My Beanstalk

Book Review: Indelible (A Novel)

2011-09-03T08:06:00.003-04:00

Trevor McDaniel, a former Olympian and local celebrity, spends his days leading adventure-seekers in a small Colorado town. But in his spare time, he and his business partner join local officials in extreme search and rescue cases. And when he rescues a small two year old boy from the jaws of a mountain lion, his world collides with the boys aunt and local artist, Natalie.

Trevor is accustomed to being rescuer and savior, and Natalie and her nephew Cody afford many opportunities to be just that. Indelible, by Kristen Heitzmann, is a story about gifts and curses, strengths and weakness. And they are hidden and found in surprising places as Trevor and Natalie form a strong bond entwined with chemistry.

Heitzmann creates characters and a story line that draw and compel the reader. Trevor and Natalie are complex people, who both have experienced personal tragedy and trials in their pasts; because of this, they they are drawn to each other and provide the healing and help that the other has been searching for.

That being said, I thought her writing style taxing and confusing at times; and I found myself re-reading sections because I didn't follow her train of thought. And I admit that after reading the first paragraph (below), I was set on my guard for a not-so-great read (and it reminded me of the website How to Write Badly Well).

A veined bolt of lightning sliced the ozone-scented sky as Trevor plunged down the craggy slope, dodging evergreen spires like slalom poles. Rocks and gravel spewed from his boots and caromed off the vertical pitch.

While I appreciate an extensive vocabulary, I also appreciate the words of Winston Churchill when he said, "Short words are the best, and old words when short are best of all."

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Hawai'i and Me

2011-08-20T15:19:00.004-04:00

Last week while in Michigan, we were excited to share our involvement with Antioch School Hawai'i with our church in Allen Park, Bethesda Baptist Church. Chris was able to provide a lot of details about the school and our part in it, and I shared a personal testimony of how God has been leading me and our family regarding Hawai'i. So, this is what I said, much of which I have written before in the few times I've blogged over the past year. I guess I just keep coming back to it because it's the core of what God has been doing in my life lately:

Jeremiah 29 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future."

As Chris will tell you, God began planting seeds of a vision for ministry in Hawaii in his mind and heart before we even met. And when he and I fell in love, well, sure, I would serve Jesus in Hawaii if that was what marrying him meant! But over the next 9 years as we moved around the Midwest and he went to graduate school, future plans were very unclear; and before I knew it, as far as I was concerned, life after Chris finished school involved him teaching theology at a seminary or college, and the closer to family the better. I was trying to live in the moment, enjoying our sweet boys and those early years of their lives, but ultimately, Chris' graduation symbolized a finish line of sorts; and we would cross it to move on to a more secure and stable life, with a house and a yard. And the closer to family the better.

But then we reached that "finish line," and what was on the other side of it was not what I expected. We were pretty discouraged last summer after some extensive job interviews left us emotionally exhausted when they unexpectedly came to dead ends. For the first time in my life, I had serious questions about God's role in our lives. I wondered if we had made a mistake somewhere along the way, or if we were simply another family affected by the poor economy and weak job market. Was this what God had in mind for us? God really used this time in both Chris' and my life to encourage us and bolster our faith in the Gospel. When we had doubts and fears, I remember asking these questions out loud and to Chris; and every time, we would remember the truths of Scripture: God has a plan for us. Each of the hairs of our head are numbered, and he knows what each day holds before it comes. He is not letting the cards fall where they may, but he is 100% for us! And no matter what jobs fall through, or any other problem we face, our biggest problem has already been solved, through Jesus, on the cross.

I believe now that God was using all of the uncertainty and disappointment of the last year to change me, preparing me for this opportunity to serve in Hawaii. He has revealed hidden idols in my heart - things that I counted so important that my happiness depended on them. He is showing me that only Jesus should hold that place. Everything else that I hold on to so tightly - even good things, blessings from God, like family and living nearby - will leave me disappointed.

One by one, God met each of our needs, big and small. But if I am honest with you, when he told me about his email exchange with a pastor in Hawai'i who was starting a church-based seminary, I MAYBE rolled my eyes a bit and held my breath, because I knew the man I was married to, and I was getting pretty comfortable in suburban Chicago now that Chris had a good full-time job and I had my minivan and grandparents a half-day's drive away.

As God started laying out the pieces for this new ministry in Hawaii, he also began working in my heart, patiently changing my desires and giving me a shared passion with Chris for this needy area of the US. After many years of transition and being at churches for only a few years at a time, we are so excited for the plans God has for our family in Hawai'i. I am thankful for this opportunity for Chris to use the training and gifts God has given him, and I am confident in God's plan for Chris & me, and Luke, Simon & Elliot.

If I could ask you to pray for us as we prepare for our Hawaiian adventure, I would ask you to remember 3 things:

1) Pray for us as a family. Growing up in church, I don't remember too many missionaries mentioning the stresses and challenges of ministry and the circumstances it entails. Let's just say, it's not always a healthy enhancement to your marriage! Chris and I don't have a perfect marriage, and our kids do not have perfect parents, and we do not have perfect children! Ask God to give us unity of spirit and a home that daily remembers the gospel.

2) Pray for us as we make the practical arrangements necessary for moving a family of five to Hawaii. It's not as simple as loading up the truck and hitting the highway, and we need wisdom for many details.

3) Finally, pray for the adjustment period after we move to Hawaii - both for us and for our families here in Michigan and Wisconsin. We are thankful for new friendships that we are already forming in Hawaii. But of course, there will be a time of adjustment, especially for the boys and me, as we get used to a new life in a new place, far from our family and friends.

Love the One You're With

2011-08-19T09:00:00.003-04:00

I read a thought-provoking article yesterday by Jeremy Pierre and was encouraged to love and appreciate my husband - everything about him, not just my "favorite" qualities.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

Loving the original requires lifelong adjustment on your part, and this deference is a key proof of the marital love that Christians are called to (Eph. 5:21-33). Don’t be discouraged when you don’t see eye-to-eye with your spouse. Where there is no disagreement, no annoyance, no resistance, there is no opportunity for sacrifice. If we love only what is pleasing to us in our spouse, we are loving only our preferences. We don’t need the gospel to do that.
We do need it to free us from our tendency to adjust one another constantly to our liking. Jesus came to serve an impulsive Peter, a distracted Martha, a dubious Thomas. And he came to serve a silly person like each one of us. And yes, Christ’s redemptive love changes us by degree, but this change is about conformity to righteousness, not conformity to personal preference.
So if your wife laughs too easily for your taste, love her for it. If she’s more pessimistic than you prefer, minister to her fears. If your husband is quieter in social gatherings than you’d like, be grateful for it. If he has more difficulty making plans than you think reasonable, come alongside happily. In all the little spousal resistances, celebrate the privilege of loving a person, not an image.

You can read the rest here.

If you're married and you don't absolutely love everything about your spouse, it would be worth your time to read it. If you're married, and you don't think you fit into that category, well, I think we'd all like to hear from you!

Book Review: More than a Game by Scott Lamb and Tim Ellsworth

2011-08-08T22:22:00.001-04:00

One of the biggest news stories in this year's baseball off-season was Albert Pujols. Would he or wouldn't he re-sign with the St. Louis Cardinals? Would he get $30 million per year? Would he sign a new contract before spring training began?

Shortly after all these questions were swirling, I read the recent biography of Pujols by Scott Lamb and Tim Ellsworth, More than a Game.

Lamb and Ellsworth open with Pujols stepping to the plate in September 2006. Although the Cardinals found themselves in preparing for the playoffs after a long divisional race, Pujols found time to mingle with the Cardinals' special guests that day. Many of them, like Pujols step-daughter, had Downs Syndrome. In a single day, Pujols managed to mingle with these special fans, who look forward to this trip to the ballpark all year. And by the way, he also managed to hit 3 home runs that day as well.

The opening to the book captures the tone quite well. Lamb and Ellsworth weave anecdotes from Pujols' herculean feats on the ball field with the story of his life and faith. Pujols' roots in the Dominican, his lightning quick journey through the Cardinals farm system, and his growth in faith helps set the discussion of Pujols' contract talks in their larger context. Pujols and his wife have start the Pujols Family Foundation, which gives millions each year to assist those with Downs Syndrome. Based on this book, Pujols appears to be the genuine article.

Earlier this summer, I read the biography of Stan Musial, who is probably the only Cardinal ranked ahead of Pujols on the pantheon of baseball greatness. Musial and Pujols share many traits: both were committed family men and both were "religious" by the general public. Because of this, the media considers them boring. However, there is something inspiring about a life committed to excellence, consistency, and devotion. In a culture where far too much attention is given to which athletes are dating which movie stars, Pujols and Musial give us great stories. Only God can know the hearts of these men, but my prayer is that our sons will emulate their devotion to excellence in whatever place they find themselves.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Breathe!

2011-08-01T17:18:00.002-04:00

This is what I had to tell myself when Luke asked me to tell him about the day he was born and the telling of such story led to his asking the dreaded question: How exactly did I come out? Um, say what???

This was followed by some very uncomfortable questions about the difference between boys and girls.

Breathe.

Hee, hee, whooooooo.

I explained to him about the stork, of course, but he didn't seem to buy it. (No, I did not actually tell him about a stork.)

Any suggestions? resources? experiences?

Seriously

2011-07-31T15:29:00.005-04:00

As in, I seriously want to start blogging regularly again!

Do I sound like a broken record? I'm sure I have written that in at least 2 previous blog posts. But I have a feeling that if you were a local friend of mine that I hang with regularly (some of you are!), you would think I sound like a broken record a lot. No one's sleeping well! Luke follows me around everywhere! My boys are crazy! Simon wakes up at the, er, CRACK of dawn! Elliot is such a brute! How come I can't keep track of anything?! My house is so small! And for the love, what are we doing?? These are the lyrics to the broken record of my life. But, they're not the only lyrics; maybe just the lyrics to the 3rd verse, that is usually more somber, problematic and frustrated, leading up to the final verse of joy and triumph.

I think that part of the reason why I haven't blogged regularly over the last year and a half is because during that time, Chris has been looking for a job. There have been times where he was interviewing for a job, we were flying to cities across the US (literally, we got to go to Seattle and Boston!), and I just didn't have the freedom to lay out all that was going on. I never thought so many doors would close upon us, so I was always kind of glad I didn't blog about what I thought was going to happen. Because, bottom line, not much that we thought would happen actually did. God does that sometimes.

I've mentioned this before, but 2010 was a rough year for our family. In it were some of the most challenging months Chris and I faced as a couple. At the end of the year, things started to calm down for us. God was faithful in providing for us, and Chris got a great job in the area. But things for the future were still not settled. We knew that we were not at the end of the path that God was leading us on since Chris finished grad school.

In October, Chris "randomly" connected with an Acts 29 pastor on Oahu. Chris has always had a "thing" for Hawai'i, and since before we were married he had desired to do ministry in this needy area of the US. But as he continued through seminary and graduate school, it was unclear how Hawai'i would fit into our future.

Well, things are clearing up. You can read about it here.

And here's to hoping you'll be hearing from My Beanstalk more often.

Never Say Never!

2011-01-21T22:48:00.002-05:00

Have you found yourself changed as a mom since that first time you snapped that teeny little bundle in the car seat at the hospital? Sure, now you can change a diaper in 10 seconds flat while avoiding pee spray AND singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. But, do you do things you thought you would never do? Here's some ways that I've changed as a mom.

I never thought I would have snot-nosed kids. I said this to a friendly stranger at Aldi yesterday. She was sweeting-talking Elliot, who was turning on the charm through a smile smothered in slimy boogers.
Parent Directed Feeding. :) Ah, Babywise; I pledged allegiance to you morning, noon and night during Luke's first year. With Simon, I turned to the Baby Whisperer for additional input and advice, but I ended up throwing both books out the window in frustration. And finally, with Elliot, I kissed some rules goodbye and rocked my baby until he wouldn't let me rock him anymore. Turns out, that was okay, because E was the sweetest and best baby ever and almost always did what Momma wanted him to!
Sleep. I used to get some; now I have changed and I do not! Ha. Not really. But when Luke was a baby and I was intoxicated by all things babywise and 7,10,1,4,7,10, I would not rest until I figured out exactly why Luke was waking up at night and what I should do about it. When he woke up, I would not nurse him right away; I would let him cry a bit, and even if I ended up feeding him, he usually would not wake up the next night. Fast forward 5 years, Elliot is a baby, sleeping a few feet away in my closet (yeah, my closet), and I would barely be fully conscious by the time I had a bottle in E's mouth. My point is, I didn't worry anymore about why he was waking up. I knew he would get over it and get good sleep again. And he did. I learned this primarily from Baby Simon. Dear Baby Simon, he just did not sleep through the night for a LONG time, hence the throwing the books out the window. I about drove myself and Chris to clinical insanity trying to figure that boy out. Finally I admitted that I wouldn't figure him out, that I would eventually sleep again, and that I would just be thankful for my sweet and healthy boy.
Baby Sign Language: Luke knew the signs for please, thank you, all done, and more. Simon knew please, kinda. Elliot rocks back and forth in his booster seat when he's ready to be done.

How have you changed as a mom? What's something you said you would never do, but now find yourself doing??

I know I have more examples of my own, but I'm too tired to think of them right now. And Elliot is crying and probably needs his Momma to rock him. He's getting some monster teeth in right now.

75% Off Paul Tripp DVD Set on Parenting

2011-01-17T11:21:00.003-05:00

This sale ends tomorrow. I just ordered it and am looking forward to watching it! I really like the books I've read by Paul Tripp. I'm sure this will be money well spent.

What a dirty, rotten trick to play . . .

2011-01-17T09:31:00.002-05:00

If you love to eat at Chick-fil-A, you HAVE to watch this video. It is so right on! It's the kind of song you listen to and say, "exactly!!!" after every line. My favorite part is when he sings about it being Sunday. When we lived in Louisville, I don't know HOW many times I said after church, "Let's go to Chick-fil-A!" Wait 10 seconds. "O no, it's SUNDAY!" :)

Well, much to my glee, a Chick-fil-A opened in Wheaton a few months ago! Unfortunately, it's on the other side of Wheaton so takes us about 15 minutes to get there. Fortunately though, it's on the other side of Wheaton, so takes us about 15 minutes to get there, thus we don't go every other day. We would surely be temped to do so if it were closer!

The Bruno van is beating a path to Chic-fil-A though. We went there on Simon's and Elliot's birthdays, went through the drive through several times, had a playdate with friends there, and just last week helped a friend celebrate her birthday there. (Chick-fil-A's not just for kids!) We got there around 1:00 and stayed until almost 4! We get our use of the play room, that's for sure! And I cannot say enough good things about the service at Chick-fil-A. The employees are so friendly and helpful and proactive. They make things so much easier for a mom who's there solo with her kids - getting your refills (or anything else you need), handing out balloons and stuffed cows left and right, etc.

Well, last week as we plodded back to our van, me carrying E and a million bags and Luke and Simon towing their balloons (plus some), we were all pretty tuckered out. Both of the van's side doors were open, and I was buckling E into his seat, while Simon sat next to him waiting for me to buckle him up. Then Simon cried out, "Where's my balloon!?!?!" I closed my eyes and said, "Lord have mercy!" and I looked up to the heavens, and there was Simon's dark blue balloon, blissfully floating to freedom. (Believe it or not, I don't think we've ever lost a balloon to the skies.)

I went around to Simon, and he had the most horrified, pitiful expression on his face. And then he proceeded to go into the most heartfelt, devastated cry EVER! O man, I was pulling all the tricks I could out of my hat. The balloon is dancing in the sky! It's having so much fun! You can have another balloon! We have extra!!! The balloon will see all of the other lost balloons in the sky, and they'll have lots of fun! I stopped just short of telling him that the balloon went to balloon heaven. I really don't know what came over me.

Well, I better run. Gotta warm up my singing voice. Kids, get in the van so we can go there today . . .

Life Happens. But I don't always blog about it.

2011-01-16T12:27:00.007-05:00

I said it a few times last year, "2010 was a year for the history books for the Bruno family!" It was just a tough year for us in a few different ways. There were some exciting developments that were happening, and I wanted to blog about it; but I wanted to wait until those developments solidified into reality. To my dismay however, those developments vaporized instead of solidified. 2010 held some dark days for Chris and me. We experienced disappointment, rejection, fear, uncertainty, hopelessness, sadness. I didn't really blog about all of that. I didn't really journal too much. I hope that I don't forget all of the amazing lessons we learned, the steadfast love and faithfulness God showed to us in unsurprising, small and inglorious ways.

I guess, in some ways, I don't regret not blogging throughout all that mud; because in the big scheme of things, I know that 2010 wasn't really about "all that mud." In between those days filled with tears and wringing hands and grasping out for God, were days of laughter, joy and amusement with our three precious boys. When we were wiping that mud off of our faces, Chris & I would remind each other that these problems, though real, weren't the biggest problem we had; our biggest problem has been solved in and through JESUS. And, not only did we have that sweetest of all blessings for our Rescuer, Comforter and Friend, but we had these 3 unbelievable blessings named Luke, Simon & Elliot. They were healthy, and this was something I honestly didn't take for granted. I had friends and knew people who did not have that blessing then and were living in a hospital having to watch their baby in pain and suffering. So, THAT was something I always thanked God for.

So, here is what's been up with our family over the last 12 months. It's been a wild ride!

January

Chris flew to Seattle, WA for a job interview. It went well! This job seemed fabulous.

February

I turned 29. The Seattle job moved forward in positive ways. Chris was wrapping things up @ Wheaton College Graduate School!

March

Chris defended his dissertation on the 17th! What a huge accomplishment. A few days later, Chris, Elliot & I flew to Seattle for more meetings. We even looked at a school for Luke (loved it!). Also, Chris came home with strep throat (didn't love that!).

April
The Seattle job vanished into thin air. We had become so emotionally invested. We were stunned and so disappointed.
May
Chris earned his PhD at Wheaton's commencement ceremony. I had looked forward to this day for so long. 9 years to be exact. :) Chris turned 30 a few weeks later. Meanwhile, Chris made a promising contact with a job in eastern Pennsylvania, and he and I flew out there at the end of the month. We had a great time; things were looking great! We were already seeing God's providence in shutting the door to Seattle.
June
Chris & I celebrated our 9th anniversary. A few days later, the PA job was off the table. We weren't so stunned, but still disappointed. And this time we were scared because that was the last job on the table. The last "no" had been said. This wasn't exactly how I pictured life after graduate school! This month, along with July, were rough. We soaked up God's Word and found great encouragement at our church and from friends and family.
July
Luke turned 6! How did that happen? Chris started to pull a few part-time employment opportunities together to make ends meet.
August
God provided several part time jobs for Chris, and he was pretty busy. I made plans for homeschooling Luke - bought curriculum, lesson plans, etc. Two weeks later, though, the Lord made a way for Luke to start kindergarten at the school of our dreams! He started one week late. School has been unbelievably helpful and positive for Luke. We are so thankful!
September
Life went on. We had drs. appointments and playdates and dinner with friends and school functions and a mouse in our house. (That kinda rocked our world for a little while.)
October
More of the same. Chris worked hard teaching 2 online classes for Liberty University, an evening Greek class at a seminary in NE Indiana plus other free-lance work. Luke, Simon & Elliot were Optimus Prime, Batman and a dinosaur for Halloween, respectively. In a whirlwind, most definitely through God's providence and a thoughtful friend, Chris got a full-time contracting job for James MacDonald, who is the senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel. This job began as an 8-10 month commitment. We were so thankful for this provision from the Lord! My heart was full of joy that Chris now had a fulfilling job to go to each day that made use of his education.
November
Chris connected with an Acts 29 pastor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. A church-based theological institute is starting up on that island. Chris felt drawn to seek God's will for our family in relation to this. So, why not?!?! We flew out to Oahu the week before Thanksgiving. Chris had a great time meeting some of the local pastors there and participating in training seminars. I had a great time visiting the local beach EVERY day for some quality alone time!
December
The Lord answered a big prayer of this mama's heart and provided us with the means to buy an awesome minivan, which I adore! A red 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan. Man, did we appreciate that as we traveled up to WI and then down to MI over the holidays! We also prayed a lot about a possible move to Hawaii. We prayed and had some soul-searching conversations. Together, we both felt God calling us to pursue the opportunity to serve him in Hawaii. We would try to go, and He could shut the doors if his plan was otherwise. Also, Simon turned 3 and Elliot turned 1!
January
So, here we are. Anybody still reading? Probably not, but that's okay. Chris is really enjoying his job. Luke is doing great in school. Simon, Elliot & me? We enjoy our quiet mornings at home. :) We're not sure what God is doing with Hawaii; but we're ready to go if he opens the doors! This week we actually have to turn in Luke's re-enrollment form for school in fall. We're going to turn it in. Who knows where we'll be and what we'll be doing, but one thing's for sure, God will still be the faithful and wise God that he was to us in the Great Year of 2010. :)

Happy Birthday Baby Boy

2010-12-15T07:56:00.007-05:00

It's hard to believe that a whole year has passed since our baby boy Elliot Calvin was born. My labor and delivery with him certainly did not go how I had expected or hoped. Somehow, each of my 3 boys' birth stories have been different. Elliot's birth story involved a lot of waiting, some pain, and, alas, a beloved epidural. I had been in the hospital an entire 24 hours before he was born! I threw a few mini temper tantrums, mostly to myself. And I listened to a lot of music and sermons on my iPod. I vaguely recall Chris renting a movie from Red Box, but don't ask me what it was.

I was so frustrated that things were not going according to my plan. Things were taking so LONG! Progress was not being made. Time was being wasted. So I thought. But, looking back on it now, I realize that was a foretaste of the testing we would experience throughout the following year. That night in the hospital, and pretty much all of 2010, did not go how I hoped, how I expected, the way I thought best. Most times, even the immediate future was completely unknown, leaving me with lots of questions, no answers and too many fears and doubts. 2010 might be the year I remember as the time when I really got to put the rubber to the road when it comes to my faith in a sovereign and all-wise God who is 100% for me. I admit, I asked questions that made me feel a little guilty even thinking them.

Even in the midst of what, to us, was certainly suffering, we realized how blessed we were in many ways. Our 3 boys were beautiful and healthy. We were not living out of a hospital, fighting terminal illness. We had a roof over our heads, family who loved us and helped us out, and above all, we reminded ourselves that our biggest problems has be solved: our problem of our sin through our Rescuer, Jesus. Even then, all that was easier to say than really believe, but through the grace of God, we had confidence and hope in Jesus.

So, Elliot Calvin, amid this stressful and difficult year, you have been a faithful source of joy, blessing and comfort. You have blessed your momma with your easy-going nature. Your smiles, laughter and happiness have infected our family. And your loving and affectionate nature capture the hearts of everyone who loves you. You are most definitely (almost) 100% pure sweetness. I love you!

Keeping it Simple: Shutterfly!!

2010-12-07T07:11:00.004-05:00

I said before that last year I didn't send out Christmas cards. I'm not sure, but the last TWO Christmases may have been void of my annual picture and letter. And this really does make me sad. But I'm finding that I don't always have time to do things the way I used to; I need to find ways to do what I need to in the easiest and simplest way.

Shutterfly is making Christmas cards easier this year. And there are so many awesome choices to choose from! Honestly, one of the most difficult parts of sending out a Christmas card (for me at least) is just getting that picture of everyone in the family, sitting in front of the tree, SMILING. Well, I'm not going to worry about that this year, but instead am going to pull several different pictures from the most recent months. I really like this card. Or maybe this one. I think I'll have a difficult time choosing!

Shutterfly has a lot more to offer than Christmas cards. There are TONS of gifts to choose from, and all from the comfort of my own home. I have done most of my Christmas shopping online this year. But when it comes to some family members, it's SO hard to know what to buy! I have found that the most meaningful gifts I've given are photo gifts. Seriously, this is the way to go with my boys' grandparents. I mean, who wouldn't love to have a calendar with my sweet little boys' smiles on every page? This desk calendar would be great for the office. And I really like this tote. It seems perfect for the grandma who always wants an excuse to tell a passerby about her grandsons! : ) Or, you could create a fabulous "brag book" and give a "snap book." Seriously, there are so many great ideas and gifts to choose from! Of course, you can never go wrong with a mug. :)

Shutterfly doesn't only have great solutions for reducing holiday stress. They can help you with all of your photo needs. A membership is free and offers lots of benefits!

Our picture storage is free andunlimited. We never delete photos
We securely store your images at full resolution
Enjoy free personalized websites
100% customer satisfaction guaranteed
Plus, receive 50 free 4x6 prints
Pick up prints at Target, Walgreens, or CVS in as little as an hour

And to make it all better, until December 15, you can get 50 free photo cards! Thanks, Shutterfly!

My New BFF

2010-12-05T08:26:00.002-05:00

Nothing gets me to blog like a good deal. :) And Shutterfly has a great one here for bloggers. 50 free photo cards!!! If I made New Year's resolutions, one would be to get caught up on pictures and blog regularly. I have friends who rant about Shutterfly . . . I really need to use them more. And with Christmas upon me, it's the perfect thing, because with the grandparents in this family, you can't go wrong with a gift that is plastered with a picture of one of my 3 stooges.

I was horrified last Christmas when I didn't send out a Christmas picture with a letter. Nary a card was sent from the Bruno home. That really made me sad. But like a lot of things that I used to do, I am finding that 3 Kid Syndrome is the reason I don't do them anymore. At least not now. Things like, oh, daily showers and weekly dusting. :)

So here's to Shutterfly. My new BFF!

Random Odds and Ends

2010-09-07T08:06:00.002-04:00

Here's a few things that's been going on lately. Or thoughts that I've had.

1. My baby boy Luke has started his formal education. And it's not at home with me! During the month of August, I spent hours planning homeschool - phonics/math and lots of recitation and reading. However, homeschooling was not my heart's greatest desire for Luke. This school was. And TWO DAYS before they started their school year, the Lord provided a way for Luke to go! He started one week late, on August 31 and has loved every minute of it. He is my timid and insecure one when it comes to new people and experiences, but he walked into his classroom without a look back. He said he only missed me a few times, but didn't even need to hold his hand to his cheek and feel the kiss I put there the night before. Sigh. I sure needed the kiss he put in my palm and had a good cry when I got to the car. :) I am LOVING the quieter mornings with Simon and Elliot. We are all SO blessed for Luke to have this opportunity. (I will TRY to post a pic soon of Luke in his school uniform. He's the cutest!)

2. Yesterday was the last day our pool was open. Boo hoo. My boys love swimming so much. Simon wears a "Swim School" suit that has foam flotation material inside of it. He is fearless and loves to jump in and swim with his face in the water for as long as he can hold his breath. Luke mainly enjoys staying in the shallow area where he can swim without floaties so he can dive down for rings or practice swimming. He's getting the doggie paddle down and even is starting to do some better-looking swim strokes. When we were planning on homeschooling, I was going to get him into swim lessons this winter, but now we might be too busy. We definitely have to find some place to take the boys swimming throughout the cold months.

3.Elliot got his first 2 bottom teeth in early July when he was 6.5 months. He is in the process of getting all FOUR of his top teeth. Poor baby. I guess this is why he wakes up about once a night? He's the best baby in every other way, so I can't complain.

4. Elliot has a killer belly crawl, aided by his left knee. I'm not sure if he'll ever crawl normally before he starts walking. He's pulling himself up on anything that's low enough for him to reach. He'll be nine months next week.

5. Yesterday the boys enjoyed watching some home movies from about a year ago. If you don't take videos of your family, you are missing out!!! My dad's always been a huge home-videos guy, and we used to love watching them together. Seriously, take movies of your kids. They LOVE to watch themselves when they were younger, and sometimes the movies are encouraging. You might think, "Hey, it really wasn't all that bad back then!" (Luke was kinda a difficult infant. :)

Interview

2010-08-22T17:03:00.003-04:00

I got this idea from Christina and interviewed Luke & Simon this afternoon while we were all sitting at the table - Luke cutting pictures out of a magazine and Simon doing puzzles. Chris was there too (possibly also cutting pictures out magazines), and we were cracking up at the answers I got. This is a cute idea. You should try it!

1. What is something mom always says to you?
L: Pick up the room!
S: Dad!

2. What makes mom happy?
L: for me not disobeying
S: Dad.

3. What makes mom sad?
L: That Honey died.
S: Dad.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
L: um, by tickling me
S: Dad (I seriously tried to get a different answer from him. He thought about it, and said, Dad!")

5. What was your mom like as a child?
L: wild?
S: doing a puzzle.

6. How old is your mom?
L: 66. (66 is as old as a grandma) Ok, then 77.
S: 2

7. How tall is your mom?
L: (measuring me with his hands) 14 hands
S: like a car

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
L: go out on a date with me?
S: ride in a car!

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
L: Take a rest.
S: Take a rest.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
L: Playing the piano. Singing? No, not singing. That's all, I fink.
S: Like a car.

11. What is your mom really good at?
L: Well, the only think I can think of is playing the piano. (That's the only thing I'm good at?) Well, that's the only thing I can think of. (puts finger to chin; that suddenly thinks of it and points his finger at me) Scooping ice cream!
S: this puzzle

12. What is your mom not very good at?
L: Um, jumping wall-to-wall in Toy Story 3 (Wii game)
S: driving a car (not true)

13. What does your mom do for her job?
L: Teach Maggie piano lessons
S: (He's too busy putting a puzzle away so he can put another one together)

14. What's your mom's favorite food?
L: ice cream, no, no, it is fruit
S: coconut! I LOVE coconut (we think he meant this is HIS favorite food. Coconut is pretty much the ONLY thing I do not like)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
L: playing the piano
S: God. Doing this puzzle.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
L: Little Bear's mom
S: bad guys

17. What do you and your mom do together?
L: Have special occasions, like going to plays
S: clean up. Do some puzzles.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
L: We both have the same color of skin.
S: (looks down at his clothes and at me) doing the puzzles

19. How are you and your mom different?
L: We have different shirts on.
S: play the puzzles, Mom.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
L: Because I spend a lot of time with her.
S: Um, God! doing the puzzles, Mom.

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
L: at the mall with me
S: to the car.

Pray with Me

2010-08-01T22:48:00.003-04:00

Boy, I wish I blogged more. I really do. But that's neither here nor there.

I am blogging tonight to ask you to pray - tonight, tomorrow, all week - for our dear friend Kate. Her husband was our pastor not too long ago, and she was diagnosed with a very rare and serious type of cancer just a few months ago. She is having surgery tomorrow. Here are some details from her CaringBridge site:

Dr. DeCamp said he is going to fight with all his might for us. He seems to us competent, knowledgeable, wise and confident. He wanted us to know the risks and the medical inability to guarantee a positive outcome. He said it's way too early to be talking about a "cure." But this surgery is our best opportunity at changing the medical history of this disease and possibly extending my life. He said it will be a huge surgery; it will take all day and I will go to ICU for 2 or 3 days afterward. I'll be in the hospital 10 days to 2 weeks and the recovery period will take a couple of months.

The truth is that there are never "guarantees" in life. The Lord is in control of all things, and will not leave us nor forsake us - that is the only guarantee we need. We are trusting that He is showing us favor in this trial. Thank you for partnering with us in this journey. We are supported and cared for in so many ways, for which we are profoundly grateful.

If you want to be encouraged to hope and trust in Jesus, please read the on Kate's CaringBridge site. This family has been an amazing example of deep faith and trust in our faithful and sovereign God.

Her husband, David Sunday, preached this message this morning (August 1). He wrote in their online journal today: As Kate prepares to undergo surgery tomorrow morning, I wanted to preach a message today that would help her - and all our brothers & sisters in Christ who are suffering - to have faith in the furnace of adversity.

"God is Still God, and God is Still Good"

2010-05-18T08:50:00.002-04:00

Between Two Worlds shares how two people didn't waste their cancer. Please watch and read and pray for these families today.

What's Happenin' with my Boys

2010-04-17T14:30:00.007-04:00

Elliot

E turned 4 months old this week. (If you're wondering, I never call him "Boo.") He continues to be sweet as pie and our easiest baby yet. He gave up nursing this month and is throwing back the bottles like a champ. He had a month-long, glorious run of 7-9 hours of straight night-time sleep back in February, but after that reclaimed his night-time feedings (to my dismay). The little fella is such a chubster, I knew for sure he didn't need that feeding; but when it's your third, you kinda roll with the punches, so I acquiesced. Especially since he weaned kinda early, I thought that maybe after he had a chance to get completely used to bottles he'd start sleeping longer at night. And I think that might be what's happening! He's slept 7-9 hours the last four nights. But who's counting?

If you've ever met Elliot (at least not when he's in dire need of a nap), you know that he is all smiles and loves people! Seriously, he just loves to be talked to, tickled and generally amused by anyone who will accommodate him. And he's a big-time snuggler. On our recent trip back home from Louisville, Elliot was wanting out of his car seat big time. He was just so fed up with being in the car. (We all were.) He had just had a bottle and was due for some sleep but just would not give in. He didn't want his pacifier, and he didn't want a bottle. Finally, I just plugged that paci in, and grabbed on firmly to his hand. He wrapped his chubby little hand around my finger and was promptly in sleepy-land.

At his last weigh-in, Elliot weighed over 17 pounds. He doesn't like to be on his back for play-time, but would rather be in the bumbo seat or exer-saucer. He mostly loves to gnaw on his fists and smile at people.

Simon

Simon is at such a fun age - easily entertained, adorable as all get-out, starting to talk so much and try new words, still takes a nap and goes to bed easily. Almost everybody who's around Simon for very long comments on his beautiful eyelashes. They seem 6 inches long! He's got such beautiful eyes and a smile that will make your heart melt like a Popsicle on the Fourth of July. And get him whatever he wants. :)

Simon is all boy with the energy of 2 boys. He loves to play outside; and the dirtier he gets, the better! He just came out of a stage where he was an extremely picky eater. Honestly, I didn't know how he wasn't completely skin and bones! Yet, he enjoyed eating dirt and sand; on more than one occasion, I saw him shovel a spoon full of sand into his mouth. (Nasty.) He loves cars, trains, planes, and any kind of ball. But most of all he loves his blankie & pac. (pacifier) I try to tell him that he's a big boy, but he tells me that he needs his pac. (I'm not looking forward to the upcoming chore of taking it away and am avoiding it at all costs.)

Over the last few months, Simon's vocabulary and speech has quadrupled! I love hearing his sweet little voice. He's so good at saying "please" and "no thank you." And sometimes when he's given something, he follows "thank you" with "Have a nice day." It's the cutest thing ever.

Sim (I say it, "Sime" but to spell it that way looks too much like "Slime.") is also Mr. Mischievous. When he thinks he's doing something he might get in trouble for, he does it with a sneaky smile and one eye looking over his shoulder. (I realize this is not entirely funny.) And to my utter chagrin, he constantly pulls chairs into the kitchen to try to get what he wants.

Luke

What can I say about Luke? Luke is Luke. He is many things. He finds entertainment and amusement in the oddest things. This is hilarious to witness and sometimes exasperating to deal with on a busy day. When I'm trying to get the house to resemble some order, he is pulling out blankets and pillows and filling up bags and mini-suitcases to play ship or camping or whatever else he can think of. He likes arts & crafts and notebooks and papers and lists. And he loves to play outside, filling up buckets with rocks, sticks and leaves, riding his bike or having races. He likes playing the wii with his dad or Play Station with his uncle. (He also loves to watch tv, but we won't elaborate on that. :)

Luke thinks anything about Ancient Egypt is really cool, so I've picked up a few books about Egypt that I've found at thrift stores. To my surprise, this fearful and worrisome son of mine thinks the mummification process (which involves a "brain hook") is very interesting and no big deal! He also likes books that explain just about anything a kid might be curious about. Last week I came home with a book called 83 1/2 Things that Changed the World, and I now know the history of the toilet. See how much I'd miss if I weren't a mom?

Last night before bed, something reminded Luke about Haiti. (We've been praying for Haiti since the earthquake in January.)

Luke: Can we talk about Haiti? (He says this about random topics. It's like he wants to have a little meeting.)

Me: Sure. Like what, specifically?

Luke: Well, like, maybe we should buy that CD.

Me: What CD?

Luke: You know. That CD we saw on tv. Maybe like 100 people will buy the CD and lots of money can go to Haiti. Maybe even 100 dollars! (It's so funny how little concept of money he has.)

Chris

When I call Chris one of "my boys," I don't mean to imply that I have take care of him and clean up his messes and boss him around (although sometimes I find myself doing those things!). I guess it's just how I think of our family - me and all these boys. :) Chris is graduating in a few very short weeks!!! On some level, I don't think I really grasp what all that really means; things have been so busy, I haven't really had a chance to think about it. I think I'd better start thinking of having a big party to celebrate! In case you don't already know, he'll be getting a PhD in New Testament Studies from Wheaton College Graduate School.

On another level, I completely grasp what all this means because Chris has worked incredibly hard to get to this place! He would be quick to tell you that it has been entirely a work of God's grace in his life, and I would say that too.

Chris doesn't really have any work left for his degree but never lacks for something to do. He's already starting to scratch the surface of his next big writing project and works on things like papers for ETS & SBL, book reviews for various publications and, oh, also looking for a job! This last item is something that we have spent much prayer, time and emotion in over the last 5 months. God is faithful in loving and caring for us, and we know that he will provide the exact job that He has for Chris.

Stop Listening. Start Speaking.

2010-04-14T14:45:00.004-04:00

Over the past several months, fierce battles have waged within me - a battle of my emotions. It's as if Happy, Content, Hopeful Katie and Sad, Lonely, Worried Katie are having a cat fight; and it's not a fun day when Happy Katie is lying on the floor, defeated. When I've struggled in this way, I've asked myself many questions, trying to pinpoint the problem. Is it postpartum depression? Winter blues? The stress of school and young children and a small house and the prospect of selling our condo in one of the worst real estate markets known to mankind? Are these areas that I have not given to the Lord? Do I need to repent of doubt and disbelief in God? Usually, the answer to both of those questions is "yes." But what I want to know even more, is, How can I trust God in the middle of that battle? What can I do to put my faith in Jesus when the house looks like thieves have ransacked it, the boys are fighting, laundry is multiplying like rabbits, my words have been sharp and piercing and I'm leaning over the kitchen sink trying to get a grip, with cereal crunching under my feet because my two-year-old helped himself that morning? What do I do then?

The moments when I have victory in redeeming this chaotic and ugly scenario are those when I stop listening to myself and start speaking. Preaching actually. I need to speak and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ's redeeming and rescuing work in my life to myself. The gospel is so much more than salvation from an eternity in hell. The gospel is salvation from my obscene and heinous sin every day. The gospel is victory, messy and painful at times, in the nitty gritty that I face in that moment when all hell seems to break loose in my crowded, loud, and exasperating world of motherhood. And that gospel is one word: Jesus. I love that name.

So, when I feel Sad Katie creeping up to my shoulder, ready to slap me in the face, I say to myself, (out loud, because I am astoundingly easily distracted) Jesus is faithful. Jesus is the same, yesterday, today, tomorrow. He is never overwhelmed; he will never check out because he can't handle any more. He is patient, loving and kind. Quick to hear, slow to anger.

Worried Katie might say, So, what's it to you, because, if you haven't noticed, you're pretty much the polar opposite of that.

Everything, because I am in Jesus. His righteousness is mine. He's ransomed me from this.

I usually have the problem of talking too much and listening to little. But when those tough moments come, what I need most is to speak the gospel of Jesus Christ to my weary and desperate self. The gospel doesn't remove all of the chaos and demands that my day holds. But it does rescue me from that impatient, angry, selfish and hopeless person that I am without it.

100%

2010-04-11T23:13:00.003-04:00

I was inspired tonight by my friend Kelly to blog more. She said she actually likes to read what I write! :) And I have recent confirmation from my comments section that at least 3 people read my blog.

Do you remember when you first started your blog? NO ONE else I knew had one when I started, and I would get SO excited about a new comment. After I posted a new entry, I would check back a million times a day to see if anyone read it or commented. :) Now the only thing I check is if there is poop in one of my children's diapers. : ) Ha! (Thankfully, by the way, it's just Simon & Elliot's diapers that I'm checking. Luke is now 100% free of any pull-ups at night! Yes, he'll be six this July. And if you're gasping or saying "wow" to yourself, you just wait. Maybe you'll have a "late bloomer" too. :)

But enough silly chit-chat. Since I now blog rather infrequently, I want to get right to the point. My God is REALLY good! He has been blessing me and rooting his Word deep in my over the past, oh, six months. Many lessons that I am learning I have been learning for a very long time. In other areas, I am rejoicing in new-found victory by the grace of God. One of those areas is that of personal time with God through the Bible and prayer. And, oddly enough, one of the greatest tools that has helped with this has been my iPod! Chris surprised me with an iPod Touch shortly before I had Elliot. Since then, my soul has been blessed by listening to sermons online. My two go-to sermon sources are Mars Hill and my former pastor, David Sunday. (You can listen to more recent and future sermons of his here.) I think especially during these busy years as a mom, this is one additional way, other than reading, that I can get God's Word into my heart. I am thankful for modern technology!

I could relate to you several truths that God has been using in my life to encourage, strengthen and sustain me, and I hopefully will share more of them at a later time. But for now, I'll just tell you about a favorite phrase that Chris and I have told ourselves and each other many, MANY times over the past several months. "God is 100% for me!" (From one of Pastor David's sermons.)

We are at the end of many years of graduate school for Chris. These have been lean, sometimes stressful, transitional, uncertain years. Sometimes the uncertainties and unknown future looming before us causes me to worry and be fearful. It's as if I am not sure if God will really provide for us, really has a plan for us. This is a lie of the Devil! God is not 90% for me, leaving a 10% margin of error. He is 100% for me. He is the one true God, sovereign and all-powerful. And this sovereign and all-powerful God is 100% for me. Shazzam! This really helps one sleep at night.

Recently at church, we've sung Graham Kendrick's song Knowing You. I've known this song for a while and have always really loved it. Almost every line is one that I can't sing without my eyes tightly shut and a hand in the air - or at the very least a fist clenched in agreement! (Though this can get complicated because I'm always playing the piano at church.) There is one phrase, though, that I've always found a bit annoying because it sounds so trite. A line in the chorus reads, You're my all. You're the best. The word "best" always seemed a bit off - too trite. I often replaced it with the word "rest" instead. But, recently, I have loved that phrase, because it just really is true! Jesus is THE BEST. (It's similar to how the word awesome has lost its genuine meaning because we say things like "Shamrock shakes are awesome!")

So, I'll leave the lyrics to Knowing You here for you to read and enjoy. I'm marking my favorite parts, just like your grandma or mom or that cute lady at church always underlines, double-underlines and makes all manner of markings to the message in a greeting card.

Knowing You by Graham Kendrick

All I once held dear, built my life upon All this world reveres, and wars to own All I once thought gain I have counted loss, Spent and worthless now, compared to this: Knowing you, JESUS, knowing you There is no greater thing. You're my all you're the BEST

You're my joy, my righteousness And I love you, Lord. Now my heart's desire is to know you more. To be found in you, and known as yours. To possess by faith what I could not earn, All surpassing gift of righteousness. Oh to know the power of your risen life, And to know you in your suffering. To become like you in your death my Lord, So with You to live And never die.

Bad Blogger

2010-04-02T21:01:00.002-04:00

Happy Good Friday, to the few and faithful who read this badly neglected blog. (More likely, you are just surprised when you find a new post from me in your Reader.) We drove to Michigan Thursday afternoon to spend an extended weekend with Chris' family. The weather has been absolutely fabulous. The boys have sneaked out the door to play at every opportunity they've had, and Chris and I enjoyed going to the Good Friday service at our church here in MI.

I was just reading Suzanne ponder about the different types of blogs there are in this blogging world we pretend to live in. :) I agree with her about the types she likes & doesn't like. I think I'm fairly certain that my blog doesn't give the impression that my life as a wife, mommy, blogger is rosy, cheery and free of sticky counters and pee on the toilet seat. :) Actually, if I'm not blogging much, it's a sure sign that there's lots going on in my life, and I'm probably just too overwhelmed with other stuff to post pictures of my adorable boys or write creative and witty posts.

I began blogging when Luke was barely 1 year old. We were living in our duplex on Longview Ave in Lousiville, next door to my dear friend Julie, (whom I love and miss!). Our life was pretty calm and simple. Chris worked lots of late nights at Starbucks, and it was often just Luke, me and the computer (and Luke was often sleeping). I remember blogging about my pink faced darling - and how shocked I was by motherhood. I ranted about the perceived injustices against my sweet southern neighbor across the street as I watched this 91 year old woman be neglected by family that lived a few blocks away.

So, I guess I could say I've been in a blogging funk for, oh, a couple of years! :) I think this season of my life just doesn't afford me the time I'd like to write and blog and all that jazz. Sometimes I am amazed at other moms and all of the projects, crafts, and activities they blog about! I'm at that stage with a baby (and 2 older kids) where all I can handle is keeping food in our tummies, clean clothes on our backs and a not-too-disgusting bathroom. Some day I'll be back in earnest, but for a while, I'll probably just pop in now and then with a few pictures, an update and a howdy.

I do plan to blog soon about all that God is doing in our family. Lots of new things are on the horizon for our family, and I can't wait to tell you about them! :)

My Three Sons

2010-02-24T15:08:00.003-05:00

Wow. It's been so long since I've blogged, there is no easy way to catch up on my blog. I won't try - not today anyways. I'll just say that this party of five has been doing pretty great. Overall, the transition to 3 kids has been our easiest yet. I like the fact that I'm a more relaxed, knowledgeable mom. And I LOVE the fact that Elliot is a great baby. An angel baby, in fact! He is happy, generous with smiles and a champion sleeper at night. I have wanted to blog. I have wanted to do a lot of things. But the biggest difference with having 3 boys is that there's a lot I used to do or want to do that I just can't pull off any more. Or at least right now. And I'm fine with that.

So here's a few pictures that I snapped of the boys this morning.

Here is Elliot Calvin. He is 100% pure sweetness. He turned 10 weeks old yesterday, and as of last week, he weighs 15 pounds! Except for the last two nights (growth spurt?), he averages 7-9 hours of sleep at night. (Insert Hallelujah Chorus here.) He loves to talk face to face with anyone, but especially Mama & Daddy. He's so alert and only likes to sit up. He's 2 months going on 6 (months).

I decided to pull the camera out this morning after Simon came to me and looked like this. Yep. They scrounged up some chocolate chips. Simon turned 2 on Dec. 3. In the last two months, his talking has kicked into high gear, and he finally says "thank you," not just "pease." He loves cars and sports and is obsessed with puzzles, which I think he's a genius at. He's bored with the 20+ 24-piece puzzles I have. Yep. He can put them all together. And he mastered the Melissa & Dough US Map puzzle in a few days. (Ignore my Mommy-awe.)

And here's Luke. He's closer to being 6 now than 5. How is this possible? He has a hard time getting enough energy out during the winter, but enjoys all kinds of imaginative play - kitchen (right now he's busy getting ready for a party), camping, pirate ship, dress up, etc. Last night on date night, he and his friend were milking a horse! :) His most recent favorite toy is Playmobil; he also enjoys playing Playmobil games online, when we have the computer at home. He lost his first tooth in January and is showing real improvement in learning to read!

If you want to see even more pictures, you can click here.

O Dear. Input Wanted!

2009-12-01T23:24:00.007-05:00

Two weeks (give or take a few) until the big day. Until our foursome becomes a fivesome. Until Simon is a big brother and his life is turned upside down. Until our 2 bedroom condo becomes that much tighter. Until the ultimate destruction of my sanity is secured.

I have been excited about having another sweet little bundle of joy (a pink-faced darling, if you will). Washing and folding Boo's clothes (my in-utero name for him, if you don't know) made me so look forward to having little rolls and a soft baby belly to fill them with. Buying a new-to-me swing off of Craig's List gave me the excited giggles.

But the giggles have quieted, and now I'm getting nervous! We have had some rough bedtimes lately and some tantrums and what-not that made me say to myself (in a most exasperated tone), What am I thinking having another child?!?! :) (I literally said that out loud when I was on a grocery-run by myself last night.) I guess I forget that raising and training children to love and obey God is tough work and not always pretty. Especially since the ones (at least this one) doing the raising and training are pretty selfish and sinful too.

So, my house is in fairly ship-shape condition. Organized, labeled, stream-lined. But I still am trying to think of ways to make things easier and smoother after Boo is Boo no longer, but a name that shall not be named. :) (yet.) But here are a few questions for you. If you never have before, PLEASE leave an answer or a comment!

What are some things you did before having a baby to make your life easier afterwards? meals, food in freezer, etc.
What are your kids' favorite snacks? Especially healthy and easy to make-ahead? Simon can open the fridge. I think I'll work with that and try to have a stash of something in there so he can get it himself. Like when I'm busy. :) Peanut butter is out, because Simey is allergic.
What's your kids' favorite thing to do to stay busy (without driving you nuts or tearing apart your house)?
Any tips/tricks about life with baby that you HAVE to share?
Is there anything you wish you had known/someone had told you when you had your baby? (or your 3rd baby?) :)

Thanks in advance for your help!

Happy December and Merry Christmas!

Katie

Contentment

2009-11-11T05:25:00.003-05:00

God has been stirring things up in my heart lately, revealing holes and soft spots in my faith and belief that he is good and truly worthy of my most supreme affection above all others in this life. He really is worthy of my greatest love and devotion, even above some of his most precious and good gifts to me. Sometimes I can make a good gift that God gives me into an idol; and though I might not say it quite so bluntly, I become consumed and obsessed with that gift, requiring it for my happiness and joy and contentment.

For example, my family and friends around me. How much of my contentment hinges on them? When I can visit "home" next, or how much time I can spend with them, or how we'll spend a holiday, or how many hours away I live from them, or how often my children see them. These are not sinful concerns and desires; but if I let them, they subtly eat away at my contentment, tricking me into thinking life will be really great if I could just live a few hours closer to my mom or Chris' parents or a brother or sister. Wouldn't it be amazing if my boys could grow up near their cousins? (Is that too much to ask?) Wouldn't it be perfect if we could easily all be together for Christmas? How wonderful would it be if my boys could see their grandparents every week?

I'm thinking all these thoughts and asking all of these questions, because, once again, our not-too-distant future is unknown to us. Chris is graduating in May - an event which represents years full of goodness and graciousness from God to us. So, with the end of this chapter in our lives, we're anticipating starting a new chapter; and Chris is searching for a job, which quite possibly will move us to yet another new city, state, home. Where will it be? Will it be further from everybody? How often will we see our families? How easy will it be to visit? Sometimes my initial reaction to possibly living much farther away from people that are most important to me is pretty near-sighted and down-right void of the reality of Christ in my life - the reality that HE is the only true source of contentment and joy in life.

God is being kind and patient with me. He's been using his Word in my life daily to put my thoughts into a Jesus-centered, Jesus-consuming perspective. This is a gift from him, for there have been months in the last few years where I wouldn't crack open a Bible all week. If I admitted it, I never read God's Word, hardly prayed and so was aimlessly trying to teach my children to love God with all of their hearts, souls and minds. It's humbling to admit that, but I have a feeling that I'm not the only one with that confession.

He's also using two books written by gifted believers to challenge and change my way of thinking, bolstering my contentment in and love for Jesus:

I cannot recommend these books enough. I am having a hard time summarizing how they have been helpful to me, so I think I'll post some excerpts in a separate post (soon). Here's a short excerpt from Contentment that well-represents what God is teaching me.

Contentment does not lie around the next corner. It is not waiting for us on the next side of today's difficulty, nor is it lost with yesterday. Contentment is where God is, and God is with us today.

E.B. White is Good

2009-10-06T22:32:00.004-04:00

Wilber had already decided how he would carry the egg sac - there was only
one way possible. He carefully took the little bundle in his mouth and
held it there on top of his tongue. He remembered what Charlotte had
told him - that the sac was waterproof and strong. It felt funny on
his tongue and made him drool a bit. And of course he couldn't say
anything. But as he was being shoved into the crate, he looked up at
Charlotte and gave her a wink. She knew he was saying good-bye in the
only way he could. And she knew her children were
safe.

"Good-bye!" she whispered. Then she summoned all her strength and
waved one of her front legs at him.

She never moved again. Next day, as the Ferris wheel was being taken
apart and the race horses were being loaded into vans and the entertainers were
packing up their belongings and driving away in their trailers, Charlotte
died. The Fair Grounds were soon deserted. The sheds and buildings
were empty and forlorn. The infield was littered with bottles and
trash. Nobody, of the hundreds of people that had visited the Fair, knew
that a grey spider had played the most important part of all. No one was
with her when she died.

I had to start laughing at myself so I would stop crying and just read the words to Luke at bedtime tonight. This is my first adult-reading of Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. Even if I weren't pregnant, I'm pretty sure I would've felt the same and had a hard time reading for my tears.

BTW, read this to your child! Luke is five and LOVED this book. We read the whole thing in 4 nights. Next up: Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. (I'm looking forward to revisiting this old favorite of mine!)

What books are your kids' favorites?

Matthew's Soccer Game

2009-10-03T14:42:00.005-04:00

Last Monday, we headed downtown to Moody Bible Institute, where my brother Matthew's soccer team was playing. It was our first "fallish" activity; boy was the weather chilly! I really like this weather (could've handle more sunshine though), especially the cute clothes I have for the boys. :)

This was the second game of Matthew's that the boys and I have gotten to watch this season. Even though his team didn't win, he played great; and it was fun to see him. (I miss all my family so much!) I was glad for the chance to come out and cheer him on and send him home with some cookies and his favorite candy. :)

Luke was goofing off, not looking at the camera; and apparently, Simon was digging for gold.

We got there really early so we could talk to Matthew and just "hang out" on the field. This is how an almost-2 and 5 year old "hang out."

I thought Simon was absolutely DARLING :) in his fall duds.

The boys with Uncle Matthew. If you zoom in, you can see that Simon has a pretty mischievous smile on his little face.

Simon's ball-handling skills were actually kind of impressive for a little guy.

A typical sight; Simon actually LIKES falling, and does it on purpose - he kinda just dives or collapses. It's pretty funny to watch; I'm always just hoping it's on a soft surface!

Lots of good ol', healthy grass stains were acquired that day - just what Simon needed. (Seriously, living in a condo, I always wish they could play outside more.)

Matthew's cheering section (minus the loudest member of it). :)

Chicago's a cool place to have a soccer game!

Walking the Line

2009-09-18T01:13:00.003-04:00

I find myself walking the line lately - the line between order and chaos, peace and unrest, patience and irritability. I am slowly acquiring habits that create and aid order in my life and our home. God has been kind in helping me pursue new ways to teach his Word to my boys when we are at home and walking in the way. But, too often, so quickly that I don't know who pushed me, I am surrounded by the disorder that is inevitable with boys (all kids, for that matter, but ESPECIALLY these two boys I love) and all that spews out of me is more chaos, contagious unrest and irritation lined with impatience and anger. I mean, really, does he think that I can look at the new "Wipe Out" move that he's created every 10 seconds? Is there an unwritten law in the Book of Boys that allows for a little pee on the floor and forbids leaving the hand towel in the bathroom? And, why does cleaning my house feel like a treadmill?

There must be some refinement taking place in this process, because in the midst of the petty and selfish tantrums I throw in my head (that may occasionally spill out in a few, ahem, words), I know how ridiculous and short-sighted I am being. I see the ugliness of myself, playing the victim who deserves better, or at least 2 square feet without a single train or dinosaur to pick up. I know that I wouldn't trade one Wipe Out move for a peaceful life with no pee on the bathroom floor.

God, forgive me. Teach me these lessons often, so that my sinful self will learn before my babies see and remember (of course they have already seen) my selfishness. Thank you for every moment that I get to admire a Wipe Out move, or a jump off the couch, fish Kix from between the couch cushions or pick up the 100th match-box car.

Freedom Run 2009

2009-09-13T17:58:00.006-04:00

On Saturday, September 12, Chris ran in the 2nd annual Freedom Run in Barrington, IL. This race was also held on American military bases in FOB Altimur, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and Eskan Village, Saudi Arabia. There was a local veteran (in his 20s) who was running that day whose brother ran several hours earlier, thousands of miles away - in Saudi Arabia. In honor of the anniversary of 9/11/01, the race started at 9:11AM and was 9.11 miles. (Some also ran 9.11 km, but Chris ran the longer race.)

The We Do Care Mission:

"We Do Care is an Illinois 501 (c) 3 non political and grass roots non profit organization founded in 2004. Our mission is to provide tangible opportunities for the American public to thank and support active duty military personnel, their families, and veterans while appreciating the freedom unique to our country."

We were lined up on the road, waiting for Chris to run by us after the Start. I thought I missed him because all the walkers started coming. Wouldn't you know, as soon as I shut my lens, he came running up! He's saying hi to Simon in the stroller here. (Nice tongue, honey.)

You're gonna have to zoom in for this one. You can see half of his face behind the sweaty guy in the gray shirt.

Zoom in again. Now you can see the other side of his face behind the top-half of that woman's face. (Great photographer, aren't I?)

A boy scout taking the chip off of Chris' shoe. (At this point, I'm feeling bad about the lack of good pics I got at the finish line, so I snap this one.)

Some of the crowd.

Having some water and a banana to cool down.

The army arch everyone ran through as they approached the finish line. (Too bad, I didn't make it in time to take a pic of Chris coming out from under it.)

Luke wearing the American flag pin Chris got in his goody bag at the race.

Trying to get a picture of the boys as we walked to the playground after Chris finished. Simon was like, "See playground. Must run!"

These guys ran 9.11 miles in their full uniforms/gear with even their packs on their backs. Seriously impressive!

They were just coming in as we were walking to our car, almost 2.5 hours after the race started.

School

2009-09-12T15:50:00.004-04:00

Here we go - entering the world of school and education for our kids! (I'm still waiting for Chris to get out of this world - as the student, that is.) Shortly after moving here, some friends told Chris and I about a classical Christian school only 2 miles from our home! We have been interested in the classical philosophy of education for several years (even before having Luke) and have had many talks and discussions about this sometimes agonizing and controversial topic of school - Public? Private? Christian? This subject can get personal and controversial, and I have friends who have chosen all of the options I mentioned above - all of whom are godly parents who wants God's will for their child's education and seek to have Christ-centered homes. This leads me to believe that it is unwise to judge other parents' decisions on this matter. At this point in our lives, Chris and I want to provide our children with a classical style, Christian education - either through a CC school or home school. But to say that this way is the best for every child and family would probably be prideful and offensive to others.

So . . . last year we made steps to see if this nearby CC school would be an option for Luke this school year (fall 2009). Chris and I disagreed a little about whether Luke should start pre-K or kindergarten, but we had him tested with the intent to enroll him in Kindergarten. At this particular school, he actually tested right on-board with their pre-K program; the school also was beginning to enforce a June 1 cut-off. So, we were hoping that Luke would start pre-K this fall, 2 mornings a week.

Well . . . we just can't swing two school bills right now. (Chris is in his final year of grad school.) So, by April, we knew that Luke would not be going to pre-K after all. I would have liked for Luke to have the experience of a classroom each week; but in some ways, I was relieved to have one more year of a care-free and flexible schedule, free from all that comes with "school."

We have now started "school" at home. I was a little late in figuring out what to do and ordering books and materials, so we are still waiting on one thing, but last week we started "school." I picked up a cute old school desk at a garage sale last summer ($5!); Luke loves having a place to work! So, I suppose I am technically homeschooling already. So far, we don't have a set schedule; I'm figuring that one out. I am going to keep things pretty flexible - this is not kindergarten. We are hoping that Luke will go to K-5 at a CC school next fall. But, if a CC school isn't an option for us, we'll just continue where we left off from this year. Here's what we're doing:

Phonics/Writing: Phonics Pathways (very affordable, practical and, so far, I really like it!); I had intended to use Abeka phonics, but only ordered the workbook. On receiving it, I realized I needed the teacher's lesson plan book, which was $40. After a helpful conversation with my sister-in-law, I ordered Phonics Pathways ($20), but decided to keep the Abeka workbooks (I had also ordered a Manuscript Writing workbook). The Abeka worksheets are working quite nicely as practice and reinforcement after our lessons from Phonics Pathways. (Incidentally, Abeka REALLY needs to revise their material and use a different teaching "object" than "Indian" for the letter "I.")

Math: Saxon Math K; We haven't started Math other than the Meeting Book because the manipulatives set I ordered hasn't come yet. The beginning lessons look EASY, so I'm thinking we'll cruise through for a while.

Bible: I ordered Big Truths for Little Kids as a special and new Bible book to read and learn from other than the Bible storybook we read at night as a family. This has proven to be great for "school," as it teaches catechisms, many of which Luke already knew from church! (How sweet is that?)

Memorization: Some memorization we'll work on this year include a Scripture passage (We started Psalm 100 over the summer and are almost finished) and a hymn (We just started learning My Hope is Built on Nothing Less). We probably will also start learning a poem.

It sounds like a lot to me when I write it all out, but it's really not, especially when many of these things can be learned (or reinforced) throughout the day, when you're riding in the car, or working in the kitchen or even just playing or picking up. That's the beauty of home school, I guess.

And, having had a childhood filled with playing school alone in my room or with my friends and then getting an education degree in college, I am totally loving this! I am dying to find one of those crisp, red lesson-plan books that my teachers had when I was young. I'm sure it's completely unnecessary for doing pre-school at home with one child, but it would make my day if I could find one!

Whoa!

2009-08-29T08:44:00.011-04:00

I can't believe I've been such an absent and lousy blogger! I started my unannounced blogging hiatus many moons ago, mostly because I don't usually get "computer time" (other than a few minutes during breakfast) until after supper, probably after the boys are in bed. By then, I'm usually too tired.

So, if there's anybody out there still reading my poor little blog, Hey!

Hm, so where to start? I don't want to make this the mother of all posts (which could easily happen with someone like me), so I think I'll just make a list of things that have gone on around here.

April/May

Chris plugs away and finishes his second year at Wheaton.
Chris' parents spend Easter with us.
I slowly emerge into a hormonal, VERY exhausted nightmare. Cause = Baby #3, due December 15.
We spend a weekend in Louisville with April and Scott.
I get a Snuggie from the boys for Mother's Day. Yep, now you actually know someone who owns one.
Friends spend Memorial weekend with us.
Luke & Simon progress in their knowledge and range of shenanigans and general boyhood mischief.

Easter 2009

Mother's Day 2009

June

Chris and I celebrate our 8th anniversary by going to Terminator: Salvation. Somehow, that's not what I pictured 8 years ago. :)
We all spend a GREAT week in Michigan with Chris' family. Highlights - what Ohio likes to call a safari and a Tiger's game
Luke enjoys VBS at church. This summer he didn't expect to start packing up to move afterwards. (The poor guy seemed to think that was a tradition until last summer.)
Luke begins to enlighten Simon in the finer points of boyish mayhem.

Luke, Papa, Simon & Chris

Luke, Chris, and Papa walking to the game (love the jersey!)

July

Luke turns FIVE and has his first-ever birthday party with friends.
We enjoy our village's 4th of July parade.
Luke gets his first "buzz cut."
The boys and I drive Chris to O'Hare where he flies off to England. He attends a conference at the Tyndale House and spends 10 more days studying there. We drive to MI and spend time with family.
We enjoy the last two weeks of this month just being home and together!
Luke & Simon have fun with the library's summer reading program and get some cool (and some lame) prizes.
With Luke's expert help, Simon perfects jumping off of ANYTHING, and my blood pressure raises a wee bit.

Luke got 6 Transformers for his birthday. He loves to watch the old cartoons on joost.com - the shows Chris used to love to watch.

Simon & Luke at the parade

Chris outside the Tyndale House (duh)

August

The nice ultrasound technician tells us we are having another charming BOY. Oh man.
We spend some time with old friends in Wisconsin enroute to Dunbar.
We spend 10 days in Northern Wisconsin with my parents. Highlights: Bay Beach, 4-wheeler rides, and all the jobs and joys that are a part of country-living! (Luke LOVED every job he did with Nonie - hanging clothes on the line, picking vegetables, brushing the dogs, washing vegetables,etc.)
Luke & Simon perfect the game of "Wipe Out" with the couch cushions on our living room floor.
To Luke's disadvantage (and my chagrin), Simon is now fully capable of hitting right back.

family picture on one of my dad's awesome hayrides (You gotta watch out or you'll lose an eye on these rides!)

Pappy & Luke at Phillips Lake

April taking Simon on a ride. He could ride on this all day.

Adoption Day

2009-04-05T16:58:00.002-04:00

I uploaded pictures to my facebook page from March 19, 2009. On this special day, K, P, P and A became officially and forever Johnsons! Praise God!!!

Click here to see the pictures of the happy day.

I Didn't Have a Choice!!

2009-03-31T17:50:00.002-04:00

If you watch 24, my title is making fun of Jack Bauer. Chris does the best impersonation of him screaming, "I didn't have a choice!" :)

Really, I didn't have a choice with my lack of blogging lately! On March 4, the boys and I headed up to Wisconsin to stay with my brothers while my parents vacationed in Hawaii. I didn't have Internet access there. After a week and a half with my brothers, Chris joined us and we went to Minnesota for a week with Daniel and Janelle's families. I was WAY too busy to be blogging during our visit there! All in all, the boys ands I were away for over 2 and a half weeks. They were quite the two and a half weeks too! Wow. So many crazy things happened (mostly "bad" things) that it was almost laughable. Almost. We did manage to keep a positive outlook on life, to the glory of Jesus and his faithfulness to and care for us. As we rolled into the Land of Lincoln late on March 21st (a day and a half later than our original plan), we were thankful in our hearts for God's goodness and mercy to us. We were all together, with no major sickness or tragedies in our lives.

So, here's a run-down on all of the fun (and not so fun) things we did while we were away.

3.4 Arrive in Dunbar, thanks to Grandma Salesky, Aunt Mary and Matthew's help. Simon came down with a cold and was a crank for several days.
3.6 Luke got to spend the night with Grandma Salesky and Aunt Mary all by himself. He may have missed his mom a little but made up for it with much spoiling!
3.8 By Sunday, I was pooped and missing Chris (and a nap!).
3.9 The boys and I got to hang out and play with a friend from college and her kids. Fun!
3.12 By Thursday, I think were all starting to feel iffy. My throat was a killer, and I lived on Motrin for the next week. Simon and Luke were both acting so miserable that I had Northland's nurse check them out. They were ok - probably just viruses. We were all cheered up when Chris came that night! The boys had a fun time running around at the gym, despite feeling a little lousy. They needed to get out of the house! (And so did I!)
3.13 My wonderful parents returned from their trip (looking annoyingly tan). They had managed to find my favorite flip flops from HI! (My pair from our honeymoon was ready to retire.) We enjoyed watching some comedies together that night.
3.14 After a haircut for Luke from Nonie, we packed up and hit the road by noon. Boy, were we excited to see our cousins! We had a fun night with Daniel, Molly & the kids.
3.15 After church, Jason, Janelle, Katie, Paul, Preston, Anna, Amos and Malachi (try saying that 5 times really fast!) came for lunch and the afternoon. It was AWESOME to see them! All four babies together was so fun! I got a great picture that isn't downloaded yet. I will work on that soon. Promise. :) Late that night, Luke woke up with a raging fever and threw up three times when I tried to give him Motrin/Tylenol. (Now comes the fun part!)
3.16 After several phone calls to the insurance company and area clinics, we took Luke to a clinic at Cub Foods. We saw the most amazing physician's assistant EVER. She diagnosed Luke with Strep Throat and even followed a nagging suspicion of influenza and took a test for it free of charge. Thankfully, the test result was negative. She graciously gave us an antibiotic from Walmart's $4 list and sent us on our way. I felt like hugging her and blubbering to her how great she was and how it's not that often that we see health professionals as kind, caring and thorough. I toned it down and just told her she was great at what she does and thanked her from the bottom of my heart. When we got back to the car, we had a flat tire. We filled it up and made it back to the Walmart near Daniel's house. We purchased 4 new tires (we knew the need was coming).
3.17 On Tuesday, our family headed down to Minneapolis, where we spent the day with Jason and Janelle. The guys headed off to study. It was SO fun to just hang out with my sister and watch our kids play together. And when the guys came back for lunch after picking Paul and Preston up from school, the four of us adults had a great (and quiet!) lunch while the boys played outside in the mud. It was a fair price for a meal without kids so we could have some profitable conversation! Janelle and I finagled a way to flee the coop and make a quick Unique Thrift run. We head back to Daniel's around 4:30. After supper, Molly took me to a local Fantastic Sam's, where I met the most tricky, manipulative beautician who gave me an AWFUL haircut. She just wouldn't really listen to what I wanted and kept insisting that I couldn't go too short b/c my hair (unlike the models in the book) is VERY thick. I tried to explain that it had just been a while since my last haircut and that I had had my hair pretty short for several years, but she wouldn't really listen. I'm not very assertive in the barber's chair. By the time we got back home, I knew I hated it. My hair-do was the shape of a bell.
3.18 Poor Gracie got a virus by Tuesday night, and on Wednesday morning Molly had the Dr. check her out. Thankfully, it was just a virus. We felt so bad for getting everyone sick! Daniel and Molly were so sweet and gracious to us. At lunch time, Chris came home unexpectedly with another twist in our week. Our car had overheated and was leaking coolant. LOVELY! Daniel helped Chris take it to an honest mechanic that he uses. After we got that sorted out, I sheepishly headed back to the hair place where I asked for some more haircut. I was a bit horrified to have to get the same girl. It was just an awkward situation. I could tell she was annoyed. Plus, the whole place was kinda dragging b/c everyone was tired from celebrating St. Patty's Day the night before. It was one of the scenarios where I just kept telling myself I would never see her again.:)
3.19 Thursday was kind of the main reason why we made the trip to MN (though we were long overdue to visit everyone anyway). This day - March 19 - was Adoption Day for Katie, Paul, Preston and Anna! There were probably around 25-30 of us crowded into the court room. (My parents, brothers, Grandma and Mary came too.) It was so special! I will show you some pictures from that day too. That night, we all stayed at a hotel nearby that had some fun pools and water stuff for kids. Even though a lot of the kids weren't feeling the greatest (poor Malachi threw up - poolside), they all had a great time. Luke had been looking forward to going to the hotel with his cousins for so long!
3.20 We were planning on returning to IL on Friday but found out late afternoon that the car would take until Saturday to finish. We decided that another evening with Daniel and Molly wouldn't be too shabby! :) In retrospective, God in his kind providence arranged these circumstances so that later that night - when a sad call came - Daniel and Molly could both go to the hospital to see a close friend, who went to be with the Lord the next night.
3.21 The boys and I enjoyed most of the day with Molly and the kids. We ended up rolling out around 3pm. The trip went well, and the boys slept the rest of the way after darkness fell. Our trip wouldn't be complete without one last little twist though! About 20 minutes from home, Chris noticed that the sermon he was listening to on the ipod was sounding funny. The ipod had been sitting in a cup of Diet Coke! It sounds funny and did give me a case of the late-night giggles, but Chris was not amused. :) Thankfully, the ipod regained full functionality 3 days later. We were thankful not to have to pay for a repair or a new ipod!

So, sickness, car trouble and nights full of interruptions (Thank you, Simon!) made us so ready and thankful to be home! We always love seeing our family and did have a great time with them; it's just tough to be sick and away from home. Now, we've been back for two weeks, and things are going well. Simon and Luke have been healthy, I've been working on little projects here and there, Chris & I are once again on the Abs Diet, and we're looking forward to Chris' parents spending Easter weekend with us - so this week will be full of preparations.

If you made it through to the end, thank you for listening to me! I hope you have a great week as we contemplate and remember Jesus' sacrifice and love for us.

More Thoughts from After Dark

2009-02-21T10:55:00.004-05:00

Thank you for your kind words and prayers for me and my sleeper. I guess I wasn't super clear in my last post, but we are currently enjoying a time of better sleep for Simon, though it's still not great - especially compared to the kind of sleeper Luke was when he was Simon's age. But, I guess I'm not supposed to compare, and every child is different, right? :) Don't worry, I'm not wagging my finger at Simon and asking him, Why can't you just be more like your brother? :)

Something else that came to my mind on more than one interrupted night of sleep in the last month was about one of THE most incredible, precious, caring, selfless moms God ever blessed a person with: my mom. My sisters will attest that having Joan Patz around in time of need (like having a baby) or even just for a fun visit will always leave one better off than before. My mom always knows the perfect, timely and appropriate way to help someone. And, especially since she raised me and I am like her in so many of my ways/habits/methods of mothering/housewife-ing, she's like a new and improved version of myself when she is here. My mom has seven children who desperately love her, and we all want more of her!

One simple memory exemplifies one of the ways my mom is such a great mother and why I pray that I am the same kind of mom to my kids. Over a year ago when Simon was born - during a cold and snowy December - my mom came for a few days to help. She arrived right before we left the hospital and helped us through those first hairy nights at home. She slept on the couch in our living room - the same place where little Simon slept in his bassinet. My mom would always get up with Simon if it wasn't time for him to eat or if I had already fed him and he wasn't asleep. So, one night I woke up to Simon's cries ands stumbled out to the living room. Simon was all bundled up and toasty warm, but the air in the living room was a little cool, and our wood floors were even chillier. I sat down on our love seat to feed Simon, my bare toes resting on the cold floor. I was still a little groggy - maybe even half asleep with my eyes closed - but my eyes fluttered open when my mom lifted up my legs to place a throw pillow under my feet so that they wouldn't be so cold and tucked a blanket around me and Simon. I didn't remember this until several weeks ago - my now one year old in my arms - when I sat down in my rocker and my bare toes touched the floor. I smiled there in the dark as I remembered my mom and all of the little selfless acts she does for her children. I suddenly missed my mom, and small, tired tears filled my eyes. I realized that I was once her little screamer in the night, robbing her of countless hours of beauty sleep, smearing food on her clothes, arms and cheeks, smudging her clean windows and flinging food on her shiny floors. She undoubtedly spent many nights rocking me and singing Jesus Loves Me in my ear, just as I do now with my boys. I am positive that I inherited these mommy-traits from her; I LOVE rocking my babies (and Luke still likes to be rocked). It is easy for me to feel frustrated and angry when I feel like I have been awakened one too many times, but as I sang that simple song to Simon and realized that my mom sang those same words into my soft hair when I was little too, I decided that I could just stop my whining and give my son that little gift of ungrudging love, tenderness and selflessness in the night. After all, my mom gave it to me. She still does.

Christmas 2008

My Mom and all her kids and babies (and husband!) who love her

Thoughts from After Dark

2009-02-18T13:19:00.004-05:00

Simon's recent (very recent) improvement in sleep has been an added blessing as I've fought this sinus cold. But, there have been a few things that would keep coming to my mind during sleepless nights in the past few months that I really wanted to remember. With each child that I have it seems that more and more of my memory slips away, so I had better write it down. My boys are worth the cost of brain cells, for sure!

One thing that has consumed a large part of my remaining brain cells is my sweet Simon's bad night-time sleep habits! Please, someone tell me why does he keep waking up? Periodically, we will once again let him "cry it out." Sometimes that tactic is successful. Other times it is frustratingly NOT. And when it does seem to work, and he sleeps through the night for a few nights or maybe even a week, he fairly quickly starts waking up again; and I just think, What am I missing here?!?! But one night, a thought occurred to me how similar I am in my relationship with Jesus. I mean, I am undisciplined, have bad habits, wrong priorities, unkind words flow from my mouth, irrelevant irritations push me over the edge. And after "crying it out" (if you will), I realize how self-centered I am being and my lack of concern and focus on Christ and the gospel. God graciously grants me repentance and forgiveness and joy and peace and clarity. But, pretty soon, there we are again - me and Simon - crying it out. I find that I also go through this cycle in other areas of discipline in my life (like health/fitness). Boy, am I thankful, relieved, overjoyed that my righteousness - all that is good within me - is of Christ. I will keep picking myself up, crying it out, looking to the gospel, getting back on the treadmill with the power of God's Spirit in me - and hopefully my times on the ground in tears of frustration and defiance will come to be fewer and farther between. In the meantime, I will certainly have more compassion in my heart for my little screamer in the night. He is his mama's boy, after all.

My and my little screamer the night before his first birthday:

Snow Fun

2009-02-18T07:13:00.006-05:00

Wow. I got hit with a cruel sinus cold this week. I haven't been this sick with a cold or stuffed up for a long time. I woke up about a half hour ago (5:45a.m.) after at least an hour of continually grabbing my water bottle to relieve my dry cotton mouth. My lips are covered in slime from not being able to breathe through my nose. Lovely image for you all to have, I know. Sorry.

So . . . I thought I would show you all these cute pictures of the boys playing in the snow in Michigan. This was back in early January when we were visiting Chris' parents for New Year's.

Win a Free Purse!

2009-02-14T14:44:00.004-05:00

My sister April is really becoming quite the crafty woman! You can read her personal blog here, see her artsy-crafty site here or visit her etsy site here!

But, if you click go to the Pink Potpourri, you can have as many as three chances to win this super cute purse that April made.

More Pictures

2009-02-14T09:03:00.001-05:00

If you want to see a few more pictures of the boys, click here.

Valentines Treats

2009-02-14T08:38:00.008-05:00

My boys sure were spoiled by their grandparents with Valentine's treats this year! The fun started on Wednesday when the UPS driver brought them a package from the Disney Store! Thank you Papa and Grandma! They love their new jammies and other treats. The next day brought McDonalds dollars from Grandma Salesky and Auntie Mary. (Sorry, I have no pictures of those; I'll have to take a picture when we go to the Happy Meal Store, as it's referred to around here.) Finally, yesterday, they got a valentine from Nony and Pappy with some mula included! We celebrated by going to the play area at the mall followed by Baskin-Robbins.

Luke got Wall*E jammies.

Simon got Pooh jammies. I love him in this color of blue!

Yay! Money for ice cream!

Even Simon knows he's holding something good!

Simon's already pretty good at climbing up on things. You just have to watch the stinker or he'll run right out of the play area!

Luke in action

Simon loved the slides!

The Tongue is Back

2009-02-14T08:24:00.005-05:00

Several months ago, Simon's cutest little tongue was always sticking out of his little mouth. Well, it's back and as cute as ever.

Back from the Dead

2009-02-07T15:08:00.007-05:00

Wow. I think I reached an all-time high for days without blogging! I have my excuses, most of which are valid (in my opinion). For one, our family only has one lap top (aren't we deprived? - please feel the sarcasm), and Chris uses that every day at school. So, that leaves me with after-work hours, which by the time supper is done and the boys are in bed, is about 8:00. I am sorry, but I usually don't feel like blogging! Another, more recent, excuse (this one NOT so valid) is that I've been wanting to change my crazy fall-colored template, and the thought of finding the website I used before and going through all the rigmarole was just too overwhelming to me. And last time I changed the template, I had to re-do all of my links and stuff. So, that is typical my MO when I am overwhelmed about something: avoid it! (I finally just changed the template to a standard, unexciting blogger template, though I kinda like the simplicity of it.)

But, I really do enjoying writing and blogging and sharing with you things that are going on with us. So, I'm back, and I'm going to try to blog once a week. (Cross your fingers.) I am going to try to make this my Saturday thang.

So, how are we doing? Great! Especially today when the current temperature is 56 degrees! Woohoo! I have some windows cracked open, and the feeling of fresh air in the house in wonderful. Chris and Luke are at a park after going to the library, and Simon is taking his afternoon nap. I also have silence! Peace and quiet. Aaaaahhh.

Simon was 14 months old last week! Wow. His antics just keep getting more funny, more naughty and more dangerous! He really is running and also enjoys climbing on anything possible. He thinks he's the big man around town when he gets up onto one of our little chairs or stands up on Luke's stool so he can get stuff off of the table. I think I am on the way to successfully training him NOT to stand on chairs, though every once in a while he still will stand up, smile from ear to ear and look at me, waiting for me to notice. He is fiercely independent and doesn't handle disappointment very well. He finally is enjoying little things that most babies have done for months - like waving goodbye (while shouting "BAH!" very loudly) and clapping his hands. If he doesn't have pants on, he likes to sit down and clap his hands and pat his lap. But only if he has bare legs so he hears the noise. He still only has the six teeth that he cut months ago - 4 on top and 2 on bottom. And he still loves his bottles for milk. He drinks water or diluted juice from a sippy cup, but walk around like he's a dying turtle if it's been too long and it's time for his milk. I don't care. He won't be a baby forever. He still loves his brother and any other kids that we're around. It's so cute because he just loves to get right in the middle of what everyone is doing. And if you've seen him walk/run, you know that he's got the cutest little gait. He sort of prances around. Simon is so smiley, so charming, so irresistibly adorable. He provides many laughs, which is good because he isn't so charming in the night-time sleeping department. But, I'm trying to keep this post upbeat, so we won't go there. :)

Luke is growing up before my very eyes, and I don't even think I really realize it. A week and a half ago, he was tested at a nearby school we're interested in. I have many conflicted thoughts and feelings about the whole school issue; I think I'll leave that for another post. Luke was promoted to a new class at church, so he is now in a much older setting and is loving it. He comes home with the greatest papers - things that we can read and review together throughout the week. He's been very much into coloring lately and is working on several projects for some very lucky grandmas and aunties. :) Our family got a Wii from Chris' parents for Christmas, so that is another fun thing that Luke loves to do. He has gotten pretty good at tennis, and last time I played, he beat me! He also loves playing with his friends. Between play dates, date nights, Bible Study and now Small Group, he leads a pretty active social life and gets to play with friends often. And Luke continues to be my sweet little side-kick, helping me with various organizing projects or doing WiiFit with me. He exasperates me with his nonchalance about wetting his pants or staying in his own bed at night, but like I said before, he won't be little forever (and again, I'm trying to keep this post upbeat, so we won't go there).

I am doing well. My big project right now is whipping my dupa into gear! (If you don't know my family, then you should know that "dupa" means "butt" in Polish. I think.) I didn't make any official New Year's resolutions, but have been prayerfully working on establishing more disciplined habits in my life. My new WiiFit that I got for Christmas gave me a jump-start on being healthy and losing some weight, and some great sermons that our pastor has been preaching on being resolute have also been a source of encouragement and inspiration. I love working on having a more organized home too; and with a small place, it's a constant game of organizing and re-organizing things, finding the exact best place for them. I think it would be a dream come true for me to have everything in my closets in clear, plastic bins! Maybe someday.

At Christmastime, Chris was half-way through the PhD program at Wheaton! Yay!!! He seems to be in good shape to graduate in the spring of 2010, and he is still really enjoying his studies and the program at Wheaton. He has less classes and seminars this semester but is always busy. He is still disciplined and diligent and is rarely stressed out. I am blessed by that! He also is continuing to enjoy running and is currently looking for a good race to run in. He was bummed that he had a scheduling conflict the weekend of the KY Derby Half Marathon. We'll have to find another excuse to go see Scott and April! :) He was particularly stoked today when he got to run outside in 50 degree weather! He is not as tolerant of the mid-west's extreme winters as I am and is especially grumpy on mornings that he can't run outside.

And there you go! That is how we're all doing. Fine and dandy, really. We were gone for a while around the holidays and have enjoyed being home for a good 3 weeks now, though we always miss our family. Come visit us!!!

PS. I just threw in some random pics from the last few weeks for interested family to enjoy.

Strange Day, Typical Night

2008-12-14T22:29:00.002-05:00

Chris and I both woke up feeling sick to our stomaches. Chris was the one who actually threw up, so he won the hall pass to stay home from church and get out of his commitments. (Though I will admit that he did seem to be sicker than I was, especially considering the fact that I'm sitting here watching Survivor and eating holiday nougats. My stomach was calmed down by the afternoon; I just felt tired and weak all day.)

So . . . we survived the day, despite both parentals being under the weather, Simon's fussiness and Luke's usual wild craziness. I don't know what's going on with my little sweetie-pie Simon lately, but something seems to be making him unhappy, and he's sleeping a ton. Who knows? Maybe it's teething; or maybe he has a tummy ache too . . .

So, once the boys and I got home from church and Simon was down for his LONG Sunday nap,we all kinda just vegged. Luke started out on the wild side, but calmed down enough to give Chris and me a break. He is just loving playing with our Little People lately. We got Simon the Little People Nativity set for his birthday, and Luke likes to add all of the zoo and farm animals into the mix. I think it's adorable, interesting and so insightful the way Luke "sets up" the nativity set compared to my way. Typically, a manger scene is set up with the figures and animals facing out. But Luke sets Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus in the stable (like normal), but then all 30-some animals that we have are crowded as close to the stable as they can be - all facing the figure symbolizing our Messiah, Savior, and Lord of Lords. I have yet to get a picture of it, but it is really priceless. Isn't that just like kids?

Ok, so I felt like it was a strange day - Chris and I stumbling about. But come 7:00 tonight, I wanted to watch Survivor's season finale, and Luke was no where near ready for bed. So, I told him he could watch too, but he had more fun pulling some clothes out of my closet and playing store and dressing up. At one point, he had black tights on, athletic shorts over top, a muscle shirt, and a blouse of mine (which looked WAY too big on his little body). He added a tie of Chris' to the mix and asked me to tie it. It was hilarious, but not altogether abnormal for this son of mine. He is an imaginative, funny nut and so irresistable.

So, that's it. Nothing too interesting and no pictures. Hopefully I will make time for that this week. I would love to change my blog's "skin;" it looks so fallish, and I'm totally into the spirit of Christmas! My tree is absolutely beautiful this year; I had the sweetest time tonight rocking Simon in the living room with only the Christmas lights on. Hope you're enjoying some calm and peaceful moments this Christmas too!

Thankful

2008-11-27T17:08:00.002-05:00

In no particular order, here are some of the things I am thankful for.

my husband - he's patient, overlooks many faults of mine, and is very helpful. And he's an awesome Daddy.
Chris stepped on a nail in the laundry room early this morning, thus not throwing off our entire Thanksgiving Day! (After trying to pull it out with tweasers - we didn't know it was a 1/2 in. nail at this point! - I talked him into going to the Convenient Care Center.)
God's Word - especially my new ESV Study Bible.
April and Scott are here for the long weekend! April is already doing crafts with Luke and Simon is loving the extra attention!
I am done cooking for at least 2 days! :)
Peppermint ice cream
yarning (Lukeage for "crocheting")
not having to buy a new car battery
Roadside Assistance with our car insurance policy (a story for another post)
My mom and all that she taught me about being a homemaker, a wife and a mom.
my delicious boys. Somehow, no one makes cuter little boys than Chris and me, not to conjur up any mental pictures. :)
I get along with my in-laws and even love them a lot! They truly are my family.
God is providing for each of our needs.
mint and chocolate. together. :)
my friends - God's given me some jewels
pumpkin pie and leftovers!
being a stay-at-home mom. I'm growing more and more into this role by the minute. I now cry at the end of every Little House on the Prairie, regardless of how corny it is!
the way Luke pulls my ear close to his so he can whisper to me
watching Simon WALK!
a church family that I really appreciate and love

Gobbler Hobbler 2008

2008-11-08T21:10:00.008-05:00

Chris ran the Oswegoland Park District Gobbler Hobbler this morning. This is the first race he's ran since 1998! It was a fun little Saturday morning outing for the boys and me too. Too bad the weather wasn't in the 70s like earlier this week. Instead, it barely reached 40!

All bundled up, waiting at the finish line for their Dad to come into sight.

I think this one's my favorite! Simon looks like a little old man. (His middle name is Clarence, after all.)

There he is! He's the runner on the right.

Pushing to finish. The wind was in their faces the whole second half.

Afterwards, there was a "pancake breakfast" (pancake sticks in a cup) for the runners. Simon finaggled a pancake stick.

And Luke finaggled a donut!

So, What Now?

2008-11-04T23:41:00.005-05:00

Justin Taylor gives some helpful words about what to think and do, now that Senator Obama will be the president of the United States. Especially if you are a Christian or prayed for a different outcome in the election, I encourage you to read his words; they offer a much better alternative to complaining or becoming fearful and angry.

With Ohio being called for Senator Obama, it appears that he will be our next President.

It's very easy to forget--especially for those of us who are on the younger side--that it was only a little over 40 years ago that there were Jim Crow laws in the US. Just a generation ago, many African Americans were segregated from whites in public schools, transportation, restrooms, and restaurants.

Tonight, the United States has elected a biracial man to serve as its leader.

It would be an understatement to call this a watershed cultural moment in our country's history.

No matter who you voted for--or whether you voted at all--it's important to remember that, as President, Barack Obama will have God-given authority to govern us, and that we should view him as a servant of God (Rom. 13:1, 4) to whom we should be subject (Rom. 13:1, 5; 1 Pet. 2:13-14).
We are to pray for Barack Obama (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
We are to thank God for Barack Obama (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
We are to respect Barack Obama (Rom. 13:7).
We are to honor Barack Obama (Rom. 13:7; 1 Pet. 2:17).
There are many qualifications to add to these exhortations--for example, see this excellent post by John Piper--but it's still important to remember that these are requirements for all Bible-believing Christians.

Your Friends Tigger and . . . Batman

2008-11-02T09:27:00.005-05:00

Here are our little Trick-or-Treaters. I will have to take another, more complete picture of Luke in his awesome Batman costume. Thank you Grandma and Papa!!! I know that he will enjoy playing dress up with it this year.

Patz Family Christmas Gift Exchange

2008-10-02T08:29:00.003-04:00

There's nothing "Secret Santa" about our family's gift exchange. I usually organize things, call everyone with their designated recipient, and then - a little after Thanksgiving - everyone calls me asking whose name they have. So . . . here it is, on the world wide web for us all to remember. The limit is $25.

(The name on the left is the giver.)

Daniel - April

Molly - Antonio

Janelle - Chris

Jason - Matthew

Katie - Janelle

Chris - Daniel

April - Katie

Scott - Molly

Matthew - Scott

Marco - Jason

Antonio - Marco

I'm not sure why Daniel's D is so big. Probably because he thinks since he's the oldest, he's the leader. I didn't forget about a sibling, did I?

Mama is so easily charmed by her boys . . .

2008-09-16T18:26:00.003-04:00

Me: I think that Simon must think the words "no, no" mean, "smile charmingly and irresistably."

That is what he does every time I say those words to him. If he's going for the electrical outlet and hears me say "no, no" to him, he slowly turns his head around to look at me, all the while his eyes are twinkling with his precious smile.

Chris: I think that Simon knows exactly what the words "no, no" mean, and that is why he smiles charmingly and irresistably.

Brothers

2008-09-13T21:13:00.012-04:00

Luke grabbed Simon and asked me to take a picture of them. :)

I still have the pack-n-play in my room. I have to keep Curious George contained some of the time!

Poor Simon smashed his fingers in the hinge of a cabinet door last Sunday morning. It was so sad; it took me a few seconds to get his fingers out! He snuggled up with Luke to watch a video before church. (Sorry if you don't believe in tv before two.)

This is a typical Simon face: wide eyes, mouth open, and ALWAYS a smile!

He seriously ALWAYS has to find a way to stand up!

Simon does NOT always do this when he's tired, but tonight he just sprawled out on the floor. It probably had something to do with his rebellion at nap time this afternoon.

Aren't they irresistible in their matching jammies?

Sweet brothers!

What I'm Reading

2008-09-06T21:31:00.002-04:00

So, I gather that most of you don't read, since nearly no one commented on my "Reading" post. :)

Here's what I'm reading right now.

The Case for Classical Christian Education by Douglas Wilson
Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman
Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara by Jerry Stiller
Julie Andrews: An Intimate Biography by Richard Stirling
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingals Wilder (This is what Chris and I are reading with Luke at bedtime.)
I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the 3rd book of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. (I'm on a waiting list at the library.) I suppose you could call this my guilty pleasure. :)

I'll ask again. (Janelle, I know you have no time to read.) What are you all reading?

The Stats

2008-09-03T23:19:00.013-04:00

The boys had their check-up's today - Simon's 9 month and Luke's 4 year. They both are healthy as a pair of young oxen. :) Simon has definitely slimmed down, as indicated by his plummet on the percentage scale, but he's very healthy, and I actually get comments that he looks big (one woman said he was husky!) I'm so thankful to have had a healthy summer, and I pray that we all stay fairly healthy this fall and winter!

My boys love baths; and Simon loves it when he gets to take a bath with his big brother!

But, sometimes Luke gets into his face a bit much, and Simon tries to make his escape.

Simon thinks he needs to be standing up anywhere, anytime, because, you know, he's a big boy!

Have you noticed Simon's adorable little tongue sticking out? He made that face for about two weeks straight, and now that phase is over. :( They change and grow so fast!

Luke is 4 years and 2 months old.
Weight: 39.5 pounds (75th percentile)
Height: 40 3/4 inches (50th percentile)
Favorite thing (at the moment): his very own tape (he always uses those exact words when talking about tape), for taping up his artwork
and making puppets
Claim to Shame: peeing in the bush outside our condo (Jammie was showing him how to go outside) and scratching Simon's nose with his toenail (don't ask)

He really is just a big NUT!

Simon is exactly 9 months old today!
Weight: 20.1 pounds (40th percentile)
Height: 27 3/4 inches (30th percentile)
Favorite Thing: Anything he's not allowed to have - paper, small objects, etc.; also, the bathroom - when he gets crawling, it's usually to the bathroom
Claim to Shame: stubborn eater - refusing to eat anything he can't put in his mouth himself; irresistible smile and charm that will undoubtedly let him get away with lots of shenanigans!

One last shot of the tongue - Good thing the camera wasn't a milimeter lower, eh? :)

Reading

2008-08-29T21:00:00.003-04:00

I LOVE reading, and I have to admit that maybe my favorite genre is plain ole' fiction. But, I'm always at a loss for what to look for in the library, because, chances are, if I just pick a random book off the shelf, it will be trash - on many levels. One author that my brother got me into is Vince Flynn - he's from the Minneapolis area, which makes him more interesting to me. I've also enjoyed some of P.J. Tracy's books (one of which is also set in Minneapolis - even my old neighborhood!). Both of these authors run along the psychological thriller line.

What books have you read and enjoyed? Has anyone read the Twilight series by Stephenie Myer? I realize that the authors and books that I have mentioned aren't classics. They're more like "candy" - easy to read and sometimes just plain entertainment; but I think that's okay. It's sometimes nice to settle into bed early with something that's easy on the brain after a hard day of motherhood. :)

Straight to the Heart

2008-08-28T10:34:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Luke was SO CRAZY! He tore the house apart, playing his pretend games - camping, yarning, circus . . . He took a million things out in the process, and I just let him. I was unusually tired and just felt like having a "lazy day." I crocheted and read while he played.

But, sure enough, all of the mess that he made started to get to me, and of course he was "tired" when it came time to clean up. I knew he was tired from a late bedtime the night before, so he took a rest on the couch. But, that just recharged his battery, and soon enough he was bouncing off the walls again! He is SO incredibly "energetic" (or hyper) most of the time; I think I'm going to go crazy before long. A lot of times, it makes me laugh. Other times - like yesterday - it makes me wonder what I am going to do with him. I was completely exasperated.

But then at bedtime, Luke said something that went straight to my mama's heart. Mom? he said. (We were in his bed, at bedtime.) Yeah? I answered. Are you still gonna be my mom when I'm a grown up??? (concerned look on his face) My heart melted and I snuggled him extra, telling him I would be his mom forever. And then, instead of wondering what I was going to do with all that energy of his, I dreamed of all that he was going to do for Jesus in his life - with all of that energy.

Questions That Help Bring Conviction

2008-08-26T10:33:00.003-04:00

Questions That Help Bring Conviction

Do you know what God calls what you just did/said?
Do you realize that what you did is a sin? The Bible calls it __________.
Can you think of a more gracious (or other appropriate biblical term) way to say (or respond to) that?
What exactly did you do? (instead of "Did you do that?")
What went through your mind when you did/said that?
What did you want (long for, crave) when you did/said that?
Are you more concerned about pleasing yourself or pleasing God?
How exactly was God glorified (we say "honored") by what you said/did?
Did you pray about that decision before you made it?
What was the biblical basis for that decision?
How did those words build up or minister grace to that person?
If I were to ask your teacher (or mother or sister or whoever observed the behavior in question) if what you did was right, what would she (or he) say?

Taken from Teach Them Diligently by Lou Priolo

I found this so incredible helpful! Sometimes I feel like I'm stumbling over my own words when I'm disciplining Luke. It has been hard for me to be clear and specific. I copied some of these questions on a piece of paper (a few of them are geared towards older children) and hung it up in my kitchen to remind me during times of duress. I've already had a few situations when I felt like my time of correction with Luke was profitable.

Training Children in Righteousness

2008-08-26T10:26:00.003-04:00

While I was reading Don't Make Me Count to Three this morning (by Ginger Plowman), I came across some helpful advice that I haven't been considering when I discipline Luke. We had a pretty long bed-time battle last night. . .

How do we do this with children? (talking about teaching them the put off/put on principle)First, work through what a biblical response would have been. Second, have the child follow through with it. . . When we correct our children for wrong behavior but fail to train them in righteous behavior, we will exasperate them because we are not providing them with a way of escape. . . There will never be a situation where this does not apply. As a rule, anytime you correct your child for wrong behavior, have him walk through right behavior. This is how we train our children to walk in the righteousness of Christ. This is what the Bible means when it says to "train them in righteousness."

Change is Happening

2008-08-25T02:26:00.003-04:00

I've actually been messing around with my blog tonight, and if you didn't notice, I changed the name and have a brand-new template to go with it. I got the free template here. I realize that most people probably read blog via their Google Reader or whatever, so you might not even notice. But, I thought some people might wonder what "My Beanstalk" is, so I wanted to give you a heads-up that it's ME, formerly Luke & Simon, which was formerly Profundities from Lukie's Mom.

"Beanstalk" is just a word that Luke made up that is now part of our real-life vocabulary around here. Do you have words like that? Words that only you and your family know the meaning to? Like, the little shelf/cabinet we have that we call "the box." :) Well, when Chris or I want to get on the computer and check our email, blogs, facebook, what have you, we say that we want to "check our beanstalk." Get it? My friend Lea (who really needs to blog more often, ahem!) told me I should name my blog "My Beanstalk," and I thought it was a great idea!

On a technical note, does anyone know how I can eliminate that huge space below my name? I can't figure it out.

So, now I want to hear all of your "insider vocab." What's your beanstalk?

I'm Here to Make you Feel Better

2008-08-24T16:55:00.006-04:00

Well, not really, but that's what I felt like one morning last week. I felt like if some of you friends of mine out there - who are moms of little children like I am - saw me and my offspring, you would feel much, much better about yourself. :)

I actually wasn't doing too poorly Thursday morning - compared to the previous mornings. I was up and showered by 8:00 (Earlier in the week, Simon had me up so much and for so long during the night that Chris let me sleep in till 9 or later. Keeping that kind of schedule makes one feel rather groggy all day long). I also had made a new resolution to eliminate 95% of Luke's tv viewing, and he was doing really well - playing camp-out in the corner of the living room. Simon was taking his morning nap, and I was getting all kinds of little things done around the house; things weren't looking great and all put together, but if you had given me 20 minutes, I could have busted a move and things would've looked spick and span. But they didn't.

I also hadn't gotten Luke dressed for the day yet, so he was in his favorite outfit - underwear and his jammie shirt. Well, as I was walking through the living room, Luke pointed out to me that our neighbor Gimja was standing outside our patio wanting to talk to me. Gimja is our friendliest neighbor. She has two grown sons who live with her, and always loves to chat and sweet talk with Simon when we see her. Turns out, she just wanted to have a neighborly chat, and I even invited her inside (warning her that things were a little disheveled). She turned down my offer, promising to come in another time. Luke came outside and putzed around while we talked. I wondered what she was thinking to herself of my son in his undies since it was coming up to lunchtime. She probably thinks I'm such a lazy mom! I thought. Then, to my amusement (it probably should have been to my horror, but it wasn't), I looked down at Luke and realized there was a smushed blueberry, smeared and dried in his hair. Nice. I didn't say anything and hoped Gimja didn't notice. I thought it was pretty funny and called Chris to share the chuckle.

Sadly, my good humor ended when I realized that there was a nice size blueberry stain on the smack-dab middle of the quilt on my bed. Ooh, now I was mad. And it was entirely Chris' fault, since he had given Luke the snack involving blueberries the night before. I called him right back and told him how his negligence had resulted in our bedspread getting big ugly stain on it. Quilts are not cheap! I groaned to him. I think I even hung up on him. Never mind that I too let Luke have snacks around the house, and that I myself have even given him frozen blueberries mixed with cereal and not required him to stay at the table. :) Well, thankfully, my new laundry friend, Lestoil, got that stain right out - no problem! And even if it hadn't, I knew it wasn't really Chris' fault. Poor guy. :)

So, here are some pictures showing you Luke at his finest. :) You can see Luke's campsite in the background, along with some of the dirtiest windows to be seen! (They got a washing that day though and stayed smudge-free for about two seconds.)

Where I Am

2008-08-20T06:28:00.005-04:00

STOP! If you don't have a lot of time today, don't bother reading my blabbing here. Just scroll down and read the words in italics. They are much more helpful than my own. :)

I am living in some of the most desperate times of my life. Other times seem just peachy. A friend or my mom will call, and I'll sound (and feel) like things are just grand. But, maybe just five minutes after I get off of the phone, I am bawling and feel like I'm on the brink of sanity and just plain miserable. The truth is, I don't know when I've been more tired in my life. (Sorry to keep complaining to you about this.) I realize that this contributes to my general mental health. But, it also can be no excuse for sin in my life; and honestly, I just do not want it to control my days any more. I don't want to merely survive. I want to thrive.

This article that I read at Girl Talk this morning (camped out on the couch at 5am, so I could be sure that Simon stopped crying before I fall back into a deep sleep) put words to many of my feelings and offered me great encouragement and a helpful challenge. I am ashamed to say that it has taken far too many months for my daily afflictions to draw me near to God.

Take a quick minute to read this. I am sure you will appreciate it too.

Every Day Providence

Recently, my sweet 2-year-old misplaced her desire to sleep through the night. Mommy has been hard at work helping her to find that desire again. But it’s meant little sleep for Mommy at night and long days of wanting to crawl into the nearest bed. Mix in a rather nasty cold for the two-year-old and some pregnancy hormones for Mommy and I will leave the rest to your imagination.

But you know what? This tiny trial has forced me to draw near to God. And just as it tells me in His Word, He has been faithful to draw near to me (James 4:8). He has been reminding me of His sovereignty and love. This situation didn’t catch Him by surprise and it is the BEST for my girl and me. Sweet comfort!

So no matter where you find yourself today—in a trial big or tiny. Remember, the Lord isn’t surprised and He has PROMISED to work for your good in all things (Rom. 8:28).

These words from J. C. Ryle have brought me much encouragement:

“Reader, if God has given you His only begotten Son, beware of doubting His kindness and love, in any painful providence of your daily life! Never allow yourself to think hard thoughts of God. Never suppose that He can give you anything which is not really for your good. Remember the words of Paul: ‘He who spared not His own Son—but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things’ (Romans 8:32).

See in every sorrow and trouble of your earthly pilgrimage the hand of Him who gave Christ to die for your sins! That hand can never smite you except in love! He who gave His only begotten Son for you, will never withhold anything from you which is really for your good. Lean back on this thought and be content. Say to yourself in the darkest hour of trial, ‘This also is ordered by Him who gave Christ to die for my sins. It cannot be wrong. It is done in love. It must be well.’"

You can read the original article here. If you haven't already, you really need to subscribe to this blog.

Boy Talk

2008-08-15T17:46:00.003-04:00

When Luke's friend Isaac comes over, they inevitably end up talking some potty talk. It's all practical and not meant to be gross or funny; and it provides me with some good laughs.

This conversation happened a few months ago.

Isaac: HEY LUKE!

Luke: HEY ISAAC!!!!! I have to go potty!

Isaac: I go potty standing up. Do you go standing up?

Luke: Yeah. I go don't go sitting down. I go standing up.

Isaac: Yeah, my daddy showed me how to go standing up. Do you go up high? or down low?

Luke: Down low.

Isaac: Yeah, me too.

Tonight, Isaac and Noah are over again, and some new information on matters concerning the toilet have been shared. According to Isaac, animals go to the bathroom on rocks. Sitting down. :) And, sadly, I overheard that Luke got pee on his arm. Just one arm though (what a relief).

Hm

2008-08-13T11:35:00.002-04:00

Luke: I am so confused.

Me: Why are you confused?

Luke: Because my kids are so WILD!

I wonder when I said this.?

Bye-Bye Summer

2008-08-13T11:16:00.004-04:00

I haven't posted in forever! I'm too tired to give you a lengthy update, but we've had a good summer and traveled a lot! Currently, Simon is giving me a run for my money with ridiculous behavior in the middle of the night. Last night, I couldn't fall asleep myself, until Simon woke up some time after midnight. I didn't manage to get him back into bed until 2 (after Tylenol and a bottle), and he woke up at 4! I thought I was going to crack. Chris helped out for an hour, but Simon was pretty uncontrollable. I was starting to worry if he was hurting in some way, but then he would start babbling. After another bottle (is he growing and teething?), I laid him in bed at 6, shut his door, and turned the fan on by my ear. I wouldn't have heard him if he screamed my full name! Dear Chris let me sleep until almost ten, when Luke came in and asked me to do something for him. I have given up on sleeping well. I haven't slept well at night (on a regular basis) since we moved here in July of 2007, thanks to being pregnant, Luke and his craziness, and now Simon. I'm getting over it. I used to think if a mom didn't get good sleep, she wasn't "training" her kids properly (other than the newborn months). (Then Luke turned 3, and I had Simon.) What a load of you-know-what. How could I have been so arrogant?

So, here's what we did this summer:

Late May: We went to MI for a week over Chris' birthday; Chris took actual vacation and did not study during the days! (He worked every other time we were away from home.)
June: We were home for the entire month! It was a nice month, including VBS at our church and lots of different happenings with friends and summer-time fun
First 2 weeks of July: Luke turned 4 on July 2! We spent time with almost my entire family up at my parents' house. I got to meet Malachi for the first time, and see my sweet Katie, Paul, Preston & Anna for the first time in well over a year. We desperately missed Daniel, Molly, Grace, Buddy, Elijah and Barnabas (who I still haven't met:()
We were home for one week in the middle of July.
Last two weeks of July: The boys and I went to Michigan; Chris joined us the second week. The weather was hot and sunny the entire time, and Luke and I went swimming once or twice every day. We didn't want to come home because we were having such a good time, but once home, we were all happy to be here. Other than Simon's middle-of-the-night shenanigans, we're doing really well.

Team Hoyt

2008-07-24T15:25:00.003-04:00

My friend Lea's husband directed me to this video that moved me to tears this afternoon. I was sittin' here, bawlin' like a baby. (Just finished the Paula Deen memoir, so still talkin' southernspeak) Maybe you'll enjoy it too.

ATTAYSHUN!!!!

2008-07-23T23:34:00.003-04:00

That's Lukespeak for "attention." I just wanted to let ya'll know (I'm finishing up Paula Deen's memoirs, hence the Southernspeak) that I've figured out how to give you non-facebookers the link to my pictures. Here ya'll go! Thank you Katie B! (Hey, I'm a Katie B. too! It must be late that I got a kick out of that.)

I have only uploaded the one album and now am in MI hanging out with family and old friends. And the pictures are all on our computer with Chris. In Illinois. Maybe he'll be a dear and upload the rest for me. (?) :)

Pictures from our WI Trip

2008-07-15T21:22:00.004-04:00

I just realized how easy it is to export pictures from iPhoto to facebook, so just click here to see them. I'll upload more tomorrow. I had to post this one here though. Simon and Amos are just two weeks apart (Amos is older), and they were so cute together!

girltalk

2008-07-15T20:57:00.004-04:00

Don't ask my why it's taken me this long to finally subscribe to girltalk. You should too. Tonight, this quote posted there really encouraged me.

Homemaking—being a full-time wife and mother—is not a destructive drought of usefulness but an overflowing oasis of opportunity; it is not a dreary cell to contain one’s talents and skills but a brilliant catalyst to channel creativity and energies into meaningful work; it is not a rope for binding one's productivity in the marketplace, but reins for guiding one's posterity in the home; it is not oppressive restraint of intellectual prowess for the community, but a release of wise instruction to your own household; it is not the bitter assignment of inferiority to your person, but the bright assurance of of the ingenuity of God's plan for the complementarity of the sexes, especially as worked out in God's plan for marriage; it is neither limitation of gifts available nor stinginess in distributing the benefits of those gifts, but rather the multiplication of a mother's legacy to the generations to come and the generous bestowal of all God meant a mother to give to those He entrusted to her care.

Dorothy Patterson

Perspective

2008-07-14T23:12:00.005-04:00

Many a young mom sacrifices numerous brain cells trying to figure out how to get her little baby to sleep well at night. Some aren't so concerned, but I was not such a mom when Luke was born. (Nor when Simon was born, for that matter!) Luke turned out to be a champion night-time sleeper at the fragile age of 7 weeks! I patted myself on the back on many occasions. But alas, alack, shortly after he turned 3 years old and we had moved (once again) to our cozy little condo in Carol Stream, Illinois, Luke entered a "phase" that he has yet to exit. Sometimes he cries in the night and wants someone to lie in bed with him; other nights he creeps into our bed unnoticed until morning time (or until Simon gets me up). But, I might be able to count on two hands the number of nights in the last year that Luke has slept in his bed alone. uninterrupted. all night. Imagine my horror - me, the mom whose baby slept like an angel at 7 weeks old. I have slowly begun to let go of this need for Luke to sleep perfectly still for 12 hours at night. I tell myself that he will not be needing (or wanting) to sleep with Mommy or Daddy forever. And tonight, I was reminded again. And it actually made me sad.

I was snuggling in bed with Luke after reading him bedtime stories. I prayed with him, and he begged me to tell him the story of when I was five and rode on the high swings at the carnival. For some reason, I was holding my hand up in the air, and he wanted to put his against mine. My short, stubby fingers are still much longer than Luke's precious 4-year-old hands. But One day, I told him, before you know it, your hands are going to be even bigger than Mommy's. And by that time, I thought to myself with a very long sigh, we won't be lying together at bedtime, measuring fingers. They tell me that this time will come before I know it. It doesn't seem possible, but I'm afraid it's true all the same.

full head of hair

Bye Bye curls! (They'll be back, since we only cut his hair about twice a year.)

I always love looking at the back of Simon's head. I think his neck is so cute. :)

This is what Simon looks like when he's not smiling. Still adorable.

Worship

2008-06-22T20:24:00.003-04:00

Chris and I have been graciously blessed beyond measure with Christ-centered, God-exalting church families in each of the 4 states we have lived in since 2002! (To listen to a GREAT sermon from Father's Day last week that will encourage you in your parenting, click here.) Not only have we continually been fed God's Word with great preaching, but we have been truly led in worshiping our Savior each Sunday through Christ-centered, doctrinally rich music and corporate liturgy. This morning before we observed the Lord's Supper, we were led in this prayer of confession from The Valley of Vision. Some things hit home so poignantly.

O God of grace, You have imputed our sins to our Substitute, and have imputed His righteousness to our souls, clothing us with a bridegroom's robe, decking us with jewels of holiness. But in our Christian walk we are still in rags; our best prayers are stained with sin; our penitential tears are so much impurity; our confessions of wrong are so incomplete; our receiving the Spirit is so tainted with selfishness.

I need to repent of my repentance; I need my tears to be washed; I have no robe to bring to cover my sins, no loom to weave my own righteousness; I am always standing clothed in filthy garments, and by grace am always receiving change of raiment, for You do always justify the ungodly; I am always going into the far country, and always returning home as a prodigal, always saying, 'Father, forgive me,' and You are always bringing forth the best robe.

Every morning let us wear it, every evening return in it, go out to the day's work in it, be married in it, be wound in death in it, stand before the great white throne in it, enter heaven in it shining as the sun.

Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness, the exceeding wonders of grace.

Even More Luke Funnies

2008-06-18T22:15:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago I began praying that God would help me be calmer with Luke and not let him "get my goat" so easily. I'm afraid that sometimes when I was so tired I began to resent and be annoyed with all that makes Luke so great - and lack of sleep is no excuse for that. Luke has boundless energy, an unlimited imagination and endless antics. He just needs a firm, but calm hand at times. God has been answering my prayers, and I have really enjoyed some of these last few days with my sweet Lukie. There have been a few times in the last week where I ran errands with just Luke, while Simon napped & Chris studied at home. Luke has been so well-behaved in the stores and saying stuff that is cracking me up!

Last week at our church, we had Summer Quest (VBS). I taught K5, so we had to be there every day from 8:45-12:15. It was a busy and tiring week! On Thursday evening, Chris took Luke for a quick swim, and on the way home, he mentioned to Luke that tomorrow was the last day of SQ. Luke said, What are we going to do after that? Chris said he didn't know, to which Luke replied, Are we going to pack up our stuff and move to a new house? Poor kid. We have moved 3 times in his short little life. And the last time we packed up and moved was shortly after VBS at our church in MI. :)

On Saturday, we made it to a few garage sales together (I found a kid's cassette player for $2 - Luke can now listen to books on tape from the library!) and then hit Walmart and Target to get a Father's Day present for Chris and cards for the grandpas (which sadly have not made it to them yet :(). Chris has been wanting a popcorn maker, so that's what we were looking for. Walmart didn't have a Stir-Crazy, so we headed over to Target. While we were weaving through the aisles, I was telling Luke how cool it's going to be to get Dad a popcorn maker - just like Pappy's, and he was trying to convince me that Daddy would like a cotton-candy maker better! He was saying all of this very loudly, and I don't think I was the only one who was amused. Then, with all the talk about Father's Day, he wanted to know when Kid's Day was. I told him every day is Kid's Day. :)

Yesterday after Chris got home from work, he and Luke were playing with Playdough. Chris created a decent-looking playdough figure. I guess it was a woman, because Luke said, "Hello Gorgeous!" when he saw it. Don't ask me where he heard the word gorgeous.

Unfortunately it hasn't been all fun and games around here. A few days ago Simon suffered an intentional injury at the hands of his big brother when Luke threw a pretty hard toy right down on his face. :( Poor baby. That's the first time Luke's done anything like that and hopefully the last - at least for a while.

Happy Summer!

Catching up on some reading.

Teething Boy - aren't his jammies cute? Auntie Nel Nar gave them to him. (No, it's not just you. The picture is fuzzy.)

More Proof that My Son is a NUT

2008-06-11T22:14:00.005-04:00

I don't remember if I've posted our collection of funny Luke Sleeping Pictures. He usually needs to wind down for a while after we put him to bed, so later on when I go in to situate things - take books off the bed, cover Luke up, etc. - I occasionally find him in a goofy position or cuddled up with something less than normal.

Nice Elmo slippers!

He really gets into flashlights.

He also has strong affection for his vacuum.

And now, for the picture that prompted this post . . . taken mere minutes ago . . .

Chris and I laughed so hard when we found Luke like this, with his beloved Spiderman umbrella. It is much more funny live, and in the flesh. I guess God knew I needed this moment. I had a rough afternoon with Luke - not even because he was naughty, but because my energy was no where NEAR his; and sometimes when that happens, I feel like I'm ready to go nuts myself! I guess that's what they say: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Luke being Luke

2008-06-06T07:41:00.010-04:00

We all went out to eat at Applebees last Monday night. It was our 7 year anniversary - not as romantic as the first, but the boys were so good, and we all had a great time! I was looking at the kid's menu with Luke, trying to figure out what to get him.

Me: Do you want chicken fingers?
Luke: Um, hm, let me see. No. Then he looks up at me and asks, Do they have roast?
(This doesn't sound too funny, but the way he said it was hilarious. And it is kinda funny for a 3 year old to ask for roast.)

Luke has been playing with Jamnie a lot lately. Jamnie is one of his imaginary friends - his best imaginary friend. I asked him about Jamnie the other day. He told me he is invisible. Like God.

In the last several months, Chris has gotten back into running. For a while, he would track his mileage on the internet after he got back from his run. But, his dad just gave him an old ipod and he bought a Nike thinymajig that tracks everything for him. Anyways, last night we went with the Taylor's to Carol Stream's first Concert in the Park of the summer. The kids had so much fun, and I thought the band was really good! At the end of the night when we were walking back to our cars, Luke started running ahead. He and Claira thought they were on a big date and we were all chaperones (they held hands almost the whole night - it was so cute!). So, he breaks away from Claira, sprints a good little distance while Chris runs to go get him. Then I saw Luke sit down on the grass. He looked like he was starting to throw a fit or something, but Chris explained it to me when they got back to the car. When Chris got to Luke and he was sitting on the grass, Luke was pretend typing. Chris asked him what he was doing. Luke said he was checking how far he ran.

Luke has been such a pill at bedtime lately. It has been so frustrating and discouraging! He just really struggles to obey. There is lots of crying and spanks going on, but last night was a little better. I've been noticing in the last few nights that he all of the sudden gets very homesick for his Grandma (with whom he just spent almost two weeks) at bedtime. Last night he turned the waterworks on in a very effective manner (incredibly pitiful) and told me, I'm not crying for you, Mom. I'm crying for Grandma. Well then!

Ever heard this poem before?

There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead.
And when she was good,
She was really good.
And when she was bad
She was horrid.

This reminds me so much of Luke! And this is not the first time I've referred to this poem in reference to Luke before. I would change it to say "boy," but then it wouldn't rhyme. :)

Here's the pic I posted last time:

High Hopes for Summer

2008-06-01T16:53:00.007-04:00

We are SO excited to finally welcome summer! It was a long winter with several rounds of sickness, not to mention those murky and foggy early months with a new baby. We have emerged from the past 6 months all intact though and are looking forward to having a great summer! We already enjoyed a week together in Michigan with Chris' family. One of the best parts is that Chris took the week off himself and did no major studying! We enjoyed two dinner dates with friends (one without the kids!), a Tiger's game (thankfully, they won!), getting family pictures taken and a birthday party for Chris with his family. Last Tuesday, Chris, Simon and I headed home while Luke got to stay and have a big-boy stay with his Grandma and Papa. After having two kids - one of which is an almost-4 crazy boy, our precious little Simon practically felt like NO kids. :) He's such a doll and very compliant. Well, he could be a TEENSY bit more compliant and sleep straight through the night, but he usually gives me at least a 7-8 hour stretch. And sometimes he does go 10-11 hours. I guess I tend to compare him with Luke who was an amazing night-time sleeper since the age of 7 weeks. (Now he's a different story.) But Si is much more laid back than Luke every other hour of the day. Anyway, I digress.

So, we had four nights here at home before Luke came home with his Grandma and Maw Maw on Saturday (yesterday). The first day home - Wednesday - was sort of a loss because I had a little 24 hour stomach bug. I was able to just lay low and keep a slow pace since my energizer bunny was in Michigan going to petting farms, carnivals and swimming pools with his Grandma. Thursday I had a bit of a hangover from my sickness, but managed to get my Lea fix :) and wash some windows. But on Friday I was a MACHINE of productivity! I did so many little organizing projects that were dying to be done, one of which was beginning to organize Luke's toys in clear plastic totes instead of various baskets or containers that they came in. This streamlines the size of everything and provides more room while looking neat and contained. YIPPEE!!! I took a "before" picture and will take an "after" shot in a few weeks when I finish buying all of the totes that I need. (I gotta take it slow on this budget!)

My main objective while Luke was gone was to get all bills paid, paperwork filed, donations donated (I cheated b/c they're still in my trunk), extra "stuff" stored and finally full cupboards and a full fridge. Up until now I have felt pretty disorganized and "behind" since Simon was born. I am so tired of living in a reactive manner, and I want to be more proactive! Six months sounds terribly long to have just gotten over the hump, and it's not that we've been in survival mode until now, but we just hadn't gotten into a good groove, and I didn't feel like myself.

So, here are my summer times hopes, wishes and goals.

Go to bed EARLIER (by 10pm). This will help me achieve no. 2.
Wake up by 7 (if Si lets me sleep that late) and get showered and dressed right away. (I have a horrible habit of sporting my pjs for an hour two. Sometimes that's fun, but mostly it just makes me feel gross.)
Read my Bible and spend time in prayer as soon as I can. I will not set an amount of time or length of passage, because some mornings I might start knowing I'll only have 10 minutes, but that's ok. It's better than nothing at all.
Spend time reading the Bible with Luke before he watches any tv that day.
Focus on responding and reacting calmly and prayerfully with my sweet Lukie. This has become one of my biggest struggles and frustrations.
I am in dire need of regular exercise, and I recently bought a new sit-n-stand stroller (which I love!). Going on 3 walks a week doesn't seen unreasonable.

So, here's to a GREAT summer!

Something to Think About

2008-05-24T15:02:00.006-04:00

This post might be a bit helter-skelter, but I was just thinking this morning on how I love to see the gospel and Jesus in unexpected places.

One would not think that he would be surprised to see Jesus in the Old Testament - after all, it is the Bible; but until about 10 years ago, that was me. Since then, I have slowly grown to love seeing the picture of the gospel - or "types of Christ" in the Old Testament. Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery and through the wilderness to the Promised Land: Hello. Sound familiar? Boaz as Naomi and Ruth's (or was it just Naomi's?) Kinsmen Redeemer? Beautiful. I love things like that.

I also love seeing illustrations of the gospel or pictures of man's struggle with his own depravity in literature. Sadly, I have yet to read The Hobbit & Tolkien's trilogy - I should work on that this summer - so, I won't really comment on the delicious food for thought you can find there. But there are some other unexpected places where what you read might cause you to scratch your head when you stumble on tales with underlying meanings. I'm pretty sure that the only people who read my blog are other moms that I went to college with; and I would venture to say that most of you aren't fans of J.K. Rowling's wildly popular series involving a nice little wizard by the name of Harry. But herein lies (or hides) a pretty big fan. I'm not the type that will sport a Hogwarts robe and wand while waiting in line, nor did I go to Meijer at midnight on the release of the 7th and final book last summer and stay up all night reading it (but I'm married to someone who did). However, I do love those books and I am sad that I will read no more new tales of Harry, Ron and Hermoine! Ron is my favorite character: there's just something that I love about those faithful best friends (like Same Wise in LOTR). It's been a year since I've read the books, so I can't point to very specific examples of what seem to be allusions to the gospel. But there is definitely something to say about the need for one to save everyone and that savior being found exclusively in a young teenager. I can't compare Harry Potter to men of faith that are in the Bible - let alone compare him to Christ; and I am NOT saying that HP is like Christ in his deity or purity and holiness. Harry Potter, like Frodo Baggins, is on the good side fighting against evil to save his people; and sometimes evil nearly gets him, and that is very unlike Christ (Christ wrestled with evil, but evil did not come close to getting him). I am only saying that there is a picture there of salvation that I love to see. Hey, in this world, more and more people are rejecting the mere notion that we as humans have a problem, let alone NEED someone to save us. **

More fresh in my mind is some pretty cool Biblical themes and pictures of the gospel that can be seen in the movie Prince Caspian. Not long into the movie, the kings and queens of Narnia are debating how they are going to face the Telmarines. The High King Peter insists that they must invade the Telmarine's castle, and they are all uncertain as to what to do. Lucy is troubled and asks Peter why they can't just wait for Aslan, and Peter - clearly annoyed - says they have waited long enough. Fast forward to the moment when Peter has ordered his army to retreat from the Telmarine's fortress while several of his men are trapped behind the gate and slaughtered. You see his look of anguish as his eyes smart with tears because of the price that was paid because he did what was right in his own eyes and didn't wait for Aslan.

One other underlying message that I enjoyed was when Prince Caspian and later Peter are tempted by evil in the form of the White Witch. First Prince Caspian nearly released her from her captivity in a wall of ice, and then even Peter, when he came to intervene nearly fell to the same fate. With his sword held high, Peter began to waver as he stood face to face with the White Witch. "You can't do it alone," she said to him. No Peter could not defeat the Telmarines alone. But it was not the White Witch who he needed. As Edmund came from the other side of the wall of ice and shattered it, doing what Peter had become unable to do, the fierce and powerful face of Aslan was carved in the stone behind him.

Well, as I have a suspicion that this post is too long for most to care to read, I'll stop. But it's too rare that I write something that makes me think. I know pictures of the boys are more enjoyable and interesting, but it's going for the old brain to spin a little.

**To those that think the Harry Potter series is morally wrong, I would ask if you read them. Maybe you don't want to, and that's totally fine, although I think it's rather shaky to have a strong opinion on something that you're not knowledgeable about. I find the books easy to read, extremely funny, and presenting stories when good clearly prevails over evil. I've also heard some object to the tendency for Harry to disregard the rules, like sneaking out of bed at night and breaking rules in order to defeat Voldemort. Well, if you're going to go with that line of reasoning, then I have a bone to pick with the Little Rascals. And they weren't even out of line for the sake of good in the world.

Maria Sue Chapman

2008-05-24T11:08:00.005-04:00

I'm sure you've heard of the horrible tragedy that Steven Curtis Chapman and his family are experiencing right now. His youngest daughter - five years young - died on Wednesday. If you haven't heard what happened, read this.

Here is a sweet video that I got from this blog - set up in memory of Maria.

On Chris' 28th Birthday

2008-05-20T22:57:00.006-04:00

After months of an awkward friendship - the type where one's emotions are bound to become vulnerable and the friendship will either become a lifetime of "I do's" or will dissolve completely, they finally stepped forward with mutual affection. It didn't take long for them to know they would walk their life's journey's together. He had all kinds of ideas and aspirations, and faith and commitment that would take him - and her if she chose to follow - far from where they stood then. She was nervous and uncertain of her willingness to go the distance that he had in mind. She was a home-body, a mama's girl. She got homesick the night before leaving home. Her mom challenged her, "But, aren't you willing to go?" So, she went. How could she not? He was her very best friend. He was kind, calm, smart. He could make her laugh so easily. And he challenged her love and devotion for Christ without saying words. It was just the way he was. Marriage was a small adjustment for them, because they were young and had barely lived as adults on their own. They enjoyed many new experiences together and made a good bit of mistakes together too. "Live and learn," they would say. Though in the beginning their opposing strengths and weaknesses attracted them, time proved to them that they were more similar than different - sometimes strengthening them, other times revealing magnified weakness. The mechanics and natural progression of life sometimes had a way of clouding the things she valued most in him. All of the sudden, he didn't seem so calm; she forgot how smart he was; and she found herself rolling her eyes more than laughing. Sometimes she even resented his commitment to go the distance, though she would never put it in those words; she was tired of making what she thought were sacrifices and thought she deserved better. How thankful she would be when she emerged from her self-consumed fog. She was thankful it didn't take crisis or fear to open her eyes once again to the character she prized so much in her husband. There was more nit and grit in their every day life than tulips and Hawaiin music, but at the end of the day - some so long they felt like a week - they would chat like friends, converse honestly and seriously like long-time partners and laugh simultaneously at the same thing. When she turned out the light, she knew she could never chose any other path but to go along with him - even to the farthest distance. Then she would smile and mock herself for thinking, even for a second, that she had been the one with the choice all along. And she gave thanks and honor to God for his providence and blessing on her.

First Borns

2008-05-12T20:10:00.003-04:00

I remember hanging out with David & Jenecia and Jonny & Christine when we were all newly married. We would talk about how hopefully one day our kids would all play together when we managed to get together, and the boys would all wrestle. So, since David & Neesh have been in the area these last few months (and we are loving living two miles from Jonny & Christine), we've all gotten together a few times. I think our boys were even kind of wrestling once! (Though I'm not exactly sure.) Several weeks ago, we all met up at Gurney Mills, and I took this picture. I wish it weren't blurry, but it's still cute.

The first born sons of Chris Bruno (aka Bruno Sherf), Jonny Cummings and David (Dan) Griffiths: Luke Bruno, Isaac Cummings and Solomon Griffiths

Happy Mother's Day - Beware: Motherload of Pictures!!!

2008-05-11T21:26:00.013-04:00

My First Mothers Day: Luke was about 10 months old.

My Fourth Mother's Day: May 11, 2008
Luke is 3 years/10months and Simon is 5 months old

Simon loves his brother. Luke can always make him smile.

Luke's shenanigans crack Si up too.
Luke bought me a card that had pictures for him to color. He is well on the way to writing his name. (See the top of the card.) He can write each letter, but doesn't quite understand that they have to be in order. :)

Simon is really starting to love playing in the Exersaucer. He was chillin' out this morning while we all got ready.

This morning we had a baby dedication at our church and Simon was dedicated! It was so special. Here he is with our pastor. (Sorry this shot is grainy. A friend took some other pictures with her better camera, so maybe you'll see those soon.)

My great friend Lea and her sweet daughter Cecily. Isn't she a dollbaby? (Our families ate lunch at Qdoba together. It was so fun! It wasn't crowded at all and we stayed for 2 hours!)

Me with my baby at Qdoba.

Family picture!

Luke and Claira's first date. Chaperoned, of course. (We parentals were at the next table.)

My boys tonight before bedtime.

I posted all three shots because I wanted you to see how incredible easy it is to get a smile out of Simon. He is one of the happiest babies ever!

And the third smile was the biggest!

Beautiful blue eyes - and though you can't really see them here, he has amazing eyelashes! (Sometimes he still scratches himself crazy with his fingernails though. See his scratchy forehead?)

A rare photo shoot with the brothers. Luke's usually too busy to sit and hold his brother. Si soaks up any attention Luke will give him.

So cuddly!

Simon always has kisses for mama. :)

The Boys on Easter Sunday

2008-04-15T08:31:00.005-04:00

Yay! I finally found our camera cord and could upload this pictures for family to see my growing boys. As you can see, Simon is doing most of the growing around here. :)

Simon usually doesn't look terrified when Luke gets close. Simon LOVES attention from Luke.

Simon doesn't look too thrilled with his Easter Basket. He did get socks and nasal spray. Poor guy.

Luke was looking forward to his chocolate bunny. I used to think hollow chocolate bunnies were a rip-off. Now I know they are for mom's who somewhat try to limit their child's sugar-intake on Easter.

To My Dad on His Birthday!

2008-03-17T10:05:00.002-04:00

Dear Dad:

Happy Birthday!

I just wanted to tell you how thankful I am for you as my dad. I never lack for words to say on your birthday or Father's Day because the truth is that you have always been a caring, godly, kind, generous and loving dad. When I grew old enough, I noticed that you were careful to come home by suppertime so we could eat together and you could play with your kids. Sometimes you went back to the office after Matthew and April were in bed, but you were always home with us in the evening. Now that I am married, I especially notice what a helpful husband to mom you have been. I'm thankful to have a helpful husband too. :) I'm thankful for the way you made people and your church a priority in your life; you didn't let yourself get so consumed with Northland that those things didn't matter to you. You are wise and humble, never assuming you deserve things others don't, and never allowing us to think we deserved anything above others either. You enforced other authorities in our lives, and though we knew that you cared for, trusted and loved us, you helped us to respect that authority too and didn't bail us out of conflicts. Now that I have my own two boys, I have different reasons to be thankful for you. You have rocked my babies in the middle of the night, played with my son, and still want to sit down to watch a comedy with me at the end of the day. You answer my calls - even when you're in meetings, and you call me to check how we're doing when we're going through a rough patch. For all of these things and many more, I praise God for you, Dad. I love you.

Winter Blues, Among Other Things

2008-02-21T20:29:00.002-05:00

Can I see a show of hands from those who are absolutely ready to kiss winter goodbye? I am so tired of this awful cold! We are dying to play outside and feel some warm spring breezes. I'm afraid it's going to be a while. : (

We've had some good days and some BAD days lately. On Tuesday, I managed to take the boys to the mall, and Luke got some major energy out at the play area. He ran non-stop for over an hour. It felt wonderful to see him get that energy out! Simon slept in his car seat the entire time we were gone. He has not been so compliant since then. We've had a few days of lots of crying, no naps and trouble eating. Anyone who nurses knows that it's not so "natural" and takes work and learning on both the mommy and baby's part. I thought we were over the hard part, but at almost 12 weeks, Simon is having "issues" again. Anyone else have nursing woes this late into the game? I don't feel like delving into the details right here in the post, but it's discouraging and frustrating. I'm holding out for the better days that I KNOW will be ahead - maybe even tomorrow! Simon is generally an easier baby than Luke was, but he has been slower in adapting a routine/schedule than Luke was. That's mainly hard on my need-to-know personality. I am trying to just relax, make my anxieties a matter of prayer and trust God for all my needs during these first months. I love my boys, and I hope to have another child one day, but the first six months aren't all that fun! They are just not my favorite time. I know that sounds horrible, but it's the truth; and I think it's a safe bet that I'm not the only mom who feels that way. All this talk reminds me of this post - back in my blogging infancy. I have felt many of those same feelings this time around too.

It's Getting Interesting Folks

2008-02-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

Life with Luke certainly has not been boring up until now, but thing are definitely getting more interesting! For instance, today I found myself trying to explain several new concepts to Luke. On the drive home from Michigan, I found myself explaining the concept of the law and police men. Chris and I were cracking up when I told Luke that if Daddy drove too fast, a policeman would stop us and make Daddy pay money, and if he doesn't pay up he'll go to jail. :) The original reason I was talking about the law in the first place was to explain one of the reason why we wear seat belts - not to mention safety! :) Luke was disobeying and kept unsnapping the harness on his car seat. Then Chris and I were cracking up that we were using the law to motivate our son to obey. Yikes. We definitely have some catching up on discipline to do with Luke after a whole week of fun and games at Grandma and Papa's. :)

Here's what else Luke learned about today:

Billboards: I started pointing them out to try to keep Luke occupied.

Indiana: Luke kept asking if we were in Illinois yet. When I told him that we were still in Michigan, then would go through Indiana before Illinois, he cracked up. "Indiana?!" he said. He was cracking up. And when I told him that we were in IN, he started laughing again. I'm not sure what he thinks "Indiana" is in his little head, but apparently, it's funny.

"Developed": After we got home, Luke and I were sitting at the table - he coloring and I putting pictures in an album. I said something about getting the pics developed, and he said in his high little voice, "developed?!" (followed by his silly laugh)

It's just kind of funny when I'm in the midst of trying to explain some of life's seemingly ordinary and mundane things. Luke's at a great age - a VERY challenging but great age. I feel like things have been a little rough since Simon was born - trying to find and make the time to engage with Luke and keep him challenged. But I sense that things are calming down, and I hope the coming weeks will be a little more settled and productive with Luke I am longing for Spring like I never have before, and we keep getting pounded with snow storms! Does anyone have any EASY craft/indoor activity ideas for me to do with Luke?

Since I told you about Luke, I'll let you look at Simon. :) These are all a few weeks old (no new ones downloaded yet); Simon has probably put on a few pounds since. Seriously, he's probably 2-3 pounds heavier now. He's such a porker!

Simon was 5 weeks old here. He wore this sweater outfit to church; I think this was Matthew's when he was a baby.

Snoozing on mama after bathtime.

This picture makes me laugh because it looks like he's winking!

Simon Pics (Update Below)

2008-01-29T22:13:00.001-05:00

He looks so tiny here! He's about 2 weeks old in this picture.

Simon being adored by his grandma (on the left) and great aunties (Laura and Sandi)

Hanging out with Maw Maw

All dandied up and hanging out with Grandma Salesky at Auntie Janelle's shower

This picture of Simon and Amos cracks me up. Simon looks so grumpy!

Simon with his big cousin Gracie. I wanted to get a picture of Luke holding Simon, but he didn't want to.

Here he is one morning at Nony's, smiling at Uncle Antonio before the boys left for school. This is one of the first good shots I got of his smile.

He's all dressed and ready to go to Bible study. Aunt Laura bought him these red tennis shoes. I love it!

Simon just being Simon. He's a happy guy (who happens to be crying right now when he needs to be sleeping!).

Simon

2008-01-29T22:12:00.000-05:00

Simon has been doing so well. He is a very happy and healthy little guy. Actually, make that a happy and healthy BIG guy! When we got back from the holidays, he had his one month check up. He was about 5 weeks old and weighed 11 pounds and 11 ounces. That was an average gain of a pound a week! I guess I wasn't the only one who gained a few extra pounds over Christmas. :) This morning he had his first appointment with WIC (that's another post in and of itself - one that probably will never happen because it will only lead to complaining). He weighed a whopping 13 pounds and 14 ounces and was 24 inches long. He definitely is getting enough to eat; it's a blessing to have a healthy baby!

It has been so much fun to see Simon's personality and see the ways he is alike and different from Luke. I definitely think Simon looks like Luke did when he was a baby. A lot of people don't think so because all they remember about Luke was he abundant, dark and curly hair. Simon doesn't have a ton of hair, and it is lighter - sometimes looking reddish. I would love to have a red-head! :) Simon also has a dimple in his chin - just like his daddy and big brother. Simon has longer arms and legs than Luke did, and I think that he is growing much faster than Luke when he was a baby. Simon has been wearing 3-6 month clothes for a few weeks now! I can't believe that one. Luke never jumped clothes sizes like that. Fortunately, Simon received lots of 3-6 month outfits when he was born.

Like Luke, Simon is a pretty strong little guy and has had really good neck and head control since he was just 3-4 weeks old. Grandma Salesky says Simon is as smart as a whip. He gave his first smile around Christmastime; he was only 3 weeks old, and I'm pretty certain it was not gas. He's a big time smiler now and loves to be talked to. He's definitely a people-person already and likes to be around the action.

Simon doesn't seem to have gotten into a good nap schedule yet - much to my chagrin. Unlike Luke, he is a bit more relaxed and laid back, so I've had to adjust my thinking and plan of action several times. I'm constantly trying to be more laid back myself and not worry about schedule and routine so much. He eats every 3-4 hours in the day and last night slept for about 9 hours! That was the first night he went so long; he had been sleeping 7 hours a night for about a week. This is a BIG blessing to his mama!

Well, that was a whole lot of bragging, but Simon is an exceptional baby! I guess I'm probably a bit partial.

Lukie Pics

2008-01-29T19:25:00.000-05:00

Luke on Christmas morning - all perky and ready to open presents :)

Luke & Megan

Luke & Grace - They love playing together.

Luke LOVES having Isaac over to play; and now Noah's getting old enough to play too!

While Luke was getting the hang of the whole potty thing, he rarely wore pants. And here he has on his new Buzz Lightyear shoes that Maw Maw bought him last summer. They are his first light-up shoes, so he thinks they're pretty cool.

This picture is Luke being Luke (CRAZY!). He is sporting his "other blanket", a Home Depot apron and my winter scarf. This is a very accurate representation of how things go in our house. Luke being nuts and me being exhausted. :)

Luke helped (and I use that term loosely) me make gingersnap cookies this afternoon.

These are some cool Shrek underwear, but Luke often wears his undewear backwards (because the picture is on the bum instead of the front, and if he wears them properly, he can't see it!). This can't be comfortable!

Luke

2008-01-29T07:10:00.000-05:00

I feel like it's been forever since I've blogged. I just can't seem to find the time or the motivation. We haven't uploaded pictures to our computer in a while too, so I haven't had easy access to show them to you. But, I'm going to get down to business and just blog a little every day to give you an update on how everyone here is doing. Today, it's Luke's turn. I sincerely hope to post pictures today too.

Luke should be the first one I update you on, because he's passed a HUGE milestone lately. He is now one toilet-trained big boy! (Begin Hallelujah chorus now, angels singing, me dancing) As of January 2, Luke was 3 and a half and showing few signs of "readiness" to go on the potty. That's what I had been waiting for: those ambiguous "signs of readiness." He would tell me when he would like his diaper changed (when it was so full and just too uncomfortable), but often he would be content to wear a soggy diaper; and he wasn't the least bit put-off to walk around in his own poo all day. I was starting to think I had missed a window; this was probably all my fault, and now I am so consumed with trying to figure my other booger of a son out. (Sigh)

Well, back when Simon was born and my mom came, she brought with her diapers for Simon and a package of Feel n Learn pull-ups for Luke. I just put the pull-ups in the closet - standing by for those lovely signs of readiness. I think they got pulled out of the closet one day when I was organizing, and Luke wanted to wear them. Well, for about 3 days, he wore those pull-ups and after going the bathroom in them, he would immediately go to the bathroom, sit on the potty (nothing would come out because it was all in the diaper) and change into a dry one on. I worried that he was just wasting them, but on the other hand, I thought that maybe after a little while he would start to figure out what it felt like before he had to go potty. And that is precisely what he did! Last Monday evening, he went on the potty 2 times before bed. He has been going on the potty ever since! Up until yesterday, he was still wearing the pull-ups (because he wanted to). I talked him into wearing his underwear yesterday because I wanted to see how potty-trained he really is. He had no accidents - just a couple of skid marks. :) I am so thankful and so proud of him. He's growing up so much! This is what I had been waiting for. I had been told that if you try to push it, you just create more work for yourself; but if you wait, once they get it, they GOT it. I did have to wait 3 and a half years though, but I think it was worth it.

Other Luke updates:

He is still running in circles around me all day. He has SO much energy. We are working on room time, and he shows some promise in that area. Yesterday, we enjoyed coloring together - something we haven't done a lot of since Simon was born, but we used to do a lot before. He is such a meticulous ang good colorer! We were coloring a picture of Thomas the train, and when he realized I was accidentally coloring smoke blue like the clouds, he kindly said to me, Actually, I think that's smoke. :) Oops!

He is more of a Daddy's boy than ever. He wants Daddy all day long (espeically when he's being disciplined). They play all kinds of things together, but most do not involve toys. Luke's got a big and wild imagination. He loves to go camping, play kickball, do snowboard tricks and exercise. He is growing into some Buzz Lightyear shoes that Maw Maw bought him last year. They light up with movement, so he likes to stomp around the house in them to make them light up.

Finally, Luke loves being a big brother; and he's a very good big brother too. He's very sweet and gentle towards Simon. He calls him Simoney. (I didn't think Simon would have a nickname, but there it is: "Si-mu-nie.") He is pretty helpful - running to get a diaper, or the Desetin, or a clean onesie. Sometimes he likes to help give Simon a bath too and will wash his feet.

So, there's an update on Luke. I promise that pictures will be coming soon!

Hoping for Hillary?

2008-01-23T19:54:00.000-05:00

I would have never thought that I would actually wish Hillary Clinton would win the Democratic nomination over Barak Obama, but some things I've been reading lately about Obama's position on abortion have made me very disappointed. And I've changed my mind.

I was directed to this link by Justin Taylor's blog, Between Two Worlds.

Obama's own words regarding abortion are chilling and infuriating.

Lord Most High

2008-01-13T19:33:00.000-05:00

From the ends of the earth,
from the depths of the sea,
from the heights of the heavens,
Your name be praised.
From the hearts of the weak,
from the shouts of the strong,
from the lips of all people,
this song we raise Lord.

Throughout the endless ages,
You will be crowned with praises!
Lord Most High.
Exalted in every nation, Sovereign of all creation!
Lord Most High, be magnified.

I was thankful we sang this song in church this morning. It was helpful and encouraging. And I couldn't keep from crying when I came to the words "hearts of the weak." That's so me right now. I really hope you know this song so that you can sing it as you read it and enjoy it too!

Another Pink-Faced Darling

2008-01-09T18:43:00.006-05:00

I wrote the post below quite a long time ago. I was reflecting on the tough first few weeks of motherhood; I didn't have a blog when Luke was born. It was interesting for me to read it now - while I'm in that "zone" again. It was encouraging too. I guess I just might desire a third child some day. :) Yes, it's been rough going this week. We're going through culture shock, finally being home and back to real life. I admit, at least a few time each day, I'm about ready to throw all my clothes in suitcase and haul my boys back to my mom's house. Simon was a peach when he was a Nony's. But, he was pert near (is that how you spell that phrase?) a peach today, so I'm thankful. He is definitely a more compliant baby than Luke was, but I wouldn't say he's entirely laid back either. But that's ok. He's a sweetie, and I love him. But, I still have those moments that prompted me to write the post below.

-- With Luke at Three Months

It seems like yesterday that I was blindly staggering through the murky waters of early motherhood. Sorry to those of you who have lofty ideals of a pink-faced darling who does nothing but cooh and sleep on your chest. Some may balk at my blunt words; please understand me. I whole-heartedly believe that children are one of God's greatest blessings that he desires all to experience. But I know that I was not alone in feeling completely broadsided with exhaustion and overwhelming emotions in those first weeks. Add to the equation a recent move to a completely foreign area of the country and being 11 hours from my mom. I had so looked forward to the birth of our first child, but I felt lonely and isolated; and this curly-head that I birthed just wouldn't stop crying!

When Luke was seven months old, I was astounded to read an article in American Baby Magazine that sounded like the inner musings of my own self. This woman was me! Or sounded like me anyways. I laughed out loud and breathed a small sigh of relief that I really wasn't the only one out there to feel the way I did. Check the article out; maybe you'll laugh too. Sorry to those who will say, "That's horrible!"

But, alas, the days did get better. There were, in fact, moments when I held Luke and looked down at his sleeping face in wonder. And, I did indeed melt when he began to smile at me.

I admit, that during those weeks, I basked in the amazing peace that resting wholly and completely in Jesus Christ brings. As I struggled through some of the hardest days of my short life, I felt myself becoming a stronger, calmer woman - not strength or peace of my own - but only that which is found in the unshakeable, immoveable One, Jesus. And, already, Time has begun her magical work of erasing those early, really tough moments from my memory so that I am beginning to want another pink-faced darling.

Christmas Letter 2007

2008-01-05T18:53:00.000-05:00

Needless to say, I had a rather difficult time getting this year's Christmas Letter out in early December. It didn't even get to anyone before Christmas, but I guess that's good enough. Now I feel behind in everything, especially since Luke and I just got home from Wisconsin this afternoon. I have a mixture of feelings - being happy to be home and back with Chris but missing my family and nervous of getting back to real life. Simon was an absolute doll while at my parents (and ANGEL baby, Nic!), so he'll hopefully keep that up! I hope to be back to the blogging scene soon . . .

December 22, 2007
Dear Family & Friends:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I’m having a hard time getting this year’s letter to you – my time has been monopolized by my children lately. Yes, we now have children - two boys!

Simon Clarence Bruno was born on December 3 at 5:17 a.m. He weight 8 pounds, 7 ounces and was 21 inches long. We praise God for another healthy and handsome boy. Simon means “hearing” in the Hebrew language; we pray that Simon will hear and obey Jesus Christ at an early age. In giving our son the middle name Clarence, we pray that he will be grow to be loving, sensitive, compassionate and diligent. We pray that he will love Jesus with complete trust and perseverance with faith during life’s valleys. We pray that he will one day be a kind, humble man – like his namesake – my grandpa, Clarence Salesky. Simon Clarence may have an “old fashioned” name, but those who knew my grandpa – and knew all of these qualities to be true in him – will, when they hear “Simon Clarence,” smile and understand.

Luke has handled this big transition very well – an answer to many prayers of my own. He loves his baby Simon and is often very helpful. He had his 3rd birthday in July, so now is almost 3 and a half. He is very creative and imaginative, full of energy (which can easily turn problematic if he doesn’t get some hard wrestling in with his dad) and also sweet and loving. A highlight for him this year was our family vacation to Mackinac Island. He loved going on the ferry, watching fudge being made (and eating it!), and staying in a hotel just with Mom and Dad. He also loves reading (weekly trips to the library for new books is a must), coloring & painting, swimming and anything that involves running or jumping – inside or out!

We are not sending this letter to you from Scotland – where we expected we would be at this time last year. Shortly after Chris received his acceptance letter from the University of Aberdeen, God changed our plans; and by April, we were looking forward to moving to IL – where Chris was accepted into the PhD program at Wheaton College Graduate School. After a year of living near Chris’ family – a blessing in so many ways – in late July, we moved into our condo in Carol Stream, IL – just a couple miles from the school. Chris has enjoyed his time at Wheaton so far; we are very thankful for God’s leading us here. We also enjoy this very central location to all of our family (a 5-hour drive from everyone). We anticipate being in this area for at least 3 years – which means that our address will be the same for a little while! (This is our 6th address in our 6 years of marriage.)

We pray you are enjoying the goodness of God through Jesus Christ this Christmas. Our home is a bit more hectic right now than in Christmases past, but we are so very thankful for the Lord’s kindness to us. It has been special to watch Luke learn about Christmas and God’s redemption story, which certainly didn’t begin or end with Jesus’ birth. And having our sweet Simon – in all of his fragility and dependence – gives us fresh thanksgiving and amazement at the love and humility of Christ to become human, and in many ways fragile and dependent, like we are. We pray you have a very merry Christmas.

With much love,
Chris, Katie, Luke and Simon Bruno

Christmas Baby

2007-12-15T13:42:00.001-05:00

Here's Simon in his sweet Christmas duds from Aunt Laura, Uncle Mike, Josh and Amberly. Isn't he such a cutie patootie?

Love this one!

Simon Meets Pappy and His Uncles (2 of them anyways)

2007-12-15T13:28:00.000-05:00

Uncle Marco with Simon and Nony

The Cummings brought us pizza last night for supper. Here are the boys having their pizza party. Simon's not big enough to eat with the other boys yet. :)

Simon and Pappy

Luke got to break out his big-boy swimsuit again. It didn't take him long to remember how to swim! It was a great energy outlet too! Kudos to Uncle Tonio for swimming with Luke. Marco wouldn't go in because there was a girls' birthday party going on, and there were seriously at least 20 junior high girls in the pool.

Marco took some pictures of himself, so I guess I can embarrass him and post one.

Grandma and the Boys

2007-12-15T12:32:00.000-05:00

Chris' mom came for 5 days and was a huge help with Luke and Simon (and cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc!). Here's some pics of her with her two grandsons (and her son too).

Two afternoons, Grandma took Luke to the mall, and they painted these snowmen at a painting store (or whatever you call those places). The first afternoon they painted the big snowmen, and the second afternoon they painted the smaller ones. We call them, Mommy, Daddy, Luke and Simon. :) Some nights, Luke wants to put them to bed too, and this night they went to sleep right by him. I had to give all the snowmen bedtime kisses.

Brothers

2007-12-11T22:21:00.000-05:00

This is another picture of Luke in his first few weeks. I think Simon definitely looks like his big brother - minus the hair.

Simon's First Three Days

2007-12-11T21:41:00.001-05:00

Luke got this monkey as a gift from a woman in my Bible study. I found him all strapped up in Simon's car seat. :)

The night we got home, Chris put Luke to bed. I guess he was ready to hit the sack too.

I know this picture is a little blurry, but this is what Simon looks like every time after he eats and I'm burping him. His faces crack me up.

I discovered a great thing tonight: Simon loves Daddy when he's fussy! He's been having some pretty fussy times in wee hours of the morning.

My mom with her sixth grandchild.

My mom came on Tuesday and stayed through Saturday. She was such a help!

Another family picture. Simon is 3 days old here.

My grandma and aunt Mary gave Simon this little sleeper. It is the coziest; I want one! I thought this pic of him yawning was great.

Luke doing one of his favorite activities: coloring!

Simon really reminds me of Luke in these pictures. He especially looks like Luke when he's wearing a hat, because you don't see the difference in their hair.

Auntie Kayla sent Simon a package with 3 cozy sleepers. I love the puppy on the bum!

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