Shannon Yee

So, Eila loves the zoo (animals, as she calls it) and so do I (Josiah could go either way at this point.). It is fun to see all of the animals up close and read a little about them each visit. It’s also fun to be outside and get a little exercise. We decided to take a quick trip to see the fabulous animals yesterday afternoon, knowing that a storm may be coming at anytime.

As we pulled into the parking lot, many people were heading out of the zoo and as we walked through the gate, we felt the first few drops. So, I quickly headed to an indoor exhibit, especially seeing the dark clouds and feeling how the wind was picking up. While, we visited with the penguins, the hail and violent wind and rain poured down outside. After a considerable amount of time watching the penguins, jumping like them, dancing, looking up, singing songs, and reading all about them and talking to all the other (very wet) patrons of this exhibit, we decided that the rain & hail were taking as big a break as we’d get and rushed over to the bird house. Inside the bird house, we found and counted all sorts of birds, sang, splashed in puddles (where the rain was coming in), and exhausted ourselves as much as possible; we even tried to sneak into the butterfly area, but had no such luck. When our bladders could handle no more of the waterfall and rain sounds, we covered up as much as possible and ran to the toilets. The rain was letting up a bit, so we trekked out to Amphibiaville and had the place to ourselves and the frogs, salamanders and crickets. As soon as we were ready to leave, the rain was letting up and the sun was even peaking out. By this time, though, it was already 5pm – closing time.

The zoo is fun, even in the rain and possibly more educational that way. It only takes a short time to enjoy the zoo; we could’ve left after the penguin house, but I didn’t want to run through the rain to the car…

Some friends and I are starting up a portable preschool co-op for our two-year-olds. This adventure seemed to us like a good idea. We have a wealth of resources – moms who are trained teachers and love kids, homes where we can meet, books, puzzles, toys, music, art supplies, creativity, and of course, energetic children. And, it is a lot less expensive that a Christian preschool or the International one where I was considering sending Eila (and may still at a later time).
Originally, we planned to have one mom teach and one mom assist, but it turns out that we all need to be present to control our children and establish the routine, so for a while we are all meeting (with younger siblings) and trying to learn how to do preschool. We will transition to the two adults to five kids ratio, but it’s still a bit unrealistic.
Fortunately, we all seem to share similar expectations for what the kids can do and learn. It is fun seeing them adjust to circletime, sitting and listening as well as participating and raising their hands. They love to dance and sing and eat (who doesn’t) and are getting better at sharing and taking turns. I wonder how long until we can start doing more than one story during circletime. I bet it would go better if three of the teachers weren’t wearing babies as well as trying to teach and coral toddlers…

There has been a great deal of discussion today about Joe’s birthday. First, Eila sang “Happy Birthday, Josiah Robert” and told him that it’s his birthday and we should have cake and ice cream. Then, Brian and I were talking about how kids grow up so fast… Joe is already 8 months. From this followed the disagreement about when his actual birthday is – September 6th or September 7th. Guess who won?

It wasn’t me. I apparently have the same problem with my children’s birthdays that my mother has. She has never gotten my birthday right (always saying it’s one day later than it actually is… no hard feelings, but lots of teasing!) and now I am following in her footsteps. I am hoping that by admitting my ignorance publicly, I’ll be able to remember that Josiah’s birthday is the 7th and not be confused again. We’ll see!

Friday’s Feast is something I saw on another blog and it looked interesting. So I’ve decided to add this meme to my posting. At least, there will be one post a week (if I remember to do it…) I hope you enjoy it.
Appetizer
Name something you would not want to own.

I definitely would not want a spider or snake of any sort.
Soup
Describe your hair (texture, color, length, etc.).

My hair is very fine, longish, and naturally dark blonde, with lots of light blonde and a few red highlights.

Salad
Finish this sentence: I’ll never forget ___________.

I’ll never forget the first time Brian held my hand.
Main Course
Which famous person would you like to be for one day? Why?

I’d like to be Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, because I think it might be interesting and a good way to make a large impact for good, for just one day.

Dessert
Write one sentence about yourself that includes one thing that is true and another thing that is not.

Making dinner and entertaining others is fun and easy for me.

I made my return to racing last night with a 5k in Novi. It was a perfect night to run/race and I had no excuse not to go, so I went. It was fun to be at a race, even though I was on my own. The running community is pretty friendly and I saw a couple people I knew from other places. I must admit that running these 3.1 miles was much harder than I anticipated. It has been a few weeks since I’ve run and the course is really flat, so I figured it would be easy and feel great. That wasn’t exactly right. I felt beat up and more than a little sick. It was not easy, but I did finish in under 29 minutes, so it definitely could’ve been worse. After I ate and rested a bit, I am ready for another race. Maybe, this time I’ll try to run a little more beforehand.

It really works. I find it very cheesy to practice and be practiced on, but I always feel listened to and cared for. It is especially helpful in difficult relationships or situations. Everyone has times where you just don’t know how to respond to someone, but reflective listening has really helped reduce these occurrences for me. Reflective Listening is a technique to really listen and love others. The basic idea is that you start with a hedger and then state the feeling and thought of what you just heard.

I often want Brian to listen to me, to help me problem solve, to care and share in my life & experiences. The most helpful use for me recently has been when a friend has been gossiping. I used to never know what to say and still frequently forget or don’t think to really listen, but when I do, the gossip changes from gossip about someone else to really sharing about self and growing up personally. It is a privilege to be able to participate in someone’s growth just by listening and caring for them, especially when it could have been a very negative situation resulting in hurt and pain.
Here are some other useful articles on reflective listening:

from Communication in Organizations

7 Don’ts

Are You Listening? (PDF)

Last night was the annual Ladies’ Tea at my church and the speaker was the best yet, in my opinion. Liz shared about how we should smell, look, and sound good. She used several passages from the book of 2 Corinthians. She reminded me that I am the aroma of Christ to those around me. That is a sweet fragrance of self-sacrifice and love with compassion and humility. I should smell good so that others will want to be near me and know more about Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:15 Cheryl, our party planner, read a poem to start off the night that was about a lump of clay becoming a beautiful tea cup in the skilled Master’s hands. Liz talked about how we are to look good too because we are reflecting the glory of God. We all have flaws and cracks and it is through those holes that God’s light shines. When I, a pot of clay, have the glory of God, the greatest treasure, filling me up, others can see Him shining in me. 2 Corinthians 4:7, Finally, there was a challenge to sound good, ie. not complain about the temporary struggles because I know I’m going to a better place eventually – this isn’t all there is. She told a story about how tents are for memories, not for living in all the time. That’s how our bodies are too… 2 Corinthians 5:1 & Romans 8:23.

It was a good reminder to me and I hope that you also will be encouraged to let Christ dwell in your richly, so that others will see and glorify your Father in heaven!

I am always learning and want to always continue learning. This week these are some things that I’ve learned:

Eila notices and remembers everything – or at least much more than I previously gave her credit for.Josiah needs a routine too.

Hiding God’s word in my heart really does help me not sin against Him.

If I want to leave the house with everyone dressed, I have to take each person to the car as soon as s/he is ready to go or start the process over from the beginnning.

Patience may be a virtue, but it is not one of mine.

Brian doesn’t like me telling him what to do.

Eila doesn’t like that either.

Asking forgiveness is hard, but extending grace is just as tough.

Being forgiven and forgiving are amazing gifts and worth every ounce of effort.

I feel lost without email; sad, eh?

The more I pray, the more I want to pray.

Laundry does not take care of itself.

Neither do the dishes or any household cleaning tasks.

Saying “I’m so happy!” can make things seem a lot better than they did before, even if they aren’t any better. It helps to lift your hands up to the sky and smile while saying this, and even add a little hop.