She's cute; she's cuddly; she's learning 3+ languages; she can jump, fly, and dance; who is she?
Aurelia Jane Hill!
I figured you would rather read about Aurelia than about another book I recently read, or even about me, personally. So here's what's happening:
First of all, she's been cute and cuddly since she was born. I sang her a song last night while burping her about her being the best baby in the world because she's the cutest. I tend to make up a lot of peculiar songs when spending time with Reli (I like this nickname, pronounced RAYL-ee, but am not sure about the spelling. I like nicknames whose spelling comes directly from the original name like Matt from Matthew as opposed to John from Jonathon or something, but Reli looks more like rely than raylee...also I am not sure if I like Reli more enough than Aurie to bother with the spelling.)
Okay, enough babbling.
I have been talking/singing to Aurie in Spanish as well as English and have been teaching her my complete knowledge of Arabic, which consists of approximately 5 words. Also, I talk (I don't really know this language so my talking is more gibberish than anything) to her in that clicky African language so that she will be able to learn it easier when she gets older if she needs to.
I like to make her jump (really I just lift her up high and bring her back down, with little to no effort being made from her). If nothing else, this offers a brief distraction from whatever she has been fussing about (constipation, lately). Her eyes open wide as she tries to take in the sights that are flying past her field of vision. She then sits there getting reoriented for a few seconds before getting back to her fussing, which sometimes she forgets about altogether, at least for several minutes.
Well, maybe there was enough babbling before, but I seem to be good at producing more.
Flying is very similar to the jumping except that I walk around the room and sometimes roll her over and stuff like that. I am not sure if she enjoys it or not.
You may have seen the very popular facebook video of Aurelia dancing. If not, check it out. Kassie posted it, and you should be able to find it more easily than I could provide a link for you.
Bonus: Gracie (the cat) seems to be afraid of Reli. Gracie doesn't always run away or stay away from Aurie but has been known to do so on occasion.
As far as the boring stuff like how much Aurelia's eating and pooping and her height and weight and everything like that, I guess you'll have to ask her mom for more details. I'll just sum it up by saying she's progressing sufficiently.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Finding Who God Created You To Be
Lately, I have been doing some thinking about my job and whether it is where I am supposed to be, what I was made to be doing. Honestly, I think the answer is yes and no. I think that this is where I am supposed to be now, but I don't think it's permanent.
With these thoughts and questions going through my head, I picked out the book Soul Print by Mark Batterson.
The subtitle to this book is "discovering your divine destiny." It is meant to make you look into your own life, your meaningful experiences, your abilities, etc. and figure out who God made you to be.
I will discuss the ideas of the book, but first there are a couple things I don't like about the way it's written. First of all, it seems to me that it could have been organized better and written more succinctly. Since it is a small book, anyway, I am led to hypothesize that maybe Mark wanted to write a whole book out of little information. This seems to have led to him saying the same thing repeatedly, over and over again, redundantly. At least, that's how it seems to me.
I would say there should be more focus on God, but I think the author made a good effort to keep the focus on God. Instead, the problem isn't a lack of focus on God, it is just too much fluffy writing (which goes back to the writing style problem).
Overall, I might have found some of his ideas useful and intriguing, but I don't think this is a book I would widely recommend.
Honestly, I didn't have high expectations for the book before reading it, and I was neither pleasantly surprised nor disappointed after reading it.
On a positive note (also a sort of disclaimer) this book was provided free for review by Waterbrook Multnomah.
With these thoughts and questions going through my head, I picked out the book Soul Print by Mark Batterson.
The subtitle to this book is "discovering your divine destiny." It is meant to make you look into your own life, your meaningful experiences, your abilities, etc. and figure out who God made you to be.
I will discuss the ideas of the book, but first there are a couple things I don't like about the way it's written. First of all, it seems to me that it could have been organized better and written more succinctly. Since it is a small book, anyway, I am led to hypothesize that maybe Mark wanted to write a whole book out of little information. This seems to have led to him saying the same thing repeatedly, over and over again, redundantly. At least, that's how it seems to me.
I would say there should be more focus on God, but I think the author made a good effort to keep the focus on God. Instead, the problem isn't a lack of focus on God, it is just too much fluffy writing (which goes back to the writing style problem).
Overall, I might have found some of his ideas useful and intriguing, but I don't think this is a book I would widely recommend.
Honestly, I didn't have high expectations for the book before reading it, and I was neither pleasantly surprised nor disappointed after reading it.
On a positive note (also a sort of disclaimer) this book was provided free for review by Waterbrook Multnomah.
Monday, February 14, 2011
New Perspectives
The Chasm by Randy Alcorn is a book of imagery and symbolism. It is obvious imagery, at least to a believer. I found it interesting and maybe a little enlightening. Overall, though, it did not really give me much insight or new understanding.
I think this book might be good for a new Christian or a non-Christian. I am not really sure of the effect it might have. For me, it did not have much effect. That may be due, at least in part, to the time during which I read it or something.
I am not very good at judging who a book might be good for or what a person's reaction might be, but I would say this book is worth reading for anybody. It is interesting enough and short enough that whether a person gains understanding or perspective from reading it, they should at least be entertained.
Okay, so what is the book about? The book is a fictional story of a guy who is in another land, which is really a parallel to the world we live in. There are many paths before him, all but one of which meander through nothing but meaningless pleasure and eventually lead death, eternal death.
He is led along parts of those paths by a person named Joshua who tells him to choose whatever he wants, whatever makes him feel good. Through these journeys he sees himself in places of neglecting his family and taking part in the meaningless pleasures.
Eventually he sees Joshua for the evil he is and allows himself to be led by an old man who takes him down the red road, the only road that leads to the chasm before death.
The imagery and parallels continue with the man eventually believing in Jesus and joining other Christians on the path to eternal life.
As I said, I would recommend this book to anybody. I hope you enjoy it.
I received my review copy for free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of the blogging for books program.
I think this book might be good for a new Christian or a non-Christian. I am not really sure of the effect it might have. For me, it did not have much effect. That may be due, at least in part, to the time during which I read it or something.
I am not very good at judging who a book might be good for or what a person's reaction might be, but I would say this book is worth reading for anybody. It is interesting enough and short enough that whether a person gains understanding or perspective from reading it, they should at least be entertained.
Okay, so what is the book about? The book is a fictional story of a guy who is in another land, which is really a parallel to the world we live in. There are many paths before him, all but one of which meander through nothing but meaningless pleasure and eventually lead death, eternal death.
He is led along parts of those paths by a person named Joshua who tells him to choose whatever he wants, whatever makes him feel good. Through these journeys he sees himself in places of neglecting his family and taking part in the meaningless pleasures.
Eventually he sees Joshua for the evil he is and allows himself to be led by an old man who takes him down the red road, the only road that leads to the chasm before death.
The imagery and parallels continue with the man eventually believing in Jesus and joining other Christians on the path to eternal life.
As I said, I would recommend this book to anybody. I hope you enjoy it.
I received my review copy for free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of the blogging for books program.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
WOAH!!
I'm a dad!!!
I'm excited for this new journey in our life. Aurelia Jane Hill is so far a very good baby. She has a fairly regular eating schedule and doesn't cry or fuss too much except when she is hungry or uncomfortable. Our sleep schedules are definitely different than what we're used to, but we have at least been able to get a couple hours of sleep here and there.
Kassie is doing great. She is such a wonderful wife and mother. We take turns feeding Aurelia (me using the bottles she fills up), and she has been good to me by being conscious of my work schedule and when I have to be up early.
Even though we were only in the hospital two days, I felt like I had missed a lot at work, but I am starting to get back in the swing of things, while also taking time to be with my girls and also time to rest and get some sleep.
Speaking of girls, we added not just one but two members to our family last week. Along with Aurelia, we got a cat, Gracie, from her owners. They were looking for somebody to take her because they have another cat who doesn't get along with Gracie and have had to have Gracie in their basement for a while. She's a great cat and we are glad to have her so far. She came with everything we need to care for her. SHe hasn't caused any problems and seems pretty low maintenance. She also provides some entertainment, such as when Kassie wakes up to find her laying in the bathroom sink.
Let us know if you want to come visit to see our beautiful baby and/or Kassie, Gracie, and I.
I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed by the female imbalance in our house, so if you are a female who wants to come visit, you have to bring at least one male with you. Just kidding...but seriously, think about it.
I'm excited for this new journey in our life. Aurelia Jane Hill is so far a very good baby. She has a fairly regular eating schedule and doesn't cry or fuss too much except when she is hungry or uncomfortable. Our sleep schedules are definitely different than what we're used to, but we have at least been able to get a couple hours of sleep here and there.
Kassie is doing great. She is such a wonderful wife and mother. We take turns feeding Aurelia (me using the bottles she fills up), and she has been good to me by being conscious of my work schedule and when I have to be up early.
Even though we were only in the hospital two days, I felt like I had missed a lot at work, but I am starting to get back in the swing of things, while also taking time to be with my girls and also time to rest and get some sleep.
Speaking of girls, we added not just one but two members to our family last week. Along with Aurelia, we got a cat, Gracie, from her owners. They were looking for somebody to take her because they have another cat who doesn't get along with Gracie and have had to have Gracie in their basement for a while. She's a great cat and we are glad to have her so far. She came with everything we need to care for her. SHe hasn't caused any problems and seems pretty low maintenance. She also provides some entertainment, such as when Kassie wakes up to find her laying in the bathroom sink.
Let us know if you want to come visit to see our beautiful baby and/or Kassie, Gracie, and I.
I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed by the female imbalance in our house, so if you are a female who wants to come visit, you have to bring at least one male with you. Just kidding...but seriously, think about it.
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