I can’t believe Martha will be 1 in just a few short weeks! This precious girl fills our days with laughs and smiles and we can’t even remember what life was like a year ago before we really knew and held her.
She climbs on everything which is so fun to watch, but man, keeps this Mama holding my breath (she is great at getting up but hasn’t learned the art of getting down, at least without hurting herself 
). She climbs up stairs any chance she can get, but also loves to climb on people or furniture. Everything is an Everest to be conquered and she is up to the challenge. And when she crawls! Ha! it’s hilarious because she puts her head down and dashes for wherever she is going. I call her our little charging Rhino, ’cause that what she reminds me of as she makes her way around the house. Here’s a short video of her struggling to get on the couch:
Martha is a much pickier eater than Noa was. I think it is because (a) I haven’t had as much time as I did with Noa to fight the eating battles and help her learn to eat things she doesn’t initially like, and (b) she is much stronger willed than Noa is or was and that comes out in what she prefers to eat or not eat. She loves to eat on her own, though, so I am thankful that most foods we can just put on her tray for her to eat. She has 8 teeth and, I think, a few on the way, so she’s great at chewing most things. Her favorites are: oatmeal, any fruit, especially bananas and strawberries, soybeans, senbei (rice crackers), and now goldfish (my mom brought her some from America last week).
She is not really signing more (in fact, I think she is signing less than she was 
) and I think that is just because I haven’t been as consistent with her. She loves to do “high-fives” and “go get …” (a person… by crawling onto them and all over them). She also still loves peek-a-boo.
high fives
being tickled by her big sister
Martha is a big fan of her paci still, especially for sleeping or when she is tired. Most of the time, though, she is a chatter-box so she doesn’t have it in. Noa was 16 months when she began really walking, and that’s when we took her paci away. I am thinking we will do the same with Martha, take it when she starts walking and it’s easier to lose, but it kind of makes me sad for her sake.
Two weeks ago my parents went to the States for some missions conferences and so we had Hannah, Micah, and Seth here with us, along with the dog Rusty and the hamster. Martha loves Rusty, and it was so much fun for her to have him to chase around, and to feed from her high chair. She would also sometimes go after him saying, “Russssssssss, Russssssssss.” If we ask her where Rusty is now, she starts looking all over for him and wanting to get on the floor to crawl to him. It’s so funny to watch.
such a big 11-month old!
That is about it for now. We have some fun ideas for Martha’s first birthday celebration, which we will be sure to share here. I just can’t believe my baby is getting so big. God has been so good!
Noa loves to sing, and this is a new favorite song. She doesn’t sing as much in this recording as she usually does, but it’s still fun, and I thought you might enjoy it.
A new favorite pastime in the Noll household is introducing Noa and Martha to some of our favorite classic scenes from movies. We have loved sharing with Noa the songs from Sound of Music, Annie, Newsies, and several others. We’ve also introduced her to the theme songs from some of our childhood favorite cartoons, like Gummy Bears, Tail Spin, Chip ‘n Dale, and Duck Tails. She LOVES watching these 2-5 minute clips and it’s super fun for us to share them with her. We especially love dancing around together when we’re watching the musicals. Here are some photos of one evening with Noa and Eric clapping along to Newsies:
So. We are still talking about the Christmas story, particularly the Living Nativity play, two and a half months later. The conversations usually go something like this:
Noa: (with some sort of stick or post that looks like a staff): Look, Mama, I’m Jofes!
Me: That’s great. Who is Joseph?
Noa: (in her sweet, “I’m-talking-about-a-baby” voice”) Baby Jesus’ daddy.
Me: Do you want to be Joseph in the Christmas play?
Noa: No. Noa be a sheep.
Me: Oh that’s great. You are cute little sheepy. What do sheep say?
Noa: (in a tiny little voice) Beh Beh.
(at this point in the conversation she will sometimes get on her hands and knees and ask for a “sheepy treat” which is me pretenting to feed her something and her eating it out of my hand).
Me: (petting her head) I love my little sheep.
Noa: No. Noa be Angel. Say Ha-Ye-Yu-YA!!
Me: That’s right. The angels sang Hallelujah when Baby Jesus was born.
Noa: (At the mention of the Baby, she stops. She gets really excited) No. Noa be Ma-yeee. (and in her soft, almost sad, “I’m-talking-about-a-baby voice and holding her arms up close to her head as if she is cradling a baby) Ho-old Baby Jesus.
Me: Yes, you could be Mary and hold sweet Baby Jesus.
Noa: Mommy Ma-yee? (I was Mary in the play)
Me: Yes, I acted like Mary. And Daddy was Joseph.
Noa: (picking up her forgotten staff and following that train of thought) Look, Mama! Noa Jofes…
AND, SO IT GOES…
Think what Spirit dwells within thee, Think what Father’s smiles are thine, Think that Jesus died to win thee, Child of heaven, canst thou repine?
These last few weeks I have had an internal battle to trust the Lord and lean fully on Him. It seems that we went from a time of great comfort and ease – feeling settled here in Japan, enjoying and thriving in the work God has called us to here, loving being a little family of four and the time we have together, feeling healthy and capable – to a time of uncertainty and, from that, discomfort – mostly pertaining to our future and wondering where we will be in 5 short months, but also having several sicknesses hit us over and over again and the frustrations of dealing with that with little ones and in a different language.
As a side note, I want to preface this saying that I know things could be a lot worse and I do not want to sound like I am complaining. God has been SO GOOD to us and I can’t praise and thank Him enough for his blessings, goodness and care. I am a sinner, though, and I struggle to trust in that Love to continue to uphold us in the future. When I am uncomfortable, or when my kids are in pain, it is hard to rejoice in it and bless the name of the Lord. I wish I didn’t struggle like this, but I do.
As I cried to Eric a few days ago about some of the things going on with us, and particularly the fears in my heart about the future, he told me, “This is good! We need this. We were starting to coast and we need to be reminded of our desperate need for God. I don’t like this, but it’s good for me.” So true!! I love that God won’t give me the comfort I want or the self-assurance I think I need if it keeps me from clinging to Him. Well, I say I love it. The logical part of my mind, that knows it’s best to cling to Christ loves it. My flesh, the part of me that literally aches for my creature comforts doesn’t love it. So I need constant reminders that I do, in fact LOVE this place we are in. My Savior placed me here, and I can believe with certainty that it is for my good.
Anyway, on to the the title of this post. I love most hymns. I love having them playing in our home. I love the deep truths found in them, often straight from scripture, that, as music, stay in my mind and on my lips and point me to Jesus. This one, an old favorite, has been “dusted off” and played often of late. A few of the stanzas have been particularly precious reminders to me several times these last few days and I wanted to share them here. But when I was looking at all the lyrics, I just couldn’t decide which words to post so I am sharing all six verses, with the ones I’ve been especially clinging to in bold. But really, all the words are so good so I hope you’ll take the time to read and enjoy the insights of this man from centuries ago, still true, still relevant in our lives as we walk this path of grace until glory.
Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken
By: Henry Lyte
1. Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and heaven are still my own.
2. Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
O while Thou dost smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me,
Show Thy face and all is bright.
3. Man may trouble and distress me,
’Twill but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me;
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me
While Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me,
Were that joy unmixed with Thee.
4. Go, then, earthly fame and treasure,
Come disaster, scorn and pain
In Thy service, pain is pleasure,
With Thy favor, loss is gain
I have called Thee Abba Father,
I have stayed my heart on Thee
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather;
All must work for good to me.
5. Soul, then know thy full salvation
Rise o’er sin and fear and care
Joy to find in every station,
Something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee,
Think what Father’s smiles are thine,
Think that Jesus died to win thee,
Child of heaven, canst thou repine.
6. Haste thee on from grace to glory,
Armed by faith, and winged by prayer.
Heaven’s eternal days before thee,
God’s own hand shall guide us there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission,
Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days,
Hope shall change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.
Well, actually, part of this was in my car.
Preface: Noa has been really into the lovely words “My” and “Mine” recently, especially pertaining to her Mama, Daddy, Baba, babies, and any toy/book that her little sister has. I have been trying to teach her the word “Our” because so much of what is hers, is also Martha’s…plus, it sounds a little nicer, right?
So we were in the car with Chizuka after going to a follow-up appointment for Noa’s lip (which is healing beautifully! Praise God!) and I hear from the back seat:
Noa: “Mommy, Chi-chan coming over to my hou…OUR house?” See?!? all that gentle correction I had been giving was really making it’s way to her head!
But later in the week, overheard on the monitor while the girls were settling down to sleep at night:
Martha: cute-as-can-be baby babbles… that’s mostly all she can say these days!
Noa: “NO BAFFA! MYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Mommy!!!!!!”
Oh goodness! I am constantly learning that I can train and correct all I want but I need to the Holy Spirit to work in the selfish heart of my two-year-old as much as I need Him to work on mine!
