Servant's Heart

We were surprised a couple Sundays or so ago by Pastor B. asking Nate to help extinguish the candles at the end of the service. He dropped the car he was playing with and ran to Pastor. I was amazed at how coordinated he was for only being 3. I was very proud. Not so much at how well he did, but at the excitement he showed in wanting to do it and the ear-to-ear grin he bestowed on the congregation after bowing and handing the snuffer back to Pastor. It reminded me of the start of the Christmas season last year and Pastor asking children one-by-one to carry the nativity pieces from the back of the Church and place them under the Christmas tree. Nate, only 2 at the time, watched with anticipation of being asked. There were only a couple pieces left and I know he was afraid he would not be asked. He climbed off his chair and ran to the table at the back of the Church and looked expectantly up at Pastor. I think, due to his age, Pastor may not have asked him as the pieces were large and heavy and very fragile. However, his determination won Pastor over and he handed Nate the donkey. Nate carried that donkey so carefully and with so much love to the front of the Church. He was so excited he skipped back to his seat giggling. I am so thankful that my son seems to have a servant's heart and finds such joy in His service. I pray that this sticks with him!

God knew your name

I was putting Nate to bed last night and I glanced up at his wall and saw his baptism picture. The theme for his baptism was "Before the light of day shined on your little face, God knew your name." That got me thinking about the project Nate brought home from school about how he got his name. Parents need to write down how their child got their name. The funny thing is that Matt & I can make it a quick sentence that says it's the name he came with. Kinda like the pre-named dolls you buy in a store. But, that wouldn't be the whole story and it wouldn't be fair to Nate if we didn't write about how special his name really is. True, he did come with the name Nathan. It's not a name we we had on our baby name list when we were trying to conceive a child, but we actually liked it and it fit him. Plus, after calling him Nathan for 2 years we thought it would be confusing to suddenly change his name after his adoption. Of course, it was awesome that his last name was now the same as ours, but where does the special come in? You guessed it...his middle name. There was a lot of love that went into his middle name. While we were picking out names - before the light of day shined on his little face - we were at a loss how we could name a child after 2 special grandmas. Matt was very close to his Grandma Nonny, whose name was Valborg and my Grandma whose name was Edna. Surprise - not 2 names you would normally bestow on a child. My Grandma always said to please not name a child after her because she hated her own name. However, in my heart I knew it would mean the world to her and I had said I would even just consider using the middle initial of E only & she would know. Several months before she died, she said to me that she had been thinking about it and thought she had come up with a name that would work for either gender and would encompass both Grandma's names. She said Valdane. Val for Valborg and Dane for Edna - same letters, just scrambled. I liked it and so did Matt. A few months later she passed - 1/6/05. Little did I know at her viewing, 1/10/05 that the light of day had shined on my son's face. I didn't know him, but God did and he already knew his name. Yes this still makes me cry too - so if tears are rolling down your face while you read this, know you are not alone. So, 6 months later Nate was placed with us. After learning he was born that day and feeling like he was so connected with her, how could we not give him the name Valdane? It seemed so fitting. Grandma had been asking if I knew about the baby or if Matt knew about the baby days before she died and it will always make me wonder if she didn't know already. So, his name is Nathan Valdane. His initials are NVS - which makes me smile because is sounds like envious...and wouldn't any child be envious to have a name as special as his? God really knew his name before the light of day shined on his little face and he moved quite a few people to make sure that became his name on Earth.

Cactus Project

I was informed by both my mom & Nate's teacher that the cactus project went over well the other day. The kids all loved it. I wish I could have been there. But, it was fun listening to Nate tell me all about it. He was very proud. We are looking forward to the holiday weekend - lots of unfinished projects to work on.

One Word Meme

Ann tagged me for One Word Meme! How fun!

Each question is answered with one word…

1. Where is your cell phone? charger
2. Your significant other? Sevdog
3. Your hair? flat
4. Your mother? loved
5. Your father? complicated
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? colorful
8. Your favorite drink? Pepsi
9. Your dream/goal? leisure
10. The room you’re in? messy
11. Your church? loving
12. Your fear? illness
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? 140
14. Where were you last night? Mom's
15. What you’re not? unloved
16. Muffins? bra
17. One of your wish list items? baby
18. Where you grew up? Iowa
19. The last thing you did? bathroom
20. What are you wearing? capris
21. Your TV? Sprout
22. Your pets? peeves
23. Your computer? laptop
24. Your life? Nate
25. Your mood? tired
26. Missing someone? grandparents
27. Your car? van
28. Something you’re not wearing? wig
29. Favorite store? Target
30. Your summer? short
31. Like (love) someone? Sevdog
32. Your favorite color? blue
33. Last time you laughed? often
34. Last time you cried? sometimes
35. Who will re post this? unsure

Pattycake Pattycake My Little Bakers Man - Cactus Cookies

Nate is very interested in cacti. Whenever we're in the Southwest, he points them out. He loves looking at pictures and trying to say their names. Surprisingly, he actually knows the names of some and can recognize them. His favorite is "squirrel" cactus, or saguaro. It looks like sah-gore-oh but is pronounced more like swore-oh. Nate gets squirrel from the former. So, we just call it squirrel cactus now - it's easier to say and I think it's growing on me. This is the common cactus that looks like a person with arms. My brother, Uncle Mike, made him a cactus book with pictures and coloring pages to share with his friends at daycare. He also bought him his own real cactus plant to care for. My mom, Grandma Sue, bought a cactus cookie cutter and borrowed our battery operated dancing cactus. (On a side note, I hope the dancing cactus takes some time finding its way home as I'm a little tired of the, "I am a cactus. I am a catus. I like dancing very much. I am a cactus. I am a catus. Be careful where you touch.") She let Nate help her make several dozen cactus-shaped cookies today. He had a blast since he loves helping in the kitchen. Plus, he looks so cute in his apron and chef hat. His hat says Li'l Danish Chef. She is taking the book, dancing cactus, real cactus plant and cookies to daycare tomorrow so Nate can do a little hands-on show and share. She is bringing icing and sprinkles and Nate & his little friends will be able to decorate their cookies. Should be a good time for all. Thankfully, Nate's teacher, Miss Julie, is always up for a challenge and loves to share the joy and thrill the kids get from these fun experiences. I'm attaching pics from the cactus cookie baking extravaganza. Nate seems to think Grandma's glasses help him read the recipe. I think you all will get the POINT of this entry. :)

Starting a Blog

So there I was chatting up my gal pals around a table at Machine Shed last Sunday, when I was told it was high time I created a blog. Everyone does it. They were right. I need to get into the electronic swing of things. It's hard nowadays to keep current on the goings on of my own family life as well as those of other family members and friends. So here goes....I've created a blog. Now I just have to keep up on it. Special thanks to Andrea & Patty for giving me a nudge to get going. Enjoy!