Odds 'n' Ends

No More Fire! Last Monday, Sharlene and I decided it would be fun to take the kids to Shogun, a Hibatchi-style Japanese restaurant, for lunch. Philip and Hayden enjoyed the chef's display and Philip even tried to flip his fork around like the man had done with his spatula! Jordan probably ate the most; although Braewyn would have held her own had I let her at the food on my plate! It worked out nicely as we were seated at a table with a couple and their 4-year-old daughter who eat there "twice a week". After the "display" at our table (as I had built up the fact that we'd get to see fire!), Philip decided he didn't want to see any more fire and would get panicky when a chef arrived at any table around ours!

A Doorstep Visitor On Friday, I was in the livingroom with the kids. I looked up and noticed a girl standing at my front door. She was probably in her early 20's and casually dressed. I opened the door and said hello. The first words out of her mouth were, "What is John 3:16?" (My mom was over that day and she has a John 3:16 sticker on her back windshield.) I was completely caught off guard and so stumbled through the Bible verse which I have had memorized for years, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life". She commented about it being a religious motto or something and I said that yes, it is a verse from the Bible. I then asked her if she knew who Jesus was. She said yes and that she was Catholic. I told her that Jesus died for her. We talked a few more minutes about Easter being on Sunday and then she began to talk about the program she was involved in (selling magazine subscriptions toward a goal in which to receive a laptop). I might never know if she thought more about our conversation or not, but it was a real eye-opening moment for me. I don't want to fumble over my words when talking about the greatest thing that has ever happened to me: knowing Christ personally and receiving forgiveness for my sins and a promise of eternal life in heaven with Him. It awestruck me even more because just the day before at BSF, we were talking about how stay-at-home moms don't have that many day-to-day chances of sharing the gospel, and low and behold if someone shows up the very next day and asks me point blank about it. It reminded me of another Bible verse which I have heard but had to look up to list here, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). If you are reading this and have a question about Jesus, please just ask. I'll try to be better prepared this time.

Philip's Latest! I was flipping through the channels yesterday afternoon and stopped for a minute on one of the multitude of home-renovation shows. One of the designers said, "That white wicker screams beach cabin!" Philip, very nonchalantly with almost no expression says, "Why does white wicker scream?" I laughed!!!

Thank you, Fly Lady! After going the entire weekend without cleaning the kitchen (I know some of you are shreeking!), there was not one inch of visible counter space or sink. Nevertheless, I was not going to bed without finishing it. It was a daunting task which I thought would be 3+ hours! I get slower and slower washing dishes as I get more tired. Well, I remembered Fly Lady's crazy holiday cleaning plan which basically says clean for 45 minutes, do something you enjoy for 15 minutes, and repeat until done. This is what I did. In the kitchen for 45 minutes washing as fast as I could competently and knowing that the new box of hand-me-down clothes for Braewyn from Matthew's cousin Lindsay awaited me in the livingroom (thank you Lindsay and Cheryl SO MUCH!!). Next looking through the box for 15 minutes and back to the kitchen for 45 minutes!! I love my microwave timer! I was shocked to be finishing the last item just as the timer sounded. I cleaned the entire mess (yeah, I ain't too proud!) in 1 1/2 hours as opposed to my suspected 3+ hours. Now if I can only keep on top of that sink daily!!

Mommy Day Care... No I am NOT starting a home daycare, but I am a caring friend who enjoyed spending yesterday and today with two of my neighbors' sweet, sweet babies. Yesterday morning, Sharlene asked if I could watch Hayden (2 1/2 yrs.) and Jordan (14 months) for a short time as she had to take a test for work. I said the morning would work better as I would be putting Braewyn down for a nap shortly and the "workload" would be cut down to three kids. Thank the Lord, Braewyn did sleep through half the time the boys were over. However Hayden loves Braewyn and she was excited to see some new faces upon waking up. Today, I watched Frances' girls Lucy (2 yrs.) and Bella (14 months) while she went to a doctor's appointment. Again Braewyn was napping through most of the morning and Bella actually slept in our Pack n' Play for about half the time the girls were over. I do love each of these four precious little ones, but tomorrow morning will be fun just having some one-on-one time with Philip! After that Sharlene and Frances, I'd love to keep your babies again sometime. Each morning did make me grateful that I had not had twins at each of my pregnancies!

I finally did it!

I have been considering changing my blog layout for a while. For me when other people change theirs, I'm usually thrown out of whack until I get used to the new look. Well, I hope you like the new look of mine. The picture at the top is actually one I took myself; it was the view from our front yard one day. When God gives you a rainbow like that, you just can't let it go without taking a photo!!

Easter Thought

This Easter season has been so special as we have a preschooler in the house who is really beginning to grasp the true meaning of Jesus's death and resurrection. No, I don't mean he's ready to write a thesis on it or anything, but the simple gospel truth is taking root in the rich soil of his tender heart. I feel blessed to attend a church with a wonderful children's program. Over the last few weeks of Sunday School and Mission Friends (his 3-year-old program on Wednesday nights), Philip has made palm leaves, a popsicle-stick church, an Easter flower from a yellow-painted hand, and brought home his Sunday School lesson sheets which we review with him.

It warms my heart to ask my little one, "Philip, how do you get to heaven?" and hear him say, "Jesus."

In keeping with the innocence of where he is spiritually, God gave me a realization which is so simple yet something I had never acknowledged or heard anyone reference. Jesus rode to his birth on a donkey (inside Mary's body) and then he rode to His death on a donkey (the Triumphant entry into Jerusalem). In Bible Study last week, our lecture leader said that today donkeys are seen as lowly animals and horses are seen as regal. Yet, in Jesus's day, horses were used in war and donkeys were seen as peaceful animals. Jesus came to this world not to display violence and wrath, but love and peace. If you don't know Him, believe me when I say He loves you immensely! May this be the Easter when you ask Him to forgive you of your sins and you can then celebrate His resurrection personally.

Not Suited To Be A Super Spy

This past weekend out church youth participated in Disciple Now (D.Now) weekend. The premise is that the students attend a conference together on Friday evening and most of Saturday and spend Friday and Saturday nights separated by gender and grade in church families' home. The idea is to draw them closer to Jesus (the conference) and closer to each other (the home time). Prior to having Philip, Matthew and I had been a "host home" for several years, but this year Matthew manned our fort (i.e. stayed home with Philip and Braewyn) while I helped out at the 11th grade girls' home (these are the girls I teach in Sunday School).

Friday evening after having supper at my house, I was getting ready to meet Kim (host home "mom") and Kristie (other adult helper) at Walmart. The three of us have been friends for about five years. As I was leaving my house, Philip was asking Matthew if he could watch the rest of "The Backyardigans' International Super Spy" movie. I didn't know then how my weekend would turn into that movie.

Well, there weren't enough tickets for adults to attend the conference so we served as shuttle bus operators between Kim and Bobby's house (they got married last November and are still newlyweds!) and the conference host-church. The girls didn't say much about the conference, but we stayed up chatting about random things until 1:30am Friday night. Ah, lights out as we would have an early start on Saturday.

Saturday started at 6:00am for me as we made breakfast, got the girls to the conference at 8:45am, and I headed home to take Philip to a "Breakfast Birthday Party" at McDonald's for a friend from MOPS. Next to the grocery store, back home, shower, back to Kim's, made desserts and cut tomatoes and lettuce for our 11th/12th grade cook-out that night. Oh well, suddenly no cook-out as the severe thunderstorms all afternoon left the barn we were to use unusable. Everyone met at a location to swap cook-out ingredients and take portions back to their own homes. Matthew brought the kids over to enjoy dinner with us.

Now comes the super spy part...

Last year, Kim's house was visited late Saturday night by one of the guys' groups who "decorated" her front yard. They hinted that they would be returning this year so Kim was on high-alert. She didn't want them to arrive and us be unprepared as this was her new house. (When they married, she moved into Bobby's house on the farm! His parents own a lot of land surrounding their house and cows literally roam all around it.) We strategized for a few hours after Matthew took the kids back to our house (around 9:00pm).

(Before I get into the details, let me say that I really don't think this stuff should be involved in a D.Now weekend, and will hopefully be more tightly restricted in years to come. With that said, my strict mommy attitude melted into girls' slumber party mode as the hours passed and staying up past my bedtime brings out the silly side of me.)

Bobby had bought a camera to mount over the garage as their driveway is pretty long and it would enable them to see who was approaching (this would be for day-to-day use but just proved extra fun on this night). We also had positioned the garden hose to spray onto the driveway. Our cars were all turned with headlights facing the driveway. The plan was when the boys came down the driveway, douse them with the hose and hit our cars' panic buttons setting off the horns and headlights.

In the meantime (and in the gaps between groups arriving-I'll explain in a minute), we were sitting in the kitchen with all the lights off, watching the TV which Bobby had connected to the camera, crawling to windows trying to peek out the blinds to stare out into the pasture looking for black silhouettes. Yes, we turned on the hose and hit panic buttons several times. We came to find out on Sunday that three grades of boys had planned to deliver plastic Easter eggs to their front yard. They came in separate missions and that's why the multiple "defensive maneuvers". Each time however, we thought they were just outside the garage and so we hit the alarms. Turned out they were still half-way up the drive and would just run back to the street.

Overall, it was fun at the moment but now just seems like a really weird, bad dream. Matthew and I agreed that D.Now should be more Christ-focused and that includes going to bed at a decent hour so as to be alert during the conference on Saturday and church on Sunday. We do have great kids at our church, but things will just run a lot differently if we've involved next year.

Here are some pics from the weekend.


Here is their conference booklet.


The highlight of Kristie's weekend was petting the bull! She fed him some grass too.


Kim and Bobby, a.k.a. "Mr. Wonderful" as the girls call him.


Here are Brittany and Meredith being crazy girls.


Me getting ready on Saturday.

Braewyn's new favorite toy was Kim's ceramic, chicken centerpiece! From left, Bobby, Meredith, Brittany, Kristie, Braewyn, and Cassie. Lauren was our fourth girl, but she had to go to work at this time.

Philip was showing everyone how he carries Braewyn on his shoulders. Matthew looks like a ghost! He says this is the Brooks family totem pole.

The students asked Philip if they could curl his hair, but he said, "That's for girls!" Guess he said yes when they asked if they could gel his hair.


Here is our spy-vision TV. Yes, that's really what we looked at for 3 hours -- a lot of nothing.

My Dynamic Duo

I cannot thank the Lord enough for my beautiful children. One of the best parts about raising these two little ones is watching the relationship grow between Philip and Braewyn. She brings out the sweetest side of him and he brings out her best laughs. Philip told me once (and these are actually the words he used), "Mommy, you know why I always wanted a baby sister? It's because I wanted someone to be in my house who I could play with." His prayer was answered. Here are some photos of them together.

Playing with Little People toys in the livingroom.

This one didn't turn out as planned. They are still so cute, but my first thought was, "This could be on the front of a welfare brochure."

Just hanging out at the Elmo workbench. Braewyn loves standing and being with Philip, so here she's in paradise!

And right before I took this next picture, Philip told me, "Mommy, boys wear glasses so they can be rock stars!" Looks like he's already found his first groupie!!

Where Have I Been?

I know, I shouldn't be asking myself this question; you should be asking me. Either way, I have been busy. I could rent my two kids out to you so you'd understand but I think reading this post will suffice. Just back to the beginning of February with me.

On Friday, Feb. 8, I took the kids to visit Mike, Andrea and Holden for the day. It's just over an hour so a really easy drive but long enough for Braewyn to get a good nap going there and back. We had fun playing with Holden, taking a walk together and enjoying a delightfully warm February day.



Sweet, sleeping boy.



Mike is such a great daddy!



Andrea and Holden, all ready for our walk!





The next day, Matthew and I went booster carseat hunting with the kids. Braewyn had grown to capacity in the infant carrier carseat, and since Philip weighs 30 pounds, the minimum for the toddler booster seats, we would just buy one of those and give his big carseat to Braewyn. The booster seats are also less expensive than buying another infant-to-toddler carseat. Philip was excited to get a new "rocket ship" chair! Here are the before and after shots. You can tell Philip was still expressing his excitement.










By the next Wednesday, Feb. 13 Braewyn had starting running a fever. As she's in the teething age, it's hard to know why she has a fever sometimes. Well, when Philip came down with a high fever over the weekend, we knew they both probably had some sort of virus. I took Braewyn to her pediatrician when her fever was still popping up over a week's time and yes, she had her first ear infection. 10 days of amoxicillin, here we come!

We knew Braewyn felt pretty bad when she fell asleep on the livingroom floor. I had left her sitting with some toys while Matthew took a nap on the couch next to her. This is how he found her when he woke up a few minutes later.


This shows Braewyn at her worst! Poor baby girl.





It was a blessing they were better by the next weekend, Feb. 22-24, as we packed up the car with us and Grandma and headed up the highway to visit Jonathan, Lori, Hannah and Madeline. We would be visiting to celebrate Madeline's 1st birthday. We had a great time together despite Madeline being sick. Poor little girl felt pretty lousy the entire time, but still enjoyed some yummy farm cake and had fun opening pictures.


Here's the birthday girl. More photos to come!






I had Monday, Feb. 25 to rest and repack as Mom, Philip, Braewyn and I had plans to head out the next morning to spend the week visiting my Aunt Cindy, Uncle Greg, their daughter Courtney and her new baby boy Cameron. He arrived on Feb. 18 after a scary emergency c-section, but now mommy and baby were doing well. As the family member who most recently had a baby, I really wanted to spend some time with Courtney soon after her baby boy's birth. We ended up going later than planned as Mom had a stomach bug and was sick Tuesday. We drove down on Wednesday, Feb. 27 afternoon and spent the rest of the week and weekend with them. I really hope I was an encouragement to you, Courtney! Not really sure as I was solo-parenting my two (albeit with help from Mom, Cindy and Greg). Mom would be staying longer into the next week, but I had plans to drive home with the kids after going to church with them on Sunday. However, just as we didn't arrive as planned, I couldn't leave as planned. My car battery was dead after coming out of church! We spent the afternoon getting another from Walmart (20 minute drive from their house -- they live in the country!), and Aunt Cindy suggested I just leave the next morning. And that we did.


Here's a great photo of proud Mommy Courtney and baby Cameron. More photos to come!






After arriving home Monday afternoon, we went to MOPS on Tuesday, cleaned house on Wednesday, attended BSF on Thursday, ran some errands on Friday, visited with Mike, Andrea and Holden yesterday (they came to spend the day at Mom and Dad's) and went to our church's new contemporary service this morning. Whew!! I'm caught up.

Long Over Due

Last summer, Matthew and I rearranged our bedroom (well, my mom and I surprised Matthew with a rearranged bedroom!). It left space along one wall which Matthew thought would be a great place for a bookshelf. He has always wanted to become skilled in woodworking so I encouraged his idea of building the bookshelf himself. (Longtime blog readers might remember a post about the small bookshelf he made for Philip when I was pregnant with him! Here's a reminder picture of Matthew's first project.)



Anyway, after buying the lumber, working many nights and Saturdays in the garage (wait, it's coming back to me that I was hot and pregnant with Matthew while sitting in the garage watching him so it must have been last April!! Ok, WAY over due post!), attaching special molding, and staining the entire thing twice over, we finally moved the bookshelf into our bedroom. I really, really like it and am especially proud that Matthew made it with his own hands for our room. You go, baby! Here's a look back...


Matthew hard at work in the garage.


See I tell him that he'll still look good if he goes gray and here's proof!


This is the finished project! Very classy if you ask me.


Close-up of molding on top of bookshelf.


Close-up of molding on bottom of bookshelf.


This bulldog is special as Matthew's dad made it probably 20 years ago. He had given it to Matthew's cousin Lindsay who recently mailed it to us as she is clearing out her house which is up for sale. Lindsay thought it should be passed on to Philip so can be reminded of his Grandpa whom he will meet one day in Heaven.

Another Off Day

That's what I was told when I picked Philip up from his BSF Children's Program class. "We're not sure why, but Philip had another off day," his teacher informed me. She said he did not want to put his towel away after Quiet Time and really didn't want to go outside to play either. When I heard this I was actually inches away from sobbing myself as it was another off day for me too and one in just a long line of off days at that.

This week I found myself AGAIN in a serious rut of feeling like I was drowning beneath the responsibilities of raising two children, being a loving wife, maintaining a home, and the extras in my life outside of the house. I was failing at everything I thought and just wanted to gain a little headway to get myself above water. It was to the point I didn't even know where to begin with the housework and both kids were on my last nerve by just being themselves (an energetic little boy trying to save the world like Batman and a beautiful baby girl who rightfully so needs love and attention still most of the time). I would have things planned out only to get sidetracked either by my lack of direction or fatigue setting in. Errands and places to go only made the situation worse as I would then get frazzled by needing to dress and feed all three of us and get in the car usually with one or both children crying in my face.

Well, I type this with renewed energy and abundant love in my heart for my Lord who faithfully has restored my strength by again giving me His. Throughout these last trying days, I have always known where the solution lie or rather in WHOM did the solution lie! I am promised that "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13), but it is never shoved upon us. Christ patiently waits for us to come to Him. The Lord has been speaking to me a lot recently through my Bible study lessons and some hymns I sang recently. This year in my BSF class we are studying the book of Matthew. It has helped me to clearly see who Jesus really is and how that impacts my life personally. Last Sunday night at church, we sang "I Need Thee Every Hour" which was just what I needed.

I need Thee every hour, Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.
I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee!
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.
I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee!
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.
I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee!
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, teach me Thy will;
Thy promises so rich in me fulfill.
I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee!
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.
I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee!
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

And yesterday at Bible study, we sang "Have Thine Own Way, Lord", and it also did wonders to remind me how life should be.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit ’till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.

I know that life will not be perfect every day from here on out, but I will try even more diligently to seek Jesus first daily as He is my source of strength and direction. I want my life to be a testimony of His greatness.

Healthy Kids

Yesterday, I took the kids in for well-baby check-ups, Philip's 3-year and Braewyn's 9-month. Our pediatrician Dr. Shelley said they both looked perfect and very healthy. Philip now weighs in right at 30 lbs. (35th percentile! He was always 10-15th as a baby) and 37 inches (also 35th percentile). Braewyn weighs 16.1 lbs. (10th percentile - she doesn't look scrawny to me!) and is 26.75 inches (30th percentile). I was thinking it would be an easy visit as neither Philip nor Braewyn were due for shots, and then Dr. Shelley said the nurse would be in to take blood for hemoglobin tests. Great! The dilemma of which one should go first was over quickly as Philip said Braewyn could go first. Smart kid! Send in baby sister to see exactly what would happen to her. I can't knock him too much as he was examined first by Dr. Shelley so he could show Braewyn how to be brave and he was very, very brave while she looked in his nose, ears and mouth.

Well, anyway, the nurse pricks Braewyn's finger, the screaming begins, her little baby finger is squeezed and the blood is collected. In the next few seconds, somehow the nurse dropped the vial of blood as I think she was trying to open a bandaid. So Braewyn has to endure more finger squeezing and more blood collecting. Oh and I have blood splattered on my pants and it's all over Braewyn's hand as my "kids are fast bleeders" says the nurse. Finally, we have a bandaid on Braewyn's finger which she's chewing on and settling down in her carseat (another plus to keeping her in the infant carrier this long!). Now it's Philip's turn. He seems brave, screams after the prick and through most of the blood collection, but calms down upon getting a cool Snoopy bandaid. "Momma, why is he upside down?" "That's just how the nurse put him on."

Overall, good visit. I am SO GRATEFUL for having such healthy, strong children.



Bonus, here's a picture of Braewyn's teeth! She has both top and bottom front teeth now! They make her look a little different from Philip as his top teeth are close together and it looks like her's will be gapped.

A Firefighter Birthday Party

Before I recap all the festivities of Philip's birthday, I did want to post some cute photos from a party we attended recently for Philip's friend Natalie's 3rd birthday. I've been friends with Natalie's mom Sherri for several years (I think we met while both attending the Singles Sunday School class when I first began coming to church with Matthew while we were dating!) and now our kids are in BSF class together. How time flies!

Anyway, I never knew that fire stations commonly host parties for kids. It's a great idea in that most kids love seeing firetrucks and firefighters and plus they get a fire safety lesson while there too. Natalie's party included a tour of the station, a video about fire safety ("If there's a fire, ALWAYS go outside!"), watching one of the men suit up and learning not to be afraid of the fireman's outfit, climbing on firetrucks and eating cake and ice cream. It was really lots of fun. Thank you so much, Natalie, for inviting Philip to your party!


Here's the birthday girl, Natalie, and Philip!


Shaking hands with a real live firefighter!


Learning to slide down the pole with help from Daddy.


Firefighter Philip is ready to help someone!


You can see Natalie in the driver seat and Philip in the passenger seat.


Braewyn wants in on the action too!


Doing some fireman dancing!


What a fun day!

My Baby Boy is 3!

Yesterday, my first born child turned 3 years old! I have to say the last three years have been the most rewarding of my life. Philip has given me a new way to love and has brought out a wonderfully, special side of Matthew which I just adore too. Philip (as well as Braewyn and his cousins) has brought such joy to his grandparents' lives as well. I'll just say I've seen three adults do some very silly things over the last three years! Yes, I am Philip's mother, but I really try to share him with everyone we meet. God has blessed him with a sensitive, boisterous little personality and I love seeing other people smile when he's around. Philip, I thank Jesus daily for bringing you into my life and allowing me to witness the miracle of how you've grown!


Philip at almost two months old.


Here he is around 8 months!


Now Philip is around 16 months old.


This is Philip decorating our tree, Christmas of 2006.


And this is Philip currently. Here he is yesterday morning after opening his present from Great Grandma and Grandpa Diemer (Mom's parents).


After a long day of awaiting cake, presents and a special birthday dinner with our in-town family, Philip drifts off to sleep. Goodnight, my little prince! I love you!

My Little Kitchen Helper

Last night I baked a banana bread as we had some very overly ripe bananas. After it finished cooking, I took it out of the oven and set it on top of the stove. Philip asked to see it so I picked him up. I then told him I was going to get a toothpick to poke it with to see if it was done.

He said, "I want to do it. I'm a good toothpicker!"

I'm in a lull...

Really not sure what to write, but just wanted to give a little update as to how things are going. Since writing last, we've had those busy weeks where you look back and think, "What made it so busy?" We had a great New Year's Day eating lunch at Matthew's Aunt Elise and Uncle Arden's house and enjoying the company of the Brooks' side of his family. That afternoon we went over to our friends Jason and Julie's house. Another couple was there and we all enjoyed playing the "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" DVD game. Philip had a good time with Sarah Beth and Brittany and all their "girl" toys. Here's a pic of the three of them from our Harvest Fest in October.



The second week of January, I spent rereading my Bible study lesson as BSF picked back up on Jan. 10 after having a three week break and preparing the January newsletter for our MOPS group. Had the thing almost done on Saturday when my file corrupted or something! I had to start from scratch on Sunday afternoon but at least I had the layout in my head (fun, huh Casey?!).

Our MOPS meeting on Jan. 15 was great. Mom was our key-note speaker! I had thought she would only be giving a 10-minute testimony, but when Diana, our coordinator, called Mom about speaking, she told her she would have 30 minutes. I was nervous for Mom (neither of us are polished public speakers), but I was so proud of Mom and she did a great job speaking for 35-minutes! Her talk was about persevering through the hardtimes in marriage. Mom and Dad have been married 34 years and have homesickness, loss of job, issues with raising children, severe marital strains, and most recently cancer to post on their marriage resume. By God's grace, they are very happily married today. Listening to Mom speak and thinking about what she said from the perspective of all the other girls in the room, I have a renewed gratefulness to God for my parents and their example to me. I pray God blesses Matthew and I with many, many more years of marriage and the strength ("I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me..." Philippians 4:13) to get through whatever type of trials will come.

Finally, Tuesday afternoon Philip woke up crying from his nap saying his throat hurt. I gave him some juice to drink and tried to get him to take Tylenol. He threw it up. An hour later, he ate ice cream, toast pizza and some applesause. Off and on, he said he didn't feel so good (Me: "How do you feel?" Philip: "Not good."), so I took him to the doctor yesterday to rule out strep throat (my throat has been hurting off and on for weeks. Thank the Lord, no strep but probably a virus I was told. We rested at Mom's house yesterday and today woke up to a beautiful white-snow covered world. Virus or not, Philip was outside playing in it and helped his neighbor friends Emily and Anna Grace build a snowman! He's now sleeping in his bed.

Looking back, it has been a great start to 2008!

A Dickens Christmas

Each year, our city puts on "A Dickens Christmas" to ring in the Christmas season. I had wanted to go in past years, but never made it. Mom saw it advertized on TV and asked us about going with her and Dad. It was held on Tuesday, Nov. 29 so it was a while ago. The event takes over Main Street as groups of people reenact Christmas scenes in vacant storefronts and sing traditional Christmas carols on the sidewalks. It is entitled "A Dickens Christmas" as everyone involved wears late 1800's Renaissance-type clothing.

We had a good time although being very cold. Philip didn't quite understand why we were walking around at night in the cold, but he did enjoy seeing a street clown perform (on 4-ft. stilts at that!) and the lighting of our city Christmas tree. This will hopefully become a family tradition.

There really wasn't a lot to take pictures of (other than the 1000's of strangers walking down Main Street), but here's what we looked like all bundled up!

Oh, Where Do I Start...

Even though I told myself I would not let December get busy, it pretty much steamrolled over me... all in a good way of course! I have much to blog about but am going to pace myself (i.e. check back daily as I'll add a little bit at a time -- easier on both you and me!).

I did want to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to those of you I haven't been able to wish in person. I do hope you had a wonderful time with family and friends as we celebrated the most amazing gift the world has ever received, Jesus sent to earth as a helpless baby to display just how much God loves each and every one of us.

Well, let me say December and now January have held their own little miracles in my own life. I love serving a God who is concerned with the small details of our lives and I love bringing glory to Him when He presents blessings in even silly little ways. Back up with me to Monday, Dec. 17. Matthew and I had completed shopping for the kids two weeks prior (presents from us and what Santa would be bringing), but it seemed as soon as we finished shopping, Philip spent the morning with his friend Hayden and played with a "Batman car." Thus began the two weeks of anytime anyone asked Philip what Santa was bringing him, he would say, "a Batman car." Now back to Dec. 17. Matthew had told me that morning that maybe I should just go buy a Batman car as it seemed to be on the top of Philip's wish list. I didn't mind as it provided a night out ALONE for me to enjoy the Christmas spirit among the crazy shoppers (call me crazy, I love it!). Off I went.

I had to blog about this to keep for my own memories as I was suddenly one of those obsessed parents not returning home without THE present. My problem was that THE present I was after was not the hot item of the year. It was the pretty much invisible item of the year. I started in Kohl's as I was buying Ruth Ann a gift certificate there. No car. Next Toys R Us... a sure bet I thought. No car. Yes, aisles specifically dedicated to Spiderman and Transformers but no one looking for Batman! Next Target. No car. I called Matthew and said I was now heading to Walmart. As I walked through the Walmart parking lot, I whispered a prayer to God. "Lord, if Philip is meant to have a Batman car, please let it be here." This would be my last stop on the hunt. After being frustrated a bit as I was again seeing everything else it seemed, I walked down the preschool toy aisle and there before me... "My First Batmobile"! Thank you Lord! It might seem silly that I really prayed for a toy to be in Walmart, but it was yet again a chance for God to show His ability to bless if we would just ask (Matthew 7:7).

Now skipping ahead a few weeks (I'll post about our Christmas morning and trip to Kentucky soon but you can get a sneak peek by linking to Lori's or Casey's blogs), we returned home from the above mentioned trip to Kentucky on Friday, Dec. 28. Saturday was spent napping and washing clothes (me: napping, Matthew: washing clothes -- wonderful husband!). Sunday morning came and as we left for church I realized I had NO IDEA where my keys were. The two days before leaving for Kentucky were as blur as packing for a trip exponentially heightens my ADD and OCD (both relatively tame normally). And during our stay in KY, I had no need for keys. Here I was now with over a week since seeing my keys.

Well, Monday was spent cleaning house (thankfully with Mom's help as I was at a loss as to where to start -- toys and Christmas decorations covering an already dirty house!) and still no sign of the keys. Tuesday morning (January 1st!), I began the day reading my Bible and spending time alone with God (a perfect way to start the year). The keys were still heavy on my mind (I hate that feeling of losing something!). After these three days of knowing my keys were lost, I finally took the time to really pray about it. I said, "Lord, You know where my keys are. If You want me to find them, please show me where they are." Immediately, I heard in my mind, "The black bag." We had used a black, duffel bag for the first night of our trip (a stop at a hotel), but Matthew had unpacked it on Saturday and it was now back in the bottom of our closet. It would have been the last place I would probably look. Knowing God's faithful, I went right to that bag unzipped the side pouch (the one place Matthew would not have unpacked as it was never used), and there were my keys!! God is good!

If you are still reading, I hope you know God really does work miracles, some small like these and some very, very big. All it takes for you to see them is getting to know Jesus personally so you too can recognize His voice and realize that He did it and it wasn't just coincidence!

My "Shy", Silly Boy

Philip is always saying funny things to which my mom always says, "Kim, you need to write that down." Here is where I'm writing them down so you can enjoy them too.
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After we had been playing tag and I said I needed to take a break, Philip said, "I can play tag by myself. I can't get me! I can't get myself!"
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Matthew asked Philip, "Can you put your underwear on by yourself?" Philip: "No, they are too tricky."
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Tonight for dinner, we had smoked sausage, pasta salad (the mini-shell kind), and corn. Matthew had cut Philip's sausage slices and then quartered each slice. Philip looked at his plate and said, "I'm eating sausage, corn and turtle fingers!" (He had put the mini-pasta shells on his fingertips!) Then he picked up two pieces of sausage and said, "Mommy these are triangles!" Holding them in front of his eyes, "I have pumpkin eyes!"
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As I said in my last post, Philip participated in our church's Preschool Choir Christmas Program. After going with him to the "dress rehearsal" the Saturday before, I wasn't sure how he would do as he only stood there. After the practice, I asked him about it and he told me he was shy. I told him that it was ok, but that the next day he could try to do the hand motions with Miss Jeanette. Here's a part of the first song his group sang. The 3-year-old group (Philip did excellent as he's not even actually 3 yet) sang with the 4's and 5's for the first two songs and then left the stage. He's in the hunter green sweatshirt and khaki pants in the middle of the front row (right behing the thin mic stand). So cute yet still shy! (Remember click on the video, and then click again on the arrow.)



Now just to show you he's not always shy, this is Philip and how he normally acts ALL the time. He even climbs up on the stage at church and sings when he thinks no one is looking. Maybe he'll have a fear of public speaking like me (and most people I think!).

The Exploding Girl

Braewyn is alive and well, but I have washed her carseat cover TWICE in the last week! Last Sunday, I fed her ham for the first time. Things would have been fine if it had been a jar of ham commercial baby food, but we had pureed some ham from Thanksgiving. It was yummy to us on Thanksgiving, but it was way too salty for Braewyn (yes, it had been frozen in food cubes since the Saturday after Thanksgiving so it was still fresh). I only gave her four or five spoonfuls before tasting it myself and realizing how salty it was. The trouble came that evening.

During our evening service last Sunday at church, the preschool choir was presenting its Christmas program. It would be Philip's official stage debute. I'll post about that later as I have part of it on video (so precious!), but thankfully I was able to watch the two songs Philip took part in before being paged by our church nursery workers.

As I walk to the nursery after being paged, I try not to let my mind get the best of me and think through all the crises which my child might be experiencing. When I got to her room, Braewyn was in her back-up outfit (always gotta have one with her) and I was told that she threw up a large amount covering herself and her carseat (she had been just chillin' in it watching some of the older kids playing). I was told she didn't even cry, but she had created quite a mess. Off comes the carseat cover and she had to ride home in it just sitting on a folded up crib sheet. Always fun to do a small load of throw-up covered clothes and a carseat cover late on a Sunday night.

Monday went well. Braewyn actually was scheduled for her 6-month well-baby check-up (she turned 7 months on Dec. 2, but I had taken her for the 4-month appt. late which pushed this one back too). Her pediatrician said it was probably the ham and not to worry about it as Braewyn had seemed fine since throwing up. As for her check up, she weighs 14 lbs., 10 oz. (only 15th percentile). I don't remember her length, but she is in the 25th percentile for that and her head has remained at a steady 50th percentile since birth. Just another sweet petite one like her brother.

Tuesday and Wednesday were without explosions thankfully. Thursday morning, I dropped her off at Mom and Dad's before driving Philip and I to BSF. I asked Mom to feed Braewyn her breakfast including two prunes as she seemed constipated. This Mom did and went my parents dropped Braewyn back off at my house later that morning, they said she had struggled to get a poop out.

As our wellness insurance coverage was met, I had scheduled Braewyn for her 6-month shots at the health department (free!) that afternoon. I went ahead and brought Philip along and for being stuck there for 1 1/2 hours, he was so well-behaved (making friends with the other people in the waiting area and marching his toy elephant all over the chairs). Anyway, it was the scene of the second explosion. First Philip said he had to go potty right in the middle of our check-in process so off we went. Upon coming back to the waiting area, I kept smelling poop and thought it was because I hadn't washed my hands well enough after changing Braewyn's diaper at our house. Well, I decided to pick her up out of her car seat and the smell became worse and then I felt the wetness on the back of her pants -- a poopie blow-out! Back to the scary old bathroom where I proceeded to lay my changing pad down on the floor thinking what would be the best way to avoid the most germs.

Philip began saying, "Here's a changing table, Mommy." I continued thinking through how to remove Braewyn's diaper and clothes without her touching the floor when Philip's words finally sunk in -- there was a diaper changing wall mount on the wall behind me. I said, "Philip, you are such a smart boy! Thank you so much for finding that for me!!" I really was so surprised and thankful that he found it as I had not seen it while we were there the first time.

Anyway, back to the waiting room with clean clothes, wait for another 20 minutes and finally down the hall to the shot room. Poor Braewyn, at her ped's office, two nurses give the shots together so she gets two at once and then the third. At the health dept., one nurse injected her three times in a row. She screamed obviously, but only for a few minutes.

What a week!