Tag Archives: family

Overwhelmed by God’s Goodness

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Noah Jackson Bakker arrived last night, December 29th.
Mom and baby are healthy.  Daddy is overjoyed.
Their best friend, Lindsey, was there (near Seattle)
supporting them, taking pictures and updating Facebook.
We. Love. Lindsey.
Here’s a case where technology is a blessing.
I still can’t wait to hold the boy in my arms!

~     ~     ~

Look how much our two grandsons look alike!

 

Preston Christopher, born December 24th

…sigh…

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
His mercies never come to an end,
They are new every morning,
Great is Thy faithfulness.

Preston Has Arrived

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(Oregon) Baby Preston is here, after a sudden c-section


smiles all around


I don’t think he’s hungry…(he hadn’t had his first meal yet)
…naw, he’s practicing to sing The Messiah, his Nana thinks.


Supreme contentment…Preston has eaten, he’s back at home base,
his very own haven of rest.

Great with Child(ren)

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Having two births imminent colors, textures and illuminates this Advent season. 

I have great respect for the complexity and fragility of human life, and never take a healthy birth for granted.  I’ve thought more this year of Mary, awkward with baby, traveling to Bethlehem.  There is no way she could find a comfortable position on or off a donkey.  Really, how would she even get on a donkey? Her first birth, away from family, in a strange place, questionable hygiene, Joseph at her side.  They were not what one would call, in the parlance of medical speak, favorable conditions.

My Oregon daughter-in-law has been in labor through the night.  I am waiting to hear an update. 

Today is her due date.  Tomorrow is my Washington daughter-in-law’s due date.  Deep, cleansing breaths!!

I love the Lutheran Book of Prayer with its section “Prayers for Special Occasions in the Family Circle or in the Life of the Individual.”  In this section is a prayer Of a Woman with Child. 

O Great God, heavenly Father,
Thou art Creator and Preserver of life.
Marvelous are Thy works.

I magnify Thy holy name for having blessed me.
In humility I appear before Thee
with petitions for my unborn child and myself.
Thou, O heavenly Counselor and Helper,
knowest our needs.
Keep away from us what might be harmful,
and daily bestow health and strength.
Guide me through Thy Holy Spirit
that I may constantly be mindful of my privilege
and my responsibility as a mother.

At all times let me place my trust in Thee
and Thy fatherly care,
knowing that from generation to generation
Thy mercy is upon those that fear Thee.
Grant that, relying on Jesus,
my dear Redeemer,
and His glorious sacrifice,
I may face the future calmly,
cheerfully,
and in quiet happiness.
I ask all this in His name.
Amen.

Looking Ahead, Looking Behind

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Yesterday I got to spend an afternoon with Gavin the Great, my 3 year old grandson.  His dad and mom have been doing a great job preparing him for the new baby due to come Christmas Eve.   When they cut a tree (in our family a Christmas tree isn’t a Christmas tree unless you cut it down) they got him a cute little tree for his bedroom.  Something extra special for this extra special Christmas.

A job on my list was to string lights on Gavin’s tree.  In a moment of inspiration I decided to do this before he took his nap.  As I strung the lights around his bed and tree, Gavin went into hyper-wonder. 

“Look at the lights, Nana!” he kept repeating. 

I thought about how one string of lights (price tag: $8) brings a bit of magic and delight into a child’s life.  One of those tips I wished I had figured out twenty five years ago!

This picture is wretched photography, but it gives you an idea.  The tree is to the left.

The funny moment of the day came when Gavin looked at a picture of himself as a toddler. 

“I miss myself as a baby.” 

He was serious.  But I think the outfit he was wearing might have been a favorite.

Three years old is bit young to be nostalgic, wouldn’t you say?

Now Thank We All Our God

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Big game season  is officially over for our family.
Meat is in the freezer.
Burgers, spaghetti, chili, stew, fillet all waiting to be cooked.
 
We still have (gulp!) a bear to butcher this week.
I think we are going to learn  how to make sausage.

Have I ever mentioned that I grew up in Chicago?
I’ve learned to cook wild game,
but I draw the line at rodents.
I will NOT cook rodents. 
Nor will I cook lagomorphs.
X-Ne to squirrels and rabbits.

I have cooked elk, deer, bear, cougar, pheasant, quail, duck, goose and grouse.
I have eaten rattlesnake.
(It tastes like chicken is the obligatory comment after trying new meat.)
Nothing in my upbringing prepared me for this part of my life.
But my mother-in-law and husband were good teachers.

For readers unfamiliar with hunting:
♫ doe a deer, a female deer ♫ 
a buck = a male deer
a bull = a male elk
a cow = a female elk
a boar = a male bear
a sow = a female bear


Chris (son # 1) with bull elk.  Elk is a mild meat. Everybody loves elk.


Chris with his buck


Collin (son # 3) with his buck


Curt (that’s my man!) with his buck


Collin and the sow (black bear) he shot.

An astute reader will notice the absence of Carson (son #2).
He is hunting elk in the state of Washington.
He has gotten some incredible animals in his youth.
Do not weep for Carson…

Eating Locally

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Chris, our oldest son, is the locavore in this picture.
The animal is an organic grass-fed, grass-finished, free-range bull elk
who lived his life about 15 miles from our house.

“Hoffer” harvested this huge animal with a bow and arrow,
a skill which requires great dollops of
strength, stealth, endurance and patience.

This evening, our garage will transform into a butcher shop.
Several hundred pounds of delicious elk roasts, filets, and burger.
Cut, wrapped, marked, frozen.
It’s a family tradition that occurs almost every year.

Butchering an elk and canning applesauce
are the closest I come to living the Little House lifestyle
I adored when I was a suburban girl reading Laura Ingalls Wilder books.

Eyes Wide Open

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Happy Birthday, Carson!

How can I describe you, my zany, exuberant, full of zest, Sonny Boy?  In looking through some pictures I’m struck with how big your eyes are, as if they can’t open wide enough to take it all in.  You came into this world ready to party: bring it on, Mama. 

You also came into your world eager to know it, to discover it, to dominate it.  Your powers of observation rival Grandpa’s; your curiosity about the way things worked nearly always got you into trouble. 

You wouldn’t remember the fateful trip to Yakima when you first discovered how to unlock the seatbelt that kept you in your booster seat. I’ll never forget it.  No warnings, no reproaches, no spankings, no blisterings could keep your itchy fingers from pushing that button once more to see what happened.  Your young mind comprehended the consequences, but you were completely willing to pay the price to press the button, hear the click and watch the seatbelt unbuckle.  Your Aunt Margo and I stuttered our way down the highway in two mile increments. Never have I pulled the car over on the shoulder more in one trip. Your tolerance of pain has always been high, but your love of delight has always been higher.  

I admire the risk taker in you.  You did well playing soccer as a goalie because you were willing to take risks and go after the ball.  When the opportunity came to work on a salmon boat you jumped in! You ride motorcycles, climb mountains, ride boards with names I can’t keep up with, and you navigate Seattle traffic like a New York cab driver. 

You have become an excellent older brother, both to Collin and your brothers by marriage.  You are a  sounding board, a willing listener; you take a genuine interest.  When the phone rings and “It’s Carson!” you know your brother and I are both competing for the opportunity to talk to you.

I can’t wait, Sonny, to see you as a Daddy.  I’ll probably have to close my eyes when you start your little guy riding bikes at 3 months, but I know that you will  follow in the footsteps of your Dad and Grandpa as an earthly model of our Heavenly Father.

I love this picture and I only know two of the subjects: you and your Grandpa.  It shows the you I love.  The willing joiner, the connector, the young man who takes an interest in other folk.  When I drove you around town back then, you would identify people all along the way. “Oh, there’s Stan…  Wait!  I know that girl… Is that Joey across the street?  (quick roll the window down)  Hi Joey!  That was Rhonda who drove by us.  Hey, I think that’s Josh’s friend.” 

When I told Bob about your friends coming backpacking his response was, “Carson, the Pied Piper.”  I hope you continue to grow as a leader.  And, by the way, I really like your friends.  I expect they will be life-long companions to you and Taryn like Jack and Lisa have been to us. A steady friend through life is a priceless gift.

Happy Birthday, Sonny.  May you continue to grow in grace and wisdom and knowledge of the Lord.

Love,

Mom