Merry CHRISTmas!

It's Christmas Eve already! A typical Christmas Eve in the parsonage goes like this: it was a hasty day of Pastor finishing a sermon for candlelight service, wrapping something for the wife, coming up with something to say for the Children's program, answering last minute questions about music, costumes, candles, hymnals and whatever else we think the pastor might know, and remembering to shower and put on a clean clerical. The Pastor's wife runs off copies of music that was lost, cooks the ham for the pot luck, finds some games for the kids, washes and irons the pastor's clothes, cassok and surplus, irons the baby's new dress, and frets endlessly about things that are not done, may never get done, and probably don't even NEED to get done!

Add to this year of our Lord 2005, we have a BABY to worry about!! A very tired baby, I might add, who's been awakened from every nap she's had all weekend to go over to chruch to work on 'something'. Approximately five mintues after putting Eden in her adorable Christmas Eve dress, she spit up all over the red velvet. Al doesn't like the feel of velvet, so him holding her is even more limited than it normally would be on a Christmas Eve. Regardless, we pose for our annual 'tree' photo (there were several previous attempts, but the dog was always looking at the tree instead of the camera). And here is the result! Approximately two minutes after the Children's service, just before potluck, Eden has the messy diaper we've all been waiting for, smothers her new dress in it, and ends up in her ducky pajamas for dinner and candlelight service!

Christmas morning comes along and, after church, we throw a frozen lasagna in the oven and kick back in some comfy clothes to open gifts. Eden smiles for the camera, then gets set on the floor, immediately becoming fussy.



















Gift opening is now postponed for a clean diaper (followed again by clean clothes), a bottle and a nap. Consequently, Eden misses all the festivities, ends up sleeping ALL day, only waking to eat and go back to sleep, and Al and I open gifts, pack the bags, the blazer and the day with tasks that only result in getting to go home for 'after' Christmas!


The train is scheduled to leave at 0130 and we all plan to be on it!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Current Hobby Progress

I have been working on a large nativity that I purchased while on vicarage and added significant numbers of pieces to last year. I thought the best place to begin after adding so many pieces was a manger. While constructing the manger, I ran into a few snags on getting the plaster moulds of rock to adhere to the wood. (since historically, Jesus more than likely would have been in a rock/field stone/brick type building) After months of pondering what to do, I changed my entire plan, which was to have plaster molds covering all of the wood, to this more simple design with carved in stone. After nearly completely wearing out a dremel bit with probably about 6 hours of carving individual rocks, here is the rough draft.














Here it is after primer. I added some plaster filler between some of the moulds after this picture was taken, because I felt it just looked like a bunch of pieces simply slapped onto wood.















And here you see it with the new plaster, and a couple layers of airbrushed paint.
















Next up will be getting the base color of the logs and adding more color to the rock. This will probably be done by Christmas 2025, but I will at least set out what I get done each year. ;-) It has been a great way to remain focused on the God/man behind all the preparations, and a great stress reliever as well.

3 months already!

Eden is now 3 months old! She is such a happy baby, smiling all the time and chattering away in competition with Mom and Dad. Not sleeping through the night yet, but I'm sure I'll miss that when it's over....well, maybe not! Enjoy the photos~

Eden's first 'tooth' at two months of age actually turned out to be a gingival cyst. The pediatric dentist that we took her to said she sees thousands of patients every year and only sees this about once every two years. We always knew Eden was special!

I went in to the nursery last Sunday morning to get Eden ready for church, and found her happily sucking her thumb and talking to her mobile, duck feet in the air.

She's weighing in at 9lbs, 8 oz and is 22" long!

Photo Shoot 101

The Strawn Family’s first photo shoot with a dog and a baby was on October 30, a sunny but breezy day in Nebraska at the Sprague's farm south of Wilcox. Jane is our personal photographer and her husband, Dale, the entertainer to keep Eden and Samson happy, occupied, and smiling.

Now, I don’t know about anybody else out there, but oh man, what a trip!

“Ok, on the count of three take her pacifier out and look at the camera. One, two, THREE!” (repeat)

“Alright, this time, keep her face under the blanket so she doesn’t swallow air. On three, throw the blanket as far as you can while looking at the camera and smiling. Keep still.” (repeat)


“Eden, look at Daddy, look at Daddy. Smile! No, no, smile. See. Like me, look over here. You’re not paying attention, Eden. Hey, YOU. Look over here. Smile! Ok, look at Mommy. She has a big smile, can you smile?” (insert more baby talk here and repeat sequence).
















“[whistle] Samson, SIT. No, no, over here, by Sarah and the baby. Yes, she's crying, but come here anyway. Come here. COME. Ok, SIT. Good. DOWN. Down, all the way, all the way. There ya go. Good boy. Look over there (pointing). Look at Dale. [more whistling and much hat waving] Samson, come back. Sit. Down. Good boy. No, no kisses. Stop that. I mean it. Look at Dale. Good boy." (give treat, snap photo, repeat)….


"Are we done yet?"

"Oh, this looks like fun. Let's take a picture with the goat for Grandma Great. She likes goats. Here goat. Come Here. Lay down. No, don't bite. (Eden screams) Hurry, snap the photo. Oh, that's gonna turn out great!"













After a few hours of this endless fun and Dale & Jane’s unending patience, not to mention an ornery goat, this is a sampling of what we came away with. Eden is now 10 weeks old and a strapping 8# 4 oz. Samson, on the other hand, is a year and a half and boisterous 86 pounds. Al and I will not disclose our weight or age. Happy guessing.

Reformation fun

A quick update to show my attempt at a creative pumpkin carving to light the way for Trick or Treaters. As you may know, David Letterman is Sarah's and my nightly ritual, (or was until our bundle of joy changed that consistency.)

Here was my attempt at his likeness using a template I found online.








I set him out in the nice dry Nebraska breeze this morning and found him shriveled by mid day. A little soak in the tub did him some good and he is almost as good as new.

The longest and shortest month of our life!

Well, what a month! It is best summed up in the title, but I will elaborate a little bit. This has been the LONGEST and SHORTEST month of our entire life!

We started Eden’s life with a house full of people, and 3 weeks later, the house seemed empty and void of noise. Samson loved having the extra people around, getting lots of extra love and attention, but when they were gone, he was left with a foreign object being carried around his kitchen, and her sitting in a bouncer on HIS floor space. He is slowly adjusting...








Eden was baptized at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Wilcox by her daddy on September 4th, and both sets of grandparents were able to be here. Her Godparents are Jerry and Sarah Diener, who are a wonderful addition to our family. Sarah is a friend of Al's from his home church.















Eden is one month old now, weighing in at 6# 3 oz & is 20 1/4" long. She currently has 4 articles of clothing that fit, three green and one pink. I know, I know, soon I’ll be boxing up the baby clothes and packing a lunch for kintergarden. But right now, that seems eons away, thank goodness.

A typical day with Eden starts at 0730 with her wanting breakfast. She stays up for half hour after eating and then sleeps till roughly 11:00 a.m. Then she’s up all day, eating every couple hours until evening, when she wants to eat all the time. She goes down about 10:30 p.m. and sleeps till 3:30 a.m., then the whole day starts over again! On occasion (this week specifically), she gets her nights and days mixed up and everybody seems tired all the time. Again, 'this too shall pass'.... (a mantra from my mother, for those of you who don't know her).

Last Friday was Al’s first day off with no family visiting, so we spent the day sleeping in (yes, she let us) and playing with Legos in the basement while eating popcorn. It was a grand day!



Papa Kenny thinks Eden has 'paddle' feet, so you can look below and either agree or disagree. We all agree that they are adorable and fun to play with.



Any way you look at it, she is a doll and we wouldn't send her back.

Labor and Delivery from Dad's Perspective

Hard to imagine that 40 weeks of waiting would culminate in going to the hospital without having any contractions. After taking diligent notes on how to recognize labor and all of the pre-warning signs, it was kind of a let down.... all my homework, down the drain. ;-)

When the contractions began at 2 a.m. I was just waking up from a 2 hour nap. I was glad I was able to sleep, but felt a little bad that Sarah only got 20 minutes. But it was time to put into practice everything I had studied up on. "Breathe slow, relax, 4 breaths every minute."

Minutes seemed like hours, and what were hours now seem like only minutes looking back on it. Sarah remained focused, determined, and for a while even patient!

No one ever warned me how exhausting it would be just being her breathing coach and support. Now don't misunderstand me, I'm not comparing what I experienced to what Sarah experienced. But it is safe to be honest that "night labor" takes its toll on both mom and dad. So Sarah graciously relaxed the rule "no Mountain Dew for Al" for this one occasion.

Our journey down to the delivery room was eventful, as a contraction came half way down the aisle. I wasn't quite sure what to do other than to lend a knee and an arm to lean on, and keep repeating the mantra, "breathe, slow, focus, 15 sec...."

Oh yes, speaking of focus. Delivery room stools swivel. Do not attempt to hang posters of the St. Louis Arch with fireworks exploding on the delivery room ceiling standing on one of these things. Thankfully the nurse was there to hold my hand too. I never imagined all the positions I would find myself in as a coach, from ceiling walker, to bathroom support (where my first sarcastic comment of the night was echoed, “she is much too germ concious, she won’t leave here until she washes her hands,”) to birthing ball stabilizer.

It was about 5:00 a.m. when the nurse kept tempting Sarah with an epidural and promised it by 5:30 a.m. 5:30, 6:00, 6:30.... (seeing a pattern?) all came and went. This was the most trying time for both of us. This is where my second and final sarcastic comment came in. (Hey that’s pretty good for me.) In response to the comment, “I just want to stop this and go home,” I said, “We could do this at home, but then you would just have to do this with me alone, so I suggest we just stay here.” Sarah was gracious enough to not bite my head off.

When the drug man finally came in peddling his wares at about (ready for this?) 8:00 a.m. Sarah was exhausted and simply begging for a little rest. After questions were asked to my contracting wife, in which I’m not sure she heard any of them, she signed away her life for a little bit of comfort. I promptly stepped behind the curtain, because they would need drugs to wake me up from the sight of the needle.

With a little bit of liquid comfort running down her spine, the next hour flew by. About 9:00 a.m. Sarah’s parents had called the hosptial to see how things were going. We determined that when they arrived, I would take a break, let the experienced OB nurse called MOM take my spot, while I grabbed a bit of breakfast.

Or so we thought. While the nurse promised Sarah could simply relax and let her body naturally do its thing, the nurse decided to check Sarah one more time, much to the chagrin of my exhausted wife who simply wanted a nap. With these words, “Oh my, there’s the head,” the whirlwind of activity began (and there ended my only opportunity for breakfast.)

I had made a pact with myself that I would not be a willing observer to what was happening “down there,” but as I got my first glimpse at this wonder of creation, my fear began melting into love. And when this child rocketed rather unexpectedly 3 pushes later, there couldn’t have been any other feeling but joy.

Scissors, footprints, 9-10-10, a wife still laboring, I didn’t quite know where to look, or who to be with. Back and forth from daughter to wife and back. Finally with all the flurry of activity completed, I collapsed into the chair gazing at the two beautiful women of my life after the most surreal 8 hours of my life.

You prepare for that moment over the course of 40 weeks and yet the fun, the fears, the joys, the sorrows, and the mundane are all ahead. All that preparation for what amounts to be just the beginning of the most amazing journey of our lives.

All praise and thanks go to God through Jesus Christ our Savior that He has seen fit to bless us with Eden Ann and that He has brought us safely through this miracle called childbirth.

A star is born!

Eden Ann came into our world 4 days late, at 0937 on Monday, August 22, 2005. Weighing in at 6# 1 oz, & 19" long, she was practically perfect in our eyes.

Labor was relatively short for me, but it didn't seem like it at the time, considering the contractions started out strong and 2 minutes apart! I would describe it more like "fast and furious". In fact, for 7 1/2 hours, I was sure I was never going to do this again, and I remember telling Al over and over that I just wanted to go home now. The 'natural' childbirth turned into a 'give me an epidural before I kill somebody' at 7 1/2 cm. and then it wasn't so bad. In fact, I was so content with the numbing drugs, and ready for a nap, that I refused to be checked. I lost that battle a few minutes later. The nurse checked me for progress and I heard her say, "Oh! There's the head! You (pointing to Al) aren't going anywhere. I'm going to call the Dr." So, Al missed breakfast, I missed my nap, and 10 minutes later I was pushing, much against my will.

After Eden was born, I got to watch as Al helped the nurse check her over, cut her cord, get her cleaned up, measure her, and get her footprints in the baby book. That was such an unforgettable moment. I was getting so anxious to hold her, that when she was finally placed in my arms, I just wanted to cry.

I couldn't have asked for a better coach. Al was so compassionate, so patient, and so loving. I was absolutely adamant about going home in the middle of it all, and he was calm and reassuring from beginning to end. I am so blessed to have him as my husband!

As I write, we've been home now 3 days. My house is a wreck, and the mail is piling up on the desk. I love it. Time is flying by, and as tough as it's going to be at times, and as tired and sore as I am, I couldn't be happier. God has blessed us richly and to Him we give thanks. To God be the Glory, Forever and Ever. Amen!

Summer Vacation 2005

In June of 2005, we decided to take a camping trip beginning in the northern part of Nebraska, & then heading to The Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota.


We first stayed at Smith Falls State Park outside of Valentine, NE for two nights. Though it rained heavily with tornados visible nearby, we had a nice time. Samson loved playing in the waterfall and swimming in the Niobrara River! We also hiked to Fort Falls and Snake Falls, visited the town and drove through a National Wildlife refuge.


Sarah catching raindrops at Smith Falls

From there, we went to a B&B just outside the Badlands National Park in S. Dakota. It was absolutely beautiful and Samson made an instant friend with Hank, their dog. We spent two nights there, enjoying the company of many other travelers, and learning some about the area. We drove & hiked through the Badlands for two days, taking all the back trails we could find. The changing weather made The Badlands look completey different each day. We saw lots of wildlife, including Bison, Pronghorn, Bighorn sheep, and prairie dogs. To dodge raindrops, we went to the famous Wall Drug for an ice cream and enjoyed ourselves immensely!

Al looking out over The Badlands


For our encore to the already incredible trip, we headed into the Black Hills and set up camp at Horse Thief Campground near Hill City, just as the rain started to pour. Our campsite was way up out of the way on a small bluff behind a HUGE boulder. A nice, big site with lots of campfire wood all around. We camped here for a week, in which it rained for the first 6 days. The tent did it's best, but finally gave way on day 5. When the rain let up on the last day, we decided to extend our trip by one sunny day! We saw so much wildlife in The Hills, even getting 'stuck' waiting for a herd of Bison to get out of the roadway. Some of our favorite things we did was visit the Mammoth Site, drive Needles Hwy, tour the underground Wind Cave, walk downtown Keystone, Hot Springs & Hill City, hike in Custer State Park, walk through a mining museum and "off- road" in the Blazer for a total of 1800 trip miles!

In the end, we'd been cold & wet, hungry & irritable, relaxed, reconnected & completely rejuvinated!~





Al, Sarah & Samson atop "Lookout Point"