I must be feeling better

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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!