Toby Gets Cuter

I know, how is that even possible, right? :)  But I figured that there are plenty of people out there who want to see pictures of our rapidly growing little boy, so here they are.  He is starting to smile a bit and doing well with his tummy time, but no real new "skills" other than that.  

Always loved on by his big sister:

Chillin' with daddy:

Assisted in tummy time by his brother and sister (who seem to enjoy tummy time more now than when they were Toby's age...)

Displaying his new quilt from Mimi!

Look at how cute I am!

Mimi and Bapa!

Sorry for the late post.  Eric's parents, aka Mimi and Bapa, arrived May 6 and their arrival coincided with the end of our vacation.  Our blogging thus had three strikes against it:  classes (and homework) restarted, visitors, and sadly, the death of our Gateway computer. Fortunately we had already purchased a new MacBook, which Eric's parents carried out for us, so you could say that it was good timing.  Getting all our files transferred over and figuring out how to manage our photos has taken some time, however.

All that aside, we had a great time for the two weeks they were here!  Malgre le meteo (despite the weather), we were able to find a few nice days for small trips to Conflans and Annecy, both blogged about in the last year.  And then, time was spent just playing, eating, laughing, sleepovers at Mimi and Bapa's "house" (guestroom in the next building over), etc.  Maggie and Ben especially enjoyed special time with their grandparents, and we're sure Toby did as well although he did not express it as such. :)

Time spent together is especially precious when you don't get to see each other much.  We are grateful Eric's parents made the trip to see our world here in France.  It's harder to say goodbye when the next visit may be two years away...but that makes the time we do get even more important.

Mimi and Bapa with 3 out of their 7 (soon to be 8) grandkids!  And the only two male McLaughlins of the next generation 

Tobias Timothee meets his namesake 

The kids got a kick out of wrestling with Bapa.  Or sitting on him, as the case may be. 

Family picture from our hike up to Conflans.  By far their nicest day here! 

A little break for Curious George with Bapa and the kids 

Maggie and her Mimi in Annecy 

Mimi and Bapa brought Ben a new umbrella...both kids enjoyed using their umbrellas in the 100m between our house and the building where Mimi and Bapa stayed 

We miss you already...

Happy Birthday Mom: Photos of Virtues

Today is the 58th birthday of my mom, Sharon McLaughlin, one of seven children, mother of 4, grandma of 7, wife of a very busy man and elected public official, skilled interpreter for the deaf, talented and tireless quilter with an excellent eye for color, follower of Jesus who accepts his love knowing her shortcomings.

As I combed through my photos, looking for some of my mom, I realized how much they personified different personality traits, so they are here to give glimpses of my mom's character for those who do and do not know her.

There is, of course, an innumerable collection of equally-awesome family photos.  I am now a father of three, and I am just beginning to feel the incredible work and commitment that parenting requires.  I may be only feeling that now, but for many years, I have appreciated both of my parents' commitments to their kids.  We were never made to feel that we came second to any aspect of their personal or professional lives.  We were first. We were loved.

My mom championed my education.  It didn't come effortlessly.  She worked with my teachers to individualize my education, which eventually led to me skipping 6th grade.  She created "positions" in the school plays and the school choir for me to get involved at school, playing the piano.  She cared greatly about this.  I am proud of my public school education, yet I must admit that, without her efforts, it may have gone quite differently. 

college graduation

I like to imagine the courtship of my parents.  My dad, with his nomadic childhood, and even more nomadic naval career, meets my mom, who had lived her whole life in the twin cities, and couldn't believe that he would go "camping" without a tent.  However, married they were, and she moved far away to Tucson to make it happen.  Shortly later, they head out to Anchorage, Alaska, where I was born.  And ever since, she and my dad have embodied a love for adventure that each of their kids has benefitted from, and certainly shared as well.

with Maggie outside Juneau, Alaska

 These two pictures are the beginning and the end of medical school.  What is obvious about them is the contrast of my temperament and hers.  It is very difficult to get me exuberant.  My mom is exuberant as a primary way of being happy.  And though I am very different, I need people like this in my life, and I'm grateful that my mom is one such person.  She gets excited. 

My mom is an excellent seamstress, and she has been quilting as long as I can remember.  Her creations are numerous.  They are beautiful and they are creative.  Below is the quilt she made for Maggie, before knowing if she was a boy or a girl, and it's easy to admire how she managed such a nice gender-neutral quilt, without just going yellow.  I don't quilt, but I think I have "more than the average male" share of decorating and design skill, and it certainly didn't come from my dad.  =)

This picture was taken years ago in Colorado.  My mom thought the fountain machine at a gas station was very interesting, with it's ability to mix-and-match flavors, and she wanted me to take a picture of it.  For me, this picture represents all the things that she wanted me to do, but I didn't want to.  Some of them, like this one, are now amusing memories.  Others were crucial and central parts of my life growing up.  I'm thankful that she is like this.

This is a picture of my mom's longsuffering in regards to the silliness of her family.  There are many such pictures, with everyone goofing off, and my mom deigning to be in the picture, despite the fact that she is obviously not feeling it in the same way.  She's a good sport. 

4 years ago yesterday, my mom and dad became grandparents.  They care deeply and well for our kids.  Thus far, and for the foreseeable future, my kids live very far away from them.  This is difficult for us as well, but it is also due to choices that we made.  My parents made no such choice, which creates a unique difficulty.  Despite the fact that this is very hard, they do not waver in their support of us.  I am thankful for this.

This picture was taken in 2010, when my parents came to visit us in Kenya.  My mom is here with Rose, the lovely lady who cared for Maggie.  Within about a week, my mom knew things about Rose that we did not.  She would sit down with her, have chai, and ask her tons of questions about her life and family.  My mom does this very well.  This lack of hesitancy in personal relationships is part of what makes her so capable of communicating with people that have disabilities.  I admire this in her.

As seen here, we have benefited from the hospitality of my parents on numerous occasions, and I grew up with example after example of hospitality from my parents.  I hope that we can emulate this.

Happy Birthday Mom.  May God bless you this year, more and more.

Four Years // One Month

My first baby turned four years old today.  Wow.  I still remember every detail of May 1, 2009...the day I became a mom.  Maggie has grown and hanged so much, and despite not being perfect, she's a pretty awesome little kiddo.  I am continually amazed (and occasionally worn out) by her curiosity and intelligence. She loves books and puzzles and movies, jumping on the bed and coming up with play activities for Ben, and lately, demonstrating her big sisterly affections for Baby Toby by "doing favors" for Mommy and holding Toby while expressing her desire to teach him how to walk.  As in, today.

Thus far today, the day has consisted of breakfast in bed (a tradition it seems safe to start at the age of 4) with scrambled eggs and pain au chocolat:

 Birthday presents (a Hello Kitty watch from Aunt Jena and Chunkle Brian shown here):

 And a little birthday party with two friends...lunch and cake!  (small parties seem to work much better for our sensitive and easily overwhelmed daughter)

 Happy Birthday, sweetie!

Not to be outdone, it is Toby's one month birthday today!  He helped out by sleeping during most of the festivities.  Yesterday's pediatrics visit he showed off by weighing 11 lb, 6 oz.  Yikes!  The French doctor looked stunned.  Good job, buddy.  Now convert that into sleeping all night long. :)

Cousins Three

If you have been following our blog lately, it might seem like all we do any more is post birth announcements.  Ah yes.  Well, to that end, here's another, the last for awhile we think (at least a few months).  On April 15, Ellis Rose Durham, our 3rd niece, was born in the Vanderbilt Hospital L&D triage.  That's Sami's story to tell, but we were excited that after a fast and furious labor, a healthy little girl emerged at 6 lbs 11oz.  Things that make this birth special and perfect:


Liam, Ellis's big brother, was born 5 days after Ben.  Now Ellis was born 14 days after Tobias.  Sami and I are on the same family expansion plan these days. :)

Ellis was born literally 2 weeks after Tobias, almost to the hour.

Eric's other sister Jena's baby Lily was born on March 15 (Ides of March), Toby was born April 1 (April Fool's), and Ellis was born on April 15 (Tax Day).  Isn't that great symmetry?

And so in the end, despite each of us three ladies probably feeling like our baby was never going to come, now that it's done it seems preordained and well orchestrated.  There's only one thing that makes this un-perfect, and that is the fact that we live on separate continents, and will until 2015.  Nothing in our missionary life is harder than this, I think, especially when we see pictures of Lily and Ellis together.  What a great reunion it will be when they are all two.  But for now, despite the bittersweetness, we rejoice again at God's provision, protection, and blessing.

Tobias Timothée McLaughlin

Over four months ago, Rachel told me that the ideal date for our baby to be born would be April 1.  She didn't want another March birthday (she and Ben are in March), but she didn't want to wait any longer than necessary, and that way, true to McCropder tradition, the baby could share a birthday with Sarah.

Never mind that it was 8 days prior to her due date, and thus 15 days prior to her French due date (they use 41 weeks for some reason).

Yet, lo and behold, months later, more or less during Sarah's birthday celebration, the contractions kicked up in earnest.  Several hours later, Tobias Timothée McLaughlin was born at the Albertville hospital.  All has been well.  Rachel will provide her take on being a patient in the French system later on.

It may be remembered that Ben has two middle names:  "Kenneth Kipruto", the first being Rachel's dad's name, and the second being his Kenyan name, meaning "boy born while traveling".  Timothée (pronounced Teem-o-tay) is in fact the French spelling of my father's name, thus keeping the same pattern, but combining both elements into one.

Questions from the peanut gallery:

• Was he a chunker like the others?  8lbs 9oz, in between the others
• Does Tobias has a really cool-looking French birth certificate?  No, it is in fact the most underwhelming legal document I have ever seen.
• Is he eligible for French citizenship?  No, you must have a French parent to be eligible for citizenship.
• Could he be president of the United States?  This was actually the first question he asked me after being born.  It's funny how the answer to this doesn't seem to be straightforward, but the most reliable answer I've been given is that, since he acquires citizenship at birth (by virtue of being born to American citizens), that he could be president.

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us.  Please continue.

Psalm 126:3 - "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."

"Vacationing" With Kids

The simple rule:  Vacations cost money, time, and sometimes physical energy.  They provide excitement, fun, memories, and sometimes physical rejuvenation.  We will choose to vacation as long, and as often as, it's costs are equal or greater to what one gets out of the vacation.

OK, we'll return to that.  A bit of back story.

If you know us, or even if you read this blog without really knowing us, you quickly figure out that Rachel and Eric enjoy traveling.  In fact, I (Eric) often say that traveling with Rachel is one of the best things I have found in this world.  Some couples don't travel well together.  We are not one of those couples. Within a 12-month period in 2005, when we lived in the US, I went to Turkey, Zambia, Botswana, Holland (and neighboring countries) and Costa Rica.  And then I felt like maybe I would want to stay in the US.  For at least 6 months.  So, that's who we are.  One must always figure in the various costs, but in general, if we can find the time, it's not too hard for a vacation to be "worth it" for us.

Enter children.

How exactly the presence of children will change vacation decisions will be highly individual.  But I offer to you the following principals for how this will certainly change the equation in certain directions:

On the cost side:

• When they are really young, they might not cost any more money.  Under 2 years old for planes, and in most public transport in Europe, under 4 is free.  It's a pretty mean museum ticket agent who asks for another ten bucks for a kid in a stroller.  Similarly, subways are free, though getting through those turnstiles with a stroller is quite a doozy.  However, as they get older, they quickly get to cost almost as much as another adult.  We will soon rapidly enter that phase.
• For physical energy, the cost goes up dramatically.  Our kids are pretty travel-savvy, and it hasn't been easy to make them that way.  Nevertheless, they never sleep as well somewhere else, and so the parents are always more tired.  If you're exploring a city or region, there can easily be a lot more stroller pushing and carrying, as well.  Time zones?  That ought to need no explanation.  The fact that it is still nighttime is not a reason for a little to kid to stay in bed if they are not sleepy

On the benefit side:

• This is where I've really been learning a lot.  Think about it:  If it's just adults, you wake up and eat, and spend the morning doing whatever.  You lunch whenever.  You spend the afternoon however.  You eat dinner wherever.  Afterwards, you can go walking or...whatever.
• Depending on the age of your kids, this may look quite different.  Our last trip was really a best-case scenario for little kids.  One kid takes one nap, and it's doesn't even have to happen every day.  OK, so you get up and head out for the day.  You have about 3 hours from opening time of most places until lunch.  After lunch is nap, until maybe 3:30.  It's a quiet time, if you're all in the same dark room, but it's somewhat relaxing.  Then you have about 2 hours after nap until dinnertime, which is not quite so flexible for the kiddos.  After dinner, there's not really enough time to do anything before kid's bedtime.  After bedtime, the parents can hang in the hotel bathroom planning the next day until they are ready for sleep.  So the whole day of experiencing the destination has become about 5 hours.
• Memories.  Well, the youngest of the kids won't remember it at all, and I'm not sure how much my kids will care, in the future, about how we've augmented their travel "statistics".  I get to see my kids chase pigeons in St. Mark's Square in Venice.  That's nice.  For me (since they don't care about the square, just the pigeons).  And it is.  Point one for traveling with kids, but I would be mistaken to prioritize that too highly.

OK, I'm done.  You can see where this is leading.  I truly have no wish to rant or rain on anyone's parade.  But these are the thoughts that have made us really reconsider how much traveling we will be doing in this phase of our lives.  And I'm thankful for the revelations, because they don't come easily for someone like me, whose travel plans have to be pried from his unconscious fingers oftentimes.  These thoughts free me to let these things go, realizing that this just isn't the same.  One day, it probably will be again, but not for now.

Will we totally stop all traveling for fun?  No.  Will we change the way we make such decisions?  Yes, significantly so.  And I offer it to those of you who think "Well, Eric and Rachel don't seem to have any trouble doing it."  Let it be known.

Lillian Florence Beise

Disclaimer:  This is NOT our baby!  Our baby is still in utero!  With that in mind, read on. :)

Last July, Eric and I visited his sister Jena and her husband Brian in Chattanooga--we were driving down to Atlanta and wanted to stop and see their new house.  They showed us around and announced, in one of their spare bedrooms, that this was going to be their new baby's room!  We were so excited for them!  Several weeks later, we found out some similar good news ourselves...and learned just a few weeks after THAT that Eric's sister Sami and her husband Jonathan were expecting their second a week after us.  Wow.  Three new grandbabies due in the span of one month.  And just after Christmas, we found out that the four McLaughlin siblings were 4 for 4--Mariah is pregnant also and due in August.  So we are rechristening 2013 the Year of McLaughlin Grandbabies, wherein the number doubles from 4 to 8.

With great joy, then, we announce the beginning of the grandbaby wave.  Jena and Brian welcomed their little girl, Lillian Florence Beise, the morning of March 15th.  She was 8 pounds, 10oz and 20 1/2 inches, almost exactly the same size as Maggie was when she was born.  Maggie, Eric, and I were able to skype the new family on Saturday and Maggie was soooo excited to see Baby Lily (she kissed the computer pictures a few times for good measure).  Congratulations, Beise family!

Sami and I are both due in April.  Last time I "beat" her to the punch 5 days early, so we'll see what happens this time around. :)  Needless to say, this is a joyful time for the family.  We wish we could be there to share in it (perhaps the hardest part about our missionary lives...), but things like skype, phone calls, blogs, and emails have made it easier.  What a reunion it will be in 2015!

Florence

Here's where our transportation woes get a little more interesting.  Every morning that we had a day trip planned, we decided to take the bus from Britta's to the train station.  It was a 35-40 min walk, and given our 2 kids and my gravid status, it seemed worth the 1.50 euros to use public transport.  Despite a strike occurring on the day we left for Venice, we make it to the train station fine (the strike started at 8:30 and we caught the 8:25 bus...plus, the strike was "suspended" between 4:30-7:30pm, when we were returning, so people could get home...).  Great.  The next day was a Saturday, so there was a different bus line we needed to take.  We waited at the bus stop and a different bus arrived (not the expected number), with a sign saying it was bound for the train station as well.  What to do?  Eric stepped on the bus to ask the driver a question, and as I sat at the bus stop bench with my 2 little kids, the door closed (with Eric on the bus) and the bus drove away.  To make a long story short, Eric did NOT get off the bus, and hoped I would get on the next one and meet him at the train station.  I was sure he would come back for us so decided to stay put.  We ended up missing our train and chasing each other in circles around Bologna, not having cell phones.  Bummer.  In the end, we were all ok though, found each other after only three hours, and rebooked our tickets to Florence for the next day.  It was more expensive, but how many chances will we have to see Florence?

The next day, we got on the bus without problems:

We made it to the train station with PLENTY of time to spare.  Also, because we needed to buy a new ticket to Florence, for some reason the first class train was the same cost as a second class seat, so we got lots of space, Italian newspapers, and free drinks/cookies.  Maggie and Ben enjoyed spreading out and playing games with their Thomas the Train flashcards.

Florence is really a beautiful city.  We of course had to enjoy the daily favorite activity of chasing pidgins around a square by Santa Maria Novelle.  We were actually waiting for a free walking tour of the city to start but never found it...maybe it doesn't happen on Sundays?

We found our own way to the magnificent Duomo of Florence, definitely a highlight, and enjoyed outside views.  Because it was Sunday though, all the churches/cathedrals were closed to tourists until the afternoon, so we decided to take a bus to an overlook (Piazza Michelangelo).

More transportation woes ensued.  We found the right bus but couldn't figure out how to get a ticket for it--in Bologna, you can't pay the driver (there is a box for fares in the back of the bus).  We sat down and after some debate, decided to wait until the end of the line (the Piazza) and try to pay the bus driver.  Woe to us, halfway to the Piazza the "bus gestapo" came on and started issuing 50 euro fines to everyone who didn't have a bus ticket.  They didn't care that we were tourists and had no idea what we were doing.  A rather expensive bus ride in the end...At least, at the top, it was a very nice view and a kind Asian tourist took the only photo of both Eric and me that we got the entire trip.

Back down the hill, ate a cheap lunch at McDonald's (we were rapidly running out of money) and then back to the Duomo.  The dome was sadly closed for climbing, but we enjoyed some magnificent views from the bottom looking up at the painted ceiling.

Carvings on the outside of the cathedral: magnificent.  So much pink and green marble everywhere!

We then visited the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence with lots of gold shops lining the bridge.  No boats, but still a nice view.

We passed by the Pitti Palace, Uffizi Gallery (without going in) and 2 replicas of Michelangelo's David, although we did not pay to go in and see the original.

And then finally we ended up in the same square as we started in, close to the train station (we were still a little gun shy of missing our train, so wanted plenty of lag time).  The kids enjoyed chasing the pidgins again and playing by a giant obelisk, while Eric and I relaxed in the grass.

Travelling with kids...a very different experience than my last trip to Florence!  Perhaps more on these musings to come.

Venice

Bologna, as it turns out, is only 1 1/2 hrs by train to Venice, and 30 min to Florence.  Great!  We decided to take advantage of the closeness and schedule a few side trips.  I was last in Venice in 1999 and remembered loving the city.  It did not disappoint this time either, and I had fun remembering certain sights, restaurants, and memories.

There was a ton of kid appeal to the fact that ALL traffic in Venice was boat traffic.  Even things like the garbage "boat" fascinated the kids for long periods of time.  We often had to drag them away from bridges with the promise of other boats to come.  They especially liked the gondolas, which we could not afford to ride, but we did take a water "bus" at the end of the day.  Here's the family under the Rialto Bridge.

 And on top of the bridge

We ended up getting lunch from a grocery store and finding a cute square (with pidgins, of course) to eat in.  Again, highlights for the kids were little things, like pizza and strawberries and oreos for lunch.

 Ben also found his favorite spot (after the bridges of course)...a gelato store with a big ice cream cone trash can out front!  I had to work hard to keep the kids from actually licking the trash can...

 Another view of the Rialto Bridge over Venice's Grand Canal

 One of Venice's many beautiful bridges.  Amazing that the buildings come right up out of the water.  And part of a gondola sailing away under the bridge...

 We walked from the train station to St. Mark's Square...it took awhile but the walk was part of the fun.  The cathedral was as grand and gilded as I remembered it being.  We decided not to climb the tower or go into Doge's Palace, instead spending more time in the cathedral and by the water.

 Finally, we headed back to the train station via the public transportation system...a boat bus.  It was a fun and cheaper way to get a canal cruise.  The kids also loved this part.

 After a long day of walking, we enjoyed the last of the Oreos on the train ride home.  Good job, kids!