Leaving, sunshine and cute smiles

Well we're not the only people leaving Sheffield this summer and there have been a spate of leaving parties, picnics and goodbyes recently. It certainly reminds us that life is constantly changing and you can't go back, just keep moving on. Everything changes and even if we decided in 2 years to come back to Sheffield, everyone will have moved on and we would find it strange to adapt back. Equally for those left behind, change is difficult and strange but it does force us to remember that our stay on this earth is only temporary and we are citizens of a different place!

Daniel with Rachel and Charlotte at Di Hooley's leaving picnic
Charlotte, Rosie and Trefor at the picnic
Joyful smiles at the picnic - all those new people to smile at!
Seeing Daniel changing week by week is another reminder of how quickly time goes by! People frequently ask us now if we are looking forward to going to Peru, and yes we are, but at the same time, I know that this time here in the UK is really precious and we will potentially never truly be at home here again. I also don't want to wish Daniel's baby days away too quickly - I'm loving his joyful smiles and giggles and all the things he's learning day by day. Sunday he started making 'da da' sounds for the first time and it was lovely to hear his little voice for the first time.

Lots of Greats

(Anna) My parents and sister have been back in the UK for a few weeks so we have travelled around the UK a bit to meet up with them. Daniel got to meet his Great Grandad number 2 (My Dad’s Dad) this last weekend for the first time. We went down to Long Melford in East Anglia and met up with my Dad’s side of the family. As usual meeting up involved eating, chatting, wine and lots of family members. Daniel’s Great Great Uncle Tony and Great Great Auntie Joan were also present so we had 4 over-80s!

A week ago I also travelled down to the New Forest on my own with Daniel on the train. I’m all for public transport in theory but I would definitely chosen to drive if I’d have had access to a car because taking Daniel on a train with a large bag with clothes for the week and enough toys and food to keep Daniel happy for the week was no easy task. After getting on the train the only carriage with free space both ways was the quiet coach! So it was slightly stressful trying to keep Daniel quiet, especially seeing as he started the shrieking phase the week before!

We spent some time in the New Forest visiting Great Grandad number 1 and then a couple of days in Woking seeing my sister and my Mum and Dad before getting the train back.

So many Greats that we couldn't help but have a great time! And as you can see from the pics, Daniel was very cute and smiley - I think he's learning what a camera is!

Leaving and other odds and ends

Was it Shakespeare who wrote parting is such sweet sorrow? As the Summer approaches we have so many leaving parties to attend. One of these was last week on 4th July (Ironically American Independence day) when I (Mark) finished my college course that i've been studying for the last 2 years, 1 day a week. I've studied a variety of Biblical, theological and practical theological subjects at St John's Anglican College, and really enjoyed most of it. Below is a picture of all the guys doing my course.

On another leaving matter, we've booked our flights from L.A to Peru and now just need to book our flights from Lima to Arequipa. 15th September is nearer and nearer. I finish work next week as well.

We continue to do talks on Peru, which is such a priviledge. Really enjoying it. Our next is on Wednesday.

Daniel's dedication

Yesterday was Daniel's dedication - an opportunity for us to thank God for Daniel's life and to promise before God that we will teach him about Jesus as he grows up. It was a lovely if not a very chaotic service with 5 dedications, 4 infant baptisms and 6 adult baptisms!

Daniel looked very smart in his special outfit and enjoyed having lots of attention, but was also very tired by the end of the day.

Afterwards we had a meal at Caffe Uno with a few close friends and family which was also lovely but chaotic with lots of children in the restaurant!

TOM weekend

(Mark) Well the rundown of busy and exciting weekends until we get to Peru started last weekend. We were at the UK annual gathering of TOM (the Order of Mission) http://www.missionorder.org
the religious order we are part of. TOM is an organisation which helps missional leaders to connect with each other, as well as support them to do what God has called them to. It was a significant time for Anna, and I, as we took our permenant vows, and God was speaking to me about the large scale of what we are called to do in Peru, and how we need him to complete this calling. Just after this a friend, John Mansergh gave me a word of encouragement and said look at Psalm 62. Verses 1 and 2 set the scene:

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

This was a real comfort as I felt the presence of the Lord greatly upon me. The Hebrew word for glory as found in Exodus 33 is kavod, the heaviness of God., and I certainly felt this weight and responsibility from God, so John's word was timely to say the least.

Also as we took our permenant vows of accountability, purity, and simplicity, commiting ourselves to God, mission and TOM for life, I realised how important this relationship we have with TOM actually is.

It was also a great weekend for many other reasons. Firstly the teaching from Mike Breen was excellent, useful and thought provoking. Secondly, we had a meal with other guys in TOM on the Friday night, which was just like having dinner with family. Finally, we had a family service on the Sunday morning which was great fun, felt like family, and took parts in prayer stations (different ways of praying for people designed by the kiuds of TOM). This was again a real sign of family, especially as guys we didn't know that well prayed for us, as we prepare for Peru. I feel very honoured to be part of such a family, who will be supporting us in Peru.

Thoroughly modern medicine

Yesterday evening we found ourselves in hospital with Daniel again, checking up on his fever and vomiting (he's a lot better now) and as I sat next to the cot with my head on the bed I thought how familiar all the medicial surroundings were. Mark found the trip annoying and a waste of time but I was grateful for the knowledge I've acquired over the past year.

I knew that contact with medical personal increased when you start having kids, but I really think that the number of separate trips regarding Daniel for check-ups and treatment is slightly excessive. I mean, the year before I got pregnant, I visited the doctor's once. Let me give you a run down on the past year...

10 visits to Jessops Hospital (4 antenatal visits, 1 seven-week hospital stay, 5 neonatal follow-ups)

2 visits to Children’s hospital (one minor accident involving a mug and Daniel’s head, one check-up for Daniel with a fever)

1 visit to Hallamshire hospital (out of hours GP)

2 visits to see the Health Visitor (check-ups)

5 visits to see the nurse (jabs and travel jabs)

3 visits to see the GP (1x check-up, 1x illness, 1x travel jabs)

Total: 22 visits in just over 1 year.

And that does not include the weekly visits from the neonatal follow-up community nurse who visited us weekly for the first 6 weeks Daniel was at home, and the usual appointments with the community midwife before Daniel was born.

Although I do feel like I could find my way to the hospitals blind-folded, I do see how blessed we are to live in a country where it is all free and so many facilities are available, especially when we are moving to Peru in September. I also feel grateful for all the knowledge I've gained about pregnancy, babies, sickness in children which I know will come in very handy in the future.

The other amazing thing is that all treatments and check-ups have either been at home or less than 5 minutes drive from our house!

Spiritual & Blood Families

Yesterday I (Mark) was watching the second of the 2 parts of the Return of the King, the third part of the extended DVDs of Lord of the Rings (LOTR), kindly lent to me by Rich Atkinson.

I was watching it yesterday morning while babysitting Daniel at 7.30ish. (The joys of parenthood - on holiday and up at that time!) and felt God speak to me very powerfully about who I am. I was watching the crowning scene, when Aragon truly realises who he is called to be. Aragon has respect for the hobbits, a supposed lesser people, whilst they salute him as king, the ultimate authority in middle earth. I was very touched by this, basically to tears.

The same reaction occurred later when I was watching Neighbours (of all things!) and Stingrey had died, and his family was watching his video of his thoughts on the family, for his niece Kerry. Both incidents clearly showed a strong bond, one with a blood family, and one a spiritual family. The thing I realised God was saying to me through it, was that spiritual and blood family are both so important and generally taken far too much for granted. Also how we need to honour others within our families. It made me think how about how well, or not, I do it, and work out what changes need to be made in my life.

In addition the film obviously has a lot of fighting and goodies defeating baddies, the good guys dispelling the darkness out of middle earth. Again I was conscious of the whole spirit of adventure that as a man I am called to, and how I need passion in all things, even when the going is tough.

There also was a real sense of perseverance when things got difficult, to learn from, especially for good old Sam and Frodo. Sam never gave up, even when Frodo felt he needed to, due to the weight of the ring, and how he was such a hero, even though he would be considered the most unlikely to be. I felt God was affirming my need to be a hero, but a hidden and unlikely one. Unlikely comes easily to me, but to be hidden is still an area under construction!

Not like me to introvertly process but felt I wanted to blog this.

What do you look like?!

We saw this on Andy Wier's facebook so we thought we'd have a go...I (Anna) would like to add that I am very pleased that I was the only one of the three of us to have purely celebrities of my own sex as results! I am also slightly worried about some of Mark's results - (check out the guy with the beard, who Daniel seems to have inherited too) And Daniel seems to have quite an obsession with Harry Potter...hmmm...

Learning to eat

In the last couple of weeks we have started to wean Daniel. So far we haven't found anything he won't eat, but there are a few things that he screws his face up at before gulping them down.

Foods he likes:

Sweet Potato

Potato

Butternut squash

Carrot

Broccoli (yes broccoli!! - and I felt sick feeding it to him!)

Apple

Banana

Avocado

Foods he thinks are a bit dodgy: (Mummy and Daddy agreed)

Baby banana porridge

Baby rice (a.k.a. wallpaper paste)

At first I decided I was going to make all the food myself, but then saw that the organic pots in the supermarket were only 40p each (if you buy 10) and so I thought I might as well get some for when we go out - a lot less hassle. I think I'm going to be in for a shock though when we start weaning other babies in Peru - I doubt baby foods in jars are readily available!

Of course, as is inevitable, food gets pasted all over his face, bib, clothes, hands, mummy, floor, table... (and he's not even feeding himself yet!)

Daddy can't wait 'til he's eating steak (medium rare, of course)

Here is a video of him eating - just watch that concentration!

Langsett Weekend Away

This weekend we went away to Little Wenlock, to Jayne's parents house (fortunately for them they were not there) for a weekend away with our group at church. After following the RAC directions and ending up at a large roundabout 5 miles from the house we looked up the address in a local A-to-Z and ended up in the village. Some locals were necessary to actually find the road, but seeing as there are only about 5 streets in Little Wenlock, it wasn't too difficult!! The view was stunning from their garden

and we all went on a walk or two around the area - including Daniel.

Highlights included Charis refusing to do an impression of Bill Clinton; Morton learning yet more random English words (eg. going on a 'recky'); Daniel throwing up an entire avocado breakfast (perhaps more of a low-light!); Mark's treasure hut (clues including 'A computer has one, and a type of lizard is one' to find clue by the baby monitor); and an excellent BBQ courtesy of Jayne's brother (I thought the steaks were the best, but everyone was raving about the lamb fillets)

Fun was had by all!

4 months and counting

All being well, depending on flights details, Anna, Daniel and myself will be jetting off to Peru, via L.A. We have flights booked for the 15th September to L.A, and we just need to wait for confirmation, and we'll book tickets from L.A to Lima (capital of Peru) and then to Arequipa. I am very excited but know that it is all happening and can't wait, but know in God's timing, and 4 months will go in no time at all.

Here's one I took earlier!!

Genesis 9:16

Came out of our front door on Saturday night and this is what I saw! I took some photos, turned round again and it was gone. We don't live next to the Noah's Ark pub for no reason, you know!

Asleep in his cot

Bank Holiday Monday seemed a good opportunity to lower Daniel's cot as he is getting more mobile every day - he is grabbing onto anything within reach and getting more and more wriggerly - we just didn't fancy hearing a bump in the night and finding him catapulted onto the floor!

A Weekend in Newcastle

This May Bank Holiday we went to Newcastle to visit Mark's sister Liz and her husband Will.

We all had lots of fun - Daniel found Auntie Liz particularly hilarious. We visited Pet's Corner and had a walk around by the river. On Sunday we walked around Bowham Lake, which was very beautiful but VERY windy. The carm lake turned into waves hitting the shore!

Daniel, however, managed to stay snug as a bug in his rug against the wind.

English grammar

I (Mark) amusingly am teaching English as you may know at a school in Sheffield. I have found that the level of English grammar is very low, so I decided to do a test, a spelling and definitions test . Some answers have amused me, so here they are to hopefully do the same for you.

A. Spell and give the meaning for:

1. saga, a games company
2. beck, my primary school
3. druid, a monk with a long beard
4. periscope. in the science lab there are 2 periscopes
5. druid, is a hybrid
6. saga, an insurance company
7. inferno, my favourite song is disco inferno
8. knapsack, a river bank- what was she thinking of?
9. opera, my nan goes to the opera
finally 10, angel a messenger belonging to God. I was very impressed. Pity they didn't do very well on the rest of the test.

Today

Went to my favorite place in Sheffield again today. Saw a jogger.

My current favourite place in Sheffield

I (Anna) am so enjoying the gorgeous weather we have been having and looking at the BBC website I am delighted to see five little suns for the forecast for the next 5 days!
Anyway, as I was saying...my current favourite place in Sheffield is...

...the Botanical gardens - they are so pretty, there are lots of different coloured plants and flowers out and all the trees are in blossom. It does also remind me of the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris, although the Botanical gardens have a distinct lack of joggers - just lots of picnic-ers. We went for a walk around the Botanical gardens yesterday and it was great to walk amongst the trees; to see the squirrels playing and the fat pigeon trying to waddle along and all the children running around and all the students lazying about - And there was even a birthday party there yesterday - balloons and all! Seeing as it is still April (just) there should be plenty more opportunities to visit before September (although I might have to avoid the ice-cream van if visiting starts to become a habit!)

Leaving Oz tomorrow

Well we're nearing the end of our trip to Australia - we fly back tomorrow. Daniel has changed a lot - grown out of 0-3 months clothes, can stand up supported, laughs lots, can grab and hold things, and he has learnt to sleep through the night - not bad for a 4 1/2 month old, especially one who is only meant to be 2 1/2 months old! He definitely doesn't look like a premature baby! Going to Peru in September seems more real now having spent a month out of the UK - it is just 4 full months when we get back, and by then Daniel will probably be crawling and maybe even beginning to walk - time goes so quickly!

Fun at Darling Harbour

Today we (Mark, I, my sister Chloe and Josie-Jo a friend from church) went to Darling Harbour in the centre of Sydney and had lots of fun. First we went to the aquarium and saw lots of sharks... ...and penguins (Daniel's favourite - he was fascinated.)

Then we took a walk and stumbled upon the Chinese Garden which was very beautiful. We debated whether we should go in but really glad we did because it was SOOOO much fun. You can even hire costumes to walk around the garden in, so we did...!

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for sleeping Daniel) they didn't have any for babies!