In The Pew

I finally finished my book last night-the one it's taken me far too long to read. It's called In Every Pew Sits A Broken Heart by Ruth Graham and Stacy Mattingly. Ruth gives us her life story over the course of the book. She gives advice in various situations for those hurting and those helping friends who are hurting. She shows us how to work our way back to God, no matter how far we may have strayed. Her biggest points were 1. No matter how deep we're sinking, God will always welcome us back if we just turn to Him; and 2. The lower we get, the more we need God. I thought it a very good book and would recommend it.

In other news, Jon will be performing his first wedding this weekend. We will get to spend time with family. I'm very excited that our tomatoes are coming very well. I've picked one "regular" tomato and a few cherry tomatoes. But there are tons out in the garden, and we should be happily picking in the next couple weeks. BLTs, here we come!

New Title

Well, if you look above, I have made a name change, possibly temporary, possibly permanent. I'll see how it sits with me after looking at it a few times. Thoughts? I tried adding a picture of a bunch of bananas, but for some reason it wouldn't stay. People would have just wondered what I was doing with a picture of bananas, anyway.

We went to see our new niece Saturday. You forget how tiny babies are. It was fun to hold a teeny one again. Leah is a little territorial and wanted that baby off my lap. But she's not excited to see the boys on my lap, either. Just something she'll have to work through. We had a good time with Jon's family. The boys love their cousin Ella. She gets a bit overwhelmed with the 2 boys vying for her play time, but I think she enjoys seeing them, too. We went to a splash park and the boys just loved it. The three of them had a good time. Leah wasn't excited about it-the water was pretty cold. She gradually got braver but still didn't get very wet.

Jon will be performing his first wedding next weekend. We have to travel a bit, so we're taking vacation and hanging out with our families. The boys are looking forward to seeing their grandpas and grandmas, but they're always ready to go anywhere. Such social butterflies, these two.

We also went on a real date Friday night and saw the last of the Harry Potter films. We figured out we haven't been to a movie theater for 3 years, that being one night of our summer internship in Sunnyside when we only had Ben and some good people volunteered a night of babysitting. I think most of the time I'd rather be in the comforts of home to watch a movie, but it was good to get out without a child.

So that was our exciting weekend. I'm off to read a book I've renewed 2, maybe 3, times and want to get through before we leave this weekend. I just don't have the concentration right now that I used to have for reading a book, but I've found I'm not the only one with this problem after having babies. Some day I will sit and enjoy a book in daylight hours and not fall asleep in it.

Birthday Pictures

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

Since the heat is foremost on everyone's mind around here, I might as well talk about it. You're not a true midwesterner if you can't hold a conversation about the weather. As I said before, it's in the 90s with high humidity. I took the kids out at 8:00 this morning for an hour of swimming in the backyard. Jon filled the pool yesterday, but neither of us had ambition to actually be out there, even in the evening. So I figured if the kids didn't care and we'd be cooped up all day otherwise, we could spend some time outside this morning. We were in full shade and the water was plenty warm. I herded everyone in as the sun crept closer to our pool-just in time for Sesame Street. Plus Finn nearly drowned Leah and she wanted nothing more to do with the pool.

I kept the boys busy with paint by water this morning. Leah slept and I made a casserole to freeze. Ben helped me make pizzas this afternoon while Finn slept and Leah busied herself with toys in the living room. Leah keeps busy with anything right now. She's more than happy to go up the stairs to the boys' room and play with the doors on their kitchen. There's also a 5-piece puzzle she really likes right now. She's also in the stage where she'll just sit and page through books. This is one of my favorite things to watch my kids do. I love to see them sitting in a pile of books, just quietly and intently looking at the pictures.

Jon braved the heat to grill tonight, which was great because I really don't want to run my oven. There are a few things I can do solely on the stove, but I think I need more crockpot recipes for days like this.

New Name?

I've been thinking lately that I should have some kind of catchy name to this blog. It was originally created when we took our trip to Indonesia 4 years ago, so Jon created it and made it simple. Since I've taken over it and pretty much made it mine, it seems a little boring to just put our names down. Since I have little creativity and right now I'm too tired to think, let me know if you have something catchy that might inspire me to play with words a bit.

In other news, we had our annual youth Sunday service this morning. The youth lead worship; we play some games after the church service, like a clothespin drop and beanbag toss, among others; and we have a potluck at church. The boys did pretty well with the games. Leah took a little snooze between the service and lunch. Someone is always willing to take her, so I was able to take the boys and help them with the games. Jon grilled pork loin for the potluck.

Our forecast for the week is for the 90s with overnight lows in the 70s. Humidity will bring the heat index even higher. I think we'll be staying inside this week, which doesn't always produce good results. My kids have too much energy. I may have to invest in some crafty things for times like these, and I suppose for the winter. Maybe I'll buy a bunch of sequins and stuff and keep the boys busy gluing them to paper. Maybe I have to start teaching them letters and numbers in Spanish. I'm sure we'll make it through.

And now it's time for ice cream. Blue Bunny makes some great flavors we've been testing this summer.

Off to the Fair

Yesterday we went to a local county fair. It's one of the bigger county fairs around here, and since we enjoyed it last year, we decided to go again. The boys were excited because they love to look at the animals. We didn't take our camera, but I think we got one of the most bored looks I've yet seen on Leah's face. This trip was a bit more enjoyable for a variety of reasons: 1. Last year we went on a Friday evening, which was extremely busy. 2. It was in the 70s with low humidity and a nice breeze-a beautiful day for a fair. 3. We went a week after I had Leah last year-it was a lot of walking and I took on more than I should have. Then there were tornado warnings, so we had to do a rush mass exodus. Not fun when you're tired.

We walked around the barns and then came to an area with an old tyme town, and they were just beginning a wild west shootout. We thought it would be fun to watch, but as they started shooting their guns, Finn got scared and cried. So I took him and Leah out of there. Ben wanted to watch but he was worried about Finn, so nobody stayed for that. The opening of the show was a horse dancing, which the boys seemed to enjoy. Leah just spent the whole time trying to get out of her stroller.

We had some great food. The kids ate a bunch of pizza and I had an excellent brisket sandwich. We all shared a bloomin' onion. We let the kids run a while. There was a little train car for the boys to explore and the buildings were open in the old tyme town, and Leah ran around in her own baby way trying to eat rocks and nearly tripping people. We ended the evening with some homemade ice cream and actually got home at bedtime. The kids must have been tired because they actually slept past 7:00 this morning.

The Joy of Gardening

We are in our second year of a real garden. Last year was literally a wash since we had tons of rain and just couldn't keep up with the weeding. We had to get our stuff out way early before it all rotted. I had Leah right when our peas and beans were starting, so the work was pretty much up to Jon, if he had actually been able to get in the garden. This year is much better. We've had a good balance of rain and sun and we've both been able to spend a good amount of time outside. It's a bit difficult for me since I can't really take my eye off of Leah outside. She enjoys eating dirt in the garden, but then she gets bored and wants to do something else. So I try to work around her naps and my housework.

Today I was very excited to pick 3 buckets of beans. The boys helped for about 5 minutes, then Finn was adamant that he pick peas. Ben just walked around the beans, picking here and there, and then watching me work. I did some weeding this afternoon. The boys don't seem to quite understand, because Finn wanted to help and picked an onion. At least he got a good-sized onion. Ben's not big into weeding. They're figuring out this is a bit of work, though we try to make it sound fun. Finn is anxious to pick tomatoes. When it comes time to pull stuff up, they will be ready and willing.

We hope to instill in our kids an enjoyment of gardening. They know we get to eat the stuff out of our garden, and some day we hope they appreciate the wonder of God's creation and the feeling of accomplishment (as well as the taste of home-grown food) that comes with the work of gardening.

July Already?

I realized it had been a while since I last posted, but I didn't realize it was March. I figured May at the latest. I probably could write something every day, if I even remembered, yet I feel I would bore people. But I guess they don't have to read this then, right? I will try to be better about it, but I don't promise more pictures.

We had a great weekend with our good friend Kris. It has been a great while since we have seen her, and yeah there's email and whatnot, but there's nothing like a personal visit. The time flew by quickly and all of us were sad to see her go (I must say, Finn attached to her pretty quickly).

We also celebrated Leah's first birthday! It's so hard to believe she's 1 already. That year flew by, as people say happens when you get older. I just think my kids have done something to my brain. The boys thought they would turn something when Leah turned 1, so I had to explain to them that they only get older on their birthday. Some day they won't be so quick to age.

Kris graciously helped me with my bright idea for Leah's cake-better in my brain than for real, but we tweaked our plan and it came out okay. We all ate it, so it couldn't have been that bad. Pictures in the next couple of days. We also enjoyed a little Famous Dave's for Leah's birthday meal. Since she couldn't tell us what she wanted, we figured it was a good choice. She is a meat eater for sure and everyone ate well.

Ben has already told me he wants a chocolate cake, and he's coming up with ideas for a present. I'm not sure I like this being able to pick business. It's much nicer when I can go buy what I want the day before their birthday while they're sitting in the cart and completely oblivious. Ben will turn 4 next month, so I guess I better start thinking. My challenge is always how to decorate the cake. Though Ben informed me he wants a Sesame Street puzzle on his cake. I told him that was beyond my ability, but I'm not sure he accepted that.

So here's my update, and like I said, I'll try to be better about posting.

I decided maybe it was time for me to post something, though I'm not sure what I should post about. We got a new camera in January, but all of the pictures are still on it. I realize that's a common theme with me.

Jon went to Guatemala in February for a week. I took the kids to Minnesota to spend time with all of the grandparents. Jon left on Friday morning and I headed up to MN that afternoon. That evening, Leah crawled for real (which we were just waiting for because she'd been dragging herself around for a month) and pulled herself up on the couch. The following Saturday she sat up by herself, a few hours before Jon came home, of course. So she has advanced herself quite nicely. She turned 8 months yesterday and is into everything.

Ben is starting to recognize letters and numbers on things. He's very excited about it and we think he may be an early reader. He has been potty trained for a while and it's a very nice feeling for me.

Finn is talking more and more. I am trying to start potty training with him and he's pretty receptive. He just wants to go potty at Walmart and restaurants and wear underwear like Ben does.

I have 2 sick boys. It's going around but hopefully it doesn't last long or require a trip to the doctor. On that note, it's time to go take care of them.

Happy (Belated) Birthday

Finn's cheesy smile

Not sure why this turned, but here it is.

We celebrated Finn's 2nd birthday in November, and I'm finally getting around to putting up a couple of pictures. It was a tractorous event and the boys had a great night.

They Learn Young

There are times when Jon is playing with the boys that he will squeeze them and make them say "Uncle" (they love this, by the way). Last week we went to get groceries about 20 minutes away. Ben had taken his wolf, Fofie, along. As we were heading home in the dark, Jon and I heard this throaty-sounding voice from the back (a "redrum" voice, for those of you who have seen The Shining): "Say uncle, Fofie, say uncle."

Great November

For the third day in a row, we took a morning walk. It has been in the 70s the past 3 days, though a little windy, but I'll take it. The boys got to play for a while outside yesterday and even ate lunch at their little picnic table. They just love being outside.

Leah turned 4 months yesterday. I hauled out the Bumbo and she seemed to enjoy being able to sit up and take in all the action. The boys vied for the seat when she wasn't in it. It's hard to believe how time has passed. She is full of smiles and likes to talk. She's really responding to the boys now, giving them lots of smiles and talking to them. Finn has never wavered in loving on her, and he seems to be reaping his rewards now. Ben has paid her minimal attention but seems to enjoy her a bit more now. He likes to see her smile at him.

Ben is a growing boy. He's eating more at a time and asks for food more often. I think he's on his way to going without naps. He takes longer and longer to get to sleep. Today I didn't even put him down. We'll see how he is tonight. A couple weeks ago one day he didn't sleep, and he actually was pleasant in the evening. Cross your fingers...

Finn is still Finn. He continues learning new words and speaks in short sentences. He'll turn 2 on Nov. 24, but it seems like he's been 2 for a year, doing everything Ben does. He's a crazy little boy who brings lots of energy and activity to our family.

We have just passed the milestone of 1 year of ordination for Jon and ministry at Austinville. We have enjoyed this past year and have been so blessed by God. We love our congregation and the place we live. We have been shown love from our congregation in many different ways. We have been gifted with another baby. The boys have had ample space to run and play and do little boy things. We have good health. You get the picture.

I shall now retire to my easy chair to see if Ben would like to rock; otherwise on to other things.

Happy November!

Something New

Things happen every day in our house that I witness and think, "That would be great to put on the blog." But I just don't find time to sit and write stuff, and when I might have time, I've forgotten all the cute and weird things that my kids do. But I do not lament. There will always be more.

Something I wanted to write about, though, is a little outing I made with the boys the day I went into labor with Leah. We have a colleague who is a volunteer fireman, and he graciously invited us to spend some time and check out the firetrucks. So in July, thinking I really should get it done before the baby came or I just wouldn't do it (deep down I knew she was coming soon because I made a bunch of appointments that week), I called up our friend and scheduled a time for the morning of July 8. The boys spent an hour climbing in and out of the vehicles. They got to run the hose, which they thought was lots of fun. Here are a few pictures:

Time Flies

Wow, I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted. I haven't looked at the blog for a while. I don't fill my days up with things, but I find myself very busy and don't have a lot of time to sit at the computer. I'm trying to come to grips with the fact that I'll have to catch up on sleep when my kids are out of the house.

Last weekend we had almost all of our family here to celebrate Ben turning 3 and Leah's baptism (and my birthday a little bit). Jon was able to finally baptize one of his kids, and Leah was his first baptism, so it was a little more special for us. The week leading up to that, my parents were here camping and we had some friends come through the area, so we had a busy week, but it was very fun to see everybody. The boys slept 2 nights in the camper with Grandpa and Grandma, and Ben keeps telling me he's going to sleep in the camper.

We've been having a good month. Finn's vocabulary is growing every day. He repeats Ben a lot and learns quickly, and it's generally pretty easy for me to interpret. He's a very energetic boy and is always moving, even when he's sitting on my lap. He had a great week last week, especially when both grandpas were here. I think he's going through grandpa withdrawal because he's been clingy this week.

Ben has been starting his terrible twos since he turned 3. He's been a little bearish this week and he's been a little bit different kid. He's starting to really remember and keep note of things, and his vocabulary continues to grow. It's been such a joy and blessing to watch him grow for 3 years and see the changes that come in such a short time.

Leah and I had a doctor appointment last week Friday. She is now 9.5 pounds and grew a couple inches. In the last week she has begun to outgrow her newborn clothing. We got our first smiles out of Leah this week and she's on the verge of talking to us. She has uttered 1 syllable at a time on various occasions. The boys are still very concerned about what she's doing and Finn just loves to hang on her and poke at her.

The last couple of days have been cool and fall-like. I actually hauled winter clothes out and put sleepers on the boys last night. This is perfect weather for a fire. I'm so glad Jon built our firepit this summer, even if we only used it a couple of times so far. Last night we had a fire and smores. The boys just loved it.

Hopefully this updates you a bit since I have no idea when I might post again.