Happy New Year from the LA Eyres!

 

If I were a grown up......

I would buy these shoes and wear them and be taller than daddy.

Wacky Wardrobe Day

The school decided to have a Wacky Wardrobe Day for the kids to wear whatever they wanted. This was Jackson's choice. Got quite a laugh, apparently.

Jackson's First Book

Jackson wrote a book just before his sixth birthday. I think he has a few things to work on for his next draft, like spelling and a plot, but not bad for a six year old.

Eyre Newsletter

Late for Christmas, but just in time for Chinese New Year!

Stuff Our Kids Say

12/13/11
Kiran having a nightmare: It's too big, it's too big! The cat. The man.
Mommy: What's too big?"
Kiran: The blanket's too big. The man with the cat put the blanket on my head and he didn't say sorry.
Kiran, after consoling by Mommy: Sometime can we make him come back to our house and say sorry?

12/25/11
Kiran on discovering a three-way light switch: That's confusing; you have to push it down to turn the light on.

12/31/11
Kiran, sharing a room with the already sleeping Jackson after late night New Year's Eve at Uncle Roy's house: Mommy, nobody said 'Who's there?'
Mommy: What?
Kiran: Nobody said 'Who's there?' I said 'Knock, knock' so many times and nobody said 'Who's there?

1/3/12
Jackson, arguing with Kiran: Just let me win! This is the nice thing; letting me win.

1/4/12
Jackson: Clear and blue are the wash away sin Baptist colors.
Me: Huh?
Jackson: For water.
Note: I think he means baptism, not Baptist.

1/10/12
Kiran: (listening to Kid's Praise music in the car) Mommy, I want to follow Jesus.
Clarice: Really. That means you want to be obedient to what He teaches. Are you ready to do that?
Kiran: Yeah. Can you drive me to Jesus so I can follow Him?

Happy New Year!

After a 6 month hiatus, we're back. Balancing Facebook posts and blogging has been a challenge (along with the rest of real life). But we want to try to be more regular in our posting (OK, Aunt Heather?). So here's to 2012!!

Things Our Kids Say

We've been posting to Facebook more frequently than Blogspot lately. But Ian and I have decided to post here first for our non-Facebook friends and family.

Conversation with the girl upon picking her up from her first day back at school in the New Year.
Me: So, who did you play with today?
Kiran: Jophes and Mei Mei.
Me: Oh. I didn't know Joseph was back from vacation.
Kiran: He is. But Mei Mei isn't.
Me: I thought you said you played with Mei Mei today.
Kiran: (exasperated) I was just pwetending that Jophes was Mei Mei.
Me: Oh. OK. And did Joseph like it when you pretended he was Mei Mei?
Kiran: (glibly) No. He didn't

Conversation with the boy upon observing dogs being walked in the Botanical Gardens at UCLA
Me: I'd want to take a walk in the garden if I were a dog
Jackson: I'd want to take a walk in the garden if I were a cat....but I wouldn't want to be a cat because you'd chase me.
Me: What?
Jackson: You're a dog, so you'd chase me if I were a cat.

Kiki's Fan Mail

Kiran received this card in the mail from a friend at daycare.


She is loved!

She's Three!

Sweet, spunky, thoughtful, stubborn girl.

Father's Day Breakfast

My Sweetie made yummy strawberry Nutella pancakes this morning.

Then my wife said; "Look at your son's face."

There are days when he's 'our' son but today he's my son. :)

Kiran liked her pancakes, too!

I am so blessed to have such a fun family!

Lenten Commitments

It's kind of funny. When Lent rolls around, I make the kind of commitments that most people make for the New Year. I guess I feel like I can handle a commitment for 40 days. It's an entire year that I have trouble with. At any rate, I don't think I've been doing this whole Lent thing the "right way" (perhaps it's the lack of a good Catholic background). Instead of fasting of some food item, at some point in the past 10 years or so, I've evolved to giving up habits or undesirable practices (maybe that is the right idea). And now, I'm starting to try to add in desired practices.

So this year, we thought we'd have a conversation with the kids about making sacrifices and trying to pursue the character that Jesus embodies. Here are our family commitments during this season when we prepare to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus...

Ian:
Giving up coffee and political blogs
Adding in Scripture memorization

Me:
Giving up coffee also (because Ian's the one who makes it every morning and it really wouldn't hurt to have less caffeine...and we just ran out of coffee anyway), political blogs (I think I thought of it before Ian did), talk radio (and adding in more edifying listening choices), spoons and flicks (not going to explain)
Adding in more words of affirmation

Jackson:
Giving up hitting Kiran

Kiran:
Giving up "crying Jophes" (not sure what that means, although we think it means that she's going to try to treat her little buddy Joseph a bit better)

And away we go....

Fun with Mirrors

Our kids love mugging for the camera...or the mirror.

I choose insanity too!

Maybe there is a touch of insanity to think that you or I could really make a difference in this world.

Knowing who we are and who we are not, and yet still believe we could somehow change the course of human history.

If it's normal to wake up in the morning with our only goal to just make it through the day then I vote for abnormality.

If it's insane to fight against the status quo convinced we can make the world a better place then let's embrace the madness.

Me...I CHOOSE INSANITY

-Mosaic Leadership Advance 2011

When I dream, I only dream as big as I am confident to accomplish something excellently by myself. When I ask to be a part of something God sized I put God in a box. What are the boundaries of my faith? What wont I let God accomplish? Whatever I think God cannot do, I am wrong.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NASB)

20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

I Choose Insanity

At the beginning of every year, our church holds a Leadership Advance, where we hear of the theme for the year and plan our goals. We went yesterday for an inspiring, invigorating day. This is the key Scriptural passage for the year:

2 Corinthians 5:11-15

11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

Our pastor, Erwin, wanted to emphasize the goal of being immersed in the love of God, so crazy in love with Him that it almost seems insane. So the theme for this year....I choose insanity.

I'm generally not that into the idea of choosing insanity. That is, insanity as a medical condition. But this appeals to me. This is not true insanity. It is the kind of life that is not understood by the world we live in, but was the original intent of our Creator. This kind of insanity fits with the desire Ian and I have to pursue the abundant life, to live the way God intended for us to live.

So, even though it seems crazy to me, I am making it a goal to disclose more of my thoughts on this blog, to share what I am learning on my journey toward the abundant life of insanity. And hopefully to gain some feedback about my progress.

I know it sounds crazy, but I choose insanity.

Clarice

The Abundant Life

Just realized that it has been 4 months since either of us has posted to this blog. It was just a very busy time. Actually, now that it's over and done with, I'd have to say that the whole year was actually a very hard one, one of the hardest in recent memory. It was a year of transition - a very frustrating and prolonged search for a house (that ended up very well), transitions in relationships as many of our friends have moved on to different relational circles, and major changes in work. I think the house hunt and the work challenges made things hard, but experiencing such major shifts in our safety net of community made it all the harder.

The most common thing Ian and I would say to each other throughout the entire year was that we needed a change in our lifestyle. Sleep-deprivation and stress were becoming a bit too familiar and our kids were absorbing some of our stress and acting out in school. The Christmas vacation was therefore a welcome time of rest.

Both Ian and I have had traditions of journaling. Each of us also have a practice of reflecting on the past year during the Christmas break and establishing some goals or a theme for the upcoming year. Toward the end of last year, we started talking about upcoming goals and found that many were similar. That set a direction for my thoughts on a theme.

It was an experience in Atlanta that gave me a mini-revelation on what our theme should be. We decided to attend Ian's parents' church for Christmas Eve service. I grew up in a traditional church setting and, much as I love the cultural relevance of Mosaic's Sunday gatherings, I have moments when I miss the comfort I sometimes feel in an established church. The church we went to on Christmas eve is REALLY traditional - stained glass window, wooden pews, a pulpit up front...even a pipe organ. It felt great to walk in to the smell of clean carpet and coffee and see people dressed in their Sunday best. We dropped our kids off in child care facilities equipped with age-appropriate furniture and picked up candles on our way in to our seats in the balcony of the sanctuary. I was already encouraged by the environment by this time and grew even more excited to see an orchestra set up on the stage. We launched into a number of familiar Christmas hymns, accompanied by talented singers and great orchestral arrangements. I was moving into a reverent mood, certain that the evening would prepare me for an encounter with God.

Then the pastor spoke. He talked about the people who missed the first Christmas and drew some parallels between them and people nowadays who miss Christmas (and Christ). It was a very good message with good reminders about the distractions that can pull me away from God. But something didn't resonate with me. He kept talking about how the reward of becoming a Christian was that we would get to be with God in eternity. I know that's true, but I think there's more to life than waiting until after we die to experience the richness of God. So right there in this beautiful setting with everything designed to focus us on the Christmas message, I had a different passage pop into my mind. It was from John 10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

or

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

I quickly found my way to the passage in my Bible to confirm that I remembered it correctly. It burned itself in my mind until I could talk to Ian later that night. He agreed that the idea of the abundant life captured what he also wanted to pursue and so decided to adopt a shared theme for our family for 2011 of "The Abundant Life". We're not quite sure what that means, but we know that God wants us to live better than we have this past year and that we as a family need to be pursing that life here on this earth and not just wait until we're dead to experience abundance. So even though that wasn't quite the message the pastor had, I am so thankful that everything we experienced that night set us up for what we were actually supposed to gain.

So I've been meaning to blog about our theme for the past few weeks. I want to get this thought out there into cyberspace so that the handful of people who read us could hold us accountable to our goal of abundant living. But I just never got around to it.

But something happened tonight to inspire me to blog. We went to church tonight. Our pastor, Erwin McManus, has launched a message series called Narrative. Our church is going through a period of transition and Erwin wanted to start out the beginning of the year by starting over again, sharing his story and the passages that shaped him. And tonight he chose to speak on the same passage, John 10. And the same idea - that this life is supposed to be different when we choose to follow Jesus. It is not guaranteed to be pain-free, but can be shaped by the intimate connection that God offers.

So I am very excited about this year. Ian and I are going to make changes in the way we approach work, exercise, diet, child-rearing, rest, sleep....and whatever else we need to do to experience the abundant life that Jesus wants to offer us. Anyone else with us?

Clarice

Happy New Year 2011

Say goodbye to 2010. It was a great year for the L.A. Eyres. We hope to blog more this year.

Here's our family picture taken by our favorite photographer Emily Allen of Solace Arts.

Our family theme this year is Abundant Life according to Jesus' words in John 10:10b, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." God is good! All the time!

On Being Creative

I got to be a panelist at a Symposium on Creativity sponsored by my church. I was up there with a film and tv composer, a man who creates large art works in public spaces, and a lawyer who helps the poor access legal services. I got to explain how dentistry is creative...how we apply art to science and science to art...how our work is rooted in an understanding of the amazing creative work of the Creator. It was a blast...and I got to meet two of the dancers from Dancing With the Stars (one of whom complemented me on my creativity).

On Being "Advanced"

This past Tuesday, pickup time from the daycare was less crazy than usual. So I thought I would take the opportunity to catch up with one of Jackson's teachers.

"How was my boy today?" I asked.

"He had a good day," she replied. Then she perked up a bit. "This morning during circle time, Jackson read the book he brought in to the other children. He read the whole thing."

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "You know, I have noticed him sitting with Kiran and other kids reading to them. But he's reading whole books now?"

Then we launched into a conversation about how we should get him tested since he's so advanced. But I won't write about that lest it be thought that I am bragging about my brilliant son. Just to be clear. Ian and I take no credit. We just think that it's successful outbreeding.

It's rather surprising that he has progressed so quickly. As a two year old, his version of the "ABC" song went "ABABABA, ABABABA, ABABABA, ABABABA, ABABABA, ABABABA." It was tonally correct, but he wasn't at all interested in learning the proper sequence of letters. He shied away from all activities involving writing utensils and paint. By two and a half, he could recognize about 20 car symbols, but only 5 or 6 letters. All of a sudden at three and a half, he started recognizing more letters (and started taking an interest in starfall.com, recommended by my cousin Melanie). And before he turned four he started recognizing some words. Now, a bit after turning four, he reads children's books with fairly good accuracy. The fun thing is that he doesn't read in the monotone manner typical of early readers, but actually reads with inflection. And he really seems to love reading and writing.

At dinner that night, I summarized the conversation with Jackson's teacher for Ian. After affirming Jackson, Ian asked him, "Do any of your other friends know how to read a whole book out loud?"

"No," he replied smugly. "Just me. And the teachers."

Ian beamed.

"Wait a minute," I said, thinking of the five year olds in the class. "What about Julia?"

"Oh," he returned. "Yeah, Julia. She can read. Just Julia and me and the teachers".

"Not even Stella?" Another five year old.

"Oh, yeah. Stella and Julia and me and the teachers."

"How about some of the other bigger kids? LIke Max and Jensen?"

"Oh. (pause) Yeah. A lot of the friends can read a whole book. And the teachers too. The teachers can read a whole book."

I'm rather glad he has become so confident in his success in the area of reading. He has been delayed with potty training and gets a lot of "consequences" and "teacher's choices" at daycare because he has issues with impulse control. Before he discovered his area of strength, he just seemed very edgy. But gaining some mastery over reading has seemed to give him a new sense of accomplishment. He seems more comfortable in his own skin. Certainly less easily frustrated.

So yesterday, Ian picked up the kids. He said the head teacher stopped him and also recommended getting testing for Jackson. So now that's two suggestions by two individuals. To be quite honest, I'm a bit reluctant to go there. You know the scene in Spiderman when Ben Parker is dying and tells Peter, "With great power comes great responsibility"? I'm having these moments when I realize that not only am I responsible for the health and safety and moral development of my kids, but I'm also responsible to help them steward their gifts. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. If I don't know what his potential is, I am less responsible. Does that sound right?

Then there's the issue of how Jackson might steward his own gifts. I have this silly little thing I tell people when they ask me what he is like. I like to joke that he'll probably be dictator of a small country....and that I hope it's a tropical country so I can enjoy my visits with him. He's such a strong-minded kid. So the possibility of a really bright, strong-minded kid worries me. What will happen if his moral compass sends him the wrong direction?

I suppose there's not much I can do other than do my best to raise him to look to the humility of Jesus as an example of how to use controlled power to benefit others rather than self.

Ian and I have our work cut out for us. But I think we genuinely look forward to seeing how this all turns out.

Kiran's Babies

I just spent 30 minutes trying to sooth my crying toddler. We had completed all of our usual nighttime activities without a hitch. Visit the potty, take a bath, put on pajamas, family devotions, mommy time, daddy time, and lights out. But she could not be consoled. She wanted her babies.

This is Baby Colleen.

Most people think it's funny when I tell them that Kiran's first doll, a gift from Grandmum and Granda, is named Colleen. We didn't pick that name. We actually chose the name for her second doll, Baby Gigi, which was a gift from Aunt Elisabeth and Uncle Scott. This is what Baby Gigi used to look like when she was new.

Baby Gigi was named first. Poor Baby Colleen was nameless and ignored for the longest time while Baby Gigi languished in the storage pile under Kiran's crib. I guess Kiran just wasn't ready for dolls the entire time Baby Colleen sat in the corner of her crib. But one day around six months ago, Kiran discovered Baby Gigi's box. She brought it to me with a gleeful look and demanded, "ahpen it". As soon as Baby Gigi was released, Kiran gave her a big hug and said, "mah baby". Since she had finally chosen to bond with a lovey, we figured it had to be personalized. We chose the name Gigi because that was what Kiran was calling herself at the time. She was substituting g's for k's, calling herself Gigi instead of Kiki. Once Baby Gigi became special to her, Baby Colleen got included in the lovefest. Oh yeah. How did she get the name Colleen? A few weeks after Baby Gigi was named, I asked Kiran if her other doll had a name. "Yeah!" she exclaimed. When I asked her the name, she said something that sounded like "Kelleen!". Kelly? "No, Kelleen!". Kaitlyn (her cousin)? "No, Kelleen!" Keilah (another cousin)? "KEL-LEEN!". Then it dawned on me. She was telling me the name of one of her teachers in the daycare. So Baby Colleen joined the family.

It's been fun to watch her care for her babies. Sometimes she'll sit one of them in Jackson's chair at the dining table.

"Baby Gigi. Eating." She'll tell us. "Kiki. Happy."


She loves her babies enough to give them her favorite seat to watch TV (which, of course, happens on extremely rare occasions - the TV watching, not the sacrificial service).

"Baby. TV. Cold. Binket."


And she'll check on her baby occasionally.

"Ah-kay, baby? Ah-kay? Happy? TV?"


Ian and I get a kick out of it.

Except on nights like tonight. When Baby Gigi is at school waiting for Kiki for her daytime nap and Baby Colleen is lost, last seen stuffed into a shoebox by a rambunctious, imaginative older brother. And little mommy is despondent that she doesn't have a baby to hug to sleep.

Fortunately, the big brother understands her plight and will bring her alternate animals to try out and sing songs to try to make her happy once it's clear that big mommy's attempts aren't working.