Four Generations

Just thought I'd share a neat picture that my dad took of Grandma, Mom, me, & Audrey at my grandparents' place in Oceanside.  We took it a few weeks ago when my parents were visiting.



I wonder if one day, I'll be able to take another picture like that, except I'll be Grandma.  It would be the greatest thing if Audrey, her daughter, and her daughter's daughter could come to visit me and we could just talk about how great the Lord is together around my table.  If I got to see my children and their children's children grow up in the Lord and truly live for His glory, I would be SO thankful.  Wow, that means I've got a lot of work and prayer ahead of me!

If you get a chance, I'd also like to ask for prayer for Grandpa.  First, that I would be more faithful in praying for him.  Second, that God would extend His saving grace to him in breaking his heart to trust in Christ as his Lord & Savior.

Perks of Being Unemployed

As many of you know, Mike was out of work for about a month and a half.  It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because we got to do many things together as a family such as...

Go to Disneyland several times





Be silly at home with Cheerios



Watch Daddy play soccer



Visit Audrey's great-grandparents



Take walks in the stroller



Take a wonderful trip to gorgeous Monterey (and by God's providence, with friends who happened to plan the same trip on the same days!)





Go to the park and have crazy fun on the swings



We're so thankful.  The Lord has graciously provided a job close to home and we were able to enjoy our time together as a family.  Not only going places and doing fun things, but simply enjoying one another.  Now it's back to work for Mike and also for me as I get back into my groove with things here at home.  On that note, gotta clean the bathrooms now...bye bye!

Last Month's Trip to Hawaii

We were fortunate enough to visit my parents in Hawaii last month.  They hadn't seen Audrey since she was 2 months old, so they had a great time spending the week with her.  Here are some pictures from the trip:

First plane-ride for Audrey.



At the Dole Pineapple Plantation.



Visiting the North Shore.



In Waikiki.



My parents held a choir concert one of the nights, so we were really glad to go and see all the fruits of their hard work.  It was an extra special blessing because we got to hear my dad do a little solo.  I was in the back with tears in my eyes because it had been so long since I had heard my dad sing.  He has the most beautiful voice and I'm sure, very beautiful to the Lord.



We took Audrey to the lagoons at Ko'olina to go swimming for the first time.  She loved it!







When we go to Oahu, we stay at my parents' place, but we like to pretend that we stay at the Sheraton and lounge in their patio area while reading and watching the waves.



Just goofing around before catching a show at the beach.







Since we were out and about everyday, Audrey had to catch her zzz's in the car.  Here she is, trying really hard to squeeze one in before the next stop.  (sidenote:  it looks like she has 6 toes because they're all the same length. don't you think?)



Hanauma Bay



We got to celebrate my mom's birthday the night before we left at Sansei.  Yummy!  Thank you for hosting us, Grandma and Grandpa!

Growing Up

I was fortunate enough to see Baby Noelle yesterday.  She is a beautiful 2-week old bundle of love.  When I went in to see her, I had left Audrey in the car for a little bit because I didn't want to contaminate the Bulis home with baby snot.  So I got to stare at Noelle for a few minutes and I realized again how tiny and adorable newborns were.  After I said my good-bye, I went into the car and saw Audrey and I was shocked at how big my 8-month old was compared to Noelle.  I was like "Who are you?  Why are you so big?  Are you really my baby?"  Audrey was just sitting there, smiling at me..."Yes Mommy, it's me.  I'm a big girl now."

Gosh, time goes by too fast.  Within the past week, Audrey has learned to crawl, grown out of most of her clothes, demonstrate more of her depravity (she's got anger issues), and she's gotten 2 more teeth, which makes 4 total now.  Wow!  Everyone said that babies grow real fast, but I didn't believe it.  Now I know it's true!

A few months ago, I got to ask a godly mother of 4 what she would have done differently if she could relive her time with her young babies.  She said something so sweet and wise...that she would spend more time with them...playing, cuddling, just being with them, because they grow so fast.  I want to do that and cherish every moment with Audrey while she's still dependent on me and while her heart is soft and moldable for the Lord.  Even if she wakes up at inconvenient times or makes messes or gets sick, I want to soak up every moment of it and be thankful to the Lord for this huge privilege.

Lessons in Motherhood

This past week, Audrey was sick and it was pretty tough on the Lee household.  It turns out she had the virus called Roseola, where she had a high fever for 3 days and then broke out into a pink rash all over for several more days.  It must have been pretty painful or uncomfortable for her, because our usually happy baby was crying inconsolably day and night.  She slept little at night and didn't nap well during the day, which meant little rest for Mommy and Daddy.  I also had the stomach flu, which made it really difficult to care for Audrey, but I'm so thankful for Mike.  He stepped in and was a huge help to both of us.  He even got up at night with me to help console Audrey and still went into work in the morning.  He eventually got sick too, but now we're all healthy and SO thankful for God's answer to our humble prayers and for all the lessons learned.

There were moments when I thought that I was unfit for motherhood because it seemed too emotionally and physically stretching.  Seeing our sweet baby cry and not know how to alleviate her pain really made me feel so vulnerable and helpless.  On top of that, being fatigued myself and unable to eat very well made me feel like I was at the end of my rope.  I found myself plopped down on my knees, desperately crying out to the Lord for help.  And now that she's laughing and smiling again and life is veering back to normal, I can look back on this week and really thank God for the lessons learned and blessings received.  Here are a few that I'll got down just so I can remember them for future trials like these:

1.  God is in control.  He knows what is going on in every cell of our bodies, and even if I don't know exactly what is going on, our loving Father does.  And nothing is out of His caring hands.

2.  Being desperate and helpless is how I always should be.  I should never think that I have motherhood under control and that I know the answers to this and that.  I should always be on my knees, crying out to Him everyday.  Being weak magnifies God's glorious grace which is overly sufficient to cover over our weaknesses.  And because of this, I ought to boast in what exposes my frailty.

3.  Being sick is a good reminder of how we needful we are of Him.  Even though as moms our health is the last thing we can afford to lose, it's good to be sick and be humbled from time to time.

4.  A husband's love and servanthood are irreplaceable to a wife and mom.

5.  Praise the Lord for the fellowship of other moms (including my own) during trials. It is a comfort to ask other godly moms for prayer in difficult times and to receive sweet encouragement from them.

6.  I need to guard my heart from anxious thoughts.  Cast them to the Lord in thanksgiving rather than in fear or complaint.

Sometimes I can't believe that I'm a mom.  It's such a huge calling and so intensely humbling.  I think of my own mom and all that comes to mind when I think of her:  caring, nurturing, comforting, selfless, encouraging, a source of godly wisdom.  I can't believe that now I'm supposed to be all those things to Audrey and hopefully to several other little ones.  I've got a long way to go and I'm praying that the Lord would strengthen me to be able to be all those things to my family.

Well, now that we're all healthy, I've got a load of housework to catch up on, so I better end this entry.  But here are some pics for Audrey's grandparents...

Getting ready for a walk.



Valentine's message to Daddy.



First time at Disneyland.



Teacups!  Can you see her bottom 2 teeth?



Learning to crawl...and babble at the same time.




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Ann Judson

Just finishing the biography of Ann Judson, Adoniram Judson's wife.  It would take too long to share all the details of this book that touched my heart, but one thing that stood out was her life of suffering.  I've never personally known anyone who has suffered as much as her.  All I know is that she must have SO much treasure in Heaven because she faced every sort of trial that any woman could go through.  Just to give an example:  while her husband was being brutally held as a prisoner of war in Burma, daily facing prospects of death, Ann was caring for her baby daughter in an evil land.  She lived in deplorable conditions, had no family or friends, was barely clinging on to her own health, and had to endure heart-breaking nights of separation from her husband and hearing her precious baby cry because of hunger.  Yet, because of her obedience to the Lord, the Lord used her to encourage her husband, who pioneered the missionary effort in Burma.

Here's a quote from the book:  "Her courage in leaving America, her dedication in insisting that her husband remain with the young church while she sought medical help abroad, her loyalty during Adoniram's imprisonment and her disregard of personal risk seem almost superhuman.  Yet she was only too human in that she suffered greatly; she was not hard, insensitive or cold.  She was a woman who loved intensely, loved her husband, loved her children, loved the people of Burma, but above all loved her God."

Much to reflect on after reading this book.  Highly recommend it!

And...Simple Joy #16:  When your baby has the giggles.
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Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Audrey's Christmas wish to her grandparents and to her Eemo Jane in Hawaii...

Take One:  Uh, I'm hungry, Mama.



Take Two:  Now I'm tired.



Take Three:  This is too stressful.



Take Four:  Help!  Please help!



Finally!  Merry Christmas to you!



Here's a Psalm that is not exactly Christmas-related, but is perfectly fitting for this season of worship... Psalm 145:1-3

I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever.  Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.  Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.