Slumdog Millionaire

I have slowly become obsessed with the children from Slumdog Millionaire (pictured below). If you have not seen Slumdog Millionaire yet, I highly recommend it for several reasons. Of course, it did win the most Oscars so it doesn't really require my recommendations. :)

Here are a few reasons why this movie captured me....
It reminded me of the Kenyan street children that David and I worked with when living in Kenya.
The footage was REAL. They didn't just construct a scene of slums in Bollywood but actually went to the slums of Mumbai and went to the brothels. These visions are so real to me in my experience of walking through the slums in Nairobi.
David and I dream one day of adopting internationally and we have thought about India. We would like to rescue a girl from having a future in the brothels. The images in this movie have only encouraged our desires.

picture from here. The children from the movie were able to come to the US for the Oscars as well as some sightseeing, including Disneyland. Seeing this picture above also reminds me of when we brought a few of the Kenyans over to the US for a visit. I loved watching them experience the newness of America with them. I do hope that these children will return to India with a new hope in their hearts that they can overcome their life in the slums and possibly one day be able to make a difference in the slums where they are currently living. I also hope that those who see this movie will be inspired to reach out to the least of these on this earth and see that we live with amenities that the rest of the world cannot fathom....to even the simplest of things like a flushing toilet.

Future Home

We are getting closer to a move-in date. We think it will be the beginning of March! Here are a few shots of the work in progress. This is a side view. Strangely, I only took pictures of the back and side of the house but not the front.

The architect had drawn in a desk to be in this small open space in Jonas' room. We thought that shelves would be a better use of the space, since we don't think Jonas will be doing homework any time soon.

Below is a shot of the boys' bathroom. We went for more of a cottage look.

This final room will be a playroom/guest room. We had asked for shelves to be placed on one of the walls and were very pleased with what they built for us.

I will try to post more pictures soon of other rooms as it continues to come together.

Baby Blessing

This past Sunday was the annual baby blessing at our church. It was such a sweet evening of songs, prayers and welcoming advice from older children and mothers from our congregation. It was such a delight to see all the other babies that will grow up with Jonas. We are so blessed by our church family. Here is a picture of our sweet baby that evening.

What a special evening to have our parents with us and share in these precious memories with Jonas.

Valentine's Day

So this year's Valentine's Day wasn't like the ones David and I have shared in the past. We went out on our "date night" on Friday in hopes to see a romantic comedy. Unfortunately, the movie was sold out so we spent the evening at Barnes and Nobles and the Starbucks inside. (We couldn't just go home...we had babysitters. thanks Nana and Pops!) David is such a sweet husband that he brought me home these tulips below on Saturday morning after going to get them in his pajamas.

Our week preparing for Valentine's Day included baking, making homemade cards, and eating chocolate truffles from Trader Joe's for $2.99 a box! Asher enjoyed the dumping, mixing, rolling out the dough part of the baking but was forced to complete the valentine's cards we made. Below are two of the treats we made...chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache icing and heart shaped sugar cookies with Nana's (David's mom) yummy icing.

Jonas is 4 months!

We have been blessed with four precious months with Jonas. He has begun to roll over, first from his stomach to his back and a week later he rolled from his back to his stomach. He is getting longer by the minute! He is noticing his toys more and grabbing for anything in sight. He is constantly trying to sit himself up when you hold him or if he is sitting in his bouncy seat. We can already see many differences between him and Asher. But we love them both the way they are!

He continues to goo and laugh with delight when he sees our faces, especially when he sees Asher running or jumping around the room. Althouth, this week he has been showing us a new side of crying...we think he is teething (or so we hope this is what his new onset of fussiness is all about). We can't wait to see what his fifth month of life will bring to our lives.

Free Time Reading

I just finished rereading The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. I think the first time I read this book I was in high school and had an obsession with the Chinese culture. After reading it for the second time, I again was fascinated by this rich culture and its traditions. Anyone reading anything especially good right now? I am always trying to find a good fiction book that can take me away (for just a little while) from my everyday life.