Remembering 9-11-01

As I woke up today, of course I remebered September 11, 2001. Who could forget? I saw the first plane hit the tower on the news with two professors at Millersville. We had the news on in the background as we were discussing my thesis and stopped in our tracks as the breaking news came on. Since it was time for class, we went to the room and put the news on with a projector so it was literally projecting the size of the entire wall, which is when the second plane hit as we were watching. I remember sitting with my classmates in one of my favorite courses, all of us in tears as speculation of what was next kept appearing at the bottom of the screen. From Chicago to another missing plane to other reports that were later confirmed to be inaccurate, the fear swept over all of our faces. We stayed there well beyond the end of class just continuing to watch the news completely stunned, shocked and saddened.

That night, Shawn was up at his parents in Morris, PA for interviews so I was in our little apartment all alone. I clutched my stuffed frog and was glued to the TV as news of people helping one another, news of people who had died and news of people missing continued to unfold on the screen. I cried and cried and cried and didn't move for hours...

Six years later, I still remember many of those stories, as well as the intense patriotism that followed and everyone singing God Bless America and praying for each other. It was a horrendous time and yet what hope & joy followed from people learning to re-prioritize their lives and live for God. We flew to Atlanta just over two weeks after September 11, 2001 (when Shawn asked my Dad for his permission to marry me) and I remember being scared on the flight...when we were flying home this time, I remembered that time distinctly. God bless America!

SO BIG!

This pictures is of Joshua & my nieces (Emma, Faith pictured left and Grace next to Joshua on the right) & nephew Daniel. Jen took a bunch of pictures when she watched the Bean my first week of school, and everyone was smiling in the one picture except for Emma, who was trying to escape. So, I used photoshop from another picture where she was smiling and edited her in. I think it turned out fairly well.

This morning I took Joshua to get his one-year birthday pictures at JCPenney's Portrait Studio. I can't wait to share them - he did an AWESOME job! The gal taking the pictures had a large puppy that she used to make him smile, and he looked so cute in every shot it was hard to choose which ones to order. He is sooo adorable! From there we went to visit Grandma & Grandpa Jamie since we didn't get to see them over the weekend. We ate lunch with them and visited, which was nice. Mom asked Jamie what he would like to drink with lunch, and he looked at her stunned. Then he said he wasn't sure...then he decided that he'd finish Grace's icecream bar. Mom looked at him puzzled and said "to drink?" as if he hadn't heard her and he said, "Yeah, to drink." I'm not sure everything was computing quite right. She ended up getting him some water with his food - no icecream bar.

Afterward, I met Shawn at the jewlers to pick up my fixed and very clean ring. Hooray! Then Joshua & I picked up my friend Jen who needed a ride to work. I feel so blessed to have a car and be able to drive, and it's nice to be able to help others out, especially someone as sweet as Jen. The timing worked out well because I just got a notice to get bloodwork done for Joshua to see if he has any food allergies, and she works at the MRI Group at Kissel Hill, which is in the same building as the Kissel Hill office of the pediatrician and the same spot where LGH has a lab to do bloodwork. So, she showed us where to go and I had the unfortunate job of holding Joshua down while they drew his blood. He cried and cried until I was able to pick him up again. Poor Bean! Dr. Devenyi has also ordered the esophagus test in the meantime, which is going to take place on Tuesday, October 9. Please pray that Joshua outgrows this reflux and doesn't need anything else. In the meantime, he smiled at everyone and giggled and people told me how amazing his blue eyes are, etc. I think he is the cutest baby I've ever seen (of course, I'm biased, though). He loves to play "sooo big!" now and I love it. We ask him how big he is and he throws his arms in the air and smiles. It's so cute. We love our little precious Bean!

Home, Safe & Sound

We had a great time with Grandpa Georgia over the past few days. I thought about taking work to do while we were there, but then I purposefully decided to leave it at home and just enjoy our nice mini-vacation. You'll all be impressed that we fit everything we needed for our family of three in one small suitcase and the diaper bag. Although, we forgot our digital camera in the Volvo. Whoops!

We arrived Thursday afternoon around suppertime and headed for Dad's house to drop off our luggage before heading to eat at the Golden Corral. This is the only buffet I've ever been to where you have to take your plate up with you. Well, Dad said he'd stay with Joshua while I went to get the Bean some food. I completely forgot the plate that I knew we had just been given when he paid. I giggled as I came back, joking that I must be from the North. Then, Dad said to go get myself something and he'd continue to stay with Joshua and visit. Since it had been a hectic day and we hadn't really eaten much for lunch, I decided to take him up on the offer. Shawn & I went up to get our dinners, and completely forgot our plates again. We all laughed. Then Dad left...plateless. He came back for the plate and we cracked up. Then, when I decided to get dessert...you got it, no plate. What in the world? I think our brains were fried from traveling...or we're just not that sharp.

I cut a bunch of veggies, bread & that type food into small pieces for the Bean, and Grandpa Georgia was enjoying helping me put a few pieces at a time in front of Joshua (otherwise, he puts everything into his mouth at once or throws it on the floor). When I got up the second time, Dad was feeding him and made a goofy coughing/laughing noise, which Joshua mimicked the whole weekend and we would all giggle. He would point to Grandpa and go "hah huh huh huh"... so funny and so cute! We saw one of Dad's co-workers that night, too, at the restaurant.

We arrived back at Dad's safe & sound, and Joshua was thrilled with his toys and the big barrel of bright orange cheese balls Dad had bought that he could roll around and crawl up onto. We set up Dad's pack 'n play in one of the three spare bedrooms and put our stuff in the other. Shawn & I are always amused at how many people Dad's house could sleep - one room with a King bed, one room with a queen bed, one room with a double bed, and one room with a single day bed with trundle that pulls out and a toddler bed and a pack 'n play. Not to mention his couches, etc. and the semi-finished basement he doesn't use for anything but storage. He also keeps enough food in his house that everyone sleeping could eat for a year and not go hungry. He has his pantry & cupboards stocked, along with a huge chest freezer and other shelving. It's amazing!

Since Grandpa Georgia is an investor in real estate, he's been given a key to every HUD property in the area. We went looking at various houses and were impressed by the affordability of housing in that area compared to what people pay in rent. We didn't look at anything over $200k, and yet we saw one house that was a 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath with an extra office, beautiful moldings, family room with fireplace, eat-in-kitchen & formal dining room, huge fenced in lot at the end of a cul-de-sac in a swim/tennis community. We saw another house - 4 huge BR, 2.5 BA - that had not one but two master bedroom closets larger than our nursery, complete with built-ins, the biggest whirlpool tub I've ever seen with a mirror above it and then a beautiful window above that where you can see out but no one can see in, a gorgeous sun porch, enormous deck with built-in-hot tub, fenced in yard, cozy family room with fireplace, huge eat-in-kitchen with bay window fancy formal dining room, and many other amenities, an all brick house with 3-car garage, another house with marble floors, granite countertops & gorgeous fixtures, and the list goes on. Shawn & I had a blast. Even though Georgia is hot, there isn't a home built without a fireplace, at least a two-car garage, and master bathroom. The layouts may vary, but those features seem to come standard and the price was so low! Yet, so many people rent instead of buying, paying more than a mortgage would cost. It seems crazy to us.

Friday night we ate at our favorite restaurant in the area, Folks, and on Saturday Annette came over and we had a cookout. Joshua slept well, ate well and was pretty good the entire trip. On Saturday, he got tired of riding around in the car so we spent a better part of the day just relaxing at Dad's house, which worked out fine for us. I think he might have had a headache because Shawn & I saw him grab a chunk of the hair on his head and rip it out. It made me really nervous, and I hope to ask the pediatrician about it at his one-year well-baby check-up.

This morning we woke up at 5:30 to get packed and head to the airport. There was an accident on Rt. 85, so we had to take a detour - thankfully Shawn had picked up a newspaper ad that had a tiny not-to-scale map telling us how to get to the airport when all traffic had to exit. We arrived with plenty of time, but the lines to check in were obnoxious. After waiting almost an hour to check our luggage (normally we wouldn't check luggage, but we had to take a carseat with us for the first time), it was our turn to be waited on. The idiot behind the counter said we were within 45 minutes of the flight taking off (which I think his watch was five minutes fast, but whatever) and so they would no longer allow us to be on that flight. I was livid! Had it not been for their slowness in checking people in, we would have been more than fine and still had plenty of time to make it to our terminal, but they made us wait for a later flight, even though the policy that we had printed out online said that the latest time was 30 minutes before the flight took off. After getting through security, we still would have had plenty of time to make it on the earlier flight. Ugh! Everything worked out okay, though, other than us being a little over an hour later than what we were expecting to be home. I fully intend to write a letter to the airline's customer service department.

All in all, it was a great trip. Joshua has been pointing, mimicking sounds and even played so big with me this weekend. He's completely amazing to us. We love him dearly, and we're glad to be home safe and sound.

Georgia, Georgia

We made it to Dad's house safe and sound. Joshua did pretty well with the flight, all in all, but he only slept for about half an hour total on the plane, which we specifically booked over his nap time so he would rest. I listened to XM radio while he slept and caught the Dave Ramsey show, which was on small business and quite interesting. Dad was at the top of the escalator waiting for us as he always is when we come. One thing about Georgia - it is HOT, HOT, HOT! We have a busy day ahead, so I need to get ready.

Busy, Busy, Dreadfully Busy

This song "Busy, Busy" is one of our favorites from a Veggie Tales video that we have. It's the one that depicts the Good Samaritan and how you can be a friend to everyone. Anyway, I've been humming this song the past couple of days because it's been very fitting to our schedule. On Saturday after we saw Grandma & Grandpa Kennel, we took my diamond engagement ring to the jewelers to be fixed. When I fell down the stairs I bent a prong completely over, and we want to make sure that it's fixed and secure so the diamond itself doesn't fall out. It stinks not having my ring, mostly because it's extremely sentimental to me. I'm wearing my wedding band and the promise ring Shawn got me, but it's not the same as having everything together. I can't wait to get it back!

Sunday church went well and Joshua slept the entire way through the sermon, which was delivered by both Pastor Mark & Abby and was very good. After church, we got take out from Five Guys Burgers & Fries and took it over to Mom & Jamie's. Jamie's doing okay. He was really sick for a week or so and sleeping all the time, but now he seems to be eating okay and sitting up again, although I see his body & mind going more and more. Sunday night, we took a night of rest and are trying to keep that day for that purpose. It's hard when you have a million things to do, though, but I feel like that's what we're called to do.

Monday we went to a picnic at Mom's house for lunchtime and then Nonie & Poppy's for supper. In between the two, we took Joshua to the pet store in Berks County because they have tons of puppies for him to look at. He seemed to enjoy it but he was starting to get tired. He didn't get to nap other than in the car, and I accidentally forgot his afternoon bottle at Mom's house. He was so fussy the rest of the evening that I felt bad for him and the rest of the family. We left fairly early, and I was glad we did. I ended up getting a migraine on the way home and was sick all night long. Ugh! Joshua did better after we got home, though.

Tuesday I watched Faith & Emma for Jen so she could take Grace to her first day of school, which was also an Open House for parents. I offered to take Daniel, too, but Jen took him along with her to make it easier for me to play & have fun. Joshua loved having the girls here, and they seemed to have a good time, too. Faith told me how much she's going to miss Grace while she's at school, which made me a little teary. They've been inseparable, and now she's not going to have her big sister around for half a day. But, that will give her time to play with Emma & Daniel until she's old enough to start school.

Jen got here the same time as a guy from UGI to give us a quote on a new furnace, he left just in time for the contractor-guy to get her to finalize our work write up, and the contractor was still here doing lead paint testing when Joshua's physical therapist arrived. Yesterday was Joshua's 6-month evaluation, and he has made tremendous progress. We're going to move to physical therapy only once a month until Joshua starts walking confidently on his own, at which time we'll do a final review (unless that's longer than 6 months from now when we would do a review anyway). From there we qualify to continue tracking his progress through surveys that review all areas of development until we feel comfortable, which is something they offer all families who want it, up until age 3. The woman from Early Intervention remarked how social and talkative Joshua is and how she thinks he's made amazing progress since she saw him last. She thinks he'll do just fine, and I told her how much I appreciated their help and services. While the physical therapist was there, Joshua pointed to her and to the equipment the guy was using to test our house. It was the first time we saw him point at anything specifically. Yeah for the Bean!

Last night I had another meeting with my new client to review her catalog with the artist, and I didn't get home until almost 10 p.m. It was sad that Joshua was already in bed, but I was glad that Shawn was faithful to our commitment to getting him in bed by 9:30 every night. This morning I'm finishing last minute copy jobs, working on school stuff, and trying to spend time with Joshua. I also cleaned the bathroom, dusted the living room & dining room and made our bed, etc. I have more to do, but there just aren't enough hours in the day. I also started some laundry so we can pack tonight since we leave tomorrow for Georgia. Hooray for VACATION! :) Well, I should run. I'm leaving soon for school and I need to finish getting ready before Nonie arrives.

Messy Eaters

Last night I tried giving Joshua Ravioli for the first time from a "Little Ones" dinner that came with veggies. He wasn't too impressed, and instead dipped his hands in and tried to feed himself. Okay, we'll give it a shot, I thought to myself. At first it went better than me trying to feed him something he wasn't fond of, but then he was getting tired, so he rubbed his noes and eyes and got ravioli sauce all over his face before I could even say "clean up" let alone do it. By this point, his tray, high chair and the ground were a mess, let alone his bib, clothing and body. So, Daddy took him to the tub while I cleaned up the kitchen and made us tuna noodle casserole. The night before Shawn made us a "Voila" dinner that was out of this world, and I didn't think supper last night was too shabby either. Joshua cleaned up pretty well and smelled delicious!

We got a call Thursday night from Missy saying she was out to visit Grandpa Kennel and he wasn't doing so well, so we decided to go visit him and Grandma today. I took the camera along, not realizing the batteries were so low. At first it wouldn't even snap a picture and then when it finally took, it was pretty fuzzy. Dangit! We didn't get one of Grandpa because he didn't really look at us too much - for the most part he kept falling asleep. But, he did wave hi when Joshua waved at him, and grinned from ear to ear. Other than that, when the nurse told him that we were going to go see his wife, he bellowed out "NO!" I think maybe he thought we were taking him to go see her, and he obviously didn't want to go. It's sad to see him, but we were glad we went. Grandma Kennel seemed to be doing really well, and played with Joshua for a little while. He LOVED seeing the fishies in the acquarium and the birds in the cages. Everyone kept oohing and aahing over how cute he was, and Grandma showed him off to her friends.

In other news, we got a call that this little house should be ours - hopefully we go this week to sign the papers and put a deposit down. We only want it as an investment if it's God's will, so it seems to be working out but we're still putting it in His hands. We also heard from some different folks starting to give us quotes on renovating our house, and according to the paperwork we got, it sounds like everything should be complete by the end of November, which would be great for Christmas. Praise God! I finished all my copy projects for the time being, so I'm working on school work and playing with Joshua and spending time with Shawn. Tomorrow I help lead worship, and Monday we have picnics with Mom & fam and Nonnie & Poppy & fam. Hooray for long weekends!

The Last Day of August

If there's anything you wanted to get done by August 2007, today's your day! Joshua & I have had a pretty lazy morning. He woke up with Daddy getting up, and I fed him some of his bottle, some rice cereal and some fruit. He ate like a champ! From then on, we've played until he just started getting a little fussy, signaling to me that it's time for his morning nap - 10 a.m. sharp! I've been working on getting him into more of a routine, along with Daddy's help for bedtime. We've been giving him a bath, putting him into PJ's, giving him a bottle, brushing his teeth and then putting him in bed at the same time every night. I think we should add a song or story in there, but we've seen improvements in Joshua's willingness to go to bed. He woke up for a couple of seconds last night, but not long so I didn't go in.

This morning his little mind was amazing me. For example, he wasn't taking much of his bottle so I laid it on the froggy chair thinking that maybe he wanted to play and then we'd come back to it in a few minutes after he explored the playroom. (He loves to play with the bottle and dump milk on the floor, so I have to put it up.) Well, this morning, he went to the froggy chair where he couldn't quite reach the bottle and simply tipped the chair over so the bottle would come crashing down into his hands. While I wasn't thrilled that he got his bottle to make a mess (I'd be okay with him grabbing it to eat, but that was not his goal), I found it amusing that he figured out how to get it.

Later on, he was playing with a toy that he can pull apart, but he was never able to get it back together. This morning he went to put it together and was going to pinch his fingers. He put it down for a minute, looked at it, then placed his hands differently on it so he could put it together without pinching any of his fingers. Hooray! Another thing that amused me was that I put a frog stuffed animal on top of his head, acting like it hopped up there. It of course fell, but Joshua thought it was so funny that he grabbed it and tried to balance it on his head. Now, these are things we all know how to do, but it's interesting to see his wheels spinning as he learns new things. He can play with his dinosaur toy and other toys we've bought for him that he couldn't figure out before. I see him growing not only physically but mentally.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Georgia!

Hope it's a super duper special day! Love ya!

Peekaboo

On Tuesday, Joshua just started the cutest thing I've ever seen...he loves to play peekaboo now where he holds up a little blanket over his head and pops out from behind it when you say peekaboo. It was sooo adorable, and he was absolutely cheesing from how thrilled I was that he had learned something new. So, when Daddy got home, he showed him his latest accomplishment. Shawn agreed it was super cute.

Last night Shawn & Joshua were playing "roll the ball back and forth" when I got home from class. Joshua's getting better and better at it. Last night I said something about Joshua being a tooter and he looked at me and said "No tooter." I looked at Shawn and he said, did Joshua just say "No tooter?" That's what I heard, too. So funny and so cute! Here's a picture of him after he stole the telephone. He also loves playing with the computer mouse...ugh!

Tuesday night at worship practice, we were singing about God's amazing love for us and then how we have nothing to fear. I thought of my new fear of stairs and thought how ridiculous it is. I know the Lord will protect us. I thought of the following verses: Psalm 91:11-12 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone as well as Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

Last night classes went well, but I think I spoke too fast. I have to remember what's "old hat" to me is completely new for the students. Even though no one asked me to slow down even though I gave them opportunities, I still think it's something I need to work on. So, now it's two down, a bazillion left to go. But, I'm finished for the month of August at least! I forgot to wish Nonie a Happy Birthday on our blog yesterday. Hope it was great!

Waving, Rolling and Smiling

Last night we met Grandma Good for dinner, and I completely forgot to take my camera along. Dangit! We highly enjoyed seeing her. Class also went well. One down, too many left. Tomorrow will be my second first day of classes since one class is only Wednesday nights. One nice thing is that I felt like I looked nice in my new suit that I bought with the gift card Shawn had given me for my birthday (thanks, Babe!). Last night Joshua waved bye to Grandma Good after she said goodbye and waved...it wasn't immediate, but he definitely caught on after half a minute. Then, when Daddy was bringing him in from the car, he waved bye to our neighbors. Hooray! So, now he waves hi and bye with some prodding. When we were playing last night, I rolled the ball to him and asked him to roll it back to me, which I've done for awhile. Only this time, he rolled it back. Hooray! We played that game for a little while until we were both bored. I think my attention span is about as long as his, or less.

I can't get over how big the Bean is getting. He truly doesn't seem like a baby any more but more like a little boy. We are enjoying every minute that goes by, but it seems to go by so quickly! Shawn came home for lunch today, and I made chicken cordon bleu, noodles & corn. The noodles weren't so hot, but everything else was good. He had to eat quick and get back to work, but it was a nice treat to see him today. I also made him breakfast - peanut butter toast was all, but I made it with love, so I think he enjoyed it. Saturday he had made me a big breakfast of pancakes (which the Bean also enjoyed), eggs & bacon. Yummm!!!! He is the bomb!

Well, Joshua is looking up at me with his big blue eyes like, "Let's play" so I should run!

The First Day of School

Today is a sad day, my friends. It marks the first day of going back to school for students & teachers alike. Joshua is very sad, but mostly because he managed to pinch his finger in the filing cabinet. He's climbed up there before, but he never managed to get it open until last night when Daddy was hanging out with friends picking his fantasy football team. I didn't realize the filing cabinet was unlocked at that moment. Poor Bean! His little pointer finger is red & the skin is ripped off in the back. I tried putting a band-aid on it, but he chewed it right off. So, instead of waving his middle finger around, now he's waving his pointer finger. This is not really the way I wanted him to learn how to point... It did give me the idea to sing to him "This little light of mine, I'm gonna' let it shine" and he laughed everytime I sang "Don't let Satan (blshbh) it out, I'm gonna' let it shine." He is soooo cute! He keeps trying to tell me something forcefully, but I can't tell what it is. The more I say that I can't understand him, the more he repeats it only louder. I still have no clue. It begins with a "d" sound and then he waves his finger around like mad. Poor little one! Today he said "all done" again after lunch. It's the first time I'd heard him say it since he said it the first time.

Shawn sent me a little card to wish me luck my first day of school. He's so sweet! I don't know why I get nervous for the first day. I have a pretty good idea what to expect. But, such is life. Nonie is coming to watch Joshua while I head to Millersville, and then we're going out to eat with Grandma Good after class is over. We haven't seen her in awhile, and we're looking forward to it! We went to Uncle Jim's birthday party on Saturday, but she wasn't there. It was nice to see everyone, but Joshua was a little fussy. I think he didn't want to be held so much - he's now on the go and wants to explore. However, we were afraid that he would spit up on their carpet, etc. so we were trying to keep him somewhat confined. Meanwhile, he did great the whole night and I slopped a little of his food on my pants and Shawn knocked over a soda. We giggled at worrying about him and then us being the messy ones.

Saturday morning I went shopping with Mom while Shawn & Joshua spent time with Jamie. Mom definitely needed to get out of the house, and I needed a few things to feel comfortable at school. We went back Sunday afternoon to help out where we could and took Jamie & Joshua for a walk in their neighborhood. We also got a letter this weekend telling us our house appraised for the exact amount it had to, so we qualify for the program to get our house renovated. I can't wait! Praise God!

People have wondered how I was doing after my fall down the stairs - I'm truly okay. I'm bumped and bruised but no serious damage, other than this overwhelming fear now when I get close to steps. I'll have to keep turning that over to God. We're also still praying that Joshua gets over his reflux. Since he wasn't eating, we decided to hold off on giving him Prevacid for a few days. His appetite is a little better, but he still is throwing up (on or off of it). So, we figure it's probably worth holding off on giving him the medicine until we consult with the doctor. I called Dr. Devenyi's office today only to find that he's on vacation this week. So, we'll wait to hear from him. I'm not anxious to have Joshua sedated for them to look at his esophagus through a microscope. He was doing better on Zantac, and they haven't even tested him for food allergies. I don't want to keep putting him through all this unless I feel that we've exhausted other possibilities that are less invasive. I want whats best for him, but I also want to be his advocate in asking what are other options to help him. Lord, please heal him so he doesn't have to go through any more of this!

Well, I need to finish getting ready and heading to Millersville. Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Missy!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Missy. We hope it's a great one with a special year ahead!

Friday Before School Starts

Monday I got to go out with a few of my former co-workers from Masterpiece, including Kelley, Kristen & her son Elliott and Julie & Jude. I decided not to take the Bean along because he was still a little sniffly, and I didn't want him to be fussy or their boys to catch his sickness. I had a great time being with grown-ups, and Joshua seemed to enjoy himself at my sister's house. Tuesday night at El Serrano, I thought Joshua was well-behaved all-in-all. We were there late, so by the end of the night he was starting to get fussy, but thankfully that place is loud enough that I don't think anyone else really heard him.

He seems to be feeling better for the most part, but he's still not eating, which had me up in the middle of the night worrying. I calmed down thinking about the verse Phillipians 4:6: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." The ironic part is that I could remember the whole verse except for the phrase "with thanksgiving." I'm upset that Joshua keeps throwing up and isn't healed and has to be on medicine and the medicine isn't even working. I'm upset that he's now not eating and getting thinner by the day. But, I must remember to be thankful, too. He's come this far, and God knows our needs and our bodies better than we even do. I must remember to lay it at His throne and stop picking it back up to think that I need to be the one solving Joshua's problems. If you think of it, please pray for the Bean - that he outgrows this reflux, that he eats what he needs to, and that's he's healthy overall.

Wednesday night I went out with the "Good girls" - Shawn's Aunt Shari organized a gathering for the ladies on his side of the family. Only eight of us were able to make it, but we had a great time at Zia Maria's. I got to catch up with Shawn's Aunt Stacy & Aunt Gayle since I sat nearest to them, which was nice. I thought about the fact that I wouldn't have known anyone there had it not been for falling in love with Shawn - how different life becomes after you get married!

That afternoon I went and made copies of my syllabi for my classes that start this coming Monday. My key doesn't unlock my new office door (ugh!) and I still haven't received my contracts to sign. I guess I should realize that they are poor in planning and completely disorganized by now, but it drives me crazy! I'm still reading this relatively boring marketing book, which is sad since Marketing is so interesting to me. I must think of creative ways to interest the class...

This morning I went with Shawn's sister-in-law Gayle to get a manicure & pedicure at Visage a Visage while Nonie watched Joshua & my nephew Grant. (Mike & Bonnie had gotten us gift certificates for Christmas, and I thought going back to school was about the most "special" occasion I'll have to give me an excuse to use it.) Hilary came with Bonnie, which was very sweet and Joshua adores her. They said that boys were both really good while we were gone, which I was glad to hear. My feet feel incredible, but I've already managed to screw up a nail. Such is life! It was still a nice treat.

Well, I should get back to my school work while Joshua naps, even though this has been a nice diversion. I'll end this post with a cute Joshua story. Yesterday he banged his head into mine, and I looked at him and said "ouch" trying to get him to realize that doing that hurts Mommy. He looked at me and grinned and repeated, "ouch." It's hard to be hurt or upset when he's so darn cute!

Fall

The weather today is rainy and chilly and in the 60's (for those of you reading this who aren't from around here). We have our windows open to get some fresh air, and I actually prefer it to be a little cooler than so stinkin' hot. Autum is my favorite time of year. The beauty of leaves beginning to change colors and the excitement of going back to school (for everyone other than teachers, I'm finding out), and the promise of holiday memories just around the corner...

While all those things made me title this post fall, I actually did fall today, taking a spill down our stairs. Thank God I wasn't holding the Bean at the time! I was planning on heading to Millersville today so I dressed up in nicer pants that have wider legs at the bottom and dress shoes with heels. I was running behind, so I was gathering my stuff and rushing to go downstairs and one of these heels caught my pant leg and I tumbled from the top stair to the bottom within seconds, hearing an awful sound from my left ankle. I'm also surprised that my muscles feel bad in my arms and I somehow managed to rip skin from my hand. Why, Lord, do I have to be so clumsy? Thankfully I don't think there was any permanent damage, but I don't think I'll be running at the gym over the next few days until everything feels completely normal again. Dangit! Praise God it wasn't worse, though, and that Joshua was not near to get hurt. Needless to say, I skipped going to Millersville until another day and Joshua didn't get to see his Aunt Missy & Uncle Kevin and their adorable puppies.

It made me think once again that I really must slow down, in general. I've been writing and studying and trying to be a good mom & wife and sometimes it gets to be overwhelming. I was listening to a song by Jenn Johnson called "A little longer" that talks about spending quality time with God, and how that's what he requires from us and not all the "extras" that we fill up our time with. Great song, which you can download from their website.

In other news, we made a "handshake-over-the-phone" agreement to purchase the little house on Old Philadelphia Pike in Bird-in-Hand. I hate to get too excited because I always know that something can fall through until it's concrete in writing, but it sounds like we're going to have a favorable outcome to buying this little investment property.

Tonight we're heading out to celebrate August birthdays with Nonie & Poppy & family at El Serrano. I pray that Joshua is well-behaved! Here are some pictures of him yawning & waking up after his nap. Sooo cute when he's sleepy.

Sing to the Lord a New Song

Psalm 104:33 I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Psalm 98:4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music!

1 Chronicles 16:9 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Psalm 59:17 O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

A Busy Weekend

This weekend, Grandma & Grandpa Ginder and Aunt Erica came down for Great Uncle Vernon's viewing. "Nanny Jo" stayed here and played with Joshua most of the weekend and was a big help so I could get some work done. I finished one of my larger projects yesterday after working on it all weekend. Now, I MUST finish my schoolwork since classes are less than a week away!

When they were down, Grandma & Grandpa Ginder bought a soothing vaporizer for Joshua, and I think it reallly helped break up some of his cold symptoms. He's still a little schnarky, but not like he was. We all went out to dinner Saturday night and had a good time. Shawn & I were impressed with how well Joshua did. He ate almost everything we gave him - from cut cooked carrots & green beans to pieces of macaroni & cheese to mashed potatoes & bread to small bites of ham & cheerios. He didn't fuss at all, and I barely had to clean up any food under or on his high chair. Hooray! He also waved at any one who waved hi to him this weekend. Soooo cute!

We went to church on Sunday, and Joshua did pretty well throughout the service until he head-butted Daddy. Then he cried, and since it was almost the end of the sermon, we decided to leave rather than give a cranky Bean to a nursery worker. We dropped him off at Mom's before heading to the viewing, where we saw many family members that we only see camping at the family reunion. They all clean up nicely! It was still sad, though.

I've been feeling convicted of working on Sundays to finish up writing projects and what not, so this Sunday I didn't clean the house or write but just spent time relaxing (including a much-needed nap so I wasn't so cranky!) and playing with Joshua & Shawn. It was a nice weekend...

Happy Birthday, Aunt Becky!

Here's a picture of my sisters and me on my birthday. My sister Becky - pictured right - turns a whopping 32 years old today. Hope it's a special day!

Happy 11-month Birthday, Bean!

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A Trip to the Doctor

This morning I decided to take Joshua to the pediatrician - what can it hurt? He now weighs 21.6 lbs - so even as he's getting taller, he's maintaining his weight. Dr. Gross (yes, an awful name) said that his ears look fine; however, he has puss & blisters on his tonsils. She said there's been a wicked virus rapidly spreading around children that takes about a week to get over completly, so he should start feeling better in a couple days. She also said that it is accompanied by a headache, older children tell her, so to give him tylenol when he's pulling on his face because that's a good sign that he has one, too. Poor Bean! When we went to leave, he blew snot all over his shirt and mine. Now that's GROSS!!!

Great Uncle Vernon has gone to be with Jesus

We got a call from Shawn's Grandma Kennel this morning - who referred to herself as "Aunt Anne" - saying that Uncle Vernon passed from this life to the next last night. She was quite upset and trying to reach Shawn's parents with no success since she forgot to dial a one and the area code. I think in her grief she's a little more flustered than usual. Uncle Vernon is Grandpa Kennel's brother. Here is a picture of him and Aunt Mildred, lovingly referred to as Shawn's "twin" since they were born on the same day. Aunt Mildred stitched us a beautiful quilt for our wedding, and we love both of them. This is a sad day on earth and a glorious day for heaven. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

The Bean is Schnarky

Please pray for Joshua. He's got a cold and seems completely congested while at the same time having a runny nose. He's barely eating, but it's hard to eat when you can't breath. Please pray that he feels better. It's so sad to hear a little guy snoring and snorting when he's awake. :( Tonight he clutched his ear for a second. He hasn't done it since but if he does it again, I'm calling the pediatrician in the morning. Poor Bean!

One Small Step for Joshua, One Giant Leap for Our Household

Last night after dinner, Shawn put Joshua down on the floor. He immediately crawled over to the dishwasher and gazed at his new friend he saw. Aren't these pictures adorable? He is soooo cute!

Hey, mom - who needs a puppy when I have a reflection friend?

Dada, do you see him, too? Isn't he handsome like me?

After the novelty of his "friend" wore off, he started opening all the cabinets. Ummmm...how 'bout no to getting out my breakable & expensive stoneware? So, I put him in his pack 'n play while I finished cleaning up until I could play more with him. I no more than sat him down and he immediately stood up on his own. Good job, Bean! After I was done, I took him out and put him in the good living room while we discussed our plans for the rest of the evening. He went right to the coffee table and pulled himself up. His feet weren't in the best position, but before I could move them, he took a step to get himself situated. Now, he was holding on, so it doesn't qualify as a "real step" Shawn told me, but this is the first time he even tried to step that I saw. The baby book calls this cruising. He didn't really cruise anywhere, but he's getting more and more courageous.
This morning after we got back from the gym, we were playing in the office and he pulled up onto his feet with the toy bin - another first! He used to just look through the bin while on his knees. Now he's anxious to stand any chance he gets. In fact, during his bath this afternon, he kept trying to stand in our tub. Thankfully it's a deep bath tub so he had a hard time reaching my shampoo, etc. Silly Bean! Sit down to play & splash like normal! His toys were okay, but anything Mommy touched was way cooler.
Doesn't the picture below look like Joshua is waving at someone or something? Well, I should go. My textbook for the second class I'm teaching at Millersville, Principles of Marketing, just came in the mail. That gives me less than two weeks to read over 700 pages, outline them on powerpoint, decide what to do to make it interesting, and write exams. Please pray that I stay motivated! Today I was bored just reading the first 10 pages. Ugh! It's hard to read when there's a handsome little guy beckoning me to play. I'm also writing, writing, writing. And, there's the house to clean, bills to pay, etc. I need to focus!