A New Generation of Jedi

This was just so cute I couldn't help but post it. Yes, our young jedi padawon, Gavin, has now become a Master to his youngling, Ben.

For the most part, Benjamin just seems to bother Gavin. He gets into his stuff, knocks down his creations and wakes him up a few minutes too early in the morning. Not until Ben picked up a lightsaber did Gavin see the potential of his little brother.

Benjamin is at this place where he loves to do whatever he sees someone else doing. That comes in really handy when it comes to dumping the trash. . . not so handy when it comes to using scissors. Gavin has demonstrated a lightsaber duel well to his little brother. Ben even attempts to make the same sounds Gavin makes. And though I tried many times to get a picture of it, I failed to capture his favorite part of this role-playing game--dying. It's hilarious to watch Ben get wounded and fall to the ground!

The weather is finally shining gloriously Spring-like, and with the time change finally happening this past weekend, we're soaking up the extra daylight. We leave on Thursday for an Easter trip just across the border into France. For those of you who know of Cody's previous disdain for anything French, you'll recognize what a momentous trip this will be! Seriously, we are really looking forward to some time away, exploring a new place, eating different food, and just playing together as a family. Next week's blog will be delayed a few days, since we won't be getting back to Bologna until Tuesday evening.

We'd love your prayers for a really refreshing time for all of us--especially that no one would get sick and that we'd have safe travels. Bon Voyage! (That's French, isn't it?)

Slow Coffee

We have often commented that one of the many differences between Italy and the U.S. is that in America, we have slow coffee (big cups with roomy and comfortable coffee shops) and fast food (don't think I need to say more). In Italy, there is only fast coffee (they are called coffee bars because you literally stand at a bar, throw back your coffee and walk out the door) and slow food (aside from the occasional McDonald's and some pizzerias, there are no other restaurants where you can take your food to go). It has fascinated us that in a country that places such a high value on coffee, there isn't a venue to linger over it. . .

Until now! A few weeks ago, a new coffee shop opened right in the heart of campus. I am pretty sure it is British-owned, but it is like walking into Starbucks! It was obviously designed as a place for students to hang out, with lots of knooks and big, comfy chairs. Here's a picture of Ben hanging out in one:

Not only is the atmosphere great (and spacious--there are three seperate sitting rooms), but they make flavored coffee drinks! I got a mocha this morning (they call it a Creative Chocolate), and it was just pretty darn good. A regular Italian cappucino takes about four swigs to down. . . this was a Starbucks-sized tall. And you can get a cup of "American coffee" if you'd like (regular brewed coffee). Wow!

Gavin, Benjamin and I stopped in for a snack this morning. It's a good thing this place is not especially close to our apartment! It's called Itit, which in Italian is pronounced Eateat. We thought that was kind of funny. :)

So obviously our tastebuds are pretty excited about this new discovery, but even more fantastic than the fun coffee and great atmosphere is that is right in the heart of campus. Every time we've been in there, it has been packed with college students. We have been dying to find a place like this where we can just hang out with students! Without a doubt, this place is going to change the way we do ministry.

A win-win, any way you look at it. The only down side is paying 3 Euro for my Creative Coffee, instead of 1.30 for an Italian cappuccino. Again, it's a good thing we don't live closer. . .

Happy Birthday Benjamin!

We started this little blog with the beautiful story of Benjamin's arrival into our family. It feels almost unbelievable it's already been two years, though an incredible amount of life has happened in that time! This past Saturday was our little Boo's birthday, and he had a great day.

After getting up and having pumpking pancakes for breakfast, he tore into his presents. Christmas was a good warm-up for his birthday because he loved opening his gifts! That was almost as much fun as discovering what was under the wrapping. Ben's really into figuring out how things work these days and playing with his "tools," so he had a Handy Manny themed birthday. It was great to hear him "oooh, woooooow!" when he would see the Handy Manny logo. He also got a toddler easel with a chalkboard and a dry erase board, in hopes of introducing him to a more appropriate medium for him to practice his artistic skills. :)

After enjoying new toys for awhile, we went to a Chicco store just outside town that has a "Chiccolandia." It's this giant soft-padded play area designed just for toddlers. We hadn't been in a while, so it was great fun for us to see how much more independent Ben is now. He just did laps going down the slide! By the time we left, he was sweating (which is really a no-no for Italian children!), and really the only inticement away from such fun was the promise of McDonald's for lunch.

After a much-needed nap, we went to some friends' house across town, who are Americans in Bologna working for Catapillar, and grilled burgers and enjoyed a few more hours of birthday love. One of things we've learned about Ben in the past year is that he would pick salty over sweet almost any day. He LOVES chips. And when you have a BBQ, there are bound to be chips. I'm pretty sure he ate an entire bag by himself, just by sneaking to table and grabbing some from the bowl. When it came time for this birthday cake (Pat the Hammer from Handy Manny--mom spent hours trying to figure out a way to make this guy!), he wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. Wouldn't eat a bite! Oh well, at least his birthday was a reason for us to have birthday cake. . .

Today, we celebrate this precious life God has blessed us with! Benjamin definitely keeps us on our toes, but he also makes us laugh and dance and wrestle and savor every moment of his new discoveries.

The Honeymoon is Over

I remember fondly back to December when we got our first significant snow. Cody and the kids could not get their boots on fast enough to get outside to enjoy the winter wonderland. Coming from Houston, snow was a delight the kids had never known. Gavin, especially, LOVES snow.

This winter it has snowed, and snowed, and snowed. We learned quickly that snow is really much more fun to watch falling from your window and playing in before it's been marred by dirt and exhaust. After the first 12 hours, the reality of the fact that you have to get out and dredge through it to get anywhere sets in, and it's not so exciting anymore.

Last year, as we experienced our first Italian winter (grey and cold and days with limited hours of sun), we had an American friend tell us, "Just keep March 1 in front of you. It all gets better then." And she was right! Right around March 1, it warmed up, the days became longer, and we began to have some sunny days again. As this winter has been even colder, with even more snow, we had a big red circle around March 1 on the calendar. We couldn't wait for it to get here. Sure enough, the first two days of March were glorious.

And yet, here we are March 10, and I think it's fair to say we're in the middle of a blizzard. Oh, for crying out loud! The honeymoon with snow is definitely over.

Today also happens to be the first day of a two-day outreach we have been planning for months. We've brought in three Swiss to lead a seminar on Effective Studying. We've invested a lot of time and money in this first attempt to hold a large-scale outreach. And though it is being held near campus, it is going to be incredibly challenging for students to attend. Travel around town is horrible. Since it seems crazy to actually get in your car, everyone is riding the buses. Not that they can go much faster.

Crazy. My only hope is that such a long, cold winter means a shorter, cooler summer. . . One can hope anyway.

Italian Non-Verbals--Child's Play

One of the great things about Italian is that you can get by without understanding word for word what someone is telling you because of how animated Italians tend to be. We have been so thankful for this great aspect of Italian culture, as we've been working on growing in our language skills!

That being said, it is also vital to learn some of the common non-verbals almost every Italian has in their repretoire. If you don't, you will most likely miss out on some very important communication. Cody's been working on his facial non-verbals, but recently, we've noticed just how many the kids have picked up. They have graciously volunteered to give a little tutorial.

This is done by shaking the open hand up and down, and roughly means "come on. . . " (seriously, I'm saying something true)

Again, this is done by shaking the hands up and down and is used when you can hardly believe something is true or you're exaserbated.

Hands are held in this position and moved around kind of like directing music. Hannah uses it for emphasis when she's really getting worked up about something.

Classic Italian. And Gavin has it down. . . usually accompanied by a "Mamma Mia." Roughly it means, "Unbelievable," or sometimes "You're bustin' my chops!"


You can probably picture this one--the finger wagging back and forth. Hannah knows this one so well because it's a favorite of her teachers at school. It means "No way, Buster" in a polite and superior way.

There you go. Italian Non-Verbals 101. We have been shocked to see how the kids effortlessly look exactly like the Italians we know when communicating with these daily gestures. Just like they sound native-Italian when they speak. Cody and I make our attempts. . .

If it's not one thing. . .

I'll confess now, this is going to be a vulnerable blog. And a little weird. Just trying to keep it real. . .

Looking at this picture, you're probably thinking, "What went wrong?" Indeed. We have written many times about the crazy spiritual warfare we have encountered since we arrived in Italy. One of the many ways we experience that is in the most random physical issues. For instance, the day after Thanksgiving this past November, my right knee suddenly swelled to twice its normal size. It was so painful I could hardly walk. No fall brough it on, no accident I could blame it on. I hadn't even done much walking in the days before. Totally random. I finally had to go to the doctor, and he was baffled. Five days on a super-powered anti-inflammatory seemed to do the trick, and it hasn't bothered me since.

For the past several months, our latest medical mystery has been Cody's growing arthritis problem. He's had arthritis in his thumbs for several years, and they are often quite swollen. It's now spreading to most of the joints in his hands. It has gotten so bad that in the morning he is unable to write with a pen or pour his coffee. It is debilitating to point of great discouragement. Knowing a lot of tests will have to be done to determine the problem, he is waiting until we are home for the summer to have it looked into further. He's only 32 for crying out loud!

And then yesterday, I woke up in pain every time I blinked. In the outside corner of my eye, something wacky is going on. This morning, it looks like this--swollen all around. It only hurts in that one spot, but boy doesn't that look attractive! I thought it might be a sty, but I'm not so sure. I don't even know who I would go see if it doesn't get better! Crazy as it sounds, I think I would go to the emergency room so that I could be referred to a opthamologist.

Thus, my title for today's blog. . . If it's not one thing, it's another. The hard thing (though a blessing, don't get me wrong!) is that none of these things are major ordeals. They are just really annoying inconveniences that can contribute to wearing us down. Never in our lives have we experienced such random, wacky physical challenges. If the Lord brings us to mind, would you mind praying over us? Pray for our whole family's physical protection. Pray especially for long-term relief for Cody's arthritis.

I told you, a weird blog today. Thanks for reading and for praying. Welcome to all the realities of our life overseas! We are choosing to praise God in the midst of it all.

Gavin's New Adventure

Since the beginning of the school year, we've been trying to find an extracurricular activity for Gavin. He pretty much loves doing whatever his sister is doing, so we felt like it was really important for him to have something that was his own.

The obvious choice in Italy is soccer. We looked into several options, but we never found what we thought was a good fit. As you can imagine, soccer is incredible competitive here. We just wanted a place where Gavin could learn, have fun, and meet some new friends without all the pressure.


Nothing panned out in the Fall, and about a month ago, Cody said, "We should find a place for Gavin to take karate." Wow, why didn't we think about that earlier? So, we scoured the internet and finally found a place really close to our house that offered lessons to kids. And it's technically not karate. . . it's taekwondo.

Looks tough, doesn't he?

Gavin is five, and they like kids to be six before they start. But because he is so tall for his age, they agreed to let him try it out. He LOVES it! After his years of Jedi training, it's really the perfect fit. :) And honestly, with Gavin's personality, an individual sport is probably a much better idea for him to be able to develop confidence.

Got to say, he was pretty excited about his uniform. I know there's an official name for it, but we're not that far in yet!

He goes twice a week, and he's been for two weeks now. Mondays and Wednesdays are highlights for him! He's so proud to show us what he's learned, and we're so proud of him for doing this all on his own. This is actually a really big deal for him, and we feel like it is incredibly significant toward helping him to really thrive here. So we are rejoicing in announcing the new white belt living in our home. The next time you see him, you'll have to ask him to show you his moves!

Valentine's Day in Florence

Wow, what a treat we had last night! Since our awesome and amazing STINT girl Crystal was already set to babysit for us on Monday for a meeting we had in Florence, we didn't have any big plans for Valentine's Day. I was going to make fajitas, but that was about it. Also because of our meeting, we were going to have to get up early to catch a train.

On Friday, Crystal called to see if we would want to go out on Sunday night. She didn't mind babysitting Sunday night AND Monday morning if it would be a blessing to us (she used to be a teacher, so she has great skills with maintaining order among our three!). One thing led to another, and she ended up spending the night Sunday night so that Cody and I could head to Florence early and enjoy our very first overnight away from the kids since moving.

A self-taken photo in front of the Duomo

I went online and found a great deal on this old hotel that had been refurbished recently. I went with it because of the price, but it turned out to be one of the nicest hotels we've stayed in here. All hotels offer a breakfast with the room, but they usually consist of bread and jams. This breakfast was a full buffet with eggs and american-style bacon!

And while we're on the topic of food. . . we decided to forgo Italian on Valentine's night and hit the Mexican restaurant in Florence (who would do that in the States?). Yummy, yummy, yummy! That was an incredibly special treat, since Mexican restaurants (especially good ones) are pretty darn rare here.

We wrapped up our 24 hours away with a stroll around town after our meeting, before catching the train back. Oh, how we were blessed with this little gift of a few hours away to focus on each other! Since I'm writing this (Jen), I can not let the opportunity pass to say what an incredible job Cody did making the most of our time away. I felt pursued in the ways I did when we were dating. :) He truly made it one of the best Valentine's Days we've ever had together. What a great guy!

I am so thankful to say we returned to Bologna feeling incredibly refreshed! It was a short trip, but it went a long ways.