A Sign of God's Love

"For the promise is unto you and your children and for all who are far off -- for all whom our Lord our God will call." Acts 2:39

Two Sundays ago we baptized Madeline Elizabeth at our church's Sunday worship service. In keeping with our family's tradition, Madeline wore the same gown that her sister, Mama, Aunt Caroline and Uncle Kevin all wore when they were baptized. She looked angelic.

At service, our family together presented Madeline for her baptism. And even though she'd entirely missed her morning nap, Madeline was her sweet, cheery self. She waited patiently as new members were received into our congregation and as another little baby was baptized. She didn't cry when Pastor Pete held her or when he sprinkled the water on her little head. But just in case, Kathleen loudly reminded her, "Quiet, Baby Madeline!" in the middle of Pastor Pete's closing prayer.

Madeline's baptism provided us with two beautiful opportunities. Not only were we able to publicly dedicate Madeline to God, but we were also able to teach Kathleen about baptism.

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It is a joy to watch Kathleen grow in knowledge of the Lord (even as limited as that knowledge is right now)! We pray that both our girls will one day declare their own faith in the Lord and that they will grow to be faithful, godly women.

We were delighted that Nan and Grandpa O'Connor could be with us for Madeline's special day. We know that her godparents, John and Marie, would have loved to be here, too, but Hawaii is a long way from North Carolina and even farther from Afghanistan. We are grateful that they and so many other friends and family have kept and will keep our little girls in their prayers. And we are certainly grateful that prayer knows no distance!

Too Busy to Blog...

We've been too busy having fun with Nan and Grandpa O'Connor to write any blog posts lately. We've been playing at the beach, eating shave ice on the North Shore, visiting a volcano (no lie!), and working around the house. Thanks to Grandpa O'Connor, we've got new pictures and mirrors hanging on our walls, a freshly painted rocking chair, a newly-organized storage shed, and a bunch of pretty new flowers in our front yard. More importantly, thanks to Nan and Grandpa, there's been more than double the normal amount of attention for the girls. That's meant more story reading, more snuggling, more walks, more ball-throwing, more swimming, more singing, and just more fun than usual.

Sadly, the fun departed our house today. Nan and Grandpa returned to California this afternoon. Even more sadly, Daddy went with them! He's visiting a graduate school, and happily, he'll be back home to us next week. For now, it's just the three Golby girls hanging out... We've got lots of stories to share, though, and we'll get around to catching up soon. We'll post about recent adventures in the next few days!

Tagged!

Paula tagged me. I've never done a meme before, and I have no idea why it's called that. Here goes, anyway...

1. Were you named after anyone? Sort of. I'm Kristen, and I was called Krissy growing up. I'm sort of named after my dad's favorite aunt, who was called Chrissy, but it turns out her name was actually Bridget!

2. When was the last time you cried? A tiny bit last night, when my circus ran me over before I could embrace it. Then I pulled myself together.

3. Do you like your handwriting? Mostly, but only if I'm careful when writing.

4. What is your favourite lunch meat? I'm a little embarassed to admit that I really love good, dried salami.

5. Do you have kids? Happily, yes: Kathleen is two and Madeline is five and a half months.

6. If you were another person would you be friends with you? I like to think so.

7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Never. Ha! More than I should, really.

8. Do you still have your tonsils? Nope.

9. Would you bungee jump? I don't think so.

10. What is your favourite cereal? Berry Granola from Trader Joe's. Oh, how I wish we had a Trader Joe's on the island...

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No, but the only "shoes" I wear are slippers (those are flip-flops on the mainland) and running shoes.

12. Do you think you are strong? No. I think I'm a wimp, mostly.

13. What is your favourite ice cream? Can I count gelato as a favourite ice cream?

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? Their smile.

15. Red or pink? Pink

16. What is the thing that you like least about yourself? I'm undisciplined and rather indecisive. I can't seem to stay on top of all the things I need to (or want to) and I'm a vast wasteland of unfinished projects...

17. Who do you miss the most? Oh, how could I choose? The "who" I miss the most is the collection of people we've left behind, most recently in Schweinfurt. And the worst part of missing that is that you can't really go back to visit -- they've all moved on, too!

19. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Olive green capris and no shoes. It's Hawaii, folks. No shoes inside.

20. Have you ever re-gifted? I think so, but I'm not entirely sure.

21. What are you listening to right now? Birds singing and my baby cooing.

22. If you were a crayon what color would you be? Pale green, I think.

23. Favorite smells? Laundry soap -- I've loved it since I was a little girl. Lavender. Lily of the valley. Coffee.

24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Paula, actually!

25. Do you like the person who sent this to you? She's one of my favorite people.

26. Favorite sports to watch? Kathleen playing the "throw ball game"!

30. Favorite food? An Italian restaurant on the other side of the island makes this salad with heirloom tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and bleu cheese. It's amazing.

31. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings.

32. Last movie you watched? Miracle -- it was on tv.

33. What color shirt are you wearing? Sort of a reddish striped shirt.

34. Summer or winter? Living here in Hawaii, I'm inclined to say winter, but that's probably just because we haven't had one in a few years.

35. Hugs or kisses? Hugs

36. Favorite dessert? Cake. I just love cake. Or gelato, maybe. The flavor would depend on my mood -- sometimes it's lemon, sometimes it's chocolate.

37. What book are you reading now? The Myth of Moral Justice. I've just finished The Book Thief.

38. What is on your mousepad? Don't have one!

39. What did you watch on tv last night? I caught a moment or two of women singing on American Idol.

40. Favorite sound? My girls laughing. Pealing church bells. Music -- close harmony, an acoustic guitar, a children's choir...

41. Rolling stones or Beatles? Beatles

42. What is the furthest you have been from home? I hardly know how to figure that out... Russia, maybe? Estonia? It makes me want to pull out an atlas and measure distances, though I'm not sure where exactly I'd measure from anymore!

43. Do you have a special talent? A knack for ringing my husband's cell phone at the worst possible moment.

44. Where were you born? San Francisco, California.

That was fun! I tag Sarah and Shannan.

P.S. I just noticed that the numbering is sort of off... I swear, I'm not leaving anything out. I don't know how that happened!

First Crunch

We let Madeline try her first rice rusk a few days ago. The crackers are crunchy, but dissolve quickly in a little one's mouth. Kathleen loved them when she was tiny -- we wouldn't travel anywhere without out them. The crackers seemed like they might be a good diversion for Madeline, who's still teething. (We're thinking that the next tooth should be popping through any day now. The poor little thing is so uncomfortable!)

As it turns out, Madeline wasn't much impressed by them. Kathleen still liked them, though. And it made a sweet photo!

Surf's Up!

We heard on the news that that a swell was coming to the North Shore, and that the waves would be 18-20 feet high. We love to go up and see the surf when it's high, watching the truly brave (or truly crazy?) ride the towering waves. Even better, Nan and Grandpa had never seen the big waves on the North Shore, so we took them up to check it out. By some miracle, we scored a parking spot at Waimea Bay and we joined a crowd of on-lookers, sitting on the sand and watching the surf.

Although we love to swim at Waimea Bay in the summer, when the water's flat and calm, it's obviously not safe this time of year. We were careful to explain to Kathleen that we wouldn't be swimming. She accepted that limitation without any argument. She played with her bucket and "shobel" instead.

We all agreed: who could see such power and such beauty and not think of a Creator? Even though we get to see this beautiful ocean all the time, it doesn't lose its wonder....

O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty and your faithfulness surrounds you. You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.

Psalm 89:8-9

Sweet. Tooth.

Happy belated Valentine's Day, friends! We hope that your day was spent with sweet friends and loved ones, and that you indulged in just a bit of chocolatey sweetness, as well.

Kathleen received her Valentine's card from Mama and Daddy at breakfast (along with her cute heart outfit from Nan and Grandpa), and we talked about Valentine's Day and showing love to one another. Kathleen quickly made the association between hearts and Valentine's Day and candy. As soon as breakfast was over, she took me by the hand and dragged me to the pantry, repeating, "Valentine! Valentine!" Once inside the pantry, she pointed out a red tin, decorated with white hearts. "Treats!" she exclaimed. Her Valentine gift from her Golby Grandparents, a tin of candy and other treats, had arrived a few days earlier. We'd opened the box together, and sampled a treat before we'd stashed it in the pantry and told her we'd have to wait for Valentine's Day. Well, Kathleen would wait no more! Impressed by her memory and communication, we indulged her in a bit of chocolate, even though it wasn't even nine o'clock in the morning!

Kathleen enjoyed more treats that afternoon at Valentine's Day party, hosted by her bestest little friends, Luke and Grace. The children all enjoyed some tasty cupcakes and then ran off the sugar, playing in the big backyard!

Got frosting?

And although Madeline didn't get any sugar for Valentine's Day, she had her own big news to share. Her first tooth arrived! We discovered it at lunch, when she was munching on Mama's finger... Well, that explains our sleepless nights!

So, What's This About a Circus?

Inspired by Marie, I recently decided our blog was due for a bit of an update. I didn't design the new header, but discovered it out on the internet and decided it needed a home with us. Hopefully you like our new look. While I was perusing potential headers, I got to thinking about our blog and about our life. It made me realize that it was time to change not only our look, but our name. And suddenly I knew that our blog needed to be "Embrace the Circus."

Perhaps you're wondering why I'd do that. What does that even mean, "embrace the circus"? Let me tell you. Because that, my friends, is a very good story.

The phrase "embrace the circus" was born (at least for our purposes) on -- of all days -- our wedding day. We had a marvelous wedding day. We were surrounded by friends and family for a ceremony in a gorgeous little chapel and a reception overlooking the Hudson River. We had all the trappings -- a saber team, a breathtaking West Point setting, our very own bagpiper, beautiful bridesmaids and darling flowergirls and an irepressibly charming ringbearer who had offered to wear camoflauge when we'd told him there'd be "soldiers" there. And yet. Oh, and yet.

We were married the spring after September 11th, when everyone was still working out the details of tighter security. On the day of our wedding, security at West Point's gate was backed up for more than two hours. Wedding guests -- even members of our wedding party -- waited in a long line of cars. They waited well past the start of the wedding! Our wedding was delayed as long as possible to allow our guests to arrive. Even so, our chapel wasn't close to full when the ceremony started. My grandparents arrived midway through the service. My godmother miraculously appeared just before she was to read scripture. Jim's ring disappeared at some point, and my father pulled off his own wedding ring for us to use. In short, the day was a bit of a circus.

Now, I'm a detail person. I like rules and organization and order. Lack of rules and organization and order can make me a little, well, anxious. So, having a circus on my wedding day should have made me a nervous wreck. But at some point during the chaos, Jim uttered the phrase that is now a Golby standard: "Embrace the circus." And so we did. We decided not to worry about the myriad things we couldn't control. Instead, we focused on celebrating the start of our life together, on enjoying the friends and family who'd joined us, and laughing at the circus we'd unwittingly created.

And, in hindsight, God couldn't have given us a more fitting start to our life together, a sort of foreshadowing of the chaos and laughter and love yet to come. Our little family has a wonderful life -- we have have each other, we have two sweet and funny girls, we have good friends, we've lived in amazing and interesting and beautiful places, and we have a loving and powerful God. We have more than we need. So much more. And yet. Oh, and yet. There are always things that don't go the way we'd like them to. There are separations. There are disappointments. And life is generally a little more chaotic than you'd hope. My house doesn't look like Martha Stewart's and my meals don't look like Julia Child's and sometimes I bribe my toddler just to make it out of the house (much less out of the commissary).

But if we focused on all that, we'd miss the joy that we have right now. And we do have so much joy. So when things get crazy (and they always do), we try to remember to "embrace the circus." And that's what we'll be sharing with you all -- a glimpse into our wonderful, beautiful, circusy life.

Life's a Beach

So, there are things that aren't great about living in Hawaii. The cost of living, for one. Sure, we get a cost of living adjustment to help out with that, but there's still something demoralizing about paying more for something on the island than you know you'd pay on the mainland. (And that's if you can find it!) And bugs. And lizards. Even the best housekeepers find those in their homes from time to time. And even though the geckos are cute, there's something a little creepy about finding them skittering along your wall or floor or countertop. And bugs are never cute. Not to me, anyway.

But some things about living on a tropical island are exactly as great as you'd think. The last few days Nan and Grandpa and the girls and I have spent our mornings on the beach, heading out just before Madeline's first nap (so she naps there in a little tent) and returning home just before Kathleen's nap (since she'll only really nap in her bed). You just can't beat days like this -- and in February, no less!

Taking in the sun and listening to the surf, and enjoying the full thirty seconds Kathleen sat still.

On the go! The girl can't decide whether she likes the water better, or the sand. So mostly she runs back and forth between swimming and building sand castles. She's a study in perpetual motion.

Isn't she a beauty? This is just moments before she toppled over and got a faceful of sand. Poor little girl! She recovered well, though. She's a little trooper!

All this could be yours, folks. Just come visit! The Motel Golby will be open until mid-summer when it will be relocating... Well, we'll let you know where we'll be when we know!

Hearts and Crafts

During a recent trip to the post library's storytime, Kathleen showed a lot of interest in the arts and crafts portion of the program. This wasn't entirely surprising. We pull out the crayons and paper or stickers and coloring books (or some combination of the aforementioned) at least once a day. But the storytime craft offered a new (well, new-to-Kathleen, anyway) tool that Kathleen found to be a revelation in fun -- a gluestick. Kathleen could not get enough of the glue stick! She was happy to glue down anything that stood still. "Gluestick!" she'd chirp, as she'd rub it on the construction paper, the table, her fingers... By the end of the morning I literally had to peel her away from it.

Kathleen's enthusiasm for the gluestick got me to thinking about different arts and crafts we could do at home. Suddenly, I had the perfect excuse for a trip to the scrapbooking store! Now, I've not gotten my act together to the point where I can actually scrapbook, but I will happily buy scrapbooking supplies. I just love the paper and ribbons and the pens and the tools... Sadly, though, they generally sit in my scrapbooking storage container, unused and forgotten. But Kathleen's love affair with the gluestick meant that I could buy fun Valentine scrapbooking supplies and that we could actually use them. We could make Valentines!

So, on Sunday (while Daddy and Grandpa were living it up at the ProBowl) the girls and I sat down to make Valentines. I thought that the activity might require some explanation for Kathleen, but I'd forgotten that Caillou (her favorite TV character) made Valentines for his friends. Kathleen knew exactly what was going on, and would yell out, "Makin' Valentines!" as she worked.

(Sorry for the dark and blurry photos. Daytime photos are a little hard inside our cinderblock house!) Kathleen showed her own artistic style, arranging punched circles of pretty paper and little foam hearts in a distinctly modern way. Madeline supervised. And when Mama wasn't supervising quite enough, she even got in on the action:

Watch your mailbox, friends, because a Valentine might be headed your way!

Grandparents are Great

Nan and Grandpa arrived from San Francisco on Monday, much to our delight. They've slipped right into our little routines, joining us for story time at the library and walks to the park and other fun. Because we've seen them fairly consistently over the past two years, there's basically no adjustment time needed for Kathleen. She calls them by name and talks to them nonstop and snuggles up against them on the couch.

A quiet moment with Nan.

Madeline loves the extra attention, too. Two more grown-ups means extra time being held and fussed over, and who wouldn't love that?!

Whenever Grandpa comes into town, we not only get to enjoy his company, but we get to enjoy his work. Grandpa always manages to complete a number of little projects when he visits -- so far he's refinished a rocking chair and hung a few mirrors. Nan and Grandpa brought Kathleen a toy tool set, so she can help Grandpa work. Kathleen loves her new tools; the drill and hammer are particular favorites.

A tool tutorial from Grandpa. Watch out world, Kathleen's got power tools!

Sitting Pretty

Madeline surprised us yesterday: she sits! We've been practicing a lot lately, but the most we'd been able to manage was a few seconds before tumbling over. But yesterday we sat her up and she stayed that way for a few minutes... She did eventually keel over, but she did so with a lot of grace and without knocking her pretty little head. Good job, sweet girl!

My theory is that Madeline wanted to have a new trick to show her Nan and Grandpa O'Connor when they arrive tomorrow. We can't let the bigger, chattier members of the family get all the attention...

Wearing Wisdom

"Listen, my child, to your father's instruction
and do not forsake your mother's teaching,
They will be a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck."
Proverbs 1:8-9