Great Adventures

One! (Or: The Third Child Always Has to Wait Weeks for His Birthday Blog Post)

2012-01-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

Oh, Ezra. There's so much I can say about him.

He's very suddently turned into a big boy. He cut four teeth in December and is cruising along furniture, crawling at light-speed, and just starting to stand unassisted. He is a very smiley, very snuggly boy. He adores each member of his family and refuses to be left out.

To ensure his participation in all family activities, (especially those of his big brothers), Ezra has already started to play pretend and produce excellent sound effects. He barks, roars, neighs, and buzzes. When we play fight, he crawls into the room and then lays down on the ground as a very convincing injured superhero. He moves his little toy animals around and he loves to put.

We find toys in the pots and pans in the kitchen cupboards, toys dropped into the computer desk, and toys stuffed into tissue boxes. He's actually very helpful when it's time to put toys away, if we give him the correct basket.

Ezra also loves balls, crawling through the play tunnel, and vehicles. He'd really like to love Legos, but big people keep trying to take them away just as he's about to get a good taste. Poor baby.

We love our little Ezra and have to keep reminding ourselves that it was only last year that he was a tiny little baby. We pray that God will have his whole heart and that he will continue to be a blessing to those around him.

Three!

2011-12-08T04:30:00.000-08:00

Three years ago today, after a long, long wait, Clar was born.

I can't believe what a big boy he is now. He has so much to say! It makes me so happy to hear him encouraging his brother and sister, joining in on school, and telling us jokes and funny stories. It is a joy to watch him grow. I thank God for my little boy and pray that Clar will always trust in the Lord with all his heart.

Happy Birthday, Clar!

We Have a Reader!

2011-11-18T18:57:00.000-08:00

Today, Ellie read four books to us by herself!

She has been working hard on reading during our school time for awhile now, but today was the first time she picked up a book on her own and decided to read it aloud in front of us. We are so proud of her!

I have suspected since she was a very small child that she prefers to practice her skills in private and then reveal them when she's good and ready. She didn't walk until 15 months, although she'd been standing in her crib after hours for weeks. Practicing. When she was a little baby, we'd hear her cooing and talking her herself after we put her to bed. She's been going to bed with books for a few months now, and I wondered if she was secretly working on her reading skills.

Whatever her methods, she decided she was ready to read to us today!

Ellie's favorite books to read right now are any books by Mo Willems. She loves to read the Gerald and Piggie books and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.

Clar loves it when she reads Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, also!

Five!

2011-06-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

Today my Ellie is five years old. I can hardly believe it. In some ways, it seems such a short time sine her very first birthday, and yet I can hardly remember life before she was born.

Ellie is our storyteller. Her magnificent imagination is evident as she plays with her brother and her friends and in her many plans for sequels to her favorite books and movies. (Want to know what happens in the eighth Narnia book? Just ask Ellie.)

Ellie is thoughtful and generous and quick to forgive. She gets along well with her brothers and loves to help her parents, especially with projects. She has big ideas and big plans. She loves to be surrounded by her family.

We love to be with her, too, and look forward to seeing the way God develops Ellie's gifts and talents and interests to serve the Lord and to serve others.

Happy Birthday, Ellie!

Blizzard '11

2011-01-13T09:35:00.000-08:00

After promising the kids that it really does snow in New England, we finally had big-time proof yesterday.

Ezra and I stayed in the house where it was warm.

Welcome Baby Ezra!

2010-12-29T04:36:00.000-08:00

Ezra James was born at 12:57 pm on December 27th. He weighs 9 lbs 6 oz and is 21" long. We're both doing great and plan to head home this morning. We praise God for His great gifts to us!

I am very thankful to have had an unmedicated labor with zero complications. I feel great!

I'm so thankful for Luke & his love, encouragement, and support. I'm also thankful that Ellie & Clar could spend the last few days with their Grammy & Grandpa. Ellie & Clar love their little brother and we're looking forward to all being home together this morning. But enough words!Here are some pictures!

Baby Ezra at 36 Weeks

2010-11-30T08:59:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from my ultrasound yesterday. It's amazing how much detail we can see!

He looks healthy and not small. We're looking forward to meeting him in a month or so!

Nesting for Non-Cleaners

2010-11-23T06:45:00.000-08:00

I've always heard that mommas get this overwhelming urge to clean in the weeks before their babies are born. I have yet to experience that. I have an overwhelming urge to have my house be clean, but I don't think that's the same thing. I do have a strong urge to make stuff, which is how I spent naptime/rest time/kids watch a movie time yesterday. (And for the record, I went to Joann fabrics and walked out with only $3.13 worth of elastic to finish these projects. No new fabric!)

Here's the car seat cover for New England winters:

Baby mittens from the car seat cover scraps:

And a baby hat I crocheted last week for a friend's shower. It was probably the only thing I've ever started and finished during a single naptime:

It's not exactly scrubbing the baseboards or cleaning the light fixtures, but...

Clar's Longest Sentence

2010-11-19T05:48:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about our recent move is that we live less than an hour from my parents. We see Grammy & Bopba about once a week, sometimes we see Grammy a little more.

Last Saturday, I took the kids to Grammy & Bopba's house while Luke studied. We "helped" fill, I don't know, 15 bags of leaves. Clar loves to help, especially when helping includes jumping into a leaf pile to make sure it's big enough.

The other day, Grammy was here at our apartment. When it came time for her to leave, Clar was really sad and started to cry. I explained that she had to go home to help Bopba, and all of the sudden Clar calmed down and said "Bye bye!"

We met my mom for lunch yesterday, and when it came time to go home, Clar crawled on her lap and said, "Grammy home help Bopba!" I don't know if he pictures Bopba constantly surrounded by leaves and bags, or what. I'd love to know what Clar's really thinking. The more he talks, though, the more insight I have!

Craft Diet 2011

2010-11-02T13:52:00.001-07:00

I think some of the overwhelmed feeling I've had the last 8 weeks comes from the state of our apartment. We're mostly moved in now. Pictures are hung. Boxes are unpacked. The storage space in the attic turned out to really help. There's one section of the apartment left, where I've been stashing everything that doesn't really have a home yet, and it's the space in my room between the bed and the wall. Our rocking chair is there, and I'd love for that to be a cozy space to rock our new little baby when he comes. But right now, it's still a disaster area.

I took some inventory of the stuff that's left there, and here's the sad truth: it's almost entirely my stuff, and it's mostly craft supplies. Stuff for sewing, crocheting, knitting, and scrapbooking. I thought I'd gotten rid of a lot before the move, but it obviously wasn't enough. SO I'm committing to a craft-supplies diet for the next year. Nov 1, 2010 to Nov 1, 2011. No new craft supplies. I'm willing to make small exceptions to buy supplies in order to finish projects that I've begun with the (ample) supplies I already have (matching thread, for example). But other than that, no new yarn, no new fabric, no new papers or stickers or anything like that. Because I have enough and more than enough, and it will be fun and exciting to use what I have. And maybe I'll even take pictures when I make stuff and post it here. Maybe.

Fall Update

2010-11-02T08:24:00.000-07:00

We're still here!

Luke is keeping very busy with school. The kids and I are keeping really busy with school, meeting new friends, and finding creative ways to get out of the apartment as the days get cooler and shorter.

Clar has almost gotten used to the leaves falling off the trees, and no longer tries to stick the leaves back up. He's still impressed by the winding roads and says "whoa!" when I drive. He's also picked up the impatience of the Boston driver and yells "go!" when he feels I've hesitated too long before a left turn.

Ellie and I are still having fun with school. We joined up with the homeschool group on campus, most of whom are families with very young children. (There are three Ellies who all have little brothers!) We enjoyed apple picking with them in October and are looking forward to our next field trip later this month. Ellie and I do school together four days a week. We take Wednesday off, because that's the day she goes to BSF with my mom. They leave very early in order to beat traffic, and come home after lunch. Then, on Wednesday nights, the church we're attending has Bible studies for adults and kids' programs. Ellie says, "Wednesdays are the best days ever!"

Baby-in-the-belly Ezra is also doing well. After hours on the phone, my medical records were successfully transferred and I had my first appointment here last week. We're both doing great, and it's hard to believe we'll get to meet him in about two months.

Here are some pictures from our move and our fall in New England:

We rode the 1880 train in Hill City, SD:

We also checked out the dinosaur museum in Hill City. It wins the award for most dino-bones per cubic foot. Ellie took her digging responsibilities very, very seriously, and instructed several other patrons on proper digging technique.

Apple picking:

And apple sampling:

First day of school:

Snow White and the Football Player getting ready for the "Harvest Party"

We also took them trick-or-treating. Clar, who calls all candies "pops" caught on very quickly and thinks that trick-or-treating is about the greatest invention ever.

School Days

2010-09-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

Luke started school last Monday. He's really enjoying his classes and his professors. He keeps very busy, and stays "up on the hill" during his work hours, then studies a little more after the kids are in bed. We're working out the schedule, but so far it seems to be working for everyone.

The kids and I started school last Monday, too. We're working through the "Five in a Row" curriculum, and we really like it! We read the same story every day for a week, and then do some of the activities related to the stories in different subject areas. Ellie's also been working on some basic math and reading skills. Last week, we read Marjorie Flack's The Story About Ping. Even Clar sat for the story, and Ellie was able to tell my mom the story by lunchtime on Wednesday. It's exactly the way I'd want to design a preschool curriculum, except I don't have to design the preschool curriculum!

We've met two other little girls who are also homeschooled, and look forward to getting together for monthly field trips with other homeschoolers here on campus. It sounds like the homeschool group has lots of younger-elementary aged kids, and plenty of toddlers, so we'll fit right in.

The fall weather has definitely set in around here. We like to say that we live in a park in the middle of a forest. It's beautiful. I'd show pictures, but if I waited to post until I had pictures, it'd be winter before I got around to it. Speaking of getting around to it, there are some chocolate chips begging me to turn them into cookies. And flattened boxes begging me to take them out. So I'd better go. This is the best my brain can do for coherent blog posts these days.

My Excuse

2010-07-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged since the beginning of May. Our "Momma school" bulletin board is stuck with the date on May 10. What's my excuse?

We're having a baby!

Our baby is due January 1, 2011. Given my history, I'm not expecting any Christmas surprises. We're thrilled to welcome another baby to our family.

Hubble

2010-05-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

I'm always a little late on my news, since I listen to podcasts in the week after they post. Last Friday was the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope.

I remember seeing the pictures of the nebula, where stars are born, and of the deep field images, and feeling totally overwhelmed at the enormity of creation beyond Earth. I remember laying on my back and staring at the stars and trying to zoom in, with my imagination, on the stars and the galaxies behind them in the dark. People talk about the space race inspiring a generation of engineers. I hope there are images like these, and more, to inspire my children to study science, to write poetry, to investigate the mysteries of the universe, and to wonder at the love of God when they consider the heavens.

"When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
What is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor."
Psalm 8:3-5

When the Saints

2010-04-17T18:47:00.000-07:00

I caught this song on the radio tonight. I cried like a baby. I've had the impression that "social justice" is a dirty word for some of us, as though it implies a watered-down gospel. But caring for widows and orphans, and surely fighting for the freedom of the least of these, is true religion.

When the Saints
by Sara Groves

Lord, I have a heavy burden of all I've seen and know
It's more than I can handle
But your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones
And I can’t let it go

And when I'm weary and overwrought
With so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

Lord it's all that I can't carry and cannot leave behind
It all can overwhelm me
But when I think of all who've gone before and lived a faithful life
Their courage compels me

And when I'm weary and overwrought
With so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
I see the shepherd Moses in the pharaohs court
I hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord

I see the long quiet walk along the underground railroad
I see the slave awakening to the value of her soul
I see the young missionary and the angry spear
I see his family returning with no trace of fear
I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta nights
I see the sister standing by the dying man’s side
I see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor
I see the man with a passion come kicking down that door

I see the man of sorrow and his long troubled road
I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

For more information about how to combat human trafficking and slavery, please visit

Not For Sale Campaign

International Justice Mission

With Boots On

2010-01-31T18:38:00.000-08:00

Luke and Ellie finished reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe Friday night. About a week ago, Ellie found our DVD of the recent film adaptation, recognized the lettering on the cover, and begged to watch it. We told her that when she was finished with the book, we would watch it together and fast forward through any scary parts.
Saturday, while Clar was napping, we sat down with Ellie to watch the movie. We muted the television during some really intense scenes, (spoiler alert, I guess, in case anyone doesn't know what happens... but really, you should stop reading this and go read the book right now), including the wolf chase scene and the killing of Aslan. She loved the movie, and was excited to start listening to Luke read Prince Caspian during her bath Saturday night.
After her bath, she out on her robe over her pajamas, pretending it was her coat, and insisted on wearing her boots to bed. She said she was Lucy, and I know she was getting ready to go to Narnia. I remember hoping, in every big house and in every unexplored yard, to find another door to Narnia. And I know she was getting ready, just in case she found herself suddenly in Narnia during the night.
My favorite scene in the movie is not explicitly from the book, but it captures so well for me the feeling I have after reading the books, the desire to go to Narnia. Part of the way through the credits, Lucy goes back to the wardrobe and realizes that the Professor is already there in the room. He tells her that she won't find the wardrobe open to Narnia again, and that he knows, because he's tried. The look on his face is so sad, and it reminds me of my own desire to go to Narnia.
And since Narnia, like all that is truly beautiful, points to the one Truth, I recognize that I should desire heaven with the same intensity. That, in fact, when I want to go to Narnia, what I really want is to be with my Lord. All these things are saying, "It is not I. I am only a reminder. Look! Look! What do I remind you of?" And I must, like my daughter, prepare myself for a sudden adventure, go to bed with my boots on each night, and say with the same passion, "Come, Lord Jesus!"

Happy New Year

2010-01-12T06:37:00.001-08:00

This feels like week 2 of back-to-normal. Luke came home from deployment, and then it was the Christmas season, and now we're finally settled in at home with things pretty much the same from week to week. Except that there's no "back" to normal! It's a new normal all the time! Clar isn't walking yet, but he easily pulls himself up to coffee tables and shelves and chairs, so there's a whole new level of the world accessible to him. Ellie has been asking about school, so we're trying some very first wobbly steps into the world of homeschooling. I should know this already, but it turns out that with small children, there is always a new normal.

I know I didn't post anything about Christmas. We celebrated Christmas, at least twice, but I was so busy celebrating that I didn't take many pictures. The highlight of our trip was sledding in the Colorado snow. Ellie received a sled from her grandparents and responded with all the excitement a parent or grandparent could ask for. She boldly sledded down the hill by herself on the first try, went straight for a tree, leaned back, and slid right underneath the branches. As she says when she tells the story, (which she will do with very little prompting), "Good thing Daddy wasn't in the sled!"

Clar also tried sledding and loved it, although he prefers to go with Daddy rather than Mommy, who is not the world's best sled driver. Usually, when we come to the end of the year, Luke and I find ourselves looking back and marveling at all of the unexpected changes the year brought. And this year is no exception. Luke's entire deployment, from finding out he was going to coming home, was all part of 2009. Additionally, this year, we look forward to lots of changes that we know will come in 2010. We're planning a big career change and a big move. And those are just the changes we're planning! It is good to know that God is never surprised and that He is in control of all things. We look forward to 2010 with joy and excitement as we wait to see what God will do.

Cleaning Day

2009-12-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

My wonderful husband earned a day off with his impressive fitness test skills, and he's using it today to help me clean the house. Seriously. I haven't really gone through with a trash bag since before he deployed, and there have been a lot of cases of moving stuff from the front of the house to the back. So we have a list, and a plan, and a whole day to take care of things. Flylady would not be proud, but my intention is to keep it clean by, you know, picking up after myself and my children every day after this. 2010 Resolution #1, I guess.

The Birthday Boy

2009-12-10T07:46:00.001-08:00

Clar turned 1 on Tuesday. We waited until everyone in our family was healthy and celebrated last night. Because, as Ellie pointed out, "today he's still one!" I'm glad my children are so understanding about our non-calendar-anchored celebrations.

Clar brings so much joy to our lives. He's excited, inquisitive, and affectionate. He's starting to communicate more and more with his little words and signs. He loves his big sister and wants to do whatever she's doing, but in a more destructive way. He makes his opinions known now. He loves light switches and vehicles and balls. He loves hats (and he isn't picky, anything can be a hat for Clar!) He also loves dogs, and again, he isn't picky about whether the animal he thinks is a dog is technically a horse or an elephant. It is my joy and privilege to be his mommy and to watch him and guide him as he grows.

Happy Birthday Clarence!

Luke is home!

2009-11-06T11:53:00.000-08:00

Praise God! We welcomed Luke home from Afghanistan last night. It was so nice to celebrate his homecoming with so many friends from church and work. We thank God for bringing Luke home to us. Everything else I try to write about this is inadequate, so I'm going to stop here.

Almost Everybody

2009-10-18T17:48:00.001-07:00

We were thrilled to spend this last week with Grammy and Grandpa, Uncle Joe and Aunt Megan, Uncle Frankie and Aunt Kori, Aunt Becky, and her fiance Ben. It started snowing during the worship service today and still hasn't stopped. It's just cold enough for snow, so the flakes are my favorite kind, big and fat.

We took a family picture this evening. It's so wonderful to see my brothers and sisters growing up and bringing their spouses to our family. It's also bittersweet, because I long for my own family to be together again.

We are so proud of Luke, we love him so much, and we are so excited for his homecoming!

Our Recent Accomplishments

2009-10-14T12:25:00.003-07:00

I found it really helpful to set some goals for myself during Luke's deployment. In August, I completed a one mile open water swim, in the ocean of all places. The swim was in a nice, calm harbor, but the water was still cold and salty. I have new respect for people who swim in the ocean regularly. I'm also glad that the shark sightings off Cape Cod were reported after my race.
In September, I completed a sprint triathlon (400 meter swim, 11 mile bike, 5K run). At the end of September I ran my first half marathon. I was so happy to see my mom, Ellie, and Clar at the finish line!
My sister braved the early morning chill to bring the kids to the triathlon. Here's Ellie sporting my finisher's medal and showing off one of her new faces.

Clar was content to sit in his stroller and eat crackers.

Ellie has been working hard on mastering jigsaw puzzles. It's a great activity for rainy days with Grammy.

Of course, Clar has to participate. He likes taking puzzles apart more than putting them back together.
I spend every day with the kids, so sometimes it takes my ancient blog to show me how much they're growing and changing. We're enjoying our time here so much, but we look forward to being back at home in Albuquerque and showing our friends and family there how much we've grown!

Summer in Pictures

2009-09-08T05:23:00.001-07:00

Fourth of July parade in Wakefield

Dress Like a Cow Day at Chick-Fil-A (we didn't go, but Frankie and Kori brought back hats!)

The Tall Ships in Boston

Clar learned to eat and Ellie learned to feed him

Ellie's first movie: an IMAX show at the New England Aquarium

A Rare Moment

A Boy and A Frog

So, he's not always happy. I was trying to get a picture of the kids in their Pentagon outfits (from Grandpa C, of course), but it was late and Clar wasn't having it.

Summer's over, and it's time to...

...Bring on the fall!

New Every Morning

2009-08-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

"Yet this I call to mind,

And therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

They are new every morning;

Great is your faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:21-23

I Know I'll Forget

2009-08-06T05:47:00.001-07:00

I really like scrapbooking as a way of storing pictures. They're better than photo albums for being able to look back and tell the story of when someone was born, or when we went on that camping trip. But since I'm two years behind on scrapbooking and I just seem to keep taking pictures, when I finally get to the pictures I'm taking these days I know I won't remember the kids' milestones to complete the memories.

Like how Ellie's so proud of herself for knowing "the whole song" (many whole songs), so I don't correct her when she sings, "Tea, a drink with John and Fred. And that will bring us back to Doe, oh, oh, oh, Doe!"

Perks

2009-07-23T12:04:00.001-07:00

There are a lot of upsides to living with so many grown-ups. There are lots of people to play with Ellie and Clar. We take turns making dinner and grocery shopping, so the burden of feeding everyone is shared. Also, my brother Frankie works at Edible Arrangements and occasionally brings home extras!

Making Alumni Proud

2009-07-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

Here's some some fun with dominoes from Rochester Institute of Technology, posted here especially for Luke.

Finally, Some Pictures!

2009-07-13T17:57:00.000-07:00

I had to order a new camera cord, but I finally have the pictures from my camera on my computer. So here are some pictures to tell the story of our trip from Albuquerque to Massachusetts.
Thanks to the Newnams, Enfields, Overbeeks, Baileys, and Thompsons for taking care of Ellie and Clar while I packed and cleaned!
We celebrated Ellie's birthday (and Uncle Randy's, too!) at the farm in South Dakota. Ellie enjoyed her princess cake and took advantage of the sugar rush to pose for a picture or two.Clar fell in love with Wendy and Cosmo while Ellie talked my aunt, uncle, and cousins into playing dollhouse with her around the clock in Illinois.
We spent a whole week at the home of my mom's sister and brother-in-law in Michigan. Ellie took rides in three different boats, swam out to the raft with a life vest on, and baked us many sand breakfasts. Clar learned to splash, and now there's no turning back! The boy loves the water.

After our week at the lake, we drove a short way to Battle Creek, Michigan, to celebrate the wedding of my brother Frankie to his bride Kori. Ellie performed her flower girl duties well, and even allowed the ring bearer to help her toss petals on the floor. She was really in her element at the reception, where she danced the afternoon away. Being a flower girl is exhausting!

Here's Clar enjoying relief from humidity in front of the fan with Grandpa C:
Ellie owned the dance floor:

Ellie and Frankie, the groom:
Ellie dancing with
Ellie and Clar survived the trip and are finding new ways to communicate and play together all the time. Ellie, always imitating the grownups, offered Clar her knuckle to bite on to soothe his aching gums.
We arrived in Wakefield, MA, all in one piece on June 23rd. We thank God for granting us safe and uneventful travel, and for providing so many family members to drive with us and welcome us into their homes along the way.

We're Here!

2009-06-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at the computer in my parents' kitchen in the Boston area of Massachusetts! (They moved last summer, so I'm still not really sure exactly where I am). It's a drizzly day, just right for trying out cars and trains on the living room floor. Which is what Ellie did for most of the morning. Clar was singing and cooing all morning, partly at Penny the Dog, who he thinks is awesome, and partly because he didn't have to go back into his carseat today.

My camera batteries are dead, but there will be pictures up here soon. Then you can read about our trip after South Dakota. Some highlights were: celebrating Ellie's birthday and playing with kittens at the farm in South Dakota, a week at the lake in Michigan, the wedding of my brother Frankie to my new sister Kori on Sunday, and two long days of driving with my mom to arrive here in Boston.

For now, the kids (and everyone else!) are napping and I have some unpacking to do. Thank you for your prayers for our safety as we traveled. We're thankful to be here and so excited to be out of the car!

South Dakota

2009-06-09T14:50:00.001-07:00

I keep forgetting to take pictures, so I don't have any proof, but we're in South Dakota!

We arrived in the Black Hills area Saturday night and spent Sunday with Grandpa L's side of the family. Monday we drove across the state to the farm, where we're celebrating Ellie's birthday with Grandma L's side of the family. Ellie, Clar, and their cousin Riley saw cows and tractors up close and enjoyed stepping in great big tractor tracks in the mud. Now the girls are taking a bath and the boy is asleep.

Tomorrow we'll get back in the car and drive further East.

Colorado Springs

2009-06-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

We made it to CO Springs yesterday just after 4 pm. The kids did great in the car. We stopped for a picnic lunch and to stretch our legs, and stopped a few other times for various reasons. They played and slept and sang along to "The Sound of Music" during the drive. Well, Ellie didn't sleep until about 8 miles from our exit here in the Springs, but she had a great attitude in spite of going without a nap.

Tomorrow morning we'll get on the road again!

Quote of the Day

2009-06-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

Our church has small groups, organized roughly by geography. We got together yesterday after church to spend time with one another and pray before we leave on our big trip and two other families move out of state. Our neighbors across the street , who are in our group, were right behind us on the drive home. As we got out of our car, Ellie said,

"Mommy, our whole Covenant Group lives on Choke Cherry Pie!"

Six Years

2009-05-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary, Luke!

Okay, now that the rush of the day is done, I can add this: Six years ago, I married my very best friend. We talked this afternoon about how on that day, we could not have imagined this day. I am so thankful to my husband for his leadership, his service, and his care for me and for our children. I thank God for bringing us together when we were young, and pray that I will joyfully serve with him wherever God calls us in whatever He calls us to do.

Great Adventures II

2009-05-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

I guess it's a family tradition that when Luke deploys, I take the kids on a long, cross-country road trip to my family's house in Massachusetts and stop along the way for a brother's wedding. Every time!

Here's where we're headed this time. I placed the markers from memory, so those of you better acquainted with Michigan geography can show me where Battle Creek actually is on your hands when I see you. (You know who you are!)

Hopefully I'll take the time to blog our trip. It should be a... well, an adventure.

Reminds me of... me

2009-05-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

I found this when I was not going to sleep the other night.

Kids and Their Puppies

2009-05-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

And this is the picture I'm going to pull out and show them when they're older and think they don't get along:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. There's no relationship quite like that between siblings.

I Get to See This Every Day

2009-05-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

If We Don't Lose Heart

2009-04-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

My mom passed along this tape of Bible verses put to music that we listened to when my little sister was about Ellie's age. It's still in pretty good condition, and although the songs are not all exactly to my taste, I find that it's much more difficult to lose my patience or become irritable with my kids when I've been singing Bible verses all morning long.

One of my favorite verses for this stage of my life is Galatians 6:9: "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." So much of life with little ones is about repetition. The cleaning, the diapers, the bedtime routine, the discipline. Consistency is the key when it comes to discipine, which for my daughter is all about obeying right away and having a joyful heart. It's easy to become discouraged as we talk about the same issues again and again and again, but this verse reminds me that I'm not parenting for short-term success or even short-term obedience. I'm cultivating these little people for God's kingdom, and by His grace and the work of the Holy Spirit, in due season I will see the fruits of this labor. My prayer is that I will take joy in the work God is giving me right now, that I will not grow weary of this work, and that in due season I will see my children confess Jesus as Lord.

The First Leg

2009-04-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

Luke made it to his training in Germany without any travel problems. He's taking his class, meeting some of the folks he'll be working with, and enjoying good food and extra sleep while he can.

We are really thankful to all the people who advised us to try Skype. We've been able to talk several times and it really helps Ellie to be able to see Luke when she talks to him. I think it probably helps him, too.

Thursday

2009-04-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

It looks like Thursday's the day. We'll be at the airport pretty early in the morning to say our goodbyes. My parents will be visiting here through Saturday, but I imagine that by next week we'll be ready to schedule some zoo trips, botanical garden picnics, and LOST viewings to help fill the time. Please pray for our family and especially for Luke's safety!

Sheet Baskets

2009-04-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

I tore up some old sheets into fabric strips for crochet a loooong time ago, (think: Before Ellie) and finally made something from them. Appropriately, I made some baskets for my linen closet to organize the baby washcloths and cleaning rags and kitchen towels that all seem to keep falling into one big pile. Before they organize my closet, they will hold some goodies for Easter.

Here's the pattern:
Materials: 3/4 inch fabric strips, a bunch in one color and a bit in a contrasting color.
Q hook

Basket is worked in spiral until color change at the end.
Chain 4, sl st into first ch to make ring.
Row 1: sc 8 into ring (8 sc)
Row 2: 2 sc in each sc around (16 sc)
Row 3: *sc in next 4 sc, ch 2, sc in same sc (corner made). Repeat from * 3 times. (5 sc on a side)
Row 4: *sc in next 4 sc, sc in ch 2 sp, ch 2, sc in ch 2 sp (corner made). Repeat from * 3 times. (7 sc on a side)
Row 5: * sc in next 6 sc, sc in ch 2 sp, ch 2, sc in ch 2 sp. Repeat from * 3 times. (9 sc on a side)
Row 6: *sc in next 8 sc, sc in ch 2 sp, ch 2, sc in ch 2 sp. Repeat from * 3 times. (11 sc on a side)
Row 7: *sc in next 9 sc, sc in ch 2 sp, ch 2, sc in ch 2 sp. Repeat from * 3 times. (13 sc on a side)
Row 8: In front loops only, sc in each sc around (39 sc).
Row 9-16: sc around. End row 16 with sl st, change to contrast color.
Row 17: ch 1, sc in each sc around, sl st into 1st sc.

Family Pictures

2009-03-22T12:00:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures we had taken of Luke and the kids a couple of weeks ago:

Another Great Adventure

2009-03-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Luke left this morning for some training in Texas to prepare for his upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. We're very thankful that he'll be home with us again for a few weeks between this training and his deployment. We trust God's Providence as Luke travels and serves and as we spend the next several months traveling and growing through another Great Adventure.

Defeating the Purpose?

2009-02-13T09:14:00.001-08:00

Luke has some time off this weekend and we plan to go through the house and garage and weed out a lot of the things we don't need anymore. (Where did all this stuff come from?!) We've always been book buyers and very rarely purged books from our shelf. Our house rule is that we can only have as many books as fit on the shelves... so we've put in a lot of extra shelves.

Last night, we went through the bookshelves and removed at least 4 boxes of books. We're trying out half.com to sell the many textbooks we no longer need, but it didn't seem worth it to list the paperbacks. So we checked out paperbackswap.com. It's awesome! Basically, each member posts books he or she is willing to part with. Listing the first 10 books earns 2 credits. Books cost 1 credit. After listing books last night, I can go shopping from everyone else's list of books and they can shop for mine. For every book I send out to another shopper, I get an additional credit. I pay shipping to send books out and the other members pay for the shipping to send books to me. I can also get credits for referring people, so if you're interested and you click through the link at the top of this post and post 10 books, I'll get a credit.

So you can see where this is going... for every paperback book that actually leaves our house, we can get another one. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all...

Not For Sale

2009-02-05T07:35:00.001-08:00

I'm reading this book called "Not For Sale" that I picked up two years ago but didn't get around to reading. I bought it after hearing the author, David Batstone, speak. In the book, he takes a look at human trafficking around the world. Without going into very graphic detail, he tells stories of several people who were recently held and traded as slaves in different parts of the world. It also talks about some of the the many organizations and individuals who are instrumental in freeing these slaves.

I haven't finished it yet, but so far I can recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about the current state of human trafficking, the organizations committed to fighting it, and the modern abolitionist movement. And it's this month's free download at christianaudio!

His Latest Achievement

2009-01-27T19:40:00.000-08:00

All Together

2009-01-21T08:19:00.000-08:00

We're home from our whirlwind trip to Illinois for my grandmother's funeral. I'm so glad we were able to go and spend time with my family, remembering Grandma and celebrating her life as a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, friend, and child of God. Family was so important to her and I think it meant a lot to her children that so many of her family could gather around to celebrate her life and miss her together.
Saturday morning we made a big breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy. It was the kind of breakfast Grandma made for us when we went to visit at her house. As my parents and aunts and uncles, great-aunts, cousins, and children of cousins filled the kitchen and laughed over our meal, I thought how much Grandma would love this. And then I remembered that she is in heaven, worshipping our God and surrounded by all the saints who have gone before, and even this-- this family gathering that brings me so much joy-- does not compare with Glory.

Where O Death is Now Thy Sting?

2009-01-12T10:28:00.000-08:00

"Christ the Lord is risen today,"
Sons of men and angels say.
Raise your joys and triumphs high!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply.

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal,
Christ has burst the gates of hell.
Death, in vain, forbids his rise,
Christ has opened paradise.

Lives again our glorious King!
Where, O death, is now thy sting?
Once he died, our souls to save.
Where thy victory, O grave?

Soar we now where Christ has led
Foll'wing our exalted Head.
Made like Him, like Him we rise,
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies.

Hail, the Lord of earth and heaven!
Praise to Thee by both be given.
Thee we greet triumphant now!
Hail, the Resurrection, thou! Alleluia!

- Charles Wesley, 1739

My grandma went to be with the Lord yesterday after a long battle with lung cancer. She loved God and her family and her neighbors. She took great comfort in the Word of God and had peace in the last days of her life, knowing that Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, and today she worships God in his heaven.

Give the people what they want

2008-12-16T10:02:00.001-08:00

Here are some more pictures

Baby Clarence is here!

2008-12-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

Clarence Daniel was born at 5:26 pm on Monday, December 8. He weighed 10 lbs, 10 oz and was 22 1/2 inches long. We thank our good God for his mercy and tender care over our family as Baby Clar came into the world. His heartbeat stayed strong throughout the entire labor and he has been nothing but a joy to us since his birth.

I had a complication from the epidural and have been suffering from a "spinal headache" since Tuesday night. I was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon but went back in Thursday for a procedure to provide relief from the headache. It helped some, but not all the way, and so I've spent most of my time since Baby Clar was born flat on my back. They say the rest of the problem should fix itself within a week of the epidural, so in the meantime I'm waiting with pain medication and loving family to help me. We are so thankful for Jerri, Luke's mom, who has been with us since Thanksgiving. She cared for Ellie while we were in the hospital and continues to take care of all of us now that we're home. We're also thankful that my mom flew in from Boston and came straight to the hospital yesterday. There's just something about having a mommy there when you're getting stuck with more needles! Luke's dad also worked a business trip so he could go home through Albuquerque, so he was able to come to the house today and see his grandson, and will drive back home with Jerri tomorrow. We are blessed beyond measure!

Ellie loves her baby brother already. She doesn't want to hold him all the time, but she's always excited to see him when she wakes up and she's very possessive of her baby.

Baby Clarence had his first post-hospital checkup today. He's gained back almost all of the weight he lost in the hospital and is doing everything a newborn should do. We are looking forward to sharing him with more of you, especially our church family, but we're going to wait a few more days to have visitors so I can enjoy the visits, too!

Thanks to everyone who waited with us and prayed with and for us as we waited for Baby Clarence to arrive and in the last few days. We're so thankful for our son!

We're Off to Have a Baby

2008-12-07T17:51:00.001-08:00

Luke and I are headed to the hospital to have a baby. I'm very nervous and excited!

A December Baby?!

2008-12-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

No, I am not in labor.

I wish I were! But Baby has decided he likes the idea of a December birthday, so here we are. Since I'm over a week past my due date, we go in for regular checks every 3 days or so. They monitor his heart rate and my (non) contractions, and then check out amniotic fluid levels with the ultrasound machine. Our checkup Saturday went great and we'll have another one tomorrow. And although I was originally scheduled to be induced this Thursday, my excellent midwife rescheduled us for Sunday evening, just to give our little guy a few more days to come into the world all on his own. Until then, I'm walking, drinking my water, and praying for the health and safe delivery of this obviously patient and content baby. If only his mommy were more patient and content!

Found!

2008-11-26T12:36:00.000-08:00

So, I realized last Thursday that I couldn't find my keys anywhere. We don't really go out much, and it's not unusual for my keys to be MIA for twenty four hours or so. But this time, I really searched for them and they were nowhere to be found. I just knew that the last time I'd seen them was when I went out to get the mail and then walked straight from there to the playground with Ellie. I searched our route but didn't find them. I searched our house but didn't find them.

By yesterday afternoon we were on Day 6 of Katie's missing keys. I finally did some real cleaning of a few rooms in the house and still didn't find them. I called the law enforcement office and they hadn't seen them, but they did suggest I call the housing office here.

Sure enough, someone had turned in my keys just moments before I called! As Ellie said, "Yay, hurray, Mommy found her keys!" And in the process, cleaned up two rooms I'd been putting off all week.

So now that I've found my keys, I'm really ready to have a baby. Come on, baby!

At Least I'm Not An Elephant

2008-11-22T19:33:00.000-08:00

So it turns out that the little baby box on my blog is a big fat liar. It says 0 days to go, but apparently it didn't talk to my unborn child, because he thinks he has lots of time left.

So no, no baby yet.

But with all this spare time (when I'm not searching for my car keys, which I haven't seen since Wednesday), and since my internet was down for a few days this week, I did invent a crocheted mittens pattern. Here it is:

Katie’s Crochet Mittens
Hook Size: K (or hook size needed for gauge, which I still need to determine...)
Yarn: Patons sws solids

Ch 8
Row 1: Sc in each ch across and across other side, sc in first sc (16 sc)
Row 2: *2 sc in next sc, sc in next 5 sc, 2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc, repeat from * once more (20 sc)
Row 3: sc in each sc around (20 sc)
Row 4: *2 sc in next sc, sc in next 7 sc, 2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc, repeat from * around (24 sc)
Row 5-16: sc in each sc around, sl st in next sc after final row (24 sc)
Make thumb:
Ch 8, sk 2 sc, sc in next sc (makes loop for thumb)
Row 1: sc in 2 skipped sc, sc in next sc, sc in 8 ch, sc in connecting sc (12 sc)
Row 2-6 : sc in each sc around (12 sc)
Row 7: *sk next sc, sc in next 2 sc repeat from * 3 more times (8 sc)
Row 8: *sk next sc, sc in next sc, repeat from * 3 more times (4 sc)
Finish thumb: sl st to close thumb, fasten off
Make Wrist:
Row 1: Connect in corner between thumb and hand, sc 10 in ch around thumb and 22 around mitten (32 sc)
Row 2-5 : sc in each sc around
Row 6: *sk next sc, sc in next 7 sc, repeat from * 3 times (28 sc)
Row 7: *sk next sc, sc in next 6 sc, repeat from * 3 times (24 sc)
Row 8-10: sc in each sc around (24 sc)
Row 11: *sk next sc, sc in next 5 sc, repeat from * around (20 sc)
Row 12-16: sc in each sc around (20 sc)
Row 17: *sc in each of next 4 sc 2 sc in next sc, repeat from * 3 times (24 sc)
Row 18-22: sc in each sc around (24 sc)
Row 23: sl st in each sc around, sl st in 1st sl st, finish off

The Belly

2008-11-06T15:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, so for those of you who don't see me regularly, here's a recent picture:

Just when I think I can't get any bigger... I do.

I Voted!

2008-11-04T08:44:00.001-08:00

I voted in the election today! It was the first even-year election EVER that I was able to vote in person instead of with an absentee ballot. Thanks to all the volunteers who make it possible to vote and are nice to the many, many toddlers who come along to help. (Incidentally, Ellie and Josiah both have strong and consistent opinions on who they're voting for. You can ask them all about it the next time you see them).

Right Side Up!

2008-11-03T09:46:00.000-08:00

Luke and I went in to the hospital today so they could try to turn our little guy, and when they checked with the ultrasound to see where he was, they found his head already down! We thank God for answering our prayers! And we also thank all of you who were praying for us. What good news!

Up-side Down!

2008-10-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

We just found out our little guy is breech, which explains why nothing feels the same as it did with Ellie. I thought maybe this baby was just smaller... but maybe not.
Anyway, I'm going in to the hospital next week to see if they can get him to turn. If not, then it's another C-section for me. Luke and I were talking about days, and when a good day would be to schedule a C-section if necessary, and it struck me just what an odd conversation that is. There's this huge illusion of control over a situation where we actually have very little control.
The point of all of this is to say that it does me good to remember how God is in control and knew this sweet baby by name before we ever imagined him. This also helps me as I start to panic, thinking-- we could have a baby in the next two weeks?! That was true before, too, but I was fooling myself into thinking November was much further away. Oh, no, wait. There it is. On Saturday!

Balloon Fiesta (or, The Great Bus Ride, or Mmm, Funnel Cake)

2008-10-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

It all depends who you ask. We went to the balloon fiesta with friends last weekend, but the balloons couldn't fly due to wind. The evening was still a great success, because we took advantage of park 'n'ride. Ellie was thrilled to ride the bus. She kept saying "I on a bus, Daddy!" When she sees pictures now, she gets excited all over again.Luke wasn't too disappointed about missing the balloons. He still got to eat hot dogs and funnel cake. And cotton candy, too, which he shared with Ellie and Chloe.

The balloonists were there with their baskets and equipment, so after the sun went down they entertained us with some fire. It just didn't get old for Ellie, who was astounded and had to make sure I knew every time the fire came again.We saw some great fireworks and finished the night off with a snow cone and another bus ride. Who needs balloons?

Yay Luke!

2008-09-29T20:03:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed a mini-family-vacation this weekend down at Elephant Butte, NM. Ellie and I relaxed and cheered while Luke completed an Olympic distance triathlon! It was a mile swim, a 25 mile bike, followed by a 10K run. We're so proud of Luke!

This is NOT sunset, folks. It's the other one. You have to get up very early to be a good triathlon spectator!

Here's Luke, hydrating and getting his game face on for the camera.

This is Luke's wave of athletes starting their swim. And here's Luke finishing the swim and running out of the water (and up a HUGE-- I'm not kidding-- HUGE sandy hill to his bike in the transition area!)Ellie had her own idea about triathlon. You notice she paces herself for the swim...

...but really kicks it into high gear for the run

Having left everything out on the course, she waits with thumb and puppy for Daddy to finish his race.I didn't get any pictures of Luke during the bike portion because he was just too fast! He finished the run strong, up yet another sandy hill to the finish line.

As Ellie would say, "Go Daddy go!" Yay Luke!

Where Have We Been?

2008-09-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

I looked back at the dates of my last blog posts and realized I've become a once-a-monther. Probably nobody even checks now, because I'm that girl with a blog who doesn't really write anything. Well, that's not about to change, but here's an update on us for September:

I'm now officially a licensed in-home daycare provider. Right now, our friend Josiah is our only daily visitor, and I plan to keep it that way until I feel fully adjusted to having two of my own children!

It's been great having Josiah with us so far. Ellie's learning a lot about sharing and taking turns, and I'm discovering the bossy side of her that was bound to come out eventually (where does she get that from?) They look forward to seeing each other every day, and wear each other out so that I can look forward to solid afternoon naps! For them, not for me. I take solid afternoon rests, mixed in with solid afternoon cleaning sessions, when I feel motivated enough...

Yes, the third trimester fatigue is setting in. I'm just about 31 weeks now, and while "6-11 weeks left" doesn't sound like much, I know I have a long way to go as far as swollen feet and restless nights are concerned. I had my first middle-of-the-night-wake-up-for-no-reason the other night at 3:30 am. I guess it's preparation for the middle-of-the-night-wake-up-to-feed-Baby that is to come. At least with this pregnancy, instead of calling the nurse line in a panic whenever something wierd happens, I think, "oh, yeah. I remember this now."

Adding to the fatigue is Luke's travel schedule. Other than a week of illness and a week of much-needed catching up at his desk, he's been out of town Tuesday-Thursday every week for a few months now, and will continue through the end of October. It doesn't seem like much until we actually live through it. By Thursday night when he gets home, we're both exhausted. It's helping me realize and appreciate how much he takes care of Ellie and me when he's here, that's for sure!

As much as I'll be glad to have him home more often, I don't want to rush through the next two months. Time's flying by fast enough as it is. Even though I'm not in school anymore, September still feels like the beginning of a new year to me, and as the days get shorter and cooler and we bring out the sweatshirts for mornings outside, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be a mother to Ellie and to this baby yet to be born, and pray that He will give me strength, wisdom, patience, and grace to glorify Him and enjoy Him in the work He's called me to in this season.

So I'll leave with some words from a song by Nichole Nordeman called "Every Season" that I've always thought of at this time of year:

Still I notice You when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come

Learning to fly

2008-08-19T15:44:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed a long weekend in Enid, Oklahoma with my brother Joe and his wife Megan, my parents, and several members of Megan's family. We celebrated Joe's graduation from UPT. He'll fly the A-10 starting some time next year.

Ellie was a great road-tripper, mooing at cows and neighing at horses. She's convinced that the longhorned cattle she saw were rhinos, and who am I to argue? She also had a pretty good time staying up WAY past her bedtime at the graduation dinner.

Staying up late was worth the wait for cake.

She went down the big slide at the park many, many times...
... and proved that a grandpa will do anything for his only grandchild.She made sure to show Grammy lots of love!

I had a lot of opportunities this weekend to think about my brother's accomplishments this weekend. He loved airplanes as a kid. He built models and knew all the names of all the military aircraft. Lots of kids love airplanes and dream of flying them. But he went out, got his degree, earned his commission in the Air Force, and graduated from pilot training. Part of me thinks, wow, that was a pretty short amount of time in which to learn everything he needs to know to fly an airplane all by himself. But mostly, I'm just so proud of him, for achieving what he set out to do, and I'm so thankful that my daughter has such a great example in her Uncle Joe.

It's About Time

2008-07-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

Ellie and I spent an hour and a half at the social security office yesterday. I graduated from college with my husband's name and commissioned as an officer with my husband's name. I've been driving with my husband's name, paying for cars and school loans with my husband's name, and renting our house with my husband's name. For the last FIVE YEARS. Now I can finally pay taxes with his name, too.

My dear mother-in-law officially welcomed me to the family when I told her!

Oh, BOY!

2008-07-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

Our baby's face!

We had our ultrasound today. We saw evidence of God's hand in the beating heart, working kidneys, and kicking legs of our baby BOY! Those in our church will wonder how this could have happened, since the only baby boys born in the last year or two were brought in from out of state. We're thankful and overjoyed to see that our baby boy is growing just as he should, here at the halfway mark.

Feet!

The Things Two Year Olds Do

2008-06-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

Two-year-olds sleep in big girl beds.

They help around the house.

They ride tricycles!

They help plant flowers in Grammy's garden.

They really know how to kick back and relax at the pool after a long week of doing the things two-year-olds do.

Two Years

2008-06-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that just two years ago today, our Ellie was born. I was so excited and nervous. Many of the days that followed are a blur, but I will never forget when the nurse brought Ellie to me so I could see her. I will never forget holding her for the first time, how she fit so perfectly in my arms and how she seemed so small. She was bigger than most of the other babies in the nursery, but the tiny diapers she wore seemed enormous. Her little cry was a tiny, newborn cry, but grabbed my attention immediately, every time.

It was less than a week before I started to forget what life was like before she was born. Now, two years later, it's hard to remember what life was like before she walked, before she talked, before she carried on phone conversations with her grandparents or built block towers or laughed at Sandra Boyton books. But when I try, I can always remember the day she was born.

Tiny Heartbeat

2008-05-12T11:35:00.002-07:00

Luke and I heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time today! It was very strong and very fast. Because our baby is very little.

Praise God for new life and for this opportunity to appreciate what He's knitting together!

In Case You Thought She Wasn't Paying Attention...

2008-05-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Ellie and I have been reading a little Anne of Green Gables at night before bedtime. She's allowed to play quietly or look at books while I read, so I'm never sure if she's really listening or not.

Right now we're in the middle of the most memorable chapter for me, the one where Anne first meets Gilbert Blythe and he pulls her hair and calls her Carrots.

Sometimes Ellie wants to take the book and read. Normally, she flips through the pages and when I ask her to read it to me, she says, "Anne. Anne." Tonight, she said, "Anne. Anne." And then signed CARROTS.

Now it's even more memorable.

I must be feeling better

2008-04-30T20:03:00.001-07:00

I feel like I've been in a fog the last week or so. I'm not sure I realized how out of it I felt until this morning, when I woke up feeling like myself. You know, hungry. Not nauseous. Well-rested. Ready for the day. Oh, yeah! That's how I normally am!

It was so great to feel like myself again. I had energy to play, read books, and even make some bread this evening. That's the real indication, since I hadn't felt like making any food in several days. And when it was baking... it smelled really good!

I let Ellie stay up a little extra so we could share a slice of warm bread and butter. What a great end to a great day!

My Big Girl

2008-04-15T20:13:00.001-07:00

Maybe it's the fact that she's talking so much more, or maybe it's the pigtails, but I think my baby is becoming a big girl.

She started calling me "Mom" on Saturday. She's developed quite the opinion about the music we listen to at home and in the car. And she's able to carry on mini phone conversations with her grandparents. ("Hi Bopba. Hippo. Red ball. Hippo.") She's all about doing things by herself, (she shouts out "Ellie!" if I try to interfere), and she understands so much of what's going on around her. She amazes me, and I'm glad she's growing and learning. We thank God for that and continue to pray for her to grow in every way. But every time she crawls on my lap, or asks me to kiss a boo-boo, or I catch a glimpse of her asleep in her carseat, I thank God for giving me a few more moments with my baby girl.

Spring Break with Becky

2008-03-26T12:22:00.001-07:00

We had a blast with my sister Becky while she was here during her spring break from Grove City College last week.
We visited the zoo and aquarium, played at the park, swam at the indoor pool, and discovered Tent Rocks National Monument.

Aunt Becky taught Ellie to say "volleyball" and how to recognize the volleyball in a lineup of other sports equipment. We miss her and look forward to the next time she can come play with us and teach us the essential things in life.

Using my iPod for good

2008-03-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

Luke gave me an iPod a few years ago. It was a terrific gift. He even loaded it up with some of my favorite music so it would be all ready to go.

Listening to the iPod helped me tune out distractions and study while I was a student. It motivated me to get out and run when I didn't feel like it. Lately, I've learned to look forward to doing my household cleaning during Ellie's nap. I started downloading podcasts of my favorite news shows and listening to them while I clean up.

My favorite news show is the Diane Rehm show. She does two hours per day, Monday through Friday. Her Friday news roundup is the best for staying informed on the news of the week. She's a very good interviewer and always polite, but she doesn't let her guests get away with too many outrageous statements. I usually download the Friday shows and then pick and choose other shows based on topics or guests that interest me.

My dad just told me that R. C. Sproul also has free podcasts of "Renewing Your Mind." I just downloaded the series on free will and God's sovereignty. I really enjoyed Sproul's "The Consequences of Ideas," which basically went through many of the different philosophies through the centuries and their impact on culture. I've found that he is able to take ideas that are complex and explain them in a way that makes sense. I look forward to listening to them. If only Ellie took longer naps...

My house is going to be so clean!

Homeschooling in California

2008-03-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not quick to sign petitions or forward emails, but in case any of my 5 readers are unaware, there was a court decision in California that basically said CA's state constitution and education code do not allow for homeschooling unless the person doing the schooling is certified to teach.

You can read more about it and sign a petition to depublish the ruling (so that it can't be used in any other cases) at www.hslda.org.

First Sentence

2008-02-24T15:40:00.000-08:00

This week, Ellie started stringing words and signs together to form more complete thoughts. I called them "complete sentences," but that isn't really accurate since they lack verbs. I've been out of school for a few years now, but not long enough to forget that sentences require verbs. Not quite long enough.

Her first spoken incomplete sentence, then, was pronounced early this week, while I was making dinner and Ellie was "helping" Luke take his boots off. "Daddy home!" There's a long pause between the words, because it takes a lot of thought to convey a concept that big. At first, Luke thought she was saying "Daddy-- ow!" and he kept trying to figure out where she was hurt. But she had this big smile on her face, so for awhile it was very confusing, and then we finally figured it out. "Daddy-- home!"

It's Been Awhile...

2008-01-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

I was chastised by a mommy for not posting in such a long time. Here's what we've been up to:

We finally made it to CO Springs on the 28th, and decided to stay until after New Years. We all had fun, and Ellie learned to throw her hands up in the air to celebrate touchdowns.

We also had a chance to see my grandmother, who was visiting family in CO.

We enjoyed having Luke home with us for several weeks before he went back to work. Ellie says "Daddy" very clearly now.

We celebrated birthdays with friends, shared meals with our church family, and enjoyed having our family all together again!

Christmas with Nemo

2007-12-27T06:45:00.000-08:00

We were planning to drive to CO Springs on Christmas day, but Ellie came down with the stomach flu on Christmas Eve. It continued through last night, and we're waiting today to see if she's really better. We had a great Christmas in spite of the change of plans, and I'm so thankful Luke's home so we can take care of Ellie together. She's pretty happy most of the time, even though she's sick, and she's been able to enjoy lots of presents. When she's a little less happy, we throw in "Finding Nemo," her favorite movie (the turtle scenes). I now have most of the movie memorized. Maybe we should have given her some more movies for variety this Christmas...

Welcome Home!

2007-12-20T11:03:00.000-08:00

Luke arrived home yesterday afternoon. Ellie and I met him at the airport, along with many friends from church. We are so thankful that he's home with us. We thank God for protecting him and bringing him home safely. We thank you for all your prayers and love during his deployment.

Ellie was excited to see Daddy (she brought her "Daddy picture" to the airport) and by the time she went to bed last night, she sat on his lap for stories and let him hold her. He is so proud of his little girl and all she's learned in the last 6 months. We are so proud of Luke, and SO thankful that he's home with us.

So close...

2007-12-18T21:18:00.000-08:00

Luke's in Baltimore! He called tonight from a hotel there. We look forward to seeing him at the airport tomorrow afternoon. Only one more sleep!

Baking: Round Two

2007-12-18T21:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I ate all of the cookies we baked a few weeks ago, and I figured my husband would be disappointed to read all about the cookie extravaganza on the blog and then come home to find the handful of buckeyes still in the freezer. So Ellie and I spent Saturday baking more chocolate mint cookies and also some peanut butter kiss cookies. Here are the recipes:

Chocolate Mint Cookies
12 oz semisweet chocolate morsels
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tbs water
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (2 3/4 cups for higher elevation)
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 (4.67 oz) pkgs chocolate covered mint wafer candies (Andes mints), broken in half

Melt chocolate morsels and butter in saucepan, stirring occasionally
Combine chocolate mixture, brown sugar, and water in a large bowl; beat at low speed until blended.
Add eggs, beating well.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to chocolate mixture, beating well at low speed.
Cover and chill 1 hour
Shape dough into 10inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Place half a mint on top of each warm cookie, remove cookies to wire racks, and let cool 1 minute (until chocolate mint melts) Gently spread melted mint over top of each cookie. Cool completely.
Yield: ~ 8 dozen

Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss Candies
1 cup butter
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 2/3 cup flour (~3 cups for Albuquerque)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
16 oz chocolate kisses (I use some chocolate kisses, some peanut-butter-filled chocolate kisses, and some hugs)

Combine butter, peanut butter, and sugars; blend until creamy
Add eggs and vanilla; blend
Mix flour, salt, and baking soda, add to cream mixture; stir well
Roll dough into quarter size balls
Roll ball in bowl of sugar
Bake at 350 for 8 minutes, place kiss (or hug) in center of each cookie. Bake an additional 2 minutes.

Makes ~ 5 dozen

Busy Bee

2007-12-05T19:58:00.001-08:00

So here's what I've been working on since I picked up crochet again this fall:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/211932/Cabled-Socks is where you can find the cable sock pattern. The pattern for the orange/yellow/purple socks (the lady who sold the yarn to me on eBay called the color "Meow Mix") is at http://www.crochetme.com/patterns/ultimate-crocheted-socks.

The pattern for the cream colored bag is at http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/ckc-allOccasionTote.html?noImages=.
The pattern for the green is at http://www.hobbylobby.com/site3/pdfprojects/HL-144.pdf.
I "designed" the red bag. The picture's aren't great, but I've already wrapped everything, so this is all there is to see. The good news is, all my must-have Christmas crochet projects are done, so if you send me some foot length and width measurements, and perhaps a color preference, there may be a Valentine's Day or Easter sock headed your way!

Elves

2007-12-02T18:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the cookie baking extravaganza of 2007. I didn't take any pictures, but I'll post one as soon as one of the other blogger-bakers puts one up and I can steal it. I did sample several of the cookies today, and I have to confess that there's no way I'll be able to make them last until Luke gets home. Maybe we'll do a second, smaller round of baking closer to Christmas.

Some of the cookies made and shared were: chocolate mint cookies, snickerdoodles, buckeyes, chocolate-white-chocolate-chip, jammy-white-chocolatey-cookie strips, and nutella-filled-chocolate-dipped sandwiches. (I made up some of those names). I can tell you that I've tried them all, and they are all delishy-mo MO MO!

In other news, I committed to swim 15 km this month. It isn't really that much, if I actually get into the pool 2 or 3 times per week. If I keep devouring these cookies like I have been, I may need to swim way more than 15km to make up for it! Oh, cookies. So tasty, but so calorie-laden... oh, well. No sense getting fat and feeling guilty. Might as well drop the guilt!

Snow!

2007-11-22T11:30:00.000-08:00

We made it to CO Springs. It was a pretty great drive, with good tunes and a good baby (who has excellent taste in music, if I do say so myself). We woke up our first morning here to SNOW! So of course, I had to go out and buy boots for Ellie so we could play. She was very concerned about the snow on her mittens and boots, which makes me think we need to get her North more during winter.

Thankful

2007-11-22T11:22:00.001-08:00

I thank God for my wonderful husband, and that God brought us together at an early age.
I thank God for my daughter and the way she continues to grow and amaze me.
I thank God for my parents, who invested so much in their children.
I God for His faithfulness, to claim my heart and the hearts of my siblings.
I thank God for the generosity of my extended family, and for their prayers and concern while Luke is away.
I thank God for my church family, who constantly and consistently live out their faith and commit themselves to the physical and spiritual well-being of the Body of Christ.
I thank God for protecting my husband during these last five months.
I thank God for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, for God becoming man that we might be reconciled to Him.

Thy Mercy

2007-11-18T19:32:00.000-08:00

Thy mercy my God is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart and the boast of my tongue.
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last,
Hath won my affection and bound my soul fast.

Without Thy sweet mercy I could not live here, for
Sin would reduce me to utter despair.
But through Thy free goodness my spirit's revived,
And He who first made me still keeps me alive.

Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart,
Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground
And weep for the praise of the mercy I've found.

Great Father of mercy, Thy goodness I own
Through the covenant love of Thy crucified Son
All praise to the Spirit, whose whisper divine
Seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine.

-Caedmon's Call

Vocabulary Explosion!

2007-11-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

Ellie showed me FIVE new words yesterday!

First, she started nodding her head as she answered my "do you want a cookie?" with her usual "uh-huh." She continued to nod her head all day yesterday and today, both to answer "yes" and to let me know that she thought her chicken at lunch was delicious.
She repeated "milk", "dude", and "Susie" several times, and, without any prompting, started saying "mine-mine-mine." I credit her two-year-old friends with that last one.

Daddy is going to be so impressed when he comes home in... one month!

Humility

2007-11-15T09:54:00.000-08:00

I've been doing some thinking about my new status as stay-at-home mom, and mother-of-toddler, and temporary mommy-without-daddy, and I think my biggest problem is pride. I think that if I'm honest, my struggles at home come from two places: feeling inadequate when it comes to raising my daughter and feeling that others think I'm inadequate when it comes to raising my daughter.

If I were humble, I wouldn't be so concerned that others think I'm a supermom, so it wouldn't bother me when my normally happy baby has a meltdown in the parking lot, or when she shakes her head "no" at me and laughs instead of coming back to my side.

If I were humble, I would recognize that I'm not capable of making my child love God or desire obedience. If I were humble, I would recognize my inadequacy and fall on my knees, daily, hourly, for patience, gentleness, wisdom, mercy, energy, and encouragement to see every moment as an opportunity to teach and train my daughter. I would pray that the Holy Spirit would soften her heart, make her alive in Christ, turn her to saving faith and a desire to live a life of thankful obedience. If I were humble, I would recognize the pattern of my own sin in her pattern of toddler misbehavior, and thank God every day that He is a loving Father who shows mercy to his children.

My Little Ducky

2007-11-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

Susie's bargain was worth far more than $.50 in entertainment-- for the kids and for me!

Thing One or Thing Two?

2007-11-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

Things got a little wacky at our friend Joshua's birthday party this weekend. Here's Ellie, in full party mode, sporting one of Joshua's new toys on her head. I think she looks like a Dr. Seuss character.

Investing in Heritage

2007-11-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children are a reward from him." Psalm 127:3

Ellie made it through the whole service today- I didn't have to take her out once!

Now, I know this doesn't mean we'll never have to leave the sanctuary again, but it's the first time since she was tiny and slept through the whole thing that I didn't have to carry her out. It helped so much that she went right up to Mr. Dan at the beginning and sat on his lap for a good long while. And it has been so encouraging to talk with other parents in our church about training toddlers. We are so thankful for the love shown to Ellie by our church family here. What an investment they make in the life of this little one, and all of the young children we are blessed to have worshipping with us! What a powerful witness to these children about the sacrament of baptism! What a loving God to not only bless us with children, but also with so many compassionate, faithful adults to assist us in raising our little one in the nurture and admonition of the Lord!

The Very Hungry Butterfly

2007-11-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Ellie ate 6 chicken nuggets at lunchtime! And some apple slices, and some peas. I think she was gearing up to transform into...

a beautiful butterfly!

My Little Pumpkin

2007-10-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

The good news is, things have been busy since we've been back and that makes the days go by faster! The bad news is, I haven't blogged in a little while and these pictures are a couple of weeks old.
We went to the pumpkin patch with some friends and Ellie picked her pumpkin. Now when we go out to get the mail, she points at her pumpkin and tells me all about it.

Here are some more pumpkins (and their pumpkins!)

My Mad Skills

2007-10-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

So, now that I'm home and Ellie's still a few years away from learning calculus, I'm trying to come up with ways to keep some of the stuff I've learned from slipping away. One way is by trying to answer questions on http://www.physicsforums.com. This is a big step for me, because even though I'm fairly anonymous there, I've always been nervous about putting an answer out unless I'm really, really sure. Other people's physics and math confidence tends to intimidate me. (Although, as was pointed out in a recent interview with math major and actress Danica McKellar, just because someone answers quickly doesn't mean they answer best).

Anway, the point of all of this is to say that if anyone knows anyone locally who could use some homework help in math or physics, I'll be available, especially after December. Wow. Now I really feel like I'm putting myself out there. I'd better post this before I change my mind!

Home

2007-10-12T10:20:00.001-07:00

We're home! We arrived before dark last night and found our house in great shape (thank you Kristin!) and our neighbors as eager to play with us as we were with them. It was a great trip, and Ellie was an excellent traveler this last week. She did whimper every time I put her in the car, but as long as she had access to toys, books, food, and drink, she was pretty happy in the backseat, all the way through Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico.

We knew we were really home when we saw something like this from our driveway this morning:

And We're Off!

2007-10-04T07:49:00.000-07:00

Whew. The trunk is loaded, the car has just enough space for Ellie and I to squeeze in, and the emergency load of laundry added this morning is dry, folded, and tucked into the suitcase. It's been great, but it's time to go. Bye-bye, Massachusetts!

Great Adventures: West

2007-10-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

Now that we're coming to the end of our time in Boston, it all seems to have gone by so fast! We crammed lots of activities in the early part of our extended vacation, and enjoyed all of the trips and people. Lately, we've settled into a quieter routine of playing with Grammy and Penny the Dog during the day and spending quality time with Grandpa and Grammy in the evenings. We will miss them so much!

We're starting our trip back on Thursday. We'll stay with my aunt the first night, then visit Becky at Grove City on Friday night and Saturday. We're planning to spend Saturday and Sunday night in Dayton. After that, we'll take two days to drive to visit my brother and sister-in-law in Oklahoma. After two nights there, we'll make the drive back home! That gets us home sometime October 11th.

Here's our google map:

I'm packing up the clothes and toys (we seem to have more now than when we came), and hoping it all fits in the car! We're sad to leave, but also looking forward to going home. See you soon, Albuquerque!

What We're Reading

2007-09-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

All of the sudden, Ellie loves to sit and listen to stories, all the way through, over and over again. She lets me know she wants to listen to stories by handing me a book and crawling into my lap. Here's what we're reading these days:

Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Good Dog, Carl! by Alexandra Day
The Reagan Diaries by Ronald Reagan... okay, that last part is what I'm reading in the few minutes between opening the book and falling asleep. So far it's very worth reading. Maybe I'll blog a book report when I'm done.

Feeling Domestic

2007-09-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't actually been a stay-at-home-mom in my own home yet, but here at my parents' house, I've found some extra time. It helps that my mom is always willing to read a story, change a diaper, or play "walk to me" with Ellie. Scrapbooking hasn't interested me lately, maybe because there's so much cleanup involved and I don't really have a place here to leave things out overnight. So instead, I've been rediscovering crochet and experimenting with baking.
My sister is a freshman at Grove City College this year, and hints heavily in every correspondance that she loves zucchini bread-- with cinnamon, she's always quick to add. So I made apple cinnamon zucchini bread in mini loaves this week, and sent some to her and to Luke. The recipe I used turned out pretty well, except that I wasn't sure how to long to bake the mini loaves, and I ended up letting a few of them cool before I realized they were still gooey. I put them back in the oven, and they seemed all right, but they may sit a little heavy in the tummy. At least I used the flat rate boxes to send them, so I didn't pay any extra in postage!
Crochet is a great hobby because, unlike scrapbooking, I can take it with me when I'm the passenger in the car, or while we're watching a movie after Ellie goes to sleep. And I've found lots of great patterns online and a few excellent ebay deals in the past few weeks. My deal with myself is that I have to finish what I start and not buy yarn until I have a purpose for it. I'm also experimenting with recycled yarn, unraveled from two sweaters I got at the Salvation Army. So far, I successfully unravelled one and washed it. It's taking a long time to dry, which is one of the perils of the Northeast that I had forgotten. Oh, the humidity!
Anyway, all of this makes me look forward to being a mommy and homemaker in my own home. It will be even better when my husband is there with me! We don't count the days, but we're roughly halfway through now, so at least the end is closer than the beginning.

I Tri'd-- And Finished!

2007-09-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

I completed a sprint triathlon this weekend! It was a 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3 mile run in Hopkington, MA. I was really nervous, but the people there were all very friendly and I started out with a group of women who were all either older or also brand-new to triathlons. I felt really strong on the swim, got passed by many people during the bike (as expected), and ran at about a ten minute mile pace, which was pretty good for me. Most importantly, I crossed the finish line! My mom came with Ellie to cheer me on. The race sponsors gave out cowbells, which Ellie (and all of the other kids there) enjoyed ringing for us. It was a great experience, and really satisfying to achieve a goal I set for myself while Luke was away. I think I might do another one... after the soreness goes away.

Words, words, words

2007-09-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

Words are important to Ellie. She's consistently saying "dog" and "thank you." All of her words start with the "d" sound, ("mommy" usually sounds suspiciously like "daddy", unless she's really concentrating), but she's worked hard on the "g" and "k" type sounds, and makes a big production of saying "thank you! thank you! thank you!" when I present her with meals. It's very sweet.

She's been sitting still for books lately, too. For awhile, she was more interested in turning the pages as fast as she could, but now she points to the pictures and waits for me to finish reading the page before she turns it. Her Grandpa L gave her a board book called "We're Going on a Bear Hunt," about a family who travels through all of these different obstacles to try to catch a big bear, and the family has a dog. While I read each page, she points to the dog in the picture and yells out "dog!" It's great to see her developing preferences for different books and animals. It can be frustrating when she has a preference but I can't figure out what she wants. More and more, though, she's making herself known.

My Baby's A Toddler!

2007-08-31T18:01:00.001-07:00

Ellie took her first official steps on Monday. Since then, she's been building up bravery and taking one or two steps when she's really motivated to get somewhere. She's taken steps toward me, toward my parents, and toward a wooden spoon. She's been doing a lot of baking, stirring with the spoon in a measuring bowl. I guess she really, really wanted to bake this afternoon, because she let go of my legs and took two steps toward the spoon before she fell down and crawled the rest of the way.

So, Ellie is officially a toddler now. I haven't caught her on camera yet, but I'll be sure to post pictures when I catch her in action.