Only A Dad

After Victoria headed off to run a few errands this morning, I decided it was time to change Willow's diaper. So I proceeded to lay her down on the rug in our study room, took off her pants and then of course her diaper. Realizing that I failed to bring another diaper into the room with me (my first mistake), I left her lying there, got up and went into the other room to find one. After searching in haste, I came back to the room with Willow (she was still lying there very peacefully and content) and figured I better call Victoria to find out where the diapers were.  She told me, "Sorry, we're out." Victoria did use her creative Mommy-mind and told me to get a dried out used one from the garbage and put it back on her until she came home from the grocery store with fresh ones.  I thought that was a pretty good idea, so I went into the bathroom to find a half way decent used diaper and left Willow right where she was (my second mistake).  When I came back into the room (no more than 20 seconds later), she wasn't there (I told you she was illusive). I then heard a kur-plunk and ran to the origin of the sound only to find Willow on her back on the kitchen hardwood floor, surrounded by a pool of you-know-what, pee. She didn't seem to be any worse for the wear, although I then had quite a mess (literally) on my hands. Of course the dog, in only a way a dog can disgustingly do, figured her mess was a pretty tasty treat, so between trying to clean up the mess, keep the dog away, shew Poppy from the scene, and disinfect Willow, I had all limbs in action but eventually managed to bring things back to some semblance of order before another domino was going to fall.

I guess my past experience as a parent of a toddler is a bit rusty. Only a dad could do something like this.

Honing my fathering skills,

Tom

These pictures were taken today (after the craziness of this morning's event). Austin went to the Jack Johnson concert last night (our early afternoon) in Barcelona, and is off to Madrid tomorrow. Annie spoke to Victoria on iChat, and Barret's on his way back from San Quintin and now spending the night in San Diego.  We'll pick him up as soon as he gets into town tomorrow and then we all head off to Mount Hermon for the week for vacation (and spending lots of time with Annie too). We'll see if we can post from Mount Hermon, but it may be difficult.

BEWARE...Mother about to brag...

Any of you who have read this blog from the beginning (May 1st?), know just how incredibly grateful we were/are to our youngest son Barret as he heroically helped us schlep our way through China with strollers, luggage, diaper bags and of course our precious cargo of Poppy and Willow!  : )  It was tough, school- wise, for Barret because he missed almost a full three weeks of 9th grade arriving home just days before his finals.  He had to make up a tremendous amount of work, unit exams, missed projects, etc...while preparing for his comprehensive finals as well! He was overwhelmed to say the least! We tried to encourage him as he trudged through that week with the thought that the Lord may just give him extra blessings in his school efforts because of his unselfish service to us, his family.  We said, "Barret, there are no guarantees that the Lord will work in this way, but He often does and we will pray for His best for you."

Well may I just say that #1, God is good and He is kind, and, #2 Barret DID exert himself and achieved a 4.0 this semester!!  Hurray!! We have never been a family that has put alot of emphasis on grades, rather on character and effort, but...hey, a little "grade rejoicing" is in order!  We are proud of you son! You hung in there and we will have life long memories of our time with you in China to boot!

We love you Barret.

Mom and Dad

"Momma, Can She Talk Now?"

A cute moment with Poppy.  Here's a picture of her today on a rocking horse we were just given by one of our neighbor friends.  And here's the 'quote of the day' (actually yesterday) from little Miss Poppy after Victoria returned from the hospital with Willow (Poppy thinking in the back of her mind after hearing that we might be a little concerned about Willow's speech and hearing, common side effects from cleft lip/palate), "Momma, can she talk now?"  

I spoke to Austin today on Voice-Over-Internet.  He was calling from Niort, France. The conversation was a little garbled due to an intermittent connection, so we were both a bit frustrated, but I was just satisfied to hear his voice. He's having the time of his life, and loves the scenery throughout France. Tomorrow he's on his way to Barcelona, Spain to see Jack Johnson in concert. He'll hang out there for a few days. After that, he might head to Madrid (he's not entirely sure). Victoria and I also had opportunities to connect with Annie on iChat (love that technology). She's doing well and thoroughly enjoying her time at Mount Hermon. We'll all see her next week when we go down there for vacation. Can't wait! Of course, no word from Barret.  He's "radio-silent" until he gets back into the United States on Saturday. We really miss him.

That's it for today.  

Warmly in Christ,

Tom

A Day At The Doctor's

Today Willow had her five hour examination by various physicians and surgeons at Children's Hospital in Oakland to diagnose the condition of her cleft lip and pallet. I wasn't able to go because of work, but Victoria was with her while our friend Kim Smith stayed with Poppy at our house (such a gracious gift). Willow was a very brave girl, and the doctors were quite impressed with her lip repair, basically stating they couldn't really improve upon it. When she's older they might be able to reshape her nose a bit because her left nostril is a little out of round and alignment. They didn't seem to be too surprised by the nature of her cleft pallet, feeling as though they could repair that without many complications. (Apparently there's an 85% success ratio with the first surgery for cleft repairs.) Simply put, they graft pieces of her pallet skin together to cover the cleft, creating a rather normal pallet but without the typical bone most of use have up there. It will take several weeks to heal, requiring Willow's arms to be shackled with what's known as "No-No's" (devices that keep her arms straight so that she can't stick anything in her mouth while the incisions mend). We're sure she'll be in some pain through the recovery process, but of course she'll be completely "out" under anesthetic during surgery. Some have asked us what causes cleft lip/pallet and we're told it's somewhat of a medical mystery; believed to possibly be genetic or environmental, or perhaps a little bit of both..., we just don't know.

Victoria could do a much better job than me of describing further details about her visit to the doctors, but for now this is helpful to all of us as we consider Willow's next steps to completely restore her health. Oh, one more thing; I guess the doctor heard a heart murmur while listening to Willow's heartbeat, so she'll need an echo-cardiogram to determine the extent of her murmur before we can take any further steps on her pallet surgery. We're hopeful she can receive the medical care on her pallet sometime in August.

Thank you for your prayers, support and interest. We'll provide further updates as we know more.

Warmly in Christ,

Tom

PS: Haven't heard anything from Austin lately, nor Barret (we didn't expect to hear from him), but just had a very nice iChat (phone-video) with Annie. It was hard for Poppy to see Annie on the screen and yet not be able to touch her; big watery eyes during the whole conversation. Kinda sweet and sad, all at the same time.

Wandering Willow

From the very first moment we met our little Willow-tree in Lanzhou, China we knew she had an adventuresome spirit. After studiously peering at us through the corners of those pensive eyes perfectly angled in our direction (without ever turning her head), she immediately began to jaunt around the hotel room where we were introduced and proceeded to examine just about every nook and cranny she could focus upon. With all of us pretty much following her wherever she went that day, we secretly wondered, "Is she really going to be that exploratory in real-life?" Uh, yeah!!! Why just yesterday we were at a party with some friends (the girls came with us) and we saw her heading toward the back hallway of their house. Several of us decided we better go see where she had disappeared to, only to discover after a few minutes of searching that she was silently playing in their empty bathtub, hidden behind the shower curtain. Then, only minutes or so after that incident, Poppy yells out loud to all of us in the backyard, "Has anyone seen Willow?" (Not good when your three year old is doing the work of an adult.) Sure enough, Willow had found another great spot to investigate in the house that was quite intriguing to her inquisitive mind. And finally today (this one takes the cake), I looked out our living room window after having just been with Willow in the backyard moments before, and she was working her way toward the culdesac in our neighborhood, bouncing with her signature stride without a care in the world as if she were going to discover the area all by herself. (She had gone out the front door and shut it behind her on the way out.) Lest you think we're irresponsible parents, I can assure you that these heart-stopping occurrences literally happen in the twinkling of an eye. This wandering Willow is something else; bringing us lots of joy, and also keeping us on our toes.

"Meanwhile, back at the other ranches...," Barret made it safely all the way to San Diego (today he heads on down to San Quintin, Mexico), Annie finished up her first full week of counseling at Mount Hermon, and Austin's safely in Paris with his friend Brian. You can catch a few details about his tour by dialing into his weblog.

Just a few more pictures of the girls below.

Worn-Out from Wandering Willow,

Tom

The Boys

Today we sent our boys off to separate parts of the globe, Barret to San Quintin, Mexico, and Austin to Western Europe. Barret's so excited to serve on this trip with our church, Grace Bible Church; to work with the children of San Quintin and parlay the love of Jesus to them. When we prayed together as a family last night around the fire in our backyard under the clear expanse of the twinkling stars and the Big Dipper in full view, Barret said he just wanted to be used up in serving so that he didn't leave one drop behind. Of course, we all also prayed for Austin who's currently in route to Paris to begin his first leg of many traversing western Europe with nothing but a 40 pound back-pack and two other friends from California (Austin and one other will meet up in Paris tomorrow, with the third joining around the middle of July). Austin's prayer is that he'll draw ever near to Jesus by speaking to Him in prayer, hearing Him from the Bible and giving Him to those he comes into contact with. Both Victoria and I are jealous we can't be with our boys during these special moments, but are so appreciative of the opportunities they're afforded; building blocks for the future. 

(If you're interested in following Austin's journeys, you may click on the link below, and for the future I've created a link in this blog that can be found on the right hand column as you scroll down the page.)

austingrandtour.blogspot.com

So now, with Annie at Mount Hermon, it's Victoria and me at home with the girls. This will be a sweet time for us as we navigate through life as a family of seven, but with only four at home.

Warmly in Christ,

Tom

26 Years!

26 years ago I married this remarkable woman. One year ago we celebrated a quarter century together in Bora Bora, where this picture was taken. I've known and been with her for more than half my life, and she knows me better than anyone on the face of this planet. I wouldn't have it any other way, nor would my God. He ordains the days of our lives, the seasons of our cycles, and the eternity of our future. I live in the "already, but not yet". The "already" of knowing (but not fully) my inheritance and a foretaste of heavenly divine in her as a bride to the groom. The "not yet" of perfect abode, but this time as the bride to the Groom of all grooms. I love her and Him, marriages that will yield crops of blissful souls that will all love as we've never loved before, and be loved as we've never fully known before. 

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart. It simply doesn't get much better than this.  But then again, it just might (hard to imagine) when we both walk down that aisle and say "I do" to Jesus who welcomes us with a smile on His face, open arms and a touch like none other. I long for His embrace, but for now I cherish yours more than any other.

I love you,

Tom

A Father's Day

Today I received just what I wanted on Father's Day, what Victoria reminded me I've always asked for, nothing. But then again, I got everything, which made the nothing even that much more of everything. And what was the "nothing" I got? A most pleasant call from my eldest, Austin, who reminded me that I'm not only his father, but also one of his best friends; a delightful voicemail message from my daughter, Annie (who's sick as a dog - must have caught that nasty thing we have just before she left for Mount Hermon), thanking me for being the best father in the world to her; the sweetest note from Barret which contained words most any father would die to read from their son; a proud note from my wife highlighting nice character traits about my fatherhood that are hard to read and receive, but so soul-felt and genuine; unsolicited kisses from my lovely Willow-tree while swimming in the kiddy pool with her; and a handmade note from Poppy to "my Daddy", with a bar of (also handmade) soap with a plastic giraffe molded inside of it. (O. K., so Poppy broke the rule and got me something, but it didn't cost her anything except love.)

One of my few moments alone today was spent lying in our hammock in the backyard (the first time I've done that this year). Boy was that sweet; lush greenery all around, a nice breeze blowing through the eucalyptus trees, a perfect mid-80's temperature with little humidity, and a momentary doze that was quickly awakened by the words of Poppy beneath me, "Daddy, may I lay with you?" I didn't want to be alone anyway; I was starting to miss my family the moment I crawled into that thing.

A Father's Day of Father's Days,

Tom

"Daddy, I Colored On the Walls"

Moments ago I was sitting here in our study catching up on some on-line news while the girls quietly played in the kitchen. I had been intently watching them for a little over an hour while Victoria scooted to run some quick errands. (Barret was over at a friend's house.)  I figured things were well enough that I could leave them alone for a short time; besides, they were within earshot and literally within view with the simple turn of my head over my right shoulder.  After just a few minutes, Poppy sauntered into the study and said with a rather nonplussed voice, "Daddy, I colored on the walls."  So, I got up to take a look at what had happened while thinking to myself, "How much damage could she cause in just a few minutes?", and sure enough, she not only colored on the walls, but on the cupboards, oven, microwave and wainscoting down the hallway.  As I looked at what my eyes could not believe, she said, "I think I colored in five spots.", and then she proceeded to show me what I could already see, but then some also rather unique spots where I would have never thought to look. I'd say there were certainly more than five spots, that's for sure. Rather than ask her the obvious question any parent would be inclined to ask at that moment, "Why would you do such a thing?", I restrained myself knowing that any response she might give would not only be unsatisfactory, but also benign because I already knew she didn't know why she would do such a thing. Instead, I said to her, "You did a naughty thing, didn't you?  You disobeyed your Daddy."  She looked up at me with those big brown, round eyes, with her moist and plump lower lip quivering, and shook her head in the affirmative. She proceeded to cry silently with big "alligator tears" streaming down her cheeks, while she then faced the consequences of her wrongdoing.

Later, after the "dust had settled" and I helped her while she cleaned up her mess (some of it unclean-able), we went outside to have her sit in my lap while we talked through what had just happened.  I asked her what I refrained from asking earlier, "Why did you color on the walls?" Of course, every parent knows the answer to that question before it's ever asked, "Because." I wasn't going to continue the circular conversation by responding, "Because why?", so I then explained to her why I thought she did what she did, which in simple terms was to get my attention one way or the other, even if it meant doing something bad or wrong. What's fascinating to me is that she couldn't wait to tell me about her trespass. She knew I'd see it sooner rather than later, so she might as well bring it to my attention immediately.  She then said to me, "I'm sorry, Daddy.", and "I love you."  Without hesitation I said, "I forgive you, and I love you too, Sweetheart."

Hard to believe that sweet little girl, pictured above just a few hours earlier, could do such a thing.  But, then again, it isn't really. Poppy's just like me, and just like all of us I suppose. The things we'll do to get love, affection and attention.

Still not feeling well,

Tom

 

Tea Time

The San Francisco Bay Area is shining in all its glory these days. Clear, sunny, warm, light breezes,... it really doesn't get much better. Seems like there's always a downside to every upside though, as the Govenator (Arnold) has officially declared California to be in a state of drought (the first time since 1991). Poppy and Willow suppose that's just fine, as long as it doesn't affect their tubby-times.  

Well, you know how I stated in my last post that Alice Cooper's picture painted a pretty good picture of how we all feel, but it wasn't really that bad? I take that back. We're pretty much that miserable, everyone except Barret. We're all hacking, with modulating fevers,... you get the picture.  I flew to San Diego yesterday for a meeting with the Padres and on my return flight home, as we descended from about 25,000 feet, I regretted that decision.  I honestly felt like the left side of my head was going to explode. I think I lost hearing in my left ear until I laid down to go to bed, which seemed to magically cause my ear to pop and I could suddenly hear again. Well, enough about our illnesses; we'll get through them by the grace of God. 

I'm going to leave you with some pictures below of a quick trip to the petting farm the kids went to recently, a photograph of the girls playing in their pool in the backyard, and Poppy's handiwork of preparing for a pretend tea time with her make believe friends (she's getting so creative with her imagination these days).

It's difficult to muster up my own creativity on this post under our current conditions, so I'm going to sign off before I bore you to death.

Warmly in Christ,

Tom

A Small Price to Pay

Well, we Kruggel's are a pretty sorry bunch at the moment. Not all of us, mind you, but over 50 percent of us. Willow's virus seems to have crept across our family and has now infected Victoria, Poppy and me. The only one spared at home right now is Barret. Yesterday both Victoria and I started to feel a little under the weather, and then this morning we could hear our Pop-Tart coughing while she began to wake up. When she stumbled into our study room while a little groggy (where Victoria and I were enjoying a quick cup of java before I headed off to work), Poppy said with a low, raspy voice, "I don't feel good... I got it from Willow." Misery loves company. Later in the day Poppy got a fever (in the midst of our 90-plus degree heat), and Willow now has an ear infection on top of a really nasty cough. The photograph of Alice Cooper to the upper left pretty much paints the picture of how we feel right now (although I guess it's not that bad).

In the scheme of things, however, these are all small prices to pay for the joy we all receive from everyone in our family. Why just the other day I got an unsolicited "I love you, Daddy!", with a strong grip on my leg from Poppy. (Of course my heart melted.) This came just one day after I received a similar expression from her, only that time she followed it up with, "... but I don't like your whiskers." (I'm told they're pretty prickly when I kiss the girls.)

Lest you think everything is always hunky-dory around our household in spite of our illnesses, we were reminded yesterday that sin has a way of creeping into all of lives, even at a very early age. Why this became very real for us when Willow took an unprovoked swing at Poppy. The Poppy-Seed was rather unfazed by it all, but where do they get these things? I'm pretty confident I know the answer to that rhetorical question.

On a final good note, Annie's safe and sound at Mount Hermon now and going through counseling training for the summer. And Austin's tough final (in some multi-linear astrophysical engineering class that I haven't got a clue about) went really well yesterday. Now he's finishing up a big project that's due tomorrow, and then prepares for his final final scheduled for this Friday. Then, for all of our kids, "School's out for Summer!" (- Alice Cooper) I always loved that song. At my age I just wish the lyrics went something like, "Work's out for Summer!

A little not-so-well,

Tom

Saying Goodbye and Saying Hello

Just moments ago our dear Annie drove out of our driveway to begin her summer of camp counseling at Mt. Hermon, (the summer camp where Tom and I met, in the Santa Cruz mountains). When she returns home in August she will quickly pack again to move to San Luis Obispo and her next adventure as a Graphics Design student at Cal Poly. 

Words cannot adequately express the joy and gratitude that I feel for the closeness of our mother/daughter relationship.  The only "downside" to such closeness is the pain in letting go when we must. I am comforted to remember that our God has ordained these seasons of life..."For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..." (Ecclesiastes 3), or I would be tempted to cling to certain seasons in an unhealthy, unyielding way.

Our first night back from China I laid in bed softly singing "Edelweiss" to Willow to woo her to sleep. My voice cracked as I was overcome with such a variety of thoughts and emotions ... my familiar bed, a new child in my arms, thinking of my older children in their rooms with whom I had almost finished my parenting race.  So much saying "goodbye" and saying "hello" all at once...my heart felt stretched out, as if on a rack,  on both ends of the continuum.  I had to get up to tell Annie that as happy as I was/am about Willow (and Poppy), they could never "replace" her in my heart or my life. (One child can never replace another!)  Annie and I shed some tears together and spent some tender moments talking about change and the subsequent joy and pain that it always seems to bring with it.  

So now...my Annie has pulled out of the driveway of my daily life and I will miss her presence terribly.  But God is GOOD and he will bring good to her as she grows more fully into the beautiful woman she is becoming.  And I will grow too as I settle more deeply into my ordained role as "mommy", once again.  

Annie, laughing with you and BEING with you  is one of the greatest JOYS of my entire life. Thank you dear daughter, goodnight... your Mom is praying for you!

Friends

Willow's not feeling too good today.  She has a virus that's morphed into a nasty, croupy cough at night.  This evening we've had to open all the windows in the bedroom to create as fresh and cool of an environment for her as possible. The doctor has prescribed some steroids for her, which we've been told will kick in sometime this evening.  In the meantime, it's hard to watch these little helpless ones struggle through illnesses, especially when they cannot comprehend.  

Poppy continues to say the darnedest things, and today was no exception.  After putting the girls' pajamas on before nighty-night, I sat down on the bed to string a few toy placards with holes that outline bugs like dragonflies, grasshoppers and so on. I was impressed with Poppy's manual dexterity, and even found myself enjoying the stringing exercise. (So much for the box that states "For Ages 3 to 5".) As usual, during these peaceful moments, Poppy's contemplative mind comes alive and she says to me with the sweetest little voice, "I'm so glad I have a friend."  I asked, "What friend are you talking about, Sweetheart?"  She said, "Willow."  

Gonna hit the hay and lie next to my girls. As my head rests on my pillow, I'll pray for Austin who has a grueling set of finals next week, and for Annie who leaves for her summer at Mount Hermon on Sunday.  (Boo hoo!)  

Tom

My Sweet Time With Willow

I love putting Willow to bed! Now, that sounds like I just want to finish my day of caring for her, but that's not what I mean here! I LOVE taking her back to my bedroom, where her crib is, and cuddling her as she drinks her warm bottle of formula. (She's still pretty dependent on formula until her palate is repaired and she can eat greater volumes of food, calories...) I put her on the bed and gather her blankie, close the curtains, etc. While I do that, she rolls around on my bed in gleeful anticipation of what's coming next! Then I playfully grab her little feet and pull her body towards me which makes us both laugh out loud. I get her all cuddled up with her soft blankie next to her cheek and wrap the rest of the blankie around her little peanut body.

Then I just settle back to enjoy looking at her sweet face as she drinks her bottle down. I get to kiss her and coo at her and not worry about Poppy seeing me! : ) When she finishes her bottle she is barely awake and she lies there in my arms as still and peaceful as can be. I wonder at the blessed privilege that the Lord has granted to me to be the source of comfort and peace for another dear child. I pray for her and for my endurance to be a "good mama" for her, a mama that has an enduring, growing trust in the Lord.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow...

Bilingual Babble

At times, Willow has her moments of being a chatterbox in her own way. Usually it's in the form of babble, and sometimes it's in the form of what's known where she comes from as the "Wu Wei Whine". This whine usually consists of a medium grade 2-second drone without any tears. It basically means, "I want what I want and I want it now". We all feel that way at times, it's just that toddlers (no matter where they come from) have no inhibitions about expressing their selfish hubris, and most adults (although not all of us) have mastered the art of wanting to cry out with a Wu Wei Whine, but usually control ourselves so it's only heard by our own conscience.

While enjoying our routine evening tubby-time last night, Willow resorted to a form of babble chatterbox as opposed to the Wu Wei Whine because she basically had what she wanted and she had it right then and there in the bathtub. The tub may be one of her favorite places to hang. Truly, she's often happiest soaking and playing in those three to four inches of sudsy, soapy water than anywhere else. The girls almost always bath together, and Poppy loves to wash her Mei Mei while Willow plays as if there's not a care in the world. During Willow's play in the tub last night her babble went something along the lines of "eh, eh, eh, ah, ah", but with a slight slur to it. She also mixed in some sweet little grunts, usually meaning that she's trying to point something out to me. While intently watching and listening to Willow's chatter, Poppy looked up at me and said so proudly, "Dad, Willow can say 'eh, eh, eh' and 'ah ah' in English!"

This little toddler-girl is already bilingual in babble! It's amazing how quickly they learn.

They never cease to amaze me, these girls.

Tom

Last Day On Earth

Running along San Francisco's waterfront Embarcadero on a breezy, but bright Friday noon-time work break, I worshipped on my iPod in a fresh way following his daughter's untimely death to some of Stephen Curtis Chapman's older tunes. Serendipitously, about a mile into the run the next song began with a slow and somewhat melancholy melody. The words he sung went like this;

I pull over the side of the road and I

Watch the cars pass me by

The headlights and the black limousines tell me

Someone is saying goodbye

I bow my head and I whisper a prayer, "Father,

Comfort their broken hearts"

And as I drive away there's a thought that I

I cannot escape, no I, I cannot escape this thought

I can't get away

Oh, if this should be my last day on this earth

How then shall I live

Oh, if this should be the last day that I have

Before I breathe the air of Heaven

Let me live it with abandon to

The only thing that remains

After my last day here on earth

Rounding the corner of a small brick building next to AT&T Park, I saw ahead a faded, but still somewhat colorful wreath tied to a palm tree encircling a picture of a young man dressed in a baseball uniform. Drawing closer, the letters of his name came into focus and I stopped to read some of the notes from childhood relatives attached to Anthony's memorial. "I don't miss you a little, I miss you a lot..." And, "I know you cannot hear me because you're dead, but I'm still going to say it, 'I love you'..."

The timing of the song and the encounter with this lifeless stranger were no accident. This San Francisco Giants fan lived a short 19 years and something, I know not what, took his life. How did he live his last days here on earth? Did he know his last day(s) would be his last?

Now, two men I've never met, one grieving and one deceased, have left indelible marks of grace upon my life. Today I live as if it were my last day on earth. So I say to my mother and my father, to my sister and my wife, to my sons and my daughters, and to my Jesus, "I love you". May tomorrow come so that I may do it again, "... with abandon to the only thing that remains after my last day here on earth", Him and us.

Life is good,

Tom

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Well, yesterday Victoria and I heard some pretty "profound" things come out of the mouth of our babe, Poppy. Let me share two of those with you.

While meeting with a group of families (including our Pastors) from our church over at a friend's house, Victoria was able to explain a few of the potty challenges Poppy had while we were in China, all of which really centered around her utter disdain for the type of toilets used in Asia (more of a hole in the floor than a raised seated bowl we're used to here). When Poppy had to go to the bathroom in China, she would just hold it forever until she almost made herself sick while waiting to find a bathroom with fixtures she was comfortable with. Poppy listened to her mother explain this conundrum to our friends, and later when one of our Pastors asked during a share-time what we can thank God for today, she said without any guile, "That we don't have yucky potties, but nice ones." Yes, we can give God thanks for some of the simple pleasures of life, even these.

On a more serious note, at church Victoria and I were given a wonderful opportunity to share with the congregation just a little bit about our passion for children without mommies and daddies, and the profound influence our little blessings from heaven (Poppy & Willow) have been to our family. While we were waiting between the two services for the second one to start, out of the blue Poppy comes up to me and says with a most sincere voice, "Dad, thanks for taking care of Willow and me." Ohhhh, that was like warm, soothing oil poured over my love-beating heart. The timing of what she said was not only perfect given what Victoria and I had just shared with everyone, but also mysterious because I'm quite confident she never heard what we said during the first service. Well, needless to state, I'm going to cherish those words for a long time. "Thank you for that blessing, Jesus."

A very happy Daddy,

Tom