held helper [ezra sparrow talstra]

miss ezra sparrow talstra

born september 10, 2012

3.3 kg [7 lbs 4 oz]

48 cm [19 in]

We chose this name for you, Ezra Sparrow, because we want you to know that from the moment you were born God's hands have been helping & holding you.

EZRA: In the bible Ezra was a prophet & a scholar.  His name means "helper" & is also short for "God is my helper". Ezra helped to gather God's people from exile & helped to lead them in rebuilding the temple wall which had been broken & destroyed.  When we call you Ezra it is a prayer that your whole life would be rooted in our Lord, your faithful helper.  And out of this rootedness, we pray that you will grow to be a helper & a healer, helping to rebuild what has been destroyed & bringing restoration where there is brokenness.

SPARROW: A line in an old gospel hymn summarizes Jesus' words & says "His eye is on the sparrow & I know he watches me" (Matthew 10).  You, little sparrow, are a picture of this promise to us.  We have felt God's hand on you even before you were born & celebrate His faithfulness in giving you life.  When we call you Sparrow it is a prayer that you would find blessed assurance & peace in the great love of our God & that that knowledge would bring you comfort for all the days of your life.

Ezra, we pray that you be a helper.  Sparrow, know that God is always with you.  

We anticipate with joy watching you grow.

[20 months]

[contemplating the coming storm: bangkok]

bangkok follies [mary & jim in cambodia part 2]

[cedar learned several letters & lots of fun songs after spending so much time with grandpa jim & grandma mary in bangkok .  it pays to have kindergarten teachers as grandparents!]

welcoming ezra sparrow [mary & jim in cambodia part 1]

waiting [bangkok days]

[bangkok: the view from the roof of our apartment]

in mid-august we packed up our bags & transported our little family to bangkok to wait for the arrival of our new baby.

after a few hectic months (moving our office, moving into a new apartment ourselves, new leadership at mcc, deciding to extend our contract in cambodia) bangkok has been a welcome breath of fresh air.  we love living in phnom penh, but have really appreciated the quiet family time, sidewalks, public parks, & wide variety of food we've found in bangkok.

here are some snapshots of how we've been filling our bangkok days.

[cedar cannot get enough of the parks & playgrounds]

[delicious street food - pad thai & mango sticky rice]

[eating fresh with some north american comfort foods]

 

[& eating not so fresh, when this 9-months pregnant mama is craving french fries!]

[a haircut]

[swimming!]

[& a little bit of t'ai chi to round out the day]

snapshots [august 2012]

snapshots [july 2012]