5/14/2008
| Warm Weather Fun and Another Special Birthday! Posted by Katie on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 |
| Spring has really been in full force over here...or should I say summer? Last weekend it was so hot, it sure felt like summer! On Saturday we got out a brand new "kiddie pool" for the kids that was a gift from relatives. They all enjoyed it--Michael especially. Bethany tried to sit down several times, but never quite found the courage. So, she just waded. :) I'm sure she will get used to it fast. Bethany and Julie certainly got plenty wet, though, because a certain brother of theirs showed his enthusiasm for the water in rather extraverted ways! We tried to help him learn that he needs to do a little less violent splashing. :) On Sunday we went to a wedding shower for Tom's cousin (Julie and I went to it, actually, while Tom, Michael, and Bethany took some long walks). It was great to see some of our relatives that we haven't seen since Christmas! After the wedding shower, we wanted to help the kids get their wiggles out before the long drive home, so we took them to the beach (which wasn't too far away). We didn't get there till around 6:00 in the evening, but it was still quite warm outside--warm enough to get wet! Michael enjoyed the water, but his favorite part by far was running along the beach. Bethany liked the waves, but preferred to keep her sandals on and just look. :) Julie was quite content playing with the sand. We hated to go after about an hour, but we knew we had to get home. It was still so beautiful out when we left! Hooray for warm weather! On Monday (the 28th) we got to celebrate my sweet Tom's birthday! Michael kept on wishing him a happy birthday all throughout the day, which melted his heart. :) Happy birthday to the best husband and daddy in the world!! |
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| Bethany's 2nd Birthday Posted by Katie on Friday, April 11, 2008 |
| Our little Bethy turned two today! It has been such a joy to raise her and see her grow up these past two years. Bethy had a fun birthday playing outside, eating yummy food, and opening presents! It's hard to say which she enjoyed the most. :) |
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| Michael's 3rd Birthday Posted by Tom and Katie on Monday, April 07, 2008 |
| Today is Michael's 3rd birthday! It is hard to believe that he is such a big boy already! Here are some pictures of his special day. |
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| Michael's Musical Debut Posted by Tom on Saturday, April 05, 2008 |
| Click here for a video of Michael playing some music with two of his uncles. |
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| Several Crazy Weeks Posted by Katie on Wednesday, April 02, 2008 |
| The past few weeks have been crazy around here, and we feel like we barely have time to breathe! A few weeks ago my dad 's heart suddenly stopped while he was at work, and he went immediately into a coma. The paramedics shocked his heart seven times, and finally on the seventh time, it started pumping again. My dad was in a coma for over 24 hours. He finally came out of it just as we were starting to give up hope. What an exciting time when he started “coming back to life”!! We are praising the Lord for this miracle. My dad is doing quite well now, considering the circumstances, and he was actually able to come home last Friday! Before my dad came out of the coma, we threw a few clothes together and went over to my family's house, intending to spend a day or two with them. Those “one or two days” ended up to be over a week! I was hoping to be able to help my family while my mom was in the hospital with my dad. Rachel, Rebecca, and I planned the menus for the week, and Tom and I did a lot of the shopping. Even though I grew up with my family of eleven, I had almost forgotten how much they consume, now that I'm cooking for our smaller family. It was an interesting experience doing the grocery shopping for both of our families. Pushing one cart and pulling another did get me comments, I assure you. Though I went over to my family's house with many good intentions of fitting back into my “big sister” role and doing a lot of work, it ended up that they helped me more than I helped them! How wonderful it was to have so many willing babysitters around! I got to take naps, and sleep longer in the mornings! The kids loved all the activity and people around there, and Michael got in some good “guy time” with his uncles. Tom made the hour-long drive to work most of the days, and while he was out there, he picked up a lot more clothes from our house! While we were still staying at my family's house, I had fun helping to fix up my parents' room for my dad to come home to. The day that my dad came home (last Friday) was also the day that Tom left early in the morning to fly to his brother Ed's house for a visit. This trip had been planned quite some time before all this happened with my dad. The timing ended up working out fine, because we had been planning that the kids and I would stay with my family anyway, while Tom was gone. Tom had a wonderful time with his brother's family, and got to see how our little nephew Peter has grown! Since I had to miss seeing them, I asked Tom for all the details so I could feel like I was there, too. :) Now we are trying to get back to normal life. I don't think “normal” really describes us, though! We haven't finished getting settled back in, but I'm working on it. I am caught up on the laundry...well, I'm caught up on washing and drying it anyways. :) Folding laundry is one of my favorite jobs, and let's just say that I have a lot of it ahead of me right now! I modified the spring photo gallery, and added some new pictures at the end. |
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| Spring News Posted by Katie on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 |
| Spring is here, and our front yard planters are exploding with color. I got “spring fever” back in January, so we planted some flowers (annuals) then. I felt kind of foolish doing it so early, because I thought that they wouldn’t make it with the cold. Amazingly, they have done quite well, considering the disadvantages they had! Shortly after that, our perennials also started to give us a pretty display. Now Tom and I think we have the prettiest front yard on the block. :) Our backyard could use some help though...I’m having a hard time with a planter that is in almost full shade during a lot of the spring and summer, and is in full sun the rest of the year. The children are keeping us busier than ever! My “morning” sickness still has not gone away, though I thought it was starting to leave a few weeks ago. That makes everyday life harder, as I try to keep up with our fast-moving household. As if that wasn’t enough, I have bitten off the project of potty training both Michael and Bethany. We actually started months ago, but it got put on hold due to various things--Christmas, the new pregnancy, sickness, and my morning sickness. Finally, I decided we shouldn’t wait much longer. I would really like to only have two in diapers when the baby comes in September--not FOUR in diapers! It is my goal to complete the whole project before then. We’ll see if that actually happens! I’m not able to devote as much time to it as I’d like. Michael will be three next month, and Bethany will be two. We got to hear our new “Little Bean’s” heartbeat last week for the first time, which is always fun! For those who are interested, I’m in the first part of the second trimester. Though we still have quite a few months to go, I was thinking today that it is probably about time to do some more serious planning about the new bedroom situation. Michael has stayed in a crib till now, but we are hoping to get a “big boy bed” for him before the baby comes. We will probably get a twin bed instead of a toddler bed, because he wouldn’t be in a toddler bed for long! He is tall for his age. (According to the height calculator for children, Michael is projected to be 6’4” as an adult! We‘ll see!) And now for a quick run down of what we have each been up to lately. Tom: He has been working harder than ever when he gets home from work, because of my lack of energy due to morning sickness. He gets up early with the kids so that I can sleep later--he’s such a sweetie! In late February he had to go on a business trip. Thankfully, this doesn’t happen very often. We sure enjoy having him home! Katie: I think I already told enough about me. :) You don’t want to hear any more about my morning sickness, I’m sure! Michael: He has been adding new words to his vocabulary quite a bit lately! His recent fascinations are of “airpanes” and “Hecopters” (airplanes and helicopters). A few weeks ago, we went to a police station “open house” and he got to sit in one of the police helicopters. He’s been talking about them ever since. As always, he loves to copy Daddy. The other day they were sitting on the couch together, playing guitars (Michael was using mine). It was very sweet to see. :) Bethany: She is adding new words to her vocabulary, too. I have been enjoying the fact that her hair is finally long enough to put pigtails in! She dislikes having her hair done, but seems to enjoy wearing bows. However, the bows don’t stay in long, because she wants to take them out and hold them. When Daddy plays the guitar, she likes to pound on the piano to add to the “melodious noise”. :) Julie: She’s is our sweet little smiler! :) She is old enough now (7 months) that she can kind of entertain herself. She doesn’t like to be alone, and is much happier when she can sit near Michael and Bethany, and try to play with them. She can’t crawl yet, but is making advances in that direction. I’m hoping she is content with just staying in one place for a while yet. A crawling baby can get into an incredible amount of mischief! Just recently she started really enjoying solid food (finally). All she eats is applesauce and ground up pears at this point. :) |
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