A New Uniform

Lately, I have been addicted to the show "What Not to Wear." I don't get the chance to watch that much TV, but when I could, I've been watching what Stacy London & Clinton Kelly tell women to wear to be in style on TLC. As I've been thinking about idols from my readings in Isaiah, I think I've been idolizing fashion (and beauty). I started researching shoes and desiring to go shopping (thankfully I don't have much time) and thinking about the best "look." This past weekend when the boys were napping, I found these adorable shoes online at Shoes.com. I was in love...until I saw the price tag. For these lovely Michael Kors pumps, the 'sale' price was $150. I couldn't spend almost a month's worth of grocery money on shoes! This weekend, I re-organized my closet, moving some things that I don't wear out of the way and packing up some bigger things that no longer fit. I was feeling sad about what was left (other than a few new shirts from my mom - thank you so much!!!). But, I really don't have the money to be finding a new fantasy with fashion, and I've been thinking I need to let go of the show so I don't feel so ugly or out of date.

That said, I literally gasped when I opened my "Mothers of Preschoolers" devotional tonight (thanks for the gift, Grandma & Grandpa Ginder!) and read the following passage:

A MOM'S UNIFORM

"Therefore, do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 NIV

When a mother looks into her closet, she may notice that the contents have miraculously rotated. The jeans, sweats and comfy shirts are now easily reachable in the front, while the untouched business clothes and once-coveted white pants have somehow been regulated to the memorabilia section in back. The dusty trophy of days gone by - those white pants - will most likely not see the light of day for many years, as peanut butter, crayon, and grape juice are now part of the daily repertoire.

Does she retain the same value in the eyes of the world while wearing the "uniform" of a mom? Perhaps not. But what is her worth in the sight of the Lord? Moms need not measure their self-worth on the scale that the world imposes: wealth, wardrobe, and wordly-goods. Rather, the true scale used to determine success is measured with eternal glory. While outward appearances may seem to diminish when business attire is traded for play clothes, inward appearances become increasingly glorious as daily sacrifices are made in answer to the call of motherhood.

Lord, thank you for the privelege of being a mom. Help me to remember that You value this role as one of Your highest callings and greatest challenges. And help me to see myself as You see me. Amen.

Isn't God so good as He cares about our inmost thoughts & desires and redirects our focus back to Him and our calling? May I focus on being beautiful from the inside out and remember that right now I am producing "fruit" in my children, which is far more important than the latest trends or gorgeous zebra-print high heels!

More Great Scripture!

Isaiah 11
The Branch From Jesse
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.


10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.
11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people...
12 He will raise a banner for the nations
and gather the exiles of Israel;
he will assemble the scattered people of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.

16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people
that is left from Assyria,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from Egypt.

Isaiah 12
Songs of Praise
1 In that day you will say:
"I will praise you, O LORD.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."
3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
4 In that day you will say:
"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."

More JCP Pics

My kids were downright terrified of the gal screaming at them... she was like the "peekaboo monster." She was nice, but much too loud and disturbing (which coming from me who always talks loud, you know she was hollering!!!).

She also did a terrible job at positioning the kids. You can see Caleb's diaper, and look how he's uncomfortable in this one...you can tell he's not happy!!!
She forgot the mat at first for the tub, so he's sliding in this slippery thing on the towel the entire time. But, he did love to chew on the rubber duck! We have a ton of these pictures where you can't see his smile!

Such is life. My kiddos are still sweet & cute even if I couldn't get good pictures this time. Next time! At least they don't cost a lot to try!!! It was more of a waste of time that annoyed me. Such is life! I have lots more, but these were the best of the bunch!

Caleb's 6-month Pictures

Here are the only two that I thought were half good...

Happy 28-month birthday, Joshua!

Happy birthday, pumpkin pie!

The above picture shows our favorite face that Joshua makes when he's riding his horsey. Joshua's personality is fiesty but so fun! We enjoy playing with him.
Since the boys are awake, I'll leave the post at that rather than list Joshua's current accomplishments. I'm sure I'll get to that sometime soon! I'm so proud of him for growing physically & mentally. I also love how he prays and sings. He is such a sweetie pie! We had snow to celebrate his birthday with! No playing outside today, even though it felt warm out in the 20's. Bizarre how your perspective changes!!! Joshua also got a haircut tonight. I think Daddy did a great job!

The Boys of Winter

Today as I was sorting clothing in Caleb's room, I put him in the bumbo in his crib so he would be sitting up and looking out. Joshua asked to join him. Why not? I was in there watching them. Sooo cute! They just love each other! Caleb's face was red because he likes to sleep on his belly. He always wakes up with a red face now, which slowly disappears over time.

Joshua is on the mend, I believe. I took him back to the doctor's office Friday morning. He now weighs 26 lbs - down a full pound. They are concerned, but there's not much we can do for diarrhea. He is not allowed to have milk as his body may be having a hard time processing lactose, but she recommended full fat soy milk or Lactaid. He also shouldn't have a lot of carbs because the body also processes them like sugar, which will go right through him into his diapers. Finally, we need to avoid fruit for the time being, except for bananas. We also are to increase his fat and protein intake (easier said than done with a kid that doesn't like to eat). He is to drink as much Pedialite as we can get into him (which is basically none) and water (which he is loving). It has helped. Today we haven't changed nearly the amount of diapers that we had been in the past few days! He is complaining today, though, that his belly aches. That goes along with this virus, I think. Please pray for a complete healing for my snuggle buggle!

Praise God, Caleb hasn't gotten any kind of illness. He also had five vaccines at his doctor's visit, and he has been doing well. Shawn & I both are feeling a million times better, and we are grateful for the help from my mom and the love and care from family & friends.

As we prepare for our trip to Florida, please pray that birds don't take out our engine!!!

Finally, I will leave this blog post with a verse that spoke to me. I'm currently reading through the book of Isaiah. It is incredible how much it reminds me of today...it's like Isaiah was living among us - I highly encourage you to read it! The idols (think of American Idol & Survivor, plus the 'not so obvious' ones that take over our thoughs), the rebellion against God, the way we treat God and each other... and yet, the Lord continues to be gracious to His people: Isaiah 3:10 "Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds."

Caleb's 6-month well check

On Tuesday morning, Mom came over and watched a still-sick Joshua while I took Caleb to the pediatrician for his well check-up. His stats are:

Weight: 18 lbs (60%)
Length: 27 1/2" (90%)
Head Circ: 17 1/8" (50%)

They are concerned about Caleb not eating as much. He hates rice cereal and oatmeal, so we've moved onto other foods. But, Dr. Riley said we're going to be concerned about his iron level. So, I'm mixing the rice cereal with foods he will eat, and she suggested trying to let him feed it to himself. I'm forcing him to eat. He hates it! I hate it! But, I want him to be healthy. He's also dropped off considerably with nursing. Dr. Riley said that his 9-month well check will indicate whether or not we're having success or needing to take other measures. Please pray that he eats and is healthy for him! His body weight percentile is down 10% from the last visit.

Caleb also should be sitting up on his own. I realized I haven't been working with him enough on it. So, we've started since then. He can army crawl and move all around the room, but he can't sit upright unassisted. This was the hardest part for Joshua in physical development, too, I remember. I must dig out the papers that helped us in knowing how to assist them in learning this critical step!

Caleb is still easygoing and sweet, but he fears strangers now and isn't as nice for babysitters as he used to be. The pediatrician said that's normal. She also said it's normal for him to be scared when I'm not around and that's why he keeps waking me up at night crying. He thinks I'm not coming back. This, too, shall pass.On Friday I took Caleb to get his six-month pictures done at JCPenney's. What a fiasco! I got the "beauty school dropout" (what I call pretty people who are downright stupid) who didn't have any idea how to position kids or how to take photos. She even thought she deleted them all after we were there two hours and had to call the helpdesk. It was pointless because I've never seen such awful pictures, and Caleb will typically smile for anything or anyone. Ugh!!! It was a waste of time! But, it wasn't worth 'crying over spilled milk' about. We get lots of pictures here, but my camera needs batteries and I swear every picture I take with Shawn's turns out fuzzy. It drives me crazy-go-nuts!Here's our little butter-ball baby in his swim trunks, t-shirt & sun hat. Today I've been digging through my bins of clothing for summer things for both boys to wear since we're heading to Florida this Wednesday to see Grandma & Grandpa Ginder and Aunt Erica. This outfit was given to me when Joshua was first born, but it was the wrong season. It fits Caleb perfectly! What a cutie pie!

Barfapalooza Fest '09

A week has gone by since my last post...and I hope I never have a week like it again! It started out nice, actually. We were supposed to have breakfast last Friday morning with Julie and her kiddos Jude & Kate at Eat 'n Park, but she couldn't find her keys. So, Joshua, Caleb & I ventured over to her house and ate Ruby Tuesday's curbside-to-go for lunch. Sometime last week we also watched the movie "Wall-E" as a family, and we enjoyed it!

Saturday morning, after brushing Joshua's teeth, he was running in big circles in our tiny bathroom. He took the corner too wide and tried to stabilize himself on our shower curtain "wall"... which you can imagine wasn't the greatest idea. He fell head-first into the bathtub and split his lip open. He cried during his nap, so we assumed he had a headache, but we didn't think too much about it. That evening, we went to church as a family and ran into Grandma there. Afterward, we went to my sister Jen's house for pizza and visited with Grandpa Georgia who had arrived that afternoon.

After we came home around 8 pm, we all got into our jammies. Shawn was on the phone with Grandma Ginder and I was feeding Caleb while Joshua was unwinding to a little Elmo. All the sudden, the Bean ran into the office where I was and said "Mommy...mommy...mom-BLAH!" ALL OVER OUR CARPET!!! I began cleaning him up while Shawn quickly got off the phone and started cleaning up the floor. Within seconds of being changed, Joshua vomitted again...and again...and again. It was a nightmare. In our bedroom on the floor, in his bedroom, in his bed, on our bed...it just kept going. I said to Shawn, do you think he could have a concussion? Shawn did some research online, and while vomitting normally starts closer to the time of the fall, depending on the injury and the brain, it could happen later. So, I decided to call the pediatrician and just ask the question to soothe my fears. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the pediatrician told us to go immediately to the emergency room.

We left our house at 10:30 pm after being connected immediately to the pediatrician (no waiting for anyone to call us back!) as a family to the hospital. Joshua threw up in the waiting room upon entering the hospital and kept going the entire time we were there. They took us back fairly quickly and did a CT Scan of his brain. Luckily there was no sign of bleeding or anything dangerous. So, they assumed he had a stomach virus. However, the ER doctor said that with the fall and his continued vomitting, they wanted to admit him overnight for observation. After some discussion of who should stay and who should go, I took Caleb home around 2 am and started some of the thousands of loads of laundry of yucky towels and Bean clothes and our clothes (Joshua had gotten both of us and his coat in the hospital). I finally passed out about 3 am and Shawn called at 4:30 am to give me the Bean's room number. After getting off the phone with him, I began vomitting...and I couldn't stop either. It was awful!

At 5:30 am I called my mom. I needed help! Thank God for mommas! She skipped church and came over. Shawn said that after I left another doctor who reminded him of "House" on TV came into the room to evaluate Joshua. After listening to him, watching him walk, looking into his eyes, and more tests, they determined he did, in fact, have a concussion. But, the concussion didn't cause the vomitting. The Bean was downright sick. They gave him an IV of fluids and he began to feel better. But, after being released Sunday, he came home and kept on vomitting. Me, too! (Thankfully my mom picked up Shawn & Joshua from the hospital.) I've never been so sick! I called my doctor and they ordered something "not so nice" to help control the nausea, which didn't work. In the meantime, each time I took it I had to pump rather than feed Caleb. He wouldn't take the bottle and we were all miserable. It was the worst day. My mom was so helpful!

I took Joshua to the doctor's Monday morning, and they said that the bug lasts five days. We're on day five, and he's still got diarrhea really badly. Shawn got the sickness, too, and for the first time since I've known him, he came home sick from work and called off a day. That's against his grain! So, you know he was deathly ill! I missed seeing my Dad while he was here. :( :( :( But, it couldn't be helped. My whole house smells...we've cleaned the carpets, taken out the diaper genie, done laundry, but there's just still a STANK!

Monday night I made it through my first class, thank the Lord! I wasn't sure I could but I did it. I knew I had to. Daddy's back to work today, I'm feeling weak but better. Joshua's still going through diapers and pants. Caleb, praise God, hasn't had any illness.

I'm thankful we're all on the mend! Caleb had his six-month well-baby check-up on Tuesday. More on that to come! Please pray that we all stay well and that no one else - family, friends, acquaintances, or even enemies! - would get this nasty bug!

Caleb, Baby!

More six-month pictures...I couldn't resist!

Caleb was experiencing extreme constipation from eating solid foods. After calling the pediatrician, I learned that it's important to include "p" fruits in his diet: prunes, plums, peaches, pears, etc. The prunes did the trick. Good job, pumpkin! He's such a happy little guy! And so curious! I love it! Today I was putting the table cloth on the table, and he grabbed it right away and pulled it toward him. He'll grab anything to play!Well, the Bean just woke up, so I'll stop blogging for now. Enjoy the rest of the pics! And here's the Bible verses today that I enjoyed from my study while everyone napped:

"The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest." Psalm 32:17-18

Can I hear an AMEN?!?!

Boys at Six Months

Joshua at 6 months on 3-18-07 (for those of you who forget how he pudged up at this age, too!).Caleb at six months on 1-8-09. I love my boys!

Bad Hair Day?

Happy 6-month Birthday, Caleb Luke!

"Good morning, smiles!"is what I always say to him when I go into his room in the morning. He now sleeps on his belly just like Joshua did when he learned how to roll over. Caleb has woken up with red marks all over his face after naps or bedtime.You can see his teeth well in the picture below. I love his chubby cheeks and smile! He is SO easygoing. I am a blessed momma!Caleb is strong and rolls and 'crawls' and gets into everything! This morning he tried to grab my roses and yesterday he wore some of Joshua's yogurt because we were too close to it!

He has discovered not only his low voice but also his high-pitched voice. He often babbles, and even now is talking away in baby speak. This makes Joshua laugh...often. :)Hopefully I'll be able to take some more pictures later. Happy 6-month birthday, big guy!

A Playdate!

I missed seeing my friend Becca at MOPS on Tuesday. We had already schedule a playdate for Thursday morning, but then when Don & Melanie couldn't make dinner at our house because their little girl was sick (sorry we missed you!), I had lots of food defrosted with only two eaters. I called to see if Becca, Angel & Allayna would like to come for dinner, and they did! Shawn enjoys hanging out with Angel, too, so it's a great match. :) We feasted on quesadillas, rice, salad, tortilla chips and cookies & brownies for dessert that Becca had made. It's always fun getting together with them!Becca & Allayna still came over today for our playdate then. We had a fun time together! Joshua was tired this morning from being up all last night. I think maybe he had a bad dream? He wasn't screaming, he didn't come into our room, but he was bawling! I mean big tears soaking his pillow when I went in to comfort him...no idea why. But, he was up on and off throughout the night.After we watched a few minutes of Elmo (both kids love him...okay, all kids love him!), we headed upstairs to play with Play-doh. Joshua does better with it each time we play with it, but we were soon tired of it and moved onto coloring. Gotta love the purple nose below! And Joshua told me he had a green mustache!After coloring, we headed upstairs to the office for more toy time. I busted out the hats, which were a hit! I love the firefighters! And, my picture of the construction workers didn't turn out too well...such is life!We played some more until it was time for lunch. We munched on PB&J sandwiches, cheese & crackers, blueberries, bananas, raisins & yogurt (we all didn't have all of those things, but we each ate what sounded the best to us). Joshua just loves Allayna, as you can tell by the picture below. Thanks for coming over, friends!

Close the Door & Lay Down!

"Close the door and lay down" is something you'll hear often at our house....because Shawn & I laugh and laugh at how Joshua says it. There's no mistaking it, but he has a little accent with his bossy command that makes us giggle. It's actually endearing because that means he wants you to tuck him in bed and lay with him for awhile and be his "snuggle buggle." But, Shawn & I now say it to each other because it is just that cute.

Here's the Bean in his new cowboy hat from Missy. He loves to dress up in hats! I have so much to post about the kids, but I realize that time on the computer is time I'm not spending with them...or cleaning my house or doing work for school, etc. Yesterday I 'fasted' from the computer, and I think I'll have to do it more often. It's difficult for me not to check email or blog, but I think it's something I'm going to have to limit. I so want this to be a memory book for the kids, but I also think that it's important to be living in the moment with them.

That said, I'll post one other thing about little Caleb...he's mobile! He's not fast (thank God) but he can kind of creep/army crawl forward a little to get something he wants. He uses his entire body to roll/creep to get something he wants to examine. He can already take apart toys and gets into things...like yesterday when he grabbed Joshua's crayon bucket as we were sitting and coloring. He's so funny!

And Joshua told me that Caleb is his friend. I'm so glad! They really do get along well and love each other. It's fun to watch.

Joshua's favorite song right now is "Love Lockdown" by Kanye West (watching him dance to it is SO funny!) and he also enjoys "Bless the Lord (Son of Man)" by Tye Tribbett & G.A. Last night he showed Daddy how to play pattie cake, and he recently learned the motions to "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart!" We watched the "Elmo Goes Potty" DVD last night, too, and I read him his potty book and we played with the Elmo Potty doll. Hopefully he'll get the hang of it soon!!! Please pray for us and the potty training experience! I'm hoping we get into the full swing of it soon!

The 10th or 11th day of Christmas? I lost track...

The Christmas celebrations keep on going into the New Year. We've now celebrated with the Goods, our family, my mom's, Nonie & Poppy, the Dziedzic's, now Aunt Missy's and soon my Dad comes up...the fun keeps on coming! Here are pictures from Sunday night at Missy's house. In the picture above, Joshua was loving one of Uncle Kevin's new kitties. In the one below, the Bean is helping Caleb open his gifts.Joshua loves Aunt Missy & Uncle Kevin. He was highly upset that Missy was playing with other children. As we left he said, "I love you, Missy!"Here's Jenavieve getting Caleb Luke.Thanks for having us over, Aunt Missy!

The Sweetest Husband in the Whole World!

I've had a crummy day. No one thing has been the biggest source, just a lot of little things adding up to make me...grumpy is probably the best word for it. For one, Caleb was up all night last night. Yesterday he didn't eat well, so when he cried last night, I felt like I had to get up and feed him...two or three times overnight he ate and ate. I was so exhausted this morning that I slept in beyond when I needed to wake up to get myself ready (let alone my kiddos!) and leave for MOPS. I love going to MOPS, and I was bummed to miss it. I called my friend Julie to see if she'd like to do breakfast, and she had just finished making hers but she suggested getting together for lunch. Unfortunately, her kiddos didn't cooperate with her plans, which I TOTALLY understand (it's one of the things I love about her - how much our kids are alike). We said we'd try for Friday. But, once again I was hoping for something that didn't happen. Anything I've done today hasn't gone well...Joshua has also been in a stinky mood (I think he was awake half the night, too) and the weather is turning south and my only other plans for the day are cleaning the bathrooms... you get the idea.

But, the doorbell rang not long ago and there were the most beautiful roses from my incredible husband with a note saying that he loved me. I could have cried. He works and works and I'm here at home and not living life abundantly but stuck in my gloomy mood. He is so giving and so sweet, and his gesture was so touching. I'm so grateful to be married to this amazing man of God. We talked the other day about how I think of him almost as angelic, so I'm truly surprised when he doesn't live up to my expectations of perfection. It's unfair to him, and yet I mean it as such a compliment...I do think the world of him. Thank you, my handsome husband, for your sweetness and putting up with me! The flowers are wonderful!

Fireproof

Friday night, Shawn & I went to see the movie "Fireproof" with our friends John & Angie. When we heard that Dove Christian Fellowship in Ephrata was showing it for free - and it's a movie I've wanted to see since it first came out in theaters - we invited all the couples from our small group. Two of the others had plans, but John & Angie found a babysitter and came along. (Thanks, Nonie & Poppy, for watching our boys for us! Sorry little Caleb Luke was fussy for you!) We LOVED the movie. I highly recommend it to any and all!

Jump for Joshua!

We have a true reason for celebration! Joshua's 27-month Early Intervention Questionnaire results were mailed to us - according to the survey, he is developing normally!!! This is the first time we've ever received anything in the mail. Typically, we've gotten a call discussing areas that need improvement. Great job, Joshua, on making progress! You are doing wonderfully!

Ringing in the New Year

Last night we rang in the New Year with our small group. We had a great time! I couldn't believe how well all the kids did - they played and played and played and were all very well-behaved. Here are the girls from our life group: Melanie, Me with a sleeping Caleb strapped to me, a pregnant Becca & her daughter Alayna who was looking away, and Angie holding their daughter Allana (sp?). Kiddos not pictured include Abby (Melanie's daughter), Joshua (our son), Becca has a step-daughter who's name just escaped my brain, and Lael (Angie's oldest daughter).The husbands of the group in order of the girls above are Don (pictured below with Shawn), Shawn (of course!), Angel (pictured below on his recliner), and John (who somehow escaped our picture taking last night by walking around).The food was amazing. We had all sorts of appetizers & snacks including shrimp & cocktail sauce, cheese & crackers, chips & dip, veggies & dip, fruit & dip, buffalo chicken dipping sauce & scoops & bread crisps, a crab appetizer that was simply devine, bacon bites, frozen cakes and more! We ate & ate (which helped keep us awake), and we toasted in the new year with sparkling cider and wine for those not pregnant, nursing, over 21, or too tired. That ended up being all of two people. Haaa!!! I just love the two pictures below. First, Lael is looking at Joshua, then he's keeping his eyese on her...We watched Dick Clark's NYE special, but we missed the actual countdown to midnight because we were all commenting on Dick Clark's appearance. Here's Alayna clapping next to Lael, who kept trying to take care of her last night. It was adorable!We had a fun time going to a party where kiddos were welcome. Again, they all did so well. It was a great night! And, while Shawn & I were too tired to share any resolutions with each other last night, we're looking forward to spending 2009 as a family. May God bless each one of you this new year!