When Kev got home from school today he let me scoot out for a few hours while he offered to stay home with the boysies. This was a very nice, unexpected gift, and I flew like the wind conquering all of the little things that have been on my list for weeks but that haven't been quite worth unstrapping two wee ones in and out of cars seats in order to get done. (Whew! THAT was a really long run-on sentence!)
So, anyway....I scored a brand new winter jacket for Jesse to wear next year at a whopping $6! Whoo-hoo! I found a couple of treasures at my little antiquey store that I love, did some returns, found a bathing suit that this body that has birthed two can somewhat handle, and purchased a birthday gift for a friend. Not too shabby for someone who hates to shop! Anyway, I digress from the point of this post.
Upon returning home, my apartment had been transformed! While I was away, Daddy and the boys set up our HUMONGOUS tent in the middle of the living room, put a camp chair in there for Kaden - along with ALL of his stuffed animals and tools for fixing whatever needed fixing, and there they sat - happily playing and eating pancakes for supper! Oh my word! It was so cute, and Kaden was so hyper and happy. Our neighbors from upstairs came down to ask us something and as soon as the door opened, they had to step right into the tent in order to even get into our apartment! So, they came in and had a little sit down for a few minutes with us right inside the tent. Fun fun!
It is very true that Daddy's and Mommy's play very differently with their children! I would have - you know - colored with them or read stories.......
My New Fave!
This, my friends, is the MOST delish coffee of all time! Green Mountain only puts it out for a few months, so one is required to stock up should they so desire to consume this beverage all throughout the year, but oh man - it is SO good!
One would argue that I am not a true coffee lover because this is flavored. However, I beg to differ. I can drink the strongest of brews with the best of you thanks to hubby working at Starbucks for those many months. I've actually gone from thinking that their "bold" brews tasted like sheep excrement (a proper term if I do say so myself, Scott L!) to rather enjoying them. So, I can honestly say that I like ALL coffee.
But this is by far, the MOST delish of all!
Thanks to my phone call with Angie this afternoon, I am properly wired on this fantastic-ness.
P.S. Can anyone tell me why this picture is at the bottom of my post instead of up top where I asked it to be? Hmmmm.....still learning.
One would argue that I am not a true coffee lover because this is flavored. However, I beg to differ. I can drink the strongest of brews with the best of you thanks to hubby working at Starbucks for those many months. I've actually gone from thinking that their "bold" brews tasted like sheep excrement (a proper term if I do say so myself, Scott L!) to rather enjoying them. So, I can honestly say that I like ALL coffee.
But this is by far, the MOST delish of all!
Thanks to my phone call with Angie this afternoon, I am properly wired on this fantastic-ness.P.S. Can anyone tell me why this picture is at the bottom of my post instead of up top where I asked it to be? Hmmmm.....still learning.
Dying Phones.....
So I just got off the phone with my dear friend Angie. It's no secret that I really don't enjoy talking on the phone, but when it comes to her it never seems long enough! As soon as I see her number on my caller ID, I immediately reach for the coffee, grind myself a strong brew, and settle in.
EXCEPT THE PAST TWO CONVERSATIONS MY PHONE HAS DIED MIDWAY into our solving all of the world's problems! I tell you what, if I was a swearing woman........ Just kidding. Kind of. Man - that burns me! Seriously. My phone only dies with her, because it's never usually off that hook for that long of a time!
I love our conversations. They always go all over the place with tons of little random rabbit trails everywhere! They might start with talking about her daughters sharing a room together, move to school choices, jump over to how things are going at her church, and end up with talking about how comparion to others destroys our own contentment! And that's just one bitty conversation! I love it!
So I sit here wired up on WAY too much coffee - I never drink midday - and feeling frustrated that my phone died midway through one of your sentences. But, I'm also thankful for you, dear friend. Although I have seen you only three or four times since our Bible School days, I love that we just pick up wherever we leave off. I love that you love me for who I am. I love that you are real with me about your life. I love that you're not afraid to share your struggles with me. And I love that you inspire me, you stretch me, you make me think, and you make me laugh!
You were the highlight of my day, dear friend. Much love to you!
EXCEPT THE PAST TWO CONVERSATIONS MY PHONE HAS DIED MIDWAY into our solving all of the world's problems! I tell you what, if I was a swearing woman........ Just kidding. Kind of. Man - that burns me! Seriously. My phone only dies with her, because it's never usually off that hook for that long of a time!
I love our conversations. They always go all over the place with tons of little random rabbit trails everywhere! They might start with talking about her daughters sharing a room together, move to school choices, jump over to how things are going at her church, and end up with talking about how comparion to others destroys our own contentment! And that's just one bitty conversation! I love it!
So I sit here wired up on WAY too much coffee - I never drink midday - and feeling frustrated that my phone died midway through one of your sentences. But, I'm also thankful for you, dear friend. Although I have seen you only three or four times since our Bible School days, I love that we just pick up wherever we leave off. I love that you love me for who I am. I love that you are real with me about your life. I love that you're not afraid to share your struggles with me. And I love that you inspire me, you stretch me, you make me think, and you make me laugh!
You were the highlight of my day, dear friend. Much love to you!
Yackety Yack....
So, nothing new or exciting to report today. Just life as we know it.
It's beautifully sunny out today and is supposed to hit about fifty degrees. I babysit the wee ones, and I may just bundle us all up and head outside if we get a little cagey. As I type, the babies are sleeping and Kaden and Reid are up at the table giggling through snack. It's been a good morning. All three of the boys - Jesse included - had a little band going on this morning. Kaden played a horn, Reid banged on some drums, and Kaden frantically shook some maracas and managed to only konk himself in the head a couple of times. Little Meg - the only girl of the group - just sat propped up on the couch with her eyes as big as saucers wondering what all the rukus was about! It was pretty cute! I got some good video footage.
We'll go for a walk before naptime. When the boys wake up, Daddy is coming home early from school, and we're going to head out to a park for a few hours before bedtime. It's been pretty lazy and quiet around here since Easter. Yesterday, we did lots of painting, a little baking, a little laundry, a little digging of worms for our salamander, a little reading of books, a little riding of bikes, and a lot of usage of our imaginations. Today, we'll probably do a nice repeat of yesterday - only with a little Rita's thrown in for good measure!
Life is good.
It's beautifully sunny out today and is supposed to hit about fifty degrees. I babysit the wee ones, and I may just bundle us all up and head outside if we get a little cagey. As I type, the babies are sleeping and Kaden and Reid are up at the table giggling through snack. It's been a good morning. All three of the boys - Jesse included - had a little band going on this morning. Kaden played a horn, Reid banged on some drums, and Kaden frantically shook some maracas and managed to only konk himself in the head a couple of times. Little Meg - the only girl of the group - just sat propped up on the couch with her eyes as big as saucers wondering what all the rukus was about! It was pretty cute! I got some good video footage.
We'll go for a walk before naptime. When the boys wake up, Daddy is coming home early from school, and we're going to head out to a park for a few hours before bedtime. It's been pretty lazy and quiet around here since Easter. Yesterday, we did lots of painting, a little baking, a little laundry, a little digging of worms for our salamander, a little reading of books, a little riding of bikes, and a lot of usage of our imaginations. Today, we'll probably do a nice repeat of yesterday - only with a little Rita's thrown in for good measure!
Life is good.
Happy Easter!
Despite the unearthly hour of having to get ready for church today, I do believe that this was one of my most favorite Easters, thus far in my wee little life! Nothing overly amazing happened - it was just one of those days that was really good.
We woke both boys out of a dead sleep and put them in the car in their p.j.'s at 5:30 and headed off to our sunrise service. I had hoped that they would fall back asleep and get another 45 minutes of shut eye on our way. Kaden is used to getting up early for trips, and he usually goes right back to sleep within a few minutes. Not today though, my friends! Jesse found it quite exciting to be all cozy in his carseat in the pitch dark first thing in the morning, and he happily grunted and growled the entire way to church, thus keeping Kaden awake. Both boys were happy and content, though, despite missing some much needed sleep.
We had a really nice sunrise service followed by a delish breakfast. And then we had a great Easter service that was pretty packed out with everyone's family and loved ones. We had no practice after church, so we made it home around noonish, which is really nice for us. After a hodge podge of sorts for lunch, the boys went to nap, and I actually took an impromptu nap with Jesse which was really nice. We haven't done that for awhile.
Then, when everyone woke up, it was still so beautiful and warm we decided to go have a BBQ and picnic at Core Creek Park. We made yummy burgers, played on the playground, went exploring in the woods, picked numerous rocks, sticks, and leaves out of Jesse's mouth, and then came home - tired and grubby, but happy. Jesse is snoozing away, Kaden and Daddy just got done playing cars and now they're snuggled up on the couch reading, and I am off to snuggle with my hubby after Child Numero Uno hits the hay! A GREAT day!
We woke both boys out of a dead sleep and put them in the car in their p.j.'s at 5:30 and headed off to our sunrise service. I had hoped that they would fall back asleep and get another 45 minutes of shut eye on our way. Kaden is used to getting up early for trips, and he usually goes right back to sleep within a few minutes. Not today though, my friends! Jesse found it quite exciting to be all cozy in his carseat in the pitch dark first thing in the morning, and he happily grunted and growled the entire way to church, thus keeping Kaden awake. Both boys were happy and content, though, despite missing some much needed sleep.
We had a really nice sunrise service followed by a delish breakfast. And then we had a great Easter service that was pretty packed out with everyone's family and loved ones. We had no practice after church, so we made it home around noonish, which is really nice for us. After a hodge podge of sorts for lunch, the boys went to nap, and I actually took an impromptu nap with Jesse which was really nice. We haven't done that for awhile.
Then, when everyone woke up, it was still so beautiful and warm we decided to go have a BBQ and picnic at Core Creek Park. We made yummy burgers, played on the playground, went exploring in the woods, picked numerous rocks, sticks, and leaves out of Jesse's mouth, and then came home - tired and grubby, but happy. Jesse is snoozing away, Kaden and Daddy just got done playing cars and now they're snuggled up on the couch reading, and I am off to snuggle with my hubby after Child Numero Uno hits the hay! A GREAT day!
Spring Days!
Today was SO gorgeous! Sunny and warm with crocuses and daffodils in bloom. It was so nice!
We hid a whole whack of eggs for Kaden to hunt this morning. He's been finding them all throughout the day! I know that a lot of people don't do anything commercialized with their kids for Easter, but we feel that there is no harm in having him go on a little hunt once a year. Here comes my justification: We've read the Easter story while using the resurrection eggs more times than I can count, we've talked and prayed together about Easter every day for weeks now, and we're making the resurrection rolls tomorrow, so I feel like we've balanced it pretty well. Kaden knows what Easter is all about, and he's just as excited to go to church tomorrow and celebrate as he was to hunt for his eggs this morning. So anyway, that's just what we do, and it's been fun!
We went to the pet store after Jesse's nap and got Kaden's salamander some wax worms seeing as how he's not enjoying his worms or crickets. Spoiled rotten, he is. Then, we went to a fun little Amish market and got some yummies for Easter dinner tomorrow and had a yummy little lunch. No big plans for getting together with people tomorrow. We have to leave our place at 5:30 in the morning to make it to our sunrise service, so we'll keep it pretty low key for the rest of the day.
So...it's been a nice family day. By the way - girlies from home, thanks for the fun phone call message! So nice that you were thinking of me while you were out and about! Is there a Panera in Bangor? Whoo-hoo! French onion soup, here I come!
Happy Easter, all!
We hid a whole whack of eggs for Kaden to hunt this morning. He's been finding them all throughout the day! I know that a lot of people don't do anything commercialized with their kids for Easter, but we feel that there is no harm in having him go on a little hunt once a year. Here comes my justification: We've read the Easter story while using the resurrection eggs more times than I can count, we've talked and prayed together about Easter every day for weeks now, and we're making the resurrection rolls tomorrow, so I feel like we've balanced it pretty well. Kaden knows what Easter is all about, and he's just as excited to go to church tomorrow and celebrate as he was to hunt for his eggs this morning. So anyway, that's just what we do, and it's been fun!
We went to the pet store after Jesse's nap and got Kaden's salamander some wax worms seeing as how he's not enjoying his worms or crickets. Spoiled rotten, he is. Then, we went to a fun little Amish market and got some yummies for Easter dinner tomorrow and had a yummy little lunch. No big plans for getting together with people tomorrow. We have to leave our place at 5:30 in the morning to make it to our sunrise service, so we'll keep it pretty low key for the rest of the day.
So...it's been a nice family day. By the way - girlies from home, thanks for the fun phone call message! So nice that you were thinking of me while you were out and about! Is there a Panera in Bangor? Whoo-hoo! French onion soup, here I come!
Happy Easter, all!
It's a Sad Day....
Well, my dear friend Rachey left me today. Our week together absolutely flew by. She was my sanity out here when she and her hubby lived here. We were in the same program together, the same stage of life marriage wise, we both had babies while we were out here, we share the same loves and interests, and, well - I was just blessed to have her for those two years. This last year has been a little rough without her!
So, we had seven days of visiting, eating, going on adventures whenever one of the three kiddos wasn't napping, and just some really great talks sharing hopes, dreams, struggles, wisdom, advice - you name it. It was Heaven. And tonight I'm sad.
On another note......I just don't think it's going to work out between your wee one and my Jesse. I think she's looking for a guy who is, shall we say, a little less intense? She didn't seem overly impressed by his bathtime splashing, or by his toy bonking. Come to think of it, by the end of the drive to the airport today, she really didn't even want him looking at her, did she? :0) Just kidding! She did awesome with two crazies for the week!
So, we had seven days of visiting, eating, going on adventures whenever one of the three kiddos wasn't napping, and just some really great talks sharing hopes, dreams, struggles, wisdom, advice - you name it. It was Heaven. And tonight I'm sad.
On another note......I just don't think it's going to work out between your wee one and my Jesse. I think she's looking for a guy who is, shall we say, a little less intense? She didn't seem overly impressed by his bathtime splashing, or by his toy bonking. Come to think of it, by the end of the drive to the airport today, she really didn't even want him looking at her, did she? :0) Just kidding! She did awesome with two crazies for the week!
Resurrection Rolls
Here's a fun snack to make with your kiddos that is both delish and also helps them to celebrate Easter in a fun and different way:
Ingredients: 1 package refrigerated cresecent roll dough, 8 large marshmallows, 2 T. melted butter, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 T. sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Give each child one triangle of crescent dough and a marshmallow. (The roll represents the cloth that Jesus' body was wrapped in and the marshmallow represents Jesus. Just go with it, guys!) Have each child dip the marshmallow in the melted butter. (You can explain that this represents the embalming oils). Next, dip the marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar. (These represent the spices used to anoint Jesus' body). Wrap the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll - not like a typical crescent roll, but bring up and seal the marshmallow inside. (This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after His death). Put the rolls on an ungreased cookie sheet and place them in the oven. (This represents Jesus' tomb).
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, cool slightly.
When rolls are cool, the kids can open up their rolls (the burial cloths) and discover that Jesus (marshmallow) is no longer there! NOTE: IF the crescent rolls are sealed well, the marshmallow will melt and the roll will be puffed up, but empty.
HE IS RISEN!
Slightly cheesy, but fun!
Ingredients: 1 package refrigerated cresecent roll dough, 8 large marshmallows, 2 T. melted butter, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 T. sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Give each child one triangle of crescent dough and a marshmallow. (The roll represents the cloth that Jesus' body was wrapped in and the marshmallow represents Jesus. Just go with it, guys!) Have each child dip the marshmallow in the melted butter. (You can explain that this represents the embalming oils). Next, dip the marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar. (These represent the spices used to anoint Jesus' body). Wrap the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll - not like a typical crescent roll, but bring up and seal the marshmallow inside. (This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after His death). Put the rolls on an ungreased cookie sheet and place them in the oven. (This represents Jesus' tomb).
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, cool slightly.
When rolls are cool, the kids can open up their rolls (the burial cloths) and discover that Jesus (marshmallow) is no longer there! NOTE: IF the crescent rolls are sealed well, the marshmallow will melt and the roll will be puffed up, but empty.
HE IS RISEN!
Slightly cheesy, but fun!
Out of Comission!
Not sure of the spelling on that word........(commission?)
Anyhoo....
I haven't done any blogging for the past few days because my dear friend Rachel - who left me and moved to Indiana - has flown in for a week long visit with her little baby! Soooo, since I only have her for a few days, we need to paint the town as red as we can with three wee ones who are all on completely different schedules! I'm soaking in every minute that I can with her and am not doing much more.
So far, we've just done a lot of visiting. We went to Lancaster for the day on Saturday and did a little antiquing, we've played outside and gone to the school to feed the ducks, (Yesterday, the duck that I like to hold chomped right down on my lip! I guess he didn't want any kisses!), we've hit a few stores, watched a movie, ate lots, gone for a walk, and have just enjoyed being with each other. We have a list of things that we want to accomplish in the little time that she's here, and we've only just begun. :0)
Jesse has also managed to sufficiently overwhelm her daughter. He even made her cry in the bathtub with his voracious splashing! She is now tolerating him, at least; she just keeps her distance! I'm not sure what she thinks of all of these males in this house! A delicate rose among thorns....
Okay. We've off to conquer! Good times!
Anyhoo....
I haven't done any blogging for the past few days because my dear friend Rachel - who left me and moved to Indiana - has flown in for a week long visit with her little baby! Soooo, since I only have her for a few days, we need to paint the town as red as we can with three wee ones who are all on completely different schedules! I'm soaking in every minute that I can with her and am not doing much more.
So far, we've just done a lot of visiting. We went to Lancaster for the day on Saturday and did a little antiquing, we've played outside and gone to the school to feed the ducks, (Yesterday, the duck that I like to hold chomped right down on my lip! I guess he didn't want any kisses!), we've hit a few stores, watched a movie, ate lots, gone for a walk, and have just enjoyed being with each other. We have a list of things that we want to accomplish in the little time that she's here, and we've only just begun. :0)
Jesse has also managed to sufficiently overwhelm her daughter. He even made her cry in the bathtub with his voracious splashing! She is now tolerating him, at least; she just keeps her distance! I'm not sure what she thinks of all of these males in this house! A delicate rose among thorns....
Okay. We've off to conquer! Good times!
Our Newest Addition
Kaden is pleased and proud to announce that a new member has joined our family. He has his very first "real" pet. Last night at Tyler State Park, we found a little baby salamander and Daddy told him that he could bring it home to keep for his very own. This was oh so very exciting! We brought some of the leaves, rocks, and dirt that he had been living under back home with us, Mommy sacrificed one of her tupperware for the cause, and now we have the cutest little guy living on our kitchen table for all the world to see! I fear that he may not live long, as Kaden always wants to hold him and dig for him under the leaves, but we shall see.
And his name? Well, it's a classic: Ant Ant.
I have no idea, but I told him it fit perfectly.
(And Trishy-Poo....if you could give me a little brush up on how to post images, I'd like to do a little pic for you all to gaze at....but alas - I have forgotten that skill).
And his name? Well, it's a classic: Ant Ant.
I have no idea, but I told him it fit perfectly.
(And Trishy-Poo....if you could give me a little brush up on how to post images, I'd like to do a little pic for you all to gaze at....but alas - I have forgotten that skill).
A Couple a' Funnies.....
A couple of weeks ago, a man in our church offered to snuggle with Jesse while we had worship practice. Upon handing Jesse back to me he grunted: "You can tell this kid's from Maine. He's as heavy as a moose!" We were so proud! :0)
Yesterday, Kaden asked if he could play one of his instruments while I was getting Jesse settled and ready for bed. I told him that he could play for as long as I was feeding Jesse, but then he had to stop because it would be too loud. Kaden's response:
"Okay. So as soon as he's done milking you, you want me to be done?"
Yeah. Something like that.
Yesterday, Kaden asked if he could play one of his instruments while I was getting Jesse settled and ready for bed. I told him that he could play for as long as I was feeding Jesse, but then he had to stop because it would be too loud. Kaden's response:
"Okay. So as soon as he's done milking you, you want me to be done?"
Yeah. Something like that.
Learning to Slow Down
Again. Will I ever get this down?
Warning: Long and rambly post ahead. Feel free to skim! But, if you REALLY love me, you'll read every word.....:0)
I feel like all I am constantly doing lately is assessing and reassessing life. Since Jesse has entered our world, it seems like we have just been living in one big whirlwind, and I have just been hanging on for dear life trying to savor the ride but trying to still stay one step ahead of the game, as well.
For some reason, (okay for several) this past year has probably been the absolute craziest of our entire marriage. Between grad school for Kev, me finishing up my Bachelor's Degree, Jesse's birth and fussiness the first half of his life, losing our support system with all of our friends leaving, multiple little side jobs for the both of us, and then Jesse getting burned...sometimes we have felt like we can hardly take the time to breathe.
SO - this past week I got done one of my babysitting jobs. Doesn't sound like much, and financially, it's probably not the wisest move, but for the sake of my sanity and for the sake of my boys so that I can be a better mommy, it's what we've decided to do. And it's been a good move.
Kev and I always go into Kaden's room right before we go to bed and we'll often lay down beside him and scratch his back, or just look at him and talk about him, or - Kev's personal favorite....he'll try to make Kaden laugh in his sleep by saying all kinds of super dumb things. Kaden is SUCH a deep sleeper, we can dress him and undress him, and he doesn't have a clue! So, it's fun to try to mess with his head while he's so far gone! Anyway, a couple of nights ago after leaving his room, I just got totally weepy! Here is this huge kid with these legs that practically reach the foot of the bed who is becoming so independent and big. I just had one of those moments where I was like: "Where has his babyhood gone? Kaden is a little BOY now!" And Jesse is almost ONE already! WHAT IS UP WITH THAT? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
And it just hit me so hard!
I got to thinking about this past year and how crazy life has been. I have tried so hard to savor him every step of the way; and I've tried to be intentional about having alone time with JUST him - talking to him, playing with him, and doing what HE loves. But I wonder if I could have done more. If I could have savored him just a tiny bit more. I know that I'm a good mom, and I know that my boys will NEVER question my love for them, but it's so easy to allow time to slip through your fingers. One day, you kind of wake up and realize that almost another whole year has passed. It's crazy!
I never in a MILLION years thought that I would be "one of those mothers" who would cry when their kids went to school on their first day. I pictured myself enjoying my newfound independence and throwing myself back into the things that I used to love but had let fall by the wayside during the childrearing years! There was a part of me that honestly wondered if I was even cut out for motherhood, and for many a year I had NO desire to join the ranks of millions of other diaper bag toting, snot and spit up covered, howling child holding mommies! Nothing about that even appealed to me! But - holy dyin - motherhood has done something to me. I love these kids so much, it is sometimes physically painful!
I love this quote that I found a couple of years ago. I have it in both of my boy's baby books:
"Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous! It is to decide FOREVER to have your heart go walking around outside your body." - Elizabeth Stone
Isn't that good? And OH SO true! So, anyway - after being all blubbery to Kev, I am - once again - stepping back, reassessing, and seeing where I can slow down and savor a little bit more in my life. It's not like I'm super crazy or anything, I just know when things start to feel a little crowded and I start to feel a little frazzled and I forget. It was really only one little moment with my sleeping little boy, but it was good for me. It was enough. So, there's the reason for me getting done babysitting. And today I let the laundry and the dishes fall by the wayside and we just played.
Warning: Long and rambly post ahead. Feel free to skim! But, if you REALLY love me, you'll read every word.....:0)
I feel like all I am constantly doing lately is assessing and reassessing life. Since Jesse has entered our world, it seems like we have just been living in one big whirlwind, and I have just been hanging on for dear life trying to savor the ride but trying to still stay one step ahead of the game, as well.
For some reason, (okay for several) this past year has probably been the absolute craziest of our entire marriage. Between grad school for Kev, me finishing up my Bachelor's Degree, Jesse's birth and fussiness the first half of his life, losing our support system with all of our friends leaving, multiple little side jobs for the both of us, and then Jesse getting burned...sometimes we have felt like we can hardly take the time to breathe.
SO - this past week I got done one of my babysitting jobs. Doesn't sound like much, and financially, it's probably not the wisest move, but for the sake of my sanity and for the sake of my boys so that I can be a better mommy, it's what we've decided to do. And it's been a good move.
Kev and I always go into Kaden's room right before we go to bed and we'll often lay down beside him and scratch his back, or just look at him and talk about him, or - Kev's personal favorite....he'll try to make Kaden laugh in his sleep by saying all kinds of super dumb things. Kaden is SUCH a deep sleeper, we can dress him and undress him, and he doesn't have a clue! So, it's fun to try to mess with his head while he's so far gone! Anyway, a couple of nights ago after leaving his room, I just got totally weepy! Here is this huge kid with these legs that practically reach the foot of the bed who is becoming so independent and big. I just had one of those moments where I was like: "Where has his babyhood gone? Kaden is a little BOY now!" And Jesse is almost ONE already! WHAT IS UP WITH THAT? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
And it just hit me so hard!
I got to thinking about this past year and how crazy life has been. I have tried so hard to savor him every step of the way; and I've tried to be intentional about having alone time with JUST him - talking to him, playing with him, and doing what HE loves. But I wonder if I could have done more. If I could have savored him just a tiny bit more. I know that I'm a good mom, and I know that my boys will NEVER question my love for them, but it's so easy to allow time to slip through your fingers. One day, you kind of wake up and realize that almost another whole year has passed. It's crazy!
I never in a MILLION years thought that I would be "one of those mothers" who would cry when their kids went to school on their first day. I pictured myself enjoying my newfound independence and throwing myself back into the things that I used to love but had let fall by the wayside during the childrearing years! There was a part of me that honestly wondered if I was even cut out for motherhood, and for many a year I had NO desire to join the ranks of millions of other diaper bag toting, snot and spit up covered, howling child holding mommies! Nothing about that even appealed to me! But - holy dyin - motherhood has done something to me. I love these kids so much, it is sometimes physically painful!
I love this quote that I found a couple of years ago. I have it in both of my boy's baby books:
"Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous! It is to decide FOREVER to have your heart go walking around outside your body." - Elizabeth Stone
Isn't that good? And OH SO true! So, anyway - after being all blubbery to Kev, I am - once again - stepping back, reassessing, and seeing where I can slow down and savor a little bit more in my life. It's not like I'm super crazy or anything, I just know when things start to feel a little crowded and I start to feel a little frazzled and I forget. It was really only one little moment with my sleeping little boy, but it was good for me. It was enough. So, there's the reason for me getting done babysitting. And today I let the laundry and the dishes fall by the wayside and we just played.
Saturdayz!
It's been a good day. A messy day, but really good, nonetheless.
It's been raining cats and dogs, but oh so warm! Next time I'm at Wal-mart I need to get Kaden some wellies so we can go puddle hopping! Because we played so much over spring break, Kev had to do some catching up today, so the wee ones and I entertained ourselves. Kev did work at home today, but I'm wondering how much he really got accomplished. We're a rowdy bunch.
Our morning began with Kaden making us a "bonfire" in a huge plastic tub. He poured tons of tiny toys into it for wood, and we sat around it with our graham cracker smores and coffee. Then, I tried out a new recipe for puffy paint. I don't quite have the proportions right, yet, as it lost it most of its puffiness after it dried. It was still fun, though, and once I perfect the recipe I'll pass it on. While we painted, Jesse happily chewed on some of Kev's song sheets at my feet and managed to eat a good chunk of it before I caught him. Good times!
When Jesse woke up from his morning nap, Kev took a break from schoolwork and we ran out and did some errands and got a snack. Both boys slept wretchedly this afternoon, but it's just as well. With the time change, and it being our longest day tomorrow, they'll both go down for the night at 6:00 and hopefully not be too affected by the lost hour.
Before supper, I gave them both a bath. Jesse managed to get a hold of Kev's coffee (it was cold, at least) and dumped it all over himself and the floor! So - to the tub we went. Jesse is quite the voracious bath taker and he literally soaked our bathroom floor with his splashing! During his entire bath, his eyes were red rimmed from always getting water in them, and he was constantly burping from all of his water intake! I got soaked from head to foot, and Kaden just shook his head and backed into the farthest corner of the tub to watch the show!
Now they are both p.j.'d up and smelling delish. The evening is winding down, the apartment is still trashed, and we are happy. It's been a good day. Well, I must be off. Jesse is about ready to ram a hanger down his throat......Lord have mercy!
It's been raining cats and dogs, but oh so warm! Next time I'm at Wal-mart I need to get Kaden some wellies so we can go puddle hopping! Because we played so much over spring break, Kev had to do some catching up today, so the wee ones and I entertained ourselves. Kev did work at home today, but I'm wondering how much he really got accomplished. We're a rowdy bunch.
Our morning began with Kaden making us a "bonfire" in a huge plastic tub. He poured tons of tiny toys into it for wood, and we sat around it with our graham cracker smores and coffee. Then, I tried out a new recipe for puffy paint. I don't quite have the proportions right, yet, as it lost it most of its puffiness after it dried. It was still fun, though, and once I perfect the recipe I'll pass it on. While we painted, Jesse happily chewed on some of Kev's song sheets at my feet and managed to eat a good chunk of it before I caught him. Good times!
When Jesse woke up from his morning nap, Kev took a break from schoolwork and we ran out and did some errands and got a snack. Both boys slept wretchedly this afternoon, but it's just as well. With the time change, and it being our longest day tomorrow, they'll both go down for the night at 6:00 and hopefully not be too affected by the lost hour.
Before supper, I gave them both a bath. Jesse managed to get a hold of Kev's coffee (it was cold, at least) and dumped it all over himself and the floor! So - to the tub we went. Jesse is quite the voracious bath taker and he literally soaked our bathroom floor with his splashing! During his entire bath, his eyes were red rimmed from always getting water in them, and he was constantly burping from all of his water intake! I got soaked from head to foot, and Kaden just shook his head and backed into the farthest corner of the tub to watch the show!
Now they are both p.j.'d up and smelling delish. The evening is winding down, the apartment is still trashed, and we are happy. It's been a good day. Well, I must be off. Jesse is about ready to ram a hanger down his throat......Lord have mercy!
Sigh!
Well, we are back home again. I do love my little haven here, but I had an instant feeling of claustrophobia as soon as we pulled into our yard. It was good for my soul to be out in the wide open spaces for awhile. I need it; it's in my blood. I even loved the perpetual smell of barns and horse manure in the air! Kaden, on the other hand, would loudly say "Ewww! Stinky poop!" whenever he got a whiff!
The boy's Great Grammy gave them each a little cash for Christmas, so yesterday afternoon, we took them on a train ride in Strasburg all through the Amish country. Jesse was free, so he generously bought my ticket for me! What a sweet chap! :0) We rode on the oldest working train in the state and got a fabulous history lesson as we chugged our way through the countryside. It was SO awesome!
After that, we just putzed around here and there, went for a scenic drive, and then we all went swimming in the evening. Today we just enjoyed our room until it was time to leave. While Jesse got his morning nap in, Kaden, Kev, and I did a puzzle and played Go Fish - in which Kev cheated, let me add - and then we hit the road for home. On our way home, we went to Kitchen Kettle Village and got tons of yummy samples from one of their stores, stopped at a market that sells bulk food supplies, stopped at a farm and bought some homemade root beer, and stopped at another house and bought a homemade chicken pot pie for supper. We're pretty much all about the food! We also played on a little playground and sat in some grass and watched some little goats play for awhile, too! Random - but glorious!
So, now we're home. I don't know about you, but when I come back from being gone for a few days, I can't just simply unpack. I have to dust and vacuum, rearrange a little, and do a little organizing too in order to feel settled back in! Slightly anal, me thinks, but it's just how I am. So, now that is done, all of my boys are abed, and I must hit the hay, as well. A mountain of laundry and an empty fridge await me in the morning!
The boy's Great Grammy gave them each a little cash for Christmas, so yesterday afternoon, we took them on a train ride in Strasburg all through the Amish country. Jesse was free, so he generously bought my ticket for me! What a sweet chap! :0) We rode on the oldest working train in the state and got a fabulous history lesson as we chugged our way through the countryside. It was SO awesome!
After that, we just putzed around here and there, went for a scenic drive, and then we all went swimming in the evening. Today we just enjoyed our room until it was time to leave. While Jesse got his morning nap in, Kaden, Kev, and I did a puzzle and played Go Fish - in which Kev cheated, let me add - and then we hit the road for home. On our way home, we went to Kitchen Kettle Village and got tons of yummy samples from one of their stores, stopped at a market that sells bulk food supplies, stopped at a farm and bought some homemade root beer, and stopped at another house and bought a homemade chicken pot pie for supper. We're pretty much all about the food! We also played on a little playground and sat in some grass and watched some little goats play for awhile, too! Random - but glorious!
So, now we're home. I don't know about you, but when I come back from being gone for a few days, I can't just simply unpack. I have to dust and vacuum, rearrange a little, and do a little organizing too in order to feel settled back in! Slightly anal, me thinks, but it's just how I am. So, now that is done, all of my boys are abed, and I must hit the hay, as well. A mountain of laundry and an empty fridge await me in the morning!
Vacay - Day 3
Sheer bliss, I tell you.
The weather has been glorious - springlike really, the scenery soothes my soul, the food bloateth my belly, and this girl is ready to re-enter society refreshed and rejuvenated.
As I type, Jesse is napping in the next room and Kevin and Kaden are outside exploring and throwing a ball around. We used to not have the kids nap when we went away on vacay. We just threw their entire routine to the wind, but we have learned that our entire family does better if at least some semblance of our normal rhythms and routines are maintained. Besides, Kaden loves napping in hotels. He finds it quite exciting. Jesse still crabs just as much when we lay him down, but he naps nonetheless.
So, let me give you the breakdown of what we've been doing. Yesterday, besides a boatload of eating, we went to a few little outlet stores, drove around and explored, swam, and went for a little walk around our place. A highlight for me was checking out a couple of very awesome little antiquey stores - where I purchased FOUR (count them!) really cute little iron and wooden chairs to sit out on our porch for $5!! (Five buckaroos, Baby!) I only wanted two, but they all came together! Kev says that's really great since they're all decrepit anyway, we'll have spares for when they break. He doesn't appreciate a great bargain when he sees one!
Did I mention that we have a whirlpool hottub in our room? Seriously - for no extra charge, you can get a hottub in your room. Who wouldn't? So, while the boys napped yesterday, I did a little scrapbooking and Kev did a little hottubbing. Sheer bliss, I tell you! I put Jesse in it this morning. He loved splashing and grabbing at the water. I was sorely tempted to dunk him under and see if he could swim, but I figured I've given Kev enough stress lately, as far as this child is concerned!
Our little place overlooks a humungous field, and across the field there is a little one room Amish schoolhouse. I've been watching the kids play outside. I am so drawn to this whole lifestyle! Aside from having to wear a dress everyday and wear one of those funky little bonnets, I love much of what these people stand for and how they live. It really appeals to me. A lot of hard work, simplicity, and family. I love it.
Okay, Jesse will be waking up soon, and I must get really to go and conquer the rest of this country before we head back to ghetto-land tomorrow - you know - Filthydelphia, the city of brotherly Shove! Just Kidding!......kinda'
The weather has been glorious - springlike really, the scenery soothes my soul, the food bloateth my belly, and this girl is ready to re-enter society refreshed and rejuvenated.
As I type, Jesse is napping in the next room and Kevin and Kaden are outside exploring and throwing a ball around. We used to not have the kids nap when we went away on vacay. We just threw their entire routine to the wind, but we have learned that our entire family does better if at least some semblance of our normal rhythms and routines are maintained. Besides, Kaden loves napping in hotels. He finds it quite exciting. Jesse still crabs just as much when we lay him down, but he naps nonetheless.
So, let me give you the breakdown of what we've been doing. Yesterday, besides a boatload of eating, we went to a few little outlet stores, drove around and explored, swam, and went for a little walk around our place. A highlight for me was checking out a couple of very awesome little antiquey stores - where I purchased FOUR (count them!) really cute little iron and wooden chairs to sit out on our porch for $5!! (Five buckaroos, Baby!) I only wanted two, but they all came together! Kev says that's really great since they're all decrepit anyway, we'll have spares for when they break. He doesn't appreciate a great bargain when he sees one!
Did I mention that we have a whirlpool hottub in our room? Seriously - for no extra charge, you can get a hottub in your room. Who wouldn't? So, while the boys napped yesterday, I did a little scrapbooking and Kev did a little hottubbing. Sheer bliss, I tell you! I put Jesse in it this morning. He loved splashing and grabbing at the water. I was sorely tempted to dunk him under and see if he could swim, but I figured I've given Kev enough stress lately, as far as this child is concerned!
Our little place overlooks a humungous field, and across the field there is a little one room Amish schoolhouse. I've been watching the kids play outside. I am so drawn to this whole lifestyle! Aside from having to wear a dress everyday and wear one of those funky little bonnets, I love much of what these people stand for and how they live. It really appeals to me. A lot of hard work, simplicity, and family. I love it.
Okay, Jesse will be waking up soon, and I must get really to go and conquer the rest of this country before we head back to ghetto-land tomorrow - you know - Filthydelphia, the city of brotherly Shove! Just Kidding!......kinda'
We Be Amish....
Don't ask. I don't know either. That was just Kev's contribution to this post....He's looney.
Well, Kev and I are sitting on our duffers at our fantabulous little getaway spot in Lancaster, PA. Aside from me getting us lost on our trip out - (we ended up at the Delaware border before we realized... not sure how that happened) - it's been wonderful! I've officially decided that I wouldn't be good at Amazing Race, though.
We have a wonderful little spot that overlooks wide open spaces of fields and fields, Kaden has a pool so he's stoked, and we are just soaking it in. No big agenda; just lots of family time together. Okay, it's late so I'm signing off. Even though it's vacation, our two little alarm clocks don't know the difference!
Well, Kev and I are sitting on our duffers at our fantabulous little getaway spot in Lancaster, PA. Aside from me getting us lost on our trip out - (we ended up at the Delaware border before we realized... not sure how that happened) - it's been wonderful! I've officially decided that I wouldn't be good at Amazing Race, though.
We have a wonderful little spot that overlooks wide open spaces of fields and fields, Kaden has a pool so he's stoked, and we are just soaking it in. No big agenda; just lots of family time together. Okay, it's late so I'm signing off. Even though it's vacation, our two little alarm clocks don't know the difference!
You Like?
Okay. My computer illiterate-ness still ranks high, but thanks to my friend Trish (whooo-hoooo! Did you see that? That's called a "hyper-link" thank you very much!!! Yee-haw!), it's not as high as it once was. Oh my! I'm quite excited about all that I have learned. Granted, I've forgotten a ton already, but she taught me some pretty cool stuff. My blog is still a work in progress - I haven't got it exactly how I want it yet - but it's coming. Anyway, many thanks to you, sweet friend! With four kids running around, we still managed to have a very nice brunch, a good visit, and a lovely little teaching session. Well, except for the paint incident in the kitchen where it looked like a murder took place....... All in all, the kids entertained themselves quite well!
So....it's been awhile since I've posted. Life has been TOO busy this past week. But, it's almost over and all is well. Allow me to give you all a brief (well, brief for me) update on the good things that took place. Today is the first day that Jesse is completely bandage free! We've been trying some homeopathic stuff on his hands, but today we just decided to let him be free. And we are ALL quite happy about this, let me tell ya. I can't tell you how much I love seeing those little chubby fingers again.
Spring break begins on Monday, and for one final last hurrah before graduation, our whole little family is going to go away for a few nights. We are all super excited and ready for a little change of pace. Life has been a wee bit crazy these past couple of weeks. Too crazy, if you ask me. So, we're all ready to just kick it for awhile and hang out as a family with no outside pressures vying for our time and attention.
Kev and I went on a date this past Tuesday, which was SO nice. It was good to catch up, reconnect, visit with no interruptions, fill our faces with yummy food, and dream about our future together. Well, maybe it looked more like "stress about our future," but it was good! I love that we never run out of things to say to each other....and when we do, it's a nice comfortable silence. And I also love being foolish and silly with him. We went to see a movie after dinner, and there were only four other people in the whole theatre. So, we were able to laugh, talk, and snort to our hearts content without getting into trouble! Good times.
Today is Kev's final Saturday class! We're both quite happy about this. A friend came for lunch, so that kept us occupied, and then I gave her a tour of the campus before the boys' naps. Kaden loves to feed the ducks, so we went and sat down by the pond for awhile. They're quite tame - a little freakishly so, and they were trying to eat out of our hands when there wasn't even any food in them! While I was putting Jesse in the backpack, one came over and nipped at his finger! Another one let me pick him up today. I was so happy that he let me snuggle him! I'm sure we made quite the sight - Kaden riding his tricycle all through the duck poop, and me just walking all over the lawn with Jesse on my back and a little ducky in my arms. Sheer bliss!
Okay, well that was a wee update. A little random and nothing overly exciting, but a little window into our lives nonetheless.....
So....it's been awhile since I've posted. Life has been TOO busy this past week. But, it's almost over and all is well. Allow me to give you all a brief (well, brief for me) update on the good things that took place. Today is the first day that Jesse is completely bandage free! We've been trying some homeopathic stuff on his hands, but today we just decided to let him be free. And we are ALL quite happy about this, let me tell ya. I can't tell you how much I love seeing those little chubby fingers again.
Spring break begins on Monday, and for one final last hurrah before graduation, our whole little family is going to go away for a few nights. We are all super excited and ready for a little change of pace. Life has been a wee bit crazy these past couple of weeks. Too crazy, if you ask me. So, we're all ready to just kick it for awhile and hang out as a family with no outside pressures vying for our time and attention.
Kev and I went on a date this past Tuesday, which was SO nice. It was good to catch up, reconnect, visit with no interruptions, fill our faces with yummy food, and dream about our future together. Well, maybe it looked more like "stress about our future," but it was good! I love that we never run out of things to say to each other....and when we do, it's a nice comfortable silence. And I also love being foolish and silly with him. We went to see a movie after dinner, and there were only four other people in the whole theatre. So, we were able to laugh, talk, and snort to our hearts content without getting into trouble! Good times.
Today is Kev's final Saturday class! We're both quite happy about this. A friend came for lunch, so that kept us occupied, and then I gave her a tour of the campus before the boys' naps. Kaden loves to feed the ducks, so we went and sat down by the pond for awhile. They're quite tame - a little freakishly so, and they were trying to eat out of our hands when there wasn't even any food in them! While I was putting Jesse in the backpack, one came over and nipped at his finger! Another one let me pick him up today. I was so happy that he let me snuggle him! I'm sure we made quite the sight - Kaden riding his tricycle all through the duck poop, and me just walking all over the lawn with Jesse on my back and a little ducky in my arms. Sheer bliss!
Okay, well that was a wee update. A little random and nothing overly exciting, but a little window into our lives nonetheless.....
A Couple of Funny Things....
Kaden absolutely LOVED the Caedmon's Call concert that Kev took him to this weekend. They didn't get home until after 10:00 p.m! That is VERY late for this little guy who loves his sleep. He was so pumped and so happy when he walked through the door, though. I could tell that he had an absolute blast. Kev said that a number of times he asked if Kaden wanted to come home, but he would just smile and say that he wanted to stay a little longer. The only time where Kaden was restless was when the lead singer talked for quite awhile about Compassion. Anyway, I guess the guy had a bit of a stutter, and at one point, Kaden laughed right out loud and repeated what he said, while the rest of the entire audience was being silent! He wasn't being mean, he just found it funny. A few of the students looked back and found that to be quite amusing! Okay, lessons to be taught about imitating others......
Then, yesterday we were headed to the park and the boys and I waited in the car while Kev ran in to get us some coffee. (I know - hard to believe). We probably were waiting about ten or fifteen minutes, and I was so pleased that Jesse was being so content in the backseat. Every few seconds I could hear a really contented little grunt, but other than that - both boys were silent. Well, I just happened to glance in my rearview mirror at one point, and I see that Kaden is very nicely sharing his LOLLIPOP with Jesse! Oh my word! That's why the kid was so happy! Good grief! Okay, more lessons about what to share and what not to share with babies.......
Then, yesterday we were headed to the park and the boys and I waited in the car while Kev ran in to get us some coffee. (I know - hard to believe). We probably were waiting about ten or fifteen minutes, and I was so pleased that Jesse was being so content in the backseat. Every few seconds I could hear a really contented little grunt, but other than that - both boys were silent. Well, I just happened to glance in my rearview mirror at one point, and I see that Kaden is very nicely sharing his LOLLIPOP with Jesse! Oh my word! That's why the kid was so happy! Good grief! Okay, more lessons about what to share and what not to share with babies.......
An Explanation.......
I feel that I must clarify my "R" for "Rebel" statement a wee bit.
Remember that I said I am a rebel as far as a nontraditional sense of "style" goes. This is very different from being a rebel as far as a heart issue goes. Now, don't get me wrong. If you talk to me about wearing nylons and dresses to church, you'll see the rebellion there. But, that's another issue for another post. I'm working on it. Especially if Kev gets hired by a church that really really wants me to dress up a little. That's really not overly cool with me, but I'll work on it. I really well. But I digress......maybe it was all those years at N.B.B.I......
When I said that I will not have an issue if my boys want piercings or tats, I honestly won't IF they don't do it out of a rebellious SPIRIT or wrong motives. And you can tell the difference. I'm not talking about being cool with it if they want to do it when they're in junior high - or even in high school for that matter. I don't know....we'll see. What I am saying is that if once they're out on their own and they come home from college on a break with a tat, I'm not going to fly off the handle and preach to them about being backslidden. Holiness is not about a list of rules and regulations. It's a matter of the heart. When we start talking about offending the weaker brother or being a stumbling block to others, well frankly, that's why I haven't done a lot of things that I might like to do. We'll discuss all of this if and when the time comes.
"Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart," and I care a great deal more about what God thinks. By no means have I figured this whole thing out, but there is a delicate line to be walked between legalisim and offending our brother.
My parents were really awesome about this during our growing up years. We lived in a community and culture where going to movies and dances was a sin, and where even wearing makeup might spark a discussion. I clearly remember in my high school years being taken aside by a deacon in my church because I had pierced the top of my earlobe. Now, I know the dear soul loved me and he was just concerned for my "spiritual well-being," but mister man, at the time did that EVER turn me off. That little discussion did nothing for my spiritual well-being!
When senior prom rolled around, there were many of my Christian friends who were having major issues with their parents, because they were forbidden to go. My mom and dad, on the other hand, told me that if I wanted to go they would go dress shopping with me and it would be no problem with them. They trusted me. They knew me. And they knew the friends that I hung out with. This spoke VOLUMES to me! In a sense, they were putting their own necks out on the line with THEIR friends, because they were letting us go. Ultimately I chose not to because, for one thing, I can't dance to save my soul, and for another, my boyfriend of four years and I had just broken up. I wanted nothing to do with the whole scene. But, had I wanted to go, they would have let me! That trust that they had in me made me want to live even more trustworthy for them! Do you understand what I'm trying to say?
Clear as mud?! I just want to major on the majors and minor on the minors. My parents did a really great job at that. I want my boys to love Christ intimately and passionately. I want them to be completely sold out to Him. I want to be completely sold out to Him. And if this is the case, what's a little ink? I shudder to think of the things that I will really be dealing with them ten years from now. I'm sure that by then, tats and piercings will no longer be what's "cool" and it'll be something like shaving their heads or pulling out all of their teeth, or women trying to grow beards that will be the "in" thing.
Then, I'll really have to eat my words...........
Remember that I said I am a rebel as far as a nontraditional sense of "style" goes. This is very different from being a rebel as far as a heart issue goes. Now, don't get me wrong. If you talk to me about wearing nylons and dresses to church, you'll see the rebellion there. But, that's another issue for another post. I'm working on it. Especially if Kev gets hired by a church that really really wants me to dress up a little. That's really not overly cool with me, but I'll work on it. I really well. But I digress......maybe it was all those years at N.B.B.I......
When I said that I will not have an issue if my boys want piercings or tats, I honestly won't IF they don't do it out of a rebellious SPIRIT or wrong motives. And you can tell the difference. I'm not talking about being cool with it if they want to do it when they're in junior high - or even in high school for that matter. I don't know....we'll see. What I am saying is that if once they're out on their own and they come home from college on a break with a tat, I'm not going to fly off the handle and preach to them about being backslidden. Holiness is not about a list of rules and regulations. It's a matter of the heart. When we start talking about offending the weaker brother or being a stumbling block to others, well frankly, that's why I haven't done a lot of things that I might like to do. We'll discuss all of this if and when the time comes.
"Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart," and I care a great deal more about what God thinks. By no means have I figured this whole thing out, but there is a delicate line to be walked between legalisim and offending our brother.
My parents were really awesome about this during our growing up years. We lived in a community and culture where going to movies and dances was a sin, and where even wearing makeup might spark a discussion. I clearly remember in my high school years being taken aside by a deacon in my church because I had pierced the top of my earlobe. Now, I know the dear soul loved me and he was just concerned for my "spiritual well-being," but mister man, at the time did that EVER turn me off. That little discussion did nothing for my spiritual well-being!
When senior prom rolled around, there were many of my Christian friends who were having major issues with their parents, because they were forbidden to go. My mom and dad, on the other hand, told me that if I wanted to go they would go dress shopping with me and it would be no problem with them. They trusted me. They knew me. And they knew the friends that I hung out with. This spoke VOLUMES to me! In a sense, they were putting their own necks out on the line with THEIR friends, because they were letting us go. Ultimately I chose not to because, for one thing, I can't dance to save my soul, and for another, my boyfriend of four years and I had just broken up. I wanted nothing to do with the whole scene. But, had I wanted to go, they would have let me! That trust that they had in me made me want to live even more trustworthy for them! Do you understand what I'm trying to say?
Clear as mud?! I just want to major on the majors and minor on the minors. My parents did a really great job at that. I want my boys to love Christ intimately and passionately. I want them to be completely sold out to Him. I want to be completely sold out to Him. And if this is the case, what's a little ink? I shudder to think of the things that I will really be dealing with them ten years from now. I'm sure that by then, tats and piercings will no longer be what's "cool" and it'll be something like shaving their heads or pulling out all of their teeth, or women trying to grow beards that will be the "in" thing.
Then, I'll really have to eat my words...........
I Almost Forgot.....
You're supposed to tag the same number of people as letters in your name. I have six letters, but just in case not everyone wants to play, I'm listing more:
1. Angie S.
2. Shannon C.
3. Esther L.
4. Sarah Y.
5. Jessica Bloods
6. The other Jessica (I can't remember your married last name)
7. Kristi - even though you already got tagged by Shannon. I didn't want you to feel left out!
8. Katie B.
9. Kelsey B.
10. Trish D.
11. Shay P.
12. Ana B.
13. Alyssa F.
Tell me if you've done it!
You know, since I don't YET know how to do the linky-doo things with all your names..........
1. Angie S.
2. Shannon C.
3. Esther L.
4. Sarah Y.
5. Jessica Bloods
6. The other Jessica (I can't remember your married last name)
7. Kristi - even though you already got tagged by Shannon. I didn't want you to feel left out!
8. Katie B.
9. Kelsey B.
10. Trish D.
11. Shay P.
12. Ana B.
13. Alyssa F.
Tell me if you've done it!
You know, since I don't YET know how to do the linky-doo things with all your names..........
Tag!
Wanna' play?
Look at me! THREE posts in one day! But, who can resist a good game of tag? (Okay, so some of you can). But, for those of you who want to play, here are the rules: Write out an anagram for your middle name, (I think that's the right word) and for each letter tell us something about you. This is different from the "14 things you love" game. How so? I'm not really sure. How about - just don't write about things you love! :0) Write about OTHER things that will help people get to know you more. Okay. Enough rambling. Here goes:
M: MARRIED to my best friend of 8 1/2 years. And since you all know that, here's another: MIDWIFE. If I were to go back to school and do it all over again, I would study and train to be a midwife. I'd work with another awesome midwife (because I don't like to do things by myself), we'd have our own little practice, and we'd deliver all of our friend's babies, and anyone else's babies who wanted us to! We'd make sure they had a FANTASTIC birth experience - one that was never traumatic or disappointing. You know - in the perfect world.......
A: ARACHNIDS. I hate them too, Shannon. In fact, since my mother would scream such ear piercing shrieks whenever she saw them (and still does to this day) she has instilled within all three of her children's hearts a horrific terror of them. It's true. HOWEVER.....since Kaden is so in love with bugs, whenever he sees them, I try to play it cool so as not to instill that same fear into his poor little heart. I play the "it might be poisonous" or "it might bite" card and tell him that he can only hold Daddy Long Legs. I can deal with those. I have heard that they have one of the most poisonous bites for spiders, but their mouths are too small. It would be like us trying to bite a beach ball. Interesting little tidbit......Anyway, I know I'll scar my children in other ways, so I try to play it cool in the spider category.
R: REBEL. In my heart, I am a secret rebel. Not necessarily in the bad sense of the word - more like in the "nontraditional" sense of style. If I didn't think I would offend many people that I know and love, I would have multiple piercings and tattoos, I would have wild hair and clothes, and I would ride a motorcycle. I'm not joking. In fact, I will have NO problem if my boys want tats or earrings. Shocking, eh? Don't judge me. I still love Jesus. :0) Anyway, I can't even picture Kaden with either of those......Jesse is another story. Okay, once you lift your mouths off the floor, here's another:
REALLY short. That's my hair. I got it chopped today.
I: INJURIES. In my thirty years of life I: broke my big toe playing soccer, broke my collar bone playing soccer, got my nose broke by one of my teens by playing soccer in youth group, got 2nd degree burns on my leg on two different occasions on my Dad's motorcycle as a kid, had stitches in my head because my brother thought I could catch a hammer, had stitches in my chin because I thought I could fly, and almost lost my womb when Kaden was born. Glorious!
O: OPEN SPACES. Wide ones. I need them. That's why we go to Lancaster all the time. I need country, with fields, and streams, and trees, and 4-wheelers, and grass, and chickens roaming freely.
N: NEW BRUNSWICK BIBLE INSTITUTE. The place where I spent three years of my life and made some of the best friends of my life, where I met my future hubby, and where I almost got kicked out during my Senior Year. (See previous "R" for "Rebel." That's a story for another day).
Okay....I must sign off. I've already said more than I should..........I really have no idea who reads these posts......Don't judge Kev on account of me. He's a clean as they come!
Look at me! THREE posts in one day! But, who can resist a good game of tag? (Okay, so some of you can). But, for those of you who want to play, here are the rules: Write out an anagram for your middle name, (I think that's the right word) and for each letter tell us something about you. This is different from the "14 things you love" game. How so? I'm not really sure. How about - just don't write about things you love! :0) Write about OTHER things that will help people get to know you more. Okay. Enough rambling. Here goes:
M: MARRIED to my best friend of 8 1/2 years. And since you all know that, here's another: MIDWIFE. If I were to go back to school and do it all over again, I would study and train to be a midwife. I'd work with another awesome midwife (because I don't like to do things by myself), we'd have our own little practice, and we'd deliver all of our friend's babies, and anyone else's babies who wanted us to! We'd make sure they had a FANTASTIC birth experience - one that was never traumatic or disappointing. You know - in the perfect world.......
A: ARACHNIDS. I hate them too, Shannon. In fact, since my mother would scream such ear piercing shrieks whenever she saw them (and still does to this day) she has instilled within all three of her children's hearts a horrific terror of them. It's true. HOWEVER.....since Kaden is so in love with bugs, whenever he sees them, I try to play it cool so as not to instill that same fear into his poor little heart. I play the "it might be poisonous" or "it might bite" card and tell him that he can only hold Daddy Long Legs. I can deal with those. I have heard that they have one of the most poisonous bites for spiders, but their mouths are too small. It would be like us trying to bite a beach ball. Interesting little tidbit......Anyway, I know I'll scar my children in other ways, so I try to play it cool in the spider category.
R: REBEL. In my heart, I am a secret rebel. Not necessarily in the bad sense of the word - more like in the "nontraditional" sense of style. If I didn't think I would offend many people that I know and love, I would have multiple piercings and tattoos, I would have wild hair and clothes, and I would ride a motorcycle. I'm not joking. In fact, I will have NO problem if my boys want tats or earrings. Shocking, eh? Don't judge me. I still love Jesus. :0) Anyway, I can't even picture Kaden with either of those......Jesse is another story. Okay, once you lift your mouths off the floor, here's another:
REALLY short. That's my hair. I got it chopped today.
I: INJURIES. In my thirty years of life I: broke my big toe playing soccer, broke my collar bone playing soccer, got my nose broke by one of my teens by playing soccer in youth group, got 2nd degree burns on my leg on two different occasions on my Dad's motorcycle as a kid, had stitches in my head because my brother thought I could catch a hammer, had stitches in my chin because I thought I could fly, and almost lost my womb when Kaden was born. Glorious!
O: OPEN SPACES. Wide ones. I need them. That's why we go to Lancaster all the time. I need country, with fields, and streams, and trees, and 4-wheelers, and grass, and chickens roaming freely.
N: NEW BRUNSWICK BIBLE INSTITUTE. The place where I spent three years of my life and made some of the best friends of my life, where I met my future hubby, and where I almost got kicked out during my Senior Year. (See previous "R" for "Rebel." That's a story for another day).
Okay....I must sign off. I've already said more than I should..........I really have no idea who reads these posts......Don't judge Kev on account of me. He's a clean as they come!
Oh glorious day!
Kev DOES have a snow day today, and it is SUCH a fun and unexpected surprise!
He made us omelets for breakfast which were delish. And now he and Kaden are out playing in the snow while Jesse sleeps. When Jesse wakes up, we're going to brave the storm and go and run a few errands. We're from Maine, right? While six or so inches shuts down the world out here, schools would only delay an hour or so up home!
On another note - there's going to be a Caedmon's Call concert at the school on Sunday night, and Kev and Kaden are going to go - just the two of them. How cute is that? Kaden asked, "Do we get to dance around?" This will be a "first" for him, and I think he's totally going to love it. He LOVES music. He has a little guitar that Kev found for him on a yard sale, and he has a plethora of other instruments. When we have worship practice at church, he always sits on the steps beside us and plays either his harmonica or piano horn right along with us! If Kev tells the band to cut out the instruments, he'll cut out, and if he tells them to play quietly, he tones it down. It's so cute! And he wants music playing at home continuously. So, I think he'll totally love this concert experience.
Okay, I'm off to conquer the world while I have this unexpected hour to myself!
He made us omelets for breakfast which were delish. And now he and Kaden are out playing in the snow while Jesse sleeps. When Jesse wakes up, we're going to brave the storm and go and run a few errands. We're from Maine, right? While six or so inches shuts down the world out here, schools would only delay an hour or so up home!
On another note - there's going to be a Caedmon's Call concert at the school on Sunday night, and Kev and Kaden are going to go - just the two of them. How cute is that? Kaden asked, "Do we get to dance around?" This will be a "first" for him, and I think he's totally going to love it. He LOVES music. He has a little guitar that Kev found for him on a yard sale, and he has a plethora of other instruments. When we have worship practice at church, he always sits on the steps beside us and plays either his harmonica or piano horn right along with us! If Kev tells the band to cut out the instruments, he'll cut out, and if he tells them to play quietly, he tones it down. It's so cute! And he wants music playing at home continuously. So, I think he'll totally love this concert experience.
Okay, I'm off to conquer the world while I have this unexpected hour to myself!
Snowy Dayz!
We woke up to a significant (for Pennsylvania) snowstorm this morning, and it's still coming down. The first real storm of the winter for us out here. It's crazy - just a week ago, I was going for walks in a t-shirt and sweating like it was summer. Well, I guess I pulled my capris out too soon. Bummer. Maybe Kev will get a snow day out of it, though.......
Okay....
Sorry for the bummer post yesterday.
It's amazing what a little sleep, a couple of phone chats with my Marmie and Mom-in-law, a treat brought home for me from hubby, and a relaxing night of vegging can do for one's perspective.
I'm back on track today. For some reason, the news about Jesse really bummed me out yesterday. And it's not like it was a surprise, by any means. In fact, I actually kind of expected it. It has just felt like this continuous drawn out drama of a waiting game; and the thought of him being put to sleep and having a cast and scars for life just made me really sad.
Truth be told, Jesse will probably be quite proud of his battle wounds and will have SEVERAL more to join these ones in the not so distant future! We have been told on numerous occasions that this doctor that we have is the best of the best, we are at a pediatric hospital that deals solely with children, and most importantly - we are in the Lord's hands, and we fully trust Him to take care of our little guy no matter what the outcome.
SO......all is well.
On a lighter and more fun note - Jesse is doing a full crawl now. He has graduated from a sort of commando snake slither to the full out hands and knees moves. He also pulls himself completely up into a sitting position and growls loudly at us until someone acknowledges his accomplishment. It's really cute, and he's totally proud of himself when he does it. He still will quite often immediately fall over backwards or sideways because he's so top heavy, but he just stares into space for a sec, lets out a little grunt, and continues on his merry way. It's QUITE hilarious.
Jesse is SUCH a bruiser. There is nothing that is done mediocre with him. He is intense about EVERYTHING! He has almost flipped his exersaucer over with him in because he rocks so violently in it; he's almost flipped his chair over with him in the booster seat because he won't sit still; when he gives us "love pats" on our faces, he almost gives us bloody noses because he flaps his hands so violently, he has made Kaden cry on a number of occasions because he's bopped him so hard in the face, every bathtime I fear for his life because he buries his entire face in the water, and when we read stories, he literally attacks the pages and growls, grunts, and screams so loudly we can't even hear ourselves read the book!
Kaden just shakes his head, looks at us and laughs, and says: "He's a looney bin, guys!" It's true!
We truly have complete opposites in every sense of the word, and it is totally delightful. I am loving the differences - finding them hysterical, actually - and the boys completely adore each other. Let's hope this keeps up for years to come despite their many differences. The Tough and the Tender.......it could get interesting!
It's amazing what a little sleep, a couple of phone chats with my Marmie and Mom-in-law, a treat brought home for me from hubby, and a relaxing night of vegging can do for one's perspective.
I'm back on track today. For some reason, the news about Jesse really bummed me out yesterday. And it's not like it was a surprise, by any means. In fact, I actually kind of expected it. It has just felt like this continuous drawn out drama of a waiting game; and the thought of him being put to sleep and having a cast and scars for life just made me really sad.
Truth be told, Jesse will probably be quite proud of his battle wounds and will have SEVERAL more to join these ones in the not so distant future! We have been told on numerous occasions that this doctor that we have is the best of the best, we are at a pediatric hospital that deals solely with children, and most importantly - we are in the Lord's hands, and we fully trust Him to take care of our little guy no matter what the outcome.
SO......all is well.
On a lighter and more fun note - Jesse is doing a full crawl now. He has graduated from a sort of commando snake slither to the full out hands and knees moves. He also pulls himself completely up into a sitting position and growls loudly at us until someone acknowledges his accomplishment. It's really cute, and he's totally proud of himself when he does it. He still will quite often immediately fall over backwards or sideways because he's so top heavy, but he just stares into space for a sec, lets out a little grunt, and continues on his merry way. It's QUITE hilarious.
Jesse is SUCH a bruiser. There is nothing that is done mediocre with him. He is intense about EVERYTHING! He has almost flipped his exersaucer over with him in because he rocks so violently in it; he's almost flipped his chair over with him in the booster seat because he won't sit still; when he gives us "love pats" on our faces, he almost gives us bloody noses because he flaps his hands so violently, he has made Kaden cry on a number of occasions because he's bopped him so hard in the face, every bathtime I fear for his life because he buries his entire face in the water, and when we read stories, he literally attacks the pages and growls, grunts, and screams so loudly we can't even hear ourselves read the book!
Kaden just shakes his head, looks at us and laughs, and says: "He's a looney bin, guys!" It's true!
We truly have complete opposites in every sense of the word, and it is totally delightful. I am loving the differences - finding them hysterical, actually - and the boys completely adore each other. Let's hope this keeps up for years to come despite their many differences. The Tough and the Tender.......it could get interesting!
The Verdict
We think.
So, it looks like our little guy is going to probably have to have surgery after all. After today, our plastic surgeon said that he's still not 100% sure, but two or three times he said "probably," whereas last time, he said he was "hopeful."
The concern is that we are going into the 3rd week of healing now, and there is still a patch on two fingers and the top of his palm that is still raw and hasn't healed over with new skin. It WILL heal but with scar tissue which will cause pulling and possible contractured fingers. We asked if it was just something that Jesse could learn to adapt too seeing as he's so young and won't really know the difference anyway. But, they said that this is something that will cause him pain for years to come and could affect things he may want to do - sports, piano, full range of motion things etc.
The plan now is to let it completely scar over for the next two months. We'll go back in April, and from there we'll probably be looking at dates for surgery. The doctor wants to break up the scar tissue with new skin. If he feels that he'll need a lot of skin, he'll take it from Jesse's groin; if only a little, then from his inner elbow.
It was such a weird visit - we feel like we went through the full gamet of emotions in just an hour. The nurse came in, looked at it, and declared that she felt "cautiously optimistic." So, we were like: "Okay. This looks good." Then, the first doctor came in, looked at it for two seconds, and said: "Oh, this looks great. There won't be any need for surgery." So, we were THEN like: "Oh yay! Let's go celebrate!" And just a few minutes later our main doctor comes in and says: "Yeah. He's probably going to need skin grafts. But, we'll still give it a couple of months." My word - I almost cried! I still love this doctor. He's not quick to rush to the operating room, but he seemed pretty sure that Jesse will need them because of the tightness the scars will cause. He's just not in any rush because Jesse's still so young.
So, we're trying to keep perspective. In the big picture of life, we know that there are FAR larger and MUCH more painful things that parents have to go through with their children. This isn't life threatening - it's not like we're dealing with cancer, or tumors, or emotional trauma or anything like that. And I fully expect that with two boys, we'll be visiting the ER several times throughout our season of parenthood. I expect broken bones from riding bikes or from sport injuries etc. I don't expect those times to be fun, but, I think I'll roll with them more easily. I think that this has been so hard on us because he's still just a baby and it wasn't from anything you would EXPECT, you know? I EXPECT my kids to get hurt playing outside and especially if they're involved in sports. That comes with the territory. I didn't expect any of my babies to have to have surgery and to have scars for the rest of their life from something that took place in their first year of babyhood.
Anyway.....big picture - it's not a major thing. I know that. Right now it's just hard.
So, it looks like our little guy is going to probably have to have surgery after all. After today, our plastic surgeon said that he's still not 100% sure, but two or three times he said "probably," whereas last time, he said he was "hopeful."
The concern is that we are going into the 3rd week of healing now, and there is still a patch on two fingers and the top of his palm that is still raw and hasn't healed over with new skin. It WILL heal but with scar tissue which will cause pulling and possible contractured fingers. We asked if it was just something that Jesse could learn to adapt too seeing as he's so young and won't really know the difference anyway. But, they said that this is something that will cause him pain for years to come and could affect things he may want to do - sports, piano, full range of motion things etc.
The plan now is to let it completely scar over for the next two months. We'll go back in April, and from there we'll probably be looking at dates for surgery. The doctor wants to break up the scar tissue with new skin. If he feels that he'll need a lot of skin, he'll take it from Jesse's groin; if only a little, then from his inner elbow.
It was such a weird visit - we feel like we went through the full gamet of emotions in just an hour. The nurse came in, looked at it, and declared that she felt "cautiously optimistic." So, we were like: "Okay. This looks good." Then, the first doctor came in, looked at it for two seconds, and said: "Oh, this looks great. There won't be any need for surgery." So, we were THEN like: "Oh yay! Let's go celebrate!" And just a few minutes later our main doctor comes in and says: "Yeah. He's probably going to need skin grafts. But, we'll still give it a couple of months." My word - I almost cried! I still love this doctor. He's not quick to rush to the operating room, but he seemed pretty sure that Jesse will need them because of the tightness the scars will cause. He's just not in any rush because Jesse's still so young.
So, we're trying to keep perspective. In the big picture of life, we know that there are FAR larger and MUCH more painful things that parents have to go through with their children. This isn't life threatening - it's not like we're dealing with cancer, or tumors, or emotional trauma or anything like that. And I fully expect that with two boys, we'll be visiting the ER several times throughout our season of parenthood. I expect broken bones from riding bikes or from sport injuries etc. I don't expect those times to be fun, but, I think I'll roll with them more easily. I think that this has been so hard on us because he's still just a baby and it wasn't from anything you would EXPECT, you know? I EXPECT my kids to get hurt playing outside and especially if they're involved in sports. That comes with the territory. I didn't expect any of my babies to have to have surgery and to have scars for the rest of their life from something that took place in their first year of babyhood.
Anyway.....big picture - it's not a major thing. I know that. Right now it's just hard.
I'm Baaack!
My! I've been slacking lately. It's been a whole four days. Thanks for the reminder, Kris!
Well, let's see. What have we been up to these days? Kev didn't have class this last weekend, which was glorious, so we did another little day trippy-doo like we love. Next weekend, he doesn't have class either, so we're going to do the manly thing and go to Cabella's. Again. Kaden loves it, Jesse is mesmerized in the backpack, and Kev has all these points he's earned, so he's pumped to get some free treasures. And me? Well, I get a couple of glorious hours - to myself - where I go upstairs to the restaurant, get a drink, and just sit. With my Bible and my journal. And it's Heaven. Really looking forward to Saturday, actually! :0)
The wee ones that I babysit for today are home with the pukes, so the boys and I went on a spontaneous little date today. We packed a picnic and walked over to the college campus to eat and feed the ducks by the pond. And then we went up to the library and signed out a bunch of fun books to read over the next few days. I didn't realize how blasted windy it was outside, so we nearly blew away, but the boys still had fun. I could tell that Jesse was trying to wrap his little brain around what in the world those feathered things that quacked were! He looked so confused, but was so excited; he kept lunging out of the stroller at them with his loud little grunt screams. Quite the picture!
Now they are napping. I had a good quiet time, and now I'm checking up on all of you guys. I've been reading in Exodus lately about the relationship that Moses had with the LORD - how he was called friend, and how we was given the opportunity to see the back of the Lord's glory. I keep thinking about the verse where the LORD tells Moses that He is a jealous God, and He desires for the nation of Israel to have no other gods than Him alone. Then, after speaking with the LORD on the mountain, Moses' face was shining, because he had been in God's presence. And the people KNEW it! There was no denying that Moses had been in the presence of God - speaking with Him, getting to know Him, and learning His heart.
That's what I want! I don't want Jesus to EVER question the place that He holds in my life! I want Him to always see that He comes first! And I know that this so often is NOT the case. I so quickly put other things before Him at times. When Moses was with Him on the mountain, he neither ate nor drank for forty days, because the LORD was ENOUGH! I want to live that truth - not by not eating or not drinking - but by REALLY living the truth that He is ALL I need. And I want those that come in contact with me to know that I've been in His presence! Especially my family who sees me for who I really am! I want my boys to grow up seeing Mommy constantly living in Christ's presence. I want them to catch me reading and praying and loving and serving and LIVING Jesus every day! That's my heart's desire. Okay. More later.....
Well, let's see. What have we been up to these days? Kev didn't have class this last weekend, which was glorious, so we did another little day trippy-doo like we love. Next weekend, he doesn't have class either, so we're going to do the manly thing and go to Cabella's. Again. Kaden loves it, Jesse is mesmerized in the backpack, and Kev has all these points he's earned, so he's pumped to get some free treasures. And me? Well, I get a couple of glorious hours - to myself - where I go upstairs to the restaurant, get a drink, and just sit. With my Bible and my journal. And it's Heaven. Really looking forward to Saturday, actually! :0)
The wee ones that I babysit for today are home with the pukes, so the boys and I went on a spontaneous little date today. We packed a picnic and walked over to the college campus to eat and feed the ducks by the pond. And then we went up to the library and signed out a bunch of fun books to read over the next few days. I didn't realize how blasted windy it was outside, so we nearly blew away, but the boys still had fun. I could tell that Jesse was trying to wrap his little brain around what in the world those feathered things that quacked were! He looked so confused, but was so excited; he kept lunging out of the stroller at them with his loud little grunt screams. Quite the picture!
Now they are napping. I had a good quiet time, and now I'm checking up on all of you guys. I've been reading in Exodus lately about the relationship that Moses had with the LORD - how he was called friend, and how we was given the opportunity to see the back of the Lord's glory. I keep thinking about the verse where the LORD tells Moses that He is a jealous God, and He desires for the nation of Israel to have no other gods than Him alone. Then, after speaking with the LORD on the mountain, Moses' face was shining, because he had been in God's presence. And the people KNEW it! There was no denying that Moses had been in the presence of God - speaking with Him, getting to know Him, and learning His heart.
That's what I want! I don't want Jesus to EVER question the place that He holds in my life! I want Him to always see that He comes first! And I know that this so often is NOT the case. I so quickly put other things before Him at times. When Moses was with Him on the mountain, he neither ate nor drank for forty days, because the LORD was ENOUGH! I want to live that truth - not by not eating or not drinking - but by REALLY living the truth that He is ALL I need. And I want those that come in contact with me to know that I've been in His presence! Especially my family who sees me for who I really am! I want my boys to grow up seeing Mommy constantly living in Christ's presence. I want them to catch me reading and praying and loving and serving and LIVING Jesus every day! That's my heart's desire. Okay. More later.....
HELP?
Okay, so remember a few posts ago when I talked about how computer illiterate I am? Well, this is the post where I'm going to ask for help. My sweet friend Shay (isn't the coolest name?) sent me an email to try and help, and I'm really embarassed to admit, I didn't understand a word of it. When I mean I need help, I mean - pretend that I'm utterly clueless, because I am.
This is what I want to learn how to do:
1. Change my background
2. Change the title and the little ditty number underneath it. Because, it's not really "The Booker Blog" - it's more about my thoughts and musings. So, I want it to reflect me!
3. I want to know how to add links on my sidebar - you know, to add other's people's blogs
4. Can I put music in the background?
5. Put pictures on - real photographs and clip art or whatever
6. Play a video from my camera
7. Oh! This is another biggy: When I'm typing along and want to link you over to another place by having you just click on the word I typed. (See? I don't even know how to explain this stuff! Did you get my drift, anyway?)
Okay, there's more, but that's good for now. Maybe Esther just needs to call me when she has a kazillion hours free while I'm sitting at my computer? She did this whole thing for me in the first place!
You know the phrase: "Give a man a fish and you feed him a meal. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him forever."
TEACH ME TO FISH, GUYS!!!
This is what I want to learn how to do:
1. Change my background
2. Change the title and the little ditty number underneath it. Because, it's not really "The Booker Blog" - it's more about my thoughts and musings. So, I want it to reflect me!
3. I want to know how to add links on my sidebar - you know, to add other's people's blogs
4. Can I put music in the background?
5. Put pictures on - real photographs and clip art or whatever
6. Play a video from my camera
7. Oh! This is another biggy: When I'm typing along and want to link you over to another place by having you just click on the word I typed. (See? I don't even know how to explain this stuff! Did you get my drift, anyway?)
Okay, there's more, but that's good for now. Maybe Esther just needs to call me when she has a kazillion hours free while I'm sitting at my computer? She did this whole thing for me in the first place!
You know the phrase: "Give a man a fish and you feed him a meal. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him forever."
TEACH ME TO FISH, GUYS!!!
Round Two
Okay. There are just SO many things that I love, I just had to write a second list. I promise this will be my last, even though there are a kazillion things I could write about. This one is going to be a little more random and simplistic.....kinda like me...ahem......
1. kittens. (And NO - not dead ones, Peter C.) I love snuggling them, and a kitty's purr is one of my most favorite sounds. Seriously. It is.
2. Yard saling. Oh man - I think it's an addiction. On Saturdays, once the warm weather hits, it literally hurts me to drive past one. I am SURE that I am missing a treasure!
3. Old wooden boxes and trunks. Again - possibly another addiction.
4. Bittersweet berries in the fall. I love going on adventures to find them and then making them into crazy little wreaths to hang all over my house. (I DON'T love when the boys roughhouse and knock down all of the berries for months on end after said wreaths have been made and hung).
5. Shopping at funky, little antiquey stores when I can find fun little treasures.
6. Buying presents for people - big or small. It seriously makes me wicked happy.
7. Going on vacation, and it doesn't matter where.....camping, hotels, HOME, wherever. It's just so much fun knowing there's a little break in life and a change in routine for awhile.
8. A good hair day. Who doesn't love that?
9. Notes from Kev. I LOVE love letters.
10. How I feel after I exercise.
11. Things of beauty - creation, a great picture, anything that is really beautiful to ME.
12. A really deep, gut-wrenching, tear jerking, long lasting belly laugh with someone. And for some reason, I love it even more when it happens at an inappropriate time - like when I'm supposed to be quiet. How bad is that? It just seems to make things that much funnier!
13. A REALLY great movie with some REALLY fabulous food or snack to go with it. That's some good chill time!
14. Bonfires, 4-wheeling - Oh I really love 4-wheeling, going for a drive with no particular destination in mind, talks with my Dad, when Mom comes to visit, hanging with friends, camping, swimming, eating, going for walks, wooden stars, sunsets, pizza, restaurants, when those I love are happy, my brothers, my friends, world peace........okay, I said I'd stop.
1. kittens. (And NO - not dead ones, Peter C.) I love snuggling them, and a kitty's purr is one of my most favorite sounds. Seriously. It is.
2. Yard saling. Oh man - I think it's an addiction. On Saturdays, once the warm weather hits, it literally hurts me to drive past one. I am SURE that I am missing a treasure!
3. Old wooden boxes and trunks. Again - possibly another addiction.
4. Bittersweet berries in the fall. I love going on adventures to find them and then making them into crazy little wreaths to hang all over my house. (I DON'T love when the boys roughhouse and knock down all of the berries for months on end after said wreaths have been made and hung).
5. Shopping at funky, little antiquey stores when I can find fun little treasures.
6. Buying presents for people - big or small. It seriously makes me wicked happy.
7. Going on vacation, and it doesn't matter where.....camping, hotels, HOME, wherever. It's just so much fun knowing there's a little break in life and a change in routine for awhile.
8. A good hair day. Who doesn't love that?
9. Notes from Kev. I LOVE love letters.
10. How I feel after I exercise.
11. Things of beauty - creation, a great picture, anything that is really beautiful to ME.
12. A really deep, gut-wrenching, tear jerking, long lasting belly laugh with someone. And for some reason, I love it even more when it happens at an inappropriate time - like when I'm supposed to be quiet. How bad is that? It just seems to make things that much funnier!
13. A REALLY great movie with some REALLY fabulous food or snack to go with it. That's some good chill time!
14. Bonfires, 4-wheeling - Oh I really love 4-wheeling, going for a drive with no particular destination in mind, talks with my Dad, when Mom comes to visit, hanging with friends, camping, swimming, eating, going for walks, wooden stars, sunsets, pizza, restaurants, when those I love are happy, my brothers, my friends, world peace........okay, I said I'd stop.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Okay, everyone! Let's play! Shannon in Canada did this last year and has already given her post for the day, so we must all play along. In honor of today, let's ALL (even you Stevo-Supremo!) list 14 things that we love! Good times!
Okay, so here are 14 things that I love.....in no particular order.
1. My 3 boys. LOVE them. Wonder every day how I've come to be so blessed with them.
2. Family days. There's nothing more that I love to do than have a whole day with just us.
3. Coffee. The smell, the taste, the warmth in my hands, how it's usually drank over conversation with someone I love.
4. Blogging. I'm on quite a roll, I must say. I love posting, I love reading my comments, and I love reading other's updates. (Ahem, did you catch that last sentence, Ang?)
5. HOME and all it represents. My family, my roots, and Maine - minus the snow
6. The jeans I'm wearing. For some reason whenever I'm wearing only this pair, people ask me if I've lost weight. Come on! Who doesn't love that?
7. The fact that in the past couple of weeks I've done 30 pages in Jesse's baby book. He's finally born now! Whoo-hoo! I AM a good mother! :0)
8. Sleep. Deep, uninterrupted, when-I-wake-up-I-feel-like-I-could-conquer-the-world sleep!
9. A good book. One of those where you're sad to read the last page and have it be over.
10. ANYTHING that inspires me to be a better woman, wife, or mother
11. A really great, deep, vulnerable conversation with a friend
12. Warm, sunny, summer days spent at the beach with our family getting all wet and tanned
13. Snuggling with my boys while they're sleeping and breathing in their little smells
14. My apartment. Especially when it's clean, organized, and looks cute
Man. 14. That was so few! There are so many MORE things that I love! I might have to do a second list here a bit later.
Okay....tag to all who have blogs. And Jessica, you write one right along with Steve! And Jess Berry - this would be a great FIRST post for your NEW blog that you're going to start. Hint! Hint! Oh - and Kelsey - a perfect opportunity to update, since you haven't in about three months! Hast thou died?
Happy Heart's Day, all!
Okay, so here are 14 things that I love.....in no particular order.
1. My 3 boys. LOVE them. Wonder every day how I've come to be so blessed with them.
2. Family days. There's nothing more that I love to do than have a whole day with just us.
3. Coffee. The smell, the taste, the warmth in my hands, how it's usually drank over conversation with someone I love.
4. Blogging. I'm on quite a roll, I must say. I love posting, I love reading my comments, and I love reading other's updates. (Ahem, did you catch that last sentence, Ang?)
5. HOME and all it represents. My family, my roots, and Maine - minus the snow
6. The jeans I'm wearing. For some reason whenever I'm wearing only this pair, people ask me if I've lost weight. Come on! Who doesn't love that?
7. The fact that in the past couple of weeks I've done 30 pages in Jesse's baby book. He's finally born now! Whoo-hoo! I AM a good mother! :0)
8. Sleep. Deep, uninterrupted, when-I-wake-up-I-feel-like-I-could-conquer-the-world sleep!
9. A good book. One of those where you're sad to read the last page and have it be over.
10. ANYTHING that inspires me to be a better woman, wife, or mother
11. A really great, deep, vulnerable conversation with a friend
12. Warm, sunny, summer days spent at the beach with our family getting all wet and tanned
13. Snuggling with my boys while they're sleeping and breathing in their little smells
14. My apartment. Especially when it's clean, organized, and looks cute
Man. 14. That was so few! There are so many MORE things that I love! I might have to do a second list here a bit later.
Okay....tag to all who have blogs. And Jessica, you write one right along with Steve! And Jess Berry - this would be a great FIRST post for your NEW blog that you're going to start. Hint! Hint! Oh - and Kelsey - a perfect opportunity to update, since you haven't in about three months! Hast thou died?
Happy Heart's Day, all!
Valentine Cookies
Here's the delish little number that I was writing about the other day. Packaged up in little gift bags with some pretty ribbon and a cute little tag make for a super cute little gift for someone on Valentine's Day.
By the way, sweet Katya, should you find a way over to my place sometime tomorrow, I have some with your name all over them! Loves.....
Kiss Cookies
2 sticks butter (room temp)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
pinch salt
1 cup fine chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
hershey's kisses
confections sugar for dusting when cool
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Sift flour and salt and gradually add to butter mixture. (I didn't sift, because I'm lazy, and they still turned out fine).
Mix well. Chill for 2 or more hours.
Shape dough around kisses. You can do as much or as little as you want - depending on whether you want big or small cookies. Dough should probably be at least 1/4 inch deep, though.
Bake on sheets lined with parchment paper for about 12 minutes or until edges are light gold at 375 degrees. Package up cutely and give to someone you love. Delish!
By the way, sweet Katya, should you find a way over to my place sometime tomorrow, I have some with your name all over them! Loves.....
Kiss Cookies
2 sticks butter (room temp)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
pinch salt
1 cup fine chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
hershey's kisses
confections sugar for dusting when cool
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Sift flour and salt and gradually add to butter mixture. (I didn't sift, because I'm lazy, and they still turned out fine).
Mix well. Chill for 2 or more hours.
Shape dough around kisses. You can do as much or as little as you want - depending on whether you want big or small cookies. Dough should probably be at least 1/4 inch deep, though.
Bake on sheets lined with parchment paper for about 12 minutes or until edges are light gold at 375 degrees. Package up cutely and give to someone you love. Delish!
Jesse Update
Hmmm. I tried to come up with a more catchy title, but I'm drawing a blank. Besides, that's what this post is going to be about, anyway. So here goes.......
Once again, we THINK we're encouraged. It's kind of another "let's wait until next week" game again, but we remain hopeful. The great new is that one of Jesse's little hands is now free from bandages! Whoo-hoo! How I love seeing those little pudgy fingers wiggling all around and picking things up again. He's already far less frustrated, as well, so that's really nice.
As far as the other hand goes, the plastic surgeon wants to wait another week to see if it heals any more. He said that it's made progress, but he really want to see it start to heal more significantly. If it hasn't done so in a week's time, than he said we'll talk surgery. It's still really raw and goopey. I guess there comes a point where a burn will only heal so much before it needs a skin graft. We asked if he could take the graft from one of us, but he said he could only do that with identical twins. He said that he was hopeful, though. So we are too!
We'll keep you posted.
Just a side note: A friend researched the top ways that kids burn themselves. Curling irons made the top three list! Me thinks this girl's hair is going straight from now on......
Once again, we THINK we're encouraged. It's kind of another "let's wait until next week" game again, but we remain hopeful. The great new is that one of Jesse's little hands is now free from bandages! Whoo-hoo! How I love seeing those little pudgy fingers wiggling all around and picking things up again. He's already far less frustrated, as well, so that's really nice.
As far as the other hand goes, the plastic surgeon wants to wait another week to see if it heals any more. He said that it's made progress, but he really want to see it start to heal more significantly. If it hasn't done so in a week's time, than he said we'll talk surgery. It's still really raw and goopey. I guess there comes a point where a burn will only heal so much before it needs a skin graft. We asked if he could take the graft from one of us, but he said he could only do that with identical twins. He said that he was hopeful, though. So we are too!
We'll keep you posted.
Just a side note: A friend researched the top ways that kids burn themselves. Curling irons made the top three list! Me thinks this girl's hair is going straight from now on......
Cozy Times....
The day is winding down, and it's been good.
It's yucky outside. With the kids still not on top of their game, I told my friend that she should probably find someone else to watch her kids, and we just had a cozy day inside. Kaden never even got out of his p.j.'s! I love days like this once in awhile. I had no big agenda. We just played, read stories, and made a super huge "wall card" for Daddy for Valentine's Day. We used stickers, puffy paint, and water paint and Kaden has been SO excited to show it to him. He says: "Oh! Daddy is gonna be SO happy with this! This is SO GREAT!!!"
Jesse has been a bit of a crabadoo, but he's allowed. He's sick, he's hurt, he's got a bum rash, AND he's got another tooth trying to poke through. (Hence, the bum rash). So, we've been gracious with the (not so) wee one.
While the boys napped, I made my all time fave comfort food lunch: grilled cheese and tomato soup. Reminds me of home. Love it. Had a good time in the Word with the Lord. Reading in Exodus how God spoke "face to face with Moses as with a friend." How awesome is that? Seriously! Wrap your mind around that one.
Then, Daddy came home early to play with Kaden, so they've been out back sliding down our three foot tall mound (it's not even a hill, really) in the half inch of snow/sleet that we got today. It's freezing rain right now, so they're no doubt getting drenched, but this is the VERY first time there's ever been anything even remotely slide-able out here this winter! Meanwhile, Jesse and I stayed inside and I baked some super delish valentine kiss cookies to package up real prettily to give to friends. I wish they were mailable - my friends who live far away. Recipe to follow, though, and you can make some for yourselves and YOUR loved ones. Very easy, and VERY worth it!
When the boys come in, we're going to make pancakes and eggs for supper - per Kaden's request, and then once both wee ones are abed, hubby and I are going to snuggle up and watch American Idol. AAAhhh. A good day indeed.
It's yucky outside. With the kids still not on top of their game, I told my friend that she should probably find someone else to watch her kids, and we just had a cozy day inside. Kaden never even got out of his p.j.'s! I love days like this once in awhile. I had no big agenda. We just played, read stories, and made a super huge "wall card" for Daddy for Valentine's Day. We used stickers, puffy paint, and water paint and Kaden has been SO excited to show it to him. He says: "Oh! Daddy is gonna be SO happy with this! This is SO GREAT!!!"
Jesse has been a bit of a crabadoo, but he's allowed. He's sick, he's hurt, he's got a bum rash, AND he's got another tooth trying to poke through. (Hence, the bum rash). So, we've been gracious with the (not so) wee one.
While the boys napped, I made my all time fave comfort food lunch: grilled cheese and tomato soup. Reminds me of home. Love it. Had a good time in the Word with the Lord. Reading in Exodus how God spoke "face to face with Moses as with a friend." How awesome is that? Seriously! Wrap your mind around that one.
Then, Daddy came home early to play with Kaden, so they've been out back sliding down our three foot tall mound (it's not even a hill, really) in the half inch of snow/sleet that we got today. It's freezing rain right now, so they're no doubt getting drenched, but this is the VERY first time there's ever been anything even remotely slide-able out here this winter! Meanwhile, Jesse and I stayed inside and I baked some super delish valentine kiss cookies to package up real prettily to give to friends. I wish they were mailable - my friends who live far away. Recipe to follow, though, and you can make some for yourselves and YOUR loved ones. Very easy, and VERY worth it!
When the boys come in, we're going to make pancakes and eggs for supper - per Kaden's request, and then once both wee ones are abed, hubby and I are going to snuggle up and watch American Idol. AAAhhh. A good day indeed.
I Can See the Light!
Whew!
It has been a HAUL for the Bookers lately. On a number of occasions Kev has stated: "The Bookers are falling apart!" Between Jesse's burns and each of us at varying degrees of sickness, it has surely been interesting around these here parts the past couple of days. On Sunday, I planned to stay home with Jesse because he had a little fever. Kev was going to take Kaden with him to church, but when I woke up, I could hardly see straight. He told me to go back to bed and he called the pastor to say he was going to stay home to take care of me. Let me tell you, while Sunday was "the worst of days" for me sickness wise, was it ever "the BEST of days!" I went back to bed and literally slept until 4:00 in the afternoon! Now THAT was a nap! I have been pining for some extra sleep, and God let me have it in spades on Sunday!
So, today, Kev and I are somewhat feeling back to our chipper selves. While the boys are still not quite back to their prime and are at varying degrees of fever, coughing, and grumpiness - I find it much easier to be a loving, compassionate Mommy when my own head is not throbbing and when I'm not seeing TWO Kaden's and TWO Jesse's!
Kev and I were talking over supper last night, and we were saying that these past ten days (since Jesse burnt himself and since we've all been so sick), has been probably been one the most stressful times in the 8 1/2 years of our marriage. There were some really overwhelming days. If it has done anything, it has really shown us how much we take for granted just in the day to day living and how thankful we need to be for the little things that really aren't so little i.e. the months on end where we are all healthy, ALL of the times that our children are pain free, and the days on end that go by WITHOUT misshap. It has also given me great respect and compassion for the families that truly do have serious issues with a child - maybe a life-threatening disease, a horrible illness, a birth defect, or something that will have to be lived with for LIFE where there IS no end in sight. Forty minutes of changing bandages day and night with a crying baby who is in pain has given me just a tiny taste of what others probably go through year in and year out. It has made me thankful and it has given me perspective.
We go back to the doctor tomorrow to get our diagnosis on whether or not Jesse will need a skin graft. Whatever the answer, I am at peace.
It has been a HAUL for the Bookers lately. On a number of occasions Kev has stated: "The Bookers are falling apart!" Between Jesse's burns and each of us at varying degrees of sickness, it has surely been interesting around these here parts the past couple of days. On Sunday, I planned to stay home with Jesse because he had a little fever. Kev was going to take Kaden with him to church, but when I woke up, I could hardly see straight. He told me to go back to bed and he called the pastor to say he was going to stay home to take care of me. Let me tell you, while Sunday was "the worst of days" for me sickness wise, was it ever "the BEST of days!" I went back to bed and literally slept until 4:00 in the afternoon! Now THAT was a nap! I have been pining for some extra sleep, and God let me have it in spades on Sunday!
So, today, Kev and I are somewhat feeling back to our chipper selves. While the boys are still not quite back to their prime and are at varying degrees of fever, coughing, and grumpiness - I find it much easier to be a loving, compassionate Mommy when my own head is not throbbing and when I'm not seeing TWO Kaden's and TWO Jesse's!
Kev and I were talking over supper last night, and we were saying that these past ten days (since Jesse burnt himself and since we've all been so sick), has been probably been one the most stressful times in the 8 1/2 years of our marriage. There were some really overwhelming days. If it has done anything, it has really shown us how much we take for granted just in the day to day living and how thankful we need to be for the little things that really aren't so little i.e. the months on end where we are all healthy, ALL of the times that our children are pain free, and the days on end that go by WITHOUT misshap. It has also given me great respect and compassion for the families that truly do have serious issues with a child - maybe a life-threatening disease, a horrible illness, a birth defect, or something that will have to be lived with for LIFE where there IS no end in sight. Forty minutes of changing bandages day and night with a crying baby who is in pain has given me just a tiny taste of what others probably go through year in and year out. It has made me thankful and it has given me perspective.
We go back to the doctor tomorrow to get our diagnosis on whether or not Jesse will need a skin graft. Whatever the answer, I am at peace.
I Chose You
Let me be clear. I DID NOT write this following little ditty, so I want to give full credit where credit is due. The only problem is that I do not yet know how to do all of those "linky doo" things to connect you folks over to other blogs and such. (More to come about that later. I need HELP people. There is so much I want to do with this blog, yet the skills are SEVERELY lacking).
So, anyway, I found this from Shannon, in Canada's blog (picture being able to click on those words and you could fly right over to her site) who got it from someone's else's blog. You following me? Okay. I read this this morning and I loved it. This is so what I needed today. I kind of feel like we are just barely treading water over here. There is just a lot going on with school, Jesse's burns, babysitting, cleaning houses, sickness, and just life, you know? EVERYBODY is busy - that's life, and I really do love it. I know that it will slow down a bit soon, people will feel better, Jesse's burns will heal, we'll catch up on sleep somehow, and we'll get back on top of things. Right now, it's just a little crazy. So, that's why I love this little ditty. :0)
I CHOSE YOU
(Picture that title being underlined. I don't even know how to do that. I'm pathetic).
This is for every woman who ever chose a child over other options.
(Picture this phrase being italicized. See above previous sentence in parenthesis).
I could have had more time,
more house,
more room.
I chose you.
I could have had more money,
more things,
more dinners out...
I chose you.
More me,
More sleep,
more freedom;
I chose you.
Less mess,
less cooking,
less laundry;
I chose you.
Less school, (well, not yet)
less PBS,
less PBJ,
I chose you.
Because of you,
I have MORE.
More love,
more memories,
more smiles,
more delight,
more joy.
Where would I be without you?
AHH! Good stuff! Now, I'm off to give Kaden a little bit of "me" while "Fussy-Doo Sicky Pants" has a nap. :0)
So, anyway, I found this from Shannon, in Canada's blog (picture being able to click on those words and you could fly right over to her site) who got it from someone's else's blog. You following me? Okay. I read this this morning and I loved it. This is so what I needed today. I kind of feel like we are just barely treading water over here. There is just a lot going on with school, Jesse's burns, babysitting, cleaning houses, sickness, and just life, you know? EVERYBODY is busy - that's life, and I really do love it. I know that it will slow down a bit soon, people will feel better, Jesse's burns will heal, we'll catch up on sleep somehow, and we'll get back on top of things. Right now, it's just a little crazy. So, that's why I love this little ditty. :0)
I CHOSE YOU
(Picture that title being underlined. I don't even know how to do that. I'm pathetic).
This is for every woman who ever chose a child over other options.
(Picture this phrase being italicized. See above previous sentence in parenthesis).
I could have had more time,
more house,
more room.
I chose you.
I could have had more money,
more things,
more dinners out...
I chose you.
More me,
More sleep,
more freedom;
I chose you.
Less mess,
less cooking,
less laundry;
I chose you.
Less school, (well, not yet)
less PBS,
less PBJ,
I chose you.
Because of you,
I have MORE.
More love,
more memories,
more smiles,
more delight,
more joy.
Where would I be without you?
AHH! Good stuff! Now, I'm off to give Kaden a little bit of "me" while "Fussy-Doo Sicky Pants" has a nap. :0)
News........Kind of
Okay, it's 2:15, we're home, unpacked, and the boys are asleep.....even Kev! Big things like this absolutely drain him! He's going to love that I'm writing this, but this is the downside of him being so fiercely protective of the ones he loves. Anything that happens to the boys or I that is even remotely serious affects him deeply. I actually think it's really sweet.
So, he's crashed on the couch, the boys are both in bed, and I am processing. I think the appointment was encouraging....I'm still not sure. We made it to the heart of Philly with no misshaps - big doin's for two small town kids! We gave ourselves tons of time just in case we got lost, so we were an entire hour early, but they got us right in because there was nobody there!
Three different people looked at Jesse's hands, and they all had various things to say. This morning was the first time that we've noticed his bandages were quite oozy with a slight odor (gross, I know). The nurse thought at first that this might mean signs of infection starting, but then later she thought it just might be the medication that was causing the smell. One of the doctors said that he might have to have a skin graft on one of his palms, but the other seems hopeful that he won't. So, we're not really sure what to think yet. We're going to keep taking care of it for a week and then go back in next Wednesday and decide from there.
The plastic surgeon who is also a "hands specialist" - who is the one that counts, in my opinion - said that Jesse's burns are between a 2nd and 3rd degree burn on his palm and one finger. Because they are not a full-blown third degree burn, he wants to wait and see how they heal on their own for awhile. He is hopeful that they will heal just fine on their own - and we are going to pray to that end! :0) Jesse was a little trooper, and aside from giving a couple of grumpy squawk-screams at the nurse who dressed his hands, he was really quite smiley and chatty for most of the visit.
I'm slightly embarrassed but not a bit surprised to confess that we did not play around in the city like I previously posted we might do. By the time the visit was over, we wanted to do something fun for Kaden (because today was supposed to be our family day since Kev has class on Saturday) and because he was so patient and good. So, we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch and then to a (safe, quiet, thug-free) little park to play around on until naptime right in the comforts of our own (semi-safe) little town!
You can take the people out of the country, but you just can't take the country out of the people!
So, he's crashed on the couch, the boys are both in bed, and I am processing. I think the appointment was encouraging....I'm still not sure. We made it to the heart of Philly with no misshaps - big doin's for two small town kids! We gave ourselves tons of time just in case we got lost, so we were an entire hour early, but they got us right in because there was nobody there!
Three different people looked at Jesse's hands, and they all had various things to say. This morning was the first time that we've noticed his bandages were quite oozy with a slight odor (gross, I know). The nurse thought at first that this might mean signs of infection starting, but then later she thought it just might be the medication that was causing the smell. One of the doctors said that he might have to have a skin graft on one of his palms, but the other seems hopeful that he won't. So, we're not really sure what to think yet. We're going to keep taking care of it for a week and then go back in next Wednesday and decide from there.
The plastic surgeon who is also a "hands specialist" - who is the one that counts, in my opinion - said that Jesse's burns are between a 2nd and 3rd degree burn on his palm and one finger. Because they are not a full-blown third degree burn, he wants to wait and see how they heal on their own for awhile. He is hopeful that they will heal just fine on their own - and we are going to pray to that end! :0) Jesse was a little trooper, and aside from giving a couple of grumpy squawk-screams at the nurse who dressed his hands, he was really quite smiley and chatty for most of the visit.
I'm slightly embarrassed but not a bit surprised to confess that we did not play around in the city like I previously posted we might do. By the time the visit was over, we wanted to do something fun for Kaden (because today was supposed to be our family day since Kev has class on Saturday) and because he was so patient and good. So, we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch and then to a (safe, quiet, thug-free) little park to play around on until naptime right in the comforts of our own (semi-safe) little town!
You can take the people out of the country, but you just can't take the country out of the people!
Okay
Here's the deal.
Jesse is going to be seen by a plastic surgeon who is also a hands specialist tomorrow morning at 10:00a.m. We're going to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia right in the heart of Philly - Kev's real thrilled about that - but supposedly they're the best. Not overly sure what to expect. They may cut away the excess skin from the broken blisters, they may recommend surgery, or they may just look at him and say that all is healing well. We're hoping for this last diagnosis! The blisters were so huge that when they burst, there is a ton of skin that is now laying against his palms and fingers. The doctors just want to make sure that his hands heal correctly and that he'll be able to have full range of motion once everything begins to heal. We are praying for the best.
If the diagnosis is okay - and the visit is not overly draining for all of us - we're maybe going to take in the sights and check things out in the city of Brotherly Love for the day. Kev's not a huge fan of the whole city scene, but I say if we're there, we might as well make the best of it! :0) We've only been there one time in the ENTIRE time we've lived here. Kev's been kind of proud of the fact that we've never driven into the city and was hoping to maintain that record until we moved home! Alas, the poor guy gets to drive right into Center City! Kinda funny.....
Anyhoo, we're all feeling a little fried around here. Both boys are fighting yucky colds and have been a wee bit grumpy these past couple of days. Kev is finally starting to come out of his blech-iness and was able to make up two tests today. I tell you - I am so spoiled. He is such a hands-on, involved Daddy, that when he is out of comission for a few days, my world gets totally thrown. I feel like a single mom! I'm pathetic.
Well, the kids are a-bed, so we are off to eat pie, watch American Idol, and hit the hay early in hopes of a very UN-eventful day tomorrow!
Jesse is going to be seen by a plastic surgeon who is also a hands specialist tomorrow morning at 10:00a.m. We're going to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia right in the heart of Philly - Kev's real thrilled about that - but supposedly they're the best. Not overly sure what to expect. They may cut away the excess skin from the broken blisters, they may recommend surgery, or they may just look at him and say that all is healing well. We're hoping for this last diagnosis! The blisters were so huge that when they burst, there is a ton of skin that is now laying against his palms and fingers. The doctors just want to make sure that his hands heal correctly and that he'll be able to have full range of motion once everything begins to heal. We are praying for the best.
If the diagnosis is okay - and the visit is not overly draining for all of us - we're maybe going to take in the sights and check things out in the city of Brotherly Love for the day. Kev's not a huge fan of the whole city scene, but I say if we're there, we might as well make the best of it! :0) We've only been there one time in the ENTIRE time we've lived here. Kev's been kind of proud of the fact that we've never driven into the city and was hoping to maintain that record until we moved home! Alas, the poor guy gets to drive right into Center City! Kinda funny.....
Anyhoo, we're all feeling a little fried around here. Both boys are fighting yucky colds and have been a wee bit grumpy these past couple of days. Kev is finally starting to come out of his blech-iness and was able to make up two tests today. I tell you - I am so spoiled. He is such a hands-on, involved Daddy, that when he is out of comission for a few days, my world gets totally thrown. I feel like a single mom! I'm pathetic.
Well, the kids are a-bed, so we are off to eat pie, watch American Idol, and hit the hay early in hopes of a very UN-eventful day tomorrow!
Yuckiness Abounds
We took Jesse to his pediatrician today to have them check out his burns. He's managed to pull or bite his bandages off twice now causing several of his blisters to burst, but we've been able to stay on top of infection. No signs so far. However, after looking at his little hands, the doctor wants him to be seen by a plastic surgeon to make sure that they heal correctly. Fabulous.
Kaden also had a check-up because he's been coughing for about three months straight - mostly right before and after bedtime or after he's been rough-housing with Kev. The doctor determined that he has "cough induced asthma" and gave us a nebulizer with some steroids for him to inhale each night before bed. Joy.
Both boys woke up with runny noses and a case of the grumpies, and Kev is feeling like he got run over by a mac-truck (mack-truck??). Wunder-bar. The flu is flying around here like crazy, and it looks like he might be fighting it. He's reminding me of a walking zombie - yet papers and tests still abound. Poor guy.
And me. Well, I'm doing okay. I've come to grips with the fact that "motherhood" and "guilt" are synonymous terms, and I'm accepting that fact. People have been so sweet about checking in on us and sharing all of their "mother-guilt" stories with me. Makes me feel a little better. :0)
Now they are all a-bed, and I'm just going to sit and stare into space for awhile!
"His mercies are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness, Oh Lord." Amen to that....
Kaden also had a check-up because he's been coughing for about three months straight - mostly right before and after bedtime or after he's been rough-housing with Kev. The doctor determined that he has "cough induced asthma" and gave us a nebulizer with some steroids for him to inhale each night before bed. Joy.
Both boys woke up with runny noses and a case of the grumpies, and Kev is feeling like he got run over by a mac-truck (mack-truck??). Wunder-bar. The flu is flying around here like crazy, and it looks like he might be fighting it. He's reminding me of a walking zombie - yet papers and tests still abound. Poor guy.
And me. Well, I'm doing okay. I've come to grips with the fact that "motherhood" and "guilt" are synonymous terms, and I'm accepting that fact. People have been so sweet about checking in on us and sharing all of their "mother-guilt" stories with me. Makes me feel a little better. :0)
Now they are all a-bed, and I'm just going to sit and stare into space for awhile!
"His mercies are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness, Oh Lord." Amen to that....
Jesse Update
Well, the day is done and night begins. We'll see what's in store for us.
Jesse took two decent naps during the day and woke up relatively happy. We got quite a few smiles and giggles out of him this afternoon and evening. When it came time to change the bandages the cries began again, but at least there was no screaming. One hand looks pretty good; there are only blisters on two fingers and a pretty big blister on the top of his palm. The other hand looks horrible. It's really swollen and his entire hand is one huge blister. He's asleep now, but he wimpers every now and then, so we can tell that he's in pain.
In the grand scheme of things, we are just so thankful. It could have been so much worse. Still, it's awfully hard to see your little baby in pain and unable to understand what's going on. Poor little guy. So brave.
Jesse took two decent naps during the day and woke up relatively happy. We got quite a few smiles and giggles out of him this afternoon and evening. When it came time to change the bandages the cries began again, but at least there was no screaming. One hand looks pretty good; there are only blisters on two fingers and a pretty big blister on the top of his palm. The other hand looks horrible. It's really swollen and his entire hand is one huge blister. He's asleep now, but he wimpers every now and then, so we can tell that he's in pain.
In the grand scheme of things, we are just so thankful. It could have been so much worse. Still, it's awfully hard to see your little baby in pain and unable to understand what's going on. Poor little guy. So brave.
weekends.........
Oh, it's been a really sad weekend so far.......
I had to rush Jesse to the emergency room this morning for bad burns all over his little hands. I know that accidents happen all the time, but I am KICKING myself that this one happened because of me. I left my curling iron on in the bathroom this morning like I have done SO many times before. Kaden knows not to touch it, so I didn't give it a second thought. He went in to wash his hands and Jesse just scooted right in after him. What is so frustrating to me is that I knew Jesse was going into the bathroom, but I totally forgot about my blasted curling iron being in there and ON.
He grabbed right ahold of that thing with both hands and then couldn't let go of it. The poor little thing was just holding it and screaming over and over again while it burned him. Aagh. That image has been seared into my brain for life, I fear. Kev had class today so I called a friend who - bless her heart - jumped out of the shower and flew over with her hair soaking wet. Her husband took their car and ran over to the school to get Kev out of class, and she drove the boys and I to the hospital and sat with Kaden in the waiting room for two hours. Kaden is playing at her house now, and Jesse has finally fallen asleep.
Our poor little baby screamed unconsolably for two hours straight. We had to keep switching out cold, wet compresses and now both little hands are all gauzed up. Thankfully, he does not have any third degree burns - just pretty bad second degree ones - and it could have been so much worse. He could have bit down on the iron and burned his face really horribly. But this is bad enough. The doctors say that he'll be in pretty severe pain for the next couple of days, and they want us to keep an eye out for swelling and sluggish blood flow into his fingertips, so please pray for him.
Kaden was such a big boy and a huge help. He never lost his cool while Jesse was screaming and while I was crying. He said: "Mommy, you're welcome for me telling you about what Jesse was doing! I'll look out the window for when Miss Charlotte comes and I'll go let her in for you!" So sweet. And poor Kev.....a security guard came and got him out of class. When he had Kev in the hallway all he said was: "One of your sons is burned!" So, my poor husband is imagining the worst while he rushes over to us. Yeesh. After all was said and done Kev said: "These sort of things completely drain me! I'm always close to being sick anyway because I'm always so sleep deprived. But when these things happen, it's like my whole body just shuts right down!"
So the rest of this little week-end will probably be spent pretty close to home. Jesse won't be able to crawl, nor will he be able to suck his thumb or feed himself cheerios - his three most favorite activities. So, the rest of us will need to give him lots of snuggles and babying.
I had to rush Jesse to the emergency room this morning for bad burns all over his little hands. I know that accidents happen all the time, but I am KICKING myself that this one happened because of me. I left my curling iron on in the bathroom this morning like I have done SO many times before. Kaden knows not to touch it, so I didn't give it a second thought. He went in to wash his hands and Jesse just scooted right in after him. What is so frustrating to me is that I knew Jesse was going into the bathroom, but I totally forgot about my blasted curling iron being in there and ON.
He grabbed right ahold of that thing with both hands and then couldn't let go of it. The poor little thing was just holding it and screaming over and over again while it burned him. Aagh. That image has been seared into my brain for life, I fear. Kev had class today so I called a friend who - bless her heart - jumped out of the shower and flew over with her hair soaking wet. Her husband took their car and ran over to the school to get Kev out of class, and she drove the boys and I to the hospital and sat with Kaden in the waiting room for two hours. Kaden is playing at her house now, and Jesse has finally fallen asleep.
Our poor little baby screamed unconsolably for two hours straight. We had to keep switching out cold, wet compresses and now both little hands are all gauzed up. Thankfully, he does not have any third degree burns - just pretty bad second degree ones - and it could have been so much worse. He could have bit down on the iron and burned his face really horribly. But this is bad enough. The doctors say that he'll be in pretty severe pain for the next couple of days, and they want us to keep an eye out for swelling and sluggish blood flow into his fingertips, so please pray for him.
Kaden was such a big boy and a huge help. He never lost his cool while Jesse was screaming and while I was crying. He said: "Mommy, you're welcome for me telling you about what Jesse was doing! I'll look out the window for when Miss Charlotte comes and I'll go let her in for you!" So sweet. And poor Kev.....a security guard came and got him out of class. When he had Kev in the hallway all he said was: "One of your sons is burned!" So, my poor husband is imagining the worst while he rushes over to us. Yeesh. After all was said and done Kev said: "These sort of things completely drain me! I'm always close to being sick anyway because I'm always so sleep deprived. But when these things happen, it's like my whole body just shuts right down!"
So the rest of this little week-end will probably be spent pretty close to home. Jesse won't be able to crawl, nor will he be able to suck his thumb or feed himself cheerios - his three most favorite activities. So, the rest of us will need to give him lots of snuggles and babying.
Out of Context
It's funny how AMAZING ordinary things suddenly become when they are placed in a completely different context. ! All of the married renters just received an email from our landlord a couple of days ago which reminded us that our contracts stated "absolutely nothing" should be stored in either our front or back hallways. If things were not removed by Friday, than they would get thrown away with no questions asked. We also received an attachment with about fifteen photos of all of the things that they were talking about.
Some apartments had a few cleaning supplies outside their doors. Others had a laundry basket or two. Just about all of us had shoes and small things like that. Then came the pictures from the Booker residence. To our amusement (kind of), about 85% of the pictures taken of "illegal stuff" belonged to us! We not only had a basket of shoes in front of our door; we also had not one but two strollers in the bottom front stairwell, a blown up air mattress and a trunk in our back stairwell, and a clothes rack filled with drying clothes in the bottom back stairwell! Over time, stuff has just started to trickle out - EVERYWHERE! Everyone else in our building is either single or just newly married, and then there's us - toting two chitlins and almost nine years of crapola into a two bedroom apartment!
So, anyway....back to my first paragraph. Because we were told that inspection would take place this morning, and because it's pouring to beat the band outside, I brought our double stroller into our living room until inspection is over - and until it stops raining. And then, I guess I'll store it outside - maybe with a bike lock on it. Kev doesn't want it stored outside for fear it'll get stolen, but I will go crazy if this has to be a centerpiece in our living room. Lord, have mercy! Some creative storage options may have to take place here. ANYWAY.....both Kaden and Jesse have played with that silly thing ALL MORNING LONG. We're talking HOURS here! I've done five loads of laundry, made bread, swept my kitchen, sewed a little project, and I'm now blogging! I keep checking in and making sure Jesse is happy and asking Kaden if he's having fun because I'm feeling a little guilty. But he assures me that he's having a blast wheeling either Jesse, himself, or all of his stuffed animals in endless circles! "We're going on trips!"
And here I thought it was going to be a cagey, stuck-inside-grumpy-feeling day for my boys! Amazing!
Some apartments had a few cleaning supplies outside their doors. Others had a laundry basket or two. Just about all of us had shoes and small things like that. Then came the pictures from the Booker residence. To our amusement (kind of), about 85% of the pictures taken of "illegal stuff" belonged to us! We not only had a basket of shoes in front of our door; we also had not one but two strollers in the bottom front stairwell, a blown up air mattress and a trunk in our back stairwell, and a clothes rack filled with drying clothes in the bottom back stairwell! Over time, stuff has just started to trickle out - EVERYWHERE! Everyone else in our building is either single or just newly married, and then there's us - toting two chitlins and almost nine years of crapola into a two bedroom apartment!
So, anyway....back to my first paragraph. Because we were told that inspection would take place this morning, and because it's pouring to beat the band outside, I brought our double stroller into our living room until inspection is over - and until it stops raining. And then, I guess I'll store it outside - maybe with a bike lock on it. Kev doesn't want it stored outside for fear it'll get stolen, but I will go crazy if this has to be a centerpiece in our living room. Lord, have mercy! Some creative storage options may have to take place here. ANYWAY.....both Kaden and Jesse have played with that silly thing ALL MORNING LONG. We're talking HOURS here! I've done five loads of laundry, made bread, swept my kitchen, sewed a little project, and I'm now blogging! I keep checking in and making sure Jesse is happy and asking Kaden if he's having fun because I'm feeling a little guilty. But he assures me that he's having a blast wheeling either Jesse, himself, or all of his stuffed animals in endless circles! "We're going on trips!"
And here I thought it was going to be a cagey, stuck-inside-grumpy-feeling day for my boys! Amazing!
True Confessions
I'm a little sheepish to admit this, but here goes.....I never really used to be a huge fan of little kids. It's true. If you were to place in front of me a baby kitten or puppy and a little baby, I would beg to give one of the little pets a snuggle without giving a second glance to the baby. I have always made newborns cry and I found them - along with toddlers - to be quite gross!
This is one reason why we waited so long to have children. Both of our jobs involved junior high and teenagers - which is the age I always loved most - so when we came home, we liked it QUIET.....and NEAT! I actually sometimes wondered if I was really even cut out to have children. I wasn't sure if I was the maternal type or not. Even during my first pregnancy, I sometimes felt as though a little alien had invaded my body! There were days that I wondered: "What have I done?" We were told that we would probably have fertility issues so we should give ourselves a couple of years. We'd already been married over four years at the time, so we thought - hey, probably in a year or two we'll be ready, so we might as well throw caution to the wind! Well, let me tell ya - we are not infertile!
I remember when Kaden was first born, my mother-in-law was giving him snuggles in the hospital and he started to cry. She immediately said, "Oh, he needs his mother," and promptly handed him over. I can vividly remember a brief moment of panic thinking: "Okay. Here goes. Now the whole world will see that I am truly a fraud, because they're all going to see that I'm just going to make him cry harder!" And then an amazing thing happened. As soon as he was in my arms, he immediately stopped. He knew that I was his mommy. He knew me. From that moment on I knew that I was going to be okay, and I FELL in love. :0)
And in recent years, an even more amazing phenomenon has taken place. I started craving another baby....like REALLY craving one! And even after the birth of our wild child who had major freak out sessions his entire first five months of life, I think that I really want ANOTHER one! Secretly, deep down, I kind of want a really big family! We'll take one baby at a time, mind you, and Kev is kind of feeling like our quiver might possibly be full....but we'll see!
AAAAAAAND to top things off......I'm really LOVING babysitting my friends' kids! Miracle of miracles! I joke that I am a glorified nanny for all of my friend's who have their master's degrees, but I am really falling in love with their children. I am constantly being reminded of the truths in Scripture where Jesus talks about the little children - about what a blessing they are, and about how much HE loves them! I am seeing them through His eyes. I am wanting to savor them, to build into them, and to seek to use these times to bless them and love on them as opposed to merely just seeing these hours as a chance to make a few extra bucks. Good stuff!
This is one reason why we waited so long to have children. Both of our jobs involved junior high and teenagers - which is the age I always loved most - so when we came home, we liked it QUIET.....and NEAT! I actually sometimes wondered if I was really even cut out to have children. I wasn't sure if I was the maternal type or not. Even during my first pregnancy, I sometimes felt as though a little alien had invaded my body! There were days that I wondered: "What have I done?" We were told that we would probably have fertility issues so we should give ourselves a couple of years. We'd already been married over four years at the time, so we thought - hey, probably in a year or two we'll be ready, so we might as well throw caution to the wind! Well, let me tell ya - we are not infertile!
I remember when Kaden was first born, my mother-in-law was giving him snuggles in the hospital and he started to cry. She immediately said, "Oh, he needs his mother," and promptly handed him over. I can vividly remember a brief moment of panic thinking: "Okay. Here goes. Now the whole world will see that I am truly a fraud, because they're all going to see that I'm just going to make him cry harder!" And then an amazing thing happened. As soon as he was in my arms, he immediately stopped. He knew that I was his mommy. He knew me. From that moment on I knew that I was going to be okay, and I FELL in love. :0)
And in recent years, an even more amazing phenomenon has taken place. I started craving another baby....like REALLY craving one! And even after the birth of our wild child who had major freak out sessions his entire first five months of life, I think that I really want ANOTHER one! Secretly, deep down, I kind of want a really big family! We'll take one baby at a time, mind you, and Kev is kind of feeling like our quiver might possibly be full....but we'll see!
AAAAAAAND to top things off......I'm really LOVING babysitting my friends' kids! Miracle of miracles! I joke that I am a glorified nanny for all of my friend's who have their master's degrees, but I am really falling in love with their children. I am constantly being reminded of the truths in Scripture where Jesus talks about the little children - about what a blessing they are, and about how much HE loves them! I am seeing them through His eyes. I am wanting to savor them, to build into them, and to seek to use these times to bless them and love on them as opposed to merely just seeing these hours as a chance to make a few extra bucks. Good stuff!
Simple Truths....
My new favorite verse during this stage of life:
Proverbs 3:3 - "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."
An easy verse to memorize. I read it twice and it was done. But, man - it continues to penetrate my heart. Love and faithfulness. Doesn't that sum up motherhood pretty well? And truthfully - doesn't that sum up how we should live every aspect of our lives? This has become my consistent prayer for how I want to approach ALL of what I do.
I am with my boys ALL day - every day. I want them to see a mommy who loves them fiercely, who has a ready hug or snuggle, and who is not too busy to get down at their level and just BE - with them. I want them to NEVER doubt my love for them. And I want to be faithful in EVERY aspect of my parenting - in their training, their correction, their character building - all of it. When they look back at their years of living under our roof I don't want them to ever question Kev's and my love for Christ first and foremost, then our love and devotion to each other, and finally our love and faithfulness to them as their parents.
We will make our share of mistakes. God knows we've made them already. But, He also knows how badly we want to be a success - not in the world's eyes, but in His eyes alone - at this thing called "living." By the world's standards, "success" can be a pretty warped thing. But, Jesus measures success by an entirely different standard. He calls me to love and faithfulness. HE says that "in as much as I have done it unto the LEAST of these - I have done it unto Him." Kaden and Jesse are "the least" of these. Jesus calls me to love and reverance my husband. He calls me to faithfulness in whatever season of life we find ourselves in. If I live well as a wife and as a mother, than I am successful in the eyes of my Savior.
So, to Jesus - easing Kev's stress during this craziness of grad school is a good thing. Playing with Kaden and Jesse and filling their little love tanks is being faithful. Making my home a haven, never ceasing to get to know Kev - to truly know - him, always showing him the respect he deserves, being selfless, and loving him deeply - no matter what.....that is SUCCESS! Being faithful in all aspects of motherhood - even the mundane and the repetitious....even when it goes unnoticed and un-thanked......that is SUCCESS!
I don't want love or faithfulness to EVER leave me. And I want to constantly strive to love more deeply and to be even more devoted, committed, and faithful to my family and to my Savior. I want to be filled to overflowing with steadfast love and abiding faithfulness and committment to all things that please Christ. No matter what.
Proverbs 3:3 - "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."
An easy verse to memorize. I read it twice and it was done. But, man - it continues to penetrate my heart. Love and faithfulness. Doesn't that sum up motherhood pretty well? And truthfully - doesn't that sum up how we should live every aspect of our lives? This has become my consistent prayer for how I want to approach ALL of what I do.
I am with my boys ALL day - every day. I want them to see a mommy who loves them fiercely, who has a ready hug or snuggle, and who is not too busy to get down at their level and just BE - with them. I want them to NEVER doubt my love for them. And I want to be faithful in EVERY aspect of my parenting - in their training, their correction, their character building - all of it. When they look back at their years of living under our roof I don't want them to ever question Kev's and my love for Christ first and foremost, then our love and devotion to each other, and finally our love and faithfulness to them as their parents.
We will make our share of mistakes. God knows we've made them already. But, He also knows how badly we want to be a success - not in the world's eyes, but in His eyes alone - at this thing called "living." By the world's standards, "success" can be a pretty warped thing. But, Jesus measures success by an entirely different standard. He calls me to love and faithfulness. HE says that "in as much as I have done it unto the LEAST of these - I have done it unto Him." Kaden and Jesse are "the least" of these. Jesus calls me to love and reverance my husband. He calls me to faithfulness in whatever season of life we find ourselves in. If I live well as a wife and as a mother, than I am successful in the eyes of my Savior.
So, to Jesus - easing Kev's stress during this craziness of grad school is a good thing. Playing with Kaden and Jesse and filling their little love tanks is being faithful. Making my home a haven, never ceasing to get to know Kev - to truly know - him, always showing him the respect he deserves, being selfless, and loving him deeply - no matter what.....that is SUCCESS! Being faithful in all aspects of motherhood - even the mundane and the repetitious....even when it goes unnoticed and un-thanked......that is SUCCESS!
I don't want love or faithfulness to EVER leave me. And I want to constantly strive to love more deeply and to be even more devoted, committed, and faithful to my family and to my Savior. I want to be filled to overflowing with steadfast love and abiding faithfulness and committment to all things that please Christ. No matter what.
What's in a Name?
I'm thinking that our Jesse "Bear" would be better suited with a different name as of late. We originally coined the nickname in his early days when he was such a wreck all day every day. Although he still has an AMAZING temper AND a very strong will (whew!), he's really pretty happy most days now. He's still a tank, so the name fits in that way - AND it's cute....
However, I feel like we have a little naughty puppy on our hands these days! Seriously - this child is into everything he shouldn't be, plus he's totally slobbery - just like a little puppy! When he's rolling all over the floor, the first thing he goes for is our shoes. He muckles right on to them and starts gnawing to beat the band! And if there are no shoes to be had, he simply scoots over to the nearest cord and tries to electricute himself! And he is so WIGGLY! When we go to snuggle him, we have to use all the strength that is in us to keep him from shooting right out of our arms. Plus, whatever body part is accessible, he wants to sink his teeth into like a favorite chew toy! He's wild!
Still....I think "Jesse Bear" sounds nicer and cuter than "Jesse Dog"....... but that's what I'll be thinking whenever I look at him!
However, I feel like we have a little naughty puppy on our hands these days! Seriously - this child is into everything he shouldn't be, plus he's totally slobbery - just like a little puppy! When he's rolling all over the floor, the first thing he goes for is our shoes. He muckles right on to them and starts gnawing to beat the band! And if there are no shoes to be had, he simply scoots over to the nearest cord and tries to electricute himself! And he is so WIGGLY! When we go to snuggle him, we have to use all the strength that is in us to keep him from shooting right out of our arms. Plus, whatever body part is accessible, he wants to sink his teeth into like a favorite chew toy! He's wild!
Still....I think "Jesse Bear" sounds nicer and cuter than "Jesse Dog"....... but that's what I'll be thinking whenever I look at him!
Weekends!
Hard to believe another whole week has gone by since my last "weekends" post. It is seriously crazy how fast time flies! Every Saturday but one during the month of February, Kev will have an all day Saturday class, so this week-end we decided to do a family day trip knowing that we won't be able to get away for awhile.
Well, first of all, on Friday night Kev and I went on a date while some very sweet friends offered to watch our boys. (See previous post). :0) We went to one of our favorite restaurants - Macaroni Grill, and then to a movie. We were trying to decide if we wanted to just get a coffee and walk around one of the nearby parks after supper, but it was so cold, that we wimped out and went to the theater instead! It was really nice to have some quality, uninterrupted time together - just the two of us.
On Saturday, as soon as we all woke up, we threw the boys in the car and drove one and a half hours away to one of my favorite places - Lancaster, PA! I LOVE it out there. It totally and completely soothes me. We went to a place called Shady Maple where they are known for their amazingly massive all you can eat smorgasboards! This is where we ate breakfast, and let me tell you - was it ever delish! After waddling out of there, we just kind of poked around the little shops and different areas out there checking out the farms and watching the horse drawn buggies. And then we came home in time for the kids' afternoon naps.
We had a really relaxing afternoon, made supper together, and just played with the boys until bedtime. Sundays are always pretty tiring as we leave at 7:30 and don't get home until after 2:00, so yesterday afternoon and evening we just vegged and played. After church today, the boys took decent naps. Kev did a little homework, I did a little organizing and rearranging, we drank a little coffee, played a little k'nex and train, and now the boys are p.j'd up and ready to hit the hay all over again! It's been a good week-end. We're refueled, refreshed, and ready for another week!
Well, first of all, on Friday night Kev and I went on a date while some very sweet friends offered to watch our boys. (See previous post). :0) We went to one of our favorite restaurants - Macaroni Grill, and then to a movie. We were trying to decide if we wanted to just get a coffee and walk around one of the nearby parks after supper, but it was so cold, that we wimped out and went to the theater instead! It was really nice to have some quality, uninterrupted time together - just the two of us.
On Saturday, as soon as we all woke up, we threw the boys in the car and drove one and a half hours away to one of my favorite places - Lancaster, PA! I LOVE it out there. It totally and completely soothes me. We went to a place called Shady Maple where they are known for their amazingly massive all you can eat smorgasboards! This is where we ate breakfast, and let me tell you - was it ever delish! After waddling out of there, we just kind of poked around the little shops and different areas out there checking out the farms and watching the horse drawn buggies. And then we came home in time for the kids' afternoon naps.
We had a really relaxing afternoon, made supper together, and just played with the boys until bedtime. Sundays are always pretty tiring as we leave at 7:30 and don't get home until after 2:00, so yesterday afternoon and evening we just vegged and played. After church today, the boys took decent naps. Kev did a little homework, I did a little organizing and rearranging, we drank a little coffee, played a little k'nex and train, and now the boys are p.j'd up and ready to hit the hay all over again! It's been a good week-end. We're refueled, refreshed, and ready for another week!
Being Intentional
This past summer, a dear friend and I were going for a walk with our wee ones, and she told me that she and her husband had not been on a date alone since her daughter had been born several months earlier. Looking back, I clearly remember giving her my "you-need-to-not-neglect-your-relationship-and-you-need-to-make-sure-that-you-keep-investing-in-your-marriage" lecture as we strolled around the block.
Well, dear friend, to my sheepish chagrin - I was looking back over the almost eight months since Jesse's been born and realized that Kev and I have not been on a date alone since his arrival either! Wow - it's amazing how quickly time can slip away. I couldn't believe that it had been eight months since we had done something alone - just the two of us. We've done a ton of fun things together as a family since Jesse's been born - day trips many Saturdays, lots of trips to parks, meals out, and even a few overnights at various hotels. But, it's always been with the boys - never alone.
I feel like we've done a pretty good job at staying connected with each other - always checking in to make sure we're both doing well, having fun family days, making sure that we don't get too busy in the craziness of grad school, having good conversation over meals or after the boys are in bed - but STILL. I am a huge proponent of people investing time into their marriages - quality, uninterrupted, intentional time. You will hear me harp on this until the day I die. We have seen too many marriages merely surviving and existing. We have heard too many couples say that the craziness they are in is "just a season" and as soon as the season is over they will get back on track and back to nurturing each other. I can not tell you how many marriages that I know of - right now - that are on the edge of something tragic happening. Just this past week we got news of some dear friends of ours who have three little kids where the wife - my friend - walked away and said she was through.
This sort of thing does not just happen overnight. The Bible says to "beware of the little foxes....." We need to beware of the little things in our relationships that can so easily become big things. No one is immune. It is SO sad and it is SO scary that we can not afford to NOT be spending quality, intentional time investing in our relationships. And this time that we spend together doesn't have to be any big "to-do." It just has to be simply that - TIME! It is SO easy to make everything else in life have priority over our marriage. Life pulls us in so many directions that sometimes we barely have time to even breathe! But the key thing is to be constantly checking in with each other to make sure we're still on the same track and to carve out segments of time for each other - whether it's talking instead of watching t.v. after the kids go to bed, or asking someone to watch the kids while we go out for a cup of coffee - or even for a walk if we're broke!
Anyway, after the shocker news flash that we got from our friends, Kev and I looked at each other, called some friends with the promise to return the favor, and hit the road just the two of us for a couple of hours. It was a sobering reminder to us that even though we're busy, poor, and whatever other excuses that we can so easily come up with, the effort and the investment is oh so necessary, and we need to make sure that we stay strong no matter WHAT season of life we are in.
Stress is inevitable, busyness will never go away, kids will always have needs, money will always be tight, housework will never get done, tests will always need to be studied for, and to top it all off - we'll probably even return home more exhausted than when we left because of all the planning that went into just getting out the door and because of all of the things that we left unfinished by going......but the investment is worth it and it's necessary.
Okay. My rant is over.
Well, dear friend, to my sheepish chagrin - I was looking back over the almost eight months since Jesse's been born and realized that Kev and I have not been on a date alone since his arrival either! Wow - it's amazing how quickly time can slip away. I couldn't believe that it had been eight months since we had done something alone - just the two of us. We've done a ton of fun things together as a family since Jesse's been born - day trips many Saturdays, lots of trips to parks, meals out, and even a few overnights at various hotels. But, it's always been with the boys - never alone.
I feel like we've done a pretty good job at staying connected with each other - always checking in to make sure we're both doing well, having fun family days, making sure that we don't get too busy in the craziness of grad school, having good conversation over meals or after the boys are in bed - but STILL. I am a huge proponent of people investing time into their marriages - quality, uninterrupted, intentional time. You will hear me harp on this until the day I die. We have seen too many marriages merely surviving and existing. We have heard too many couples say that the craziness they are in is "just a season" and as soon as the season is over they will get back on track and back to nurturing each other. I can not tell you how many marriages that I know of - right now - that are on the edge of something tragic happening. Just this past week we got news of some dear friends of ours who have three little kids where the wife - my friend - walked away and said she was through.
This sort of thing does not just happen overnight. The Bible says to "beware of the little foxes....." We need to beware of the little things in our relationships that can so easily become big things. No one is immune. It is SO sad and it is SO scary that we can not afford to NOT be spending quality, intentional time investing in our relationships. And this time that we spend together doesn't have to be any big "to-do." It just has to be simply that - TIME! It is SO easy to make everything else in life have priority over our marriage. Life pulls us in so many directions that sometimes we barely have time to even breathe! But the key thing is to be constantly checking in with each other to make sure we're still on the same track and to carve out segments of time for each other - whether it's talking instead of watching t.v. after the kids go to bed, or asking someone to watch the kids while we go out for a cup of coffee - or even for a walk if we're broke!
Anyway, after the shocker news flash that we got from our friends, Kev and I looked at each other, called some friends with the promise to return the favor, and hit the road just the two of us for a couple of hours. It was a sobering reminder to us that even though we're busy, poor, and whatever other excuses that we can so easily come up with, the effort and the investment is oh so necessary, and we need to make sure that we stay strong no matter WHAT season of life we are in.
Stress is inevitable, busyness will never go away, kids will always have needs, money will always be tight, housework will never get done, tests will always need to be studied for, and to top it all off - we'll probably even return home more exhausted than when we left because of all the planning that went into just getting out the door and because of all of the things that we left unfinished by going......but the investment is worth it and it's necessary.
Okay. My rant is over.
Friends and Phone Calls
As a rule, I really don't love talking on the phone. I know that some of you are in shock as a result of reading this comment because: (a). I talk a lot, and (b). when I leave messages on your phones it usually takes me several minutes and at least a couple of messages to get my whole thought out. But it's true. On the whole, I'd much rather visit face to face or sit down and write a really long email during a time that it is QUIET around here where I don't have to compete with two jabber walkies.
However, with most of my loved ones, this is just not possible as they live states away from me! And there are a handful of friends where literal years will pass by before we ever lay eyes on each other. Children are born, several moves take place, and all sorts of chapters in our lives are lived out before we are able to reconnect in person.
I'm thinking specifically of two childhood friends who other than attending summer camp with them through our school years and then living together for three short years in Bible school ten years ago, I can count on one hand how many times I've seen them since.
So, when a dear friend "facebooked" me yesterday asking me what time was good for a phone call, let me tell you - all of a sudden my day was completely reorganized around our little phone date that was going to take place later in the day! Baths no longer mattered for the boys, the laundry stayed dirty, supper plans? What supper plans? and suddenly the floor looked clean enough to wait another day to be vac'd! Coffee was made, and we settled in.
I LOVE those random gifts of time that are the next best thing to a face to face chat. Life is so crazy, but really - all that needs to be done is for me to pick up the phone, dial a few digits, and walk back into that loved one's life. I am really not very good at doing this. What I LOVE about these friendships though, is that years can literally go by, yet when we FINALLY reconnect, it's like time just fades away. We simply pick up right where we last left off. Advice is offered and given. Stories are told. Dreams are shared. Struggles are made vulnerable. And we get to know each other all over again. I love that.
And it makes me wonder why we waited so long to catch up with each other.
However, with most of my loved ones, this is just not possible as they live states away from me! And there are a handful of friends where literal years will pass by before we ever lay eyes on each other. Children are born, several moves take place, and all sorts of chapters in our lives are lived out before we are able to reconnect in person.
I'm thinking specifically of two childhood friends who other than attending summer camp with them through our school years and then living together for three short years in Bible school ten years ago, I can count on one hand how many times I've seen them since.
So, when a dear friend "facebooked" me yesterday asking me what time was good for a phone call, let me tell you - all of a sudden my day was completely reorganized around our little phone date that was going to take place later in the day! Baths no longer mattered for the boys, the laundry stayed dirty, supper plans? What supper plans? and suddenly the floor looked clean enough to wait another day to be vac'd! Coffee was made, and we settled in.
I LOVE those random gifts of time that are the next best thing to a face to face chat. Life is so crazy, but really - all that needs to be done is for me to pick up the phone, dial a few digits, and walk back into that loved one's life. I am really not very good at doing this. What I LOVE about these friendships though, is that years can literally go by, yet when we FINALLY reconnect, it's like time just fades away. We simply pick up right where we last left off. Advice is offered and given. Stories are told. Dreams are shared. Struggles are made vulnerable. And we get to know each other all over again. I love that.
And it makes me wonder why we waited so long to catch up with each other.
Random Things
Things I feel grumpy about today:
1. It's freezing outside, and I'm desperate for a walk. We are ALL stir crazy.
2. After MANY nights of staying dry, Kaden peed an ocean in his bed last night.
3. After finally getting our rhythm back from being in Maine, Jesse decided to cry for 1 1/2 hours last night.
4. Jesse is becoming very chatty, which is adorable on the one hand, but it is giving me a major headache on the other. He is SO loud and it's NON-STOP!
5. Kaden decided he didn't feel like napping today.
6. How in the world do I have three loads of laundry to do today, when I was completely caught up yesterday? Oh right.....Kaden's ocean. It's only 3 loads, but still.......
7. I need to exercise. I'm feeling spungy.
8. Sleep. Blessed rest. Where have you gone, my friend?
Things that I feel happy about today:
1. Jesse is officially crawling and is so proud of himself. It's adorable.
2. Kaden is such a big help to me while I babysit my friend's kids. He is very thoughtful.
3. Jesse's adoration for Kaden is precious, and Kaden's love in return is so nice to see.
4. Jesse "painted" for the first time! I put him in his johnny jump up, put a piece of paper on the ground underneath him, painted his toes, and let him go to town! Voila! A masterpiece!
5. My sweet, perceptive husband. He saw my exhaustion this morning and promptly: rubbed my back, made the beds, made us all breakfast, and offered to take us out to supper!
6. I talked with my little brother - home from his honeymoon. And he is SO happy. It's quite adorable. He's a puddle.
7. My dear friend Rachey is planning on flying out to see me! I wicked miss her.
8. My apartment. I love it - I really do. That seems so funny to me, but I'm content here.
9. My boys and their antics. It's crazy, loud, and messy, but I love it.
10. Coffee. I learned to make it myself. And I do. Multiple times a day.
11. My time with the Lord. I'm learning to give him the firstfruits of my alone time, and He's blessing it. He is faithful and He is gracious.
12. My life in general. It's good, it's simple, and I love it.
Yup. More to be happy about than grumpy.
I still would pay a lot of money for a really long nap........
1. It's freezing outside, and I'm desperate for a walk. We are ALL stir crazy.
2. After MANY nights of staying dry, Kaden peed an ocean in his bed last night.
3. After finally getting our rhythm back from being in Maine, Jesse decided to cry for 1 1/2 hours last night.
4. Jesse is becoming very chatty, which is adorable on the one hand, but it is giving me a major headache on the other. He is SO loud and it's NON-STOP!
5. Kaden decided he didn't feel like napping today.
6. How in the world do I have three loads of laundry to do today, when I was completely caught up yesterday? Oh right.....Kaden's ocean. It's only 3 loads, but still.......
7. I need to exercise. I'm feeling spungy.
8. Sleep. Blessed rest. Where have you gone, my friend?
Things that I feel happy about today:
1. Jesse is officially crawling and is so proud of himself. It's adorable.
2. Kaden is such a big help to me while I babysit my friend's kids. He is very thoughtful.
3. Jesse's adoration for Kaden is precious, and Kaden's love in return is so nice to see.
4. Jesse "painted" for the first time! I put him in his johnny jump up, put a piece of paper on the ground underneath him, painted his toes, and let him go to town! Voila! A masterpiece!
5. My sweet, perceptive husband. He saw my exhaustion this morning and promptly: rubbed my back, made the beds, made us all breakfast, and offered to take us out to supper!
6. I talked with my little brother - home from his honeymoon. And he is SO happy. It's quite adorable. He's a puddle.
7. My dear friend Rachey is planning on flying out to see me! I wicked miss her.
8. My apartment. I love it - I really do. That seems so funny to me, but I'm content here.
9. My boys and their antics. It's crazy, loud, and messy, but I love it.
10. Coffee. I learned to make it myself. And I do. Multiple times a day.
11. My time with the Lord. I'm learning to give him the firstfruits of my alone time, and He's blessing it. He is faithful and He is gracious.
12. My life in general. It's good, it's simple, and I love it.
Yup. More to be happy about than grumpy.
I still would pay a lot of money for a really long nap........
Weekends!
Our little family LOVES the weekend. We LIVE for it! Ever since Kev and I were first married, we have always had a "holy day." A day that is all our own with no real agenda except to spend quality time together as a family. Throughout the years, this day continues to look a little different, but we still try to keep it sacred nonetheless.
With the arrival of Jesse, we really try to have NO expectations, but the older he gets the more we are finding we are able to do. It really doesn't take much to make any of us happy. We love to go for adventures, we love to be outside, we love a good cup of coffee, a nice park, or even a store now and then can be fun.
This weekend was a bit chilly, so we didn't do much outside. But all in all, we just had a really nice, relaxing couple of days that were slow and lazy. Jesse is big enough to sit in highchairs at restaurants now and carts at stores, so he enjoys these trips much more than he ever used to. He's actually become quite the happy little camper most of the time!
He received quite a few "compliments" this week-end in our travels. Here are a few: "Wow! You can tell he's a Maine baby - he's as heavy as a moose!" Or, how about: "What a chubby baby! He could stand to go without a couple of meals!" Hmmmm. Oh, and then there was: "His arms remind me of little sausages!" That's our boy!
Anyway, here is a rundown of this particular weekend which may seem boring to some but was very nice for us. We went out to a fun supper on Friday night. The boys were great and Kev and I even got some good conversation in. On Saturday, we just hung around home in the morning and had a leisurely family breakfast and let Jesse have his first nap in his crib before hitting the road. Kaden and I did a little craft together while Jesse slept, which I must confess was an absolute bomb, but we had some quality time which he loves nonetheless.
When Jesse woke up, we ran a few errands and then came home to let the boys get their afternoon naps. Kev and I just puttered - something I love to do - while they slept. I also ran down the road and checked out my favorite little antiquey store. And then we went to a basketball game over at the school when the boys woke up. Jesse was mesmerized by all of the chaos! While Kaden quietly sucked his thumb and took it all in, Jesse's little bald head never stopped moving while he grunted and yelled at all of the action taking place!
Today we had a good day at church - even though there was no heat and we froze half to death. This afternoon was lazy and relaxing. Kev has been making some homemade beef jerky in his new smoker, I cleaned and reorganized things a little, and the boys have just had fun playing with toys and destroying all that I've cleaned! Good times!
Fun, food, fellowship, and also a few things checked off my to-do list! A great weekend!
P.S. Quick Jesse update - He is THIS close to crawling! Life as I know it is soon to change FOREVER.........Oh my!
With the arrival of Jesse, we really try to have NO expectations, but the older he gets the more we are finding we are able to do. It really doesn't take much to make any of us happy. We love to go for adventures, we love to be outside, we love a good cup of coffee, a nice park, or even a store now and then can be fun.
This weekend was a bit chilly, so we didn't do much outside. But all in all, we just had a really nice, relaxing couple of days that were slow and lazy. Jesse is big enough to sit in highchairs at restaurants now and carts at stores, so he enjoys these trips much more than he ever used to. He's actually become quite the happy little camper most of the time!
He received quite a few "compliments" this week-end in our travels. Here are a few: "Wow! You can tell he's a Maine baby - he's as heavy as a moose!" Or, how about: "What a chubby baby! He could stand to go without a couple of meals!" Hmmmm. Oh, and then there was: "His arms remind me of little sausages!" That's our boy!
Anyway, here is a rundown of this particular weekend which may seem boring to some but was very nice for us. We went out to a fun supper on Friday night. The boys were great and Kev and I even got some good conversation in. On Saturday, we just hung around home in the morning and had a leisurely family breakfast and let Jesse have his first nap in his crib before hitting the road. Kaden and I did a little craft together while Jesse slept, which I must confess was an absolute bomb, but we had some quality time which he loves nonetheless.
When Jesse woke up, we ran a few errands and then came home to let the boys get their afternoon naps. Kev and I just puttered - something I love to do - while they slept. I also ran down the road and checked out my favorite little antiquey store. And then we went to a basketball game over at the school when the boys woke up. Jesse was mesmerized by all of the chaos! While Kaden quietly sucked his thumb and took it all in, Jesse's little bald head never stopped moving while he grunted and yelled at all of the action taking place!
Today we had a good day at church - even though there was no heat and we froze half to death. This afternoon was lazy and relaxing. Kev has been making some homemade beef jerky in his new smoker, I cleaned and reorganized things a little, and the boys have just had fun playing with toys and destroying all that I've cleaned! Good times!
Fun, food, fellowship, and also a few things checked off my to-do list! A great weekend!
P.S. Quick Jesse update - He is THIS close to crawling! Life as I know it is soon to change FOREVER.........Oh my!
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