Mom in Boyland

More than One

2009-05-20T20:27:00.002-04:00

Mike was out of town last week. But no fear... we got to talk a few times on Skype. It's so great to live in the 21st century. Getting to not only to talk to Daddy but also see him and show him things made Sam, Levi and Nate's day more than once this week. Too bad Mike can't change diapers long distance. :)

We had friends Anita, Franklyn, Symon and Elsa over on Friday. Nate and Elsa have become fast friends!

Sam is entering this photo in a contest his school is putting on called "Get Caught Reading". Notice the title of the book.

2009-05-13T23:31:00.001-04:00

Levi and Nate applaud each other after their own rousing rendition of "the Wheels on the Bus" at lunchtime.

Nate's First Corn on the Cob

2009-05-12T22:32:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try this again

2009-05-12T22:21:00.002-04:00

Obviously I've fallen off the wagon when it comes to blogging, and I'll tell you why. I thought, mistakenly, that after Nate turned one year old life would get a little easier. He'd be walking, communicating better, eating more on his own, etc. and be a little less dependent on me. These things are all true, but I forgot that along with all this also comes the ability to open doors, play in the toilet, unpack the diaper bag, throw toys in the garbage, and generally undo most of what I've done throughout the day.

He's a mischievous one.

So I've been a little busy, and the thought of sitting down and writing a blog entry was just too overwhelming. And that's saying something!

Thankfully Nate is getting more able to communicate, responds better to correction, and is generally more cooperative the older he gets. Boy, that 12-15 month period is crazy! But I think the craziness is tapering off a little, so I've decided to try something new: a picture a day. This way, I can regularly share/record what's going on but don't plan to write too much.

Here goes nothing!

Catching up

2009-02-07T20:09:00.012-05:00

Well, I'm finally back. I took an unplanned blogging break. Not because I didn't want to write, but life was getting the best of me. The holidays rolled around, so I simplified and cut back on everything that didn't have to do with Christmas. Then I was so spent from Christmas that I simplified yet again in January!

I certainly am not on top of things yet, but I'm not sure that will happen for another several years. The kids are growing so quickly, and as I've mentioned before, my main regret in not blogging more often revolves around record-keeping and allowing far-off family and friends watch them grow, too. So here's a very brief recap from the past two months:

Star Wars has become all the rage.

Peek-a-boo is quite popular, as well.

And in general, looking cute is quite acceptable.

Playing together is often successful, except when it's not.

The first snow was a big hit!

We're trying to keep Nate from a future in thievery.

More shenanigans.

Part of the reason I did not write sooner is because Mike got a new computer. This was a wonderful and unexpected blessing! It meant that my old Dell could finally give up the ghost as I would inherit Mike's 2 year old Mac book. But that also meant I'd have to learn a new operating system and get my photos and docs transferred to this computer. Because of all of this, I'm not exactly where pictures of Nate's birthday, Christmas day, and other important info is stored at this specific moment, but I can confirm that it all happened, and was very fun!

Also, Nate is beginning to walk! Check this out:

Yes, I'm finally posting again!

2008-12-16T13:06:00.005-05:00

Just a quickie...

I read this today and was reminded of how I felt exactly a year ago, when Nate was only days old. Or maybe it is how I felt about 11.5 months ago, when most of the help (i.e. my mom, dad and husband) had to get back to their jobs and lives for most of the time.

Overwhelmed, wonderful, terrified, sweet. Many different feelings all at once.

When I first started reading, I actually had that sense that I think all women get after they're done having kids: I wanted another one! But then I kept reading and I was like, "ok... no."

And now, how are we doing?

Great!

Apart from some sleep issues. (Yes, it is ongoing. I'm hoping it will end when the kids are all past 3 or so. Right?) And the ganging up on the parents issue, which only mischievously happens a couple of times a day, but still. Oh, and the "Nate gets into everything" issue, but that's to be expected of a 12 month old.

There's plenty of giggling that happens around here.

2008-10-22T21:52:00.005-04:00

Recently I have lacked the motivation to blog. I have thought of things I'd like to write; I've even jotted down notes, so I wouldn't forget. But when I finish the day, I feel like reading other people's blogs, not writing my own!

But then I remember how fast the kids change, and how I want to record the things they say and do so that they can look back and see that they are cherished, but more than that, see the progress they have made.

On that note, here is a little update of the small men in my life.

Sam

Sam recently joined a local soccer class that he loves! We got him registered a couple of weeks after the rest of the class started, but he was able to jump in and had no problem with the skills the coaches asked him to do. He really enjoys sports, though his passive nature is still hanging on. He's got a competitive side, so we'll see where that takes him!

Recently Sam figured out the first several notes of Twinkle Twinkle on his electric guitar. Mike and I didn't even know he was working on it! I think it's time for some formal music training...
Sam loves his baby brother. He's a great big brother to Levi, too, but he dotes on Nate. In fact, both Levi and Sam give Nate kisses and get a kick out of seeing him try to do new things. Sam will sit and play with him on the floor, and Nate loves it.
Daddy is the apple of Sam's eye. They play an indoor version of baseball every evening before bed; I think this must be Sam's favorite time of the day.

I've been trying to find creative outlets for him recently, crafty things that he, as a boy, might enjoy doing. Playdo, water-play, and cooking have all been things he enjoys, but this project was also a favorite. It doesn't look like much, but it was fun to make! It came from this website; I'm waiting with baited breath for her a month of "boycrafts" in November.

He loves pretend play. He always seems to be conducting a little play in his head, usually him vs. the bad guys, and if you listen carefully you can hear him whispering the dialogue. He also loves to play dress up, boy-style. In the picture above he said he's a boxer-pirate. We've already gotten some good playtime from his Halloween costume. And one long weekend afternoon recently we all got into the spirit and "camped" in the living room.

Levi

Levi turned 2 1/2 years old this month! I've read that the terrible twos peak at 28 months, and so far that holds true for us. He seems to be a little more cooperative now than he was just 6 weeks ago, so I'm planning on potty training soon. Except that I've been saying that for the past 6 weeks!

Levi has had a terrible case of stranger/separation anxiety for most of the year. It was bad. So bad that he would cry and cling to me if anyone so much as spoke to him. But in September, Levi had a breakthrough. After 4 months of not being able to leave him with anyone other than Daddy, Levi is willingly going to kids' church and the childcare at my weekly Bible study. I'm so proud of him... and wow, do I feel liberated!
He loves music! Recently he's been trying to play the guitars that are hanging around our play area. They are too big for him, so he has his own method of strumming - a little like stand-up bass. He also loves to sing.
Levi has been "talking" for a long time, but he's really hard to understand. Some days are better than others, but it's progressively easier to catch what he's saying, and he regularly surprises me when I understand him. He can pick out most letters of the alphabet and can count to 20. And he loves to call Mike and I by our first names!
He loves to play in sandboxes, and loves anything with wheels.

Recently, he has a new lovey. It is this orange block. If it goes missing for more than 20 minutes or so, he runs around trying to find it, asking me, "orange block, mommy?" It comes with us to the park, to the store, to Bible study, to bed, to meals.

Levi is very physical. He loves to wrestle, jump and climb. For the past two months he's been able to climb in and out of his crib. We tried moving him over to the bottom bunk, but he wouldn't go to sleep, so we've just kept him in his crib. Strangely enough, he doesn't mind the top bunk. Sometimes we'll find him there in the morning sleeping with Sam!

Nate

Nate is now 10 months old. His favorite activity is sitting in the middle of our play area with lots of little toys surrounding him. He's not crawling or walking yet, but he's getting really close! He gets up on all fours to reach a toy, but then scoots back into a seated position. Not long now, though.

Nate has learned that if he needs to communicate something, he'd better be clear. If he doesn't want to eat something, he tightens his lips and shakes his head. If he doesn't want to sit somewhere, he'll arch his back. If he doesn't want a toy, he'll throw it across the room. If he doesn't want to wear a bib, he'll pull it off!
As you've seen in prior posts, he's also a budding musician. He loves to move to music. And is this a little foreshadowing?
Nate had a milestone recently: His first shiner! He fell over in an attempt to reach something, and hit his eye on a toy. Thankfully it healed within a day.
Nate already likes to ham it up for the camera. When he sees the red eye reduction light on my camera start to blink, he puts on his best grin!
He loves his brothers, and is aching to run after them!

There's the news of the Godzwa boys in a nutshell. Next up... our visit to the pumpkin patch!

Better Than The Best

2008-10-22T21:41:00.005-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, when the weather was unseasonably warm and the mosquitos were making a huge comeback, Sam and I were talking about his bug-bitten legs. Mosquitos love him.

He brought up the question: will there be mosquitos in Heaven? I had to think about that for a minute, but came to the conclusion and answered that maybe mosquitos would be there, but that they wouldn't bite us, since there is nothing sad in heaven and nothing that can harm us there. Only good things will be in heaven. In fact, the Bible says that Heaven is better than the best thing we can imagine.

A minute later, Sam said, "So there will be moon bounces in Heaven?"

Dancing

2008-09-29T14:21:00.003-04:00

Nobody can say Nate doesn't have rhythm.

The large "box" you see Sam and Levi playing in is actually the shelf that belongs in our bedroom. We had left the back off so that it didn't cover up our thermostat control, but the shelf wasn't sturdy enough without it. So yesterday I brought it out to the living room to finish up. I figured Sam would have a great time helping me nail (which he did). I put on some music to help us work, and the shelf was christened "the dancing box".

Musings on Books and Sports

2008-09-11T22:00:00.007-04:00

We've been reading a lot of books lately. In fact, we always read at least 2 a day during bedtime. Sam has a school assignment to read at least 100 books this year, so we're trying to fit in more and varied selections.

A few years ago I considered writing a children's book. Take a look at some of what's available in the children's section of your local bookstore and you'll come to the same conclusion I did - anybody could write a children's book. Not necessarily a good one, and who knows what it takes to get a publisher to look at yours, but still.

My motivation was fueled by my attempts at finding books for little boys that didn't include dump trucks or trains. I even came up with a few titles and concepts:

1. The World Is My Drum

2. Sometimes Mom Lets Me Drive

3. It's Not A Stick

The titles (and bare bones concepts behind them) are as far as I've gotten. If anyone wants to take a stab at any of these, go for it, because I think they would be great little boy books! Or maybe, someday when I'm a little more ambitious, I'll try myself. These days my main ambition is to get a decent night's sleep.

Speaking of books for boys, the David Series have become favorites around here. They are about a toddler named David who gets into all sorts of trouble. This used to bother me -- a book series about a boy whose parents are usually scolding or reprimanding him? But the illustrations are priceless and my boys love them. They show what a toddler's life is truly like, and the kids can relate, I think.

But I digress.

In our attempt to read more books, we've been raiding our bookshelves for some that haven't been read lately. Recently I pulled out our well-read copy of Goodnight Moon for Levi. He enjoys going through it, pointing out the pictures.

He points at the clocks, the socks, the kittens, the mittens... the little toy house, and the young mouse... the comb, the brush...

But when we get to the page that says "goodnight nobody, goodnight mush", he points at the bowl of mush and says, "Nobody!" He won't call it mush. In fact, if I tell him, "no, it's mush" his response is, "oatmeal".

And it makes me wonder if this book is even appropriate for 2-year-olds. The "nobody" page is simply in there for the sake of the the rhythm of the poetry, but it confuses my kids. Also, it's a little spooky. I mean, saying good night to nobody? And really, who is the old lady saying hush? Why does she just sort of disappear? Yikes.

Just kidding. We love that book.

On another note, Sam and I played a modified version of one-on-one soccer today at the playground, and it was tons of fun for both of us! I've been a little frustrated when trying to engage him in play at home - seems like he's always bored or just doesn't want to play. Soccer was perfect. Not only did he suggest it, but it got us both laughing and some exercise, too. Soccer mom days, here I come!

After only 10 days of School...

2008-09-08T22:53:00.003-04:00

... Sam has a runny nose.

And so begins the war against the common cold.

Common Cold: 1
Jen: 0

So, here's my gameplan: I'm regularly disinfecting our home (counters, doorknobs, light switches, toys...). Upon returning home I require all hands to be washed. When I remember, I use waterless handwash on the kids and myself when we're out, especially if I give them snacks. I'm going to start Sam on AirBorne Jr., and find out if Levi can also take it. We're all going to get flu shots. And every night I pray that we'd all stay healthy.

I don't know if all this will help. I'll let you know.

On a lighter note, here are some fun pictures:

Check out this cutie! He's not crawling yet, but he's starting to scoot just a little if there's something he's trying to reach. And can you make out those pearly whites? They came in about 2 weeks ago.

Rub-a-dub-dub, three boys in a tub...

And I couldn't resist including this one:

Return to School

2008-09-01T21:06:00.004-04:00

Ah, the first day of school. The transition back to the school routine has gone so smoothly, I can't believe it has only been a week since it began! No worries about wanting to stick too close to home.
Here's my excited boy, all ready to go. The whole family went along to see what his classroom would be like. The experience was much different this year; most of the kids had been in Pre-K last year, so there wasn't too much clinging and crying involved.

I'm enjoying the new routine, too. I realized that having all the kids with me all the time was trying because they all wanted mommy all the time. Now I can easily spend one-on-one time with each of them: Levi during Nate's nap and Nate during Levi's nap, and because they are happier after some mommy time I am able to spend extra time with Sam in the afternoon. I can also get some housework done.

Speaking of housework, I've been doing some major cleaning lately. I feel as though my household is recovering from infant-hood, a time during which it has endured no deep cleaning or organizing, but much dirty-ing and dis-organizing. I've organized several bins of hand-me-downs, as well as some boxes of books that were given to us. I've cleaned the bathrooms, washed windows, washed slipcovers, disinfected doorknobs, and mopped floors. It feels sooooo good. It's therapeutic.

And speaking of feeling good, I'm also starting a routine of walking Sam to school a couple of times a week. I strap on the running shoes, put the little brothers in the double jogging stroller, and out the door we go. Sam actually enjoys jogging alongside me, so we do that on and off during the walk to school. Afterwards I take a longer route home to get in a little extra distance.

Levi and Nate get to bond a little in the stroller. Hopefully I can keep up the jogging throughout the fall, at least until it gets too cold!

And just for fun, here's a little playtime Levi and Nate had the other day, while Sam was in school:

For the Love of Boys

2008-09-01T20:27:00.003-04:00

Upon arrival at our favorite park last week, Levi spotted one of his favorite things: the red ride-on speed car, left by some well-meaning neighbor whose kid had outgrown it. There are several of these ride-on toys that now have their home in the basketball court of our park. And as he was imagining himself buzzing down the speedway, he found himself surrounded by not one, but 5 boys, all at least 3 times his size. He realized what was happening and started to back away until I came and let the boys know they needed to wait until he was done.

I remember when Sam was a toddler and I'd take him to the park. He'd be precariously climbing the stairs of the play equipment, using great care while I stood right next to him to catch him if, heaven forbid, he fell the 8 inches to the wood chips below. Then some big 4 or 5 year old would push past us, and try to climb on the handrail Sam was using. I'd think to myself, "jeez, can't they see there are little kids here who can get hurt?! Where are the parents of these crazy, huge kids?"

Now I realize, the crazy, huge kids are the ones who really need some time outside their home, climbing on the park equipment!

The boys who tried to steal Levi's car turned out to be kids from Sam's school, mainly 3rd and 4th graders and a little brother, who had been in Sam's Pre-K class. After I chased them away from Levi, they proceeded into the basketball court and used the other ride-ons for a game of smash-up.

As I watched them, I saw my future pass before my eyes. Boys play hard. Really, really hard. These boys were not being mischievous. In fact, I know them to be really good kids. Sweet, even. But wow, kind of scary, full of testosterone even though they are hardly close to puberty.

Another mom of a 1 year old boy who had also been playing with the ride-ons later said to me, "Man, those boys were crazy!" And I remembered my own past thoughts. And I realize that boys who were older than 3 really used to make me cringe. But now, as I watched these boys, I felt a little proud for all their physicality, and the fact that they were not afraid of running at each other at full speed in puny little plastic cars and smashing them together. I though, Sam would love to do that, too, if he were a little bigger.

Another visit to the same park gave me a different observation. I was nursing Nate on a bench while Sam and Levi played. A little boy I knew was playing nearby with a dump truck, loading it up with wood chips. Suddenly, it seemed as though a light bulb appeared over his head. He stood up, pulled down his pants, and peed into the dump truck. I knew where his dad was (only several feet away), but he was preoccupied with another child, and I was nursing. And I kind of wanted to see how far this would go.

The boy poured the pee down the slide. Then he filled the truck up again. Then he added some wood chips. This continued for several minutes, until the dad turned around and realized what was going on. He rushed the boy off to clean him and the toys up.

I can't say I felt particularly proud, although I do admire something about the scene. I mean, a girl would never in a million years be so creative. (Yet, I'm glad that I don't think that Sam would ever act on such a thought. We'll have to wait and see with the other two). More than that, I got a really good laugh.

So this is a post, not about my kids, but about boys. I am learning about them. And I have to admit, they are not what I expected. But I sure do enjoy having them around.

Summer's End

2008-08-22T14:00:00.007-04:00

This summer has suddenly slipped through my fingers. It has been great at moments, trying at others. But my heart is still stolen by these little boys who demand so much yet give me so much at the same time. How could my heart not be stolen by this?:

We are getting very close to a time when they all play together. Nate sits up on his own these days, and is reaching for things but hasn't yet figured out how to actually move. When this happens, my life will simultaneously become easier and harder: I'll have to watch his every move, but he'll be able to entertain himself better and interact with Sam and Levi more.

All the kids have become affectionate of late. Kisses abound. Not good when we have germs. But I'll take it, especially since I'd trade them kissing each other for hitting each other any day (I know that's coming, so I'll enjoy it while it lasts!)

We all got sick about 10 days ago. It was some sort of stealth sinus thing, where you'd wake up in the night and feel all stuffy, even head-achy, but there wasn't much nose blowing or coughing, etc. Levi ended up having the worse symptoms, and ended up with conjunctivitis and two ear infections.

I don't think I even realized I had it, except that my ears seemed stuffy and I felt run down. I thought it was just sleep deprivation from helping the kids during the night, as none of them were sleeping very well. But now that I'm better I can see how it effected my energy level.

Our sickness intersected with Mike's first few days of activities back on campus. This was unfortunate, since he was very busy and gone a lot, and we needed to stay close to home so that everyone got their naps and we didn't spread the wealth, I mean germs too much. That meant we did a lot of this:

Ugh. Sam was even bored with TV after a couple of days. So I started making a real effort to change things, and the pst couple of days we've had lots of creative play.

And a random fact about Levi: He can fall asleep anywhere, if it is between 11 and 12 am and his is riding in a stroller or car. He is helpless.

Notice the half-eaten cracker.

The thing I'll miss most about summer is all of the fabulous family time. Although it makes more work to have Sam home, he is a sweet heart and loves to be home as much as I love having him here. And there's no trading having the evenings and weekends and vacations with Mike. We feel renewed as a couple and as a family, I think.

School starts for Sam on Monday. I am both relieved and melancholy. There goes another summer of endless hours to spend with my sweet boy who is growing up so quickly. He feels the same way. Yesterday he was not himself: pushing the envelope, moody, short-tempered. I asked him what was wrong, and guessed out loud that maybe he didn't want to start school. (A big hint was that this behavior began immediately when I got home from his kindergarten orientation.) He broke down and said, "I'm going to miss you!" Ugh. Break my heart, why don't ya?

But he's going to love it. And so am I. I think it's funny how much I looked forward to the freedom of summer, and now am so looking forward to the structure of the school year.

Tickle Fest

2008-08-21T22:16:00.003-04:00

Weekend with the Godzwa clan

2008-08-07T14:10:00.006-04:00

Last weekend we were in Erie, our old stomping grounds. Both Mike and I grew up in Erie (or should I say, Erie County?). We hadn't been there for probably a year and half, so before we left Sam kept mentioning how much snow is always in Erie. Apparently we haven't been there during the summer in a very long time.

The weather was so pleasant, it was enough to make me consider moving back! But then I remembered the snow that covers the ground for 3 months of the year and came back to my senses. ;)

We had a great time, staying at Mike's mom's (or Grandma G's) house with cousins Josh and Abbie. On Saturday everyone headed to the Erie Zoo, where they not only got to see animals, but also pirates and Ronald McDonald!

Sam grew some facial hair while hanging with those pirates!

Getting an autographed picture of Ronald McDonald.

Here are all the cousins who went to the zoo, posing on a termite mound.

Sunday we went to church in the morning, and then to the Lake Erie Peninsula, Presque Isle, for the annual Godzwa family picnic. It's always fun to see cousins, second cousins, third cousins, aunts, uncles, and several other relatives that I know are family but don't know exactly how. The Godzwas are great - it was fun to catch up with people we hadn't seen in awhile, as well as participate in the razzing (or being razzed) about sports teams and other fascinating subjects. Good food, too, including pepperoni bread!

Putting away some grub... er, hot dogs! We don't get to grill out much in our apartment, you know. ;)

I think Nate got his head shape from Mike's side of the family... Or he's just Uncle Jim's Mini-Me.

After the picnic we headed over to the beach. The best thing about Lake Erie is that it's big enough to feel like it's more than a lake, but you don't have the salty water, high winds or larger waves of the ocean. This particular beach, Beach 11, is on the bay side of the peninsula, so it is very shallow and calm, perfect for kids.

The water was a little cold, but the sand was really warm so Sam kept alternating between the two.

Levi enjoyed the sand more than the water.

Dave and Kelly, Tony and Corey, we missed you guys! Maybe next year?

Laundry Lego Land

2008-08-07T13:44:00.003-04:00

Sam got his first set of big-kid Lego's for his 5th birthday. My brother really loved Lego's as a kid and went on to become an engineer, so I thought maybe it was just his niche. But now I can see why: they are tons of fun. Here's what we created one day last week, in between laundry cycles.

An Attempt At A Portrait

2008-07-26T23:05:00.003-04:00

At one point during vacation we did our best to get a picture of all the cousins. I was trying to figure out which one turned out best, and found it quite amusing.

Where's Levi?

There he is... being held down by my arm!

Oops. He's escaping!

OK, now he's back. But so is my hand. And we've got some funny facial experessions.

Hmm. This could have been good, except for Sam's "pose".

Could this one be the best? Maybe we should quit while we're ahead.

We're losing control.

Levi's gone again.

Hmmmm...

Better luck next year?

Vacation!

2008-07-26T21:33:00.007-04:00

We returned from vacation 2.5 weeks ago, and it has taken me this long to finally post about it! That's partially because I have gotten out of "summer vacation" mode, and things fell apart a little in the past couple weeks. Not really, but it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing, either. The boys get cranky when they are bored.

Plus, a few other things have been going on, which I will update you on in a future post. (Why do I keep saying these things? It seriously puts me into procrastination mode!)

*************

Smith Mt. Lake was great! We were with my parents, my brother and his family, and my sister and her husband. Our rented home was on the water with a little beach and dock. Here's the view from the back deck of the house:

Yes, that's a double-decker boat dock! It was particularly fun for this reason:

Mike was the resident thrill-seeker and took the plunge off the top deck first, but my brother Geoff was soon to follow. Sam thought it was most fun when Daddy jumped off the top at the same time he jumped off the bottom. It made him feel empowered.

The little sandy beach was perfect for the preschool/early elementary set. There was lots of fun sand-and-water-play going on:

Mom and Dad picked up some nightcrawlers for us, and we were able to do a little fishing. The kids had some fun, especially with the worms. They even caught a few fish!

On our last full day, my dad rented a pontoon boat and we spent the day on the lake. So much fun!

The best part was the innertube. Most of us went out for a ride, which was just right for the kids because the boat maxed out at 12 mph with all of us on it!

After frolicking in the lake, it was fun to take advantage of the hot tub on the lower porch.

Besides all the water activity, we got in plenty of family time. Nate had fun discovering daddy's ear:

Nana (my Mom) provided some much-needed stimulation when it was raining, as well as other times. She spent time with the kids playing games, doing crafts, teaching Levi several letters, and building a system of tunnels from carboard boxes that became a little playhouse for the kids in the lower rec room!

Nate got to snuggle with Paw Paw (my dad) more than once:

Sam had a birthday party, complete with Pinata:

And there was lots of cousin bonding time.

Sam and Emma, who are only 6 months apart, particularly hit it off. At one point early in the week, they were downstairs unsupervised in the "clubhouse" which they were supposedly decorating with markers. They got carried away and ended up colored in markers themselves. Arms, legs, faces, eyelids, and even areas where, well, clothing should have been were nicely decorated. We tried not to laugh as we handed down the punishment: they couldn't sleep in the same room that night. It didn't happen again.

Evenings were spent chatting, as well as watching hilarious Rhett & Link videos and a couple movies (The Bucket List and Bella - both worth renting). All in all, it was a great time away from the city with my hubby and kids. But more than that, when I visit my family I am reminded of the wonderful family I have been born into, and wish we could be with them more often.

Home, Sweet Home

2008-07-12T23:01:00.002-04:00

After a wonderful week at Smith Mt. Lake at a large rental house with my parents, siblings and spouses, and all our kids (and my sister's pooch), we loaded up our van and said our goodbyes. Sam asked if he could go home with Micah and Emma, his "best" cousins. He also asked if we could stay at the house forever.

I oh-so-gently brought him back to reality by saying, "Sorry, vacation can't last forever! Only for a week." He took it in stride.

I have to admit that I felt a little pang of guilt over his desire to stay. Maybe I'm projecting my own feelings onto him, or assuming that I know what he feels, but I often feel guilty that we live in an apartment in the city. The kids don't have their own rooms or their own yard. We don't have a playroom. And although we spend lots of time at the park, it feels pretty sterile compared to my own upbringing. At the lake house, Sam and Levi had what I think of as a normal childhood experience: lots of time outside, fishing, swimming, playing, Sam riding his bike in the street (we were almost at a dead end). Lots of space inside, where they could run around a make noise without my shushing: "you'll bug our downstairs neighbors!"

We drove home on a scenic route and made a stop in Charlottesville to visit our dear friends, Harvey and Sally, who just moved there. After having lunch together and chatting for a couple of hours, we continued our trip. Long story short, it took us until 7:45 to get home. (We left the lake at 10am!) The kids were tired of being in the car.

As we pulled into the driveway of our building, Sam looked elated. "Hey! Our house!"
(Never mind that it's actually a huge apartment building, not a house. We still call it that.)

We pulled into our garage spot, and Sam and Levi danced around while Mike and I figured out just how much we could manage to bring up to the apartment in one trip. We made the trek and finally arrived at our apartment door.

What followed were excited shouts of glee, things like,
"We haven't been here in a really long time!"
"Da Iggles!" (Levi, upon reacquainting himself with his big red car.)
"I love our home!"

And several other exclamations that I tried to remember but can't. But what I do remember is how warm it felt, how rewarding, that my kids were so happy to be home after such a wonderful week away. Sure, it's a place, but it represents the way we spend our time on a normal basis, their rituals, their lives. Time and rituals that I am in charge of, that I sometimes labor to plan and keep orderly and sometimes allow to become disorderly and askew, even boring. And although they had a wonderful week away, they missed it.

More on the vacation soon!

5 Years Ago...

2008-07-10T22:06:00.003-04:00

... I became a mommy for the first time. Wow, how time flies! And how my life has changed. But more than that, my children have changed me.

Today is Sam's 5th birthday! I'll blog more about the festivities when we're home from vacation, but I thought I'd contemplate some of the ways I've changed since becoming a mother:

I can accomplish more in a day with less sleep than I ever did before kids.
I am more creative - I can entertain a 2 year old with an ear infection for 45 min. in a doctor's office in a pinch.
I drink just as much coffee, but it's almost never at a coffee shop.
If I'm going anywhere, I start to prepare for the outing at least an hour in advance, if not more. I factor in 15 minutes just to get everyone strapped into the car.
I do waaaay more laundry.
I actually know how to cook.
I am more merciful, less selfish, and more empathetic. Except when my hubby tries to sleep in because he has a cold. (Sorry, Hon.)
I take fewer showers. ;)
My home is not as clean. Or should I say, my home is not clean.
I cry at anything having to do with children being harmed, including the 5:00 news. Scratch that - we don't watch the 5:00 news anymore so that our children are not exposed to violence.
Small talk that doesn't involve the subject of young children is very hard to come up with.
I have a blog.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list. But one thing I know: God is working out my salvation through my children. I am changed, and I don't always like what I am but I know I am better because of raising these babes. It is hard, but it is good.

I love my life.

Happy 4th!

2008-07-04T23:48:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow we're off to Smith Mountain Lake to vacation for a week with my family. I can't wait to get there! But right now I'm a bit stressed out, wondering if I'll remember everything. I think I'm procrastinating a bit by blogging!

But before going, we had friends Christian and Mckenzie over, with their babysitter and our friend Liz, for a little fun in the pool, some pizza and peach raspberry crisp, and some sparklers!

Blue Berries and Blue Lips

2008-07-04T23:21:00.006-04:00

After a day or two of recuperation, we were off and running again. We've had a busy week! I'm ready for vacation.

On Wednesday we went back to Bulter's Orchard for a little blueberry picking, again with Megan and her boys. Here are the berries:

Here are our boys:

Again, Blogger is rotating my pictures. What's up?! Does anyone know what I am doing wrong? They are right side up in My Pictures.

We had to be taken to the berry fields via tractor ride, which all the boys except Levi loved. I'm sure we are quite a sight, both of us with a baby strapped to us, toddler in tow and running after preschoolers! Thankfully this seems to be a very popular outing among moms and their kids. We had some fun conversations with other moms of 3 and 4 kids on the tractor ride. It's like we're a part of a sisterhood or something.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon with friends Anita, Symon and baby Elsa at Hayse Park. Wow, it's a great little place. They've got a creative playground to climb and play around, and a fantastic sand area.

Levi has really enjoyed climbing in the past few days! He's not so cautious lately; this afternoon we found him in his crib, though we hadn't put him there! Here's my little climber in action:

But really, the afternoon was about the Sprayground. Look at this:

They had a blast! Levi wasn't interested in the sprinklers, so he spent the afternoon doing this:

Grrr. More sideways photos.

Anita and I got to chat, and I got to hold baby Elsa.

After about an hour of running around in the sprayground, the boys were cold and hungry!

The sun got rid of their blue lips, though.

2008-07-04T23:04:00.004-04:00

Well, after only two weeks of summer vacation I hit a wall. It happened after the day at the zoo. I couldn't quite figure out what was making me so tired, until I realized that Nate had not been sleeping well for a few days. He was not napping well, but was also waking almost hourly during the night. I thought maybe we should start sleep training, but then realized that he might have an ear infection. I loaded the three kiddos into the car and drove to the doctor's office. Once there, after a 70 minute wait, the doctor looked in his ear and pronounced him perfectly healthy and ready to learn how to sleep.

Only a few hours later, this was the scene at the Godzwa home:

Sorry. I know that's gross, but several days later my life is still filled with much nose-wiping. Sometimes with kleenex, sometimes with my shirt (not by choice!).

Nate was indeed sick with a cold which caused so much congestion that he simply could not breath while nursing or sucking on a pacifier. So instead of learning to sleep, he got to sleep with Mommy and pretty much get whatever he wanted while Daddy took up residence on the air mattress in the living room for a few nights.

A day later, Levi came down with the same thing, and then Sam followed suite.

By Tuesday night I took Nate back into the doctor's office, and he did indeed have two ear infections. Poor baby.

But I'm happy to report that the whole family is sleeping better, even though their noses still drain more than you can imagine - where does all that stuff come from?! I seem to have dodged a bullet, so I'm thankful. I'm also thankful that we nailed the ear infection before leaving for vacation! Woo hoo! More on that in the next post...

We went to the Animal Fair...

2008-07-04T22:52:00.002-04:00

Another outing: the National Zoo! We're truly blessed to live only 10 min. from the zoo, so I'm almost embarassed to admit that this is our first visit since last summer. I took the boys a couple weeks ago.

Sam likes to strike a pose lately.

The highlight of our morning was the elephants. We watched them play a little, and then got to see their bath.

Levi calls all animals "doggie". Pretty cute when directed at an elephant!

When asked what his favorite thing was at the zoo Sam responded, "the pizza playground!" He's not much of an animal lover (although he does find them interesting!)

Hamming it up for the camera:

And cooling off a little in front of one of the misters:

Berry Pickin'

2008-06-23T13:38:00.008-04:00

We love to go to the park. It is one of the things I truly appreciate about raising my kids in the city: there is an endless supply of parks and playgrounds to visit, and they are usually well-populated with potential playmates and mommy friends. We visit playgrounds several times a week.

Unfortunately, they do sometimes get boring. So, in an effort to mix things up a little and keep my kiddos from getting bored (my main priority this summer), I'm trying to do at least one other fun outing each week. This week, we went berry pickin'.

Hilariously, my friend Megan and I decided to join our families together on this endeavor. She also has 3 boys ages 4 and under. We both knew it was a crazy idea, but decided that it sounded better than staying home in our sweats with our kids in front of Wiggles videos all day.

So, off we went, camera in hand. There is a great farm in Gaithersburg, MD, and their strawberries were just barely still in season.

Unfortunately, I only managed 3 photos while at the farm! No surprise, really, but I had higher hopes. It was hectic, but we all had a great time and actually brought back quite a few berries, plus some other locally-grown goodies from the farm's little store.

One of the reasons I thought this would be such a fun event was because as far as my kids are concerned, our food comes from a store. I think Sam understood the concept of food growing on plants, but as soon as I bent down and showed Levi a ripe berry under a leaf he shouted, "staw-be!" For the next two hours I heard "mo' staw-be" many, many times. I think I even heard it in my sleep that night.

After filling our buckets and a picnic lunch, we were ready to head home. Once there, we reveled in our bounty.

(This is Levi with a mouthful.)

The kids sampled many of the berries.

I made sure to secure several for later, of course. Unfortunately the berries were a little on the tart side. Nothing a little sugar couldn't help. ;)

Sam helped me make shortcake.

Dinner included enchilada casserole, sweet corn from the farm, and generous helpings of strawberry shortcake. Yummmm.

We'll be back for blueberries next week!

And Some More Catching Up

2008-06-17T22:50:00.012-04:00

Here are a few moments from June:

Sam often wants to "play" the adult games that are in our closet. One day a few weeks ago he talked Mike into playing RISK with him. I have a feeling this won't be the last time.

Mom and Dad came to keep us company and help me with the kids while Mike was away at a conference. Not only were they helpful, but I seriously felt like I was on vacation while they were here! They did my laundry, helped with the kids, let me sleep in and sent me off to go shopping by myself. Such luxury! And the kids loved having them around, of course. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

While they were here and after Mike returned home, we christened the swimming pool.

(For some reason blogger is turning my pictures the wrong way. Wish I could fix that!)

Daddy and Sam jumped right in, but Levi wasn't game. Most of the time he liked the idea but ran away each time we encouraged him to get in. I spent most of the time with him like this:

By the end of our pool time he was willing to put his feet in and play on the shallow first step. The next day we took him right in and popped him in his little inflatable boat before he had time to think about it. He had a moment of shock (at being the water, wet and just a smidge cold), but then couldn't stop saying "I in a pool! I in a wawer!"

And here is my proud boy on his last day of Pre-K. When I picked him up from school that day I said, "Sam, you're all done with Pre-K!" I must have been pouting a little, because he said, "Why are you sad?" Of course I didn't say that sometimes I wish he wouldn't grow up, that I've enjoyed age 4 so much with him and don't want him to change. But instead I said, "I'm not, buddy, I'm really proud of you." Which is true.

And last but not least, I'm going to try something new: a video! Here is the Godzwa family, chilling at home this past Sunday. Sam has been telling this joke... see if you can catch the punch line.

Nate

2008-06-17T22:13:00.007-04:00

Nate reached the 6 month mark on June 11th. I think this has probably been the fastest 6 months of my life! Nate has grown so fast. Most of the time I am trying not to wish away his babyhood; it is a lot of hard work these days, but I know I'll miss it when the kids are bigger.

Nate is such a sweet baby. He is very happy, rarely complaining of much even though I am constantly switching him from bouncy seat to exersaucer to baby swing to floor in the effort to cook a meal or dress another child or eat a meal. He always has a smile in return for a little attention, and has an easy giggle, too!

He rolled over for the first time last week, but still only endures tummy time for a few minutes before he beckons me to turn him over.

I'm eagerly anticipating the day when he can sit up on his own, unattended. He's on his way, but still a bit wobbly. We practice each day with the boppy pillow for support. Note the look of concentration.

He's also begun eating baby food. He's already accustomed to a handful of foods: bananas, oatmeal, pears, peas, peaches, sweet potatoes. He really loves eating!

Bananas are his favorite.

Here is what he thinks of avocados:

He's growing so fast! But something took place two nights ago that I've only read about and heard in folklore: he slept 8 hours on his own, without being sleep-trained! Last night he woke up, but didn't need to be fed for 8 hours again! We're not there yet, but it's the light at the end of the tunnel.

I can't wait for him to sleep through the night, but I'll certainly miss my baby when he's grown.

Wish This Had Worked Better

2008-06-17T22:11:00.001-04:00

One day in May I was fiddling around with my camera settings, trying to figure out what they all do. I snapped this picture in the process. Wish it was in focus!

Memorial Day 2008

2008-06-17T21:25:00.006-04:00

I know I'm late, but hey, better late than never. :)

We had a fabulous time on Memorial Day this year with our friends Anita, Franklyn, Symon and new little Elsa. They have a canoe at a local boat dock and invited us to join them to take it out.

Sam was in his element. He was decked out in his "cool" hat and "cool" sunglasses and life jacket, and was ready to go (after I slathered him up with sunscreen).

Levi was not a fan of his life preserver, but he only had to endure it for about 15 minutes while we were on the dock. He, Nate, Anita, Elsa and I stayed behind to have a snack and enjoy the beautiful weather on the shore.

Sam and Symon rode in the middle of the canoe while the dads took stern and bow.

Off they went to circle Roosevelt Island.

I'm not sure what we were doing here, but it's rare that Mike and I are both in the picture together, so I thought I'd include it. :)

And Nate and Elsa got to bond for the first time. Do you think they're flirting?

Thoughts on the last day of school

2008-06-13T23:19:00.002-04:00

I asked Sam today (his first day of summer vacation) what he would miss about school. He didn't come up with anything, but then I thought of a more interesting question: what wouldn't he miss? He looked me in the eye and said, "I don't like being away from you so much. Do you know why? Because I love you."

That makes it all worth it.

By the way, I realize it has been ridiculously long since my last post. You see, my hubby is now on his summer schedule, which means he holds relatively normal work hours as opposed to the crazy hours he works during the school year. Hence, I now have a life, and don't have much time to post. Which is a good thing for my life, but not for my blog. But a more thorough update is coming soon!

A New 'Do

2008-05-08T21:28:00.000-04:00

Sam's hair was getting out of control. Something had to be done.

Here's how it looked combed.

Here's how it looked not combed, on a good day.

I actually have enjoyed Sam's long hair recently, but it was getting to be a bit high maintenance. I know it's kind of the "thing" right now to have the shaggy look (and I do believe we achieved it), but it was getting so long that it was puffy. Plus, now that it's getting warm out he would return home after playing at the park with a wet head.

So last Saturday I suggested to Mike that he take Sam for a little father/son outing. The thing is, I didn't really want him to go to the barber, particularly because they pretty much do one haircut. High and tight. And although it's a good haircut, if you don't want high and tight, it's what you get anyway. So I suggested going to Supercuts, thinking maybe if a "stylist" did his hair then he could still keep a little length but still not be so shaggy.

In the course of the conversation Sam piped up and said he wanted his hair to be like Daddy's. The fact is, I cut Mike's hair. I use clippers, and cut it about every 3 weeks. That's how short it is. So, we set up shop here in our living room to do a little father/son hair cutting.

I don't know if Sam fully considered what it meant to have hair like Daddy's. It's a pretty drastic change. But I hadn't thought of that until I made the first cut and handed Sam this:

He started to panic a little. But I couldn't leave him with a bald patch on the side of his head, so we assured him that it was going to be great and pressed on. He did fine after that.

In the end, we were all happy with the results.

I'm sad to see the long hair go, but as I told Sam, if he doesn't like it, the good thing is that hair grows. And come fall we'll probably let it grow again, but this is a great 'do for the summer.

Besides, it makes me a little nostalgic. It reminds me of the barely 3-year-old boy he was in this picture:

We seem to have a trend going in Godzwa family haircuts.

Now we've just got to do something about this:

On A Happier Note

2008-04-30T13:23:00.005-04:00

Nate is growing faster than I can keep up with. I don't know how much he now weighs, but he's in mostly 6-9 month clothing! He's all hands, too - if he's on my lap at the table he tries to grab for things. He's a happy little guy.

We started potty training Levi! OK, truth be told I started and then stopped. And I know this is a dangerous thing to do. I'm not sure exactly what derailed us, but we were off to a good start last week, and I plan to continue in the coming days. Levi kept talking about going to the potty several times a day, and in the course of pulling out warm weather clothes he found some Wiggles underpants. Prime opportunity, I thought. We spent two mornings with him in several pairs of Wiggles undies. He did ok, filling his little pot once or twice, but we've got a ways to go.

We tried to get Sam and Levi to model the Mexican shirts they wore to church last Sunday, courtesy of Uncle Dave and Aunt Kelly. Here's the best shot we got - doesn't exactly showcase the shirts, but nice to be in the picture with them. :)

If Mom's Not Happy...

2008-04-30T12:57:00.004-04:00

Oh, boy, I think I've hit a wall.

With each of my babies I've come to a point when the sleep deprivation has taken all I can give, and I start to get a little, ahem, cranky. I think I'm there.

The process goes something like this:

Month 1: not bad... hard to get used to not sleeping as much, but hubby, family and friends provide tons of help so I get lots of naps.

Months 2-3: I get tired of going to bed at 8pm, wanting to do more with my life than feed, clothe, and wash other people. I am a little tired during different points of the day, but after the kids are in bed I get my second wind and stay up too late. (A friend has coined the term "late-night internet obsession".) I get less sleep, but hey, soon we'll get into a groove and it won't last that long, right?

Month 4-5: I stop getting that second wind in the evening. I fall asleep reading distant friends' blog posts at 9pm. I am super cranky in the morning. I am desperate for sleep.

And here we are. This morning was particularly trying, since I had gone to bed relatively early with hopes of a good rest, but I saw every hour of the night on the clock. And then Sam and Levi were up at 5:15.

And here's the kicker: when Mom's not happy, nobody's happy, which makes Mom even less happy. And a lot more cranky.

For whatever reason (possibly something to do with their relatively patient mother snapping their heads off) both Sam and Levi decide to join in the game. Here is an example of some of the shenanigans that took place in our house this morning before 8am:

I didn't think to take the picture until after I had washed his arms and face, which were also covered in hieroglyphics.

But here's the good news: We are taking steps towards normalcy. We have begun teaching Nate to fall asleep in his crib, which is going really well. He is also widening the times between nighttime feedings. We're getting there, and it can't come soon enough. :)

Oh, and Mike and I are going out on a real date tomorrow night!

Thoughts About God

2008-04-25T07:21:00.003-04:00

Sam: Did God make bears?

Me: Yes. (Recently bears represent all that is dangerous to Sam.)

Sam: Then he must be a little bit bad.

*********************

Sam: How can God never get tired?

Me: Explain about how we live in human bodies, that they get tired. Explain that God isn't limited by a body like ours. Talk about creation, what He made on each day, and that God rested on the 7th day.

Sam: What did he do on the eighth day?

Happy Birthday, Hon

2008-04-22T12:47:00.006-04:00

I have the best husband in the world.

What, you don't believe me? Well, let me just prove it to you: Mike is a fantastic father, minister, and friend. He strives to live life in an honest way. He is disciplined, evidenced by the 7 marathons he has run, each of which took 4 months to train for. He's a romantic, which I and my practical self need to learn to appreciate more. He's smart, and enjoys a friendly theological debate for the sake of hashing out scriptural understanding. He is one of the most loyal people I know, not only to me and our kids, but to his extended family, to his calling, to his friends, to his colleagues, and to his ideals. And to his coffee.

And today is his birthday. Yay! Yesterday, he received his "big" present in the mail: a Nesco coffee roaster, complete with a catalytic converter so that the roasting would not burn down our apartment building. In fact, it doesn't even set off our smoke alarm. It does, however, take him up a notch in his coffee snobbery. So far I've had one cup, and it's yummy.

But he hasn't been able to try it out more than once because he got on a plane this morning to go a visit his dad, who is in the hospital because of a heart attack that took place on Sunday night. Although the doctors have confirmed that the damage his heart sustained was mild and blockage is not bad, Mike is going to keep him company as he recuperates, and just because he is his dad.

And the ironic part is, today is also his dad's birthday! So, father and son get to spend their birthdays together, something they haven't done in probably 20 years.

Mike, we miss spending your birthday with you, but we'll celebrate when you're home. Thanks for being my Family Man. I love you!

Inspired

2008-04-19T21:50:00.007-04:00

Lately I've been feeling a bit inspired when I have a camera in my hand. Part of it is that my kids are so enchanting. Yeah, I'm their mom, and of course I think that. But I'm also keenly aware of how fast this whole baby stage goes, so I'm probably trying to capture the present so that I can revisit it when I'm actually getting a full night's sleep.

I've also been inspired by some creative bloggers, and one in particular is the Pioneer Woman. She's got these great pictures and though she admits to doctoring them with Photoshop, they are amazing.

So I've been keeping my camera on the kitchen counter and grab it throughout the day. When we go to the park, the camera comes with us. My first goal was to just take more pictures. Here are some of my favorites.

Sam and his friend E were gardening at the little plot next to the park. They spent an hour picking the weeds!

Here's a nice smile from Nate:

Sam started t-ball this past Friday. He was so excited, and it made for a great photo op, too! Not only did I capture him making memories of his first t-ball experience, but some of his best friends from school were there, too.

Levi even got in on the action. He's covering 2nd base. :)

So after experimenting with everyday candid shots, I decided to pull out all the stops and create a photographer's canvas. We have great natural light that comes through our windows and into our play area during the middle of the day, so I draped a white sheet over the gingham couch and - voila - I had a studio. I did this about a year and a half ago and got great results.

Here are some of my favorites:

I really do love all of these. But this one is my day's masterpiece. I'm going to call it "Saturday Morning". Or maybe "Hair that Defies Gravity".

Lovers and Haters

2008-04-16T22:13:00.004-04:00

Four years old must be the age of extremes. They loooove things; they hate things. Happiness brings a "yessssssssss". Sam feels things so passionately these days.

Some examples:

As I've mentioned before, he just can't get over how cute Nate is. Today we were in the car and I heard him say, "You're so cute. Nate, you're my best friend ever."
Last week there was no school in observance of Emancipation Day. We stayed home so that Nate could nap and I could get some things done around the house. Sam and Levi had fun playing all morning, and when Levi and Nate were both down for a nap I told Sam I needed some quiet time. He responded, "But I need some Mommy time." So we sat and talked a little, and he told me about how he missed his friends from school. Then we started talking his friends pets, about dogs and cats, which resulted in going through my old photo album so that he could see pictures of my childhood pets and friends... I still got my quiet time, but I couldn't resist such a sweet request for "Mommy time", especially when I can see in the not-so-distant future that he won't want me around so much.

Sam hears these new words used, and is struggling to figure out what is appropriate. Sometimes he comes right out and asks:

He told me today, "Geneva said 'I hate you' to someone." We talked about it, about why she said it (the person in question had hit her) and how that might have made him feel. I love that he talks to me about these things, and that I can be involved in the way he processes these experiences.
He also tries words and phrases without asking first. One example: stinky-poop-butt. This one got the kibosh. No, I'm not in denial that I have a house-full of boys and that Nate will likely be saying phrases like this before he turns 2, but I'll control it as long as I can.

And then there are the times when he just takes an outside concept and logically and thoughtfully applies it to himself:

Last week we went to Chi Alpha's water baptism. Before we went Sam asked, "Why does Daddy baptize people?" We've talked about this before, so I reminded him that it is the way people show that they love Jesus. His thoughtful response: "Well, I guess I should do that too, then."

My little Two-Year-Old

2008-04-15T13:19:00.017-04:00

Levi turned two last week! And we knew it right from the start. Not that I really like the term "terrible twos"... It's just that he has, well, entered some new stages and these things seem to be manifesting themselves just as his third year has begun...

Let's start at the beginning.

We decided to keep the festivities a family event, since Levi doesn't particularly have any playmates yet and because he usually cries for the first 20 min. of any guest's visit. (He has a terrible case of stranger anxiety right now.)

I decided to go very kid-friendly and served hot dogs, fries and fruit salad which were enjoyed by all, especially Sam and Levi!

After the yummy meal, we brought out the cake and candles. Levi was very impressed with the candles but didn't quite understand how to blow them out. Sam and I helped.

Levi has entered a stage where he doesn't like to touch or even look at anything gooey. This includes play-do, mashed potatoes, and sadly, frosting. So he happily ate one orange off the top of the cake, but the next one had been adulterated by frosting and he just couldn't stand to even sit at the table after that.

The rest of us enjoyed it immensely - "Pig-Pickin' Cake". It was very yummy.

Having a 2-year-old birthday party is a hoot, because they just haven't been around long enough to know what happens at a birthday party! So next we introduced him to the concept of presents (he didn't seem to recall his Christmas experience). First he unwrapped the farm playset. We played with that awhile.

Next came a Sandra Boynton board book. We had to convince him to take a minute break from the farm toys to take a look.

BUT, then came the Mother of All Birthday Gifts, sent in the mail from Nana and PawPaw... The Big Red Car.

This car is equipped with the 4 Wiggles: Greg, Murry, Jeff and Anthony. Not only is it a car with the Wiggles, but give the men a push on their heads and the car takes off down the hallway to the tune of "Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car."

Levi is obsessed with this song. Now he is obsessed with the car. He played...

... And played...

... And played with this thing.
After playing with it for about a half an hour, the batteries started to go. The next morning I changed them. By 11am, the Wiggles couldn't get through the whole song anymore. This is because it was played with nonstop for 4 hours!

A week later, it remains the toy of choice in our home. Levi wakes up saying "Toot Toot Chugga?" Sometimes, when we leave the house, he says, "Bye bye, Toot Toot Chugga" and kisses the men on their little heads.

Two. It is the best and the worst - a singing, cheerful, affectionate Levi or a tantrum-throwing, screaming, spitting Levi. But none of that lasts long, and he breaks my heart every day with his sweetness and makes me laugh with his antics. In fact, the worst is almost endearing, because I know that he will grow out of it so quickly, as quickly as he'll grow out of some of the sweetness. But certainly he won't outgrow it all.

I knew motherhood would make me a better minister. :)

2008-04-01T22:07:00.001-04:00

“An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.” ~ Spanish Proverb

Spring Break's over!

2008-03-30T16:03:00.003-04:00

So this week was Sam's spring break. And what was the highlight? Um, let's see... was it the trip to Trader Joe's, or all the PBS Sam got to watch? Yeah, this year was not stellar as far as spring breaks go.

Next year, though, has promise. Sam has declared that he is going to Mexico with his daddy. And I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to get myself down there, too. :)

But back to spring break... it wasn't bad, really, to have all three kids home all week. The hard part is that it's not easy to get out of the house these days. Nate takes two naps, and his awake time of the day is usually during Levi's nap. So I tried to get out, but it didn't happen until after 3pm each day. This made for several days of not getting out of our pajamas until lunchtime or slightly before, and a 4 year old who was bouncing off the walls by the time we left the apartment.

We did, however, get in some good game-playing time, and I've realized that Sam has truly entered boyhood. The amount of thought and words spent on death, guns, shooting, and poop was surprising. The energy in his little body amazes me! And this scares me, because I realize that in 4 short years I'll have 3 of them. Full-fledged boys, that is. Not sure apartment living is going to do it for us by then.

So about spring break... I realized that spring break is great practice for summer. I am looking forward to it, but my conclusion is that I need a plan. Here are some of my ideas:

an outing planned each day, even if it's just to the park
take the boys out for a short walk before Nate's morning nap
schedule time to play with each child (i.e. while I play with Levi, Sam can play computer games; while Levi naps I'll play with Sam)
schedule mommy time - i.e. while the babies nap, Sam needs to find something to do by himself for half an hour or so so that I can veg for a few minutes.
have a list of special activities I can do with the boys that are a bit novel for them: try a new food (artichoke?), plant a seed and watch it grow each day, etc.
cook with them
check out classes with DC rec centers - they have options for preschoolers like gymnastics, swimming, art and music
schedule play dates

I'd love some more ideas, especially activities that we can do at home during Nate's many naps. Feel free to leave me some in the comments! :)

2008-03-29T21:44:00.006-04:00

Mike took Sam bowling with him tonight. They went with several students from AU, and just got home not long ago. While they were gone, I of course stayed home with Levi and Nate. Nate napped on and off until he went to bed, so I had lots of one-on-one time with Levi. We played with balls and cars, had dinner, and then I let him take a shower.

(Sounds bizarre, I know. But since they've been congested the past week we started letting Sam and Levi play in the shower stall in our master bathroom, complete with a bucket and cups. It has been a big help with both the congestion as well as the doldrums.)

I was a little concerned as I put him to bed that he wouldn't cooperate without Sam and Daddy there during our little routine. But instead, he was more into the book reading, and when it came time for songs and prayer he just cuddled up in my arms and relished in it.

When Mike and Sam got home around 9 (! - so late for Sam!) Sam had obviously had a blast. He was sleepy and smiley. I asked him if he liked hanging out with the students. He looked at Mike and said, "I like hanging out with YOU!"

Oh, to give them the one-on-one attention they crave every day.

Easter Morn

2008-03-23T15:31:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately we didn't make it to church this morning. All the boys are in the first few days of a cold, and Levi's nose is particularly runny. So we made the most of it and had Easter "church" at home.

We told the kids the story of Easter using the Resurrection Eggs from Family Life. Sam loves this activity, and Levi ran around saying "Eggs! Eggs!" We sang a couple of songs, then made "resurrection rolls" together - a really fun little activity where you put a marshmallow in the middle of a Pillsbury Crescent roll, bake it and find when it's done that it is hollow - just like the empty tomb.

After everyone took naps in the afternoon, we went to have dinner with our small group, which was a blast!

On Saturday, while my home was being cleaned :), Mike took Sam and Levi to our church's Eggstravaganza. Sam came home with a bucketful o' eggs and candy!

Extreme Home Makeover, Chi Alpha Style

2008-03-23T15:16:00.002-04:00

OK, so they didn't exactly knock down our apartment building and then build a huge, sparkling home with Sears appliances in it's place. But yesterday I was extremely blessed by a team of 8 Chi Alphans from New Orleans who were here during their spring break to serve our campus. They were headed home in the afternoon, but before they left they came to our home and cleaned it from top to bottom.

I am someone who thoroughly enjoys a clean home; at the same time, it's not a higher priority than, say, eating a meal that didn't originate in my freezer or changing my baby's diapers. So the cleaning really hasn't happened so much since Nate has been born.

Many, many thanks to Jenn, Matt and the students of NOXA!

I Can't Resist A Naked Baby

2008-03-23T14:47:00.003-04:00

What a cutie! Nate is 3 months old, weighing in at 14 pounds these days.

He's already starting to play with toys!
My two babies, but not for long... Levi will turn two on April 8th.
Another picture of two babes. ;)

Daddy's Home!

2008-03-23T13:59:00.003-04:00

After a week in Mexico and a week of crazy activities on campus, Daddy is finally ours for a few days!

Sam, Levi and I made this sign a week ago for Mike's arrival home from taking 9 AU Chi Alpha students to Mexico. (In the process we had a balloon party. ) They gave their spring break to help a Mexican church dig a new foundation for part of their church building and share with them what Jesus has done in their lives.

Mike had a day off, then jumped back into things on campus with the arrival of Holy week. We didn't see much of him until Friday evening.

Thankfully, he's past the busiest time of the semester. He'll still have quite a few evening and weekend commitments during the month of April, but at least he can take a day off here and there. We sure do notice his absence when he's gone - Mommy just doesn't make the same wrestling partner.

Glad to have you home, Babe!

Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-20T22:46:00.003-04:00

When I picked Sam up from school, it became apparent to us parents that the class had it's second party of the week today: an easter egg hunt. (The first being Monday, St. Patty's Day. See lovely picture.) Oh, the sugar.

At home, I asked him how his day was. His respose:

"It was going slow. It was as slow as a ... a toad."

I don't think he's ever encountered a toad. But it was hard to wait for that egg hunt!

"Just a sec... Let me take this call."

2008-03-14T21:48:00.003-04:00

Bugged by Bugs

2008-03-14T21:27:00.005-04:00

A few nights ago when I was putting Sam and Levi to bed, Sam looked up from his pillow and spotted a small spider on the ceiling. At first I tried to help him forget about it and told him what I was always told: spiders are our friends. They eat all the other bugs. He wasn't buying it.

So, I asked him if I should kill it. He said yes, so I went and retrieved the broom and a tissue, and got the job done.

Sam: "Is it dead?"

Me: "Yep. Dead and gone."

And with that, Sam burst into tears. "I didn't really want him to die!" Oh, my sensitive boy.

The next morning he discovered that there were two teeny tiny ants crawling on our heater, right next to his child-sized table where he eats his breakfast. His eyes were big as he reported their presence to me (he is a true city boy, not at all into bugs!). I asked him if we should kill them or just let them be. He decided to let them be and move his breakfast to the "big" table.

Yankee Indoctrination, Rockin' Preschoolers, and Adorably Short Arms

2008-03-06T14:24:00.006-05:00

Just a quick photo montage. Enjoy!

Boots!

2008-03-06T14:08:00.007-05:00

Levi found his boots in the bottom of the front closet yesterday. He was quite excited about them.
He was also having a great time with his set of wheels, which he rides around the apartment singing his version of the Wiggles' song "Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car".
Then he wanted to take my picture. Is this what he sees everytime I talk to him? Yikes!

Hand-Me-Downs

2008-02-23T23:24:00.005-05:00

We have been the lucky recipients of some fabulous hand-me-downs. When a box from cousin Micah comes full of clothes for Sam, he can't wait to see what's inside. A striped shirt? Rubber boots? A bucket hat? If I'm having trouble getting him to decide on something to wear in the morning, I can tell him, "How about this shirt? This used to be Christian's!" and he'll snap to attention and say, "Really? OK."

When Sam outgrows the clothes, they go in a crate marked with their size and wait in a closet for Levi. It's fun to tell Sam, "Look, you used to wear this shirt!" It's even more fun when we have a picture of him in a particular shirt that Levi now fits into.

Hand-me-downs are great. Cousins and friends lived life in these clothes and were thoughtful enough to pass them along to us. To me they are reminders of our loved ones. I'm sure at some point Sam will refuse to wear hand-me-downs, but for now he thinks they're pretty cool, too.

I have to admit, my favorite hand-me-downs have been those for Nate. I saved a handful of my favorite things from Sam and Levi's babyhoods. But since he was a winter baby and the other two were born in warmer months, we needed a few things. Some contributions from new friends in the neighborhood, and these meant a lot because of what they represented: physical proof of new friendships.

But a whole lot of other items were given by my friend Megan. Meg was my best friend in high school, but we also attended elementary school together. She was my maid-of-honor, and as adults we have found ourselves living in the same city, 6 hours from where we grew up. She now has 3 boys as well, her youngest is about 8 months older than Nate.

So last November, when I went out to breakfast with Meg and another childhood friend, Brenda, she gave me 3 large bags full of baby boy clothes.

Now, Brenda, who I went to preschool with and who was also a best friend and a bridesmaid in my wedding and also moved to the area after college, is pregnant with her first. She is due in June with a boy. So when I saw her today, I gave her the first bag of Nate's hand-me-downs.

If you had told us in high school that our children would share clothing, we would have laughed at you. It's so good to have life-long friends.

And now, just for fun, can you tell who's who?

Nate is on the top, Sam in on the bottom!

And another...

Sam's on the top, Levi on the bottom.

Nurturing

2008-02-19T12:59:00.007-05:00

"...our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants..."

Psalm 144:12

Things in the Godzwa household are still a little chaotic. They would be in yours too, if you hadn't done any sort of filing or organizing since before Christmas, and you had 2 little munchkins running around the house disorganizing things every day since then. I'm still in my "fourth trimester", those 3 months post-partum when baby is not exactly on a schedule and mom's body is still adjusting from the experience of pregnancy and childbirth, so I'm giving myself a break.

A friend gave me a framed piece of artwork that contains the above verse. I was thinking about it today, and it's true. Although our home is a bit of a mess right now, my sons are well-nurtured. They are all well-fed (yes, even Levi!), clothed, and loved. They are growing, healthy, and sweet as can be (most of the time).

But my plants... well, let's just say they can't compare. I decided last spring to add a few plants to my living room to soften things up, and bravely chose something other than philodendron (the only houseplant I've been able to keep alive for any length of time). My problem is that I water my plants when they look like they need it... yeah, that's usually when it's too late. I had been doing well, though - only one of five bit the dust about two months ago.

But now that I have another human mouth to feed (and bathe, and put to sleep...), my plants have been neglected a few too many times. I'm glad they don't have feelings, or they'd all end up in counseling! We'll see how long they can hold out.

On a different note, Levi and Sam are both sporting war wounds this week. (Are they really being well-nurtured, you ask?) Levi took a tumble down some concrete steps when we were on campus this past weekend. He literally did a summersalt and planted his face! Oh, his tears and my panic! But within two minutes he was fine and so was I.

And Sam had a toussle with his friend who was over yesterday. There was something about them both wanting to play with the guitar and whose turn it was, and then suddenly Sam's cheek was bleeding. This happened within the first 10 minutes of the playdate! But for the next 3 hours the boys played happily together.

But their wounds make me feel oddly proud - I have boys! They are sweet and wonderful, but they also have tons of energy which I sometimes despise, only because I am sleep deprived and don't have a back yard to send them to. A friend asked me the other day if I've come to terms with having 3 boys. The truth is, I don't know what it's like to have a child who wants to do crafts, sit and read books or put together puzzles. Sure, my kids will do these things, but only when I initiate it, and not for very long. Usually I am trying to keep them from jumping on the couch or "playing the drums" too loudly.

And now, just for fun, a few more pictures:

Sam can't stop saying, "Nate is soooo cute!"

My little mischief-maker

The littlest man, 9 weeks old

Misunderstandings

2008-02-06T13:34:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous entry, Sam has entered a whole new stage of understanding and logic, and it has made for some great conversations between us. It also makes for frequent misunderstandings.

For example, the other day Sam was doing something that he would soon need my help with. I knew Levi and Nate would be waking up from their naps momentarily, so in an effort to hurry Sam along I told him, "in a few moments I'm going to be occupied with two babies. Are you ready for my help yet?"

A few minutes later, as predicted, Levi woke up. I was in the middle of changing his diaper when Sam called in from another room, "Mommy, what's an octopi?"

"It is more than one octopus. Where did you hear it used?"

"You said you would be octopi with two babies."

Last week we were all in the car when I saw lights from emergency vehicles ahead. I mentioned it to Sam, thinking he would be interested in seeing police and firemen at work. As we got closer, I said, "I think there has been an accident." Sam responded, "Was it a pee pee accident?"

Then there are the larger issues, the life lessons that are so hard to comprehend. In school, Sam's class is learning about counting. They have been learning nubers up to 100 and practice counting as a class. So out of the blue the other day he asked me, "What is the last number?" I had no idea what he meant, but after talking about it a bit ("Is it 10? Is the last number 100? I think it is.") I explained that there is no last number, but that you could go on counting forever. This was unsatisfactory. Ah, the beginning of wrestling with the concept of eternity.

And speaking of eternity, there is that whole thing about death which he asks very pointed questions about since our fish, Yellow Fred was found belly-up. He has asked what happens when you die, and we've explained that if you are a friend of Jesus you will go to heaven. So the other day he said, "If you got eaten by a bear and died, how would you get to heaven? Would someone have to cut open the bear?" Good question. Do I really want to introduce him to the concept of a spirit vs. body, which I know will bring with it a whole slew of more hard questions? Whew, it's like Pandora's box!

Along a similar vein, we've talked a lot about how God makes each person. With Nate's arrival we've also talked about how a baby grows inside a mommy's tummy until it is born. So his question was, "How did God get inside your tummy to make me?"

Probably most 4 year olds ask similar questions, but I have to admit that his curiosity and effort to understand these grown-up concepts make me proud. I am challenged by it, yet I find the effort it takes me to answer his questions in ways that are helpful to him is a fantastic way to exercize my brain, which sometimes feels like it has lain dormant inside my head for the past few years.

Godzwa Look-alike Meter

2008-02-01T22:47:00.001-05:00

Just having a little fun after the kiddos are in bed. I should be there myself!

These are from Myheritage.com. Upload your picture to the "morph" section and it'll tell you what celebrities you look like. Mike and I had a good laugh doing ours!

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free family tree - Family pictures

Godzwa Look-alike Meter

2008-02-01T22:41:00.001-05:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Godzwa Look-alike Meter

2008-02-01T22:37:00.001-05:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb - Collage - Morph

Amazing Grace

2008-01-29T11:25:00.000-05:00

It's a little surreal having 3 kids. There aren't very many families with 3 young children in the city. I get all kinds of comments from strangers: "Wow, you've got your hands full!" "Oh wow, how do you do it?" And my personal favorite: "How many kids do you have?" (All comments I've received in elevators, haha!)

We are doing well, by God's grace, and I'm completely serious about that.

The past week has been pretty crazy. Sam starting coming down with something on Monday evening. Tuesday he stayed home from school, and Wednesday morning a trip to the doctor informed us that he had strep throat. He also had a cold/flu virus, which Levi caught on Thursday.

Amazingly and, again, by God's grace Levi didn't get strep! He is, however, still in the middle of a pretty nasty virus, complete with runny nose and fever. Mike helped when he could, but he had a very busy week, and was gone several evenings. I was on my own with the kids for most of my waking and sleeping hours from Monday to Saturday.

But before you feel sorry for me (am I too late?) I have to tell you that God is teaching me so much about grace, service, contentment and dependence on Him. I was able to keep my cool when there were particularly challenging times (try taking your sick 21 month old to get a strep culture with a crying infant whose only consolation is to be held). And thanks to the amazing properties of breast milk, Nate has stayed completely healthy throughout the whole ordeal.

Do you know that I haven't had to cook since his birth? My freezer is full and meals have been delivered by church and neighbor friends up through this week! From the food that we put in our mouths to my attitude, we are covered in God's grace, and life is good.

And now for an update on the kids...

Nate is growing by leaps and bounds. He is starting to smile and coo - so rewarding after 5 weeks of life. He does this thing that I think every newborn does where, when he wakes up he stretches his arms over his head with little fists - I love it because you can see how short a newborn's arms are, or how big their heads are! His wrists only reach the top of his head - too cute! But I digress.

Nate is 7 weeks old today, and you parents out there might recall Dr. Weissbluth, who in his book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child claims that fussiness in newborns increases until 7 weeks of age, when it then begins to taper off. I'm hoping that's true because the increase has surely happened. But I really can't complain, considering overall he is quite mild mannered and takes some stellar naps during the day. And hey, just look at that smile.

Levi is adjusting to big brotherhood, and as most adjustments go, its had its ups and downs. He has come to the realization that he has to share Mommy and Daddy with his new brother and sometimes shows his disdain. There has been a bit of mischief (sometimes involving toilet paper) but we've had most of our trouble in the area of eating. I've read that sometimes toddlers realize that a great way to get their parents' unbroken attention is to stop eating. Combine that with sickness, and he has the appetite of a small bird.

Thankfully, though, he doesn't seem to take out any frustration on Nate. Just the opposite - he is constantly trying to kiss and cuddle with him. Sam and Levi are regular playmates now. Last week while Sam was home from school, each day when I announced Levi's nap time Sam would say, "but then I'm not going to have anyone to play with!"

And Sam is doing great. He's becoming more responsible and loves it when we give him jobs around the house. He's come into an age where he's asking more questions and able to think more abstractly about people and events in life, and even things like death and God. Although it's a little intimidating, I thoroughly enjoy these conversations with him.

Don't get me wrong; Levi's mischief has given Sam the liberty to do some of the things that he never did as a toddler because we watched him too closely (you know, first-kid syndrome). Instead of keeping Levi from committing harmless acts of messiness, he joins right in. But as much as it aggravates me, I can hardly blame him - I'm sure I'd do the same thing if I was four.

So there you have it. I started this entry at 10am; it's now 6:49, and I'm about to put the kids to bed. All in a day!

The Newest Godzwa: Nathanael James

2008-01-11T12:59:00.000-05:00

I'd like to introduce you to our new son, Nathanael James! He was born a month ago today, December 11, 2007. Forgive me for the short post, but he is laying on my lap as I type. For all the details (yes, even more than you may be interested in) take a look at some of Mike's recent blog entries.

I'm happy to indulge you with some pictures, though!

First, the final belly picture taken the day before Nate's arrival. I was amazed at how big my belly actually got (as was just about everyone else)!

We chose the name Nathanael because it means "Gift of God". We weren't expecting him, but God was and knew he would be a blessing to us and to others. His middle name, James, is in honor of my dad.

He was 9 lbs., 22 inches long at birth!

What did you get for Christmas? We got a baby.

Nate loves his daddy!

Sam and Levi love "Baby Nate", and cover him with kisses every chance they get. Sam's most common phrase is "I love my baby brother", complete with a little pouty face. So sweet! I don't have any pictures of Levi with Nate, since I'm usually trying to make sure he doesn't sit on him, (we're still working on the meaning of "gentle").

Fun times at Nana and PawPaw's house for Christmas!

Sam, the happy Elf

And finally, taken today at one month old. At his 3 week checkup he was already over 10 lbs and has outgrown several sleepers. He's even starting to coo and smile!

Stay tuned for more details... I promise I'll post more often. :)

36 weeks

2007-11-14T22:10:00.000-05:00

Here's the latest belly picture. I always reach this point in pregnancy and just wonder, is it really possible that this belly could expand any more? But the possibility exists. I'm feeling good, though, much more comfortable than I expected at this point. As long as I get enough sleep and can put my feet up a couple of times a day life is good...

Only about a month to go! Now this little one just needs a name before he decides to come out. Any suggestions?

The Latest on Levi

2007-09-26T21:39:00.000-04:00

I always thought that the best thing about having more than one child would be watching their personalities develop. I'm realizing as Levi is approaching 18 months old how different he is from Sam.

Levi really likes cars. Sounds pretty normal for a little boy, right? But Sam never got into them. Levi will play for 20 minutes at time driving them around the apartment. He also likes dogs, something that Sam has NEVER liked.

Levi loves to draw. We have a magna-doodle and an aqua-doodle, both modern-day versions of a slate and chalk, and he can entertain himself with these for long periods of time.

He is also very friendly to strangers. Lately any time we are in public he waves with animation at strangers and gives a loud and sing-songy "Hi!" (which sounds like he has a southern accent - "Ha!"). Talk about getting some positive attention!

In all these things, Levi is very different from his brother. But one similarity Sam and Levi share is their love for music. Levi has begun to sing! Sure, he doesn't get the words, but he sings the tunes of "London Bridges", "Twinkle Twinkle" and - amazingly - "Blessed be the Name". I've been trying my hardest to get it on video, but every time I try he gets distracted and stops singing!

I'm finding that at 18 months, Levi goes from being cute and endearing to exasperating on the turn of a dime. Life is hard when you have uncontrollable impulses that get you in trouble! Yet at the same time he is so funny - coming up with new words to try out each day, mimicking our activities, and experimenting with anything he can get his hands on. Life is a classroom, and everything is new to him. Watching this process is so incredible!

Third Trimester, Here I Come

2007-09-26T21:24:00.000-04:00

Well, today I'm officially 29 weeks along, which is actually 2 weeks into the third and final trimester of this pregnancy. This is the latest belly pictures, taken at 28 weeks.

I find that, as a pregnant woman there are two things people say to me often:

1.) "How are you feeling?" This is a hard one for a couple of reasons. 50% of the time the most truthful answer is "lousy" or "big", but it's just not a great way to start a conversation, right? Although I do try to be honest. The other 50% of the time I truly feel great, and don't have much to say about it. At those times I feel more like I should be giving a more thorough report, haha! It's nice of people to ask, of course.

2.) "You're looking great!" (or some variation of this). Now, don't get me wrong, it's great to hear. But it's humorous and ironic to me that when I have gained many pounds over my usual weight and don't often feel like I look great, I'm told this almost daily. It is a blessing.

The Summer in Photos

2007-08-28T13:06:00.001-04:00

Sam and Mike took in a National's game on July 4th

The second week in July we had a family vacation at the Massanutten resort near Harrisonburg VA. Unfortunately we all got the Norovirus and were pretty sick for a few of the days, but we did get to catch some sun at the pool (see above) and do a little fishing trip (see below), among other activities.

Above: Levi and I at our church picnic/baptism.

Below: Sam has become a little fish this summer! He loves the water, and no longer needs his "floaties" (water wings).

Sam and friend Symon are putting on a concert!

Baby update

2007-08-28T12:56:00.001-04:00

I realize I've been slacking again with my blogging this summer, but I'm making up for it now that I have a little time on my hands. :) The big news about Baby Godzwa #3 is...

A BOY!

Yes, a third boy. And we couldn't be happier! Isn't he cute?

I/he have/has grown quite a bit in the past couple of months, too. Here are the belly picts:

At 20 weeks:

And at 25 weeks:

This shirt is not going to last me much longer!

His arrival should be sometime mid-December.

Snip, Snip

2007-08-28T12:27:00.000-04:00

These two little words can mean many things: i.e. coupon collecting, a haircut, assurance that one can no longer have children (all of these will be applied to our lives sometime in the not-too-distant future)... But this week the sound of snipping is the cutting of apron strings. My little baby boy has started school. Sigh.

I know, I know, it was bound to happen. But I think I struggled with it a little more than usual. Sam just turned 4, and yesterday was his first day in Pre-kindergarten. Now, preschool is one thing, but this is all day, every day, in the DC public school system! Do you see why I'm having feelings of guilt/anxiety/sadness/fear?

If that in itself is not self-explanatory enough, I can elaborate. So many horrible things could happen at school. He could get ignored. He could get sick. He could feel rejected by me. He could choke on the grapes I packed in his lunch. He could get in trouble with the teacher and hold a grudge against organized education for the rest of his childhood. Shall I go on?

OK, I know these things are the crazy, normally unspoken (and probably better off left that way) thoughts of a stay-at home mom sending her first son to school. I have to admit, though, that each of these scenarios crossed my mind in the past 72 hours. And then I laughed at myself.

Yesterday was his first day, and it was great. There has been so much anticipation of Pre-K that Sam has been talking about it all summer. When he woke up yesterday and I told him that today was his first day, he just lit up and simply said, "really?" The whole family made the trip to school, and although the drop-off scene was pretty chaotic (picture 20 families trying to check in, drop off the things from their school supply lists, keep track of their nervous pre-k-er, and hold it together themselves), he was in his element. In fact, I found that I was the one with a lump in my throat, which I bravely gulped down as I smiled and hugged him goodbye.

Happily, he had a great day, and this morning as he was getting dressed he said, "I LOVE school!" (Lets hope that lasts for the next 12-16 years. :) Not only that, but wow, am I amazed at how quiet my days are. I get so much done! So now, instead of just feeling sad and worried, I waffle between that and relishing in the gift of time and space I've been given. I'm really relishing, too, because come December, life will bring it's new twists and blessings.

Life is a Bowlful of Cherries...

2007-06-30T20:39:00.001-04:00

... and they are in season! Yum. I can't get enough.

On the Contrary, it's Quite Complimentary

2007-06-30T20:12:00.000-04:00

As I was in the shower the other day, Samuel came into the bathroom and asked me, "Mommy, are you not taking a shower?"

No, Sam hasn't picked up some sort of Elizabethan speech pattern. Since he turned 3 last summer, he has simply been in a stage of being contrary.

His being contrary has manifested itself in many ways over the year. Sometimes we can get him to do things by teasing him, saying he can't really do it. (smugly, "oh, I guess you're not putting on your pants because you don't know how.") Or we'll get him to eat his dinner by threatening to eat his ourselves. Hopefully we're not being too manipulative, since he knows we're teasing.

But the way he has been contrary lately is all about questions.
He'll ask me something
("Why can't we take the Corolla to the park instead of the van?")
and after I answer
("Because the air conditioner is broken in the Corolla")
he'll follow-up as if I had answered with the opposite response
("But why is the air conditioner not broken in the Corolla?").

What?!

I try my take each question seriously, even the hard and annoying ones. I try not to lie, even if I do with-hold information sometimes. But this drives me crazy! Thank God I have a sense of humor.

However, Sam has also recently become extremely complimentary. The other day I had my hair in a certain headband that he liked, and twice during the day Sam said to me, "Mommy, your hair is so pretty." I hadn't even washed it that day (which is why it was in the headband). He sent me the following email today with Mike's help:

Dear Mommy,

hhhghhhfgmhrhgghhefjhhhrehifeuugheruyfyjfkkjfyfgfgghhfhhgjgjjghgygjhjyhgrh
tryu8iru80fsouyhouhgtytguhotutyyyjjyjhhjhjhhmhh,h,,lvvipyqfPHTWH9G;HEH
OEGRHJPORGHJGJGJGKJGJLGHGIJFJGJGJGJGJGJYJGHHMMDKPKK.

Mommy, we love you!

Hfhghhgjhjfhkhkkhklhhjkjjjojgjhjphpjhkrgkgpkgkgn.

You are a great mommy!

Gfghghjfhfhghghjgbjjitkgjgjgjjhjhkbfgjgjjjjshghghgjhjhjhjhjhjhnvjkkkckckccckjb.

Hey, you are good, mommy.

Love n td ftdfgfggfofdhhgkbbhghghhlgkgnbhjjfjgjfhfffjfjtyorlggdsggagsbbmm

Sam

Makes your heart melt, doesn't it? Oh, well, at least it would if you were me.

Introducing Baby #3

2007-06-26T21:00:00.000-04:00

At the end of April we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we are expecting our third child! He or she is due mid-December. Here's a picture of our 14 week ultrasound:

(Baby's head is at the left.)

Since this is my last baby, I figured I'd document as much as I can. Here's the most current belly picture at 16 weeks:

Here is my 15 week picture when I was pregnant with Sam.

Aparently my abdominal muscles are not what they used to be! Sigh.

It's all worth it. Really. :)

Sam has lovingly named the baby girl (he insists its a girl!) "Egypt". He came up with that on his own.

For some reason, he thinks that instead of pink and blue, yellow is a boy's color and white is for girls. I asked him what he would do if the baby turns out to be a boy. He said, "I'll get lots of yellow things!"

Catching up

2007-06-26T20:13:00.000-04:00

I spent part of the morning organizing my pictures from the last few months. Here's a sample:

In April Mike and I had a chance to see the Nationals. It was a very cold, wet night, but we had babysitting and really great seats so there was no turning back. We had tons of fun!

Levi had his first birthday on Easter day, April 8.

On Mother's Day we took brunch to the grounds of the national cathedral. What a beautiful day!

My sweet boys

A chip off the old block -- Levi loves our espresso machine. Every time we use it he's right there wanting to be in the middle of things.

Another chip off the old block: Sam "leading worship" with Daddy.

Sam and his little friend Symon, ready to take on the summer!

Abandoned

2007-06-25T07:14:00.001-04:00

I'll admit it: I abandoned my blog. I actually had to get an email from blogger.com to find out my forgotten password!

When a friend mentioned that she always enjoyed my "quarterly blogs", (I had intended to write once a week or so) I realized I was at a point of decision. Would the blog live or die? Here I am, and the blog lives on!

A lot has happened in the past 4 months. Here are the details in brief:

March: Mike was gone for a week during spring break. We were having huge problems with Sam's preschool teacher, and decided to transfer him to another school. Along with it, Sam hit a really rough behavioral patch and parenting wasn't very fun.
April: Levi had his first birthday on the 8th! Sam's new preschool was light years better than the other location. Even better, he went back to being the happy little guy I've usually known him to be!
May: My period was late, and I shockingly realized that I was pregnant again! After a few weeks of getting used to the idea, we realized how happy we were about it.
June: We went through a few days of adjustment after preschool was over. Now we're enjoying our summer together. Levi has been completely weaned for about 2 weeks - yay! I'm 16 weeks pregnant, due mid December.

So those are the highlights. Look for more details and pictures to come. Or maybe I'll just start from here. Either way, I've come back to blogland.

For your entertainment

2007-02-26T23:08:00.000-05:00

We've been without a camera for the last several weeks since it was left behind during a trip and is "in the mail". Unfortunately I've missed capturing many cute moments, but here are a few of my favorites from my photo files to keep you entertained until it's arrival. Our family Christmas picture, taken by our neighbor and friend Julie. She was very patient -- I think this was picture number 18!
My mom and Levi on a visit she and Dad made last fall.
Future pyromaniac? Yikes!
More picts from the photo op turned bad.

More bathtime!

OCD?

2007-02-26T20:22:00.000-05:00

As a parent I have often come close to paranoia wondering if my kids are normal. For example, when Sam was a baby one of his eyes was very slightly crossed, but I worried that he would end up with a significant problem. Turned out to be nothing. When He was about a year old he was diagnosed with Eutricaria Pigmentosa, a rare skin disorder that causes periodic rashes and disappears before age 5. I was worried that it wouldn't disappear, that it would turn into some life-threatening disease. Again, nothing. Of course, I admit to spending hours googling topics such as these, only to scare myself silly and then realize how silly I really am being. So I now recognize these neurotic notions for what they are when they pop into my head and take them with a grain of salt.

This is why I can jokingly say that I wonder lately if both my boys don't have OCD, that is, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Here are a few evidences of Sam's:

As we daily make our walk through the hallways of our apartment building, through the parking garage and to our car, Sam has a certain ritual he must keep. He has to tap certain parts of the walls. He has to walk on the arrows painted on the floor of the parking garage. If he forgets to do any of these things, he has to run back to do it, and if I try to stop him from doing so he throws a fit!

After washing his hands in the bathroom sink, Sam has a little toy frog that fits perfectly into the cup he uses to rinse his mouth after brushing his teeth. The frog must go in the cup, and the cup must be filled to the top with water, "so the frog can have a bath, because he likes water". (See top picture).

He is obsessed with playing the drums, and more broadly, with playing any musical instrument he can get his hands on. ("Mom, we need to buy a squeeze-box!")

Levi has even shown a few tendencies:

He loves to flip his lips with his fingers, or with anything else he can hold in his hand. He'll have a toy in his hand, then use it to flip his lips. Lately he has taken to flipping my lips with his fingers while he nurses!

He loves to be naked. He's become quite adept at crawling, and after his bath does everything he can to escape before being clothed.

As of about a week ago, he's obsessed with eating cheerios.

Thankfully, I not only google but also read up on child development and talk to other moms, and I realize these things are *relatively* normal. Knowing this, I get a lot of good laughs when these things don't drive me crazy!

Rounding the corner

2007-02-03T22:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I think we've made it to potty-training success! Sam has gone to preschool for 2 weeks with his "big boy underpants" on without any accidents. He also hasn't had even a small accident in several days. He hasn't mastered nighttime or #2 yet, but it's clear that these things will come soon.

To celebrate, last Saturday we all went out to McDonald's for lunch and then to Child's Play Toy Store to pick up Sam's potty reward, a marble run.

Incidentally, ever since he's been on track with going to the potty a lot of his defiance has dissipated. It makes me wonder which came first -- did he decide to cooperate with potty training as well as other things in life, or did his success in potty training lead to feeling more grown-up, thus acting more grown-up? Any thoughts?

Drumming Discipleship

2007-01-22T20:20:00.000-05:00

The older brother passes on his drumming skills. Good stuff!

Pearly whites

2007-01-12T19:49:00.000-05:00

It's official: Levi has gone from gummy grin to toothy grin, although there are only two teeth as of yet and still plenty of gumminess. The funny thing is that the left top and left bottem came in together, so it's a little lop-sided! But very, very cute.

I snapped these pictures tonight during dinner. They aren't the best, but you might be able to make out the little nubs in the first two, and the third one is just for fun.

Independence All Around

2007-01-06T21:47:00.000-05:00

We seem to have hit a stride of independence in our household recently. I write this with fear of jinxing a good thing, but then I remembered that I'm not superstitious.

Sam is a wonderful little guy; however, this three-year-old thing has been tough on all of us. He tests limits and resents our involvement one minute, then throws a fit if we try to get him to do something "grown-up" (i.e. dressing himself, using the potty) the next.

Recently I've realized how important it is for him to feel like he has a job and feel valued. How human of him! I first noticed this a few weeks ago when I appointed him my helper in setting the table. He dutifully, with much self-importance put each napkin, spoon, knife and fork at each setting. Now if I start to do it without asking him he takes over.

Today, Mike and I were in the living room when we heard Sam from the other end of the apartment yelling, "I did it by myself! I did it by myself!" We went and discovered that he had discovered his need to pee, went to the bathroom, pulled down his pants and went, and flushed -- on his own!!! This truly is progress. I had to hold back the tears.

Since then he's gone on his own again and left the house in "big boy underpants", as well as used the restroom at Costco with Dad's help. I know, probably more than you want to know, but this is my life, my blog. :)

As far as Levi goes, our sleep-training definitely paid off! He sleeps now from 6pm until 4:30, then sleeps usually until at lest 7am if not longer. SUCH a relief!

So, as my kids find their own areas of independence, I also find mine. I guess that's what parenting is all about!

Movie Star Looks

2007-01-06T08:03:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Mike came out of the bedroom clean-shaven! After 9 years of having facial hair, usually in the form of a goatee, his face is as smooth as a baby's bum. It was a little freaky at first, but the more I see it, the better I like it. I think he looks a little like George Clooney. What do you think?

You can see Mike's thoughts on his blog.

Thank God for Nana and Papa

2006-12-24T15:20:00.000-05:00

On Thursday we piled the kids in the car, along with our suitcases, gifts, and one of our students, Liz, and drove to Salem, Virginia to be with my parents for Christmas. Now, as a mom of two little ones, this is my favorite kind of vacation: 5 adults on 2 kids in a big house with a yard! And these are no ordinary grown-ups -- Nana, Papa, and Liz are all really great with the kids and offer their child-care expertise freely.

Mike and I decided to take this opportunity to train Levi to sleep. At eight months he is not sleeping through the night, waking 3 times to be fed. Since, medically-speaking, he really doesn't need this and I am dying for some consolidated sleep, we've been working on breaking his bad habits and so far are making great progress! Additionally, we can sleep in each morning since the kids can be occupied by other adults. Amazing.

Sam also loves being here. He and Liz play "igloo" and other games that I'm not completely privy to, and Nana has a huge collection of toys and books that are new to him. But the highlight of the trip is the kid-sized drum set that Mom found at a local thrift store.

When we got home from church this morning, the first thing he wanted to do was play the drums. Levi was sleeping, so I set them up in the garage for Sam to play. The garage is right off the kitchen, so I left him in there and cracked the door. At one point I didn't hear the drums playing anymore, so I peaked through the crack. What I heard was Sam saying, "Dear God, thank you for everything at Nana and Papa's house. In Jesus' name, Amen." Later I asked him about it -- he said he was talking to all the people in the Garage Church. What an MK!

Is it sometimes yet?

2006-12-20T21:37:00.000-05:00

How do you explain the concept of time to a three year old who is stuck in an seemingly unending Christmas season? I'm trying my best, but each day I am bombarded with questions like the one above. The context sounds something like this.

Sam: Can I have some more candy?

Me: No, we only eat candy sometimes, because candy can make holes in our teeth.

Sam: Is it sometimes yet?

Another conversation that we've had regularly sounds something like this.

Me: Sam, guess what? Tomorrow we will go to Nana and Papa's house, and then a few days after that it will be Christmas!

Sam: Is is tomorrow?

Me: No, it's today.

Sam: But what happens if it IS tomorrow?

Or another.

Sam: (entering the living room) Are there presents under our tree yet?

Me: No, not yet. They won't be there until it's Christmas Day.

Sam: It's Christmas! (as in, he has declared it starts now)

On a different note, Sam was in the bathtub tonight. As he was playing with his toys, one of them sank to the bottom and he said, "this doesn't have good buoyancy." He gets buoyancy, but not time. I guess it's a slightly easier concept, but I still had to laugh!

Not professional, but close

2006-12-13T22:49:00.000-05:00

Normally, every 6 months or so I like to take Sam and Levi to a professional photography studio to get portraits taken. I always use coupons and take them to Sears or Target, pay about 13.99 and get a zillion photos in 7 different sizes. I figure it's a good way to record their development.

The only problem is that you really have to be lucky to have a good experience as well as a good outcome. The staff at these studios are usually underpaid and undertrained. They might not even like kids.

So, I thought I'd do a little experiment by making use of the great natural light in our living room and snap a few shots myself. On a whim one morning I threw a sheet over the sofa, put the boys in red, and started snapping shots. I thought several of them came out great!

I was so happy with these that I thought maybe I could improve on them another morning when I realized that Sam and Levi both had their blue pjs on.

I didn't get the same results. We decided to just stick with the red ones.

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-13T22:18:00.000-05:00

Our family is thoroughly into the holiday spirit! We've begun the shopping, put up our decorations, and started our advent calendar. We actually started all of this the day after Thanksgiving, beginning with the tree. What a great season -- we want to make it last as long as possible!

Out on a date

2006-12-13T22:10:00.000-05:00

No, unfortunately I'm not talking about us grown-ups. It's been a couple of weeks since Mike and I have been out on a date.

A few days ago I got out a crate of baby toys, trying to take inventory to figure out what I can give Levi for Christmas that will actually get played with. Sam, true to his 3-year-old self, had much more fun with the actual crate. He asked me to put Levi inside, and told me that they were going on a date in their airplane. You may be able to make out a yellow net between the two of them. It is for catching fish. Sounds like a fun date, huh?

I love seeing them play together, and it happens more each day. My frequent prayer is that they will become good friends.

Levi's developments

2006-11-26T22:16:00.000-05:00

Levi is now almost 8 months old. He has really become a little character, and is as cute as ever! He's been getting up on all fours for the past two months, but still gets around by scooching across the floor or rolling around. Lately, he's been doing a bit of an army crawl. He has also mastered sitting up! We're working on getting him to eat solid foods, but he's not all that interested. Look for the celebratory blog entry in the near future announcing his first night of sleeping through -- we've got a plan to reclaim our nights! We'll keep you posted...

Other Levi-isms:

Flipping his lips or tongue with his fingers
Babbling, specifically saying "mama" and "dada" -- I think he knows what he's saying, seriously! But then, I'm biased. :)
LOVES watching his big brother.
laughs at the drop of a hat, and is extremely ticklish!

Halloween

2006-11-26T22:13:00.000-05:00

Holidays get more fun every year! Last year was the first time to take Sam trick-or-treating, but he didn't wear his costume for more than a few seconds. I don't think we even got a picture of him in it! This year was completely different. He was Tigger, and not only did he help pick out the costume
but he wore it for 2 different parties! Here he is with most of his preschool class. Cute, huh?

Not much of a blogger...

2006-11-26T21:41:00.000-05:00

Well, this blog wasn't forgotten, but certainly hasn't been a priority of late. Obviously. But here I am to catch up! Truthfully, the start of the school year got the best of me, and it was enough to get Sam to preschool, keep the family dressed, fed, and rested, and clean the bathrooms every few weeks. I still probably average 6 hours of interrupted sleep per night, but we're working on that (the goal is to get Levi to sleep through the night by Christmas at the latest!).
In order to catch up, I thought I'd give you a few highlights.

September:
The word of the month was "preschool". Sam liked it at first, now he loves it. Miss Tony is his teacher's name - we weren't sure at first if both school and teacher were a good fit, but time has shown that Miss Tony usually knows what she's doing. Sam begins each day by coming through the door and yelling "Hi, Miss Tony!"

To comemorate fall, Sam and I made these cookies.

October:

What a beautiful month! We spent one morning at Oxon Hill farms. Sam and his little friend Symon don't look like the city boys they are, do they?!

It's about the process

2006-09-11T22:24:00.000-04:00

Mike had the day off today, so we decided to spend the morning at the National Zoo, which is only a few miles from our home. The crowds have thinned because of cool weather and school starting, and Sam and I have been talking all summer about going to see the "aminals".

Although we suggested to Sam that we start the morning by finding some monkeys, he was much more interested in the pizza playground. We stayed here for about 45 minutes, and he had a ball sliding down the cheese and jumping off the tomato. No problem, we thought; plenty of time to see the rest of the zoo.

From the playground we spent a brief time at the children's petting farm. Because of the lack of people, there wasn't much going on: a couple of resting cows and blank stares from a few donkeys and goats. The highlight for Sam, though, was the little sink for kids to wash their hands after petting the animals (which he didn't do!). This sink was so exciting we had a hard time getting him to leave.

Narrowly avoiding a meltdown, we finessed the situation and convinced him to walk into the main part of the zoo. We approached the lemur exhibit, complete with a huge waterfall. The lemurs were resting together on the far side of the exhibit, but that didn't matter because -- there was a waterfall!!

After spending several minutes watching the water fall, we proceeded to several other exhibits: the anteaters, maras, alligators, prairie dogs... Some of them mildly amusing to Sam, some of them boring him. But there were several things that did catch his attention: the drinking fountain, a row of benches, a pallet, a curb, a soda machine. It became obvious that the "aminals" were not the point of the zoo!

We did eventually make friends with an ape and a gibbon monkey, which Sam enjoyed. But the point is that he had fun in the process.

The men in my life

2006-09-11T22:21:00.000-04:00

Aren't they handsome?

Laughing and crying

2006-09-11T21:50:00.000-04:00

Levi has had an emotional couple of days...

When he was about 7 weeks old, he was hospitalized because he was vomiting bile. His vomiting stopped within several hours of starting and nothing ever came of it except an abnormal blood test that showed elevated liver function. Although he looks healthy and happy as ever, his pediatrition still wants to keep tabs on it and make sure it is nothing serious (which we are certainly thankful for!). This means more blood tests.

Unlike his big brother, Levi does cry when approached with a needle! He's had blood taken twice in the past two weeks, as well as 3 immunization shots. He probably feels like a pin cushion, and now recognizes lab techs for who they are and greets them with loud protest.

On the other hand, this kid is really starting to have a sense of humor! Yesterday we were driving to some friends' house, and he was shrieking and giggling away in his car seat. We're still not sure what was so funny.

But the most precious moment of my past week was a couple of days ago: I was putting him down for a nap and he was in a very light state of sleep, during which he usually has those wonderful "sleep smiles". Well, this time it was sleep giggles.

My big, big boy

2006-09-05T22:10:00.000-04:00

This week is a week at the dr.'s office. Trying to get ready for our parent-coop preschool which starts next Monday, Sam and I both have to have certain medical requirements met. We only found out a couple of weeks ago that our name had come up on the waiting list and that Sam would be able to start preschool this fall, so we had to hustle to make our dr's appointments. Not only do we both need physical exams, but also both need TB tests and lead-exposure testing.

Which brings me to this morning. Last week Sam had his check-up, but because of a cold he was getting over they postponed his bloodwork until today. This morning I explained to him what would happen: that there are "strings" in his arms called veins, and blood is inside them. That the "doctor" would put a rubberband around his arm, then he would feel a little pinch and they would take the blood out. He witnessed this wonderful process on Levi last week, who screamed bloody murder (no pun intended), so I wasn't sure how things would go down.

We arrived at the lab and Sam eagerly climbed up on the chair. The technician was friendly and tried to engage him in conversation, but Sam was interested in finding out what all the things on the counter were. I reminded him again what was going to happen. He said decidedly, "I don't cry anymore", and placed his arm on the armrest. The technician checked both arms for an appropriate vein, cleaned him off, stuck him, and drew his blood, all without a peep from Sam! It was over in less than a minute.

Funny thing is, I think the band-aid was the worst part of it for him! Unlike most 3 year olds, he does not like band-aids, because they hurt to take off. A band-aid with a cotton ball under it attached to the inside of your elbow is hard to ignore, so he was trying to take it off immediately. We removed it once we got to the car and he grimaced a bit. And that was the end of it. What a brave boy!

2006-09-02T23:20:00.000-04:00

August came and went in a whirlwind! We had a lot going on. Here are a few highlights:

A few weeks ago we took a trip to Erie. We had the chance to see Mike's mom, as well as his brother & family, Dave, Kelly & the kids. They were in Erie for only a week as they were making their transition from language school in Costa Rica to their missions position in Merida, Mexico. (I think we need to go and visit them there, no?) We also spent some time with Mike's dad. We had a great time.

Sam & Levi took their first bath together! I'd been waiting for this day since Levi's birth -- I just can't seem to keep them both clean if I have to bath them separately!

And here are my adorable boys. Just add a couple of halos, right? Actually, parenting these two has been quite a challenge in the past couple of weeks. Sam seems to be on a quest for independence. I regularly remind myself that having a child with a strong will is a good thing, that he will be a leader some day! But I'm weathering the storm well, and I think I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Levi's Firsts

2006-08-02T22:31:00.000-04:00

Levi’s had a big week. Yesterday he received his first haircut! His crazy ‘do had evolved from the newborn head of fuzz to a comb-over mullet with a few bald spots on the back and sides. (see pictures) I love the idea of letting a baby have the bohemian look, but it just didn’t seem to be working for him. The hair at the nape of his neck was longer than the collar of a t-shirt, and he had a little bit that would puff out over his ears. I just trimmed it up. What a relief!

Then, this afternoon I put him under his play gym so I could get a couple of things done. Next time I looked at him, and he had rolled over onto his stomach! I went over to him, and in another minute he rolled back onto his back. He must be a genius.

Earthly and Heavenly Fathers

2006-08-02T22:02:00.000-04:00

Last night when I was trying to get Sam back to sleep, he kept asking me where I was going when I left his room (i.e., to the living room, not the store). I was trying to reassure him that he would be fine (he's been saying, "is anything not going to happen? Will there not be any shadows?"), telling him that not only would I be home and Daddy would soon be home too, but that God is always with him, loves him and will take care of him. Then he said thoughtfully, "Are Daddy and God big?" I answered yes. Then he said, "Are Daddy and God grown-ups?" I had to answer yes to that one, too, although I'm not really sure what the answer is. Shows there's truth to the teaching that our earthly fathers help us understand our heavenly Father.

What they left out of the Bible

2006-08-02T21:47:00.000-04:00

Sam has a little friend named Symon whom he has played with since the two were babies. Symon and his mom, Anita, were over at our place the other day. Anita and I were commenting how great it is that we can just let them play for long periods without having to referee. I decided to go and check on them, since they were pretty quiet in Sam's room. I was amazed to find them sitting on Sam's big floor pillows, looking at a book together!

I asked Sam about this later.
Me: Sam, you and Symon were playing so nicely today. Did Symon read you some books?

Sam: Yes, and I read him a book about Jesus.

Me: Oh, what did Jesus do in the book?

Sam: Jesus was a tiny baby, and then he became a man.

Me: What did he do as a man?

Sam: (excitedly) He picked up a box. And in the box he got out lots of tiny balls. And he threw them at the couch.

Hmmm. Are there theological ramifications?

The little guys and me

2006-07-28T07:53:00.000-04:00

Introductions

2006-07-27T14:45:00.000-04:00

Beginnings are always a little awkward for me. Besides a few short newsletters here and there, I haven't written more than an email since my undergrad. As a phlegmatic-meloncholy, I'm definately not very ceremonial. I'm tempted to jump right into blogland and let you know what's on my mind today. But I figure I should at least catch everyone up on who's who: I am Jen, just turned 31, mom of Samuel, 3, and Levi, 3 months. I've been married to Mike, the most wonderful man I know, for 10 years. We live in Washington DC. Hopefully this blog will be a place to let you in on all the wonderful and crazy experiences that come from spending roughly 12 hours (sometimes more!) a day with little ones. One thing is for sure: my life is not boring. Hope my blog isn't!

2006-07-27T14:33:00.000-04:00

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