Last night at dinner, Tom was trying to convince Will to eat his food. Tom would dangle one piece of chicken over Natalie and say, "Here little Birdie! Here little Birdie!" and she would bite. Then he would dangle a piece of food over Will and say, "here little Froggie! Here little Froggie!" Will would grin and take a nibble. The whole meal went on this way. Then Will suggested he feed Tom.
"What kind of animal am I, Will?" asked Tom as Will dangled a piece of food over his head.
"You are a dolphin, daddy!"
"Oh, okay! So Natalie is a birdie, you are a froggie, and I am a dolphin! What is mommy?"
"Mommy is a WHALE!"
Out of the mouths of babes....
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Thursday, July 23, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Kitchen Remodeling
As many of you may have noticed, I have been slightly MIA lately. We moved into our house, and then a lot of things happened all at once. We started remodeling the house and in the middle of tearing down wallpaper in our dining room we received a call from my parents informing me of my brother-in-law's brain tumor.
David remains so amazingly positive, and I read his blog to be UPLIFTED which I think is incredible. www.jumpdavidjump.typepad.com summarizes his condition better than I ever could. He starts his treatment very soon if he has not already. Please keep him and my sister Amy in your prayers! Thank you.
So, the day before I left to go be with my sister and brother-in-law in Minnesota I found out some interesting news. Yes, baby number 3 is on the way and I am due February 16th. Thankfully, this wretched morning sickness did not kick in until I returned from Minnesota. I am just starting my 11th week. I have been so sick but am hoping it will start to get better soon, so that I can be a better mother again. Will's new favorite question is, "and you're gonna throw up?"
Now, in the midst of all this "throwing up" we have been remodeling our kitchen. I thought I would post some "before" and "during" pics. I will post "after" pics when it is completed.
Here is the kitchen before. We just finished tearing down the wallpaper, replacing all the appliances, replacing countertops and replacing the hardware. Yes, I helped.
Here's an upclose of the granite we chose. Chris Yaughn (Yaughn Countertops) did a great job with the counters. I could not be happier! You can see where we still need to tile the backsplash.
My new sink and faucet make me so happy.
It has been hard to steam down the wallpaper without bringing a little drywall with it. Oops.
It is coming together though and even though my walls look atrocious at the moment the kitchen is so much prettier already.
Here is my new stovetop range. We had to modify the cabinets to put this in. We have purchased a wine chiller to put in the hole where the old oven was.
Now I just can't wait for the painting to begin!
David remains so amazingly positive, and I read his blog to be UPLIFTED which I think is incredible. www.jumpdavidjump.typepad.com summarizes his condition better than I ever could. He starts his treatment very soon if he has not already. Please keep him and my sister Amy in your prayers! Thank you.
So, the day before I left to go be with my sister and brother-in-law in Minnesota I found out some interesting news. Yes, baby number 3 is on the way and I am due February 16th. Thankfully, this wretched morning sickness did not kick in until I returned from Minnesota. I am just starting my 11th week. I have been so sick but am hoping it will start to get better soon, so that I can be a better mother again. Will's new favorite question is, "and you're gonna throw up?"
Now, in the midst of all this "throwing up" we have been remodeling our kitchen. I thought I would post some "before" and "during" pics. I will post "after" pics when it is completed.
Here is the kitchen before. We just finished tearing down the wallpaper, replacing all the appliances, replacing countertops and replacing the hardware. Yes, I helped.
Here's an upclose of the granite we chose. Chris Yaughn (Yaughn Countertops) did a great job with the counters. I could not be happier! You can see where we still need to tile the backsplash.
My new sink and faucet make me so happy. 
It has been hard to steam down the wallpaper without bringing a little drywall with it. Oops.
It is coming together though and even though my walls look atrocious at the moment the kitchen is so much prettier already.
Here is my new stovetop range. We had to modify the cabinets to put this in. We have purchased a wine chiller to put in the hole where the old oven was.
Now I just can't wait for the painting to begin!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Too Smart
My little man Will turned THREE a few weeks ago. He literally found independence overnight. It is like he woke up on this third birthday and said, "from now on I will do EVERYTHING by myself. I am a big boy now!" My husband and I have had to rapidly adjust to this new found independence and help foster it. At first we resisted a little.
"Um, Will what are you doing with a chair pushed up to the refrigerator? The milk jug is too heavy for you!"
"You can't get ice by yourself! "
"Get down from that counter, you are going to fall."
But, I am happy to say we have figured out that it is best to just let him try and guide him along the way. Things also stay a lot more peaceful that way as he will fight us all the way if we try to hold him back.
Today, Will was resisting taking a nap. We had been back and forth about it and after 30 minutes of lying awake in his room, he came out and announced he needed to get a cup of water. I let him climb on the counter to get his own cup. I let him get his own ice. I helped lift him up so he could fill his cup with the filtered refrigerator water. Then, I gently tried to ease the lid onto his sippy cup so it wouldn't slop. Big mistake!
"Mommy!!!!! I want to do that by myself!!! I can put my own lid on!"
"I am sorry Will, I was just trying to help. Is there ANYTHING that you think you CAN'T do?" I asked, slightly exasperated.
He grinned a sheepish grin. "Yes, " he nodded. "I don't think I can TAKE MY NAP!"
Touche!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Standing Firm
I am sitting in the ICU waiting room at Mayo Clinic next to my little sister Amy who has been enduring the greatest trial life could offer. Her response to the information she has been handed continues to amaze me. Her faith transcends explanation. Holy is the Lord God Almighty.
David had his functional MRI done yesterday. The consult yesterday was in a nutshell this: it is an inoperable tumor because removal would cause him to lose all ability to speak or to understand speech and language. All of David's God-given talents lie in his communication and this has struck at the core of who he is. From the human perspective, it is not a good diagnosis to receive. He had a biopsy done this morning to find out if it is actually malignant and if it will respond to chemotherapy.
Amy has stood in the face of this and smiled. When the doctor was telling us that he was sorry he could not remove the tumor, she was staring into his eyes smiling. Seriously, SMILING??? He looked at her and said, "I don't want you to leave here with ANY misconceptions that what I am telling you is a good thing!" I think he was slightly frustrated by the fact she did not seem to hear anything he was telling us. The truth is, she was staring at him with her face as set as a flint. She believes without a shadow of a doubt that God can HEAL David if He decides to have mercy. She believes she has been called to stand firm and stand in the face of all poor prognoses and believe that God is greater than we can imagine. Medicine is good and useful, but God is above it all. We pray to God for His mercy, His compassion, and a LONG LIFE FOR DAVID. Praise you Jesus!! Please join us in praying for his recovery. And we will keep smiling for him.
David had his functional MRI done yesterday. The consult yesterday was in a nutshell this: it is an inoperable tumor because removal would cause him to lose all ability to speak or to understand speech and language. All of David's God-given talents lie in his communication and this has struck at the core of who he is. From the human perspective, it is not a good diagnosis to receive. He had a biopsy done this morning to find out if it is actually malignant and if it will respond to chemotherapy.
Amy has stood in the face of this and smiled. When the doctor was telling us that he was sorry he could not remove the tumor, she was staring into his eyes smiling. Seriously, SMILING??? He looked at her and said, "I don't want you to leave here with ANY misconceptions that what I am telling you is a good thing!" I think he was slightly frustrated by the fact she did not seem to hear anything he was telling us. The truth is, she was staring at him with her face as set as a flint. She believes without a shadow of a doubt that God can HEAL David if He decides to have mercy. She believes she has been called to stand firm and stand in the face of all poor prognoses and believe that God is greater than we can imagine. Medicine is good and useful, but God is above it all. We pray to God for His mercy, His compassion, and a LONG LIFE FOR DAVID. Praise you Jesus!! Please join us in praying for his recovery. And we will keep smiling for him.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Faint at Heart
Have you ever wished that reality was just really a bad dream?
I have been needing to write this post but am struggling with what to say. Here goes! I received a phone call on Sunday from my parents that went something like this, "Honey, we just wanted to tell you that David (my brother in-law) hit his head last night, passed out this morning at his conference in San Francisco and had a seizure. He is in the hospital at Stanford and they believe he has bleeding on his brain. Please pray for him." My thoughts were, okay, he'll be fine. But a seizure is never a good thing. Really, bleeding on his brain? I hope it's not a brain tumor.
The next morning my dad called, "Honey, I hate to tell you this but the MRI showed that David actually has a brain tumor." Not possible! He's 27!!!! Punched in the gut. My poor sister! What now????
Well, to summarize, NOW has included a flight from San Francisco to Minnesota where he'll be treated at Mayo Clinic. He meets with the neurosurgeon at 6:45 a.m. tomorrow morning and they will hopefully establish a treatment plan. I am planning to go be with my sister at some point...just waiting for direction on when is best.
The bottom line. Their faith in God has stayed so incredibly strong throughout all this that I am truly amazed by God's mercy and grace. I have felt so sad and worried and sick to my stomach, even though I truly do have peace that God is in control. I need prayer that I can rest in God and stay positive and strong for my sister. My sister's blog was so encouraging today. Check it out. www.blog.amywenzel.com.
Thanks for listening.
A
I have been needing to write this post but am struggling with what to say. Here goes! I received a phone call on Sunday from my parents that went something like this, "Honey, we just wanted to tell you that David (my brother in-law) hit his head last night, passed out this morning at his conference in San Francisco and had a seizure. He is in the hospital at Stanford and they believe he has bleeding on his brain. Please pray for him." My thoughts were, okay, he'll be fine. But a seizure is never a good thing. Really, bleeding on his brain? I hope it's not a brain tumor.
The next morning my dad called, "Honey, I hate to tell you this but the MRI showed that David actually has a brain tumor." Not possible! He's 27!!!! Punched in the gut. My poor sister! What now????
Well, to summarize, NOW has included a flight from San Francisco to Minnesota where he'll be treated at Mayo Clinic. He meets with the neurosurgeon at 6:45 a.m. tomorrow morning and they will hopefully establish a treatment plan. I am planning to go be with my sister at some point...just waiting for direction on when is best.
The bottom line. Their faith in God has stayed so incredibly strong throughout all this that I am truly amazed by God's mercy and grace. I have felt so sad and worried and sick to my stomach, even though I truly do have peace that God is in control. I need prayer that I can rest in God and stay positive and strong for my sister. My sister's blog was so encouraging today. Check it out. www.blog.amywenzel.com.
Thanks for listening.
A
Thursday, May 28, 2009
One Last Night
Tonight is the last night I will sleep in this house where I have spent the last 3 years with my babies. My first little duckling came to this house with us when he was 2 weeks old. My second little duckling came here from the hospital. It is the closing of another chapter. I know we are on to "bigger and better" but I cannot help but feel nostalgic about the memories that I hold so dear to my heart. This little rental house has been so good to us and it really did feel like home. I hope that the transition of making the new house our "home" will come easily. My children seem to not be having ANY difficulties with the new house.
"I don't want to leave the new house to go back to the old house mommy!"
"But Will, we need to go back there to sleep one more night..."
"But I can't mommy. I need to be at my NEW house!"
"Will, we have to go back to the old house to say goodbye and to collect our things. You don't want to leave all our belongings at the old house do you?"
"Okay, mommy. And then we will have the Monster Truck tomorrow that will take my bed to the new house? And I can take everything on the MONSTER truck?"
"yes, Will. We will have a monster truck tomorrow to take our things to our new house."
Moving truck, Monster truck....what's the difference?
"I don't want to leave the new house to go back to the old house mommy!"
"But Will, we need to go back there to sleep one more night..."
"But I can't mommy. I need to be at my NEW house!"
"Will, we have to go back to the old house to say goodbye and to collect our things. You don't want to leave all our belongings at the old house do you?"
"Okay, mommy. And then we will have the Monster Truck tomorrow that will take my bed to the new house? And I can take everything on the MONSTER truck?"
"yes, Will. We will have a monster truck tomorrow to take our things to our new house."
Moving truck, Monster truck....what's the difference?
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Gradually Moving
I have been sucked into the moving vaccuum. I wonder when if I will come out unscathed. I am not sure where we live right now and neither does my 2 year old. We are somewhere in the middle. Packing the current house, closing on the new house, painting rooms, and moving pieces of our current life into our new life has been all consuming.. I am really tired tonight after painting all day and all evening. What a fantastic workout! I think I may have burned off a few pounds of fat just today, which would be really exciting! Maybe I will burn a few more pounds off tomorrow. I swear, if I worked this physically hard everyday I would be as thin as Gwyneth Paltrow in no time!
The thought occurred to me today how "virtual" our life is in this day and age. Our lives just do not require the physical labor that our bodies were intended for, thus the majority of us are overweight or out of shape. Instead of getting a workout by milking Bessie, washing the laundry on a scrubbing board, kneading bread, planting a field, etc...we have to create exercises to "work us out" or hire a trainer to get us in shape. Then, because our husbands are so bored with lack of adventure, danger, threat, or conquest we sit down and watch shows such as"24" on television to simulate action packed adventure. It is kind of funny when you think about it. I do like my virtual reality that poses no real danger to me or my family. And I am not exactly ready to give up my washer or dryer just with the hopes of getting in shape. Although it could be a very successful diet plan for people! Maybe I could write a book. I guess I will just have to keep going to the gym a little longer.....AFTER the move.
The thought occurred to me today how "virtual" our life is in this day and age. Our lives just do not require the physical labor that our bodies were intended for, thus the majority of us are overweight or out of shape. Instead of getting a workout by milking Bessie, washing the laundry on a scrubbing board, kneading bread, planting a field, etc...we have to create exercises to "work us out" or hire a trainer to get us in shape. Then, because our husbands are so bored with lack of adventure, danger, threat, or conquest we sit down and watch shows such as"24" on television to simulate action packed adventure. It is kind of funny when you think about it. I do like my virtual reality that poses no real danger to me or my family. And I am not exactly ready to give up my washer or dryer just with the hopes of getting in shape. Although it could be a very successful diet plan for people! Maybe I could write a book. I guess I will just have to keep going to the gym a little longer.....AFTER the move.
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