StoryTime at the Cafe

It's so exciting doing these new things with Eli. Today in StoryTime at the Cafe, the kids made snowflakes. And I must say, Elias astounded us all by creating this beautiful, unique snowflake all by himself!

Well, maybe he had a little help. Truthfully, he putted around the room while Mommy created this beautiful, unique snowflake. (Somehow, it doesn't look so amazing knowing that an adult made it.)

Of course, he did manage to eat a couple small pieces as people were busy gluing them onto their popcycle sticks. (Sorry, Mom. I know how you hate crafts with popcycle sticks. But isn't it so much cuter when it's for little kids?)

StoryTime at the Cafe was fun. We knew several of the moms and their kids, but we met a lot of new ones too. One girl I met was Florina. She was there with two kids. She told me that she was their nanny and that she was actually a native to Germany. She has been here for 6 months and will only be here for a year in all. We plan to get together soon.

I so enjoy getting to know people and doing new things.

Aunt Janet is coming for dinner tonight. So I must get in my quiet time while Eli is sleeping.

Library Day

Elias and I ventured out to the library for the first time today. I didn't even know where it was, so I went with my friend, Linda and her daughter Emma. Doylestown is filled with fun things for kids. The Y is always doing something fun for the family; there are great parks, the museums are always doing fun things for kids, and they have walk/bike paths throughout the quaint and beautiful town. They are very community-minded. Unfortunately, I don't know my way around that well. I'm ashamed. Or at least, I guess I should be. Since we moved here in November of 2005, it's been more difficult to get out and learn it. I worked full-time until I went on bedrest in December. I birthed a baby two months later and never really knew how to get into the life of finding fun things to do with kids - especially infants. Frankly, my kid wouldn't have enjoyed a day trip to the children's library at a mere 6 months old. He's just now developing a love for books. I can recite the Seuss book Hop on Pop by heart. If he knew how to talk, I'm sure he could too. He carries it around and pretends to read it. It doesn't matter if it's upside down. He knows how it goes. Yesterday, I sat down on the floor to read to him. I had several books beside us to read. I picked up Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? (compliments of my good friend, Autumn, and her adorable son, Aiden) and started to read it.

"'...I see a red bird looking at me!' Eli, look at the red bird!"

Eli reached down and picked up Hop on Pop.

"Yes, dear. We just read Hop on Pop. Don't you want to read Brown Bear? Look at the blue horse...."

By this time, he's pulling the book out of my hands and shoving Hop on Pop in my face. I could read that book 10 times in a row and it would be just as exciting to him as the first time. I think my record was 6 times before I got sick of it and said enough's enough!

In any case, we had a marvelous time at the library. Our neighbors came in after us which was a pleasant surprise. The library is very large and it's all children's books. They have a section in the back for kids to play on a colorful area rug. They have board books for toddlers, stuffed animals all over the place to help the kids get involved in the stories, baskets filled with puppets, computers for children to learn and play on. They have children's books on tapes. (How adorable!) They have a separate room for scheduled storybook readings. They have tons of children's movies. And it's all for free.

Oddly, Eli wasn't a bit interested in sitting down to read any book. He wanted to look around and explore this new exciting territory. Look at all the books we can pull off the shelves!

Eventually, he found some Beatrix Potter books that were just his size. He pulled one off the shelf and carried it around pretending to read it. I love it!

We will be going back to the library. I'd like to say that I'm schedule oriented enough to go back at the same time every week. But I don't know that I can commit to that. I will probably go with Linda and Emma sometimes. I kinda need the company to give me that boost to do things like that. It's so good for me though.

Tomorrow is Storytime at the church cafe. We'll go to that. It'll be good for both of us. And he needs kids to hang around even if he doesn't quite know how to play with them yet - or sit still for a group activity.

Calling my female friends...

This plug is for my women friends that need a break from the mundane and would like to take some time worshipping with fellow women believers and learning how to deepen our relationship with God. Every year, the women in our church go away for a one-to-two night retreat. (The men do this too, but this isn't about them, right now.) In the past, we have held our retreats at Sandy Cove Conference Center in Maryland. This year, we're doing it a little different: it's at our church. This lowers the cost considerably and makes it a little more convenient to those with families. Although it's nice to get away with other women and take a break from responsibilities to focus more intently on the things in our lives that really need focusing, hosting it here has it's advantages.

So I encourage you, ladies, to consider your lives and the need for prayer support from other women. While our husbands should be our best friends and confidantes, it's so important to surround ourselves with women believers who can encourage us and pray for us and identify with us. There are so many awesome women in our church that have amazing testimonies. Many of them have been through unimaginable trials, and yet now, God has raised them up to encourage others and pray for them more effectively. God has blessed us by establishing the Church to give us strength in this evil age where temptations are lurking in every corner of our lives.

BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN HIS MIGHTY POWER. (Ephesians 6:10)

Our speakers this year feature Marianne Fischer, a jewish holocaust survivor, and Julie Henning, the adopted daughter of the famous author Pearl S. Buck.

If you would like to attend, just give me a bo-jangle or sign up on your own. You can count on me being there! I'm helping to lead worship.

Here's the website:
http://www.calvarycentralbucks.org/special_events/womens_retreat.php

Fam Pic

Eli's birthday was on Friday (the 16th). We "celebrated" by eating lunch together at Dan's office. Afterwards, Dan got off a little early, so we stopped by Dad Simrak's office to see him. While we were there, he took a picture of us. Eli was tired and more than ready for his nap, so he was somewhat squirmy and fussy. We managed to get this picture in between struggles and frowns. You never would have known that he wasn't terribly happy.

Cantaloupe Baby

Dan has a new baby. He found a sprouting seed while cutting up a ripe cantaloupe and planted it. He mentioned this to me when he found it, but I was doing something else and barely heard him. Last week, I saw a little sprout coming up out of a pot sitting by our window. Dan told me it was his cantaloupe. I was amazed. The next day, it was taller. The next day, we found another sprout beside it. Upon our return last evening, we noticed how much it had grown. There are now several sprouts popping up out of the soil. I'm not quite sure what to expect, but I'm thinking that we will probably need a bigger pot.

Getting Away

A year and a half ago, Dan and I went to Huntington Mills for a get-away before I got too "heavy with child" to do anything sexy. We had been through a lot that summer/fall and it was high time we got away. We had a wonderful weekend. A couple months later, we moved to Bucks County. A couple months after that, I was put on bedrest. A couple months after that, Elias was born. A year later and Dan's job is changing. We decided it was time for another get-away.

Dan's parents generously gave us money for Christmas to put towards a get-away. We had been saving all our change in a wine box for the past year and consequently saved over a hundred dollars. We cashed that in and booked a room at the Glasbern Inn.

Glasbern Inn is a functioning organic farm that uses it's produce, herbs, meat and flowers for the benefit of the bed and breakfast and restaurant. The food was sensational. There wasn't anything we didn't like. The room was about as big as our apartment. We enjoyed the conveniences of a gas fireplace, a whirlpool, entertainment center and king-sized bed. The view out the window was breathtaking: snow-covered hills, a frozen pond, cattle. No traffic noises. In fact, we were miles from the busy roads. It was less than an hour away, but it felt like we were hundreds of miles away. Everyone treated us like royalty. It was great.

But that's all secondary. Dan and I were able to slow down, breath slowly, relax, and talk. We were able to connect in a way we haven't been able to in a while. Not that we haven't been close or things haven't been good with us. They have. But the busyness of life hasn't allowed the slow-paced conversational relaxation that we so desperately needed. We needed to connect on a deeper level than we've had time for without distraction.

RB and Julia Pray were kind enough to stay in our home with Eli while we were gone. I came home to find him eating; apparently, a past time that he grew quite fond of while we were gone. There was no food in the house. Everything I had prepared for them had been eaten. He's going through a growth spurt. As RB said, "he'll be 4'3" by the time he's done with this growth spurt."

I encourage all my friends with busy lives and/or little ones, to make the effort to get out with your husbands frequently. If you can, stay overnight somewhere and talk about the things that hinder your relationship. Ask how you can be better wives. Pray together. Connect.

Snow Day

Yesterday finally brought some winter weather.... right after a healthy dose of spring fever began. I am so ready for nice warm weather. Where every time I want to go out, I don't have to worry about bundling up a 1 year old and myself and somehow manage to carry him and at least one bag out the door with me. But yesterday, the cold weather we've been experiencing was made worth it. Dan stayed home from work, and we enjoyed a wonderful day of leisure together.

Of course the alarm went off several times before he made his decision to stay home. Sleet was coming down in sheets on top of the couple of inches of snow we'd gotten during the night. Since snow storms induce such cravings as french toast for breakfast (isn't that why the bread, milk and eggs always run out in the stores when a snowstorm is predicted?), we made french toast with what I had. Never make french toast with 12 grain bread. It was awful. The best types of bread to use for french toast are, white, potato, challah or texas toast. Just a little pointer, I thought you might all appreciate.

After Eli's morning nap, we piled up his new red flyer wagon with Eli, a guitar and his diaper bag and headed off to our friends' house in the next development. They have two kids, 6 and 2, who absolutely dote on Elias. Dan and Miguel played their guitars together while Olga and I talked and the kids played. When the men started playing, Joshua had to get out his guitar and play also. Promptly following was his little sister, Amelia, who had to do what her brother was doing. Eli then coveted Amelia's guitar, so we had five guitars out and playing!

All in all, it was a good relaxing day. It was a much-needed, slow-paced day in the middle of the week. Dan and I have only three days until we get to go away. We are counting down the days.

Windows

A window is a beautiful thing. Over the years, companies have perfected them so that they come in a variety of styles to appease the eye or make cleaning them more convenient and less of a task. There are many types of windows. In the poetic world, a window is a means to see the soul. In the world of literature, the window is a symbol of what keeps a lonely girl hidden from the outside world. Anne Shirley's one and only friend, Katie, was her reflection who came and went as she passed by windows. To Stephen King, on the other hand, a small window kept secrets. I imagine that in heaven when we are living in mansions of gold, large walls of beautiful windows will shine through the glory of our Lord Jesus. There will never be dark corners that the Light streaming through these windows won't find.

But today, I want to share a "perk" of living in our particular condo unit. Our windows are semi-old. They are the original windows that were put on the buildings when they were first built about 16 or so years ago. Now, to me, that really doesn't sound that old. It's more the fact that they chose cheap windows...16 years ago. The storm windows are built in on the inside making for a charming effect on our Living Room decor (not to mention my bending or breaking nails everytime I want to slide them up or down). Despite the fact that the are heavy, they are quite drafty. The molding that gives the illusion that there are six window panels instead of one large window is peeling and warping. The screens don't come out, and besides that they, too, are warped to allow for many many infestations of bugs into the dwelling place during those nice summer nights when the windows ought to be left open. Due to this feature, our place often smells faint of bug spray instead of the clean outside air in our attempt to air out the apartment. Foam stuffed in the cracks only adds to the charm. During the winter months, these drafty windows ICE OVER as a natural effect from the condensation build-up behind the blinds and curtains. It makes for a cozy environment when one is doing his/her best to keep the place warm for their family.

Here, I have taken a picture of the ice I scraped off the window the other day after prying open the blinds.

I think it's time that our condominium committee take action against the infiltration of dissatisfaction in windows in our development. The fees ought to more than pay for it.

I'm sorry that I didn't have a more pleasant window story. Perhaps if I was a novelist, I would write some sad story of how I like to look out my window at the birds perched on the tree branches and how I wished I could fly away with them. But alas, my fate is to be human, permanently fixed to the earth until the Day of our Lord. But that is not a sad story. I am content to be such. It has pleased my Lord to pour out blessings on His child. I have a wonderful husband who loves me and provides for his family and a beautiful happy son who is my pride and joy. What need I more?!

Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel...
But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD.
At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.

~Psalm 69:6, 13

New...Again

Just in case you were getting bored with the "old" template, I decided to change it again. I decided I didn't like it on my moniter. We'll see how it goes with this one. To me it seems more clean cut.

Oh ye Mondays Who Bring Quietude

Ahh. Peace and quiet. It's kinda sad when you use Monday as your day of rest to recuperate from the weekend. That's the way it's been here. We barely had a moment to breathe this past weekend. It was a good weekend, don't get me wrong. Dan and I attended a parenting seminar on Friday night. Saturday morning, Dan finished it while I threw a baby shower for my sister, Mary. Here's a picture of us four girls with Mom and Mom Mom.

Later in the afternoon, Dan went to Doylestown to spread the news that our church is throwing a major outreach concert (Kingpin Wrecking Crew - listen to the audio ad here) to all the kids that little more than hang around town. My mom and sister Tiffany were in town (as well as other family from Virginia) for the shower, so we had a small birthday dinner for Elias who was utterly exhausted from not getting much of a nap earlier in the day. All in all, it was a good day - just exhausting. Sunday brought another family gathering for the Simraks' February birthdays. After we left, Dan, Eli and I were able to walk around the mall a little before heading to church for missions meeting. Then we went home to crash for the night.

Dan and I are SO EXCITED about this coming Sunday, for we are to escape to that quiet haven of rest: the B&B. We haven't been away since September of 2005. I think it's time. And we couldn't be more ready for it. Our dear friends RB and Julia are going to be staying here with Eli. We will be gone for two days and one night. We are doing it right since we only have that long, so we will be staying at a very nice B&B north of here. Sunday can't come soon enough...

First 1st Birthday Party

Last evening, we went the Steve and Christie's house for dinner. Christie's mom, "Aunt" Sharon, was there. It was so awesome to see her again and to spend that time with the three of them. They just loved us up. It was a nice "break."

They surprised us with a small little birthday party for Eli. I was disappointed that we weren't able to throw him a decent first birthday party like we wanted. We'll get together tomorrow night with a few family members nearby to celebrate and we'll have a joint Simrak February party on Sunday. But we had been planning a big party inviting all our closest friends who are crazy about Eli and just have a fun time together. But resources and time just weren't allowing. But that's okay because he's only one and won't remember it anyway. I guess it was more for Dan and me anyway.

So last night was Eli's first 1st birthday party. It was great. It was also his first cupcake. And he loved every bit of it...!

My Fair Share of Depression

This has been a difficult week. God is showing me through a couple of good friends (perhaps without their knowing it) that I need to show more raw emotion to prove to others that I'm "human" and go through my fair share of difficult times. The last thing I want to do is come off as being better than anyone. I don't think that way in the least - quite the oposite, actually - but, I guess maybe after getting through my history of rebellion and major pain and suffering, in comparison, my life now is so much better than it was that in perspective, I don't have reason to complain. But it doesn't mean that I don't have trials and struggles.

Sunday came and brought with it the reality of the busyness of the month of February. We had a non-stop day, so by 9:00pm, I was spent. The stupid game wasn't over yet, though it felt it had been going on for days. Dan, feeling the loyalty to my brother and sister-in-law who live in IL, was sorely dissappointed in the Bears' performance. ("They don't get paid millions of dollars to drop the ball!!!") Eli was on some sort of high with all the people and other kids around that eventually I had to scrape him off the ceiling, shove a bottle in his mouth and take him up to bed. He promptly fell asleep to my great relief. I felt depression and utter exhaustion come over me like a heavy blanket. I noticed myself shutting down and the desire to retreat to a quiet dark place was overwhelming. I fought against that desire and forced myself to face my friends as most everyone else had left by that time. I bared my soul to my friend who, I found out later, was more than relieved to see me in such a state of weakness. (Sounds horrible, doesn't it? Slightly humorous in my mind.) She showed such compassion and care.

The next few days brought on the same type of feelings of depression without any apparent reason. Nothing was different about our routine. Dan taught on Wednesday and the message from God was an encouraging one. It was on Judges 7. Three points hit me in a beautiful hard way:

1) God often whittles us down to show more of His grace and victorious strength - "...lest Israel boast over Me saying, 'My own hand hath saved me.' " (vs 2)
2) God offers encouragement when we are "afraid." (vs 10-15)
3) God always brings victory in His plan. (vs 19-25)

Dan and I have both felt the weight of being a target as we make our transition into ministry. Oh yeah, I haven't made a formal announcement yet. Here it is. Imagine Joshua's horn sounding in the distance as I announce...

DAN HAS BEEN OFFERED A FULL-TIME JOB AT OUR CHURCH AS YOUTH DIRECTOR. He will also be involved in other ministries, but his main responsibility will be the senior high youth group. He has accepted and it has been announced both to his current employer and to the church staff. We are very excited about this opportunity.

As our senior pastor's wife put it, it's like we have a neon target on our backs. Every Christian is a target for the evil one, but suddenly, when we get into ministry, our target turns a neon color. We need to arm ourselves in prayer and with His word.

I've been feeling much better the past two days by the grace of God. But it isn't over. Emotions are fleeting. Reality is reality. And the reality that we are a target is real.

Looking Down

This is what I get to look down to every day. Isn't it great?!

Eli Walks to Mama

I know he's been doing this quite well for awhile now, but it's just so cute to video him. He's a little clumsy and uncoordinated, especially when he gets excited. It's just so cute to watch him and play with him.

Eli's First Chocolate-Chip Cookie Experience

Dancing Elias

Class Clown

Daddy teaching Elias to stick a spoon to his nose.

Autumn and Aiden

Last week, my friend, Autumn, and her son Aiden (20 mos.) came up from VA for a short visit. It was SOOOO NICE to see her and to talk with her. The boys played together. It's always nice for Eli to play with other kids. When they got here, Eli was down for a nap. Aiden came in saying, "Baby? Baby?" Then the rest of the day, he called him "E-IAS." So cute.

New Look

Here we are folks, a whole new look to The Life and Times of Dan and Gen. New Look; Same Great Site. We may continue to work on it over the next few days or so. So bear with us.

So be sure you come back often. Or at least as often as I update it.

Little story for today: Our Passat needed to go the shop and since Eli's still not better, it's no skin off my back if the car's in the shop since we're not going anywhere for the sixth day in a row. So I called Bill's and told him what needs to be done. He told me to bring it in. As soon as Eli was up from his nap, I got him ready for the weather that has just in the past two days turned cold (20's and 30's). I packed him in the car with the stroller and headed off to Bills'. We got there and no sooner had I shut the door of Bill's office behind us than it started to snow.... and I mean, snow. It came down fast and thick. New Britain's first snow of the season and it had to come now, just when I was about to walk home with my sick son. What's more is that we would be walking into it.

Well, a kind man was just leaving and offered to give us a lift. What's more is that he had a carseat in the back of his daughter's car. So thank the Lord for that little mercy! The snow was nice to watch from inside our living room. It was short-lived, but nice for the time it lasted.

First Steps