Our army crawler

Here is another video. This one includes Isaac's most common mode of transportation: army crawling!!! Sorry that it is a little dark.... I'll try to do a better job next time!!! :)

Special notes:
* Aaron was climbing in a box in the background, and we only ignored him temporarily!!!
* Ollie did NOT eat Isaac at the end of this video!

Isaac Crawls!

Well friends, I've done it.... I've entered the world of "YouTube" and now have videos to share! Now, these are not the most clear, beautifully taped videos of our little crawler but thought I'd share them, nevertheless! What a big boy! It's hard to believe that we really have a crawler!

Isaac is just starting "real crawling" but still tends to prefer "army crawling"!

Ahhh, sleep....

I sure love my boys when they are awake, but boy, oh boy, do I love them when they are asleep! There is absolutely nothing like the feeling of gazing at my children as they sleep. Looking at them even brings me peace, I think. One of my favorite times of day is rocking Isaac to sleep as he drinks his bottle.... he starts by gazing up at me and then starts to drift off.... ahh, it's the best!

I love these pictures, too! I took them a day or two after Indiana's "blizzard." We had run to town to pick up a few things, and they both fell asleep in the van on the way home.... awesome! Are they adorable or what?!!! :)

I FOUND THE PHONE.....

Hoorah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"It's the most wonderful time of the year...."

No, not Christmas.... cold/flu/sickie season.... HARDLY! I received this picture via email from my friend Holly the other day. Yikes... that's her countertop this week! She has three kids.... her oldest has bronchitis, her twins have pharyngitis, upper respiratory infections, and the beginning of ear infections, and her hubby has a sinus infection, pharyngitis, and the beginning of an ear infection. Yikes!!! She has been talking about bathing in Lysol to keep herself healthy!

I must admit.... we're pretty thankful at our house; March has almost arrived, and we haven't been to the doctor yet this winter (except for a well-baby visit). We have certainly had our share of coughs and colds but are just truly thankful to have stayed relatively healthy up until this point. No ear infections for Isaac.... YEA!!!! Aaron was already on his first set of tubes at this point!

Think spring (is it sleeting outside yet?!!!) :)

"Amazing Grace"

The real William Wilberforce!

Scott and I were thrilled to enjoy a date night tonight.... thanks, Schmitt's! I just heard about the new movie, "Amazing Grace", this week, and Scott lovingly agreed to go see it with me tonight (his preference would usually be a comedy; if you recall from an earlier post, we saw "Night at the Museum" last time!) Anyway.... amazing, amazing, amazing..... compelling, compelling, compelling! It was worth every bit of the $5.50 that we spent on tickets! There was one part in the middle that was a little slow, but other than that, I have no complaints.

I cannot begin to express how deeply moved we both felt leaving the movie.... and more than anything, I think that my thoughts went along the line of: I WANT MY LIFE TO COUNT! I WANT TO MAKE A LASTING DIFFERENCE IN MY WORLD! I kept thinking.... this is one man.... one man who was called to do great things.... one man who changed THE WORLD because of his willingness to be used by God! He was faithful in carrying out that which God had "prepared in advance for [him] to do" (Ephesians 2:10). What a wonderful reminder to believers everywhere (myself included!) to seek God's heart in our lives.... "Lord, what do you want from MY LIFE?"

If you haven't seen the preview, check it out here. Also, I would highly recommend checking out the study guide that is posted at the same website. I came home and started doing my own little history lesson on William Wilberforce's life tonight.... the study guide gives a lot of good info about different characters, and I wish I would have read it before seeing the movie. I would love to hear feedback from others as you see the movie, wondering about your reactions as well.

"Wired for Worship" experience

This is a pretty neat idea, and I am sure that some of our kids are really benefitting from it. Scott and Evan designed a 30-day "Wired for Worship" experience for our teens. Basically, the kids read one Psalm each day during the month and then, can go to the blog4students website for a devotion written by an adult in the church (staff person, volunteer, etc.) It's pretty neat. If you want, you can check out yesterday's devo.... yep, I stepped out of my comfort zone and wrote that one.

Colts Popcorn

Thanks to Evan and Christi, we were able to enjoy "Colts Popcorn" from Scott's favorite bakery in Muncie the other day. It was half vanilla, half blueberry, and 100% interesting! The picture shows some of the results!

Updates....

#1) I haven't found my phone....

#2) I started counseling sessions again last week! I am only meeting with 1 or 2 people a week at this point.... just easing back into it.... but it feels pretty great to be back!

#3) Don't quote me on liking Chris Sligh on American Idol. His little argument with Simon this week threw me for a loop (I didn't care for his song selection either).... we'll see.... the single mom last night was awesome! Yep, thinkin' she's my new favorite..... we'll see how it plays out!

#4) To you bloggers out there.... when you try to update your background/template, it really means it when it says that you will lose all your original settings! Yep, that is what this tech-illiterate person gets for trying to do it without her hubby's help! Thankfully, the hit counter is back into position after Scott's expertise came into play (and I won't be changing the look of my blog anytime soon!)

#5) Last but not least.... Isaac really is officially a crawler! I was in the basement yesterday, and he made his way to the top of the stairs from where I had left him! Yep, we've officially entered baby gate world at our house again! He has THREE teeth now, too!

Our little snow bunny

I've shared all kinds of pictures of Aaron and Scott in the snow.... thought I would share a few of our littlest snow bunny, too!

* Truth be told.... Isaac really didn't enjoy it one bit. Of course, he hated being bundled up and not being held while we tried to take a few pictures of him "enjoying" his first winter!

Brotherly love!

It's so neat to see Aaron enjoy Isaac. He has always been a great big brother, no jealousy whatsoever (I know, I know... that could all change without notice!) It's also been great to see Isaac grow in his love for Aaron; he absolutely lights up when Aaron walks into a room! What fun it will be to see these little guys grow up together!

* This was the first time Aaron fed Isaac a bottle. As you can tell, Aaron was a bit disinterested at points (zoning as he watched "Backyardigans"!) and Isaac was a little uncertain!

* The first of many duets, I'm sure. Here are my boys, playing a "drum" duet in the kitchen!

Has anyone seen my phone?!!

Okay, I have to be honest.... this is becoming frustrating. Our cordless phone has been MIA since we got home from Florida. Yep, that's a few WEEKS! Of course, it's too dead for the handy "pager" on the phone to still work, so I'm left to digging in couches, in beds, etc. to try to find the silly thing. Scott has teased me about it.... telling me that I probably sent it through the wash (yes, I actually did wash our cordless while we were living at the camp.... it was an honest mistake; it was in a basket with the towels when I headed downstairs in case I received a call while folding laundry. Well, instead of taking a call, I ended up ruining our phone that was less than a month old! Geez!) Anyhow, if you're wondering why I haven't called you back in the past 3 weeks, now you have your answer.... ha.... just kiddin'!

American Idol - Season 6!

Okay, I must admit.... I like this show. I'm not a total junky; I don't cry if I miss it, but I do like it. Actually, Aaron likes to watch it with me sometimes (he asks to watch the "girls singin'".... maybe he's not noticing that guys sing, too?!)

Anyway, Chris Sligh is right up at the top of my list this year. I love it.... I found his blog, and this was the first line of his profile: "I am first and foremost a Christ-follower." YEA! He has a great sense of humor.... and a good voice, too. Should be fun to watch! One of my favorite parts is that the judges mentioned last week that he is a favorite among the other contestants; I love it when Christ-followers actually love others and are FUN (in a clean sort of way)! To see his audition, go here.

"But I need a partner...."

All week, while Aaron was out playing in the snow, he would come, hit the door, and whine, "But I need a partner....." Aaron is such a social bug, and while I would have loved to join him (well, kind of....) I was also responsible for a 9-month old who has been pretty clingy.... and to be quite honest, I don't own boots (yes, I was VERY thankful for a fenced-in backyard this week, too, so that Aaron could still play without mommy!) Anyway, he was SO excited today.... Daddy is no longer stuck in Wisconsin AND had the day off work.... so off they went! Here are a few pictures of their fun!

* Standing beside their fort. Notice, how high this drift was in our backyard!

* In the fort.* Playing king of the mountain (I think Aaron always won though!)

At 9-months old!

It's hard to believe that Isaac is 9-months old already! He is doing some fun, new things, and I thought I would share some of them here!

* He's just starting to crawl.... he's actually doing the "army crawl" right now; it's funny because it looks like he is working SO hard when he does it! Check out the determination in his eyes!

* Isaac has become a drooling machine over the past couple of days because his third tooth just popped through!* Taking notes from Aaron about how to splash at bathtime!* Joining in the fun! Isaac has loved this new activity over the past week, and Aaron loves sharing bathtime, too! For any parents with little ones, I would HIGHLY recommend one of these little bath seats for this stage; it's awesome, and he loved it tonight!* Uh-oh.... discovering the child lock!! YIKES! This is about the stage when I walked in on Aaron with the screws from the baby gate IN HIS HAND!!! Notice how Isaac is pulling up to his knees, too.

"Buddy, you know how plans sometimes change?"

This weekend has turned out to be great so far! We actually just returned home after a wonderful night of conversation with Brandon and Angie at Ruby Tuesday.... it was so great to enjoy a whole evening of adult conversation! The boys seemed to do pretty well with Cathy, too (other than some little behavior issues with Aaron.... grr!)

Unfortunately, our date for two was cancelled last night due to a last minute conflict for our sitter.... bummer! Ms. Lizabeth loves to love on our kids, so she was as bummed as we were about this circumstance that was out of her control.... but we promised to reschedule! Aaron was so excited to see her though.... we have a statement in our house that we try not to use too much.... "Buddy, you know how plans sometimes change?" Yeah, all I heard yesterday afternoon was, "But I WANT to see Ms. Lizabeth!!!!"

Fun weekend plans!!

I love weekends! As a mom, I always welcome the extra help with the kids.... and it's always so good to reconnect with Scott, too! This weekend, I'm extra excited because of.... TWO DATE NIGHTS!!! YEA! Scott and I are going out tonight, just the two of us (thanks for watching our kids, Ms. Lizabeth!), and tomorrow, Cathy Laker offered to watch four kiddos so that we could go out with Brandon and Angie Schmitt! Hoorah! Hoorah! Hoorah!!!! I love my kids, but I also will welcome the break after a draining week! And it feels like a date night has been long overdue at our house!

Thanks to those of you who prayed for Scott in his travels this week.... he ended up making it home around 7:30 PM on Wednesday.... Valentine's Day!!! It was pretty terrific to see him.... and pretty terrific that he made it home before bedtime that night, because Aaron's little Valentine's surprises were stuck in Scott's car at the airport!!! It was SO sweet; Isaac went CRAZY when Scott walked in the door, too.... we were all THRILLED to see him!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from the snowdrifts of Evergreen Drive! Hope that you all have a wonderful day! We are doing okay.... Scott is on a flight to Cincinnati right now and then will head to Fort Wayne. Hopefully, my favorite Valentine will be home by 10:30 tonight!!!

Parenting Perspective

I ran across this little poem online tonight, and it was a good reminder for me as I head to bed..... ahh, a little perspective after a long day....

Help Me Remember...

Lord, help me remember, when I feel it's a chore,
the time will come when I'll hold him no more,
asleep on my chest
(the crib refused,the blanket, the pacifier, gone unused).
What better place is there to lay his head,
than against my heart, my arms his bed?
For infants grow up and leave us behind
with only memories left to remind us
of midnight walking and predawn rocking,
of soft, helpless babies unable to sleep.
So, Lord, make me patient and keep me awake
while I cradle this child, and don't let me take for granted
the moments I spend in the night with this baby--
Your gift, my joy, my delight.

I know, I know.... it's not Shakespeare.... but it was still a good reminder to me tonight, nevertheless. The perspective of remembering.... this is ONLY a season.... a season that I don't get back. Ahhh.... and on that note.... I better go to bed so that I can get an hour or two of sleep before Isaac is up for a visit and a snack (oh wait.... I think I hear him crying now....)

* The picture above is Isaac's 1-month picture.... photographer: the very talented, Leslie Wildman!

UPDATE: Isaac was up 5 or 6 times in the night last night, fighting sleep.... so I guess it was a good thing that I read this last night. However, I must admit, it didn't help my attitude very much at 4:30 this morning on the 5th time! :)

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

I walked down the stairs this morning, glanced out at our deck, and thought that the weather people were all wrong.... no snow.... until.... I glanced UP at our fence in our backyard and saw the big ol' drift! I also realized that the visibility stinks because I couldn't even see the county road out our back door! WOW! A "Blizzard warning".... it's hard to believe that we were roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over Thanksgiving weekend, thinking that winter would never arrive in Indiana. Yep, we were wrong! So, another day at home for the boys and I; we had originally scheduled Isaac's 9-month pictures at Bob List today but, along with the rest of their clients, called and cancelled. No word from Wisconsin yet... I'm just praying that somehow, that sweet man of mine will make it home safely without a delay!

* The radar picture was at 10:30 this morning.... in case you're wondering how much longer we're going to be covered by these conditions!

UPDATE AT 10:50: I just got a call from Scott..... his flight from Chicago to Fort Wayne has been CANCELLED ( hello, what happened to DELAYED?!!!) Anyway, they are trying to get him on a later flight back but that may or may not happen as well. Wow, I love my hubby..... and maybe I don't love snow as much as I thought! HA!

UPDATE #2 AT 1:30: Oh well.... no go on a flight today anywhere. Scott is staying in Milwaukee for the night and will fly to O'hare in the morning around 9.... hopefully, he'll be able to find a flight to Fort Wayne from there.... if not, we're hoping to get him home, one way or another..... yep, I'm just hoping to see my hubby for Valentine's Day!!!

Encouragement for Today!

My friend, Lisa, posted this verse on her blog today. It was the PERFECT encouragement for me today, too! I'm so thankful that God gives us encouragement ALL OVER the Bible!!! Keep on pressing on, friends!

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9

My translation for today.... keep on wiping noses and bottoms for Christ! HA! :)

True confessions....

I have a confession.... I LOVE snow!!! With the forecast for the next couple of days in northern Indiana, I've just been thinking, "Bring it on!" However, one downside to the forecast.... Scott is in Wisconsin and is supposed to be flying home tomorrow afternoon, thru Chicago, into Fort Wayne. Yikes.... I'm just praying for safety (and no delays, of course) but outside of that BIG detail, yep, I love snow. Aaron has been loving it outside, too! Now, if only I could find some boots (for me!)...... ha!

I love my husband!

HA! I received this from Tina Lakin today via email, and it just made me laugh. I am incredibly grateful for Scott... and for living in the era that we do (but yes, if you ask him, there are definitely days when I take him for granted, too, unfortunately!) Scott was amazing today.... we needed to do some major overhaulin' on our house. We hadn't caught up on "stuff" since vacation and were being overrun by paper piles and crud on the floors. Thankfully, Scott and Aaron have totally pitched right in.... and the sink is even SHINING because Scott tackled that project! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Scott!!! I'm glad you don't LOVE ESPN!!! :)

To counsel or not to counsel?

It's been an interesting journey. When I gave birth to Isaac, I decided to step out of the counseling arena "for a few months" to just adjust to life with two. Well, 3 months became 6 months which has become 9 months. I found that I was just enjoying the time to focus on being a wife and mom.... we had some other things going on that were pretty demanding emotionally.... so I felt at peace about the decision.

Well, I've been feeling a stirring to go back to work on a very, very part time basis and have been attempting to weigh the pros and cons of the decision. In some ways, counseling others gives me a lot of energy because I love doing it, but in other ways, some sessions can be very draining. However, through prayer and a lot of thought, I have decided to ease back into the professional world a bit (just one night a week).

As I was wrestling with this decision, I actually was in the middle of reading a very encouraging book for moms, "The Bathtub is Overflowing, but I feel Drained" by Lysa TerKeurst. In it, she quotes another author stating (this is a long one but it is worth it, I think):

"But how do we act on the God-given purposes in our lives and still be attentive, caring wives and mothers? First, we abandon the idea that God has designed life so family is separate from service and that the two must compete. In a speech at the 1997 Women's Ministries Symposium, Jill Briscoe talked about the fallacy of having a hierarchy of priorities, such as (1) God, (2) husband, (3) children, (4) church, and so on. Instead, she suggested, there's a hierachy of principles-- God and his kingdom come first. God will tell you what is front and center today. Are you listening? If you're a praying person who listens to God and looks into the hearts of people around you, obeying the first and second commandments to love God and love others (Matthew 22:37-39), you'll know when to skip the day's entire to-do list and take your kids to the beach, take yourself to the beach, take your Bible to the beach, or take your kids and your neighbor's lonely, autistic son to the beach.... Contrary to what some people may believe, a woman doesn't have to choose between having a purpose in life and being a faithful and fun-loving mom, wife, and friend. One of the best things we can contribue to the people we love is to be a woman who responds to the call of God. Through us, those we love experience the joy of following God and are often challenged to consider their own God-infused purposes" (p. 119).

I just love that! I think that we can become consumed with fitting into a mold versus seeking God's heart and what He wants to do with our lives.... and with our days!!! When we are consumed with fitting that mold instead, we heap "Mommy-guilt" on ourselves and on the mothers around us. We have got to give ourselves grace, give others grace in their decision-making process (even if it doesn't look exactly like we might have done it!), and continue to seek God for wisdom and direction.... what a great reminder this quote was to me. Definitely a shift in perspective!

Okay, I'm done preaching for today....

15-14

I took Isaac to see Dr. Jungbauer today for his 9-month well-baby visit.... and all IS well. He FINALLY made it on the growth chart in length but is still below the chart in weight at 15 lb. 14 oz. He is just charting his own course though, and Dr. J. isn't concerned at this point. She mentioned that this little man may just be blessed with great metabolism.... cool for him.... however, we talked about the fact that he may still "need" the calories that he is often getting from a bottle in the middle of the night! Yikes!

Bless his heart.... he had an eventful day: she had to dig wax out of his ears (yuck!), he had to have blood drawn from his arm for the first time, and I took him for his 3rd round of shots, too (all of these were met with more screaming than I've ever heard come out of this little one!) On top of all of that, he decided that today would be a good day to wean himself (much to mommy's dismay) and he is nearly crawling. Yep, Isaac decided that 2-7-07 should be a big day! Whew.... I think we ALL need a nap!

(The above picture was taken in Florida by the pool while Aaron was swimming. Notice how bundled up Isaac was.... and yes, as I mentioned, Aaron was SWIMMING!)

Tony Dungy... wow!

This picture is starting to circulate in email circles, and I just think it is GREAT!!! It was taken after the game on Sunday.... notice, Dungy's SuperBowl CHAMPIONS shirt!!! I have truly appreciated all of the media coverage about Dungy and Lovie Smith's faith.... how awesome of these men to use this as a platform to share their faith! Love it.... love it.... love it!!!

How is it possible?

I have had an eventful morning.... you know, exciting things like continuing to catch up on laundry after vacation and calling to schedule Ollie for the kennel while we are on spring break. But really, the big event of the morning.... it's been kind of emotional for me.... I called to find out when registration day is for Presby Preschool! How is it possible.... really.... that my sweet little man is ready for preschool? I know, I know.... there are many, many people who have been doing this thing for years and who have sent their 3-year olds to preschool.... but I just really can't believe that Aaron is 4 already and will actually be going. I even called one of the other preschools in town to get some info, too, but they only offer 5-days from 9-12 every day.... geez, momma isn't ready for that yet. So, we'll definitely be exploring the 3 or 4 day option.

I'm sure he'll love it.... I think he's ready (?!!).... now, if mommy can just get this heart of hers ready. Yeah, true confessions.... I cry regularly about how quickly the time is going. I do know that these kids are just on loan to me from their perfect, almighty Daddy, but it's hard to remember at times (yeah, that's probably the controlling part of me! Why is surrendering so hard?!!) It passes by so quickly, and I just want to make my time with my kiddos count! I want them to have awesome memories that they absolutely treasure.... I want them to know God, but more importantly, to LOVE God.... I want LOTS of people to know about Jesus because of them (and ME!) In the everyday stuff of being a mommy, sometimes, I forget about the big picture. Well, today has been a day of perspective.... thinking a little more long-term.... thinking, even, about the eternal....

Way to Go!!!

What a great night.... we had a blast watching the Superbowl at Andy and Angie McCleary's house! It was truly a blessing.... Aaron really enjoyed all of the other boys to play with (and he even had a "tea party" with one of his best buddies, Liza Schmitt.... maybe the tea party was out of compassion since she was the only little girl in the bunch!) Isaac slept for 2 1/2 hours in his pack and play while we were there! YAHOO! Needless to say, I was able to enjoy some wonderful, fun conversations with some very dear friends!

Way to go Colts!!! It's a good day to live in Indiana (sorry, Bears' fans!)

Home from Florida!

Whew! We made it!!! We returned home last night after 11 days away! We had such a great time!!! We spent the first part of our Florida tour in Ponte Vedra Beach.... Amazing, amazing, amazing!!! The people were terrific and incredibly generous (yes, the condo really was completely free.... going into the week, I thought, "Is this too good to be true?!!") Scott enjoyed speaking at the Ponte Vedra Presby Church, and they are already talking about bringing him back down again (hello?!!! Awesome!) It seemed like many people really benefited from his talks, and the local paper even did a full-page spread after his first "event"! After that, we headed to West Palm Beach for a few days to visit our dear friends, Steve and Julie Helm, and then, we swung by Fort Myers, too! We spent A LOT of hours in the van, but the boys really did terrific! I was so proud of them.... and SO thankful for the man or woman who invented the portable DVD player (ooh.... I'm pretty thankful for the invention of juice boxes, fruit snacks, and the "Happy Meal," too)! YAHOO!

At the request of many.... here are some fun pictures from the week!

Many, many people apologized for the "cold" weather while we were there. While it definitely wasn't HOT, the sunshine felt great.... and we just continually told people, "It's totally okay... we left 20 degrees AND snow on the ground"! Thank goodness for heated pools at the "Club" though... the first day when we arrived, Aaron swam when the air was 55 degrees! Brr! He loved it.... even though his lips were blue when he got out! Yikes!

At Ponte Vedra BeachCollecting seashells and looking for sharks' teethThe wonderful people from the church gave us "guest passes" for the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club while we were there to use their pools, etc. It was incredible (the "Club" is behind us in this picture!) I must say though.... Scott and I totally felt like "fish out of water." The affluence of this area of Florida was unreal.

A few more adventures!

We believe it is a total blessing that our boys have been able to see the ocean firsthand. At one point during the trip, Scott realized that this was the first time (hopefully, of many!) that Isaac has ever seen the ocean! What a neat thought! I just LOVE all of the FIRSTS that this little guy is experiencing! He even started feeding himself finger foods on the trip (he'd already been an expert at Cheerios, but he started eating small pieces of chicken and veggies while we were away! Boy, oh boy.... what a mess!)


At the end of our time in Florida, we cruised over to Fort Myers to see Scott's grandparents. It was wonderful to connect with them for a bit before we headed north, and it was so fun to introduce them to Isaac! All of the boys enjoyed taking a ride in Granny and Papaw's new golf cart, too!Isaac loved GAZING at Papaw! It was sweet, too.... he even laid his head on Granny's shoulder when she held him! She seemed to have fun showing her great-grandson off to all of the sweet neighbor ladies as well!

Crazy!!!

Yeah, after nearly 3100 miles in the van together, things were getting a little crazy! We took all of these pictures on the last leg of the trip yesterday!

A Bug's Life!

What fun! Our church hosts family movie nights complete with crafts, popcorn, and singing beforehand! We had a great time tonight with friends! Scott is in Chicago speaking at a conference, so the boys and I joined our friends, Angie and Katie and their kiddos, to see "A Bug's Life" tonight at the church! We had a good time, and I am so thankful for friends like these! Isaac kept me pretty busy, running in and out of the auditorium, so I was thankful that my dear friends kept an eye on my "little bug" for me!