Lancaster (Lan-Cast-Er, as us Michiganders Say)
This week we’ve been vacationing in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area. It’s been our first real vacation in nearly two years, and we’re all feeling refreshed. We’ll post some pictures and videos after we’ve had a chance to sort through them all, but here’s some highlights in the meantime:
- The Choo Choo Barn - After years (literally) of watching Noah’s “I Love Toy Trains” videos, this was a sort of home coming. Lots and lots and lots and lots of toy trains. Just do a search for choo choo barn on youtube, and you’ll get a taste for the place.
- Hershey’s Chocolate World - Candy! And more Candy! And finally… Candy! The Chocolate World is basically a free 7 minute ride wrapped in an overpriced food court and overpriced Hershey’s candy. But it was still a lot of fun. And we truly enjoyed the trolley tour. It was eye opening to see the Milton Hershey School, both for it’s beauty and vision. The “free” candy on the tour didn’t hurt, either.
- Outback Toy Store - Hands down the most awesome toy tractor store. Ever. We all had that deer-in-the-headlights look when we walked in. Incredible. We’re lucky we only walked out with one new tractor.
- The Strasburg Railroad and Museum were stops on our last “day way” trip. I think the museum was a better deal (especially for the price), but riding a 100 year old steam train was pretty cool. All Aboard!
As Noah would say, “we’re a little sad” to be heading home, but we’re very thankful for family time we’ve been able to enjoy. See you back in Michigan!
Vacation Bible School 2009
Whew, what a summer! Seems like we’ve hardly had a chance to catch our breath lately. Not that we’re complaining.
Last week was Vacation Bible School week at our church, Holland Heights CRC. Amy played piano, Noah attended (his first year!) and Brian shot and edited a short video of all the fun. Here it is for your viewing enjoyment:
And here’s a “bonus” story for you all:
The other night Amy and I attended a wedding, and a few nights before the event Amy informed Noah that a baby sitter was coming, because “Mommy and Daddy are going to a Wedding.” Noah’s response was a bit interesting:
“No, no, Mommy, no want you to go to wedding.”
At first Amy was thinking Noah didn’t want us to leave him.
“It’s OK Noah, we’ll be coming back soon.”
Bu he was still distraught. After a few more attempts to console him Noah finally hinted at why he didn’t want Amy attending:
“I love you, Mommy. No want you to get married.”
We had a pretty good laugh, and we’re sure to remind Noah of this when he’s 15 or 16….
The Haps
Finally, I found a few moments to write my promised update on life here at the Tol House. Here’s a peek at what we’ve been up to for the past few weeks:
Adoption Update: There’s really not much “update” to offer, as we’re still waiting for our referral. But Bethany continues to receive referrals, and our name slowly moves up the list. We have been gradually stocking up on some new things for our trip: luggage, video camera, a baby carrier.
I continue to enjoy “meeting” other adoptive families through the Bethany web forums and adoption blogs. I never tire of reading about their adoption experiences. Many have walked this road before us, and it’s encouraging to hear their testimonies about God’s faithfulness along the way. We know there will be great joy in this adoption–but there will be struggles as well. God supplies what we need, when we need it. We continue to lean on that promise.
Orphan Ministry Possibilities: One of the things I’m very excited about right now are the possibilities for beginning an orphan ministry at our church. We are so very honored and excited to be called to adoption and I’m in awe how God is knitting our little family together. Yet, my heart is heavy for the many other children who will remain left behind in orphanages.
Now I know it’s a huge problem and I feel so very, very small. But over the past year or so, I’ve just felt like God may have a part for me to play. So I’ve prayed about it a lot. And then a couple months ago, I was contacted by someone else from church with a question: “Would you pray about and consider being part of an orphan ministry at our church?” Umm . . . yes! I’d been waiting on God, and that phone call just felt like confirmation that he does, indeed, want me to get involved.
So the wheels are starting to turn, slowly. We held a special lunch at our church a few weeks ago to share information about adoption and orphan ministry, and to recruit some other people who’d be willing to help launch an orphan ministry. The whole endeavor is very much in the “baby” stages, but I’m eager to see what God has in store. I’d really appreciate prayers about it all, as I feel very inexperienced and unqualified to be a leader in this. Yet despite my insecurities, God seems to be calling. I guess I just need to keep following and see where he leads.
Pie: We continue to enjoy helping out with youth group. This winter, we launched a special project called “Rice Bowls.” It’s an organization that works with orphanages in India, South Africa, and Haiti to provide food supplies. One of their fund-raising projects is to send out small plastic banks shaped like little rice bowls. Groups can hand them out, then collect spare change in them and send it back to the Rice Bowls organization. (You can learn more at http://www.ricebowls.org.)
To motivate our teens to collect change, we made a little competition involving pies: If the guys collected more change, they could throw a pie at one of the female leaders, and if the girls won, they’d get to throw pie at one of the guys. We added one more twist: Any student who collected at least $60 in change could throw a pie at anyone.
Well, the motivation seemed to work, because we ended up having seven pies getting throw around at youth group this past Sunday. Prior to the big event, several youth group kids (and leaders!) had threatened to throw pie at me. I feigned great offense and concern about this, so we had fun joking around about it. At one point, it looked like I’d be taking five pies! In the end, I only had to take one pie. (I wasn’t surprised by this: Because, really, once someone is completely covered in pie, isn’t it more fun to choose a clean target for the next pie?)
It was all great fun–and the best part is that we raised over $900 to help feed orphans!
Noah: Noah continues to be a busy, active little boy. Never a dull moment with this one, that’s for sure! He’s been loving the new barn Grandpa Leep built for his birthday, and the many trucks and tractors he received for Christmas and his birthday. I’m continually amazed at his great imagination and the creative ways he uses his toys. (Why not build the GeoTrax railroad right through the Little Peoples barn? Great idea, bud!)
As the weather finally has gotten warmer, he’s been spending some quality time back in the sandbox and out at the park. As the mommy, I’m thrilled to finally get outside again for walks and playtime. Noah’s also jabbering like crazy now. (Hmm… I wonder where he gets that trait from?) We’ve had many interesting “conversations” lately. Here’s one of our recent chats that has me a little worried about his involvement at church:
Me: Do you like Children’s church, Noah?
Noah: Yes! Fun.
Me: What do you do there, buddy?
Noah: We have big fire.
Me: Really. What do you have a big fire for?
Noah: Put toys in fire!
Well, I’ve rambled on quite enough for one post! I guess that’s what happens when I don’t update anything for so long. Thanks for reading.
Flip Video
I have a working theory I want to run by you: Someday, archeologists won’t have to go digging through old cities or landfills to determine how we lived; they’ll just dig through youtube instead. Although, sometimes I can’t tell the difference between youtube or a landfill. But that’s a theory for a different post. (Although, in all seriously, last month’s Wired Magazine included an article about video usage in a digital age. Worth the read if you get a chance.)
But you don’t care about magazines and digital ages, do you! Let’s be honest: you’re here to see Noah playing with trucks. Well, always said give the masses what they want, so here you go, faithful readers:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhmmhTReeUM]
How this never got nominated for an Oscar is beyond me. Brad Pitt in ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ or Noah playing with trucks… Seriously, is there any competition? (No offense to Mr. Pitt: Fight Club rocks.)
Ahem. Anyways, moving along: We shot this movie with our new Flip video camera, which we got for our trip to Ethiopia. I’m pretty impressed: It fits in your pocket, takes 60 minutes of video, and includes software to edit your movie together. It even came with the music I added to the clip.
So, I’m guessing you’ll be seeing more Oscar bait cute videos on the Tol House blog in the near future. Time to stock up on popcorn…
Where are the Tols?
So, yeah, this blog has been quiet for a while. And we’re sure you’re in withdrawal from our family wit and obviously talented storytelling ability. (I’m guessing, however you’re not missing our humility. Ahem.)
Rest assured, we’re around. We just have, you know, stuff going on. Like work. And Church. And making sure Noah learns the finer points of human interaction, like it’s not nice to steal toys from people younger than you in nursery.
And raking leaves. Picking apples at Crane’s Apple Orchard and enjoying some of their fine, fine apple donuts. Creating soon-to-be award winning websites. Or at least websites… 
Freelance projects. Conducting training with 9 people in four countries in our socks. Small group for church. Youth Group for church. A funeral. Watching airplanes take off.
Making sure Amy crushes the fantasy football competition. Alden, we’re looking at you.. Wednesday night stuff at church. Continually filling a tire with a small leak that still has good tread. Going through the Holland Tunnel. (No, the one by the airport, not Tunnel Park. Thank you very much.) Playing kickball with the youth group kids. (That’s Noah, if you’re curious. …ok, and a little Brian, too)
Baking cookies. Going to the ER at 1:30am and watching back-to-back-to-back “Sanford and Son” reruns. Best. Theme Song. Ever.
Preparing for the last Gospelcom Conference. Writing spec chapters for a book about Hebrew and Greek words. Remodeling a bathroom. Repairing tires that get punctured while driving to airports to watch planes take off. No, it’s a different tire. Yes, it’s equally annoying. Watching youth group kids make profession of faith.
Watching the debates. You betcha! Meeting Jason and Steph’s new dog via Skype.
Playing Cars. Preparing to be an aunt, uncle and cousin for the third-time. Actually, there’s not too much to that one…. Celebrating 80 years of live with Grandpa and Grandma TerVeen. Enjoying the 2nd season of Mad Men. Don Draper, who are you? Preparing for two Youth Worker Conventions and two trips to Chicago.
Watching Curious George on the TiVo. Memorizing Curious George, whether we like it or not.
And, last but not least, winning the “Best Post” award in the extremely difficult and crowded “Obligatory, Too Busy To Blog, Blog Post” category.
Seismic Shift
An amazing thing happened Sunday morning. Monumental, even.
As I stood in the bathroom, getting ready for Sunday morning services, Noah puttered around the play room with his favorite toy: The digger truck. This, of course, is not a monumental event: Noah and his digger truck spend hours together every day. But apparently he wanted a human playmate as well, because all of sudden, I heard his little voice yelling out these words:
“Daddy! Daddy! Daaaaaaadddy!”
And with that, the tectonic plates of the Tol family shifted dramatically.
You see, shortly after Noah’s February birthday, he suddenly developed a very strong attachment to “Mommy.” I became the seriously Preferred Parent for outdoor playtime, bedtime stories and everything in between. In fact, we even discovered a sure-fire way to get our toddler upstairs to bed without complaining: Just threaten to have Daddy carry him upstairs. (”No! Mommy” And he burrows into my shoulder every time.) As you can imagine, “Mommy! Mommy!” has been a constant refrain around our house for several months.
So you can imagine the shock (and exhilaration) I experienced as the words “Daddy” echoed through our home. Has Noah finally decided to give his mommy a break? Could it be that the “Mommy” era is finally drawing to a close?
Somehow, I anticipate and dread that thought at the same time.
A Little Bit o’ Noah
It’s been quite some time since I’ve shared Noah news on the blog, so please indulge this proud mommy with a few Noah stories today.
One Speed
One of our favorite activities during these sunny, summer days includes a walk to the park. Of course, it’s sheer torture for a two-year-old to be confined to a wagon when he is in the glorious outdoors, so I usually bribe Noah with Goldfish crackers and a book or two. By the time he’s finished his snack and his books, I’ve managed to get a little exercise and we’re at a nearby park.
Just last week, an older gentleman was at the park with two granddaughters. He looked quite amused as he watched Noah flit from one playground structure to the next. And at one point, he laughed and said “Your boy only has one speed, doesn’t he?” I’ll say! Noah’s speed these days is TURBO. At two, he can almost outrun me. With just a 10 second head start, I’m certain he could hitch a ride to McDonald’s before I could catch up with him. If only we could somehow tap that energy and use it to operate our vehicles…
“Slow Down Daddy”
Given Noah’s speed, it’s no surprise that I’m often asking the boy to slow down. Earlier this summer, Noah ended up with a few stitches on his forehead. I’d hoped the stitches incident might teach him that it’s not generally a good idea to do things like run at full speed with your eyes closed or launch yourself off the sofa into a pile of stuffed animals. Unfortunately, 2-year-olds don’t grasp these concepts.
As a result. the phrase “slow down Noah” gets repeated approximately 375 times a day around here. Apparently, at least the words are sinking in. Just last week, Brian ran up the stairs to catch his ringing phone, and Noah’s little voice scolded him saying “Slow Down Daddy!” Of course, Brian laughed. And now it’s a favorite joke for Noah to reverse the tables and tell his parents when it’s their turn to slow things down.
Singin’ and Dancin’
Sometimes Noah channels his energy into creative directions: Like dancing, for example. A few Sundays ago, we had “family church” in the evening:a low-key service where we gather in the church gym for some singing and Scripture reading. At one point during a song, Noah escaped from his seat and ran to the front of the room, where he started dancing on the podium up front. Apparently, he is quite confident in his dance moves.
Then, last week Sunday evening, we had about 15 minutes to kill before bedtime. Since Noah was busy playing with his cars, I sat down to play a few tunes on the piano. I started a verse of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” and by the time I’d moved on to the “Farmer in the Dell,” Noah was pulling up a stool. Soon Noah found a “mic” (one of his play spoons) and was seated behind me, belting out the words to “Wheels on the Bus.” American Idol, here we come!
A Few of Noah’s Favorite Things
You’ve probably had enough Noah stories for one day, so I’ll wrap up with a simple list: here are a few of Noah’s favorite things:
1. Swimming–Noah is quite the water rat! At least when it comes to swimming pools. He’s a little leery of the big lake…
2. Circus Peanuts candy–Best bribe ever. I’ve never seen a child pick up trucks as fast as Noah will when he’s promised a Circus Peanut reward.
3. Tiger–his best furry friend. Great for body-slamming, riding, dancing, pretend feeding, and posing as a patient for Dr. Noah.
4. Older girls–Noah likes older girls, especially those around his cousin Stephanie’s age (5). His favorite pick-up line with the ladies? “Hi!”
5. Choo-Choos–Noah is crazy about trains, and is always hoping to see one when we venture out in the van. A few days ago, we were probably the only ones saying “Thank you Jesus” when we were stopped at the railroad tracks by a freight train!
Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed these brief Noah vignettes. He really is such a delightful and cheerful little boy, even if he is often tiring to keep up with. Here are a few more pictures of our happy little guy:
Noah’s happy after his bath. (Note: Amy’s crazy hair was for her stint as a crazy scientist at our church’s VBS)
Noah’s stitches.
I’m so glad Noah still likes to read books: His favorite literature these days involves anything with cars, trucks, or trains.
Broke!
Ah, the wonderful mind of a two-year old! Noah’s vocabulary is growing by the day, and we’re never quite sure how he’s going to use his new found powers of speech. Consider these two short examples of how he’s using his favorite new word, broke:
Example A: The Nose
Amy has been fighting a nasty head cold for the past few weeks (so much for Spring, eh?), and the other day she moved into the “blowing the nose” phase of things. She made the off-hand comment that her nose was “broken” and that got Nojo’s wheel’s turning: his eyes became serious and he looked hard at her nose. He leaned left, then right, and then lifted her head up to look into her nose. Then, with great concern, he said earnestly “Nose broke? Nose broke?”
Example B: The T-Shirt
Despite the extended cold season, it is starting to feel like Spring around West Michigan. And with an expected high of 73 degrees today, it’s officially t-shirt weather. The only problem with that is Noah doesn’t remember warm weather, let alone t-shirts. When Amy pulled a T over Noah’s head this morning, he looked at each bare arm ,and then said, with great concern, “broke? broke?” Amy decided that some battles aren’t worth fighting, and changed it out for a long-sleeve shirt.
Monkeys and Doorbells
A blessed Easter/Resurrection Sunday weekend to you all! Here’s some recent videos of Nojo. Enjoy!
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=Egxv5_mG4SA]
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=lwM95WxBNn4]
Some Christmas Time Fun
Hey everybody! Season’s greetings from the Tols. Here are some video highlights from our recent trip to Chicago. Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmWkKDvr_H8]