It’s Friday in our neck of the woods…some of you are still fast asleep but it’s definitely day time here!   We have had a packed week with what feels like a dozen play/coffee dates and lots of chipping away at the cleaning of the house before move out.  We have a busy weekend ahead and then next week we pack suitcases, clean the house, hand over the keys and head to temp housing until we fly out a week from Monday. Follow that? Me either. Just learning to roll with it. My roll isn’t so smooth though.   Here are some happy summer pictures to leave you with this Friday!

yum! looking forward to our blueberry bush at our new home

jackson’s collection on our front door step..he’s been working on this for over a year. he finds so many treasures!

couldn’t resist, consider it wages from laboring in the fields

the “fill a bag” deal at the store last week was everything you need for ratatouille!!  Reminded me of my mom!

not sure what this poor farmer boy is doing. but he sure is cute!

house work is underway. Not enjoying 10 pm phone calls with the contractor but pleased that something is going! So ready to see it finally and make it our own.

So I am way behind around here, on the blog and in life! With packout sneaking up, boys energy plus, second garage sale of the month today, working with a contractor back home on the house, unpredictable sleep patterns of our lovelies, Seth having some big stuff at work…..breath…my stress levels are high.

Many of you know we had a garage sale a few weeks ago. We sold our big stuff which we were very happy about but needed  to get rid of a lot of other little things. So, with the encouragement of our friend who did the first one with us we signed up for the neighborhood sale that occurred today. It was from 10-4, we had loads of people and sold 5 francs worth of goods. It was comical really. They don’t really do garage sales here and the neighborhood attempted it last year for the first time. Although the  Swiss are big on going green and recycling I feel like the thought of buying other people’s things might be stretching it. I went around and got some great finds from their stands so at least that was a score.   So at the end of the long day I separated stuff into categories for goodwill, friends and church. thankful that is my last attempt at convincing the Swiss on the beauty of garage sales! The part I can’t complain about is that I got to spend most of the day with my great friend Daniela. And that is always a treat!

So life is hectic and stress levels are high BUT on Monday Seth and I are leaving for a few days away. When we had Jackson we decided we would place high priority on spending a few days a year just the 2 of us. As long as our moms were willing to watch the kids and it could be budgeted in. Seth’s mom is here visiting so we planned in some time for us to sneak away.We tucked away our dividend points from our credit card and didn’t check them until we were ready to plan our time away. We live less than 10 mins from the airport and found a good deal to Barcelona which is only an hour and and a bit flight. I can hardly believe that we will be seeing part of Spain…nevermind the fact that we will see it without needing to focus on the kids full time. It is for sure the last shebang of this European post. It’s likely we will land more long term in the Latin American region so it has been a treat to fit in as much as we could.  We are so thankful to Seth’s mom for sharing her time with the boys so we can get away!   I am hoping to catch up on sleep enough to be sane through our packout and 2 months of being essentially homeless, or at least living in empty homes and not sleeping in the same place for quite some time. Once our packout occurs on June 6th it will be late July/early August before we sleep in our beds, read our own books, have our own toys, you get the idea. So pray that we come back recharged after a safe trip!  I will be back here soon with pictures and also an update on Mia’s visit!

ps- Owen ate okra and kidney beans all in one meal tonight. I am telling you, the stars were aligned…at least for that meal

It was 4 years ago today that we sat in a hospital waiting room.  We were parents of a cancer patient. A 9 month old cancer patient. Jackson. I can remember it like it was just yesterday. We sat with our parents and my older brother Ryan.  We waited for the nurse to come out and tell us about Jackson’s surgery and if they were able to remove the mass. As Seth and I laid in bed last week one evening we were remembering the day we were told that Jackson had cancer. As we talked I felt my chest tighten and a flood of emotions come back.   The emotions are as real today as they were then.

Many of you know our story. How Jackson was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, by not one oncologist but many from the top hospitals in the US. We were told he wouldn’t likely make it through the year, would have radiation that would eliminate his ability to have children and that if he did survive he would possibly have his leg amputated or very limited use of the affected leg. We blogged on here begging the world to pray. And you did. Every corner of the globe was praying for Jackson by name. And God chose to answer your prayers. I say your prayers because I distinctly remember my inability to pray clear prayers during those days. We were experiencing such shock and had to just pull it together to get to doctors appointments and keep life normal for our baby.  After a longer than expected surgery, the surgeon herself came out of the OR flabbergasted that there was no longer evidence of the mass. She opened his leg and found a mass of blood vessels remaining. His muscles were set to heal properly leaving no long term damage and he was set for recovery.

Today Jackson is an almost 5 year old ball of energy. He is smart as a whip and keeps us on our toes. He starts kindergarten in the Fall and loves life! At times his scar seems so much a part of him that I forget. And other days it catches my breath as I remember where we have been. Today we celebrate Jackson’s life. It isn’t his birthday but it’s a very special day when we look at his scar, stop and celebrate life! Tonight we will have his favorite meal, thai food! (although he tells me his Nama makes the best, mine will have to do tonight!)

Thank you for your prayers 4 years ago. Please let us know if there is ever a time when you need our support!

So when we arrived in Bern and began to make friends I did what I would do at home when people lost a loved one, had a baby, were having a rough week or moving. I took them food. And people thought I was so strange! But they were pleasantly surprised and gradually warmed up to the idea. It is not a custom here for sure. And it wasn’t in Bogota either. But it is something I have done because I knew no matter where you come from when you are a new mom you are tired and feeding a baby, or if you are in the middle of moving, or crisis it is such a blessing to have someone else worry about one other thing in the day!  And when most people aren’t finding time these days to cook on a good day, it is just so nice to have a home cooked meal. I don’t write about this because I invented the idea! It’s purely because others did it really well for us and made me want to do it for others!

I can remember exactly who came to visit when Jackson and Owen were born and I could probably even tell you what meal they brought. Was it because the meals were gourmet and perfectly wrapped? Nope, it was because I was in the middle of those first long days of being home with a baby and the contact with the outside world was refreshing and much needed! We lucked out and all of our friends are great cooks so the meals were all delicious!  Likewise in Bogota when I experienced a miscarriage I had 2 friends that brought a meal. It was such a blessing!

Taking a meal to someone is really super easy, although it can be intimidating. I used to try to think of what to take and felt like I had to look for a new yummy recipe or make something fancy. Often I talked myself out of taking anything at all because I just wasn’t sure they would like it or need it anyways. Then I realized I should just make what my family loves and what heats up well for leftovers. Fortunately, I have practice making our more regular recipes so then it isn’t stressful trying to learn a new gig! I usually make something that makes enough for our family and another and sometimes if I know there are multiple friends in need I try to schedule to take meals to both on one day. Because let’s face it, I have 2 busy boys and I don’t have huge chunks of time free to cook and deliver.  (I lucked out a little while back when 2 friends had babies, they lived around the corner from each other and had their babies one day apart!)

When I am taking a meal to a new mom (or friend in need) I try to…

-think about taking a comfort food but also consider that a new mom or someone recovering from surgery is likely feeling not so much like her former self. I try to take something tasty but also healthy so that she can enjoy and not feel guilty about it.

-save jars and disposable tupperware in advance so that when I deliver the food I can tell her right away that she doesn’t need to return a thing!

-always try to confirm a time and tell the mom that you will just be popping in to deliver the food so that she knows she doesn’t have to entertain you if she is exhausted. I remember appreciating the friends who could discern whether or not I needed someone to chat with or if it was feeding time and they just needed to come and go!

-ask if there are any dietary restrictions! I have a friend who is a vegetarian here so I wanted to make something for her that she could enjoy. Likewise when I had Owen I had to go dairy-free and our friends were awesome about bringing stuff they knew I could eat too!

-if your budget is tight and you want to take something pasta is cheap and easy! Or if a whole meal seems like too much make a batch of muffins or a loaf of bread. It really is the thought that counts (and the human contact) not the complexity of what you deliver!

-jot down the heating instructions…don’t bombard your friend with instructions because it is so hard to remember later!  And I also list what I have included in their meal just so they know what they are getting in to.

-If you are ever in Michael’s or target and see dollar ribbon grab a few spools. It’s amazing how cheery a ribbon can make a package!

oh, and one last thing…if someone offers you a meal, take it! Trust me. When I had Jackson I was trying to talk friends out of it. I knew it wasn’t convenient and they often had kids themselves. But you know what? It is nice for all of us to get to do something for someone else!  Give someone else the same satisfaction you can have from serving!

*And if you are still stuck deciding what on earth to take, I will be back here soon with some recipes and meal ideas!*

In the meantime, be thinking of who might need your help!