fanfestful outing

Habakkuk 3:18-19- yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength;

I bet you didn't even know the Mariner's still had fans! Well, apparently they do and apparently, they're us! And not rain nor sleet nor snow nor blistering cold could keep us away from taking part in the annual Mariner's Fanfest at Safeco Field.



Kayla mostly entertained herself by people watching and fixating on her new mittens, but it was much too cold and crowded to do much running around. Sam was having fun, too, but he hid it well.



We tried our hand briefly at "playing catch" with Kayla out in right field. Not sure if she got that it was all a game or if she was just insulted that we were throwing things at her. At any rate, we decided it might be a bit early to be getting Kayla her own glove. I guess we'll just work on switch hitting this year.



After that fantastic display of eye-hand coordination , we decided to let Kayla sit out on the pitching portion of the day. Sam, on the other hand, well, not to be a boastful wife, but you can see who the true sportsman of the family is.



One of the highlights of being a parent is seeing your kid light up with joy when you take them some place "really fun", or the anticipation you feel when you know they're about to experience something "really awesome". Kayla, as you know, is quite the bubble burster on that particular aspect of parenthood, but we don't mind. After all, it keeps us humble and reminds us where our real joy is supposed to be anyway.

toddler rules

The older Kayla gets, the more apparent it becomes to Sam and Liz that they are clearly sinners saved by grace, utterly helpless apart from the power of the Holy Spirit. The most current lesson in parenting concerns the never ending struggle to maintain consistency with regards to rules and discipline. In general, the Pak household tends to be pretty laidback, and thus the list is short and sweet.

1. Clean up your own messes
2. Don't touch means don't touch
   
3. Share your toys and keep your fingers out of your friends ears/noses/mouths
   
4. Tables and counter tops are not interchangeable for chairs
5. If you must throw a hissy fit, do it in the privacy of your own room and rejoin the rest of us when you've maintained your composure

Kayla, on the other hand, has a fairly extensive list of rules. A modicum of conduct that Sam and Liz have had to learn the hard way, trial by fire style. For those of you who have yet to travel the unchartered terrain of toddler-hood, we thought we'd share this list with you. Perhaps now when your time comes, you might be a little more prepared than we were.

Toddler Rules
author unknown

If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be unshelved.
If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.
If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it is paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
If it is a phone, I must talk to it.
If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it IS food, it must not be tasted.
If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
If it is a carseat, it must be protested with arched back.



Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord

You're welcome

happy new year!

This Christmas, with out of town family visiting, Sam's middle of the night scare, and Kayla going on a nap strike, what should have been a restful break was instead marked by chronic and ongoing sleep deprivation. Lucky for us, though, the Holy Spirit has made good on His promise to be our rest. Despite being a little bleary around the eyes, the entire Pak household is in good spirits and looking forward to the New Year. And Kayla, graciously, has humored us with a little dance to ring it all in! Enjoy and best wishes to you and yours in 2008.

merry christmas

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:25-27



Christmas is upon us and the energy of the season is thick in the air. As Christians, this is a time of year when we are preparing to celebrate the gift of new life and the birth of Christ. But instead of being filled to overflowing with joy and peace, at the Pak house there is a gnawing sense of of stress and anxiety that has been slowly building since the day after Thanksgiving.

The season never starts out in a bad way, in fact it really begins quite innocently. The trimming of the tree, the careful scheduling of holiday outings and events, the meticulous planning for those "just right how did you know" gifts for friends and family. But then the tree topper gets lopsided and events get double booked and all that last minute gift buying turns into frantic overnight shipping fees. Soon, before you know it, all those good intentions and hopeful wishes turn into a stressed out Liz, an overtired Kayla and a bewildered and exhausted Sam.



Last night, Sam had a seizure. A frightening middle of the night ordeal where for that haunting hour everything we should have been holding close but were really too busy to think about hung in the balance. For that brief moment in time we were gripped in terror, unable to worry about tomorrow because all of a sudden today was no longer a guarantee.

As the family spends today recuperating from our late night ordeal, we have had time to reflect. The seizure was a brutal reminder of the true meaning of Christmas, and the blessings we have received from our merciful Father. Sometimes we get so caught up in our day to day we forget His promises and provisions. Yet He is patient to remind us and for that we are thankful.

So what if the gifts don't arrive on time or the Christmas cards don't get sent. So we don't hit all the tourist stops on the Seattle Holiday Must-Do List. It's a little late in coming, but this year, the Paks have decided to forego the usual holiday madness and spend some time cherishing the real gifts of the season: salvation and sanctification in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessings to you and your family and Merry Christmas from the Paks. Hope you all have a fabulous Holiday season and a wonderful New Year!

happy birthday samson!

Last Friday December 14th heralded the quarter century landmark of Sam's 25 years here on planet earth. We celebrated by having a mini-celebration/semi-surprise party on Saturday, complete with coconut cupcakes, a wii tournament, and some old school go karting. Thanks so much to everyone who came, special gold star goes to Mike Johnson who partied with us from beginning to end, Joel Nickerson for staying up way past his bedtime, and Wing and Ryan for officially buying us every game system we've ever owned.

Highlights from this past year:

Discovering the Aquarium


Mariner's Baseball Games minus the Moose


Our first family road trip to Vancouver BC


Slumming it at Lake Tahoe with Mars Hill's High School Ministry "Proxy"


Getting a PS3: Seriously, thanks guys


Thanks again to everyone who came out to help us celebrate. It was great to see you all, and we sincerely missed those of you who couldn't make it. Next year, no excuses! We expect to see all your smiling faces.

walking in a winter wonderland

While Liz was at the women's training day at church, Sam had Kayla all to himself. And were the two of them in for a treat. The first snow of the year! Sam could hardly wait to take Kayla out to experience it for herself. It didn't go so well.

What the heck is this stuff? It's freezing! And its touching me!



No seriously, Dad, I hate this. Lets do something else



Something inside! INSIDE! Oh save me....

What kind of kid hates snow? But Sam is no child-torturer, so he relents. The two retreat to the toasty warmth of the house to finish their snack. Back inside, Kayla enjoys the beauty of the snow from the safety of the living room couch.

Hey, Dad, check out this white fluffy stuff!

It's totally amazing! I've never seen that before!

Wouldn't it be fun to touch it for ourselves?

Are you kidding?!?!?! We can go out there?!?!? Well, what are we waiting for?????

Amazing how quick these kids turn around! And who was Sam to deny his daughter a second chance? Just to make sure he had his bases covered though, round two was conducted with an extra toasty jacket. For maximum snow enjoyment.

Oh, man, I can barely contain my excitement. I don't even care that I've lost my hands!

Here goes nothing....

Wait a second....

Now I remember!

I hate this!

Its cold and its touching me! Dad, help, its touching me and I lost my hands!



Let's go back inside!

Ah, the fickleness of toddlerhood. We can't wait for Whistler next Spring! Stay tuned as the saga is sure to continue...

gee, that was fast...

A month or so ago, Sam was working himself up into a tizzy over the fact that Kayla couldn't quite walk yet. He did everything he could to encourage her, but to no avail. No amount of cajoling, bribing, or prompting could motivate her. She remained stubbornly a butt-scooter.

A seasoned father overheard Sam's woes and was quick to both commiserate and offer encouragement. "When my wife and I had our first child, we made the same mistake, the whole encouraging walking thing. With the second child we learned our lesson. We took a much smarter course of action: we discouraged walking. You know, pushing her down when she stood up. "

At the time both confusing and ludicrous, this pep talk now makes perfect sense. Since our post on Halloween, Kayla has become an expert walker and life has never been harder. In the few short weeks she's been walking, she's gotten herself lost at Target, almost run over by a car at the grocery store, and pummeled by a stampede of churchgoers taking communion . She's even tried to run away from us! Praise Jesus for short legs and small steps.



Another testimony of little Kayla's strong will and the sanctifying work of parenthood. A breach baby who refused to be flipped, a fluent scooter who refused to crawl, a late walker who refused to be rushed before her time. Slowly, we have come to grips with the fact that Kayla will do things her own way in her own time.

Sam and Liz feel quite blessed that we have been chosen to steward such a passionate child and that God has been so gracious to us as we stumble along on this path of parenthood. We prayed that God would change our child, but in his infinite wisdom and grace, he chose to change us instead. Praise Him who would complete the work that He has started in us, as mysterious as His methods may seem to His children who lack understanding.



If there is one piece of advice these young parents can give to our very specific audience of "people who read this blog and have children under 14 months" its this: Enjoy every step of the way! In this whole walking ordeal, we had gotten so caught up with the destination that we failed to enjoy what Kayla was doing along the way. Now the time has flown by so fast, and although hindsight is 20/20 we can't seem to remember 1/2 the stuff that has happened.

So there you have it. Kayla has accomplished so much over the span of her little life; an awe inspiring testament to our Creator's handiwork. Below are two videos taken almost exactly five months apart. We ask you this, what were you doing five months ago?