That's MY boy!

We went to MAC (our mom and children group) this morning. We were a little late due to Nehemiah's extreme bedtime behavior. I tell ya', I start that kid out around 8, and it has been past 11 when he has finally settled down to sleep the last 4 nights--Uugh! Anyway, it does mean he sleeps a bit later in the morning. So we got up later, and it took us a little longer to get it together. Then, I had the car warming up and everything ready to go, and I realized I could not find my wallet. Now, if there is one thing I know, it is that if I leave the house without my driver's license, then I am going to get in a wreck or make some bone-head mistake and get pulled over. So, quite frankly, it is not an option. ;)

Eventually I found it, so we made it there, but a little late. And I tell you, I think Nehemiah is an extrovert (taking after his old mom!). He gets mobbed by the other kids. And he just grins and laughs! Everyone (the kids anyway) wants to take turns holding him, or hugging him, or kissing him, or tickling him, and he just eats it all up. It is consistently my favorite experience of the week. I can hardly wait until he can run around and play with everyone. Well, actually, I can. It's quite alright with me that he isn't mobile just yet. That would be exhausting.

Anyway, today was a really busy day, and Nehemiah only got one nap, and then we got back from small group a little before 9. I got him all ready for bed, and though he started to fuss, I was able to keep him calm. Awake, but calm, and so far, I haven't heard anything else! Here's hoping tonight goes better and we get back on our schedule. :)

What Daddies are good for...

Disclaimer: No children were harmed in the making of this picture.

Look at that height! And the thrilled expression after touch down. :)

Give a hoot!

Look who we happened upon on our front yard this afternoon:

God is SO cool!

Now I have to go look him up in my Sibley Guide to Birds. Well, it looks like he is a Barred Owl. My book cracks me up sometimes...it says that this owl's voice is: "clear-voiced, expressive, hooting/barking hoo hoo ho-ho, hoo hoo ho-hoooooaw ('who cooks for you, who cooks for you all') ending with descending and rolling hoooaaw note" (p. 276). I wonder what the owl would cook up for me?! Hopefully he keeps his talons to himself as far as the little bunny who frequents our yard is concerned. He can take all the squirrels he pleases, but I want my bunny around. Maltby already took out like 8 babies last summer--end the genocide! ;)

Dead End

Does anyone have any suggestions on bedtime for a 7 month old? It seems to be taking longer and longer to get Nehemiah to sleep. He starts shrieking shrilly whenever I put him in his crib and leave the room. It is really cutting into marriage time not to mention wearing me out! I have a tough time handling over an hour of crying with interrupted times of comforting. :( I just want him to sleep and sleep well! We have a bit of a routine, wherein I change his diaper and put on his pjs, plug in his night light, turn off his room light, swaddle him up, nurse him while singing two songs, and then saying bedtime prayers. When he seems asleep and finished eating, I put him in his crib and head out. I'm not really sure what else to try. Oh, here's a cute picture of he and his favorite lovey all swaddled up for naptime :)

Playdate

Grinning at the tiny little lady, Adelaide (with her Mum, Susan):

I'm in love with the UPS man!

These things happen when you see so few people at your house on a regular basis! I also really like my mail lady!

Tonight when we got home, I found I had missed my friend in the brown suit, but he left a surprise! My mom sent me a great package. She and my dad got Nehemiah some adorable red striped Oshkosh Engineer Overalls and a Heartbreaker Valentine's bib for his first Feb. 14. So sweet! He also got two great Christmas gifts from our relatives out in WA state. He got a Peek-A-Boo Curious George toy and the Philadelphia Chickens book and CD by Sandra Boynton. We're listening to it now, and he is getting a MAJOR kick out of it--part of that is that his daddy is dancing with him to the rhythm of my typing.

My mom also sent several needlework projects from my GGs stash! I have a ribbon embroidery kit, a cross stitch, a crewel project, and crochet and embroidery hooks, knitting needles, and some other tools that I have no idea about. Guess I better get to learning how to do all of these things! Too fun. :)

Wowzers

Whew! It has been a full day! We didn't get much sleep last night, because Nehemiah was up until 2:30am trying to acclimate to a new environment (at Aaron and Susan's), and then he was up again at 6:30! We left for home around 11:30 this morning. But a trip to a BIG city ;) isn't complete without some stops at our favorite haunts. We stopped by Trader Joe's to pick up a few culinary delights, including this awesome garlic and herb pizza dough...yum! We also went to Noodles and Company for lunch, where Ben and I both had dishes with an Asian flair...Ben had Japanese Noodles, and I had a red curry dish, and we each had some tasty flat bread. Nehemiah enjoyed the break from sitting in his car seat.

Then we drove awhile longer, and when we hit the next city, we went to Once Upon a Child and got a few things for a steal of a deal...a mobile for Nehemiah's crib (which doesn't spin...yet--it lights up and plays music, and looks really cute, but doesn't really move--I'll see what I can do), a car seat bunting, one pair of pjs and a construction puzzle. Next was TJ Maxx. We got a Calphalon bread pan for half off, because, in our experience, they turn out the best loaves, and almost all of our recipes make 2 loaves, and we only had 1 pan. AND, we found Maltby a brand new, fully washable, microsuede dog bed there too; which is important because our pup is a bed wetter--nobody's perfect, eh? These stops served double purpose. At this point Nehemiah was thoroughly unimpressed with the ride. It didn't get much better when we strapped him in after our break, but he did fall asleep soon after.

At the next city--you know, the one we normally go to...not the town, but the city, ;) we hit the NAPA auto part shop and Ben fixed the dome light in my car! What a guy! It hasn't worked properly since we bought the car, and to tell you the truth, I didn't have much hope for it, because I think it is the 3rd time we've tried to do something about it. It makes it really tough to buckle a baby in blind though. Ben got the correct voltage of light bulb and the right amps for the fuse, and it shines like a star!

We picked up Maltby and thrilled him with his new bed and bones and Ben made an excellent Pepperoni Pizza with our Trader Joe's crust and I played with the baby. I tried to put him to bed about and hour and a half ago, and guess who's peepers I still see? I think this trip really threw off his sleep schedule; uugh! A small price to pay for such a fun-filled mini-vacay.

Ben got the taxes done tonight too-wow...he's been busy! I feel like I've hardly done anything, but it takes a bunch of time and energy to take care of a moody little one.

Oh Joy! Oh Bliss!

Guess where we went today??? Costco!!! You should've have seen Ben, rushing like a giddy school boy toward the 48 pack of Duracell AAs. A sight I won't soon forget. ;) Of course I was rushing around all over the rest of the place like a giddy school girl.

Costco makes us giddy...so sue me! I've already petitioned corporate for a store in our neck of the woods. They said they would forward the request to their real estate department. Oh, if only! *folds hands and bats eyelashes*

In other news, Baby Adelaide is too cute! What a little peanut! She has been pretty sleepy during our visit--I've never held a baby so tiny and perfectly formed. As many of you know, or can tell from the pictures, mine started out a bruiser! It would be great fun to have a little girl one of these days, but until then, I shall live vicariously through my friends and their beautiful daughters. We love you Adelaide!

Mini-vacation

Ben has 2 days off in a row--a rarity; so, we are heading to the REALLY BIG city to visit our friends and their new baby! Yehaw! I'm excited. We may even get a bit of shopping in. :) But for now, I ought to play with Nehemiah...he'll have enough time sitting by himself today. TTYL!

Super

Yesterday I was a hero of the super variety; I had a cape and everything. You see, last summer, I was in a Beth Moore Bible Study called "Believing God." While we were studying, one of my friends said that it made her feel like a super hero, and we all agreed. The next week, she had capes for us. :) While I was cleaning yesterday, I rediscovered my cape.

When Ben came home, I was playing a little Link's Crossbow Training on our Wii, shooting all the bad guys. He laughed when he saw me. There I was wearing a cape saying *Armed and Dangerous--I'm Believing God* and shooting the place up!

I know what you're thinking...impressive! Yeah, me too. ;)

Junkie

My husband is a junkie...a carmex junkie! I was expressing this sentiment to a friend the other day, and she said that she knew why. She said that they put fiberglass in Carmex to cut your lips with teeny tiny cuts so that you can't get enough of it because the stuff gets in your blood stream, AND your lips never heal when you use it. Well, my source is uber knowledgeable about all things beauty AND I know that they do that with some kinds of dip--one of those lovely things you learn hanging out with a bunch of Army Rangers...it seems like 3 out of 5 dip that stuff-Eeew! Look out before you drink out of a pop can at any of those BBQs!

Anyway, I told Ben when I got home, and like any addict, he was in denial. He said that it wasn't possible, and that he would keep right on using until I could prove it. Well, I went where I always go when I suspect and urban legend--I went to snopes.com:

http://www.snopes.com/business/secret/carmex.asp

It turns out that while Ben may be a carmex junkie, I am a sucker for the good ole' fashioned Urban Legend. ;)

Aww, the stuff marriages are made of! :P

Speakin' my language!

Today my friend Megan and I took an unexpected trip into town. It was such a treat! Literally! She treated lunch and a fun new shirt for my Christmas present. It's nice to feel special like that. :) We had both babies in tow, and all things considered, or trip was pretty great!

Does it seem weird to any of you that the trip was impactful (I think that's a word) for me? I read Gary Chapman's Five Languages of Love a few years ago, and learned that for some people that wouldn't be as big of a deal. BUT, I learned that my primary love language is gifts. At first I was a little ashamed, because I thought it made me greedy, but then as I continued to read, I realized that it developed some from family dynamics, and some from my personality. I have learned that it doesn't even have to be something that costs money. It could be a flower or a sample of something, or anything like that, but it reminds me that whoever gives the gift has thought of me sometime on their way. And it goes both ways, because I love to pick up little things for people along my way too. Just some musings. :)

Cooking

I meal-planned this week. It is quite the accomplishment, because I haven't done that since we were first married. I have gotten lazy. Ben is hardly home for dinners, and he can bring home leftovers from camp, so I rarely cook. I went to the grocery store with ingredients of actual recipes on my list rather than the usual staples. I made a few meals to keep while Ben was working on homework and Nehemiah was sleeping. I'm not so great at being productive when Nehemiah is awake. He's got that separation anxiety thing going on in spades. We've been working on that, but it means I've been engaging in shorter activities like laundry, and not ones that require multiple steps and close monitoring. I am feeling productive and sleepy--what a nice way to go to bed! Also, I picked up a mini-muffin tin while I was in town today. My mother-in-law and I are going to try to make these really cute puppy cupcakes I found in Parents magazine. I'll have to post a picture after we make them. :)

Another teacher tale

Today seems to have been pretty run-of-the-mill, so I am going to tell a funny teacher story. I had a student who was mocking some of the special education students in our class. We were observing him for a placement also, though I'm not sure he'd caught on to that just yet. Anyhow, he was working on what was supposed to be a partner assignment, but his partner was sick that day. He was having an incredibly difficult time focusing and finishing any of his report. I told him that I thought he could finish just one page before our time was through, and he looked up at me and said, "Mrs. Frank I've got DSL in a Comcast World!" I tried to stifle my giggles, and I asked him if that meant he was slow, trying to make a teachable moment regarding some of the other students, but his retort was quick; "I did NOT say Dial-up!" Kids say the darnedest things, eh? ;)

Amusements

So I was on a new website today: http://www.grinzilla.com

You are supposed to find fun things for kids in your area by typing in your zip code. I thought, why not? So I entered in my zip, and to compound the problem that it is too cold to be outside, look what my search yielded:

Locations found: 0

There appears to be no fun activites based on your criteria. Try doing a more broad search.

Search Criteria

Location zip or City name

Hmm...guess we'll have to prove 'em wrong!

Fangs

This shows the current tooth-pushing progress...Aww my little vampire! ;)

Once Upon A Time...

I was a teacher "in the 'hood". I have many interesting stories from those days, and my experiences still affect my life today. It was such a unique environment to me, but there are parts of it that I am very fond of. And the parts that weren't endearing to me at the time are endearing now, because they point out lessons learned. Anyway, I'm going to share a brief story, and it's impact. :)

I was student-teaching in a 2nd grade classroom, and there was this ultra-intelligent, top of the class, sweetheart of a boy, named Stacey. He was always respectful and on top of his behavior and schoolwork. One day he came in from recess as I was standing at the door to the classroom, and this sweet child looked up at me, and in greeting said, "What up Pop Tart?!" The inflection was perfect, and the serious and innocent face cracked me up. I almost lost it! I was close to tears and nearly rolling on the floor. Who have you heard call anyone a pop tart? Anyway, it is a memory that is close to my heart, and that I probably won't have the pleasure of experiencing again in the rural, white bread-esque community that I live in currently.

Today, as I left the room, Nehemiah started to cry and clearly say, "Mama!" (I don't know if it is for real or not, but it sure seemed like it.) I didn't know what could be wrong, so I peeked my head around the corner and exclaimed, "What up Pop Tart?!"

Now it was Ben's turn to nearly lose it. We came up with " 'hood names" for my other two guys as well. Turns out Ben is "Home Skillet" and Maltby (our dog) is "Home Slice". Just something to smile about during the day. :)

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

You know it is cold outside when...

+ You turn on the car to warm it up, and try to back it out of the driveway, and it takes 20 seconds to make it out.

+ Your iPod doesn't work in the car.

+ The brand new (with brand new batteries) Baby Einstein toy doesn't work in the car either.

+ You've heard of 7-layer dip, but have you heard of 7-layer baby? ;)

+You can't convince the dog to venture outside to pee.

+ The weatherman says the high tomorrow won't break zero and that frostbite of exposed skin will occur in 3-5 minutes.

WHERE HAVE I LANDED?!!? DO I LIVE IN ANTARCTICA?! SERIOUSLY!!!

Birth

The Lord is so gracious to give us the gift of new life. It is amazing when someone is born into Christ, just as it is when someone is born into the world. Today some of our good friends became first time parents. What a blessing and joy! We are looking forward to making the acquaintance of dear little Adelaide, and we are so glad that everyone is healthy and happy!

I never expected to get all sentimental as a mother, but just thinking about everything Susan and Adelaide and Aaron must have gone through today sticks that lump squarely in my throat as I remember the day Nehemiah was born. It was such a struggle and so intense, but the joy and awe at the Lord's new creation were even more intense. It's been over 6 months, and my feelings for this little love only continue to intensify. Praise His Name and His wisdom!

Who will be the next Simon Cowell?

After Nehemiah went down for the night tonight, I was up for some mindless entertainment, so I flipped on the season premier of American Idol to watch the auditions. There were some touching moments, as well as some atrocious ones. In the middle of one of the worst, high-pitched shriek sessions, Nehemiah woke up screaming. I thought maybe it would pass, so I gave it a few minutes--during which more ear splitting auditions took place. I went in to see how he was, and he seemed legitimately frightened. It was sad! I brought him out and calmed him down...he also got to see Daddy, because initially he went to bed before Ben got home from work. It was nice that Ben and he got to play a little bit while he learned that tone deaf singing does not signify the end of the world after all! Maybe Nehemiah will be a pretty good judge of musicality, and hopefully a much nicer character than a certain Brit. :P