hard to return.

Transitions

Welcome to life, right? Martin Luther said "All of life is repentance." I love that and quote it a lot. However, my theme recently is "All of life is transition." Isn't it true? Just when I get settled into something all of life changes. I get married, move to Germany, get a new job, quit a job, have a baby, move back to the states, etc. And the list continues. As we were preparing to move I kept thinking if I could just get to the next step I would be happy. Once the movers come, once we move into the Lagerhof, once we get to the states, once we find a house, once our stuff arrives, once Dave finds a job, once our stuff is unpacked, once we find friends...

My life is full of transitions, somce good and some poo in a can. All of this is good discipline. How often do I think I am in control and if I can just get to the next step I will be fine. But coming back here reminds me again that even when I get there I won't be happy. That makes the transition easier and harder.

We are moved and settled which is such a joy. I generally can make it through the day without wondering which box my brush is in. But while in some ways it feels like we never left this place, in other ways it feels like I never lived here. It is just like almost belonging, but not quite. I kind of know my way around, but not quite. I kind of have friends, but not quite.

I am taking baby steps, and know that these things take time. I know that sooner than later I will be feeling settled. It is kind of fun to be at this point. Every night Dave and I wonder what our next adventure will be. Where will we fit? Who will our friends be? Where will we serve and be served? And then there is always our wonderful little Miss Hadleigh Claire. Life is much more full with her around.

One of our favorite thing about being back here is having the nations at our door step. We live in a community that is almost entirely made up of Hispanics and Asians. I love that, and it will be interesting to see what part that plays into our transition back here. I am probably like many stay at home moms, I want my life to consist of more than cleaning the house and going to playgroups.

This has been a random post, but just some thoughts about what we are thinking through here in the crazy USA.

Our Southern Girl

Hadleigh is quickly adjusting to her new Southern surroundings and culture. This week she tried okra and loves it. She also got her first ride on Daddy's John Deere lawn mower.

Eight Months

Time has certainly passed by quickly these last few weeks. Well, when moving, sometimes it feels very slow, but overall it has been quick. I completely forgot that Hadleigh was 8 months old on Tuesday. We measured her yesterday and found that she is 28 inches long and weighs around 15 pounds.

I am trying to think of milestones she has reached recently. She is proficient at sitting up and can move from stomach to sitting. She scoots around our hardwood floors on her belly, but hasn't attempted crawling on her own. Dave often gets her in "position" and tries to encourage her.

She is quick. Her fine motor skills are becoming sharp and she can remove toys from rings and get her hands into things in the blink of an eye. She is fairly verbal and loves singing and shreiking from her crib in the morning. She is fascinated with other children and loves "playing" with them. She has made lots of new friends since being in Atlanta and hopefully soon she will learn to play without touching the other babies faces. We have taught her to be gentle and so for the most part she knows how to "touch nice".

She is a joy.

The America I Love

A couple of years ago my mom sent me this article by Elie Wiesel called "The America I Love." I so enjoyed reading it that I had been trying to find it so that I could post parts of it on the web. Now that we are moving into our house I found the article. It is probably fitting that I post it now since so many of our friends are returning or have just returned from serving in Iraq for the last year. You can read the full article in Parade Magazine

The day I received American citizenship was a turning point in my life. I had ceased to be stateless. Until then, unprotected by any government and unwanted by any society, the Jew in me was overcome by a feeling of pride mixed with gratitude.

From that day on, I felt privileged to belong to a country which, for two centuries, has stood as a living symbol of all that is charitable and decent to victims of injustice everywhere—a country in which every person is entitled to dream of happiness, peace and liberty; where those who have are taught to give back.

In America, compassion for the refugee and respect for the other still have biblical connotations.

Grandiloquent words used for public oratory? Even now, as America is in the midst of puzzling uncertainty and understandable introspection because of tragic events in Iraq, these words reflect my personal belief. For I cannot forget another day that remains alive in my memory: April 11, 1945.

That day I encountered the first American soldiers in the Buchenwald concentration camp. I remember them well. Bewildered, disbelieving, they walked around the place, hell on earth, where our destiny had been played out. They looked at us, just liberated, and did not know what to do or say. Survivors snatched from the dark throes of death, we were empty of all hope—too weak, too emaciated to hug them or even speak to them. Like lost children, the American soldiers wept and wept with rage and sadness. And we received their tears as if they were heartrending offerings from a wounded and generous humanity.

Ever since that encounter, I cannot repress my emotion before the flag and the uniform—anything that represents American heroism in battle...

As a great power, America has always seemed concerned with other people’s welfare, especially in Europe. Twice in the 20th century, it saved the “Old World” from dictatorship and tyranny...

America understands that a nation is great not because its economy is flourishing or its army invincible but because its ideals are loftier. Hence America’s desire to help those who have lost their freedom to conquer it again. America’s credo might read as follows: For an individual, as for a nation, to be free is an admirable duty—but to help others become free is even more admirable.

Some skeptics may object: But what about Vietnam? And Cambodia ? And the support some administrations gave to corrupt regimes in Africa or the Middle East? And the occupation of Iraq? Did we go wrong—and if so, where?

And what are we to make of the despicable, abominable “interrogation methods” used on Iraqi prisoners of war by a few soldiers (but even a few are too many) in Iraqi military prisons?

Well, one could say that no nation is composed of saints alone. None is sheltered from mistakes or misdeeds. All have their Cain and Abel. It takes vision and courage to undergo serious soul-searching and to favor moral conscience over political expediency. And America, in extreme situations, is endowed with both. America is always ready to learn from its mishaps. Self-criticism remains its second nature.

...America went to war to liberate a population too long subjected to terror and death.

...One cannot but feel grateful to the young Americans who leave their families, some to lose their lives, in order to bring to Iraq the first rays of hope—without which no people can imagine the happiness of welcoming freedom...

Organic, or not?

Last night Dave and I got in a heated discussion about organic food. I was making out my grocery list for next week and Dave suggested I buy all of our produce at the Int'l Farmer's Market around the corner from our house. I asked him if they had organic produce and the conversation went downhill from there.

You see, we are making all of Hadleigh's baby food, and both books that I have recommend that the baby food be made with organic produce. In Germany buying produce wasn't an issue because pesticides and hormones aren't allowed in their crops, but we all know that is different here in the states.

Dave's premise was all food is organic, of course I took the opposite argument thinking that paying a little extra for the good of Hadleigh was worth it. We ran to the internet to see what all those "reliable" sources had to say.

The interesting thing is that even the lable USDA organic doesn't seem to mean a whole lot. They have to rotate their crops and pull weeds, but they can still use pesticides, etc. Organic produce cannot be genetically engineered...whatever that means. So after reading up on the USDA homepage, and reading their suggestins for making baby food I have decided that buying fresh produce would be best and don't feel obligated to have the organic label on things.

So this morning I did make my first trip to the Farmer's Market and it was super cool, and all seemed super fresh. Since I can't grow my own produce this will have to do.

On that note I will also mention what Hadleigh is eating these days. She has become quite a good eater, and gobbles down most of what we give her. For breakfast this morning, she ate oatmeal mixed with sweet potatoes and an egg yolk. For lunch she had yogurt mixed with mashed up plums, and for dinner we will feed her butternut squash mixed with oatmeal and a cube of green beans. In addition to these foods she likes bananas, avocados, peaches, pears, apples, zucchini, acorn squash, and probably a few other fun things.

Happy Halloween

Our little giraffe, Hadleigh Claire.

I'm Sailing, I'm a Sailor

Two points goes to the folks who can name the movie I just quoted in the title of my blog.

Upon arriving in Atlanta, we were taken in by two families, John, Brea and Brennan, and then Paul, Lisa and Sadie. We are indebted to both for their kind hospitality to us. In addition to housing us, both families also seem to want to hang out with us as well.

Yesterday our good buds, Paul, Lisa and Sadie took us sailing. None of the McNays had been sailing before and it was an awesome day and awesome experience all around. Here are some great pictures.

Here we are, Hadleigh slept for 1.5 hours on the boat. She is under the blanket in my arms. The winds were a bit stronger than we anticipated, which made the time all the better. The only part that was a little scary was when I had to switch sides of the boat with Hadleigh sleeping in my arms.

Here are Hadleigh and Sadie after the ride. Sadie is only 2 months, but already a veteran sailor.

Three Years

On October 4, we celebrated our 3rd Anniversary. Dave's parents watched Hadlegih for us and we went to a nice restaurant in Knoxville for dinner. I didn't get a picture of that, but we also managed to go out without Hadleigh in California. So here is a picture.

Moving In!

We packed out on September 19 and expected our household goods and car to arrive at the beginning of November. Imagine our surprise when we heard they made it to America at the beginning of October! It took just 2.5 weeks.

Because we were traveling around, we had a tough time nailing down a place to live quickly. But through some fun connections we landed ourself a wonderful little rental in a quiet neighborhood in Atlanta. Last Friday our stuff was dropped off and we have been unpakcing ever since. It is a little harder with a baby around, but little by little we are making a dent in things.

Meeting New Friends

During our travels Hadleigh was able to meet some new friends. My best friend, Erica was able to spend an evening with us and even gave Hadleigh a bath.

She was also able to spend some time with Sar and Annie








We also have had fun introducing Hadleigh to her new friends here in Atlanta. Here she is with Brennan Robinson.

Miss Hadleigh Claire Meets the Fam

Since Hadleigh was born in Germany, she has yet to meet her many aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and great grandparents. My mom was the only one able to make the trek to Germany after Hadleigh was born.

Once we arrived in the states she had plenty of folks to meet. We started off with several days in Knoxville with Dave's family.

While there she was able to meet Great-Grandma

Grandpa and Grandma

Cousins Jon, Josh and Jacob, Aunt Angie and Uncle Paul. Here she is with Jon.












After our trip to Knoxville we headed out to California where she met her Great Uncle and Aunt Dan and Diane and 2nd cousins, Chris, Ali and Chelsea. Unfortunately we failed to capture this on film.

She also was able to spend time with Papa Froggy and Nana Patti













As well as Uncle Chris and Aunt Rubie



She was amazing through all of our travels and had a wonderful time with everyone. It was so fun to make the introductions and to see Hadleigh loved so deeply by all of our family.

Doc Dave Says Goodbye

Dave's last day in the clinic they had a fab 80s lunch bash for him. Lots of folks dressed in 80s gear, made 80s food and played 80s music. They even made him a Napolean Dynamite cake and tots "Give me your tots!"

Here is Hadleigh with the Fantastic Four, Dave's fav assistants, Emily, Alene, Jessica and Lucinda. Look at that hair!

Miss Hadleigh Claire Says Goodbye

Goodbyes are the worst. I think that I would just rather not say goodbye. Often times, it seems, we do see people again. The world seems to be smaller these days, and since Dave and I have the travel bug, I just prefer to think that we will see folks again.
But as we left Baumholder, we had plenty of goodbyes to make.

Hadleigh and I ran by the Education Center where I used to work so that I could say goodbye to LaShonda. She and I worked together for a year and was one of the first people to know I was prego. It is fairly hard to keep it a secret at work, especially since I was feeling puny all the time.

We also had a couple special goodbye parties. A bunch of folks from chapel took us out for dinner and Hadleigh got to say all her goodbyes. This is Hadleigh with Miss Carol. Carol's husband was our chaplain and our fav preacher in Baumholder. We hope to see them again since they are from Georgia.


Once in a while a couple of us gals would get together for "coffee". This was because we boycotted the "playgroup" thing and would put our kids down for naps and chat over some tasty breakfast foods. We had one last coffee with Karie and Sara, and the kiddos. At the end I got a couple cute shots with Hadleigh and Ellie. So sweet!

Packing Out

I used to watch the Cosby show. I remember one episode where Cliff was making fun of Claire for cleaning the house before the cleaning lady came to clean the house. The thought made me grin because my Papa Dick used to have a cleaning lady and his wife, Nana Joan used to clean the house before her cleaning lady came. Funny. The night before the movers came I realized I was doing the same thing...who packs before the movers come?

The German movers came September 18th and packed out our entire house. The next day they came back to load everything onto our container (which looks like the back of a tractor-trailer). After they loaded our household goods in, they locked it down with ropes and then put in our car. I was a little nervous that the container said "China Shipping".

Dr. Who?

Much of my life has been spent desiring not to stay in one place, not to be committed to any one thing for too long, not to be predictable...(David speaking) but what I have found about myself is that this drive has been commanded by my pride and selfishness. Many of the lessons and Bible studies I have completed in the last two years have shown that pride is the pinultimate root of much of my sin. Up to this point, I have people joking (but honestly) by saying "Now who was that doctor who was nice, tall, had a beard, and would do our pre-orthodontic extractions? Hey Alene, do you remember the name of..." I could go into some of the places where I previously worked and most would not remember me by name. In fact if I was a betting man, I could win a large sum of money by proving myself right. I have become the nameless doctor, except the next patient who didn't forget my name. Just kidding, Photoshopped.
Now the quandry changes faces. Will I be staying in one place so that people will know me by name, or will I just be the next nice guy with a goatie, tall, and reddish hair. I think many of us ask this question, desiring to make impacts on those that cross our paths, but many will hit us head on and we still won't remember their names. My challenge both to myself and to you is to remember 80 percent of the names of the people you meet this week. Write them down, do crazy associations, ask again before you stop talking to them. None of us want to be greeted by, "Oh yeah, I met you last week and I can't remember your name" In other words "Oh yeah, I was making conversation last week just to pretend to be nice and I don't give a rip about you, because I can't call you by name" Memory is no excuse, if you can memorize hundreds of movies and their actors, the number of shoes in your closet and what outfit they match, all the lines in Napoleon Dynamite or Raising Arizona, or any number of absolutely worthless things, you can memorize the people's names you come in contact with.
Just as I don't want to be known as Dr. Who, so does everyone that you meet.
"I have called you by name; You are mine" Isaiah 43:1

Homelessness Begins Now

Tomorrow we begin our journey. The movers arrive at 0800 and will be packing most of our possessions. The container arrives Tuesday at 1000...and everything we own including our car will be whisked to port and cross the ocean...hopefully arriving in Atlanta unharmed the beginning of November. It is a daunting task to prepare for this move. I have made sure about 50 times that our passports are in a room that won't be packed up. I keep telling myself that anything I forget and need in the next 6 weeks can be purchased...except important documents like passports and car titles, etc.

Anyway, there won't be any pictures for a while. Possibly a LONG while, and there might not be many posts either. We will be staying in a hotel on post until the 29th. I look forward to watching American TV and having someone else make my bed and clean my bathroom. Yes!

She's Wearing Pink

First, these are some family pictures that were taken by our dear friend Jessica last month. We took them at Burg Lichtenburg, which is 4km down the road from our house. As I said...who gets to take family pictures at a castle? Sweet!

Onto other news Hadleigh had her 6 month appointment today and weighed in at 6kg and is 67cm long. From my calculation that is about 13 pounds and 26.5 inches. She is now more average in her height, but still dainty in weight. She is at 3% for weight. I was assured that she is fine and healtht and not to worry about her weight being low. She is still gaining, so I figure all is right with the world.

After her appointment I went over to Patient Liason to pick up translated records from Hadleigh's birth. This is the part where you will sscratch your head. I have Hadleigh dressed in blue jeans, a pink shirt and a pink sweater. OK, it was not hot pink, but it wasn't pastel either, it was obvious that she was wearing pink. In the 5 minutes that I had to wait for the records 2 German women asked if she was a boy or a girl, and one German man just called her a boy.

Now there are lots of times when I have Hadleigh in green or blue and I am totally fine with someone asking me if she is a boy or a girl when she is wearing a neutral color. But when she is obviously wearing pink...I don't understand. So, my conclusion is, that since only Germans seem to not know whether she is a boy or girl, Germans must dress their boys in pink sometimes. There is no other explanation.

Thoughts on Becoming Thirty

One of my good friends has a theory on thirty. When she turned 30 she claimed that she had not entered her 30s, she was just on the brink of them. When she turned 31, she said that she had not yet entered her 30s because 30s denotes more than 1 and since she was only 31, she wasn’t really in her 30s. This year when she turned 32 she gave up. She asked me if I was going to follow in her theory and I kindly declined. I feel good to be entering this new decade. My 20s were interesting but I think that I will enjoy my 30s even more. Onward and upward.

I thought that in honor of this occasion I would jot down some milestones of these past 10 years…good, bad and ugly.

Graduated college

Worked a regular job for 7 years (meaning 40+ hours a week)
Reach Out Ministries- 1 year
World Relief, with refugees- 1 year
Mission to the World, with 2 year missionaries- 4 years
Army Education Center- 1 year

Spoke in Chapel at Asbury
Taught a seminar at PWOC Annual Training Conference
Had an article published

Lived in 3 different states, and 1 different country
Beginning with post-college years, my first move was to Atlanta. Since that move I have moved 8 more times (not including the upcoming one back to Atlanta), 3 of those moves were with Dave.

Visited 41 states (in my whole life I have only missed 3, Alaska, Vermont and Oklahoma)
Traveled in 23 Countries

Owned a VW, Mercedes-Benz and BMW…I have purposely excluded the years of these cars.

Got married
Became an Aunt
Had a baby

Been involved in 4 different churches:
EVFree, Newbury Park, CA
First Alliance, Lexington, KY
Intown Community Church, Atlanta, Georgia
Good Samaritan 0930 Protestant Chapel Service, Baumholder, Germany

Mixed into all those things have been lots of difficult experiences. Over the last 10 years I have grown up and am beginning to see the many flaws in my personality. I see my daily struggle with sin, things I have done and things I have left undone. I have hurt people with my words and actions and my lack of compassion. I see that often I desire control more than peace. I like things my way and want to be right at all times.

I hope these next 10 years will be filled with many more adventures, but also a lot of growing up. I hope that I will diligently seek the Lord, and that He will refine those areas in my life that are in desperate need of work. I hope that I will learn how to show compassion to those in need, and maybe even to those that I don’t think are deserving of compassion. I hope that during these next 10 years I will grow in my awareness of my own sin and my need daily for the saving work of Christ.

Yes, Ja, Si, Oui

I am so confused. In the last 8 days I have tried to operate in 4 different languages. Of course when we were in Spain I could only understand what folks were saying after they had walked away. Dave kept telling me I was useless and asked why he had brought me along. We return from Spain to Germany, where I can't even begin to claim that I understand a thing that they say.

Of course, while we are in Germany, we still operate a lot in "America" aka Baumholder Army Post. So I still use my English all the time.

This past weekend Dave whisked me off to Luxembourg City for dinner where we ate at fabulous Italian-French retaurant. They speak French in Luxembourg, and I know that...it is my favorite city, but Dave had to keep correcting me because I kept responding with si, instead of oui.

Now, back in Germany I am at it again. I ran to the little flower shop, which I will have to say is the best thing in down-town Baumholder and picked up a beautiful bouquet of flowers for our neighbor who is ill. I paid 12e for it, and if I had been in the states it would have cost me about $30. Anyway, she asked me about Hadleigh and instead of saying Ja, I said Si. I then tried to show off my German by telling them that Hadleigh was 6 months old...then she asked me another question to which I responded...again...with the dreaded si.

I don't think I won any points today, but I think Hadleigh's smile smoothed it over for me.

30

Yesterday was my 30th birthday. I will write more later on some thoughts about turning 30, but I wanted to post this sweet picture of my family. We took this yesterday after my Fiesta party.

He Does All Things Well

Yesterday our Chaplain did it again. He delivered a wonderful gospel-filled sermon. It was beautiful, and just what I needed to hear. His spoke out of Mark 7.31-37 when some friends brought Jesus a man who was deaf and mute. Jesus healed the man and the crowd proclaims “He does all things well.” He focused on this sentence and noted that this can be applied past, present and future. I can look back on my life and see that he does all things well. I can look at my life presently and rejoice that he does all things well and I can trust him that he does all things well in the future. It was such a wonderful reminder to me, as we are in the midst of this huge transition, that I can trust Him. He is faithful. Just as He has provided for me in the past and presently He will provide for me tomorrow, and the next day and next week and next month. It is wonderful to relax in that.

Dave sang a duet during the offeratory, which was wonderful because it was “Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy” but it was Indelible Grace’s redone version. One of the lines is “If we tarry ‘til we are better we won’t ever come at all”. The Chaplain tied in the song with his sermon, noting that we cannot do all things well, only He can and if we wait to come to him until we have things under control, or until we have our act together, we won’t ever come to him. Jesus came to save sinners, He came to save me, not because I was so good, but because He is so merciful.

Young, Restless and Reformed

We just saw the September edition of Christianity Today whose cover story is "Young, Restless and Reformed". It also has a picture of a T-shirt that says "Jonathan Edwards is my Homeboy."

It is a pretty fascinating article, covering what they say is a new rise, and renewed interest in Reformed theology. It is interesting as it covers this rise more in the Baptist circles, than to the "normal" denominations that people generally attribute this theology. Actually the Baptist church has strong roots in this theology, especially with Charles Spurgeon.

The article talked about how the Emergent Church tends to get a lot of press these days, but that this move back to the scriptures and the sovereignty of God is bigger than the EC movement. I was interested to read that. We aren't very familiar with the EC movement since we have been in Europe for several years, but from what I have read, there are a couple things that sound interesting, but I am not a fan of it altogether. I think that it is important for us to come together and worship and celebrate the sacraments together (communion and baptism). Honestly, I like church, and I really don't think that we have to water things down or take things out for other people to see Jesus and be moved by the Holy Spirit.

Anyway, the CT article isn't posted on teh web yet, but I do have a link to an article that was printed in By Faith mag last year. The article is entitled

"A Growing Hunger for Honesty and Authenticity"

It actually talks about a church in Decatur, Georgia that Intown helped plant. Happy reading.

Term of the Week

Once a week I receive an email with a theological term. At one point I used to receive an email with a word of the day, that gave some obscure word and its definition. That helped me expand my vocabulary, but this helps expand my understanding not only of theological terms, but also of scripture. The term not only comes with a brief explanation, but also an extensive article citing its scriptural backing.

Tomorrow we will be attending our last Reformation Night. Once a month for the last 9 month, several folks from the Chapel community who are Reformed in theology have gotten together to share a meal and have a lively discussion on differing topics. We listen to a discussion on CD and then discuss the issues they have brought up. Though we all generally hold to the Reformed theology and the doctrines of grace, we all come from differing backgrounds and so it is always fun to agree and disagree while seeking to understand what scripture is saying. We have discussed things like, justification, imputation, original sin, law vs. grace. It is so fun. I love Reformation Night. Tomorrow our topic is “Who Saves Whom? What About Free Will”. SO, in light of our topic I have decided to post the brief definition of “Free Will” I received via email. If you want the see the article with the scriptural backing, you can visit the White Horse Inn and look for an article with the above mentioned title.

Big Religious Term: "Free Will"

The essence of free will is choosing according to our desires. The will is free to choose whatever it desires. With regard to salvation, the question then becomes, what do fallen human beings desire? Jonathan Edwards said that as fallen human beings we retain our "natural freedom" (the power to act according to our desires), but lose our "moral freedom" (the disposition, inclination, and desire of the soul for righteousness). In the Fall, we lost all desire for God. But because we can still choose according to our desires, we choose to sin and are accountable to the judgment of God. In this sense, the freedom of our will is a curse. All human beings desire to flee from God unless and until the Holy Spirit performs a work of regeneration. That regeneration changes our desires so that we will freely repent and be saved.

This understanding of human free will is not deterministic because determinism teaches that our actions are completely controlled by something external to us, making us do what we don't want to do. This is coercion and is opposed to freedom. How can our choices be determined but not coerced? Because they are determined by something within -- by what we are and by what we desire. They are determined by ourselves. This is self-determination, which is the very essence of freedom.

6 Months

Today Hadleigh is 6 months old. On the eve of her 6 month birthday she cut her first tooth. Her daddy was very proud.

She has her 6 month check-up next week, so I do not have her stats.

She is sitting up with some help. It is a little hard for her to practice because all of our floors are hardwood and tile. But she is doing a fair job at sitting.

She is on her third day of her brown rice cereal and it is going better. She isn't making the funny face anymore and is taking more to idea of a spoon in her mouth. She does like to chew on the spoon.

She is very responsive, giggles, sings, babbles, screams, and generally interacts with people. She is also saying ma-ma, though there doesn't seem to be a correlation between the word and me. But it is fun to hear.

She is rolling around everywhere and scooting on her belly to get things that she wants. She can scoot 360 degrees to see her mama.

She still enjoys her swing, and playmat and she is exploring her play saucer-thingy. She only has 10 more days of playing on them before they are packed up for 6 weeks.

We are halfway through reading Anne of Green Gables. She especially liked the part Anne had to apologize to Rachel Lynde. She also seems to enjoy any book we put in front her and LOVES to turn the pages.

She seems to be allergic to formula, so onward and upward with nursing.

She is still a champ of a sleeper, but had two weeks in there where she was eating every 3 hours through day and night. I thought I would die, but she has chilled out and now back on a 4 hour schedule and sleeping from 6pm-6am with a 4am feeding.

She has logged 10 countries under her belt, and has put her feet into the North Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Adriatic. Once we arrive in America she is going to work on seeing all 50 states. She is a super traveler, enjoying planes, trains, boats, buses, cars, and gondolas.

That is about it.

Miss Hadleigh Claire Eats

The anticipation has been building for quite a while. After weeks of reading, planning and preparing, we fed Hadleigh her first meal tonight. Yummy, yummy, rice cereal.

Several months ago we decided to take on the adventure of making our own baby food. I read a couple books and it isn't difficult, and it is better for her and cheaper. So I thought I would give it a try. Today I bought brown rice and I ground it up and boiled it. 10 minutes later we had several servings of baby cereal.

She has been very interested in food recently, so I knew she would be thrilled when the spoon was finally headed in her direction. But as she ate, she became very confused and unsure about this new substance. Part of this was my fault...being a novice baby food maker, I failed to grind the rice fine enough, so I think there was too much texture for her. Tomorrow we will try again, with finer ground rice.

Her facial expressions were hilarious...you can get a glimpse of them in the pictures.

Last Trip

This past weekend we went on our "last" European vacation. I have last in quotations, because I hope it is just the last for now, and not our last forever.

We headed down to Spain and had a wonderful 5 days of summer. Our camera was on the fritz, so unfortunately we don't have any pictures, but you can just picture in your minds us sitting on the beach and that almost completely sums it up. I'll let Dave elaborate on the trip as I know he needs to write something for the blog.

We had a great time, and on the 3rd day Hadleigh enjoyed dipping her feet into the Mediterranean.

Now we are switching gears, so I don't have time to feel melancholy about our last trip. Two weeks from today our home will be invaded with movers and in 4 weeks we will be headed to Knoxville for Hadleigh's first visit with her grandparents, great-grandma, cousins and Aunt Angie. I think this next month is going to be a major trip.