"BOO!" - A Series, Part II

Not too long ago we got to spend a great day with Jamie's parents. We found a lovely farm near us that had fields and fields of pumpkins, among other things. It was a chilly day, but the farm was fabulous and we had SO much fun!

As you drove up they had a giant spider made out of hay bales. They had a corn maze, two giant sling shots with which to launch pumpkins, a kids' craft tent where they could paint pumpkins, a gift shop (of course :) ) in a barn, a smaller maze made out of hay bales for littler kids in the barn - where there were baby animals you could pet!!! The best part was getting on a horse-drawn wagon for a short hay-ride out to the pumpkin fields. Once there you could choose your pumpkins and then enjoy the ride back to the farm. SO much fun!!!

Sophia easily mastered the little kid maze.

The animals were ADORABLE! They were clean and looked so soft and cuddly. There were two pigs, a couple sheep, a baby chocolate brown cow, and two adorable gray donkeys. Jamie's Dad did a great "moo" and the cow was actually talking back! :)

Riley was sound asleep in his stroller during this picture opportunity.

Riding out to the pumpkin fields.

Riley didn't wake up until we were moving on the wagon. Last he knew we were in the car! He was a little confused. :)

Soph and Grandma Susie out to choose some pumpkins.

"These look good!"

"Think I can pick it up Mom?"

Sophia loved petting the horses!

*****

We got to end the day by celebrating Papa's birthday, with this fabulous C00kie M0nster cake Grandma Susie made!!!

"BOO!" - A Series

We finally purchased a memory card reader and now all our photos are happily residing in our computer! Which means... I can blog all sorts of fun things with photographical evidence! :) What with it being Fall and Trick or Treat time, the next few days will be a Series of Boo! We don't actually celebrate Halloween at our house, but we do enjoy some halloweenish activities such as, carving pumpkins and trick or treating. Seriously, who wouldn't want a basket full of free candy just for dressing up in a fun costume and walking around the neighborhood? Thankfully, we live in a lovely little town where Halloween is tame and just fun. Trick or Treating is all about little kids and their parents and our sweet neighbors spoiling them. At any rate, enjoy catching up on all our Booish fun from this lovely Fall month of October. :)

First up: what did we do with all those apples we got at the Apple Tree Farm??? Well... we ate a lot of them! But, I really wanted to make applesauce, and so finally, I did (right before the apples rotted, mind you. I'm not a procrastinator, I just like to live on the edge.)

So, I knew how I wanted to make my applesauce, but I didn't have a certain kitchen tool to do it the way I wanted. See, I don't like my applesauce flavored at all (i.e. with cinnamon or nutmeg), and I don't like it chunky. I also really wanted to cook the apples with their skins on, because it adds great color and a ton of extra flavor. But, to do it this way, you need a big food mill or the tool pictured below, which I borrowed from a friend and can't remember the name of...

This thing worked so great! It was so easy. I simply cut my apples in fourths, threw them in a big pot with a cup of water (use more or less water depending on how many apples you have), let it come to a boil then simmered for 20 minutes or so. Then... I simply scooped everything (peels, seeds, core, and meat) into the top bowl of this thing above. It moved everything through and the applesauce came out one spout and all the stuff to be discarded came out another. I even ran the peels and such through a second time, and got a ton more sauce out of it. Voila!


Beautiful, smooth, simple - and pink! (thanks to the peels) applesauce.

It didn't last very long! :)

Oi-vay

So, last week we borrowed a Pink Panther movie - you know, ol' Inspector Clouseau?- from the library. Sophia really wanted to watch it, and since it was only rated PG and from the 80s, and since I remembered watching Pink Panther movies when I was little, we decided she could stay up late last night and watch it with us.

All was going along swimmingly. Inspector Clouseau was getting into his usual antics, which Sophia found very funny! There was a bit of adult humor, but it flew right over Soph's head. That is... until towards the very end the scene took us to the Inspector's father's home. His father happened to own/operate a vineyard. We were just getting a glimpse at the Inspector's equally as clumsy, accident prone father, when where did the camera's take us? Into a building where two NAKED women, yes, BUTT NAKED, were stomping grapes in one of those big grape squishing tubs you see at vineyards. Oi-vay indeed!

I immediately ran to the computer to fast forward past the scene and Jamie covered Soph's eyes, as she sits there screaming, "What, I want to see, what's going on??"

Well, it was done and over with, the movie was done, and Soph was in bed. Jamie and I reflected on the situation and couldn't help but laugh. We were so glad we did such a great job getting ourselves out of that one and so thankful Sophia hadn't seen anything.

Today, I was asking Sophia how she liked Pink Panther. She said she thought it was really funny. I asked her if she got mad when Dad covered her eyes. She said yes. I asked her if she had seen anything when he covered her eyes. She was also looking at a book at the moment and was barely paying me attention - or so I thought. She replied no, she hadn't seen anything. I was so relieved! Whew! Then, a minute or so later, interrupting the blissful quiet and relief I was feeling she says, rather quietly, almost under her breath...

"Were those two ladies naked?"

Oi-vay, indeed.

Please Pray for Stellan

I've talked about MckMama and Stellan before here on my blog. Stellan is almost one, his birthday is coming up in just a few days. He's been SVT (his crazy fast, irregular heart rate) - free for awhile now, but yesterday had an episode come on crazy fast and is now in the hospital on a vent and in the PICU.

I can't imagine the strain and the fear and the worry. Please just pray that his little heart converts back to a normal heart rhythm - and soon. They've done some aggressive things to help this happen, and nothing as of yet is working.

Here's the link to MckMama's (Jennifer) blog if you'd like to keep up-to-speed. Thank you for your prayers.

****

While I have you... and while you're praying, I have two friends who are H1N1 +. M has been in the hospital and on a vent since Saturday, as her virus spread to double viral pneumonia. She is slowly recovering, and I'm hoping to see her off the vent by the end of the week. Her dear husband couldn't even visit her the first few days as he was also H1N1 +.

I just found out my other friend, J, is also H1N1 +. I don't know how severe her case is, and I'm praying it stays mild and clears up soon!!!

Could you lift M and J up to the Lord too? Thank you!!!

One More Week

Well, plus one day. :) Next Wednesday we get to find out if we're having a boy or a girl!!! I can't wait, neither can Jamie. Sophia has of course been hoping for a girl this whole time. This morning I told her that next week we'd find out. I asked her if she'd still be happy if it was a boy. "Yeeessss..." she replied, "But, I'd be most happy if it were a girl!" :)

So, what do you think? Will it be a boy or a girl??

(Sophia has been making beautiful drawings all morning on Jamie's iPod for Baby Bean [as she has been calling this baby all along]. I can't wait to see her become a big sister, again! She's been very into wanting to cuddle, hold, hug and carry Riley lately. Unfortunately, he's not so into it. :) But! When we have the new baby, she will get to have her fill of baby cuddles from a baby who's not wanting to be on the move.)

I started making Sophia's Trick or Treat costume last night. It was fun to get crafty and as soon as we purchase a memory card reader - so we can upload pictures from our camera - I will get all sorts of pictures posted!

Have a great day!

The Wise Man Builds His House

upon the rock... but those "rocks" are really loud coming down. Yep. Our basement walls are being taken down, block by block, and put back up in similar fashion. We watched from our basement steps for a bit, and I must say, the ease in which the blocks came apart was a bit disconcerting! It was as if they were just sittin' there, waiting for a reason to fall down. So, needless to say, all the pounding and house shaking is feeling quite worth it and this Mama can't wait to have new, sturdy, properly built walls on which to rest her house and treasures (namely the human kind).

Yesterday, while driving in the car, and completely out of no-where, Sophia asks, "Why can't we ever go to B@rnes and N0ble for coffee?" Um... well, I suppose we can some time! :)

In recent weeks we've been getting to know a new friend of Sophia's, her invisible friend. She totally created and named her on her own. We had no part in the creation of Peeni (pronounced "pea-knee"). I never had any named invisible friends, so this is all new to me. It's rather cute though!

Have a great Monday!

Purpose in the Pain

Are you like me? If you are going through some sort of trial, trying time or season of pain, can you cope with it better, find joy in it more easily, if you know that there is a distinct and important purpose for it?

When I was in high school I was on the swim team. During our initial weeks of conditioning we would work our abs so hard that the slightest cough or sniffle would make me double over in pain. I would wake up early for a few weeks to be at school by 6 am, just so I could make our morning swim and weight training. And don't even get me started on track. Ug. I would endure shin splints, running in barely more than my skivvies, in pouring snow (you've never lived in my State if you don't understand pouring snow), just to jump over those silly hurdles and win a race. Why? Why did I do all of that to myself? Because, there was purpose in the pain.

I was part of a team, doing sports that I not only enjoyed, but were kind of good at. I enjoyed the camaraderie, the winning (when that happened), the physical activity, etc... For me, the purpose was worth the pain - and so I endured.

How about all the silly relationships we've all endured in our younger years, or maybe even currently? The unhealthy friendship, the dysfunctional boyfriend/girlfriend, etc... Why would we allow ourselves to endure such drama, turmoil and pain? Because, in those moments, the purpose of the relationship seems worth the pain. And so we endure.

How about the married couple who so badly wants a child, but can't seem to conceive? Or the single woman who feels called to be a Mommy? Why would these individuals endure the cost and emotional (and sometimes physical) pain of waiting on conception or approval for adoption? Why do they endure the pain? Because the purpose totally makes the pain endurable! Talk about selling all you have just to purchase the field with the priceless pearl. Those kids, they are the pearls - and so, we endure.

I could go on and on with examples of ways that you and I endure pain for a greater purpose almost every season of our lives. And yet, when the pain becomes a little more vague, when the purpose is a bit more of a mystery, when it becomes about something a little less tangible, we, at least I, tend to shirk from the pain, thinking maybe the purpose just isn't quite worth it.

Can I get an amen? Or I am alone in this struggle? This is one of those lessons, that for me, is so hard to hang on to once learned. I feel like it's a constant area of growth in my life. Can you relate?

For me, enduring pain for the purpose of athletic prowess on the "playing field," or enduring pain for the sake of a child or loved one, those are so tangible. Not too hard to sacrifice for those purposes. But, when it comes to enduring personal, emotional, and spiritual hardship and pain - for the distinct purpose of growing in my relationship with Christ and becoming more like Him - it gets so much harder to endure. I whine, I complain, I look for the end to come now!

God has been teaching me a lot about this specific area of the Christian walk. If you are a Christian or have been around the Church much, you are familiar with the idea that Christians are called to follow Christ in His sufferings and pick up our crosses daily, etc... But practically? How does this work out? How do we make it? This is NOT easy stuff. It must be a lesson God wants me to fully explore and learn more about, because my heart just won't quite with pondering it and praying about it and reading about it in the Bible.

I want to be a Christ-follower who embraces the pain of spiritual growth, finds joy in the process and encourages others through it. I don't want to shirk from it, groan about it daily, find ways to escape it or fix it on my own. I want to embrace the pain, just like I do with so many other things, so that I can fully experience the blessing of the purpose - I want to endure.

I am not this kind of Christ-follower. Oh, but I want to be.

Tonight I sign off with an amazing quote that really spoke to my spirit. Maybe it will encourage you too.

If you feel comfortable, I'd love to hear your thoughts, triumphs, struggles on this topic/issue. God Bless you as you journey this purposeful but painful road.

"When your faith endures many conflicts and your spirit sinks low, do not condemn yourself. There is a reason for your season of heaviness. Great soldiers are not made without war. Skillful sailors are not trained on the shore. It appears that if you are to become a great believer you will be greatly tested. If you are to be a great helper to others, you must pass through their trials. The uncut diamond has little brilliance, the unthreshed corn feeds no one, and the untried believer is of little use or beauty. There are great benefits to come from your trials and depression..." Charles Spurgeon.

B-Day

Basement Day, that is! Monday is the day. Two + walls of our basement have been cracking and buckling since Spring, and after many months, much research, many quotes and a lot of waiting - we have our man and he and his crew will begin work on Monday!

First they will have to come in and brace the house up. Next, they will excavate and take out the bad walls, then they will replace the walls, back-fill them, and then do some final work on getting all of our gutters and such to drain away from the house.

This will pose some interesting circumstances for our family, but we will have to go with the flow and adjust accordingly. I will sleep much more soundly when this is all done, knowing my walls aren't going to fall down. :) All the noise, limited access to laundry, etc... will be worth it!

We'll keep you posted!

Today we will be spending time with Jamie's parents to celebrate Jamie's Dad's birthday. We're also hoping to make it over to a local farm to pick some pumpkins. We've been waiting for a nice day, but if we wait much longer October will be over! So, bundle up and grab the umbrellas, we're going rain or shine!

Have a nice weekend.

16 weeks and counting...

We're having a hard time getting photos off of our camera and onto our computer. Awhile ago we got a new computer, and for some reason it is not wanting to recognize the camera when it's plugged in. I have a bunch of blog posts in my head, but they all need photos to accompany them, photos that are stuck in the camera for the time being. :(

This week I hit the 16 week mark in my pregnancy. The baby is really growing! He or she is 4 1/2 inches long (from head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces - all in all about the size/weight of an avocado. I think I've felt the baby move a few times in the past couple of weeks, but I should definitely start feeling some more regular movement soon! I'm also definitely showing. This little fact I've liked to deny, but alas, deny it no longer. I am sticking out there. :)

Riley's belly issues continue to trouble him/us and puzzle us. We had some stool samples sent to the hospital for testing and have some preliminary results: mostly negative, but one culture did grow something, so we're waiting to hear from the Dr. what that means. If nothing is "wrong" with him, we're going to start pursuing more in the area of food allergies, because something just isn't right with our poor baby.

Sophia is getting some Chinese lessons from the student that lives with us. She is having a lot of fun learning in this new area. We've also been learning about "conkalations" (constellations) and the Solar System. We're waiting for a clear day so we can go out after dark and look at the night sky.

Can you see the stars tonight where you are?

He's our climber!

He's a climber! What can I say?

Fall Football

This Saturday was our local University's Homecoming weekend, including their Homecoming football game. This is the first season, EVER, that our University has had it's own field and stadium. Until now, they have shared the local high school's football stadium - definitely not ideal! The new stadium is beautiful and after a lot of dreary, rainy days, the weather was perfect! Sunny, crisp and cool. Perfect weather for jeans and a hoodie, which is perfect football viewing attire, right!?

The stadium was packed and our team played great and won the game. We stayed just into the fourth quarter, at which point we left due to a very tired baby boy! One of the best parts of the day was the pre-game festivities for students and alum (of which Jamie is). There was popcorn, cotton candy, pizza, face-painting, bounce houses, music, etc! And the best part - it was all free!!! Sophia got to have fun playing prior to the game.

I have always loathed watching sports on television, save for the Olympics. For me to really enjoy a sporting event, I want to have some actual connection to the team and I'd prefer to be there in person. So, I really did actually enjoy myself! :)

Soph had fun getting her face painted, receiving a balloon animal and eating cotton candy for the first time!

We got to sit in the front row, so the kids had fun going right up to the guardrail to watch all the goings on down below.

Sophia met a dog, and befriended the owner (with our supervision and approval, of course!). Guess what the dogs name was? Sophia!!!

My Mom and Dad joined us for the game, which was great fun.

Jamie and the kiddos watching the field.

Do you like football in the fall?

4 year old insight

My Mom has been wanting to take me shopping for a long time now. Today was the day, and the goal was some new maternity clothes. Though I've been pregnant in winter before, I've never needed maternity clothes, but during the warm months. So... since all my maternity wearing days will be during the cold months this time around, I needed some new clothes! My Mom spoiled me and it feels good to know I don't either have to wear too tight-around-the waist pants, or sweats each day. Thank you Mom!

Tomorrow is the homecoming game for our local University. Awhile back we invited our parents to join us for the game. My parents are coming down, and hopefully Jamie's Dad will be joining us too (his Mom had a previous commitment). Well... since Mom and Dad will be coming our way tomorrow, they graciously agreed to keep the kids for the night.

So... after shopping, I kissed my babies good-bye and headed home to my hubby. We are looking forward to some movie watching and to getting some work done without the kiddos around.

Before I say good-bye, I will leave you with some 4 year-old insight from earlier today. We were headed back to my Mom's from the mall and my Mom told Sophia she would probably get to have a "movie rest" today. Sophia then went on to explain that, "Grammy, when I watch a lot of movies I get a lot of discipline because I get angry." Ahhh... how true. Interesting how she's put that all together. Too much of anything is never a good thing, right?

Handwoven Baskets I mean, Tupperware, anyone?

Okay, due to me being too chicken to get close enough and obvious enough to get a good picture, you may have to look closely. But, what we have here is one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life. On the right you have the lovely Amish gentleman selling handwoven baskets. Just feet away, under a little tent, you have some woman, I'm sure just as lovely, selling, yes... authentic Tupperw@re! Does that strike anyone else as totally hilarious?

It did me. :)

15 Weeks

Today we hit the 15 week mark of my pregnancy. My "morning" sickness remains, but I have felt slow and steady improvement over the last couple of weeks. Hopefully the next week or so will show even more improvement in this area!

Our baby is now four inches long and weighs 2 1/2 ounces - about the size of an apple! I think I've started to feel the baby move, so that's been fun.

We're discovering Riley is our climber! The other morning he was chilling in his high chair. I was still in bed and Jamie came to get me. Soon, Sophia wandered in our room and so Riley was alone for a few minutes. We thought he might get lonely, so we told Soph to go out and sit with him till we came out. Well, she leaves the room and we hear her say, "Riley is not in his high chair, he's walking around in the living room!" Truly, it's a mystery to us how he climbed out without so much as a thump on the floor.

Sophia is going a bit stir crazy with all this rainy, dreary weather, so I think today we might just need to bundle up and go burn up some of that energy- regardless of the weather! I on the other hand, would be content with a good book and a day-long nap. :)

So many funnies...

Yesterday at church Sophia was excited to share with her Sunday School classmate (I happen to be their Sunday School teacher right now), Josh, that I had paper dolls of Mary, Joseph and Jesus to help tell the Bible story. Josh's response? "I don't like paper dolls." Sophia was quick to explain, "Nooo... Josh, they are boy paper dolls." Josh replied, "I don't play with paper dolls, I play with trucks." A bit frustrated at this point, Sophia retorted, "But, Josh, they are made out of paper!"

True to his word, Josh did not so much as touch those paper dolls. :)

*****

Jamie had on a little YouTube video about elephants to keep the children entertained for a bit. I was preoccupied with something when Sophia asks me, "Mom, did that elephant just pee on another elephant?" I immediately had suspicions of what those elephants were really up to, but I took the easy way out and told her I hadn't been paying attention. "Oh Mom! That elephant really did pee on the other elephant!" "Gosh Sophia, you must be right..." ahem

*****

And, to round out our morning 'o' fun, Sophia and I just finished up playing what she calls, "Booty Parlor." :)

And with that, have a lovely morning. :)

Don't hurt my Mommy!

Yesterday was one of my routine check-ups with my midwife. It was a family affair and all was well until the nurse dared take my blood pressure! At the point of the velcro cuff getting removed, Riley started crying hysterically. This continued on and off for the rest of the appointment. Every time the paper that covers the exam table would crinkle, or I would be slightly out of sight, Riley would just cry and cry. Nothing would console him either, except to leave the room - which Jamie didn't want to do, because he wanted to hear the baby's heartbeat.

When Julie (my midwife) had me lay back so she could check for the baby's heart beat he became a hysterical mess and was screaming so loudly Jamie had to leave the room. As soon as Jamie opened the door though he seemed content and calmed down, and Jamie got to hear the heartbeat- which, by the way, Sophia got to find with the help of Julie! That was fun for her.

The best we can figure is Riley was either scared that he was next, or was afraid I was getting hurt. Poor kid. It was kind of funny though too. :)

Is it bad to find humor out of your child's hysterics??

At any rate, I am about 14 1/2 weeks along now and the baby's heart beat sounded nice and strong. I got to schedule my next appointment for November 4, which will include the ultrasound where we'll get to see that the baby is nice and healthy and growing, and .... the gender!!!

Have a great weekend!