She's ALIVE!!!

Yes, it has been over a year since I last posted. "What has happened?" you may ask. Much. Much has happened, but mostly life. Moving, homeschooling, etc. . .  has eaten up too much of my time for me to sit and compose a post. I'm sure you understand.

Then I came across this little blog challenge, and far be it from me to shy away from a challenge (anyone who knows me is laughing right now, remembering how often I quit) and I decided that maybe it would help jump start my blogging habit again.

But I'm not making any promises.

Day 1: Self portrait and 5 random facts about yourself. Here goes:

I couldn't find a more recent picture of me that I was willing to share, so here is one of my family and I at Christmas. Alli thought it was supposed to be a funny pic - hence the snarl.

Random Fact #1: I hate the sound of chewing. If you are a loud chewer, please do not sit next to me at any meal. Only problem is that I married one. Yes, good people, that strikingly handsome man in the picture above is a loud chewer. Wait, this is supposed to be facts about me, right? Oops!

Random Fact #2: I have worn a size 7 shoe for most of my life, but recently I've started buying size 7 1/2. Can feet grow with age?

Random Fact #3: I took up knitting about a year ago and have fallen in love with it. I'm still knitting small items, but I hope to start a sweater soon!

Random Fact #4: I keep telling myself that we mostly eat a non-processed diet. I mean, I KEEP telling myself this, even as I make Velveeta soup. But hey, we are trying!

Random Fact #5: I've fallen asleep during more movies than I've actually finished watching. Start a movie and turn off the lights and I'm out. It's like a lullaby to me.

So there you have it! Hoping to keep up with the challenge this month, but at this point, more than one post in 12 months will be a victory for me!

First Day of School 2011

It seemed like a late start this year, but we finally had our first day of school today.

Elijah complained that his handwriting wasn't nearly as good when writing with chalk, but I convinced him it was worth the picture. He is my perfectionist 2nd grader!

Alli did not complain, but she is about as much of a perfectionist as her older brother.

I had a couple of fun surprises for the kids on their first day . . .

including a package of Pop Rocks. My kids had never experienced the strange candy sensation that is Pop Rocks, and they did not fail in exciting them tremendously!

Elijah woke up to a new place mat with the solar system, as we will be studying astronomy this year in science.

Alli got a place mat that has instructions on how to set the table. She was so excited to use it for dinner tonight, and mommy was happy to allow her that responsibility!

Overall a good first day, even after a pretty rough start first thing this morning. The kids belong to a home school co-op that also met today, so they were excited to see their friends and attend the classes. With the fall weather we've had these past few days, it really felt like the start to a new school year. Let's hope and pray that we continue to go strong.

Asking for the Best Case Scenario

Life has been pretty eventful since my last post, happily announcing our unexpected blessing of another child. I believe most people who read this blog know about the loss we experienced the summer of 2005, when I delivered our 22 week-old baby girl too early to survive. We mourned and buried her, fully aware that the physical complication that caused her premature birth could prevent us from ever having another full-term baby again.

3 months later, God blessed us with another pregnancy, and a surgical procedure allowed me to carry that baby girl to full term, although it required constant monitoring and modified bed rest for the majority of the pregnancy.

After that taxing 9 months, Dan and I knew that making the decision to have another child would be difficult. We knew what trial we would have to endure, and so we decided to be content with the 2 wonderful children God had blessed us with, but knowing that if God should so choose, we could still have another child.

That brings us to March of this year, with a 7 year old and *almost* 5 year old and plans-a-plenty for summer fun. We found out that I was expecting again. Surprised but overjoyed, I knew the temptations for fear and worry would rear their ugly head and they did. I was certain I would miscarry.

I didn't miscarry in the first trimester, which meant that I could have the same surgical procedure that protected my pregnancy with Allison, which I had 3 weeks ago. One week ago I went in to have a check-up on the surgery and the Doctor found that it was failing. I was admitted immediately and the surgery was repeated. Since then, I have been on a stricter bed rest than I ever had with Alli, but not confined to my bed 24/7. I have to have in-home help every day.

Those same demons of fear and worry are back. I am fighting them still. You may see me cry and you may hear me express worry and doubt, but that does not mean I'm not fighting and I'm not trusting. After losing our first baby girl, God's grace was so present and helpful through those dark days. I know His grace will be there again, new every morning for exactly the battle for that day.

All of that being said, I have been asking friends to pray very specifically. My last prayer request was that the surgery would take and that I would be allowed to go home on bed rest, as opposed to being hospitalized long-term. God was gracious and it appears the surgery did work and thus my last 7 days have been at home. Friday is my next appointment.

I am asking you all to continue to pray. I know you will pray for peace and grace and for victory over fear and worry, and all those are necessary, much-appreciated prayers. However, I fully believe that it is honoring to an Omniscient, Sovereign God to speak honestly about our desires. He knows our heart already! He is my Father, who earnestly desires for me to come to Him like the needy child I am. So before next Friday, June 3rd, I'm asking you to pray specifically the following:

1. that the surgery is still performing it's intended purpose. To be graphic, that my cervical length has not shortened - at. all.

2. that the current bed rest arrangement will be adequate for another 2 weeks until my next appointment.

3. that the baby would continue to be safe and healthy - it is difficult to know that it is my body threatening the loss of this otherwise healthy baby.

4. that the next 6 weeks would go by quickly and uneventfully!

Please know that we are all to aware of the potential of the loss of this baby. We are trusting God that it is He who gave us this gift and it is He who will have to preserve it. Please don't think that if the worst-case scenario occurs, it will mean that God failed us. We know who is in control. We are trusting no matter what happens. But please pray with us for the best case scenario!

December 1st

Inspired by my friend, I'm going to **attempt** to post a picture each day this month to remember our Christmas traditions. Here's December 1st - the Advent calendar is loaded and ready for the countdown to begin.

First Day of School

Monday, August 23rd, 2010. (Okay, so I'm a little behind in posting these!)

Alli is starting K-4, so she held up her age. The backpack is really just for show. She will probably only use it for our homeschool co-op every other week. But who could resist a purple butterfly backpack?
Elijah is starting 1st grade. And is still mastering the "don't squint while smiling" pose.
Ready for a great day!

Conversation with a 5 year old

Quiet whispering and giggling in the living room - never a good sign when it involves a 5 and 3 year old. So I quieted my own activity to eavesdrop until said 3 year old starts yelling,

"Ija said a potty word!"

"Elijah," I reply calmly, "please come in here."

He enters, sheepishly. I ask him what potty word he said.

Defensive, he replies, "I was just repeating a word I heard on a movie!"

Wait. We don't let him watch movies like that. "What movie?" I queried?

His moralism sets in. "Veggie Tales. And Veggie Tales aren't supposed to teach you about potty words, they are supposed to teach you about God!"

"Really? Veggie Tales? Okay, what potty word did Veggie Tales teach you?"

He's prepared, "An old man was saying to a little girl, 'if you don't go to bed, tomorrow you are going to be pooped!'"

And once again, I am reminded how literal children are.

Pretty Pretty Picture

Alli has found her inner artist. She has begun coloring, and coloring, and coloring. She colors as soon as she gets up in the morning, she colors as I sit and teach Elijah every day (it's my school, she says), and she colors before and after supper and would color in bed at night if we allowed it.

Don't misunderstand me, I love that she is so fond of this exercise. It has helped her learn more names of colors (like pwurpish-pink) and it keeps her occupied quietly for hours. The problem occurs when I must keep every picture she finishes. There are hundreds now, maybe thousands. And anyone who knows me at all knows my OCD nature and my severe allergic reaction to clutter.

So all this background information leads me to the exchange I had with my sweet daughter the other night after dinner:

I was cleaning up and wiping off the island and I picked up a half-sheet coloring sheet and absent-mindedly threw it in the garbage right in front of my daughter. She instantly opened the garbage can, peered inside and said (in her sweet 3 year old voice),

"Why you frow away my pretty piture?"

And I'm not exaggerating when I say she had tears in her eyes. So of course I quickly rescued it from the trash heap and promptly displayed it on the refrigerator. And all malice was forgotten.

I guess I'm going to have to learn to deal with the piles of her art. And she'll have ample reason to suffer later in life when she is starving for her craft and she remembers that her Mom used to throw her masterpieces in the garbage.

Alli's Homemade Birthday

I'm taking advantage of making all the homemade gifts I can while my kids still treasure anything I make them. Alli's 3rd birthday (almost 2 months ago!) was no exception.

I made her this paper dolls quilt from a kit. It includes prints of old-fashioned paper dolls that I fussy cut to frame and then made the border from a smaller print of the same dolls.

The kit also included yardage of clothes to dress the dolls, onto which I fused fleece onto the back, thus making them like flannel graph, and Alli gets to dress each doll in a variety of dresses, hats and shoes. She loves it! I also crafted a kid's purse for all her girly accessories. It's so much fun to have a girl!

I'm in the Minority . . .

. . . at least in my circle of friends.

Why? you ask?

Because I can almost guarantee that none of my girlfriends care a lick that Prince Fielder won the Home Run Derby last night.

I can hear you asking, "Who is Prince Fielder?"

And that's why I'm in the minority.

It all started so innocently last year. My hubby started showing some interest in the Milwaukee Brewers. Now, sure, we had gone to a game here and there for the past 9+ years of living in Wisconsin, but we had never followed them. Until Dan started working with an avid fan (I mean you, Jose) and all of a sudden Dan was watching the Brewers every night. And talking about the Brewers, and trying to get free tickets by filling our cars at only BP stations with exactly 8 gallons of gas to maximize the amount of free tickets we could get. And before I knew it, I was recognizing almost all of the Brewers players. And I even found myself rooting for them by name and remembering who played where and occasionally knowing their batting averages.

Then the Brewers secured CC Sabathia (now a Yankee) about half-way through the season last year and we actually had a chance of making the post season. And it got really exciting and I found myself listening to the games on the radio! Now that is what I call deranged.

Well, label me such because now I am a full-fledged Brewers fan, with tshirts to wear to the games, checking brewers.com on a regular basis, and gladly filling my car with exactly 8 gallons of gas so we can make it to another game this year. And all of this after I first made the comment that my idea of a nightmare was extra innings.

My only problem is that I don't know many women who follow the Brewers, much less any baseball at all, so if you see me talking with all the guys, you'll understand why I am in the minority . . .

Boston, Day 3

It was Friday morning. Our last day in Boston. With no business meetings to attend and no schedules to keep, we arranged for a late check out from our hotel and ventured off into the city to do some more sight-seeing. But first I had to eat.

Ever since we arrived in Boston, Dan and I kept noticing Dunkin Donuts on every corner. Walk up the stairs from the T and invariably there was one on the corner. They were more abundant than Starbucks, and that's saying something. But wouldn't you guess it, the morning I'm looking for a quick breakfast that travels, we couldn't locate one anywhere. So we headed back to the hotel before I fainted from hunger and caffeine withdrawal and went to Starbucks.

Okay, then we were off again. First stop: Fenway Park Dan assured me that Fenway is historical, so that's the only reason I agreed to this outing. As we walked around the perimeter of the field, I felt like we were actively betraying our Milwaukee Brewers. And then Dan mentioned the unthinkable - he wanted to buy a Red Socks t-shirt. He explained to me that Boston is not a division rival to Milwaukee, so it was okay to root for them. I couldn't handle it. I was just about ready to make a teary call to Miller Park just to offer my apologies, when Dan saw the prices of the t-shirts and decided against the betrayal. It was a close call.

Next stop: Boston Common, America's oldest public park. We had started off here on our first day, as this is where the freedom trail begins, but we didn't spend any amount of time exploring the park, so we came back to enjoy the scenery and do some serious people watching.

This is a picture of a monument. I'm sure it's historical.

I parked myself along the edge of the pond in the middle of the park. People were feeding ducks and I just sat in the shade and enjoyed the rest. All this walking was wearing me out. Dan wandered around and took some more pictures, including this one of the famous swan boats.

And what is a day in the park without grabbing a hot dog from a street vendor? Dan likes to take pictures of me eating. He's strange, I understand that now.

Stop #3: The Boston Public Library. This was actually just across the street from our hotel, so we decided to stop there after we checked out of the hotel. I checked my email and we wandered a bit.

This giant lion reminds me of our local library. What? You mean your local library doesn't have stories-tall paintings on the walls surrounded by gargantuan lion sculptures resting on marble blocks? Too bad.

This area reminds me of our children's library. Rows and rows of dust-free tables, not a whisper audible, with people absorbed in reading books or working on their laptops. What's that you say? Your children's library is loud and has tables strewn with books and puzzles? I feel sorry for you.

The Boston Public Library has a courtyard in the middle with cafe tables and a fountain, just like my public library. Actually, now that I think about it, the Boston Public Library is almost identical to our local, small-town library. I'm not even sure why we took pictures of it.

We ended the evening walking along the wharf and Dan rested while I took another picture to prove he came along on the trip. Apparently wearing a "Boston" t-shirt signaled to many that we were tourists. We were asked where we are from a few times. But only in the nicest ways. The locals are friendly.We ate dinner at the Cheers Restaurant, a duplicate of the television show. Apparently the bar that inspired the show is tiny and only a watering hole, so we skipped that on our tours and stopped here to eat.

And whatd'ya know? We got a picture of us together!

We returned to the hotel and collapsed, with a 4AM wake-up call scheduled. It was an enormously fun trip, and I would suggest it to any couple looking for a fun get-away. Although we'll wait a few years before we go back with the kids.

Boston, Day 2

Our second day began with breakfast and the business meeting that brought us to Boston and then a guided tour set up by the company. We chose the tour of Harvard, because the Fenway tour and the whale watching tour were already booked full. But it was in no way a third rate tour, despite it being our third choice.

The tour started at John Harvard's Brew House, a historic restaurant (is everything here historic?) and brewery just down the street from "Harvard yard." (That's what the fancy Eastern intellectuals call the campus, except they pronounce it "Hahvahd yahd") I scarfed down my chicken sandwich and fries, forgetting that dessert was included, so by the time I waddled out of the restaurant, I was ready for a walking tour. This is Harvard's main gate, which we learned was bad luck to walk through, unless entering as a freshman and then the only other time you should walk through is as a graduating senior. Since we accidentally walked through it ourselves, I guess that means we are in for a spell of bad luck. I hate when that happens.

Our tour was "unofficial" led by 2 students, a freshman girl and sophomore guy, who gave us the inside scoop on famous pranks between Harvard and MIT, freshman hi jinks and the ongoing feud between Harvard and the town of Cambridge. Oh, and they gave us some historical information, of course, but I really only remember the funny stories.

This is one of the dorms for freshman. Apparently people like John Adams and other famous historical figures lived here. Like I said, I only remember the funny stories. Like when our tour guide Collin said that he lived here as a freshman and saw a limo pull up and the Dali Lama got out. And then a few weeks later he saw 3 limos and a Lincoln Town Car pull up and wondered who was more important than the Dali Lama and saw Oprah get out.

This is Memorial Hall, dedicated to honor the students who fought in the Civil War - but only for the North. A few died in service to the Confederacy, but they aren't honored here. I guess we can figure out which side Harvard was on.

The inside was like a church. Beautiful stained glass windows and archways, but it was built as a completely secular memorial. The freshman eat here and their dining room was the inspiration for the great hall in Harry Potter. What other claim to fame does one need?

The grounds were being prepared for graduation, which was happening in 2 days. Harvard boasts some pretty big names as graduation speakers, people like Bill Clinton and Bill Gates, who is the only man to have dropped out of Harvard and later given an Honorary Diploma. Of course, it doesn't compare to some of the big-wigs Maranatha gets for graduation . . . wait, I can't even remember who spoke at my graduation.

This is the statue of John Harvard, which reads: John Harvard, Founder, 1638. It's known as the statue of the 3 lies, because John Harvard didn't found the college, he just bequeathed a bunch of money to it, and it was founded in 1636, and there are no surviving images of John Harvard, so it's pretty safe to say he didn't look like this. Anyway, it's historical (do you sense a theme here?) so we had to take a picture.

After we got back to the hotel, we collapsed for about an hour and then met up with some new friends for dinner. I was still digesting lunch and didn't plan on eating, so when the group decided on seafood, we were good-natured and agreed, even though neither Dan nor I like seafood. We were encouraged that every seafood place has other choices, so Dan was satisfied.

We ended up going to the Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in America. The building is over 250 years old and boasts housing Revolutionaries. We sat down to order, our entire group (save Dan) ready to eat lobster or oysters. Dan opened the menu and realized there was nothing but seafood available.

Don't be mistaken, this is not battered fish he is eating. Never deterred, he saw a small menu for children 12 and younger which included chicken fingers. He asked the waitress if he passed for 12 and she obliged his squeamish appetite.

This was the most expensive children's menu platter of chicken fingers he has ever eaten.

Tim, our new friend from Iowa, enjoyed the lobster. I had to take a picture to prove to Elijah that people actually do eat those creepy things that swim in the tank at Walmart.

After dinner, we wandered the cobblestone streets and learned that if Paul Revere were alive today, he would still recognize these parts of Boston. Coming from Wisconsin, where the most historic landmark we have is Lambeau Field, that impressed me.

We ended the day in a picture-perfect moment. Window shopping around Faneuil Hall, music pouring out of pubs and restaurants mixed with the chatter and laughter of people enjoying their evenings, walking hand in hand with the man of my dreams in beautifully perfect weather and still revelling in the fact that Kris Allen beat Adam Lambert on American Idol. What more can you ask for?

Boston Trip, Day 1

As a special spring treat, Dan and I escaped, all on our own, to a 3 day get-away to Boston. Neither of us had ever been there, so we were pumped to check out one of America's oldest cities and to drink in the history and culture. Oh, and squeeze in that business meeting that made this trip possible . . .

Boston, here we come!

After arriving late Tuesday evening (or was it already Wednesday morning?) we hopped the "T" and rode to Copley Square where we checked our bags in some swanky hotel that the company was paying for.
After marveling at the old-world feel of the Fairfield, we looked forward to returning and resting there for the next two evenings, only to find out that there had been a mistake and we were supposed to be at the Westin across the street. Still, it was a pretty hotel to wander around and they were nice enough to keep our luggage until the 4pm check-in time.

We headed out to the street and started snapping pictures right away, although I must confess to you that almost all of the hundreds of pics we took on this trip were taken by Dan. He wore the camera bag and has a natural affinity for scenic pictures, so I let him snap away while I looked around.
This is Trinity Church reflected in the glass of the John Hancock building. Breathtaking, don't you think?We then picked up the freedom trail and wandered around the state house while important people bustled around us. We stopped into a historic church along the trail and marveled at the box pews. I think I recall a story about a church that locked the pews of errant members . . . well, after seeing the tall boxes, that made much more sense.

We finished the trail at the USS Ironsides and toured the USS Cassin Young, a WWII Destroyer. At this point, I decided that we needed proof that Dan was actually there, so I snapped this pic of his photography skills. It reminds me of our trip to the Grand Canyon, where I couldn't recognize him without a camera attached to his face.

It's all good . . . he's very capable behind the camera and more patient than I am, so he usually gets the better pictures.

Up next, Day 2 . . .

I {heart} Half-Price Books

We stopped into Half-Price Books the other day to drop off some books and videos we don't want to dust any longer and I had it in my mind that I would like to see if they had a book I've been wanting to read.

Just one book, thank you.

Well, if you love bookstores as much as I do, and you love bargain books as much as I do, then you'll understand why I left with more than "just one book."

After perusing a few different areas, I did spot the book I was looking for . . . (or should I say, the book for which I was looking . . . you'd think all the reading I do might improve my grammar.)

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand for only $9.98. I've been meaning to read this book, and I just recently read an article about how the book is flying off of shelves again since it is viewed as "prophetic" concerning our current economy, so I decided now was the time to tackle it's 1,168 pages.

Yes, that's right, over 1,000 pages. This will be a record for me, if I ever get through it. Don't expect a review anytime soon.

Moving on to the Children's section, I found Elijah deeply absorbed in an "I Spy" book. I gotta get me one of those books! He was enchanted!

And Alli was busy locating any and every book that was pink and had a princess on it.

I started looking and found this . . .and had to have it because I remember checking this out of our school library hundreds of times during my elementary career and even reciting one poem for a contest in 5th grade. I looked, and sure enough, "Homework Machine" was inside. I relived my childhood in 3.5 seconds right there on the spot.

"Homework Machine"

The Homework Machine, oh the Homework Machine,

Most perfect contraption that's ever been seen.

Just put in your homework, then drop in a dime,

Snap on the switch, and in ten seconds' time,

Your homework comes out, quick and clean as can be.

Here it is - "nine plus four?" and the answer is "three."

Three?

Oh me . . .

I guess it's not as perfect

As I thought it would be.

If I recall, I didn't score well with that poetry entry. I remember a judge saying something about it being awfully short for a 5th grader to memorize. Why do you think I chose it?

And after reading some poems and deciding that I HAD to have this book in my children's library (after all, Shel Siverstein inspired me to write poetry more than any classical poet) I sat down to look at some books with the kids.

Elijah found a wonderfully illustrated book about the human body, so I added that to my growing stack of "just one book" (no pic of that one, I haven't been able to pry it out of my kid's hands since we bought it), and then I proceeded to clean out every children's book I found.

Okay, that is exaggerating. I really did stop with just 3 books. But I went home feeling like I had conquered Amazon, for they were cheaper than even the used books on that site.

And now I have to remember to shop there first, before I buy online.

I just love Half-Price Books.

I don't like this picture

I mean, it's cute and all, and it shows that my daughter's hair is actually growing, but I don't

like it.

Not one bit.

Why, you ask?

Isn't it obvious?

She looks at least 23 years old here. Okay, so maybe not 23, but definitely not 2 1/2! This picture makes her look like a girl. Not a toddler, and not my baby. And I don't like it.

At least she still has her chunky baby thighs . . .