~Seth & Nancy~

2012-02-01T20:47:00.000-05:00

When Denise was out for Thanksgiving she told me what she asked for for Christmas...only one thing, well, two kind of...a gift card to the spa and a trip to visit me, by herself! She must have been on the "nice" list last year because "Santa Claus" came through! Denise got what she wished for and came out this past weekend to see me.

On Saturday morning she enjoyed a quiet four hour ride across the state and arrived early in the afternoon. We took a trip to the outlets shortly after she got here and then met an old friend in the evening at the Melting Pot for cheese, chocolate and chatting.

Unfortunately Sunday was kind of a bust...the waitress must have given Denise caffeinated coffee because she only got two hours of sleep Saturday night and spent most of Sunday sleeping. On Monday morning we made our way to the hotel while Seth stayed back with the Little Man. We checked in at the spa, snagged some hot cocoa and waited in our matching robes for our massages. I had been there a couple of times in the past, but it was much more fun to share the experience with someone! Since my mom was watching the girls, Denise wound up hanging out the rest of the day with Levi and me...running some errands, coming along on Fonzie's walks and playing trains with Levi. Having her here made me wish that we lived closer to each other so we could do stuff like this more often. Hopefully in years to come we can make the "sister weekend" more of a regular event :-)

"Come away with me..."

2012-01-26T21:07:00.000-05:00

Seth and I are creeping up on the BIG anniversary. Last year we talked and dreamed about the trip we would take to celebrate our first decade of marital bliss...head out of the country? maybe a trip to Hawaii? or perhaps a ten day cruise? We had pretty much agreed that a cruise would be the best option...we're kind of veterans at this point, we'd know what to expect and it's the most "bang for your buck". Then we had our first trip away in July and it made me second guess what we were thinking. After one night away from the Little Man I was ready to go home. I couldn't imagine an entire week away, especially with little to no contact with him and my mom...plus with Fonzie in the mix, it would be an awful lot to ask of someone.

So...we're looking into other options for a long weekend romantic getaway. Should we stay local or fly somewhere? Beach or mountains? City or quaint little town? We've tossed around a few different ideas...Montreal, NYC, Savannah...but haven't made our final decision. Have you been some place that you particularly enjoyed?

"the times, they are a-changin'..."

2012-01-25T20:33:00.000-05:00

The other day I was listening to the Paul Simon station on Pandora and that Bob Dylan song came on. It seems to be the song of this year so far...the times are changing! After dealing with Levi's sleep issues for a number of weeks I had had enough...we needed to change something. So, after talking with a few different people I decided the easiest option was to just take away his nap (say it ain't so!!!). About three weeks ago we went without the blissful two hour afternoon reprieve. *sigh* Levi seemed to do OK without the extra sleep and went down around 8 without any fight (a HUGE improvement from 11!). Gradually he's become more grumpy when 1:30 rolls around....I've learned that I have to pick my poison. Do I want to deal with Grumpy Levi for four or five hours or fight with him at 10:30pm? So far I've gone with the first option....dreading it some days and enjoying more free time to play on the other days.

I guess we'll have to take Fonzie out earlier for his afternoon walks because this is how I usually find Levi when we get back to the house! This afternoon he was particularly out of it...I had to get a video of him. Poor kid...hopefully some day we'll work out the kinks and our afternoons will be a bit more enjoyable. In the meantime I'm trying to keep my sense of humor!

"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..."

2012-01-23T21:18:00.000-05:00

We finally had our first snow of the winter (I don't count the freak storm back before Halloween!). It was nice to have some white stuff on the ground...if it's gonna be this cold at least we can have something fun to play in...and that's exactly what we did!

Thankfully Levi's changed his tune when it come to snow (your might remember his reaction last year...classic!) He was so excited to see the snow on the ground when he got up and couldn't wait to go out and play. We (well, I) thoroughly enjoyed making snow angels and sledding down the little slope on the side of the yard. Oh, what I would've done to have a mini hill like that growing up!

The Fonz was pretty psyched to run around and bury his nose in the snow...he's hysterical to watch.

It's especially nice to have a snow day on the weekend so Seth can join in the fun....he even took a couple runs down the mini hill :-)

"Thy Word have I hid in my heart..."

2012-01-20T20:26:00.000-05:00

I was recently thinking about goals for the new year. I thought I had remembered posting something on the blog about making resolutions. Sure enough I looked back in the 'ol archives and found a list I had made six years ago. As I looked through the list I had to smile...not much has changed, I'd probably write the same list now. Read more books & watch less...drink more water & less soda...cook something new more often...write more in a journal...workout more consistently. There were two exceptions to my old list...now I'm trying to get Fonzie to walk better on a leash instead of Winchester and I'd like to start helping Levi memorize some Bible verses, as well as learn some new ones myself.

A couple weeks ago I started working on the last one by teaching Levi Proverbs 3:5 (I'm not really sure why I picked that one...it was the first one that came to mind I guess). He's got the first half down pretty well and is working on the second part. We're working on the right words...right now he likes to personalize it and says "with all my heart", instead of with all your heart. At least he's got the concept down :-)

"somewhere over the rainbow..."

2012-01-18T20:53:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks back Levi and I were driving around one sunny morning. The cross prism was swinging around and the sun was hitting it just right. "Rainbows!", Levi yelled from the backseat. I looked up on the ceiling and noticed that there were little rainbows all over the place. "Yep, you're right...rainbows, buddy!" I responded. "The rainbows are dancing...shaking their 'boose's!". Gotta love his little observations!

"faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us once more..."

2012-01-16T21:26:00.028-05:00

A few months back my dear friend Sarah called to tell me that she would be on the East coast for Christmas. I was hoping that we'd be able to work something out. It can be such a crazy time of year and I know she would most likely be busy since it had been three years since we was at her parents' house. Our last visit was two and a half years ago, just a few weeks after Levi was born and right before she found out she was pregnant with her youngest, Eli. We were long overdue for a visit!

We toyed around with meeting up halfway like we had done when I was pregnant with Levi, but I figured if we wanted to actually have a full conversation we needed to stay in one spot. So, one Saturday afternoon last month it was off to Annapolis for Levi and me to spend some time at Sarah's parents house.

It had been years since I had been there...eight to be exact. Jim and Sarah had gotten married in Hawaii and then had a reception in Maryland for those of us who couldn't make it out to paradise! Being there brought back so many fun memories. In almost every room there's some little reminder of Hawaii (they've spent a good portion of every year there since Sarah was young). When I came home I pulled out my album that I had made after our first summer there together...

Painting and scraping the church, climbing banyan trees in Hilo, long flights & lost bags, blue water and amazing sights, fun hikes through tropical forests and getting yelled at when we snuck in to get our pictures taken with the penguins at a hotel on Waikiki. So many good times and great memories...and now we had some new ones to grow on!

It was great to finally meet her little boy and to watch our kids play together. All those times that we worried together, if God put that "special someone" in our lives...and here we are 15 years later, each married to wonderful men, enjoying motherhood together. What a blessing!

"baby it's cold outside..."

2012-01-13T20:56:00.000-05:00

I knew those spring like days weren't gonna last. The beginning of last week was down right FRIGID! I probably wouldn't mind the cold so much except for the fact that the Fonz really needs to be walked at least twice a day in order to keep some of his puppy craziness at bay. So, for the past couple of days Levi and I have bundled up...puffy coats, gloves (or "glubs" as Levi calls them) and silly looking hats. The other day when we went for our afternoon walk Levi was standing on the front steps sniffing out of his nose and watching the steam come out. I showed him how he could do the same thing with his mouth, which he thought was pretty cool. As we stood on the steps, Fonzie decided he needed to "go", so he peed in the flower bed. Levi looked up at me after watching him and said "Fonzie's pee's smoking!".

"What are you doing...New Year's Eve..."

2012-01-09T19:46:00.001-05:00

Following with the tradition of the past couple of years we celebrate Christmas with my side of the family at New Year's. On Friday Seth and I loaded up "the beast" yet again and headed out to Pittsburgh to visit my side of the family.

The Fonz had done such a great job at my mother-in-law's house that I thought he'd just continue at my parents...WRONG. I'm not sure if it was the smell of Murphy in the house or what, but the poor pup was INSANE when we got there and didn't really settle down until the following day. The little evening jaunt he decided to take by himself through my parent's neighborhood (black dog running around the streets at night = nearly giving me a heart attack!) and racing around my sister's fenced in back yard a couple of times helped him relax a bit.

The little ones played nicely together...Levi seemed to like their company more than their last visit and he even shared his new, beloved tackle box with Rachel. Mimi and Bubba got each of the kids "pack-packs" and they loved wearing them around all day. The littlest ones liked their sit n' spins and Rach enjoyed the rather large Barbie wardrobe that she received.

Levi continued to be all about the cookies. After having his allotted amount, I saw him proudly walking around with another "tookie" in his hand. He was quite upset when I put it back on the counter...and tried to outsmart me. A couple seconds later I peeked around the dining room wall and saw him in the kitchen whipping a dish towel up on the counter top, "fishing" for the cookie! So that's how he managed to get it!

Seth and I were the only ones to make it to midnight on New Year's Eve (thankfully Levi had been sleeping for a couple of hours!)...not exactly the most exciting New Year's we've had, but good enough. 2011 was a good year. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store in 2012.

"Christmas future is far away...Christmas past is past..."

2012-01-07T15:30:00.004-05:00

Finally...after two weeks, a Christmas update! Our Christmas weekend trip had a bit of a rocky start. Seth came home early to get the tire fixed on ""the beast" and when he went to start it up it wouldn't turn over. A new starter and quite a few hours under the hood in the cold and rain and we were good to go...thankfully! We had that thing PACKED and there was no way we would've fit with everything in my car.

So, we got a little bit later of a start than we had first expected. Thankfully "the boys" were troopers and the ride up was uneventful. We got up to NY around dinner time and got to spend some time with Seth's sister and brother-in-law at his mom's house. Seth's mom decided to start up an old tradition again with the boys....a birthday cake for Jesus. Levi was excited to help blow out candles again (notice I kept him a safe distance away!)

Christmas Eve was a busy one. Our good friends, Phil and Kathy, were also in the area visiting family so we had a chance to meet up with them for lunch and hang out for a bit. When we got back to Seth's mom's, my parents had just arrived (so nice to spend Christmas with them again this year!) and we went over to see some trains at Bev's friend's house. Back to the house for a quick nap for the Little Man and then off to Seth's cousin's for dinner and then to his best friend's to exchange gifts and spend a little time together.

Christmas morning arrived and like years past we went to Seth's aunt and uncle's house on the farm for breakfast...the smell of bacon welcomed us as we got out of the car...gifts and lots of laughs.

After breakfast at the farm, we had round 2 of presents at Seth's mom's. Levi was pretty excited about his new scooter and Spiderman helmet from Grammy and Grampy. Both the boys did really well opening gifts and waiting patiently to open the ones that were theirs. Later that evening Seth's aunt, uncle and cousins came back to the house for dinner and to hang out.

We thought we'd head back to our house on Monday...we figured five adults, two 2 year-olds and a puppy in one house things might be a little crazy. Thankfully the boys were getting along well, Fonz was still doing great (even with David sticking his fingers up his nose!) and we had all slept relatively well...so we wound up staying an extra day. Seth's mom had been working so hard on Christmas day it didn't seem like she got to spend much of her time with the boys. I think hanging out with them together was probably the best Christmas gift we could have given her!

For me one of the best Christmas gifts was getting to spend the week with Seth and watching him enjoy time with the Little Man.

"so tender and mild...sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace"

2012-01-06T15:09:00.019-05:00

I have a bunch of blog posts waiting to be finished and "published" but I'm having a hard time finding the time because my evening computer time has been severely cut back due to Levi's new sleep "schedule". For the past few weeks he's been giving us a hard time with bedtime. I go through the same routine every night (brush teeth, read, pray, sing) and when I put him in his crib he just says "get out" repeatedly or screams if I leave the room. Lately we've been sitting in the recliner in his room until he falls asleep (usually around 10 or 10:30) and then keep our fingers crossed as we sneak out of his room and down the stairs...or straight to bed depending on how long the stand off lasts! As if the nighttime routine wasn't enough to drive me nuts last week he started pulling this craziness with naptime AND 4 am wake up calls. Thankfully Seth was home to help out because I was (and am) frustrated and had completely lost my patience. (*hang my head in shame*)

As I walking Fonzie earlier this week, thinking about the whole sleep situation and Paul's words to the Corinthians popped into my head. "Love is patient (ugh...I struggle so much with that!), love is kind...does not act unbecomingly (ugh, once again...I'm so ugly when I'm not getting my sleep); it does not seek its own, is not provoked...bears all things (even sleepless nights and temper tantrums), believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things". Thanks for the reminder, Lord! My prayer as I begin this new year is that God would give me joy in motherhood despite the lack of sleep...to see how tender the Little Man really is and to lower my expectations...after all he's only two!

PS- I'm also praying that this phase passes quickly and we can all sleep peacefully!

"lollipop, lollipop...oh lolly, lollipoop...pop"

2012-01-02T20:06:00.018-05:00

Last weekend we were at my parents' house celebrating Christmas. It's always fun to watch Levi and the girls playing with toys that I grew up with and played with at my grandmother's house...a little trip down memory lane. At Christmas time it's like a bonus trip. Levi was excited to see their Christmas tree and point out the different ornaments. He noticed the little baby in the walnut shell that was one of my favorites on my grandmother's Christmas tree. He found the soldier that I had made in 4th grade for some crazy Christmas time report that our teacher made us do. And of course he pointed out the lollipop ornament that I had always loved growing up. For years I would lick it each year thinking that the glitter on the outside of it was actually sugar...sure enough, Levi fell for it as well! I guess the apples doesn't fall far :-)

"Long lay the world in sin and error pining..."

2011-12-24T09:39:00.006-05:00

I've been listening to Christmas music pretty much non-stop on Pandora when I'm home...cleaning, baking cookies, playing trains with Levi...you get the picture. The other day as I was scrubbing the kitchen floor Celine Dion's version of O Holy Night came on. I'm usually not a huge fan of Celine, but I started to get tears in my eyes as I listened to her belt out the second line of the song...

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy name
Christ is the Lord!
Their name forever praise we.

I guess I had never really listened to the words in the second stanza. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, I hope that we can all praise Him with all that is in us. Praise the Lord, He sent His Son to save us! Merry Christmas!

"it's beginning to look a lot like..."

2011-12-22T21:48:00.000-05:00

...Christmas? Really? I was beginning to wonder a little today. It seems a bit more like spring...

The forsythia is blossoming...again!

The daffodil bulbs are starting to sprout...

...and we ate our lunch out on the deck under Levi's tent! Fifty degree weather might not feel very festive, but I'll take it!

"sleigh bells ring, are you listening?"

2011-12-21T21:30:00.002-05:00

Seth's all about traditions...especially when it comes to Christmas. It's one of the many things I love about him and I'm thankful that he's intentional about wanting to establish certain things so that Levi will have fun memories when he gets older.

One of the fun things that Seth came up with a couple years back was a set of real sleigh bells. I think he said that he always wanted them as a kid. We hang the strap of bells from the door knob on the front door so they ring when it opens (makes for an interesting time when someone is napping and you're trying to get out or in quietly!). It's been so fun to see Levi's eyes light up each night when he hears the bells and yells "Daddy!". He and Fonzie both go running for the kitchen door, anxious to welcome him home.

What's a special Christmas-time tradition that you've started in your family?

"If you'll be my bodyguard, I can be your long lost pal..."

2011-12-18T21:27:00.002-05:00

This is where Fonzie spends a good portion on his days (thankfully!). He loves to hang out on the deck...chomping on his sticks on his bed or watching what's going on in the yard. You can see how his natural protective nature comes out at times like these...ears perked up, looking like he's "on guard". Thankfully we're also seeing the effects of socializing him early. For the most part he's excited to meet new people and welcomes strangers that we welcome (not something that is typical of the breed).
This past Friday, I had him at the vet to get his nails clipped. While we waited for the vet techs I stuck him on the scale. I'm thankful kids don't grow as quickly as dogs! The last time I went, Fonz had Levi by a pound...since then Fonzie's at least doubled his weight (81lbs)! Hopefully he'll get better about walking on a leash soon or else I'll really end up getting dragged around by the time he's full grown.

"...how often your give us delight in brightly shining Christmas light"

2011-12-16T20:50:00.005-05:00

Last year a friend of mine commented on these pictures of Levi that I had posted on Facebook. She wanted to know how to get the Christmas lights in the background to form the funky orbs of light. It was nice that I could actually tell her how to do it and it wasn't just a happy accident!

Apparently the term for it is bokeh ...I learned that on good 'ol PW's website. Last year she had a little photo contest and people posted different types of bokeh. I was amazed at all the different shapes that people had filmed the light in...and wondered how in the world they did it! Then I came across this post through Pinterest...sweet! I couldn't wait to get some lights up to try it. So, one day during naptime I got some of my old stamping cardstock out and made this filter.

I know...doesn't look like much, huh? I put it on the front of my trusty 50mm lens, cranked up the ISO (800) and aperture (1.8) and pointed it at the tree....and ta-da! It worked!!

After Levi woke up I was anxious to get him and Fonzie in some of the shots...

Sure, the lights look neat, but unfortunately Fonzie and Levi were all blurry. The following day one of my neighbor's loaned me some of her hole punches so I made some new shapes and checked out the site again to see what I was doing wrong. My "subjects" were too close to the tree...the further away from the tree and closer to the camera, the better. So, I set up the tripod (to ensure that things would be less blurry) and got a couple more shots...

Not too bad. But it would probably be better if I could find something that stayed still...go figure, puppies and 2 1/2 year olds really aren't very good at that! I grabbed one of the ornaments and set it down on the stool...there! That's better...just what I was going for!

PS- I bet this would work well with a sleeping baby...if you live in the area and want to get some holiday pictures of your little one, just let me know!

"hang a shining star up on the highest bough..."

2011-12-15T20:21:00.016-05:00

I had every intention of decorating the tree last Tuesday. I figured it would be kind of a fun birthday thing to do...and Seth wasn't going to be home until late, so I needed something to keep us busy. I had strung the lights the day before, so I thought we just needed to add the ornaments and be done.

Unfortunately the perfectionist in me came out and I noticed the the tree wasn't quite straight. I tried to turn it and mess with the screws holding it in...then the whole thing started to tip, water spilled everywhere...Fonz was nearby and anxious to help clean it up! So...there I am, crouched down on the living room floor, trying to hold up a Christmas tree and block a 70+ lb. puppy from getting under the tree. Thankfully Levi stayed on the loveseat and I was able to push the tree back up and lean it against a piece of furniture until Seth got home. Oh, the joys of having a real tree!

Thankfully, Seth managed to fix the tree when he got home on Wednesday night and Levi and I decorated it. Of course it's always an adventure with a two and a half year old.

As I put a Santa Claus ornament on Levi informed that "E-i not wike Santa too much...wike mommy and daddy more". A few smashed Christmas balls and one bloody finger (Levi didn't even notice that he had gotten cut!) later it was done.

I put the star on top last and made a big deal out of it. Levi smiled and said "Good job with the star, mommy"..."looks nice, mommy, you did nice job". Then he proceeded to do this...

At first I thought he was trying to lick the ornament, but then I realized he was just making funny faces in them :-)

"I've been missing you..."

2011-12-14T14:12:00.001-05:00

I woke up in a bit of a funk today. I'm not sure if it was the horrible night of sleep or that fact that it was a year ago today I got one of the hardest phone calls of my life and had to say goodbye to Winchester.

It's nice to have Fonz in the house...it helps fill that canine void, but for me, nothing will ever replace Big Guy. There was just something special about that big squishy face! Miss you, Dubs!

"I'm glad it's your birthday...happy birthday to you..."

2011-12-12T21:07:00.000-05:00

Today's Seth's birthday...here he is celebrating...just a few years back :-)

Levi and I had a fun time planning some special surprises for Seth. We made his favorite spice cake and got a balloon at the grocery store. We waited at the front window to watch for Seth's car and made a beeline to the kitchen to light the candles on the cake.

Seth let Levi help him blow at the candles...both times. Unfortunately the second time around there was a little bit more drool involved! I guess that's one way to get more of your dad's birthday cake :-) I love Seth's face in the last picture!

Happy Birthday, babe! We love you SO much!!

"O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree...how lovely are your branches"

2011-12-09T20:19:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday we made our 2nd annual trek to a local Christmas tree farm with our friends, Zach and Jill. Thankfully this year wasn't quite as frigid and they didn't mind us dragging them out in the cold to chop down our tree!

Once again we took the horse-drawn wagon out to the fields and hiked out to find "the one"...

At some point Levi grabbed a branch from one of the trees and dragged it around, thinking that was our tree.

Jill brought her camera (of course!) and got some great shots of us (it's nice to actually be in a picture every once in a while).

Levi really "got" it this year. He enjoyed watching Seth cut down the tree and sat on his legs (poor Seth), while he sawed away.

I think it's safe to say we all had a fun time and enjoyed our new little tradition.

"just a little bit...just little bit, just a little bit..."

2011-12-07T19:56:00.009-05:00

first sip of hot cocoa

I didn't realize how many little "catch phrases" I have until Levi started talking more. Recently it seems like almost everything he asks me is followed by "a little bit". He wakes up in the morning, "watch George for a wittle bit in the basement". Later in the day, "go down stairs and pway toys for a wittle bit". On a sunny day, "it's a nice day...ride my bike on the deck for a wittle bit"! Now I actually catch myself before I say it. Before I know it, I'm sure he'll be picking up another one of my phrases!

"simply having a wonderful Christmas time..."

2011-12-05T15:10:00.013-05:00

When I was going through a box of old pictures a couple of weeks ago to find a picture of Seth and his step-brother, I found this one of my grandmother and me at Fountains of Wayne (the place, not the band).

I have vague memories of that day...it's kind of like a movie playing in my head. They're from the view point of a three year old, so I know they're real memories and not just based on the picture (not sure if that makes sense!). I vividly remember getting a candy cane and eating it while we were there...and getting the white faux fur cuffs of my jacket all pink and sticky!

Seth's mom and my parents recently had the opportunity to go to Bass Pro Shop with Levi and me. It's all decked out for Christmas...including crafts, a carousel, train and race track (Levi's favorite). Everything's free and he has a blast running around to all the little stations that are set up. As I snapped pictures of Levi riding the carousel with my mother-in-law and mother I wondered how much of this he'll remember. I hope some of it sticks and he can look back at these times fondly!

"If you wanna be happy in a million ways, for the holidays you can't beat home sweet home"

2011-12-01T19:51:00.034-05:00

I'm a little behind on a Thanksgiving update. Between working on our Christmas cards, decorating the house for Christmas, cleaning and trying to stay off the computer because I'm pretty sure I have carpal tunnel, I just haven't gotten around to writing about being home for the holiday.

This year we had a bit of a revolving door at our house. I'm not complaining! It was nice to be at our own house and have Levi in his own bed (more sleep for the both of us!) and still get to see so much of our family. Denise and Tim arrived late on Tuesday night with the girls. (we hadn't seen each other since August...WAY too long!) I had just put Levi to bed before they walked through the door and he started fussing. Seth went up to calm him down and came back down laughing. Apparently Levi was very concerned about Rachel and Katie playing with his toys and asked Seth to put them up! I think he likes his cousins more in theory than reality :-)

At least the girls seemed to enjoy their trip to the Bass Pro shop and we were able to get some pictures for their Christmas card...and this one of Denise and me with our new hats!

Unfortunately our visit with Denise's family was short...our house wasn't empty for long though! Grammy Bev and Grampy Dennis arrived shortly after. We were very happy that Dennis had "caught" two "deers" so they could make the trip down. We had a relatively quiet day. Levi enjoyed watching the parade and spending most of the time in his PJ's...and sticking olives on his finger at dinner.

On Friday we spent a bunch of time outside...putting up Christmas lights and finally carving Levi's little pumpkin. We didn't get around to it at Halloween and I figured it was nice outside so Levi might as well open it up and play with the seeds. Later in the day we managed to get some Christmas pictures (thanks to friends that were in town visiting family) and do a little shopping.

Seth's mom and Dennis had to leave Saturday morning and my mom and dad arrived shortly after. My mom and I put up our little ghetto tree in the basement while Levi napped...I wanted to surprise him when he got up. He was very "cited" to see it! Seth and I were able to take advantage of some free babysitting and went out to dinner (and drinks & appetizers the following nights!).

Monday we hit the outlets. My dad and I did a little shopping for my mom like old times and my mom hung out with Levi at the playground. On the way home we stopped off to see a little train exhibit, which Levi hated to leave. The afternoon was spent power washing the deck and then going to Bass Pro, yet again to show Mimi and Bubba all the fun Christmas stuff.

Now we're back to life as usual...getting ready for Christmas and enjoying the season through the eyes of a two year old...thankful for wonderful family and being able to spend Thanksgiving with most of them.

"This year when I count my blessings, I´m thanking the Lord He made you..."

2011-11-24T09:53:00.013-05:00

"in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." I Thessalonians 5:18

The other day I asked my mom if she could scan in a few old Thanksgiving pictures for me. I found this gem in my inbox!

There are so many things that I love about this picture...

My dad's "70's porn stauche" (that's Seth's name for it!), photo-grey lenses and sideburns...too funny!
Denise's chubby cheeks, pudgy hands and super thick head of hair (Levi totally has her hair!)
My grandparents' faux fireplace...it took me the longest time to realize that my grandmother had the same fireplace in all four places that she lived.
And...the fact that they brought the turkey into the living room to take a picture of us with it! (I've posted once before about our family taking pictures with poultry...so strange!)

So thankful for memories like this and the family that makes them so special. God is so good and we have so much to be thankful for...Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-22T20:30:00.000-05:00

It was rainy today, so I decided to skip Fonz's morning walk. It's hard enough to push the stroller and try to keep him under control...there's no way I could add an umbrella to the mix. Unfortunately I've found out that hard way that he really needs to get some exercise before we go out. Thankfully today we were planning on heading the the Bass Pro shop to meet up with a friend and he's allowed at the store so I decided to bring him along with us and completely avoid any messes left behind...or so I thought.

I should have realized we were in for an adventure when Fonzie wouldn't stop whining and barking in the back of the car on the way there. Levi tried to console him by telling him we were almost there and saying "Rewax, Fonz!". I got dragged through the rainy parking lot while carrying Levi. We made our way through the entrance to the huge fish tank and weren't there two minutes before I looked down and found Fonz in that all too familiar crouching position. SERIOUSLY?! I stood dumbfounded looking at the huge pile he left behind. So crazy...he had already gone twice before leaving the house. Without my diaper bag (I couldn't drag that around with the dog and Levi), I was clueless about how I was gonna clean it up. I reached into my coat pocket to find a tissue and thank the Lord, I found a grocery bag! So...there I was dragging the dog behind me, trying to get Mr. Molasses (that's what I call the Little Man sometimes) with a big 'ol pile of poop in my hand. It will forever be known as our "crappy" trip to Bass Pro!

"I guess some things never change..."

2011-11-21T21:39:00.001-05:00

Levi's been doing pretty well sitting with us in the Sunday morning service. He usually sits quietly with his trains and makes tunnels with the bulletin, munches on his snacks and plays with the pens in the pen holder. Yesterday he added another toy to the mix...Seth's watch. At some point Seth noticed that the light was hitting the face of it and he started wiggling it back and forth on the pew in front of us. As I watched the shiny circle, my first thought was "I guess some things never change"!

When Seth was growing up, one Sunday while spending the weekend with his dad, he and his step-brother, Nick, figured out that if the sun hit their watches just the right way it made that shiny circle...right in the pastor's face! Seth had a great time trying to blind the poor man while he was reading from the Bible! Apparently the next week Seth decided to step it up a notch and brought a compact so they could have a more efficient "weapon" against the pastor!

Thankfully Levi didn't seem to notice the little circle that the watch was making...he was just happy to stick it on his wrist like his daddy. I'm hoping it'll stay that way, but he won't follow in his dad's mischievous footsteps!

"I want to stroll over heaven with you..."

2011-11-19T14:11:00.001-05:00

Last week I was looking through my mom's photos on Facebook and I came across this one. It was taken the fall of my senior year...just one random week night that my grandmother had come over for dinner after work. She was probably helping my mom do the dishes when the pictures was snapped...a true servant's heart (I assume that's where my mom got her's :-) It turns out this was the last picture that we took of my grandma....Seventeen years ago today.

I was talking to my mom the other day about her. She's been gone as long as she was in my life (she passed away right before I turned 17). It's weird to think of all the things that have taken place since she's been gone...graduations, weddings, births. I know she would have thoroughly enjoyed each milestone...and all the "mundane" weeknight meals mixed in.

I kind of wish I could go back to that night...to give her one last hug and tell her how much she's meant to me over the years. We were truly blessed to have her in our lives. I'm sure she knew, but it would be nice to tell her again...one day we will. :-)

2011-11-18T09:54:00.007-05:00

So I've spent the past week's worth of naptimes painting the foyer and hallway, upstairs and up the stairs. I had planned on doing it while my mom was here a few weeks ago, but between the power being out and having to clean up the mess that the snow left behind I didn't get around to it. The following week Seth's mom came to visit, but I was still stuck trying to decide which color to go with...

...that's always the hardest part for me! Seth was teasing me about having squares painted all over the place. I was trying to get an idea of the different colors in various lights. I wound up going with the bottom left and have changed my mind about twenty times each day on whether I like it or not!

I've gotten to the point that I just want to be done with it...which makes it harder to stay neat and exact. As I attempt to paint a straight line along the ceiling going down the stairs without breaking my neck, I keep having flashbacks to the last time I painted a stairway...and I remind myself it could be a heck of a lot worse!!

"...left a good job in the city..."

2011-11-17T21:46:00.000-05:00

Last week I got a bunch of emails from people at my old job. A project that I had helped out with back in the day was being published in a journal. I had to smile to myself when I read the title of it...it was almost like a foreign language now!

Overall I'm happy to be done with that phase of life. It's nice to be out of the lab and using a different set of skills...BUT I have to admit there are days that I would like to go back. The days when nothing seems to be going right...when Levi is fussing and not obeying and the dog is doing the same. I think about how nice it was to sit for a half hour or so on the train listening to my mp3 player or chatting with friends....interacting with adults on a more regular basis....and getting some recognition for a job well done, whether it was a paycheck or some kind of performance review.

The other day I was having one of "those" days. Levi had screamed and cried when I dropped him off at the nursery while I went to Bible study (it put me in tears as well!). Thankfully he settled down and was happy to see me when I picked him up. Unfortunately I came home to the hairy son that had his own way of dealing with separation anxiety...eating an entire loaf of bread, tearing apart my coupon holder and peeing in the middle of them...AH! After griping to Seth on the phone while I cleaned up the mess we all went outside. I needed to do something productive to get some of my frustration out so I worked on breaking up some of the twigs in the mountain of branches that we have in the back yard. As I stood there snapping away, Levi started walking down the hill with a branch in his hand. "Doing a nice job, mommy!" is what he said to me with a huge smile on my face. I almost teared up....it was exactly what a needed to hear.

Paychecks, performance reviews and publications can't really top the genuine compliments from a two year old. Thanks, Little Man...I appreciate your sweet spirit and comments. They really help make my new job even more fulfilling!

"I'm a nut...I'm a nut..."

2011-11-14T19:53:00.000-05:00

Recently I've been spending a bunch of time surfing around on Pinterest for some fun Thanksgiving craft ideas to do with the Little Man. As I look at various turkey hand prints and leaf decorations, I can't help thinking back to the acorn candle holders that we made back in first grade.

Our teacher told us that we needed to bring in an orange or white candle for a craft that we'd be doing that week. For some reason my mom and I wound up going out the night before the little project to hunt down a candle (my mom was usually very on top of those types of things...I'm not sure why we got it on such short notice). We didn't have any Walmarts by us growing up so we ended up at a local pharmacy/gift shop place. Unfortunately there wasn't a huge selection at the store. The closest thing that we could find to a tapered candle in some type of autumnal color was a metallic gold one that kind of twisted. I was devastated! I was gonna be the only one in my class that didn't have the right type of candle...even at five years old, I was Little Miss must-follow-all-the-rules-don't-want-to-stand-out-in-a-crowd!

As we glued the acorns on to the little wooden square, the time came to break out our candles and stick them in the middle of the tiny wreath (they didn't look nearly as nice as the one in the picture). Much to my surprise everyone "oohed" and "aahed" over my golden twisty candle! Come to find out the color worked perfectly with the nuts that were surrounding it. All that stress for nothing...and in the end, who knows where that little craft wound up in the end! :-)

"...and just like that, you make me smile like the sun...oh, you make me smile..."

2011-11-12T21:42:00.022-05:00

Recently there have been a few things that Levi has said or done that made me laugh out loud or smile to myself.

Lately he's been saying "Honey, help" or "Help, hon!" when he can't do something. If you ask him why daddy calls mommy honey he'll say "Cause she's sweet"!
While shaking his butt to music he says he's wiggling his "boose" and tells Fonzie "wiggle your boose, Fonz".
After seeing someone in front of us come close to hitting a deer, Levi told me "careful of deers, mom" and told me that daddy was gonna catch them in "big daddy's truck".
Saying "pwaise the woh-rd" in the back seat of the car while listening to his music.
Pulling bras off the racks at Target and saying "mines"!
While watching Seth fix the door jam with a drill, Levi asked Seth, "Daddy use mommy's drill?".
After putting Levi to bed I told him I'd leave the door open a crack...he responded "leave it open a cracker, mommy?".
Telling me that it's a nice day when the sun is out and saying "thanks God" when I ask him who we should thank for the day.
When he giving you a kiss, he puts his hands on the side of your head and pulls it down so he can kiss the top of your head.
Sniffing anything and everything that he comes in contact with...I guess he's spending too much time with the dog.

"Here's a llama, there's a llama and another little llama..."

2011-11-09T21:34:00.001-05:00

A few years back we took Levi to a local llama farm to check out the llamas and alpacas. He was only 7 months at the time so he was pretty clueless...it was more for us than anything else :-)

I had seen a sign somewhere that another farm was having an open house their farm, so on Sunday we went to the early service at church and headed to the farm before Levi's nap.

I wasn't really sure how he would react to being close to the animals. The last time we went to any kind of petting zoo he really didn't want anything to do with the animals. Thankfully this time was different...he loved feeding the alpacas and walking them around with the leash (man, they're so much easier to handle than Fonzie!). He's been talking about the llamas and alpacas all week...I think we might actually take him back this weekend since they're having another open house. Gotta love free fun for the little ones!

"Beneath this snowy mantle cold and clean..."

2011-11-06T20:13:00.001-05:00

Finally getting around to posting about last weekend....this is what our backyard looked like Saturday afternoon. I loved looking out and seeing the snow covering the trees...until branches started snapping, smashing our patio table to smithereens!

It's unusual to have snow and pumpkins around here at the same time! I had to get a few pictures to document it :-)

After Levi's nap, we bundled him up and took him outside.

Thankfully he liked it more than last year. It was actually hard to get him in the house. His mittens kept falling off and his hands were freezing.

Of course Seth had to teach the Little Man how to make snow balls and how much fun it was to throw them at mommy!

Looks like we have another one in the house that loves the snow. Fonz ran around scooping it up and eating it. He absolutely loves the stuff!

Despite all the craziness that it caused, it really was fun to have some of the white stuff early on. It'll be interesting to see what the rest of the winter brings. Maybe I'll ask for a generator for Christmas, just to be on the safe side!

"Come Mister Tally man, tally me, banana..."

2011-11-04T20:07:00.007-04:00

This Halloween we went a little "bananas"!

Fonz was a champ when it came to getting dressed up. I think he was a little self-conscious that it was a touch too small. I guess I forgot that he was still growing...probably should've ordered the extra large banana suit for him.
Monday night, after the whole fire fiasco, my mom and I took Levi to do a little trick-or-treating.

It was getting late and I knew we needed to get something to eat before the treats started falling into Levi's bucket or else that would've filled him up. We wound up picking up some stuff at the grocery store and just eating it in the little cafe area. I had put Levi in his costume before heading into the store, so I seized the opportunity to snap a few of my little monkey sitting in the bananas.

He seemed to get a kick out of it...and must have liked it because he asked to sit in them when we went to the store later on in week!

"Rain, rain go away..."

2011-11-03T20:15:00.004-04:00

That was part of Levi's prayer during dinner last Thursday night. Trick-or-treating was scheduled for that night (weird, I know) and it had been cold and rainy all day. As I prayed for our meal, Levi piped in..."rain go away... sun come out". Wouldn't you know...a few minutes later the rain stopped and the sun was actually trying to peek out of the clouds! Gotta love the prayers of children.
Seth got home early so he could join us this year. I'm thankful he was able to help out...I don't think I could have managed both of the boys in their costumes (Fonzie was fond of the stuffed animal look of Levi's monkey suit!). This year we met up with our neighbors, Matt and Amy, and walked around our neighborhood with their little ladybug, Magnolia. Levi quickly got the hang of saying trick or treat and holding his pumpkin out for some goods....our generous neighbors gave him quite a stash. The next day, as we walked Fonzie, Levi told me that he "lubbed" trick or treating...I bet you did, little buddy, I bet you did!

"Watch out...we're in for nasty weather...burning down the house"

2011-11-01T19:43:00.006-04:00

Over the weekend I was hoping to do a bunch of Halloween updates from last week. With the snow on Saturday, I figured it was the perfect day to stay inside in our PJ's all day (something Levi always asks to do) and just enjoy a slow day. Unfortunately come early afternoon the heavy snow had ruined our patio table, knocked down a whole bunch of tree limbs and took out our power...until midnight Monday night! 60 hours!! ...no lights, no water and no heat, aside from our wood-stove...which brings us to the subject of this post.
Seth had done an incredible job of keeping the fire in the basement going from Saturday night until Monday morning so that we'd have some source of heat. When it was time for him to go to work on Monday I had to take over fire responsibilities. I managed to do pretty well throughout the day...then after Levi's nap we wanted to take Levi out for some Halloween fun. After getting everything ready, I went down to the pitch black basement with my little flashlight to put a couple more logs on the fire. Things had died down and it didn't look like the new logs were catching on fire so I made the mistake of sticking a piece of newspaper in it. Next thing I knew I heard a rushing sound and the fire started shooting up the back of the stove into the pipe that went up and out of the wall. The smoke alarm started blaring as I watched smoke pour out of the pipe that was glowing, orange in spots!
My mom heard me say "oh no" in the pitch black basement and asked what was going on. I was clueless about what to do next...my mom told me to get Levi and Fonz out of the house and call the fire department....so I did! A few minutes later, five fire trucks showed up in front of our house and a whole entourage of fire fighters were on our front lawn (Levi was pretty psyched to see them!). Thankfully at that point the smoke had stopped and the pipe was no longer "glowing". They wound up using the bucket truck to take a look in the chimney and everything was OK (phew!) and putting out the fire in the stove (our only source of heat :-P).
I'm so thankful that everything was fine and there wasn't any damage. Seth said that the firefighters left a bit of a mess...it was nothing a little vacuuming couldn't take care of. I'm also grateful that my mom was here and for neighbors with a generator that let my mom, Levi, me AND the Fonz hang out while the firefighters did their job.
Man...glad that weekend is over with!! Hopefully next Halloween will be a bit less eventful!

"I love a parade..."

2011-11-01T13:12:00.001-04:00

Last Tuesday Levi and I headed to the local Halloween parade. Lately he's been pretty into Curious George (you can tell by his choice in Halloween costume)...he watches it almost every night and we read about George's adventures at least twice a day. The Halloween parade was like two of Levi's favorite stories colliding...he's a big fan of CG going to the parade and a costume party (he calls all costumes, costume parties). We got there a little early, found a good spot and waited for our friends to arrive and the fun to begin. Levi thoroughly enjoyed the marching bands and fire trucks. He quickly learned that if he yelled "candy" he would get a special treat in his little pumpkin bucket. At one point I looked down and saw a little pile of foil in front of him from the "Her-see kissies" that he was shoving in his mouth! I had hoped to bring him to another parade on Halloween day, but between the cold and the snow I figured a local "trunk or treat" might be a better idea...plus we had already gotten our fill of fire trucks for the day!
I'm looking forward to making this party of our fall traditions and hope that Seth will be able to join us next year.

2011-10-27T15:17:00.002-04:00

A couple weeks ago we were at a farm market and I noticed a few pumpkins that had faces painted on them. Levi seemed to like them...so I told him that maybe we could paint some pumpkins ourselves.
He was after me the whole week to "paint punkins", so I finally found some paint and brushes that we could use...
He seemed to enjoy smearing the paint all over the little gourds. The he wanted me to paint random things on the newspaper. I turned my back for a second (never a good thing when a 2 year old has a paint brush in hand!)Apparently my involvement hadn't enough... he thought Fonzie should get in on the action...
...check out the paint on his nose...that's what was left after he licked the rest off :-)

"I get knocked down, but I get up again..."

2011-10-26T20:38:00.003-04:00

That's the one of the hard lessons that Levi's been learning recently! Yesterday Fonz was whining at the front window while I was getting Levi up from his nap. He saw his pal, Buddy, waiting for him his yard. After getting Levi's shoes on, Fonzie dragged across the street so he could "race Buddy" (as Levi would say). Like most days, Buddy's owner came out to chat for a bit while the dogs wore each other out. Levi wanted me to hold him (typical...he got clothes-lined by Fonzie's leash once and learned that it was safer in my arms!). As I stood there talking with Phyllis, one of the dogs came plowing threw and knocked me flat on my butt! Unfortunately, Levi wasn't balanced quite right in my arms and we completely tipped over and he bonked his head a bit on the ground. Of course the tears flowed...poor Little Man!
Later that evening he was happily collecting sticks in the back yard for Fonzie to play with on the deck. As he walked up he made the mistake of holding his hands up, with the sticks in them. Fonzie jumped up and completely whipped him out....and the tears flowed once again. I'm really hoping he'll learn this lesson quickly...hopefully it'll make him tougher in the end!

2011-10-24T15:03:00.001-04:00

I don't know about you, but there are certain little ones that find an extra special place in my heart. I'm not really sure what it is about them...maybe it's their personality or they fill a little bit of a void....there just seems to be something that stands out and makes your feel more connected to them.
This little baby is one of those special ones to me. She was born the year after Seth and I were married. She's the daughter of Seth's old roommate and friend from college. I can still remember bumping into Damien and Stephanie in the meat department of our local Giant when they gave us the exciting news that they were expecting! A few months later their first little one arrived shortly after the 4th of July and we got to watch her grow through the years....before they, sadly, moved away. A couple of weeks ago we got a chance to meet back up with them. They were visiting some other friends in the area so we were able to stop over for a bit after Seth got home from work. It had been a long time since we had seen them last. They hadn't met Levi yet and we had not met their TWO newest additions! It was sweet to chat with Deami. She told me that she had so much to tell me :-) She went on to tell me about her birthday party (funny how kids get so into birthday...Levi just started talking about his!) and how it was based on a book series that she had been reading...a Christian series (she emphasized that!) which was set during the "Crash Market" (I laughed a little to myself when she said that). She went on to tell me about how her littlest brother shares a room with her and how she's so excited about that because she can start to get him on her "program". I was curious to find out what her "program" was....of course she was excited to tell me that she was gonna make him like races and reading and playing tea party! Like always, our visit came to an end too quickly. It made me wish that they lived closer (like so many of our other friends!)...thankfully we still keep in touch and our friendship hasn't changed despite the time of distance.

"I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you..."-Part 2

2011-10-20T19:50:00.009-04:00

Since Seth and I have been together we've been fortunate enough to have some pretty good neighbors (well...not counting Bob and cranky old dude that cursed me out!). With each move that we've made, each set of neighbors just seemed to get nicer....and then we hit the jackpot!
In the past couple two months we've received a pot of mums, some homemade soup, a little Penn State football for Levi, a beautiful, handmade apple pie, some home-grown eggplant and a boat-load of craft/stamping stuff....from completely different houses! It really is neat to live in a community that takes a genuine interest in your family and seeks to stay connected. We really are blessed!
Oh...and if someone ever decides to move out we'll keep you posted :-)

"My old friend, my old friend....goodbye, goodbye"

2011-10-19T15:26:00.003-04:00

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." Romans 12:15

Last Friday, after nap time, Levi, the Fonz and I took our daily walk down to the barn to see the horses. The timing works out nicely...someone is usually there bringing the horses back and feeding them their dinner, so sometimes I get to chat with another adult for a little bit. On Friday there were actually two of the ladies...unfortunately it wasn't like our other fun visits where we'd go into the barn and try to find the cats and stuff...Oakie was sick and they were waiting for the vet to come. :-(
Seth and I have often joked that the barn is like a nursing home for horses. The majority of the horses that live there are in their twenties and have seen their better days, but they're super friendly and gentle and are usually happy to have some extra attention. We really enjoy going to see them, feeding them grasses and petting their soft noses. It's helped pass the time on some long days!
As we drove by the barn later on that night I noticed that the cars were still there. I mentioned something to Seth about Oakie being sick and Levi responded from the backseat..."Oakie died"! I was completely caught off guard! He doesn't really know that that means, so it was really strange. I told him that he was just sick and the doctor was there to help make him feel better.
Unfortunately, Levi was right. After a long night, they had to put Oakie down early Saturday morning. My eyes welled up when I looked in the pasture on Sunday morning when Levi and I took a walk before church. Later in the day we took another walk and ran into Oakie's owners. I hugged them both and cried with them. After losing Dubs, the horses helped fill that animal void in my life. Those familiar emotions came flooding back and my heart ached for them.
Thankfully God has a way of healing those wounds over time and things do get a little bit easier....in the meantime it's nice to be surrounded by people that understand and can grieve with you. I hope I was a little bit of a help to our barn friends. We'll miss you, Oakie, old friend!

"apple trees, they will still be there. The Lord's been good to me..."

2011-10-16T20:18:00.004-04:00

Last Monday was an incredible fall day...the type of day that I always ate my lunch outside and hated going back to a windowless lab! Levi and I made sure we enjoyed the beautiful weather to the fullest and met up with a few friends to go apple-picking. I wasn't sure how long he'd last or if he'd even like it. Apparently it was a big hit...he spent the whole week talking about "apple picking" and how he put the fruit in the box on the wagon.

These are the types of days that I always dreamed about when I was working full-time...the Lord really has been good to me, allowing me to spend these special times with the Little Man and friends!

"Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man..."

2011-10-13T17:13:00.000-04:00

Someone's skin is growing faster than their body!
Fonzie's scruff has a funny way of getting hung up above his collar. Seth started affectionately referring to it as his muffin top! Other dog-related news, Fonzie and I graduated from puppy kindergarten....we even got a "diploma".
He was definitely one of the "teacher's pets"...the instructor always made a point to come over and say "hi" to him at the beginning of each class. There are more levels of the canine good citizen program. I think we might continue with it since he's fairly intelligent and it would help him continue to see me as the "alpha" and keep him "socialized".

2011-10-12T15:36:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday Levi turned 2 and a half. I figured I'd write down some of my favorite things that he's been saying and doing lately...

telling me that he's "cited" when he sees Seth pull into the driveway in the evening. :-)
picking out his shirt in the morning and telling me that he "wikes" it.
asking me to sing "Amazing Grace", "Holy, Holy" and the "Doxology" before going to sleep...always in the same order. (he's obviously tone deaf if he likes my singing!)
helping with the "waundry". He does a good job throwing everything in the washer, pouring the soap in and pressing the buttons. He even tries to keep Fonzie away so he doesn't snag any more of Levi's socks.
playing "bat and ball" and running the bases (he uses the pizza boxes that are in the recycling bin) in the front yard. Seth got him a mitt, which he loves to use, but he always puts it on the wrong hand!
showing things to Fonzie and saying "wook, Fonz!" and expecting Fonzie to actually look!
making a kissing sound to get the dog to come and saying "mere, Fonz". (he made the same sound when calling me upstairs the other night!)
saying "Bless you, mommy" in a little sing-song voice as soon as I sneeze.
calling himself "E-i"...poor kid, if we would've known he'd have such a hard time with his "l's" and "v's" maybe we would've used a different name!
singing "Fonzie's a dog, Fonzie's a dog"...I'm not sure where he got that one from. He also likes to make jokes and laughs when he sings "Fonzie's a cat".

He still hasn't outgrown the "mama's boy" stage. The past couple of times we've gone to the church for Bible study or other events I've just kept him with me. When I tried to explain where we were going and that we'd see his friends, he would start to cry and say "stay home, mommy...no fweinds" or "stay with mommy today". Thankfully he's good about staying occupied in one spot, eating his snacks and, overall, people don't even realize he's there. Sometimes I miss having a little bit of a break, but I can't really complain...he really is a good boy!

the sun shinin' and the leaves were fallin' down softly...and I was thinkin' about you"

2011-10-10T08:17:00.008-04:00

I like how certain seasons have a way of reminding me of different major events in my life. Fall always reminds me of school starting, soccer games and pumpkin picking...it also brings back memories of planning Denise's baby shower and the eventful days that followed. I vividly remember sitting in the basement when my mom called to tell me Denise broke and then heading to the airport to pick up Tim...and meeting then my new little niece the following day, six and a half weeks early!
That was such a special time in our lives as sisters...the new phase of motherhood had begun for one of us and as crazy as that time was I think the both of us are so thankful that God brought us together for it! Happy 5th birthday, Rachel!! I hope you and Katie grow just as close as your mom and I have :-)

"Turns out my baby loves to fish..."

2011-09-30T20:19:00.000-04:00

..well, pretend to fish at least. Since the middle of the summer Levi's been a big fan of fishing. I'm not sure if he got the idea from watching people at the pond or if it was the little pole that he used in a baby pool at a friends' BBQ.
When it was warmer he enjoyed using his little dollar store pole in the pool on the deck, but as it's gotten cooler we've had to improvise....
His new favorite fishing spot is out the back of "big daddy's truck"! He usually uses his stick/string rig because he's higher up. Occasionally he'll even catch a Fonzie fish :-)
It's so fun to watch him use his imagination and give him opportunities to do that!

"I'd take my puppy everywhere...la,da,da, I wouldn't care..."

2011-09-28T15:03:00.005-04:00

That's been me for the past two months...everywhere that Fonzie is allowed to go we usually take him with us. I told Seth I kind of wish I could get him a little "service dog in training" vest so I could expose him to as much as possible! When we decided on the breed of dog that we were going to get, anyone that was familiar with it told us how important socializing the puppy would be because of their protective nature (similar to Winchester's breed). Thankfully all the trips to the park and PetSmart seem to be doing the trick...overall Fonzie is very friendly with people and other dogs. Occasionally he barks at strangers when they're far away, but in a way that's kind of a dog's job.
In order to keep socializing the Fonz, we decided to enroll him in puppy kindergarten. He did well the past two weeks...he pretty much knows the commands that we went over, but it was good to have him in a different environment with strange people and dogs. Levi's been trying to help with the training (I think he just likes to give Fonzie treats!), but unfortunately Fonzie doesn't quite understand him. When he tells him "sit" it sounds more like he's telling him to go to the bathroom (he adds an "h" sound in there) and when he says "leave it" it sounds more like "eat it"! At least he's trying! Honestly all that I really care about is this...
....that they get along! When we were getting Fonzie I really could care less about what he looked like (something that's usually pretty important when you're buying a dog like Fonz) ...all I cared about was his personality and if he would be friendly with Levi. As you can see from the pictures, thankfully he is...and they're becoming good friends!

"Round, round a carousel has got you under it's spell..."

2011-09-26T12:54:00.005-04:00

We weren't sure if we'd make it this year or not because of the recent flooding...on Saturday we took our first trip to Hershey Park! Well, it wasn't the first trip for all of us...here's a picture of Denise and me...twenty years ago (seriously?!) on the same carousel....
We only stayed for a couple of hours, but that was plenty for the Little Man. He enjoyed riding the horses with each of us and going on a few of the kiddie rides. He just kind of sat back and took it all in...the lights, the sounds and all the people...occasionally smiling and pointing something out.

I'm looking forward to going back in years to come. Hopefully we'll make it past the carousel area at some point...in the meantime I'll enjoy squeezing on to the kiddie rides with Levi!

"He was sittin' there, his brush in hand paintin'..."

2011-09-21T15:13:00.007-04:00

This morning, after we got back from music class, I thought I'd break out the finger paints again for Levi.
It had seen a cute little idea through Pinterest and thought it would make a cute card for someone. I guess I over-estimated Levi's artistic abilities! He had a fun time smearing paint around...and then did this....
Note to self, try not to laugh or else he ends up doing this...
...which turned into this...
and ended like this!

So much for FINGER painting! I'm glad he enjoyed himself...and I'm VERY glad the paint is washable. :-)

"OH little playmate, come out and play with me...

2011-09-20T13:56:00.002-04:00

Fonzie has found a playmate on our block. Buddy lives across the street from us and spends quite a bit of time outside on his front lawn (he stuck behind his invisible fence). Every time Fonzie goes out to the front yard, the first thing he does is to look to see if Buddy is waiting for him. The other day Fonz managed to get out of the house without his leash (I mentioned in an earlier post that he wears it almost constantly). I knew he needed to take care of some business so I kept an eye on him as he made his way to the border of our property. He stood at attention at the edge of the road, looking across the street and let out one bark. I looked at our neighbor's front door and saw Buddy poke his head out and heard him bark back...like he was saying "hey, I'll be right out!". He disappeared for a couple seconds and Fonzie took off toward the screen door (almost going through it!). Buddy reappeared with his owner behind him and let him out so the two could romp around.

Here's a clip of them a few weeks ago. It's crazy how quickly he's grown. Fonzie is almost the same size as Buddy. I think Fonz might have some tail envy...he's almost always chasing after Buddy's tail, poor guy! Buddy usually "tags" and instigates him...then Fonz waits for Bud to roll on his back and pounces on him. So funny to watch. I'm hoping that Buddy will continue to exert his dominance over Fonz so that they can keep playing after Fonzie has surpassed him in size!

2011-09-19T21:06:00.005-04:00

Seth and our realtor checking out the view from the deck when we came to look at the house in Fall '08.

Dear Deck,
It was love at first sight! You were one of the main reasons why I wanted to buy this house...a nice big space right off the kitchen to hang out and enjoy the shade of the backyard. Who knew that we would get so close. This summer you've been a huge help with keeping "the boys" contained as I do the dishes and get meals ready. I don't think I would've enjoyed my summer nearly as much without you. Thanks for all the good times and memories...the hours spent blowing bubbles, splashing in the baby pool, riding around in Levi's little car, playing in the sandbox, watching the "deers", and eating virtually all our meals....we're gonna miss you as the weather gets cooler.
Sorry that you've got some moss and mildew covering you at the moment. We hope to give you a good shower before it gets too cold and we'll even try to seal you up so you won't crack and splinter. Looking forward to using you as our spare room again next year. Until then, Nancy

"...movin' on up..."

2011-09-18T19:34:00.005-04:00

Today was "move up" Sunday at church. Levi officially moved out of the nursery and into his first "class"! Wasn't it just yesterday that I was pregnant and Denise's sister-in-law was introducing me to the woman in charge of the nursery (who I speak with almost weekly now!)? Time really goes by WAY too fast!
Like usual Levi was less than thrilled to see me go and started crying before I made the hand off to the sweet lady on the other side of the door. I've gotten pretty used to the routine, but today it hit me like it did that first time and I found myself making a beeline for the bathroom so I could try to compose myself a little bit!
If only these little guys were like remote controls and had pause buttons or at least slow-motion...it would be nice to slow things down every once in a while!

"...the only one for me is you and you for me...so happy together"

2011-09-16T15:15:00.004-04:00

Thirty nine years?! Really?!

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! So glad that you've been so happy together all these years...we love you!

"who can it be knocking at my door?"

2011-09-14T20:07:00.007-04:00

Apparently someone new has moved into the neighborhood. He's been going door to door, saying "hello" to different people each morning. Can you see him?
Seth was ready to leave for work the other day and opened the door to find Mr. Turkey staring him right in the face! He told me to come quick and he cracked the door open so I could get a glance. Of course I ran into the kitchen to grab my camera, went out the back door and made my way to the front of the house so I could get a few pictures of it.
I'm glad I didn't take the Fonz out that way! Could've made for an even more interesting morning!

"So long sweet summer...now you're gracefully falling away"

2011-09-13T14:33:00.013-04:00

It's almost the middle of September and I'm wondering where in the world summer went! I've been meaning to write up an end of summer post, but keep getting sidetracked. I seriously don't know how some people blog everyday with edited photos and all...more power to them!
Our August was filled with quite a few visitors (part of the reason why I haven't blogged, I guess). My parents came out for a long weekend. I was excited to see them interact with Levi and have my dad meet Fonzie for the first time (and honestly, I was also pretty happy about having a couple nights out with Seth after the Little Man went to bed!)
Levi counted down the days til Mimi and Bubba arrived. He enjoyed reading books with my mom and taking both of them to the pond to throw some rocks. (funny side note: my mom got beaned between eyes with a rock when an overly eager little girl with bad aim came running up to the pond...thankfully she was OK and we could have a laugh afterward :-)
We made sure we took a trip to the Bass Pro shop where Levi showed them the fish, boats and "tractors".
The following weekend my mom made a return trip with Denise and her girls. It happened to work out that our childhood friend, Amy was off that week and planning a trip to the area. It was great to catch up with her, her two girls and her mom. We were way overdue for a visit...she had never met any of our kids! We had a nice time hanging out at the house, going to the outlets and taking them to Chocolate World. Before Denise and my mom headed home, my mom was gracious enough to stay with the kids during naptime so Denise and I could get out for a little sister time (a trip to the mall where we got crazy, painful chair massages and some Rita's).
Levi and I managed a short trip to the E-town fair before it was over. Levi enjoyed watching the animals...but wasn't a huge fan of touching them....quite a difference from last year! The bunnies and baby chicks were two of his favorites.
And to finish off the summer, Seth's mom, sister and her little boy, David, came to visit over Labor Day weekend. My mother-in-law was in her glory having both her grandsons under one roof again!

David liked playing with Levi's toys and LOVED Fonzie! It was sweet to watch him walk around the house trying to kiss him. I guess the feeling was mutual...at one point Heather found David crouching down by Fonzie while he was trying to nap and he was licking David all over his face!
So long sweet summer...I will miss the slow, lazy mornings, trips to the pool and fresh cut flowers on my window sill and kitchen table...but I'm gladly welcoming the cooler weather and fall fun that's ahead!

2011-09-11T08:07:00.006-04:00

I was reading "Curious George goes to the Big City" recently with Levi and came across this picture... Who knew that a children's book could bring back memories of 9-11. It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since "that day". It feels like just yesterday that I wrote this post on the 5th anniversary of 9-11. My heart breaks for all of those that lost loved ones in the tragic events that day. I imagine it's difficult enough for them to get through the infamous date, but it must be especially hard with all the coverage that's been airing this past week leading up to the anniversary.
I watched bits and pieces of documentaries and specials that they've had on TV. The one thing that I'm struck by is the heroism of people that day...how so many rose to the challenge and went above and beyond...the firefighters, police officers and just regular people coming together to help each other. Here's one video that I came across about the evacuation of people from Manhattan...incredible!

"C is for cookie, it's good enough for me..."

2011-09-10T20:26:00.007-04:00

This past Thursday, with all the rain and not being able to really go anywhere, I was beginning to feel a little cabin fever-ish. It had been a while since I used the mixer so I figured Levi and I would dust it off and whip up a batch of cookies. Lately the Little Man's been quite the helper in the kitchen..."doing" the dishes, putting things away and dumping the ingredients into the bowl. His aim can be a little off when it comes to putting stuff in the bowl so I've learned to give him his own bowl of flour and a spatula to play with while I'm trying to work on the real recipe.
Since we were making peanut butter cookies I let him have the spatula that I used to get the peanut butter out of the jar (I figured it would be less to wash off later on!). As you can see Levi thoroughly enjoyed it. At one point I turned around and opened the utensil drawer to get a new spatula out to scrap the batter off the sides of the bowl and I found this...
Lovely!! I don't want to squash the Little Man's helpful spirit, but I had to let him know that we put CLEAN dishes away...not the dirty ones that we just had in our mouths! He was very excited to sample one of our cookies after eating his lunch. Apparently he must have really liked them because when I asked him later on what he wanted for dinner his response was "ookies" :-)

"rain, rain on my face...hasn't stopped raining for days..."

2011-09-08T13:10:00.008-04:00

"The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth." Psalm 77:17
Levi and I are working our way through the Psalms over breakfast and that is one of the verses that we read this morning. With the rain coming down, pretty much non-stop since Sunday night it seemed completely appropriate! There's been quite a bit of flooding around here. Yesterday I had a play date with a friend a few miles away. As the torrential rains came down on my way there I thought about turning around a few times. In hindsight it probably would've been wise to do so, but we needed to get out of the house and I wanted some adult interaction to help keep me sane! We stayed for about an hour and a half (most of my outings are limited these days due to the Fonz...who I left un-crated in the kitchen because he failed to do his "business" in the rain) and then made the trek home. WORST rain I've EVER driven in! I turned down the main street in town to find this... well...it wasn't quite that bad at noon, but there was enough that I couldn't get through and had to turn around just to find the other end of the road was flooded out...ugh! I drove with white knuckles for about half an hour (a drive that should be about ten minutes) while Levi made jokes about who eats hay! Thankfully our house is OK. We have a bit of a mudslide going in the backyard because it's so sloped...but I think that's actually helped save our basement from getting any water...it just keeps going down the hill. Unfortunately neighboring areas haven't been quite as fortunate. Here's the Pizza Hut about 5 or 10 minutes from our house. We go there on a fairly regular basis...I guess we'll have to start up our Friday night pizza nights again! Oh...and here's Hershey Park! I have a funny feeling we won't be using those free tickets we got after all :-(

"I need Thee, oh I need Thee...every hour I need Thee"

2011-09-07T14:46:00.002-04:00

For the past two months these two books have been sitting on our kitchen table on and off. I looked at them the other day when I was straightening up and thought "that pretty much sums up my life at the moment!"...trying to train a 2 year-old and a puppy...challenging at times, to say the least!
I made it through most of the dog book before we got Fonzie. I needed to remind myself about what we were getting into (I'm kind of surprised I didn't back right out...although I have to be honest I've had my moments!). The Shepherding a Child's Heart is still a work in progress. I've actually started it twice and have yet to make it halfway through. I think I keep stalling because the first couple chapters were pretty convicting. How can I train and teach a child to strive to bring glory to God when I struggle with it myself?!
As a mother and a puppy owner I've certainly had my moments that I haven't been proud of. One night, after a particularly difficult day, I found myself crying to Seth about feeling like such a bad mom. Seth reassured me that I'm not the first mom to feel that way when it comes to a 2 year-old...he reminded me that they don't call them "the awesome 2's" (although there are quite a few moments with the Little Man that are truly awesome!). Over the past two months, I've found myself singing the subject song over and over each day. Having a toddler and a puppy certainly reveals my need for a Savior...I really to need Thee, EVERY hour...and minute... and second! Thankfully He's more forgiving and far more long-suffering than I am with the Lil Man and Fonzie!

"Rain, rain, go away...come again another day"

2011-09-05T20:03:00.007-04:00

It's rained a good portion of today. It's not a huge deal...thankfully we didn't have any big outdoor plans for the holiday weekend. It would've been nice to meet an out-of-town friend at the park like old times, but Levi did slept in til almost 9:30, so it would've been hard to get there on time (we'll have to catch ya next time, Lauren!).
Seeing the rain on Labor Day made me think of our semi-annual camping trips growing up....well, I guess you can't really call it semi-annual when it was just two Memorial Day weekends and one Labor Day weekend. Good friends of the family would drive into the "country" and stay at a camping resort for a few days. After going up to visit them once, my parents decided that we'd join them (electricity, running water, heated pool...that was the closest they were getting to "roughing" it!). The first trip was great...perfect weather, lots of bike rides and swimming, a little fishing, campfires and of course, s'mores. The next couple were a different story!
We stepped it up a notch and got a pop-up trailer instead of a tent. The first day was great...and then the storms rolled in! My dad's not exactly the most positive person...especially when it comes to weather...so he decided pretty quickly that it was time to throw in the towel. Ah...the scene is burned into my brain. As it rained cats and dogs, he hollered at Denise and me to get in the car while my mom and he struggled to quickly pack things up and get the trailer down. Denise and I did all we could not to laugh as we sat in the back of the station wagon watching the whole scene. We looked at our friends in the campsite next to us...the four of them in their matching rain ponchos, systematically loading everything in a very orderly fashion and neatly lowering the top of the pop-up...then we looked over at our parents. They were frantically trying to get the trailer rolled down and my dad was jumping on top of it trying to close it! Classic!! I really wish I had had a video camera to capture it all.I had to laugh a little looking at these pictures...gotta love the 90's "fashion"...ever present scrunchy on the wrist, big slouch socks and big hair....not to mention my huge brows! I guess I hadn't learned about that handy tool called the tweezer!

"I'm sorry, so sorry...please accept my apology"

2011-08-31T09:11:00.006-04:00

It's so nice when you have those rare moments as a parent when you can see that your child is finally "getting it"!
Lately Levi's been opening the fridge to get his milk cup (FINALLY a cup and not a bottle..hallelujah!). I've repeatedly told him I don't want him going into the fridge by himself...I don't want the door to get left open or have something fall out or have Fonzie sniffing around in there. So you'd understand my disappointment last night when I heard the familiar sound of the seal breaking as the fridge opened (yet AGAIN!) while I was busy unloading the groceries. Next I heard a smacking sound and turned to find eggs hitting the floor and a very confused little boy standing next to them!
Levi wasn't quite sure what to do and he just stood there, waiting to see what my reaction would be! I quickly grabbed a dish rag and started to clean up the eggs so the Fonz wouldn't gobble them up (dog + eggs = "fragrant" evening...I learned my lesson with Dub!) and told Levi AGAIN that I didn't want him in the refrigerator and explained this is what happens when you do what you're not supposed to do. Before I could get too upset about the whole situation Levi looked down at the floor and quietly said "I'm sorry". I think I had tears in my eyes as I dropped the dish rag and squeezed the Lil Man. I was so proud of him...he apologized completely on his own, without ANY prompting! Moments like these really help make up for all the times that he doesn't seem to listen!

"leader of the pack...."

2011-08-27T16:20:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was National Dog Day. Poor Fonz got to celebrate it by going to the vet for his last round of shots...sorry, bud! Since his last visit three weeks ago he put on ten pounds which means he's officially passed the Lil' Man weight-wise (I know Levi's weight because he kept him entertained by stepping on and off the scale while we waited in the exam room...he's 38lbs. and the New Guy is 39).

I was hoping to write a post yesterday, but unfortunately I never got around to it (I'm kind of losing steam with the whole blog thing...wondering if anyone is actually reading it!). We've been busy the past couple of months with puppy training and lately I've been thinking about things that we're trying to differently this time around. I think we did the best we could with Winchester considering he was our first pup, but we definitely learned a few things while training him. Here are a few things that we're doing differently...

You are the first one through the door. Make 'em sit every time you go through the door. We're the boss and we have to let him know every chance we get!
Leave a leash on him at all times. It's helpful when it comes to training them to come when you say "come" and also hold him back when a 2 year old decides he gonna race around the kitchen just for the heck of it!
If you say "sit" make him sit...same goes for down, come, etc. It's easier to teach them that you mean business than to break bad habits later on. If you say "come" and don't make them come then they won't come when there's something else they'd rather be doing (I have to try to keep this in mind with the Lil Man as well!).
Don't use his name with negative commands...off, leave it, etc. Like the point above it's kind of difficult to stick to...especially with Levi around. Sometimes I think he thinks I'm saying "no" to him instead of Fonzie.
As cute and cuddly as they can be as puppies, don't let them lay on your lap. It gives them the wrong idea as far as who's the "alpha" and you probably won't want him doing it when he's 120lbs.! I've done better about falling into this trap with Fonz, unlike I did with Dubs. I think having a human "baby" helps fill that gap a little bit and I don't feel the "need" to have him sitting on my lap.
Let him be around appliances, like the vacuum...and make sure you don't suck up his jowls so he'll have a vendetta against it!

I'm not sure if this will be helpful for anyone out there or not...I kind of wish I had know a few of these things (or applied these!) when we first got Dubs and figured it might help someone out there...and it's a good way of reminding myself of what I need to be doing in order to have a well-trained dog!

"...if I could find a way...I'd take back all those words..."

2011-08-26T08:08:00.003-04:00

The whole language acquisition thing is amazing to me. How kids pick up certain words so easily and other ones take a while (my speech path roommate from college probably has a term for that!) I guess some words are easier to say or just more fun. It can be an entertaining and convicting thing to watch!

Yesterday at lunch Levi was sitting in his chair, eating his lunch, saying "Nay-see, Nay-see, Nay-see" with that little mischievous smirk on his face. He was trying to get my attention and he knew he was being funny. It amazes me that he knows that he's supposed to call me "mommy" and finds it humorous when he uses the name that everyone else uses! When I asked him if he wanted any more boppy he mimicked how I usually respond to him..."sure, buddy". Little copycat!
Unfortunately other things aren't quite so funny...the other day we were on the deck while my mom and sister were here. Levi was in his little car and Fonzie came over to him. I guess he was bugging him or Levi just didn't want him there..."Stu-pi dog!" was how he addressed the dog. It took me a second to figure out what he was saying, so I asked him to repeat it. UGH!! Sure enough, he picked up on what I say to Fonzie when I'm annoyed...and he even managed to copy my frustrated tone! I'm so glad I don't use more "spicy" language! I guess I really need to wipe that word from my vocabulary...along with a few others I'm sure, or else I'll just be hearing them again from the mouth of a 2 year-old!

"Roll out those lazy-crazy-hazy days of summer..."

2011-08-18T20:06:00.005-04:00

I took "the boys" to the playground yesterday after naptime. Levi is finally going down the slide on his own and is very proud that he can go down the "big slide" that curls around. I'm glad that he's doing it on his own because I wouldn't know what to do with Fonzie while I climbed to the top...although the crazy dog would probably enjoy it! He tried to follow Levi through the tunnel to the top of the playset and even went down a little slide when the stick that he had been chewing on slipped down.
Along with the slide, Fonzie took a liking to the sandbox. He loves to dig a little trench and then lay in the cool sand. Apparently his love of the sand has carried over into the sandbox we have at the house. Here's a little snippet of what breakfast was like at our house this morning...not so hazy or lazy, but definitely crazy!!

"Oooh, ahhh...precious moments"

2011-08-16T19:46:00.004-04:00

A couple weeks ago we had a run of super hot days. For some reason the Little Man has no sense regarding the temperature and will play out in the sweltering heat ALL day if I let him! In order to avoid heat stroke, I decided to take a trip to Wally-world. On our way back, I noticed a sign for a little ice cream stand that I had been wanting to try...it was only a dollar for a cone! It wasn't quite noon so we had to sit in the truck for a bit before it opened and I told Levi that we were getting a special treat (he's all about anything "special" these days!). We waited in line in the blazing sun (Levi informed up of how hot his hair was, and mine as well) and got our delicious cone.

In order to keep the mess down a little bit, I plopped him down on my lap behind the wheel of the truck with the AC vents blasting cool air on us while we shared the mint chip ice cream. It was one of those moments...him and his chubby cheeks, sitting on my lap, happily sharing the cone...one of those moments that I wanted to savor and remember forever! To make the moment even more precious he noticed the little prism with a cross etched in it that I have hanging from the rearview mirror. It had been a Christmas present from Seth's dad years ago...he had it in all of his cars and I've continued the tradition.

"Jesus", Levi said as he pointed at the prism. "Cross for sins" he continued very matter of factly :-) I think it actually brought a few tears to my eyes! It's so sweet to know that he's taking it all in....I pray that it will all find a special place in his heart.

"...pull up a seat, take a load off your feet..."

2011-08-09T15:41:00.005-04:00

Saturday morning Levi and I were out on the deck having breakfast while the New Guy roamed around. Levi started laughing and saying something about "Donzie". I couldn't quite make out what he was saying until I turned around, looked behind me and saw this....
...seriously, buddy, just make yourself comfortable! I'm sure "dad" will be really thrilled that you took over his new deck chair!

"Son, this world is rough and if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough"

2011-08-07T20:10:00.004-04:00

"Be tough"...that's what we keep telling Levi when Fonzie gets a little too mouthy with him. We try our hardest to keep the Fonz away from the chubby toes that dangle from the high chair and little fingers that are just at his mouth level, but unfortunately sometimes he's just too quick! Those puppy teeth are no joke! I've resorted to wearing my clogs around the house (and to the pool, by accident...twice!) so that he doesn't chomp down on my toes or feet. I thought I was being a little over-sensitive about the whole puppy teeth thing....maybe I just needed to take my own advice and "be tough"! Then this happened...
On Friday Seth got home early from work and all of us (including Fonz) went with him to run some errands. I wanted to walk Fonzie around the town so he could get used to the cars and truck sounds...he lives kind of sheltered life! As we pulled into our parking spot at the pizza place I heard "pssssst" and felt something spraying on my legs. Fonzie had been pulling the cardboard off of a case of soda that was under the seat. Apparently he had made his way into the case and puncture a HOLE in one of the soda cans! I guess it's safe to say I have every right to be a little afraid of the New Guy's canines!!

"No, no. No, no...no, no...no, no...there's no limit!"

2011-08-06T08:18:00.001-04:00

I think if we banned the word "no" from our house these days it would be a whole lot quieter! At any given moment you can hear me or Seth (and even Levi) telling Fonzie "no"...no bite, no bark, no...no... NOOOOO! (that last one would be me as he sinks his pointy teeth into my foot!).
Unfortunately, like most 2 year-olds, it's turned into one of Levi's favorite words....ugh! Sometimes it's cute...like if you say something sarcastic or are kidding around and he knows you're trying to be funny, he'll say "no" with a cute little smirk...but then there are the other times that it's just plain naughty! It's usually occurs when it's time to come inside or take a bath (or both in the evening) and is accompanied by his head held back (picture a wolf howling at the moon!), tears, feet stomping and an angry look on his face. Man, I hate that one! Slowly he's learning that that one comes with some type of disciplinary action...mama will not take that kind of bratty "no" for an answer! We're trying to teach him to be more positive..."yes, mommy or daddy" is the desired response. Hopefully someday that will be more common than the "NO" we get all too often!!

"Tiny bubbles..."

2011-08-05T13:37:00.000-04:00

When Seth's mom was here a couple weeks ago she brought these neat bubble whistle things with her. It's nice because you just dip the end in the bubble solution and don't have to dig around in the bottle to get the slippery wand each time you reload it...and it makes a TON of bubbles.

Who knew it would help keep both of the boys occupied!! Levi insists on blowing them for Fonzie to bite after...he'll even take away whatever toy he's playing with so that he'll come over and chase the bubbles!When I took these pictures a couple of weeks ago (man, Fonz has grown...he's gained more than 8lbs. since this picture!), Seth was sitting in his chair, singing "Tiny Bubbles". A few days later I heard Levi saying something in a sing-songy voice in between puffs...sure enough, he was imitating Seth's impression of "Tiny Bubbles". :-)

"just me and my shadow"

2011-08-03T08:04:00.000-04:00

One morning last week as Seth was getting ready for work he told me to take a look at my camera. This is the picture that he had taken the night before...
I was sleeping on the other side of the door. Before I went to sleep the Fonz was in the room with me, but was making too much noise so I stuck him in the kitchen and closed the door behind him. Apparently he just wanted to be close to me!
He really is my little shadow (or not so little shadow, he's up to 28lbs. now). While my mother-in-law was here I ran in the house to get something and she stayed outside with him. She said that he ran to the end of his leash and whined until I came back outside. He follows me into the bathroom, into the shower, and is literally at my feet almost all day. I'll probably find it more enjoyable when his puppy teeth aren't leaving their mark behind!

2011-08-01T15:48:00.001-04:00

One night last week I took the lazy way out. I was too tired to fight with Levi to get his clothes off...and into the bath and fight again when it was time to get him OUT of the bath. So, I took the easier way out and decided to "spot-wash" him in the bathroom sink. As I hoisted him up onto the bathroom counter, took his shoes off and lathered up his stinky feet (MAN does that kid have some smelly dogs!) I couldn't help but think of my grandmother. I vividly remember her doing the same thing during the summer in house where we grew up. Sitting on the edge of the sink while she scrubbed all the dirt from between of toes, trying not to wiggle off the counter because it tickled so much! I love how the simple things in life bring back such found memories...I really hope that I'm forming some good ones for Levi to look back on in years to come!

"so why don't you slide..."

2011-07-28T15:29:00.001-04:00

When my mom was watching Levi while we picking up the New Guy she found this gem at a yard sale.
The BEST 12 bucks she's EVER spent!! Levi loves it! It was the first thing out of his mouth home when we got home. I'm pretty sure he was more excited about showing us the slide than actually seeing us. He's spent hours on it already and it's been very useful since we've been spending a lot of time outside, trying to housebreak the Fonz.

Since I'm writing about Levi already I figured I'd include some more things that I'd like to remember about him at this age. Lately he's been doing well talking and putting together sentences, but there are still certain things he can't say or mispronouces. While driving by corn fields I told him that it was corn on the cob and his reply was "torn on the bob"! If something's going down, it's always going "down the hwill" (he especially likes to say this when he sees the roller coasters nearby!). He's very capable of saying the word "smoothee" (that's what I started calling his spinach-yogurt concotion), but he often asks for an "aoli"! He continues to substitute the letter "d" for "f"..."Donzie is dunny", translation "Fonzie is funny".
Along with the slide Levi loves to play "bat-and-ball" (he's doing really well knocking the ball off the tee!), walk "Donzie" (he holds the loop of the leash while I walk in the middle), fish in the pool with his "dishing" pole, push his bubble mower (another great yard sale find) and shoot baskets. He's still all about animals and recently added a new favorite to the mix. While my mother-in-law was visiting recently she heard a morning dove calling. Now whenever he hears it when we're outside he say "mornin-dah, coo, coo". It's really cute.
One of the biggest and most welcomed changes over the past month or so is a drastic decrease in drool! I'm not sure if he's learned to swallow better or if he's just producing less saliva, but the Little Man has been bib-less (aside from meals) for about a month now. There were days when I thought I'd be sending him off to kindergarten with a coordinating bib! I guess he'll have to figure out another way to keep himself cool the rest of the summer!
As we make our way through the 2's he continues to give us some challenges, but overall he really is such a joy to have in our lives!

"you say tomato, I say tomah-toe"

2011-07-27T19:15:00.002-04:00

This is what my flower garden in the front of our house looked like a couple of weeks ago....before the dry spell that we had. Things had really taken off! When we moved in there were just a few plants in there...some irises, lilies, daisies and the bee balm. The people that lived here before must have liked annuals....there were quite a few "holes" that needed to be filled. Gradually I've been working to fill things in...my mom gave me some coneflowers and yellow flowers from her garden and I split the moonbeams and salvia a few times to cover more space (and save some money!).
Unfortunately Seth doesn't have the same love for the tall perrenial flowers as me! I love how they seem to reach up to the sky and think they're beautiful...he on the other had refers to them as weeds! To each his own I suppose!

"Buzz, buzz, buzz goes the bumblebee"

2011-07-20T14:53:00.005-04:00

When I put Levi's new "Tough Guy" shirt on him this morning I didn't realize he'd be living up to the logo! Poor Little Man!
After getting his haircut this morning we stopped off at a friend's house to celebrate her little girl's first birthday. It was nice to finally catch up with some friends I hadn't seen in a few weeks....I was happy to sit on the deck with a cup of coffee and chat for a bit...then I heard Levi start to cry. It wasn't just a "he-took-my-toy-away" kind of cry...this was the real deal. I managed to get to him as fast as I could. He was rubbing his eyes and saying "bee" between his sobs. I picked him up and quickly brought him inside to see if I could find where he got stung. He was too upset to show me where the bee had stung him. After giving him a little once over (the best I could with tears in my own eyes!) he started to settle down and that's when I noticed how puffy his right eye looked. Stinkin' bumble bee got him right on the eyelid!
Thankfully he seems to be doing fine....you can see that he was in pretty happy to be playing out on the deck with his cars. Most of the swelling went down after his nap, but Seth says he still looks like a prize fighter! One tough little dude :-)

"Joy...pain...sunshine...rain"

2011-07-19T15:27:00.008-04:00

That about sums up the past two weeks for us (well, maybe not the rain part!). We're happy to have a dog back in the house, but there are times that it's been down right painful...man, those puppy teeth are no joke! Our first week with Fonzie, Seth took off from work and then his mom came down to help the second week with the transition (that poor woman...Levi had her out the in sun and heat for hours at a time!). So...this is my first week on our own...which has been an adventure to say the least.
I've had a number of people ask me how Levi's been doing with the pup. Overall he's been doing really well and handling better than a lot of two year olds would. He asks about "Donzie" every morning when I get him out of his crib and he's anxious to come down and see him...even though he's usually in tears a few seconds after coming through the kitchen door when Fonzie inevitably nips at his fingers! Poor kid!
He's very into giving him his toys, especially when he's trying to rest (smart on his part...he's less likely to get nipped!). He's also enjoyed helping with walks. Fonzie walks on my left and Levi holds the loop of the leash on my right side. It makes for a very slow stroll, but that's fine for now.
Levi enjoys bossing him and trying to get him to do his "tricks". It's cute watching him try to get him to sit and stay down (he points at the floor in front of Fonz just like I do!). He's been very good about keeping his toys off the floor and not sharing any people food with him...and gets excited when he can give him a special snack or feed him his meals.
As you can see from this last picture he's also getting good and telling him "no" and letting him know who's boss! He puts him in his place and lets Fonzie now where his place is in our "pack"! It will be fun to see how their relationship grows through the years. As Seth would say there's something very special about a boy and his dog. Thankfully it looks like we're off to a good start.
Oh, if you're interested I've posted some video from the boys first meeting here.

2011-07-18T20:23:00.003-04:00

These babies are out in full force in our back yard right now. I've never been a huge fan of hostas...until I had a very shady backyard and needed to fill it up with some fast growing plants! I've had a few friends that were splitting their plants earlier this spring and I happily took the leftovers off of their hands!
The past couple of weeks they've really been taking a beating. We've been spending a LOT more time outside with house-training Fonzie and just playing in the yard. Both the "boys" have taken a liking to the plants and I've let them both enjoy the flowers.
As I watch Levi pick the purple blossoms off of the long shoots it brings me back to the house where I grew up. My mom had a few hostas bordering her front flower bed. I remember squeezing the purple buds in my fingers before they bloomed...trying to make them pop! It didn't happen very often, but I always thought it was fun when it actually made a sound :-)
Watching the Fonz weasel his way through the broad green leaves reminds me of the Big Guy at about the same age. We were visiting my parents on the 4th of July when Dubs was a puppy. The poor dog couldn't find any shade in the yard so he decided he'd make his own and ripped a couple of leaves off the plant and made his way underneath...just like Fonzie does now....great dog minds think alike, I suppose!

"'cause you've got personality..."

2011-07-17T20:40:00.008-04:00

Walk, with personality...
Talk, with personality...
Smile, with personality...
Charm, with personality...

This is Levi at the pool recently. He found a pair of goggles by the sandbox and decided to put them on (he actually did pretty well!). It cracks me up when he does funny stuff like this...not because he's trying to be funny, but just because he thinks it's fun. Love you're little personality, Little Man!

"Wonderful day, for passing my way...lovely to see you again my friend..."

2011-07-15T20:28:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago my friend Heather stopped by while she was out visiting her in-laws. We made the most of the nice summer morning and took her and her two kids to one of our favorite spots...the duck pond!

Will spent the majority of time fishing with his grandpa and Heather and I watched the little ones throw rocks into the pond and playing side by side. It had been while since we had the kids together. If you take a look at the link you can see just how much they've changed and grown in the past two years! Last time we saw Jilli she still had little steri strips on her incision from open heart surgery. What a blessing to see her so active and healthy!
Hopefully it won't be another two years until we get the kids together again. It's fun to watch them interact and it's always nice to spend time with an "old" friend.

"One piece at a time and it didn't cost me a dime..."

2011-07-13T14:54:00.001-04:00

That's the song I've been singing to myself repeatedly during Levi's nap time this summer as I head out to tackle the backyard. After the major clearing back in May I've been trying to figure out what to do with the space behind the house AND trying to keep down the ever growing weed population! I've made a little headway in clearing up what was left behind by the brush-hog...picking up the tangled up masses of vines and sticks and using a pick-axe to get some of the stubborn roots up. I've even managed to get some grass to grow in some spots...but there's still SO much to do and it's such a daunting task (the heat and lack of sleep from the New Guy isn't helping matters!). Honestly, I'm beginning to lose steam! *Sigh* I just have to keep reminding myself...one piece at a time. Someday it will all come together...in the meantime I guess I just need to embrace the "wildness" of it all!

"shake, shake, shake...shake, shake, shake..."

2011-07-11T20:03:00.002-04:00

At the end of last summer I found a swim vest super cheap at Target. I had seen a few kids at the pool with them and thought it might come in handy this summer when Levi was actually walking! I wasn't sure how he's react to putting it on. It probably helped that there's a monkey on the front of it...he actually asked to put it on when we got to the pool.
In order to make it a little bit easier to squeeze his chubby arms into the arm holes I stuck it under the water first. As I did it I had flashbacks to when I was a kid. My mom used to do the same exact thing with our swimmies....dunking them in the pool and trying to shimmy the inflatable things up our arms onto our biceps so that we could float around safely in the pool. As I shook Levi silly trying to get the swim vest off his arms, I smiled to myself, vividly remember the feeling...getting the pudding shaken out of us and feeling like your shoulder was gonna pop out of the socket or something! I guess I should try to put some more water on them before we try to take it off as well. Sorry Little Man...you'd think I would've learned from my own experiences!

"Keep truckin'...together, more or less in line just keep truckin' on"

2011-07-06T22:34:00.017-04:00

This time last week we were up in Cape Cod and had just picked up the New Guy. My mom was gracious enough to come out to spend the weekend with the Little Man so we could have a little time away by ourselves and have less to worry about on our trip with the puppy. It was the first time that I was leaving Levi overnight...heck, it was the first time I was gonna be away from Levi for an entire day and I was nervous, anxious and a little emotional about the whole thing. Thankfully there were no tears from either of us as we pulled away (I did shed a few throughout the weekend!) and he did a great job with my mom (she did a wonderful job with him, too!).
Originally we were supposed to fly up to Boston and stay at a friend's place near Fonzie's mom, but Fonzie was moved to the breeder's and we were worried that he'd be too big to fit in the carrier for the plane....so it meant we had to make the long drive. In order to make the most of the trek we decided to make the three day weekend a four day weekend, thanks to a couple of Seth's friends from college.
After sitting in Connecticut traffic for quite a while, we finally made it to our hotel Friday evening and headed out for a nice dinner at the Capital Grille. Like most couples that are away from their child(ren), the majority of our conversation centered around Levi :-) It was good to be away and enjoy a meal without having to worry about food on the floor or occupying the Little Man, but I already missed him!

Since it was a holiday weekend we expected to hit a lot of traffic on the second leg of our trip to Cape Cod. Thankfully it was smooth sailing when we left Providence and we made it to the breeder's house in no time. We spent a couple of hours there...watching the puppies together (Fonzie has two sisters...he was the mellowest of the bunch, thankfully!), meeting the father and chatting with the breeder. It felt a little surreal getting into the truck, holding the New Guy....kind of like driving away from the hospital after I had Levi!
We avoided the majority of holiday traffic by getting a shortcut from our hosts in Mashpee...a nice little New England town on the Cape. They were very welcoming and accommodating of the pup and us. We had a relaxing weekend (well, as relaxing as it can be with a puppy around!) and enjoyed a few meals out (something that doesn't happen too much these days) and some great homemade ice cream, a couple walks and my first trip in a kayak.
On Monday morning we loaded up the truck, said our "thank you's" and "goodbyes" and headed back home. I was anxious to get back to my boy and happy to be on the road again! Everyone must have been busy with holiday festivities because traffic was non-existent and we had an uneventful ride home with our mellow boy sleeping almost the entire 8 hour trip! All in all, I think it was a successful trip...I survived my first "vacation" without the Little Man, Seth and I were able to have a little time alone and we were able to get acquainted with our new addition before introducing him to Levi.

"It's all coming back, it's coming back to me now..."

2011-07-06T21:52:00.008-04:00

Having a puppy is kind of like having a newborn. You have to deal with a significant amount of pee and poo, your sleep isn't what it once was and there can be quite a bit of crying. Like having a newborn, as time goes by you tend to forget what life was like in the beginning...and before you know it you find yourself going through it again and start to remember some more things...

...like how much they can sleep...

...how much their breath stinks... (puppies...not newborn! Although there are some people out there that LOVE puppy breath)

...how much those little teeth can hurt...

...and how absolutely precious they can be! Welcome to the family, Alfonso (aka: Fonzie)!

"I'm strong to the finich cause I eats me spinach."

2011-06-29T20:39:00.005-04:00

The other night we had some friends over for dinner and dessert. After dinner Seth was getting the ice cream out of the freezer to go with our brownies and I heard him talking about the zip-loc bag of spinach cubes that he had to move out the way to get the ice cream. I'm pretty sure he was rolling his eyes when he was explained to our friends what I do to our "poor son"! Almost everyday I defrost one cube and mix it in with Levi's yogurt. As you can tell from the pictures he doesn't seem to mind! He usually sucks it down (I started giving him a straw...it's a little less messy) and often asks for more. I don't even remember where I got the idea initially...I figure it was a good way to get him to eat some veggies. I'm hoping he won't get to a point where he realizes that yogurt doesn't always come in some shade of green!

"Don't bring me down...don't bring me down"

2011-06-28T20:00:00.000-04:00

So...we're less than a week away from getting the "new guy" and I'm really starting to get excited about having a dog in the house again.
Over the past couple of months it's been interesting to hear the different responses that I've gotten from people when I tell them that we're getting a puppy. Most are happy for us and looking forward to meeting the new guy themselves. Others look at me like I've gone completely nuts and some have even asked me if I was sure I wanted to do it! I told Seth it's funny how the same people that ask that probably wouldn't think twice if I told them I was pregnant again...and another child is a lot more work than a new dog!
Yesterday Seth and I were talking about having a dog again. Seth said he was looking forward to having a puppy and even more so, a dog. He said something about feeling kind of bad for people that don't get to experience having a dog in their life. There really is something special about it. I told him that I know having a puppy is gonna be a lot of work, but that's what makes it worth it. In the end you kind of forget the bad stuff...like when I think about the Big Guy the funny things always come to mind and some of the annoying stuff even seems endearing in my memories! I also told Seth that when you think about it the things that are the most enriching to life require some degree (or the most amount) of work and sacrifice. Marriage, children, pets, building a house, making a garden...if you want to reap the benefits of something it will require some effort! I'll just have to keep reminding myself of that in the months to come as I clean up pee and find things all chewed up :-)

"Sing to Jesus..."

2011-06-26T15:14:00.005-04:00

The past couple of months we've been trying to bring Levi into the singing portion of the church service before taking him to the nursery. He really enjoys the music and we'd like to get him more used to sitting with us and worshiping together as a family (plus come September he's outta the nursery...yikes!). He's been doing better with going there. He'll fuss for a few minutes, but thankfully settles down after a couple of minutes and seems to enjoy the time playing with the new toys.
Today we were running late. We got home late last night from visiting some friends so my "alarm" didn't wake up until after 9:30! As we got into the car I told Levi that we were going to church and he looked up at me and said "church...sing to Jesus". I nodded my head and smiled...it's so fun to hear how he puts it all together in his little head! Unfortunately since we were on the late side we decided to just bring him straight to the nursery...which he was less than pleased about! As I heaved him over the counter to the woman working in the nursery he was crying and saying "sing to Jesus"! Like it's not hard enough to leave him when he's crying...it just broke my heart hearing him say that. I felt awful! Hopefully next week, Little Man...you can sing your little heart out to Jesus!

2011-06-23T20:10:00.003-04:00

This morning was a rough one. Levi woke up earlier than normal (I got spoiled with him sleeping in til nine for a few days!) and was in a bad mood. At breakfast he sat for a good 15 minutes crying and fussing because I wouldn't give him his breakfast until he folded his hands to pray....not a fun start for the day! It wasn't even nine o' clock and I was frustrated with him and even more frustrated with myself for losing my cool and yelling at him at one point. I had a fleeting thought..."man, it was so much easier when I was stuck in a lab by myself all day!"
Thankfully the day got better! Levi did well in the store and shared the toys with my friend's son when we went to visit their new baby. "Listen and obey" are words that I've repeated more times than I can count, but God graciously balanced out those difficult moments with some laughs and smiles!
As I think back on the day I'm reminded of an article that I came across twice this week. It's helpful in gaining perspective on what this whole motherhood thing is about...our children are our mission field. Thought it might be uplifting for someone else out there!

MOTHERHOOD AS A MISSION FIELD
by: Rachel Jankovic

As someone once said, “Everyone wants to save the world, but no one wants to help Mom with the dishes.” When you are a mother at home with your children, the church is not clamoring for monthly ministry updates. When you talk to other believers, there is not any kind of awe about what you are sacrificing for the gospel. People are not pressing you for needs you might have, how they can pray for you. It does not feel intriguing, or glamorous. Your work is normal, because it is as close to home as you can possibly be. You have actually gone so far as to become home.

If you are a Christian woman who loves the Lord, the gospel is important to you. It is easy to become discouraged, thinking that the work you are doing does not matter much. If you were really doing something for Christ you would be out there, somewhere else, doing it. Even if you have a great perspective on your role in the kingdom, it is easy to lose sight of it in the mismatched socks, in the morning sickness, in the dirty dishes. It is easy to confuse intrigue with value, and begin viewing yourself as the least valuable part of the Church.

There are a number of ways in which mothers need to study their own roles, and begin to see them, not as boring and inconsequential, but as home, the headwaters of missions.

At the very heart of the gospel is sacrifice, and there is perhaps no occupation in the world so intrinsically sacrificial as motherhood. Motherhood is a wonderful opportunity to live the gospel. Jim Elliot famously said, “He is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Motherhood provides you with an opportunity to lay down the things that you cannot keep on behalf of the people that you cannot lose. They are eternal souls, they are your children, they are your mission field.

If you are like me, then you may be thinking “What did I ever give up for them? A desk job? Time at the gym? Extra spending money? My twenty- year- old figure? Some sleep?” Doesn’t seem like much when you put it next to the work of some of the great missionaries, people who gave their lives for the gospel.

Think about the feeding of the five thousand when the disciples went out and rounded up the food that was available. It wasn’t much. Some loaves. Some fish. Think of some woman pulling her fish out and handing it to one of the disciples. That had to have felt like a small offering. But the important thing about those loaves and those fishes was not how big they were when they were given, it was about whose hands they were given into. In the hands of the Lord, that offering was sufficient. It was more than sufficient. There were leftovers. Given in faith, even a small offering becomes great.

Look at your children in faith, and see how many people will be ministered to by your ministering to them. How many people will your children know in their lives? How many grandchildren are represented in the faces around your table now?

So, if mothers are strategically situated to impact missions so greatly, why do we see so little coming from it? I think the answer to this is quite simple: sin. Discontent, pettiness, selfishness, resentment. Christians often feel like the right thing to do is to be ashamed about what we have. We hear that quote of Jim Elliot’s and think that we ought to sell our homes and move to some place where they need the gospel.

But I’d like to challenge you to look at it differently. Giving up what you cannot keep does not mean giving up your home, or your job so you can go serve somewhere else. It is giving up yourself. Lay yourself down. Sacrifice yourself here, now. Cheerfully wipe the nose for the fiftieth time today. Make dinner again for the people who don’t like the green beans. Laugh when your plans are thwarted by a vomiting child. Lay yourself down for the people here with you, the people who annoy you, the people who get in your way, the people who take up so much of your time that you can’t read anymore. Rejoice in them. Sacrifice for them. Gain that which you cannot lose in them.

It is easy to think you have a heart for orphans on the other side of the world, but if you spend your time at home resenting the imposition your children are on you, you do not. You cannot have a heart for the gospel and a fussiness about your life at the same time. You will never make any difference there if you cannot be at peace here. You cannot have a heart for missions, but not for the people around you. A true love of the gospel overflows and overpowers. It will be in everything you do, however drab, however simple, however repetitive.

God loves the little offerings. Given in faith, that plate of PB&J’s will feed thousands. Given in faith, those presents on Christmas morning will bring delight to more children than you can count. Offered with thankfulness, your work at home is only the beginning. Your laundry pile, selflessly tackled daily, will be used in the hands of God to clothe many. Do not think that your work does not matter. In God’s hands, it will be broken, and broken, and broken again, until all who have need of it have eaten and are satisfied. And even then, there will be leftovers.

This came from desiringgod.org

"Daddies don't just love their children every now and then. It's a love without end, amen"

2011-06-19T14:35:00.004-04:00

I'm so thankful to have a husband that not only loves me, but loves our son!
Happy Father's Day, Seth! Thanks for being such a wonderful dad to our Little Man!

"take a whiff, take a whiff, take a whiff..."

2011-06-16T18:09:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago I went to Target to return a bathing suit that I had bought. (I'm sure there are other lazy moms out there who do the same thing...buy something and try it on at home to avoid having to maneuver the fitting room with a little one in tow...I could write another blog post on that "adventure"!) Thankfully I had my receipt with me because I'm sure the suit was marked down. I handed everything to the nice girl behind the counter. She scanned in the receipt, checked the tags on the bathing suit and breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that that little sanitary sticker was still in the bottom of the suit. "Oh good, it's in there" she said to herself as she folded the bottoms and put them aside. I don't know why I asked, but I did..."what happens if the sticker's not in there?". With a pained look on her face she replied..."I have to sniff it". Poor girl! I'm glad I followed the rules and made her day a little less unpleasant!

"Here now summer's coming around again...every year it seems to come in this way..."

2011-06-14T20:10:00.003-04:00

I've been a little behind on updating the blog because of some "technical difficulties" (aka: a nasty computer virus that wiped out my hard drive and all the pictures I'd been working on!)...so I've been dealing with that and haven't gotten around to working on pictures until recently.
Summer is off to a good start! It began with a visit from my parents over Memorial day weekend. Since Seth and I weren't able to spend our actual anniversary together we took advantage of the free babysitting and went out to dinner on Saturday night. I think my parents were more than happy to keep Levi occupied for the evening! Like last year it felt more like the fourth of July than Memorial Day with temperatures hovering in the nineties...so we hung out in the basement or on the deck with Levi's kiddie pool. My parents brought "Mur-tee" again and Levi enjoyed walking him and putting his leash on my mom and pretending to walk her around the house :-)
The first weekend of June we headed up to Seth's hometown for their annual "fun days". Seth's mom was THRILLED to have us up...we hadn't been there since Christmas and we've never had the chance to take Levi to the fairgrounds. We got up there on Friday afternoon and played some baseball in the yard before going to the fair. Bev wanted to take Levi on the Tilt-a-Whirl in the worst way, but I took one look at it and said "no way"! She had to settle for going on with me (it'll be a few years before we think he's ready for that!)...Levi seemed to enjoy watching us go "round and round" and I laughed so hard that my face hurt afterward! Thankfully we were able to convince one of the ride attendants to let us on one of the kiddie rides with the Little Man for the first night, but not the second. He did OK on the little truck by himself...for most of the ride, but by the end I could see him saying something and realized that he was asking to get down. Before heading back home on Sunday, we stopped off at Seth's best friend's house for a cookout. We would've stayed longer, but Levi was ready for a nap and we knew that we'd be seeing them the following weekend.
This past weekend Chris, Andrea, and Savannah made their way down for their annual visit. It's crazy to look back and see how much the little guys have changed since their first visit to our new place! Thankfully Savannah and Levi got along really well. Levi enjoyed sharing the backseat with someone his own size and has asked about "Annannah" a few times since! We took a couple trips down to see the horses (Savannah asked for one...good luck with that one, Chris and Andrea!) and played on the deck. Saturday night we raced home after getting some ice cream because of yet another tornado warning!

So, the summer of 2011 is turning out to be a good one so far! I'm looking forward to more visits from friends and family, trips to get ice cream, the pool & the park, and just hanging out, enjoying the back deck...and the ever changing backyard!

"gotta a gun...think you're kinda neat"

2011-06-13T19:00:00.004-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, while cleaning out the truck, I found a little squirt gun in a goodie bag that Levi had gotten from a friend's birthday party back in March. The weather was finally warm enough to use it, so I filled it up and handed it off to him to try out. He quickly got the hang of pulling the trigger and he got a huge kick out seeing the stream of water come out the barrel. He was so excited about his new toy that I let him bring it in the car when we took a trip to pick up some pizza for dinner. He sat in his car seat squirting the water in his mouth and accidentally got himself in the eye as well!
As I watched him spraying the water in his mouth I told Seth I could vividly remember doing that as a kid. I could almost taste it....that plasticky taste...especially when you left it in the sun and it warmed up the water. :-P Seth agreed and kind of laughed. Having grown up in completely different environments and situations , it's very rare that Seth and I have the same childhood memories! Nice to know that we had a few things in common while we were growing up!

2011-06-08T20:08:00.007-04:00

It's been a while since I've updated about what Levi's been up to (I know my family appreciates hearing his little accomplishments, etc.) The other day while I was putting Levi's shoes on I saw one of his toy engines in the foyer. I lifted it up to see what the name of it was...George was written on the bottom. I said something to Levi about George which he quickly replied "Bubba"...which is what he calls my dad! I was impressed that he put two and two together...especially since the only one that calls him George around Levi is my mom.
Speaking of my mom, Levi's started getting more into playing with his trains and tracks and has taken a special interest in the tunnels. He loves to point out every overpass and refers to them all as "dunnels". After taking a trip to visit my family Levi informs me almost every morning "Mimi's house, dunnels".
The Little Man continues to repeat or try to repeat almost everything we say. I love the way he mispronounces some words...peanut is "ee-nut" (which is also how he says cleanup), "in there" sounds more like "in ere", Elmo is "Melmo", and mangoes are "mane-mos" (he likes to eat those on our walks to see the "neighs").
He continues to be all about "nacks". I recently bought a bird feeder so we can watch the birds eat from our deck. I had told Levi that we needed to get some food for the feeder. While we were finishing up our grocery shopping the other day he told me we needed to get birdie snacks. He got a real kick out of watching our first birdie friend come for a bite to eat this morning.
Recently we started going to the "big pool". Levi had another woman laughing while we were swimming together. He was standing on the edge of the pool, holding up his chubby little fingers up while he counted to three before jumping in! I wish I had a video of it...it was too funny!

"the waiting is the hardest part..."

2011-06-07T19:33:00.006-04:00

We've been waiting since March to get a look at our new boy. He was finally born on May 9th and we received our first pictures about a week after that. Here are a couple that we got yesterday...he's about three and a half weeks old...
Meet our new little addition...Pyrrhus! (well, that's what the breeder is calling him...we have a different name in mind) He's currently four weeks old and growing like a weed (he looks like he's the same size that Winchester was when we first got him!). We're looking forward to finally holding him the beginning of July.
I'm excited and a little nervous about his arrival. I imagine this is kind of what people feel like when they're expecting their second child...happy to add to the family, but a little anxious about the chaos and craziness that comes with it!

"at the car wash...working at that car wash"

2011-06-06T19:47:00.008-04:00

As a kid, one of the things that marked the officially beginning of summer was washing the car in our bathing suits. Honestly, I think we really just used it as an excuse to break out the hose and spray each other with it! My mom was always so good about letting us do stuff like that around the house. She included us in a lot of the chores and house projects and even made them fun...and didn't care if they were done "just so" (something that I have to fight against with my perfectionistic tendencies!)...she was happy to have us there working along with her.
Today I tried to continue on that "tradition". Seth's car was in desperate need of a bath after our trip to visit his family this past weekend. Instead of spending Levi's nap time washing it or traumatizing him by going through the drive-thru one again, I decided to see if he'd like to help out. I got the bucket out while he played with something in the yard. He became very curious when I squirt the soap into the bucket and he got more excited when I started filling it with water. Without prompting he fished one of the rags out of the soapy water and got to work scrubbing the door! As you can see from the pictures he thoroughly enjoyed himself and it turns out he was quite helpful when it came to rinsing it off...he did manage to get me sufficiently soaked, but that's OK...after all that's part of the fun!

"work, turn to the left...work, now turn to the right...

2011-06-02T20:30:00.005-04:00

A friend of mine is running a marathon this weekend and was raising support for Team in Training. She invited a bunch of people to a fundraiser event...Zumba! I've heard a little about the craze and figured it would be fun to try it out, plus it was only five bucks and it was going toward a good cause.
I wasn't really sure what to expect. I got to the gym a little early so I could figure out where to go....I found the room without a problem and waited with a few other women to go into the room as about 50 or 60 sweaty women made their way out of the room. "What have I gotten myself into!" was my first thought! Thankfully our crowd wasn't quite as large...I think I would've bumped into or accidentally smacked someone if it was!
It's been a while since I've done any kind of class at the gym. After walking out of a step class, completely embarrassed, a few years back I decided to just stick to the lifting ones or just do my own thing. This class was much more relaxed and the atmosphere was more "party" like...the instructors actually looked like they were having fun (not like some kind of crazy drill sargents) and just dancing to the very loud music (I think I might be partially deaf as a result!).
As I looked around at other women there I noticed that I was one of the only ones not decked out in some kind of Zumba "gear"...it was like there was some kind of cult following! After the third or fourth song, it began to dawn on me...this was just the same thing repackaged for a new decade! Back in middle school Denise and I took a Jazzercise class with a friend of our's (I have a shirt to prove it!). We did the grapevine, kick-ball-change and cha-cha to Can't Touch This and Groove is in the heart. Things really hadn't changed...Zumba was the same steps with a bit of a Latin flair and more booty shaking moves, minus the jazz hands :-)

2011-05-26T19:39:00.006-04:00

After two years I finally finished a book last week...yeah, I'm a little ashamed to admit it! Back in the day when I was taking the train and had an hour and a half to two hours of "free time", it was easy to read. Now I get distracted and find something else to do...although that's not the best excuse. I had almost forgotten how fun it is to get caught up in a good book. I wound up reading The Help in less than four days...which is pretty good for me. In a way I'm glad to be finished with it because I have a tendency to get a little too engrossed in the story and wind up ignoring Seth! Maybe someday I'll find a happy medium.
The book was set in the deep South in the early sixties during the time of segregation. It seems so crazy to me that that was going on only fifty or so years ago! As I read through the book I was reminded me of a kind of funny story that Seth's mom told him recently. She was down in Tennessee with her mom visiting her brother in the military (I think). They were in some public place and little Bev got thirsty. She saw two water fountains on the wall and decided to get a drink. Unlike the ones where she was from there were two signs "White" and "Colored". In her little girl mind she thought "we have white water where we're from, I think I'll have the colored kind"...expecting rainbow water to come out of the fountain or something! Ah...the naivety of a child is so simple and refreshing!

"you give me fever...fever in the morning...fever all through the night"

2011-05-24T13:35:00.005-04:00

Well, I never thought I'd see the day that "Beiber Fever" hit our house. We don't have tweens and it's not exactly my or Seth's style of music. Unfortunately, it looks like Levi's contracted a minor case!
Last week while I was changing him before bed the "OnDemand" screen was on the TV and a preview clip for the Justin Beiber's movie came on with the song Baby. I started tickling Levi under his arms while singing it to him and he thought that was the best! He kept saying "baby" and pointing to his armpits! Ever since then he's been hooked on the song and has actually requested it. Last night he had us cracking up while he was dancing around the family room. I tried to get a little bit of it on video tonight...I'm sure he'll hate watching it in about ten years!

"Raindrops keep falling on my head..."

2011-05-23T21:06:00.001-04:00

A few Saturdays ago it was raining. Levi and I were out and about running errands when I noticed an older woman at Target grab her rain hat out of her purse and carefully put it over her head before venturing into the parking lot. You know those old lady rain hats, those plastic ones that old ladies use to keep their nicely set "do's" from getting all wet? I had to smile...it made me think of my grandmother. She always had one of those plastic hats folded neatly in her purse...with her Certs, Chiclets and the kitchen sink!
It also made me think of the picture above. It's one of my favorites of Denise and me. That shirt was one of my absolute favorites....a shiny embroidered star, a few hearts, and a rainbow...a little kids dream shirt in the 80's! I love the fact that Denise is wearing my grandmother's rain hat...in the middle of our living room and the expression on her face (I can just hear her yelling something!) and I can't forget the remnants of lunch on her face and shirt...classic! But I think my favorite part of the whole picture is that we're holding hands...so glad that was captured on film!

"with this ring I promise to always love...always love you!"

2011-05-18T15:08:00.000-04:00

Nine years ago today we put these rings on each others fingers...
...and were pronounced "Man and wife"!
With each year that goes by, I'm more and more thankful for the man the Lord has blessed me with...and how committed he is to me and more importantly our marriage! I hope God gives us many more years to spend together. I love you, Seth!