Hello, friends!
A few days ago, I had to break up a fight in our home. There was wailing, crying, and the gnashing of teeth. I don't think there was any hitting but there was definitely some tugging and probably some pushing. Thankfully, no one got hurt and no one got put in time out.
What was the cause of this fight? Was someone not sharing toys? Perhaps a name was called or someone was picking on someone else. Maybe somebody ate someone else's food!
Nope. Our two older kids were fighting over who was going to be the most helpful.
The story goes like this. Jonah needed a change of clothes. Megan asked Ezra to go get some new jammies out of the dresser drawer in our room. Thaliea, wanting to help, runs past him into the room to get the jammies. Ezra then tries to grab the jammies out of her hands but she holds on. Now they're both yelling and pulling on the Jammies. Ezra is yelling, "MAMA ASKED ME TO DO IT! YOU HAVE TO LET ME DO IT!" Thaliea's retort is, "I WANT TO HELP TOO! I NEVER GET TO HELP!" Welcome to life with two kids who love to help. =0).
Don't get me wrong. We LOVE that the kids love being helpful. Some folk told us that the jump from 2 kids to 3 kids wouldn't be as hard as the jump from 1 kid to 2 because the older one will be able to help and function on his own in some ways. Thus far, that has proven true and since Thaliea loves doing what she sees her big brother doing, she's also been super helpful.
But here's the thing... There's such a thing as being TOO helpful and there's such a thing as your help not actually being helpful at all. When the kids are "helping" sometimes tasks take longer than they should. Sometimes mistakes are made along the way. Sometimes there are fights or tantrums because the kids want to help in a certain way and it has to be done that way.
I've said before that being a father has taught me a lot about how God must see us. The idea of helping is exactly what I mean. In the same way that things would go much more efficiently or effectively if Megan or I just did things ourselves, I'm sure that an omnipotent God such as ours could get plenty done if He was riding solo (or rather, in Trinity). And yet, there's something about watching the look of pride and joy develop on your kid's face when they feel like they are contributing. For all the fighting and crying and trouble, there's something beautiful about watching your kids "help." And, if I'm being honest, sometimes they do actually make life easier.
So, in the end, I'm happy for the help. I'm happy for the relationship and connection that I get to build with the kids when we work together on something. I'm happy to clean up whatever messes get made because of some overenthusiastic helping. I'm happy to break up fights that come from a desire to help. I'm happy to be a dad who gets "help" from his kids.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Friday, January 24, 2020
Thursday, January 16, 2020
35 is the new... well, it's still 35, right?
Hello, friends!
Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes! I'm not one who likes to do a lot of celebrating or things like that, so we didn't plan anything big for this birthday. Also, with 3 kids now, planning anything is a little tough. Still, it was honestly a really enjoyable birthday! Here are a few reasons why:
- Good date! My birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, meaning the older kids were in daycare. That gave Meg and me the freedom to go on a lunch date (with Jonah), which was tons of fun. We had a coupon for Longhorn Steakhouse, so that was our spot. Daytime dates with Megan are always a blast, and having Jonah there smiling was pretty great too.
- Good food! Speaking of lunch, I ate really well on my birthday. There was the steak I had at lunch (that included a birthday sundae!), my free birthday Starbucks drink, Megan made spicy beef noodle soup (my favorite food and she makes the best one in Omaha), and we all went out as a family for ice cream. Did I need to repent for gluttony? Yes. Do I regret any part of my meal? No way!
- Good gifts! I'm not really a gift giving or gift receiving kind of person. What I like best are things that are functional and help me be more efficient at life. The gifts I got this year were pretty great. Ezra drew me some pictures and got me a telescope (really, it's an empty toilet paper roll, but it's the thought that counts), Megan (and I'm assuming Thaliea and Jonah went in on this gift too), got me some new pants and shoes from Goodwill, my mother-in-law got me an air-fryer, and I even got a gift card to my favorite Reuben spot in Omaha. I've already worn some of the clothes, cooked with the air-fryer, and used the telescope. =0).
- Good work! I had a lot of meetings on Tuesday, mostly of the back to back to back variety. During one break, I realized just how much I really love my job. I've been in this role for about a year and a half and I was struck by how much it doesn't actually feel like work. I get to talk to people all day about MPD and help shape culture in the Region around something I care about a lot. There's an old adage that you "find something you love to do and you'll never work a day in your life." I've definitely worked some days, but I'm glad that the job suits me well.
I am now officially closer to 40 than I am to 30, which is a fun thought for me. My hope every year is that I can double my current age, so hopefully, I have at least 35 more years of life to go. But, even if it's fewer, this birthday was a pretty great one.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes! I'm not one who likes to do a lot of celebrating or things like that, so we didn't plan anything big for this birthday. Also, with 3 kids now, planning anything is a little tough. Still, it was honestly a really enjoyable birthday! Here are a few reasons why:
- Good date! My birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, meaning the older kids were in daycare. That gave Meg and me the freedom to go on a lunch date (with Jonah), which was tons of fun. We had a coupon for Longhorn Steakhouse, so that was our spot. Daytime dates with Megan are always a blast, and having Jonah there smiling was pretty great too.
- Good food! Speaking of lunch, I ate really well on my birthday. There was the steak I had at lunch (that included a birthday sundae!), my free birthday Starbucks drink, Megan made spicy beef noodle soup (my favorite food and she makes the best one in Omaha), and we all went out as a family for ice cream. Did I need to repent for gluttony? Yes. Do I regret any part of my meal? No way!
- Good gifts! I'm not really a gift giving or gift receiving kind of person. What I like best are things that are functional and help me be more efficient at life. The gifts I got this year were pretty great. Ezra drew me some pictures and got me a telescope (really, it's an empty toilet paper roll, but it's the thought that counts), Megan (and I'm assuming Thaliea and Jonah went in on this gift too), got me some new pants and shoes from Goodwill, my mother-in-law got me an air-fryer, and I even got a gift card to my favorite Reuben spot in Omaha. I've already worn some of the clothes, cooked with the air-fryer, and used the telescope. =0).
- Good work! I had a lot of meetings on Tuesday, mostly of the back to back to back variety. During one break, I realized just how much I really love my job. I've been in this role for about a year and a half and I was struck by how much it doesn't actually feel like work. I get to talk to people all day about MPD and help shape culture in the Region around something I care about a lot. There's an old adage that you "find something you love to do and you'll never work a day in your life." I've definitely worked some days, but I'm glad that the job suits me well.
I am now officially closer to 40 than I am to 30, which is a fun thought for me. My hope every year is that I can double my current age, so hopefully, I have at least 35 more years of life to go. But, even if it's fewer, this birthday was a pretty great one.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Not the Original Plan...
Hello, friends!
When I last posted, it was 2019, and we were still a family of 4. The original plan for my first post of 2020 was to be a birth announcement, talking about how great Megan did during labor and introducing Jonah David Leong to the world. But, sometimes things don't go to plan. Here he is, by the way...
This post will still be about Jonah, but instead of his birth story, I'm telling a much scarier story. The 2020's certainly started with some excitement for us.
Our family went up to SoDak for Christmas. It was supposed a year where we went to SoDak for Thanksgiving and California for Christmas but since Jonah was born around Thanksgiving, we stayed home for Thanksgiving. Then, since Jonah was too young to fly, we did SoDak for Christmas. The original plan was to leave early on Christmas Eve but Ezra had a fever in the morning so we didn't get to leave until the afternoon. Still, we made it up there with no problem and got to spend time with Megan's parents and her sisters and their families. While up there, I got a call from my dad saying he had to travel to Lincoln for a job and was hoping to stop by right after the first of the year to visit us and meet Jonah. The original plan (noticing a theme here?), was for our friend Julie to come into town those same days but thankfully, we have the rooms so they could both be here. The original plan (there it is again!) was for us to head home on Saturday but a winter storm was coming, so we left on Friday after dinner. Thankfully, we missed all the weather.
You may be wondering why Julie was coming into town. Well, the original plan was for her to come and help out with the kids while I was in Orlando for National Staff Conference. Every 3 years, all the staff for InterVarsity gather together for a time of fellowship, learning, exhortation, and re-visioning what's next for our movement. Only full-time staff are required to go, so I was on the hook but Megan is part-time (and still on maternity leave), so she was staying. But, the prospect of her riding solo for a almost a week while Jonah was barely a month old was not promising, so we asked Julie to come in from St. Louis to help out.
Here's where it gets (even more) interesting. The original plan was for me to fly out early on the 2nd, for Julie to fly in during the late morning on the 2nd, and for my dad to show up later in the afternoon on the 3rd. I would get back from Orlando on the 6th and wait at the airport so my dad can drop off Julie and I'll take the car since they both were flying out Monday afternoon.
But sometimes things don't go according to the original plan. The day after we got back, Jonah started coughing and had some congestion. We sucked out his nose and took turns staying up with him since he slept better when he was upright. On Monday, Megan took him to the doctor and we were told to keep doing what we were doing. On Tuesday, we took him to the doctor again for a second check-up and were told that he was actually doing much better. On Wednesday (New Year's day), I was out in the morning with a migraine (Happy New Year to me...) but Jonah was actually a little bit worse. Megan took him to urgent care in the afternoon and I got the call that Jonah's oxygen levels were low and that they were headed to the emergency room. I called up a friend and his roommate (another friend of ours) was able to come over and watch the kids so I could meet Megan at the ER. After a few hours there, they decided to admit Jonah to the hospital.
I cancelled my flight to Orlando and made sure all the folk I was meeting with knew I wasn't going to be there.
So, here was the new plan:
- Wednesday night, I ran back to the house to grab some clothes for Megan, delivered those, then relieved our friends of her kid watching duties, spending the night with the older 2 while Megan and Jonah stayed at the hospital, including a trip to PICU when his oxygen levels dropped big time.
- Thursday, I took the older kids to daycare (actually part of the original plan!), picked up Julie from the airport, and spent time at the hospital. I picked up the kids from daycare, took care of dinner, got them into bed, then went back to the hospital to watch Jonah so Megan could sleep for a few hours. At the midnight feeding, I woke up Megan, went back home, and went to bed.
- Friday, I got the older kids up and did the breakfast thing. Then I went to the hospital to help Megan with Jonah while Julie watched the older kids. Megan also visited home for a bit, which was nice. My dad got off his job and went to our house but had to return his rental car to the airport, so I met him at home, followed him to the airport, and took him him. We did dinner at home and I put the kids to bed before heading back to the hospital so Megan could nap. Again, I stayed until the midnight feeding then came home.
- Saturday, I did breakfast with the older kids again, then went to the hospital to be with Megan and Jonah. Jonah at this point was doing great and we were discharged, so we could all go home and spend the weekend together.
As you can see, very little went according to the original plan. Even inside the adjusted plan, things went awry. On Friday, my dad wanted to buy us dinner so I figured he'd like the best fried chicken in Omaha. When we got there, it was closed! Apparently the owner of that restaurant died on Christmas day...
Friends, in the midst of all these changing plans, I was reminded of God's goodness. So many things didn't go according to plan but worked out just fine. We never wanted Jonah to get sick or go to the hospital (it was RSV, by the way, and he needed oxygen and regular suction to help him breathe), but we're so thankful that it happened when it did. Could you have imagine what would have happened if things happened a day later and I was already in Orlando?
God has reminded us of his goodness in the midst of all this. We're so thankful that Julie was coming into town already so the logistics were made easier. Having my dad in town meant that we had an extra set of hands (and delicious food too). So many of our friends offered to bring us meals and to watch the kids. We're humbled by all the generosity we've seen these past few days, for sure.
Right now, Jonah is sleeping next to me, snoring a little bit. He had a follow-up checkup yesterday and things are looking great. It wasn't part of the original plan, but I'd say things worked out OK.
Oh, and before I forget, I want to make it VERY CLEAR that Megan was the all-star of this whole ordeal. I may have been driving back and forth running errands and feeding the older kids, but it was Megan who stayed at the hospital with Jonah the whole time. She rocked it.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
When I last posted, it was 2019, and we were still a family of 4. The original plan for my first post of 2020 was to be a birth announcement, talking about how great Megan did during labor and introducing Jonah David Leong to the world. But, sometimes things don't go to plan. Here he is, by the way...
Our family went up to SoDak for Christmas. It was supposed a year where we went to SoDak for Thanksgiving and California for Christmas but since Jonah was born around Thanksgiving, we stayed home for Thanksgiving. Then, since Jonah was too young to fly, we did SoDak for Christmas. The original plan was to leave early on Christmas Eve but Ezra had a fever in the morning so we didn't get to leave until the afternoon. Still, we made it up there with no problem and got to spend time with Megan's parents and her sisters and their families. While up there, I got a call from my dad saying he had to travel to Lincoln for a job and was hoping to stop by right after the first of the year to visit us and meet Jonah. The original plan (noticing a theme here?), was for our friend Julie to come into town those same days but thankfully, we have the rooms so they could both be here. The original plan (there it is again!) was for us to head home on Saturday but a winter storm was coming, so we left on Friday after dinner. Thankfully, we missed all the weather.
You may be wondering why Julie was coming into town. Well, the original plan was for her to come and help out with the kids while I was in Orlando for National Staff Conference. Every 3 years, all the staff for InterVarsity gather together for a time of fellowship, learning, exhortation, and re-visioning what's next for our movement. Only full-time staff are required to go, so I was on the hook but Megan is part-time (and still on maternity leave), so she was staying. But, the prospect of her riding solo for a almost a week while Jonah was barely a month old was not promising, so we asked Julie to come in from St. Louis to help out.
Here's where it gets (even more) interesting. The original plan was for me to fly out early on the 2nd, for Julie to fly in during the late morning on the 2nd, and for my dad to show up later in the afternoon on the 3rd. I would get back from Orlando on the 6th and wait at the airport so my dad can drop off Julie and I'll take the car since they both were flying out Monday afternoon.
But sometimes things don't go according to the original plan. The day after we got back, Jonah started coughing and had some congestion. We sucked out his nose and took turns staying up with him since he slept better when he was upright. On Monday, Megan took him to the doctor and we were told to keep doing what we were doing. On Tuesday, we took him to the doctor again for a second check-up and were told that he was actually doing much better. On Wednesday (New Year's day), I was out in the morning with a migraine (Happy New Year to me...) but Jonah was actually a little bit worse. Megan took him to urgent care in the afternoon and I got the call that Jonah's oxygen levels were low and that they were headed to the emergency room. I called up a friend and his roommate (another friend of ours) was able to come over and watch the kids so I could meet Megan at the ER. After a few hours there, they decided to admit Jonah to the hospital.
I cancelled my flight to Orlando and made sure all the folk I was meeting with knew I wasn't going to be there.
So, here was the new plan:
- Wednesday night, I ran back to the house to grab some clothes for Megan, delivered those, then relieved our friends of her kid watching duties, spending the night with the older 2 while Megan and Jonah stayed at the hospital, including a trip to PICU when his oxygen levels dropped big time.
- Thursday, I took the older kids to daycare (actually part of the original plan!), picked up Julie from the airport, and spent time at the hospital. I picked up the kids from daycare, took care of dinner, got them into bed, then went back to the hospital to watch Jonah so Megan could sleep for a few hours. At the midnight feeding, I woke up Megan, went back home, and went to bed.
- Friday, I got the older kids up and did the breakfast thing. Then I went to the hospital to help Megan with Jonah while Julie watched the older kids. Megan also visited home for a bit, which was nice. My dad got off his job and went to our house but had to return his rental car to the airport, so I met him at home, followed him to the airport, and took him him. We did dinner at home and I put the kids to bed before heading back to the hospital so Megan could nap. Again, I stayed until the midnight feeding then came home.
- Saturday, I did breakfast with the older kids again, then went to the hospital to be with Megan and Jonah. Jonah at this point was doing great and we were discharged, so we could all go home and spend the weekend together.
As you can see, very little went according to the original plan. Even inside the adjusted plan, things went awry. On Friday, my dad wanted to buy us dinner so I figured he'd like the best fried chicken in Omaha. When we got there, it was closed! Apparently the owner of that restaurant died on Christmas day...
Friends, in the midst of all these changing plans, I was reminded of God's goodness. So many things didn't go according to plan but worked out just fine. We never wanted Jonah to get sick or go to the hospital (it was RSV, by the way, and he needed oxygen and regular suction to help him breathe), but we're so thankful that it happened when it did. Could you have imagine what would have happened if things happened a day later and I was already in Orlando?
God has reminded us of his goodness in the midst of all this. We're so thankful that Julie was coming into town already so the logistics were made easier. Having my dad in town meant that we had an extra set of hands (and delicious food too). So many of our friends offered to bring us meals and to watch the kids. We're humbled by all the generosity we've seen these past few days, for sure.
Right now, Jonah is sleeping next to me, snoring a little bit. He had a follow-up checkup yesterday and things are looking great. It wasn't part of the original plan, but I'd say things worked out OK.
Oh, and before I forget, I want to make it VERY CLEAR that Megan was the all-star of this whole ordeal. I may have been driving back and forth running errands and feeding the older kids, but it was Megan who stayed at the hospital with Jonah the whole time. She rocked it.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
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