Shiny

Doggie, horsie, tractor, up, down, Mama, Daddy, Bampa (Grandpa), Memaw (Grandma), gok (yogurt), bus, car, truck, shirt, duck, church, amen, frog, cat, and at least 100 other words...  Our son's ever-growing vocabulary has undoubtedly blossomed to include (today) the word "shiny"...  Our geeky little hearts all a-flutter at the sound of this word, and I wondered how he picked this one up, since we've yet to sit him down in front of our all-time favorite show, Firefly (he's a little young yet).  And here as I type this, the answer dawns on me: from one of us.  Shiny.  :)
Yep, still makes me smile.  Oh, son, our little geek in the making...

Shiny.

*photo courtesy of jolymi08

Jessica Nugent Aagaard likes this

Yesterday at our Christmas morning church service, we were blessed to view this artistic representation on what Jesus' birth would have been like if social media had existed.  It's so moving, yet simple, and I can't really elaborate on it and do it justice, so I'll let you watch...  Good stuff...

Hope you all had a very merry Christmas...  

Sufficient For Me

2 Corinthians 12:9
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.


I constantly find myself facing this world and wishing, longing for a closer, deeper relationship with the people in my life.  I've long felt that others are far more important to me than I am to them.  This is not me fishing...just voicing, rather writing, something that has been on my heart for so long...
Perhaps I'm not the only one that feels this way.  Invisible.  Unimportant.  Unworthy.  
I find myself avoiding people.  To avoid feeling like I'm being avoided I avoid first, so that I can avoid the whole rotten feeling of avoidance altogether.  And yet, it usually backfires, and I feel worse.  Maybe I'm made to.  God has made me one to reach out.  I can't be a very effective witness or even just an empathic ear if I'm avoiding people just so I don't get hurt.  
And so what do I do?  I realized that in this weakness of mine, God has the strength I need...I just need to continue to seek Him out.  Stop avoiding people and just be.  Be who God made me to be and realize that He hungers for my attention and interaction just as we hunger for the attention and interaction of those around us.  
Distractions abound now, so I'll write more later...  OOO

I wanna be Your hands, I wanna be Your feet...

I wanna go where You send me...
Sean and I have talked about missions before.  Several times.  SEVERAL times.  He was never really interested, per se, in doing mission work, but still supported my desire to be on our church's missions team and pray about mission work, and then it hit him like a wall last year that he needed to go to Haiti with a group from our church family here in Kenai, and the Lord really opened his heart to it.
The hardest part?  Parting with the things that tie you down in this world.  And not for a lack of trying.  We don't want things.  Our home is on the market.  I know it's all in good time...  Rather, it's all in God's time...
And I know - we don't need to travel globally to be effective missionaries.  This is so SO true.  And we endeavor to serve, wherever we are.
We do desire, however, to get training, to educate ourselves in how to be most effective as a missionary family, and how to best serve.
And so, we look out there in anticipation.  We've found several schools around the world that train missionaries.  This is what we pray on.  This is what we chew on...
I know our home will sell.  We'll get ourselves out of debt.  We'll free ourselves from the trappings of this world and go where He sends us, whether it's down the street or beyond the horizon.  So please pray - for patience for me.  Steadfastness.  True, unwavering hearts.  A desire to serve others to bring God the glory...  Thank you.

This is a peanut-free zone...

As most of you know, our little guy is allergic to peanuts.  Life is great though - and we eat well, but shopping has taken on a whole new level of carefulness, as I've never been much of a label-reader.  I now scour labels like nobody's business, and can tell you all the places those allergy warnings can "hide." And I'll read labels I've read before a dozen times, just to make sure nothing's changed in how something's made.  They do make the labels fairly reader-friendly, but every once in a while we encounter a product with two separate allergy warnings that include different ingredients: what is contained in the product and what MAY be contained in the product, and in completely different places on the product.  

Food items that you'd never imagine having anything to do with peanuts come with warnings.

I haven't really had any issues adjusting - I would give up water if Michael were allergic.  Sean's had a bit harder of a time, where a scoop of PB at any given time would make him a happy man.  But also with him, he'd give up anything for Michael.  

We've been able to find peanut-free products with some ease; we've adjusted several different recipes, and have even made a few new ones of our own.  :)  Creativity has struck in the Aagaard household, and I think even Sean is able to live quite happily without peanut butter.  ;)  

In the future, I may share some of our recipes with you - they're nothing extravagant, but tasty still, and my guys seem to enjoy...  

Take care out there in that big (yet small at the same time) world, and remember that some of these little guys just can't function around what is an everyday treat to others...

OOO

Poster courtesy of http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/

On their site you can print off different allergy warning posters for your home or office...for free!  Many thanks guys!  :)

WHA WHOOOAAAH WUUUHR?

According to Wu Kee Smith (rockin' name), this Wookiee phrase can be translated as "Anyone for hot cocoa?"*  Boy, lemme tell you, this is the winter for it, if we've ever had one...  Temperatures have reached record lows for this early in the season; but we're not worried...we've got cocoa.

And here's a wee little Wookiee we found too!

Who is this cute little chap, you ask?

...

It's SuperThorBaccaMan!

(I'm sorry it's sideways - I tried to fix it...)

And he's waiting for you to come join us for some hot cocoa!!!

*For more HILARIOUS Wookiee phrases (and an all-around good laugh) check out How to Speak Wookiee: A Manual for Intergalactic Communication by Wu Kee Smith, illustrated by JAKe...  It's a riot the whole family will enjoy, and very....GRAAAAAAAHROWOW ("conceptually ambitious and flawlessly executed")!  Don't worry - it comes with audio clips for many of the phrases.  

And seriously - cocoas all around!  

How time flies...

SO many things to catch up on!  Our little guy is now 18 months old and here I sit writing without even having shared a birthday photo with you...

This is our little Thor on his actual birthday...  ;)  

And here's our little guy (yep - this time donning a Superman shirt and red cape) at his Superhero Shindig:

He's *not* quite sure just what to do with that lightning bolt that came out of his trusty hammer, Mjölnir:

Should he devour it, or throw it at his foe?

(Why not do both?? ...And then get frustrated at the unmerciful restriction of the cursed high chair?)

Just a few photos of our little Michael (I mean, Thor!) to update this little blog.  May you all have a most happy Thanksgiving!  

"I leave you with this thought...It is not the one with the greatest power which is important!! It is the one who uses his power wisely...in the cause of justice!" - Thor Odinson

Fall

I'm not gonna lie...  I love fall!  I'm pretty sure it's my favorite time of year; I just wish ours lasted a *little* longer.  ;) 
Sweater weather is here...we had our first frost this morning (our house is always a little bit behind...), the skies are darker and we have seen the northern lights gracing our skies on a nightly basis (and kept me company on my drive to work this morning), and the air has a wonderful crispness to it. 
I'll update again soon (with photos), and some stories of our amazing little guy that just keeps on getting cooler...  ;) 

A fall shot from October of '08

Update, sans photos

SO much has happened since the last post that I'm not even sure what to title this one.  Sean is in Haiti.  Michael is 1.  I am done with work for the school year and Sean has lost his job (for Godly reasons).  We are at such a strange place in our lives, and God is really working on our hearts.  :)
You would think I would be scared at the thought of Sean not working right now.  But he desires to work. He longs for something more than retail....understanding that God can use you wherever you are, but still desires something more...  I've been there.  ;)

***

Just since I've started this post AMAZING things have happened!!!  Well, one amazing thing - I GOT TO SKYPE WITH SEAN!!!  And such a wonderful surprise!  Wasn't even thinking that would happen - I was just on to update our things and skype with his folks so they could see Michael, but he called via another mission team member's account!  :)  

Prayer requests: safe travels for the team tomorrow as they travel back from Haiti, and for Sean's stepdad - he suffered a stroke this morning and seems to be doing very well, and is at home, but is being monitored.  Pray for a FULL recovery!  

Aurora Borealis

No matter what happens here, no matter how cold I get or how much my stupid Enstar bill is, my spirits are always greatly lifted, my heart soars, my soul breathes, and I thank God for this wonderful happening:

...

...

...

...

Really *dig* the red tinge at the bottom here!  We tried to video them, but it wouldn't work, and while these aren't the best quality photos in the world, I'm still practicing!  :)

I'll never tire of seeing these beauties dance around in our sky...

All photos taken by Jessica Aagaard

The Best Laid Plans...

So often in our lives, we get caught up in what we want.  Not a bad thing, but I have to continually remind myself that I'm not here for me.  I may have something in mind, or a couple somethings (you know, like I'm giving God a "choice" of plans), but then He brings something ELSE outta nowhere and wows me with how much better it is than what I had planned.
Take Sean, for instance.  I had NO idea that was coming.  I knew I wanted a husband.  I knew I wanted a family.  There was even someone I fancied that followed the Lord, so I thought 'BING - this it it!'  Little did I know that God had something SO much better planned...
It even came down to a brother and sister in Christ talking with me one day over lunch in a park...  They read to me from Samuel, where the Israelites are praying and praying and seeking leadership in a king.  They desired it so much, that when they saw someone who they thought would do, even though this was not the leader God intended for them, they made him king, and suffered for their lack of faith and patience...  They suffered in the sense that this king they appointed was an awful leader, and through this they knew they needed to wait on God.  Finally God was able to put the leader HE had planned into place and the people knew what a good leader was.  They saw what blessings may come if, despite your OWN plan, you wait upon the Lord...  And so I listened to my brother and sister in Christ.  We prayed over my future spouse.  And I waited.  Turns out, this guy that I wanted so badly was NOT the guy for me...  And lo and behold, my heart continually grew for Sean.  He continued to serve and our friendship continued to blossom, at an astounding rate.  I still resisted the thought of Sean, just a little bit.  I really liked him, and looked forward to every outing or opportunity to spend time together.  But, like a stubborn child, I resisted.  But God was patient with *me* and soon it just clicked.  The light flipped on and it was so stinking bright!  And I knew.  THIS was the guy God had set aside for me.  Boy, let me tell you - I am so blessed by Sean...  I have an amazing husband, partner, friend who wants to serve the Lord with me and walk with me always.  He so truly desires to take care of my heart...
God has really been speaking to me about this lately.  Sean and I find ourselves at a crossroads in life...  And here I am saying, "okay God, it can happen this way or that way, and I pray for clarity and guidance so we know which [of these two] way[s] You have in store for us."  And by limiting what I think God's possible response could be, I'm limiting my ability to grow and our ability as a couple to see what amazing things await us...  God may have something COMPLETELY different in store for us...  :)
He's good like that.
I know there is a light at the end of this tunnel...  I know that we'll get through our financial difficulties and be able to breathe fully again and sleep at night.  But it might not happen the way *I* want it to....  Can I handle that?  Absolutely!  God is good...ALL the time!  :)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da DA

My sister-in-law brought this to our attention the other day: a view of Michael in the future...  ;)  Way too funny not to share!

And so it begins...

heeheehee....poor Honey doesn't see it comin'...

Hilarity is...

...getting out of the shower to hear the dogs barking so you wrap up in your towel to go see what it is and there is a squirrel trapped on the porch and staring at you like "GET ME OUTTA HERE!" and so you get your camera to take a pic and then the little bugger stops being cute and goes for the trash bag you set outside the door to be taken to the cans on your way to work later and then starts ripping at the bag so you BANG on the windows which only momentarily stops the squirrel but drives the dogs bonkers so you put your snowboots on so that when you open the door a crack to let the dogs out to scare off the squirrel the little bugger doesn't slip in the house and attack your bare feet and so you open the door and the dogs run past the squirrel, scare the little bugger, it screams, they run down the stairs (you think after the squirrel), run into the yard to do their business and then take off down the road and you're trying to get their attention without having to re-open the front door and let the little bugger who's still out there IN and so you go to the sliding glass door in the dining room to yell at the dogs to come back, while in your snazzy towel and snowboots, and the door is locked and the lock is stuck 'cause it's so stinking cold out and you bang on the glass to try to get the dogs' attention as you watch them frolick down the road...without their collars on (that have their ID).  The miracle?  Michael slept through it all...

Edited later to add BIGGER miracle: they came back on their own!!!  Phew.

Michael

My lovely sister took some shots of Michael while she was here over Christmas break, and while he wasn't super-smiley that day, he's still super-cute!  ;D

 La-la-love this little guy's grin!

 Trying to figure out just WHAT Mommy and Grandma are doing! 

 (We were dancing around trying to make him laugh...)

 He's *thinkin'* about laughin'...

...

...

Oh, man, I love this kid...

All photos taken by and copyright of Colleen Nugent (Thanks Lenny!) :)

A-B-G-D :)

Michael has been practicing his consonants and sounds and has lately become very emphatic with b, g, and d...  Gallagher once joked about the first 4 sounds in the Greek alphabet being the first sentence...alpha, beta, gamma, and delta - a, b, g, d - a ba ga da - have a good day!  ;D  Michael's been talking all along!  He just speaks Greek!  ;)  heehee....

A B G D...

Have a good day!  :)

*So I had a really cute video of him speaking Greek, and it's been 4 hours and it still won't load...we'll try again later...*

My Little Man...

Michael, Son, Son-o-son, Nomnom, Pippin, Thor, Buddy, Mr. Sweet Cheeks, Snuggle Bug, Toots, Little One, Super Baby, Mr. Mister, Peek-a-choo, Squishy, Stinker, Baby M, Sweet Soul, Kiddo, Jorge (thanks, NNS kiddos!),  Buckets (also Drool Bucket, Fuss Bucket...), Cutie Patootie, I love you!
Happy 8 months today, My Little Man....
What a blessing you are - so funny, so smart, so darn cute!  ;)

Now take your nap, Bebee, so we can play!

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
         The fruit of the womb is a reward.

-Psalm 127:3 NKJ

Herdy da herdy da vur...BORK BORK BORK!

LOVE the Swedish Chef!  (Clarification: the old school Swedish Chef...)  And Michael seems to be enjoying my endless attempts at impersonating the chef...in the kitchen, at the grocery store (we Swedish Cheffed our way through the store last night), and even in the bathtub...I mean, let's face it, if you're gonna throw what's around you up in the air while singing, you might as well be in the tub where it doesn't make a real mess...  ;)
Just thought I'd leave you all with some laughs for the day...  (There are sooooo many funny Swedish Chef episodes...picking a favorite would be hard indeed...what's your fave?)

Second silly pic...

Our family tradition of several "serious" pictures followed by one silly picture was broken this year when we took a second silly pic.  :)  And, for your viewing pleasure, here it is:

It's a bird!

It's a plane!

It's...

SUPER BABY!  ;D

I also wrote earlier that I would include more shots of Christmas day in a later post...that later post is now.  And here are more shots:

Michael sitting up - an easy task nowadays! 

Daddy nuzzles!

 Zoning out before church (on Christmas Eve)

 Tired behbeh boy...

Michael & his new toy 

Super baby! 

So so so cute... 

All tuckered out...

*Photos taken by Colleen Nugent & Tricia Nugent - thanks sisters!  Great shots!  ;D

Start the new year off right...

Witta buncha good naps...  ;)

...

Grandma's hand...sleeping baby's hand...  So sweet...

 Naps with Grandpa - always so relaxing!  Ahhh....                                                                                              

...NOW I have my second wind!      :)

Love you kiddo...

Had a holly, jolly Christmas...

What could be better than ALL the family members in town and together for the first time in years??  

(You're waiting for an answer, I can feel it....  That was a rhetorical question up there...)  ;)

Here, Michael is being taught how to use a camera effectively...

Some family (oh, just some random family...heehee...) during gift opening - we draw names so that families aren't overwhelmed by cost or gifts, and most of the gifts are homemade goodies, so stuff we feel good about giving...  :)  

Sean's gift - an original Bradley Nugent carving of a penguin!  :)

 My dad (holding an original Joshua Nugent origami owl), Brad, and Jeff...  :)

Ashley and her cousin...  Michael and his cousin...  :)

ADAM!  What a natural...  (Just funnin' ya, Ad - we're so glad you're back!)

 2 Michaels...AND the famous Alaska Baby Salute!

 Again, the famous Alaska Baby Salute, demonstrated by Ashley!  :)

Auntie Colleen and Uncle Dan ready to take their little nephew out for a round o' golf...  ;)

And, the family shot!!!  Wait, this one's a little funny...

HERE we go!!!  ;)  Now we got it right...  ;)

*More pics to follow!*  (We're missing some peeps here...)

Photos taken by Jessica Aagaard, Tricia Nugent, and Colleen Nugent :)

Nothing I could do, total eclipse of the moon

On December 20, 2010, us lucky folk here in Alaska got to experience a total lunar eclipse - the only one in 2010...and the first one I've seen since I was a wee one...  My amateur photographer self thought it would be cool to try to capture this on camera, and despite the glare through the window, I was able to come up with a few shots that weren't too blurry.  :)  

When we got home that night, we all camped out on Michael's floor and watched...

The window glare starts to take over... 

 ...but I didn't want to suit up and brave the below zero temps when I was so cozy inside...

 I like that you can see stars too...

 ...

The eclipse wasn't quite finished at this point, but Michael was, so we had to transfer him from floor to bed and call it a night.  I know right now he doesn't understand what we were watching that night, but hopefully someday we'll get to see another one, and he'll get to enjoy it (and ask LOTS of questions, I'm sure)...  :)

God is good...

All photos taken by Jessica Aagaard, 2010