a week ago:

and I'm still finding coffee grounds in strange, obscure places. I think it happened because I didn't screw the top on tight enough.

oh the thrill! oh the joy! oh the delight!

we are so glad for the blessing of this sweet life!
Selma Rachel Smith
weight: 3.13 kilos*
length: 49 centimeters **

* 2.2 pounds per kilo
** 2.54 centimeters per inch

the one that didn't get posted

. . . because I wanted to make sure that they really were contractions; and then we had to run out too fast . . .



oh dang! is that a contraction?

I've established one thing this past week - - forced nesting doesn't
encourage the onset of labor. nope - - it doesn't work. true nesting is the overflow of a woman who is genuinely prepared to give birth; nesting, in and of itself does not actually make a woman ready to give birth. I think it's a bit like the good fruit/good tree images in Scripture.

on the positive end, I ("I " in the sense of "me and mom", mind you!) do have a defrosted freezer, my tomato plants are pulled and replaced with Jonny jump-ups, I am caught up on laundry, have made a cozy little moses basket out of a wooden chestnuts box that I salvaged from the farmers market, and I have two coffee cakes and a chocolate cake in my freezer (I'm scheming up a plan to have"come and meet and hold baby Selma" coffees with our friends and neighbors as a way to invite people into our home). I feel pretty good for being so miserable!

on raising boys in Spain

When we came back from spending a leisurely morning in downtown Pamplona to pick Malachai up from school we were rerouted by school personnel to the local emergency room. We did find him there; he had just finished up his pineapple juice - - bought for him by his teacher after he had tried convincing her that he needed a cafe con leche.
It turns out he had been playing toritos - - one of his favorite recess games in which one child, with fingers up as horns chases after a group of running, taunting boys; and he fell. five stitches baby.

. . . and we made sure that the school got our cell phone number.

Victoria Beckham on Spain

"Spain smells like Garlic"
. . . or at least that is what my neighbor told me that everyone's favorite Spice Girl said when she (my neighbor!) was giving me her recipe for pochas (fresh white bean soup) and was explaining to me why she doesn't add garlic.

it's unfortunate, really . . .

our sweet Josu is talking more and more lately. to his great delight he has discovered that he can say his brother's name -- he lives his life gleefully calling out for Malachai - - "caca!"
"ma-ca" we prompt him . . . "caca!"
"chai" . . . . "caca!"
"hmmm . . . chai-chai" . . . . "caca!"

thanks for all the encouraging and challenging thoughts on my last post. Here's my follow-up - - it consists of three notes to self; read along if you are interested:
Note to self #1. know your boy
he loves ice-cream; he's a sucker for story telling; I cashed in on this and found the right moment to dish up a bowl of ice-cream and incorporate my teaching into the best dramatic rendition of the Exodus account I could muster up; he was hanging on to every word.
Note to self #2. know your boy's limits
Malachai's question was a tough one - - one that I think can certainly be answered from the text, buuuuut I didn't think that the text was as "four-year-old-clear" on his specific question as it was on say, for example - - what God's purpose was in hardening Pharaoh's heart. Soooo I did what any good bible teacher would do - - I tweaked his question and focused on that re-crafted question .
and . . . as to not to give an overbearingly lengthy blog entry here, I really, really want to encourage YOU to read the Exodus account and underline every time that God hardens Pharaoh's heart and the corresponding WHY - - it's fascinating! do it, do it, do it!)
Note to self #3. know and love your bible
I read the account a few times over before I sat down with Malachai; this not only helped me to understand the text better and help me to know where to focus my answer to Malachai, it made me excited about the text (I'm sure I wore poor Joshua down over the next few days - - telling him "did you know that . . . . ?") and when it comes down to it, I guess that that is what I want to transmit to my boys - - not primarily a right-on answer every time (although I will try my darnedest!) but even beyond that a love for the Bible and, of course, the God of our Bible.

So, say that (hypothetically, of course) you are part of a church body studying through the old testament, and you have been encouraged to read through - -oh, let's say . . . the account of Israel's exodus from Egypt (for example)

and say that your four year old son sees you sit down with your bible and begs you to read out loud to him . . . yeah! . . . of course you will read to him from God's good, holy scriptures - - the marvelous account of the next step in the fulfillment of the wonderful promises made to Abraham!
things are looking good through chapter 9 (you wonder if maybe your son's thoughts have become more focussed on lining up his playmobile horses than on the great I AM's plans to call his people out of slavery) when suddenly he looks up and asks "but why were all of the Egyptians covered in boils, if Pharoah was the one who refused to let the people go? that doesn't seem fair . . . "
you fumble your way through an answer, not sure if it made too much sense, but (slightly unnerved), you continue . . . he seems happy enough with the answer you gave. you go on a bit longer. . .
then he stops you - - "wait" he asks,"did that say 'pharoah's heart was hardened'? So does that mean that God made pharaoh's heart hard and that Pharaoh did the bad things because of how God made his heart? "
oh stink! oh stink! I didn't even ask that question myself until I was in college, and then only because some bible professor prompted me to; how am I supposed to explain that one to Malachai!? ! What was the answer anyways?
I mean . . . if, hypothetically, if you had a four year old ask you that specific question, what might you say?
oh dear, I have to admit that I brushed that one off a bit (because, geesh . . . I still had ten chapters to get through, AND I had to format pictures for three more pages of our website before I could go to bed and I was already tired and fuzzy-brained!) but I will think it through carefully - - try to find Malachai appropriate words and images to best answer his concerns and I will try to create a special time with my boy tomorrow to snuggle and chat and make sure his four year old heart and mind are satisfied with my explanation. And maybe he'll want to talk about it some more (or maybe he'll just want to show me the farm he set up with his playmobile!)

it's tradition . . .

We read the notes written on the inside cover before we read the book; Malachai insists on it - - he knows almost all of them by heart.

post script
so, if you ever send us a book, you must, must, must include a note; it's tradition . . .

we tried to get them to come out and clear some land for an airstrip; they opted instead to help us set up our website and teach us about photoshop. I guess that is better for our west European context anyways . . .

so really - - Peter and Julie were amazing. the hours they spent teaching us bits of the ins and outs of the computer world, helping us set up our website (wait, just wait a little bit longer and I'll give you the link!), were invaluable - - not to mention, they were just flat out delightful friends and guests; it was so refreshing to have them sit at our table and share our meals (give their opinions on which Spanish jamon they liked best), roam our city streets (admiring things we never noticed before), show our boys the amazing "world movie" (Google earth), and stay up late asking thoughtful and probing questions, listening to the lessons God has taught us this past year, and sharing some of lessons He has taught them . . .
good times. we wish we could have had more!

on becoming Spanish

Four years ago, when I was pregnant with Malachai, I signed up for birthing classes because - - well, I'm not really sure why - - that's what pregnant ladies are supposed to do, right? besides, I figured I would meet a few pregnant ladies along the way, and that's always nice (they are a pleasant lot to be around!) So in this class, along with meeting other pregnant women, I spent many hours absorbing all sorts of really wonderful, helpful birthing tips (things like - - "breathe out as if you are blowing out a candle" - - I think), but to tell you the truth, what has stuck with me most clearly over the years is this:

"if you are having a baby girl, MAKE SURE to bring the earrings with you when you come in for your labor and delivery, so that the doctors can pierce her ears before you are discharged"

so look what we bought today
they were a wee bit more than I had purposed to spend (oh, but did like them more than the solid gold balls!), and then Joshua, my ever prudent and money savvy husband gently encouraged me to pick the ones I liked most. sweet Joshua.

My son - - genius child photographer

Malachai gives the D40 a go

come along with us!

If you have ever spent any meaningful amount of time with us here in Spain, you know this about us - - one of our favorite family activities is to walk along the walkway behind our house (our building is the one in the far, far left of the picture; do you see it?)
The walkway winds alongside a stream, between fields (sometimes hay, sometimes barley sometimes sunflowers), past the private vegetable gardens and ends in a large grassy field that is filled with all sorts of fruit trees - - apple, fig, cherry, walnut - - where once a sneaky gardener planted and cultivated his fruit and vegetables without legally purchasing the property (that garden has since been torn down and turned into a lovely, wild-ish, public park)

well, we took this walk yesterday - - hoping to bring home our share of the crop of figs that usually abounds at this time of year. We were sorely disappointed, though, as I think that our cool, cool summer is yielding a later than usual fig crop. We did, however, find a nice pile of hay bales and managed to make a family event out of that!

Joshua is clever and smart and good with words - - so when the ministry web page needs to be put together, he does the writing

I'm the one with the camera - - so when Joshua tells me he needs pictures for the web page, I take the pictures.

this is what happens, though, when Joshua knows I am trying to take pictures for the web page; I think I have the harder job.

seeing Rachel off

So here we are at the airport - -joining Rachel as she drinks her last cafe con leche. The Pamplona airport was busy when we dropped her off and we had to fight for a table at the (one and only) Pamplona airport food/beverage station; I guess everyone else was trying to get in one last Spanish coffee too (it's just not the same anywhere else!); I think we knocked over a few small children as we raced for it! AND (horror of all horrors!) all the regular coffee cups were dirty so we got coffee in a paper cup!

Seriously, though, (not that having to drink coffee in a paper cup isn't serious) we were oh so sad to see our Rachel go. Her absence will be poignantly noted these next four months that she is gone on home assignment; we will miss having her here - - both as part of our family (who will read to my boys? who will encourage me to try new and exciting recipes?) and as a ministry partner (who will remember to put out the napkins when our dinner guest come over, or how will I possibly find a way to meet up with and encourage the countless women that she usually does?)
the house has seemed a bit empty and lonely these past few days; if you happen to run into her during her stay in the States, remind her how good she had it here and send her back our way!

it's tradition . . .

we wait. we don't open the bag and pull out the newly developed pictures until we can all sit down together and pass them around - - observing carefully and commenting appropriately on every print.

we picked up a processed roll of film today and found moment to all sit down together . . . look here for some of my favorites

cooking in Spain

probably the most important rules in the Spanish kitchen are - - never give a recipe with precise measurements or instructions, and never follow a given recipe exactly. Most recipes I get from Spanish women tend to go a bit like this:
"oh! it's easy! all you have to do is measure 3 cup-fulls of flour
('what size cup?' I ask - - 'oh, you know, just one of the water glasses from your cupboard')
and mix in a few eggs
('how many?' I ask - - 'well, it depends on the size of the egg')
and 8 heaping spoonfuls of sugar, half of an envelope of baking powder, some salt and some lemon rind. beat it all together and stick it in the oven
('what temperature?' I ask - - 'oh, whatever - - a medium-high heat, I guess')" . . . and I don't even bother to ask how long - - I know that I just have to keep an eye on it until it looks "right"

bearing that in mind, here is one of our favorite summertime Spanish recipes (gazpacho!) - - based loosely on a loosely given recipe from a Spanish friend!

4-5 tomatoes - - washed;the riper the better!
1/2 onion
1 small cucumber - - peeled and seeded
1-2 garlic cloves
1 (or less) green bell pepper - - washed and seeded
give it all a good chop (feed the insides of the cucumber to any interested bystanders)

season with:
extra virgin olive oil (oh, maybe 2T)
a lemon or two (or vinegar if you prefer)
salt (1, maybe 2 teaspoons)

lure the interested bystander to blend it all together (I use my Malachai and my oh-so-Spanish blender stick, but certainly, you could use a blender or a food processor) until it is very smooth; I like it best chilled for at least a few hours before we eat it.

so there you have it! let me know if you give it a go - - and what you think (I never would have tried a cold soup recipe before coming to Spain!) AND, of course, what you changed in the recipe to make it your own!

1. my camera got stolen

2. I cried and told everyone about it (it helped me to feel better)

3. these guys heard about it. they (and some more friends and church family) found a way to buy and send me a new one

4. I cried and told everyone about it (when I told the lady at my local camera store she asked me - - "what church are you a part of? I want to be part of that church!")

I love the church. I knew already that they loved me; if this had never happened, I would have known they loved me by the million other ways they have shown it already. this has just been one more, particularly delightful, touching demonstration of this love. I feel it so much I hardly feel like I need to say it (but - - hang it all, I will anyways!) - - thank you !

living legally (and oh so cutely!)

We went this week to the police station to, like good law abiding missionaries, renew our boy's residency cards. look how cute these kiddos are! I pulled out the pictures we had taken for last year's cards and had fun comparing them to this year's ID photos.

on why I knit every once in a while instead of expositing Scripture

If I was to evaluate the "Christian woman culture" that I have seen and lived in my short life, I would say that we are often prone to laziness when it comes to understanding and communicating God's delightful, profound word. Sooo . . . let me make this clear - - I'm all for women exerting themselves to be faithful, diligent students of the Bible (and other relevant non inspired writings). go for it! read more, think harder, reason thoroughly . . .

Soooo . . . today I want to encourage you all to take the time to knit (or cook or sew, or scrapbook, or hot glue pom-poms onto your daughters keds, or whatever lovely crafty thing you like to do), Because I find it impossible to read a science book, or go to an aquarium, or to exposit the first couple of chapters of Genesis and not be overwhelmed with God's delight in beauty and variation, and in the actual process of design in creating. It's fascinating, don't you think, that in the tremendous act of creation, God chooses, not to speak the completed universe into existence all in one shot, but instead to spend six days creating and ordering the earth (days 4, 5&6 of creation filling up what was created on days 1, 2&3 - - look! it's there!) and its inhabitants into the final "very good". Do we not, then, reflect the image of our creator when we ourselves order and create?

A special thanks to you, mom, for living this out for me- -You have been Faithful in your study of the word, complete in your love and care for Christ's church, and always an example to me of a woman who reflects God's love for beauty and creation - - in different cultures, with eight kids, with a pretty much non existent decorating budget!
a good book to read on this topic (recommended to me, of course, by the lovely Darcie Newton)- - Edith Schaeffer's The Hidden Art of Homemaking
I took these pictures of home - - last time I visited mom

on raising boys in Spain

two weeks ago I caught Malachai, excited about the upcoming summer barracas (fairgrounds), in a corner, quietly practicing his rolled R - - it evolved quite a bit like this:
"badacas . . . . baracas . . . barracas" (he did it! he rolled his R!) . . . "barrrrrrrracas! "
So now, two weeks later, his rolled R perfected, he is managing to put a rolled R into pretty much any word imaginable - - English or Spanish - - single R or double R, words that have R's and words that don't have R's . . . .

we went up to Pamplona early this morning to watch to watch "those who run with the bulls" run into the bull stadium. When I told Malachai about our plans he asked oh-so-casually - - "will I be running with the bulls too?". it's funny now; it won't be as funny when he asks the same thing ten years from now (and really means it)!

after the bull stadium we paraded along the city streets with the gigantes and cabezudos (pretty much my absolute favorite part of the festival in Pamplona)
here are Joshua and Josu being chased down by one of the kilikis - - look closely and you can see the his sponge ball peeking out behind his back - - being wound up to hit them. These guys are masters at what they do with their sponge balls; they always hit their target - - viciously whacking the taunting preteen boys and gently tapping the toddlers (and getting in some pretty good playful whacks at innocent bystanders too)Josu lucked out and got picked up by this zaldiko and was trained in the fine art of whacking. (poor aunt Rachel!)

the team

we are exhausted and still a bit giddy as we recover from the week we just had with the short term team that came out from Faith Community church who came out for a week to teach English conversation and culture classes in a nearby neighborhood. The time spent with them was so good; they were the sort of short term team that every missionary dreams of - - they were prepared, flexible, excited about Spain and our ministry, loving and warm and humble with their students, and they were encouraging and generous (and much, much more!) to our family. We are so thankful for them and look forward to seeing the fruit of their efforts in our ministry in the future!

One of the team members (and a wonderful friend), Nicole, has stayed with us for an extra ten days; we are thriving on all the wonderful conversations and spirited card games that she provokes! We spent the day downtown with her today . . .