sarah's blog

These pictures are really low quality because our scanner crapped out and I literally had to hold up the ultrasound photos to my webcam because they needed to get to my mom and dad as fast as possible.

On Friday we got to see the babies again at an extremely long ultrasound for which my husband had to sit in the waiting room for about an hour. One baby wouldn’t roll over for a good shot of the spine and heart and the other just generally would not stay still. It’s standard procedure, no dads while they take all the dozens of medically necessary images and measurements and then they can come in for the fun stuff like that’s a hand and that’s a heart and yes your kid’s head is suppose to be that big.

But the big news is, our kids are either not very modest or were caught off-guard by 7:30am appointment and gave us great gender confirmation. No you cannot tell in these pictures, we didn’t ask for those ones!

A whopping 12 of you can pat yourselves on the back for guessing right in the poll.

Here is our healthy little boy.

And his beautiful sister.

There is just so much I would love to post about when it comes to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, if I hadn’t been so busy soaking up every minute of it I might have been smart about it and posted throughout the two weeks.

But I didn’t.

I let it all collect in my brain and now I have to sort it out and decide what’s worth telling, how to even describe it and make sure it’s not just a rehash of what you already read on ctvolympics.ca. Or nbc.com if you’re in the States. (more…)

I forgot to post about it last night but yesterday the medals for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games were unveiled. I think they are beautiful and rich with meaning, if you take time to hear the heart behind their creation.

… The medals, revealed today, each feature a different crop of larger contemporary Aboriginal artworks and are undulating rather than flat — both firsts in Games history.

The dramatic form of the Vancouver 2010 medals is inspired by the ocean waves, drifting snow and mountainous landscape found in the Games region and throughout Canada. The Olympic medals are circular in shape, while the Paralympic medals are a superellipse, or squared circle… Their significant weight — between 500 grams to 576 g depending on the medal — represents the magnitude of the athlete’s accomplishment…

The medals are based on two large master artworks of an orca whale (Olympic) and raven (Paralympic) by Corrine Hunt, a Canadian designer/artist of Komoyue and Tlingit heritage based in Vancouver, BC. Each of the medals has a unique hand-cropped section of the abstract art, making every medal one-of-a-kind.

For example, each medal will include its own signature elements of the orca and raven artwork, such as the suggestion of the orca’s eye, the curve of its dorsal fin, or perhaps the contours of the raven’s wing. A silk scarf printed with the master artwork will be presented to each Olympian or Paralympian with their medal enabling them to see how their medal connects with those awarded to other athletes at the Games to make the whole design.

On the reverse side, the medals contain the official names of the Games in English and French, the official languages of Canada and the Olympic Movement, as well as Vancouver 2010’s distinctive emblems and the name of the sport and the event the medal was awarded in. On the Paralympic medals, braille is also used…

The Games motto With Glowing Hearts/Des plus brillants exploits is written in white lettering on the medal’s blue and green ribbon where it will rest at the base of the neck. (read the whole article on vancouver2010.com)

I think they did a great job pulling together many elements to make a meaningful award for the athletes. If you’re interested, CTV has a slideshow of Winter Olympic medals since 1924.

I’m getting so excited for the Games, I just know we’re going to finally win gold on Canadian soil. And you’re all probably getting Olympic gear for Christmas so just be prepared.

Here are some shots of the medal unveiling…

Olympic Games medals

Paralympic Games medals

We’d appreciate your prayers for our friend and John’s co-worker who was involved in a bizarre event this weekend:

Press Release

Power To Change Staff Member Survives Bomb Blast

Langley, British Columbia
November 9, 2008

Gary Stevenson, a staff member with the Campus for Christ ministry of Power To Change, has survived a bombing at his home in Langley, BC. The attack occurred at approximately 11:30 am Saturday morning as the Stevenson family was loading a van to move out of their townhouse. Mr. Stevenson picked up a package delivered anonymously to his door, thinking it was a gift, but it exploded when he attempted to open it.

Mr. Stevenson was taken immediately to the hospital where he was treated for lacerations and burns. Surgeons removed shrapnel from his abdomen. No other members of the Stevenson family were injured. He is expected to make a full recovery.

The townhouse complex was sealed off by police who swept the area to ensure there were no other explosive devices. Investigators gathered evidence until late Saturday evening at which time residents were allowed to return to their homes. Police investigators say that they have no suspects or information about movtives and caution against premature speculations.

Mr. Stevenson serves with Campus for Christ on the campus of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia where he works with students. Mike Woodard, National Director of Campus for Christ, expressed shock at the attack. “Gary is just a great guy,” Woodard said, “one of our most innovative staff who really enjoys engaging with university students on life’s most significant issues.” The director of Campus for Christ at Simon Fraser, Derek Hill, added that “Gary really loves people. He spends time getting to know students, and is always ready to help someone with a problem.”

Stevenson is married with two children. In addition to his work at Simon Fraser, Mr. Stevenson has also served internationally. A brief assignment took him to North Africa. He has worked most extensively in Nicaragua, where he served for two years.

Power To Change President, Leonard Buhler, expressed relief that Mr. Stevenson had survived the attack. “Our hearts are saddened by this terrible event,” Buhler said, “but our staff and others in the community have rallied strongly to support Gary and his family.” Buhler is asking people to pray for the family during the weeks of recovery ahead.

Power To Change is a Canadian Christian ministry with more than 500 staff serving across Canada and around the world. The ministry seeks to assist people in a spiritual journey where they discover the relevance of Jesus Christ to issues of life today.

For more information contact: Dr. Guy S. Saffold
guy.saffold@powertochange.org
604-514-2000
Power To Change
20385 64th Ave
Langley, BC

For more information on Power To Change, visit www.powertochange.org