Vincent's Baby Dedication

We as parents first publicly consecrated ourselves again to Christ.

Followed by an anointing for us as parents and Vincent.

Members of the Body were given the opportunity to bless Vincent.


Vincent's baby dedication was at our church, Early Church, on December 21st. The dedication service began by a reading of Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (our request) by my sister Rachel; then a few words by our pastor, Ron Copeland; then a prayer by Martin's dad, James; a hymn "Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us" (our request); reaffirmation of our baptismal vows; anointing with oil; a congregational response; and then charges given to Vincent by Martin's brother, Philip, and Ron. The service ended with an invitation for members of the Body to come and bless Vincent.
A very meaningful baby dedication...I am always humbled and simultaneously blessed by the privilege to be part of a community of Believers who seek to follow Christ and be continually transformed into His image. And it's good to know that our boys will be able to grow up in a community where there are many persons who emulate what it means to be a faithful disciple of Christ.
We were blessed to have so many of our family with us for Vincent's dedication, but missed those who were not able to attend, especially my dad who still wasn't able to leave home due to his broken hip.

Philip's charge to Vincent:
Vincent James Witmer Rhodes,
I charge you to follow your mom and dad as they follow Christ. I know them well, so I tell you with confidence that you can trust them.
They know you are a gift from God and will teach you well on God's behalf as long as you are in their care.

Follow Jesus joyfully like they do; be willing to give up your life, your stuff, your everything for him.
Take the word of God seriously like they do; always seek what is true, noble, and good.
Love the church like they do; always seek authentic Christ-centered community.
Live courageously like they do; stand up for the least of these.
Live peaceably like they do; speak often with the Prince of Peace.

From Psalm 22 I charge you:
Be faithful (as they are faithful) so that FUTURE generations will be told about the Lord; proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn...

Ron's charge to Vincent went something like this (from my memory, and he further elaborated on each charge):
Accept criticism well.
Be the first to apologize, especially when you are in a role where you have authority over others.
Be like St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta and serve the poor and those who are cast out of mainstream society.
Never think you fully know what the Bible says - always read the Bible with joy and in anticipation of learning something new.
Honor your parents.

-Sylvia

LIFE

A glimpse into the typical happenings of our life these days:

Martin works 5 days a week at Vistashare (a Mennonite owned software company) as a trainer. His days involve clicking computer keys, talking with customers on the phone, and bantering with co-workers.

I stay at home with the boys during the day, and our days involve playing with toys, coloring, reading books, playing with playdoh, doing laundry, fixing meals, washing dishes, occasionally going to the store or to someone's house, playing silly little games to get Vincent to laugh and interact, and being mimicked and shadowed by Elliot wherever I go. The days vary between lots of fun, silliness, and laughter, and some tears, orneriness, and frustrations.

Our evenings vary week to week with things such as relaxing at home and playing with our boys, various discussions with our house mates, hosting friends or family, dates as a couple, or going out on the town as a family. Monday nights we always go to Our Community Place for supper, and Saturday nights will now always be church.

So, our life is pretty simple right now, but that suits us just fine. Who knows what, where, and when the Wind might blow next.

Thanks

This one is for Sylvia. I am thankful that after 9 1/2 years of marriage my wife still does things to surprise me. For my birthday last week she took the initiative to arrange for a nice time away for the two of us. On the night before my birthday we had a great time with our friends Aaron and Danae Amstutz over supper at a Mexican restaurant in Winchester. She also arranged for me to have the next day off of work and so we stayed overnight in Winchester and spent the next day eating out and just enjoying each others company. I cannot imagine tiring of our love's exploration and the small ways that we still surprise one another after more than a decade together.

Growing Boys

Elliot
Age: 20 months
Height: 34 inches
Weight: 27.6 pounds
Growth Chart: 75% in all measurements - height, weight, and head circumference
Activities: looking at books; coloring; playing outside; washing dishes - "hep didjes" ; talking; playing with balls and trucks; going to visit people; going to the store; trying to differentiate colors - currently most things are "gween"; counting - he can say what the next number in sequence is up to 9; music - current favorite devotional songs are "For God So Loved Us", "Running Over", and "Building Up The Temple"; and eating - loves almost everything


(This picture is for you Carmen, Jason, Dara and Lydia and Luke!)



Vincent
Age: 7 months
Height: 26 and 3/4 inches at 6 months
Weight: 17 pounds at 5 months
Activities: taking toys/blocks out of containers one by one; "jumping" in his exersaucer and making it move all over the floor; screeching happily; watching Elliot play; trying all kinds of foods; loves music - smiles almost constantly while we sing devotional songs; loves the outdoors; wants to be in on all the action now - I think he'll be more happy when he can finally crawl; and is generally curious and excited about the world around him.

Update On My Dad

Dad is still at UVA and surgery to repair his hip is scheduled for tomorrow (Monday). He is in good spirits, but is in more pain as more weight is attached to his leg (his leg is in traction). The doctors are amazed at the good health he has at his age (67). Yesterday when I was visiting him a doctor was in and asked a string of questions prior to surgery (he had a couple of blood clots on his lungs and surgery to place a filter in was needed), and was genuinely surprised when Dad answered "No" to almost every question on the list. That's certainly a blessing!!

To give an example of the way my dad is responding to his situation, when the emergency personnel were at the scene of his fall, they asked if he had any medical/health problems they needed to be aware of, and Dad answered "No, just accident prone". And that amidst experiencing severe pain!

A brief account of what happened: He was pressure washing the roof of his sister's house, unknowingly touched a hot wire, lost his balance, slipped, and fell 18 feet onto a concrete basement landing.

Continue to pray for Dad and Mom - there will be a long period of recovery ahead.

My Dad

My dad fell off the roof of a house today and shattered his hip. He was taken to UVA Medical Center for surgery. I don't have a lot of details yet, but I'm asking that you remember him and my mom especially in your prayers. Thanks.

6 Months

On Monday, Vincent turned 6 months old, and here are a few highlights of what he's up to these days:

-Sits alone
-Eats a variety of baby food
-Loves eating cheerios and sucking on soft breads
-Has 2 bottom teeth
-Loves playing outside
-Takes 2 one to one and a half hour naps - one in the morning and one in the afternoon
-Sleeps solid at night, usually 11 to 12 hours, without waking up
-Is a cheery little guy and loves to interact and "talk" with people
-Still an avid thumb sucker
-Enjoys watching Elliot play
-Laughs easily

We haven't weighed him since he was 5 months old, but at 5 months he weighed exactly 17 pounds. We haven't measured him since he was born; we should do that soon! Sometimes it's hard to believe he's been a part of our lives for 6 months - he definitely adds so much amusement, joy and fulfillment to our lives!

Friends

This past weekend, our good friends Danae and Aaron Amstutz and their boy Joel were here for a visit and to take in the EMU 5 Year Reunion. As usual, we played competitive games of Settlers and took up several hands of the nearly forgotten game of Guillotine, had good discussions/conversations of things such as parenting and politics, watched our boys play together, and enjoyed a picnic at Cooks Creek with the ducks and goose (you'll have to ask Elliot about the goose). Now that we live only 2 hours apart instead of 6, we're able to enjoy more visits together. We're looking forward to meeting Amstutz #4 in January, and that will make 4 boys under the age of 2 when we get together.
*Thanks to Aaron and Danae for the pictures, as our camera is out of commission for the time being.

Celebrating

I'm now officially in the third decade of my life, and I admit that I'm thoroughly enjoying this turning 30 deal...

The celebration began last Wednesday by going out to eat with my mom and sisters at my favorite restaurant downtown, The Earth and Tea Cafe, where we enjoyed good conversation, good food, and where we enjoyed simply being together (I missed you Luci!). Then on Saturday morning Martin and I and our boys went to the Relief Sale, ate some delicious doughnuts and then had a lunch of grilled pork tenderloin for lunch. We dropped our boys off at their Rhodes grandparents for the weekend, and then headed back to Elva and Leon Rhodes's cabin in Singers Glen. Ah, what bliss!! It's always so nice to have time alone as a couple. Martin fixed an amazing meal of shrimp, scallops, and artichokes, and I savored every bite of the fresh seafood (Tangier Island). Our time together consisted of eating delicious food, watching movies, sitting next to hearth fires, listening to good music, and loving each other well. Everything was magnified by the relaxed uninterrupted atmosphere. We left Sunday afternoon with the intention of eating at The Earth and Tea Cafe, but it was closed, so we walked on down to the Blue Nile for some Ethiopian cuisine, which was good, but not my favorite. We picked up our boys and headed home for an evening together as a family.

Monday morning Martin fixed me a wonderful breakfast of pancakes and sausage gravy, which was my request. Then Dietrich prepared an amazing supper of crab alfredo, guacamole and chips, lettuce salad with cubes of cheese, lima beans, and coffee and doughnuts for desert. Wow, what a feast!

Tuesday night, while David and Anita babysat the boys, Martin and I took in a Chanticleer concert at Bridgewater College. Those men can sing music that sends shivers down my spine. I especially liked the opera/jazz piece.

Tonight Martin and I and the boys went to Klines for some ice-cream, compliments of Philip's generous certificates.

Tomorrow, my good friend Danae and her family are coming here for the weekend, and I'm looking forward to good talks, game playing, and all the things that take place with close friends.

And, to top it all off, my excellent husband is making all the suppers this week. Now that, my friends, is proof that he knows and loves me well!!!

Thanks to everyone for your cards and birthday wishes.

I am richly blessed.

To make this post more interesting, here are some recent pictures of the boys.

We Even Vacation As A Household!

The thought of 6 hours in the car with two young boys is only made tolerable by the more compelling thought of waves crashing onto the Atlantic shore, and being in the company of those you love with nothing better to do than relax in the sand or on the couch. And so we hopped in the car at 8:00 p.m. with a prayer for sleepy boys and traveling companions and prepared our minds and nerves for the drive east to Rodanthe. Philip and Betsy followed closely behind with the slightly less noisy Dietrich in the back seat. Our boys did well enough, and we'll leave it at that.

Our 3 1/2 days at the beach were the perfect antidote to the previous 5 months of busyness as we have attempted to adjust to new places and people. Although our household lives together in relative harmony, vacationing together brought out different facets of personalities and allowed us to enjoy each other in new ways apart from the bustle of everyday life. We also enjoyed our first (excepting Philip) prolonged time with Betsy, and spent many hours around the table after meals and in the living room at night discussing all manner of things metaphysical and mundane.

And then there was the shore...
It was especially exciting introducing Elliot to the beach and ocean, and he was simultaneously thrilled and perplexed by it. He loved digging in the sand and running into the surf, but was equally cowed by the vertiginous tide and cold shock of salt spray. He was most at ease with the ocean when Sylvia or I would hold him and take him into the ocean, jumping waves. Vincent mostly ate sand and looked cute in his floppy Thai hat.

Too soon, our trip to the coast had ended and we packed, re-entered the car for the trip home, refreshed and renewed from our time away together.














(September 19-22)

Potty Training?

I'm wondering if Elliot is getting ready to be potty trained. He's been telling us "poop" when he has a poopy diaper, and he's fascinated when anyone goes to the bathroom to "pee". Does this sound like he's ready? If so, I'm seeking any tried and true potty training advice, or any advice that seems like it would work. Or is he still too young (19 months) to start something like this?
-Sylvia

Smiles

Yesterday morning he made me smile inside and out. I was singing the song "Alleluia" while washing dishes, but only the verse "Thank You Jesus". He was happily playing in the kitchen, probably with the refrigerator magnets, when he spontaneously piped out in his high singing voice "Geezhush" after I sang "Jesus". He continued doing this for a while after each time I sang "Jesus". This was the first time he'd ever said the word "Jesus". Made me smile and even made me cry. I do love that boy.

Something To Think About

I've been reading some Wendell Berry recently, and last night this paragraph on "Peaceableness Toward Enemies" left an impression on me:

"In times of war, our leaders always speak of their prayers. They wish us to know that they say prayers because they wish us to believe that they are deeply worried and that they take their responsibilities seriously. Perhaps they believe or hope that prayer will help. But within the circumstances of war, prayer becomes a word as befuddled in meaning as liberate or order or victory or peace. These prayers are usually understood to be Christian prayers. But Christian prayers are made to or in the name of Jesus, who loved, prayed for, and forgave his enemies and who instructed his followers to do likewise. A Christian supplicant, therefore, who has resolved to kill those whom he is enjoined to love, to bless, to do good to, to pray for, and to forgive as he hopes to be forgiven, is not conceivably in a situation in which he can be at peace with himself. Anyone who has tried to apply this doctrine to a merely personal enmity will be aware of the enormous anguish that it could cause a national leader in wartime. No wonder that national leaders have ignored it for nearly two thousand years."
-Wendell Berry, "Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community"

Amidst the fury of the upcoming election, this is a refreshing reminder of what those of us who claim the lordship of Jesus need to be about. May our prayers be sincere, and may we be continually transformed into the likeness of Christ.

-Sylvia

Granddaddy Rhodes & Co.

Things I've Learned as a Mom

Things I've learned since becoming a mom:
1. The tune to the "Alphabet Song" and the tune to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" are the same.
2. That it's easy for me to share things that I like with Elliot, like ice-cream, chocolate candies, and doughnuts, just because I love him so much. (I am known to eat more than my share of all the above.)
3. That my boys' nap times are essential for all of our happy demeanor's, health, and well-being. I need some quiet time throughout the day.
4. A nap for me during the day is now considered one of my luxury items.
5. That newborns are not easy to take care of. For me, the newborn stage is actually the hardest and most demanding stage of childhood so far.
6. That not all babies take nice long naps during the day.
7. That Tylenol, Motrin, pacifiers, and thumbs are sanity savers.
8. I'm more responsive to the sensations and emotions of life. For example, I cry to the U2 lyrics: "No one cries like a mother cries for peace on earth".
9. I now love Martin more and in deeper ways since he is the father of my boys.
10. That I need the gift and the art of patience to be a good mother. It's more easy for me to become angry or lose my temper than I thought. Two boys crying at once, or when one boy cries and the other is demanding my attention, I can easily react with my emotions.
11. I can simply sit and stare at my boys in wonder and amazement and feel incredibly peaceful.
12. I'm surprised that I'm still basically the same person - I don't necessarily feel older, wiser, or more settled...just hopefully a better, richer person now.
13. That I AM INCREDIBLY BLESSED!! I now can better understand that children are a GIFT from God.

Canning and Baths

This plus a day of hot hard work equals 15 quarts of tomato juice.

The staring contest.


Now that Vincent graduated from a newborn tub to this bath ring, we can combine their baths. Yay!

Also, since my last post, Vincent has rolled over from his back to his belly. The day I was canning tomatoes, Vincent was laying in the living room with toys all around him, just a talkin' away. All of the sudden he was really quiet, and I peeked my head around the corner to check on him, and lo and behold he was laying on his belly, looking all around with a kind of worried look on his face. Too cute.

Also, Martin and I took our boys to his Aunt Reba's for a weigh-in. Vincent weighs 15 pounds, 12 ounces (doctor's scales), and Elliot weighs around 25 pounds (on a regular scales). At the same age as Vincent, Elliot weighed 15 pounds, 9 ounces, so they're pretty close in size.

We're excited to hear the news about our new Mast nephew. We're praying for you Candice and Tom!

August Happenings

The Rockingham County Fair was going on this past week, so we went one evening and saw such things as: an elephant eating a watermelon and playing a harmonica; a llama and her youngin'; rides that Elliot was too short to go on; antique tractors and new tractors; dirt bikes; lots of balloons; a clown; lots and lots of cows; horses; goats; produce; flowers; friends; etc. etc. The boys really enjoyed it, and we even heard the Beach Boys live music as we walked out to our car to take 2 very tired boys home to bed.

Here Elliot's trying out his motorcycle skills. He absolutely loved sitting on this bike and wasn't at all thrilled to be removed. He's got motorcycles in his blood for sure!!


Vincent enjoys many minutes in his activity center. It comes in handy during dish washing, cleaning, laundry, cooking...

Care to give this Schnigglefritz a kiss?

Big E and Little V


Other happenings this month...
-Freezing corn, peaches, squash/pumpkin, and blueberries - yum!!
-Enjoying other fresh veggies from the garden like tomatoes, cantaloupe, cucumbers, and potatoes.
-Eating a freshly baked pumpkin pie - compliments of Dietrich
-Dates with Martin while the boys are babysat by family.
-Rearranging the upstairs rooms so that Vincent has his own bedroom and his own crib. Thanks so much Karen, Rachel, Mom, Michelle and Kimberly for all your help and hard work cleaning and moving all that furniture around!! (I'll post pictures soon).
-Watching summer Olympics...although I've had my fill of the Michael Phelps saga.
-Visiting with Pete, Heather, Eli and Sarah Rodrigues during their trip here in the 'Burg.
-Sharing with Philip in the excitement of Betsy's return to the States
-Taking Elliot to the downtown library for childrens storytime

What's going on with the boys:
Vincent (4 months):
-Has graduated from his little cradle to a full size crib
-Found his toes
-Loves to watch Elliot play
-Easily laughs and is really ticklish
-Loves to interact and "talk"
-Sleeps solid from about 9 until about 7
-Takes about a 2 hour nap in the morning and about a 2 hour nap in the afternoon
-Haven't started him on cereal yet
-Hasn't rolled over yet but is getting close - rolls up on his side.
-Doesn't like to lay on his belly
-Is a great eater!
-Is getting more and more coordinated at reaching for toys and bringing them to his mouth

Elliot (17 months):
-Talks constantly about his dad's motorcycle. For example, a typical day includes this conversation roughly 10 times: Elliot: "Dada, vroom, vroom" (with his wrists imitating handlebar throttle acceleration). Me: Yes, daddy rides the motorcycle. Elliot: places his hand on his head. Me: Yes, daddy has a helmet on his head when he rides the motorcycle.
-Loves playing with his tractors outside.
-Is learning to talk more and more. His most recent words include "salsa", "ketchup", "Mom-Mom" (for grandma's), "pipe", "truck" (sounds more like "tuck"), "duck", and "rock".
-Can count to three. For example, tonight Martin was throwing him on the bed at the count of three, and Elliot repeated the numbers.
-Uses a spoon and feeds himself now
-Loves to pick walnuts up in the yard and throw them down the steep front bank
-Sleeps solid from about 8 until around 7
-Has basically dropped his morning nap and takes about a 1 and 1/2 to 2 hour afternoon nap
-Loves bicycle rides with his dad
-Sometimes throws jealousy fits when one parent, in his mind, is paying too much attention to Vincent.
-Likes to dance to music.
-Loves to sing. Current favorite songs: Big Moon, Bright Moon. This Little Light of Mine (especially the "Don't let Satan blow it out verse", where we exaggerate blowing out a candle). Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. The Itsy Bitsy Spider.
-Loves to look at books. He picks out the moons and stars in the books and will "sing" the songs.
-Puts away his toys and books
-Is great at mimicking noises and voice inflections

July Picture-athon

The month of July was filled with lots of activities, so many that I'll only highlight some of them...spending time with Candice and Claire, Carmen and Dara and Lydia (we missed you very much Tom, Eliza,and Jason!); a Rhodes family camping trip to Babcock State Park in WVA; enjoying a fabulous meal provided by those living in Thailand, North Africa, Israel, and Spain; 2 weddings; and a sad "So long, farewell, I hate to say goodbye" to Brent, Luci, Abigail, Clara, and Graham, who moved back to Beautiful British Columbia, after living a year in the Beautiful Shenandoah Valley.

The main reason for the wonderful month of July...Anita and David's wedding...

...and Rebekah and Jared's wedding.

We'll miss you Yoders!!!





Various pictures from the happenings with the Rhodes' family...


Candice and Dietrich fixing their dishes for the international meal.

Camping at Babcock State Park.
















**All pictures (with the exception of the Yoders section) courtesy of Candice Mast.