Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Preacher Quote

We're at the end of our missions conference at Calvary and our keynote speaker is Dr. Sanders, who was a pastor here from 1960-72. The service had gone long because two missionaries had given their reports and by the time he got to preach, the service had gone on for about an hour. He then proceeded to assure us that he would only preach for 35-40 minutes at most because, "If you haven't struck oil in 35-40 minutes, then stop boring!"

I just about died laughing!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Fun Sayings

Matthew has been asking everyone recently what their favorite color is. Rob and I answer (blue for Rob, green and purple for me) and then he asks Ben. Without fail, everytime, Ben says that his favorite color is Mommy. I'm curious to know what color that would be in a Crayola box....

Today I watched Devin and Daniel for a bit, two of the boys' friends. Devin had a plaid shirt and khaki shorts on, so I asked him why he was so dressed up. "Do you have a hot date?" I asked. Devin, age four, replied, "No, I have a cold date." I think I've been on a few of those...

Matthew has been loads of fun to talk to, as usual. His new topic of conversation is talking about God and how he loves God. He's been asking quite a few questions about salvation, so Rob has been centering their bedtime devotions on that topic. Neither one of us think he's quite ready yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if he understands it in the next year or so and is ready. It's been so neat to hear his questions and see his thought processes at work. We certainly do not want to push him, but we want to be ready when he is ready.

Matthew has decided to take the role of daddy around the house. He loves to reiterate my instructions to Ben. (Personally, I think he should reinforce his OWN instructions.) I told Rob today that Ben doesn't need a bossy older sister...he has a bossy older brother. (No comments from my siblings, please!)

Ben has expanded the list of people that he misses. They now include Daniel, Daddy, Pa-pa, Abbie (Rob's parents' new dog), Mommy, and some other word we haven't deciphered yet. He's chattering up a storm and he tries so hard to communicate. He'll be talking well before we know it.

One last one...I try to work on picture identification with Ben when we read. The other day, I pointed to an elephant and he called it a doggie. We then asked Aunt Mandy, who works at an animal shelter, if they have any of these "doggies." She found us pretty amusing...I think.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Good-bye, First Trimester!

I am pleased to say that I am officially entering the second trimester of pregnancy #3. I celebrated this morning by getting sick in the sink twice. It would be nice if entering the next pregnancy phase meant getting better instantly, but I know from experience that it does not. I still suffered from morning sickness well into my fourth month with both boys, so I don't see this ending until late October. That's okay...at least it is easing up some. I'm able to cook meals now, so that's progress. The main thing that makes me sick is the dishes. We don't have a dishwasher (he went back to school) so I have to do them by hand. Yick.

I had a check-up yesterday with Dr. Oliver. My weight and blood pressure are fine. She tried to listen to the baby's heartbeat but couldn't find it (not surprising because I'm only 13 weeks) so she pulled out the ultrasound. That's more exciting anyway because I get to see the baby. She was doing flips in there, so it took a minute for Dr. Oliver to find her heart! I'd say she's doing just fine. (Again, no clue if it's a girl yet...just wishful thinking.) I do have another picture, but it's so blurry that it's really not worth posting. It's amazing how clear those machines are and how terrible the pics turn out. Kind of like driver's liscence pictures.

We went to a birthday party last night for a friend of Matthew and Ben's. They had a blast playing around in the balloons and eating Blue Moon cake from Culver's. The cake was a child's delight and an adult's nightmare. Blue custard, very sweet, covered in sour gummy worms and colorful gel. I didn't even bother to take Rob a piece. The kids just loved it....I ate some due to heartburn problems. It did help, but I skipped the gummy worms. Ben ate those off for me. :) I might have liked it when I was a kid, but I don't remember eating that much candy back then...just chocolate. Mmmmmm.....chocolate.......good thing I grocery shop today!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Maestro, if you please...

Today the boys decided to bang on the piano for awhile (which I don't mind, because it's already out of tune, a little old and used, and it keeps them occupied.) I peeked in on them and Matthew had taken a hymnal, propped it open to "How Great Thou Art", and with proceeded to play with perfect form. It came out as a jumbled mess and he was singing "Jesus Loves Me", but it was still adorable! If only the camera had batteries......

Benjamin has been doing a very good job of stringing together words. Most of the time he says "no" with another word (usually repeating what I told him not to do) but he has constructed one sentence. It is "I miss Daniel." Daniel is his little friend from church that he plays with often. He will also say "I miss Papa (grandpa)" and "I miss Daddy." Matthew often recites a list of everyone that he misses and Ben seems to have picked up on it. It is the most darling little voice and I love hearing it! He has another pseudo sentence (No like it) that he uses at supper and when I give him plain milk. (I recently took away the chocolate because it's just getting too expensive and they don't need the extra sugar, although a friend of mine justifies it by saying that we're adding vitamins to the milk.)

We had our second night of Tiny Trackers and we learned a few things:
1. Put the three's where we can reach them during story time.
2. Have an extra craft ready.
3. Don't ask if they need a drink or need to go potty: they all will every time.

Otherwise, it was lots of fun and all four of our little guys said their verse!

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Mmmm....dinner.......

(Okay, so I've started two posts with phrases like that....can you tell I used to be a Simpson's fan??) Tonight we had the most delicious dinner this house has seen in a very long time. I think the memory of this dinner will be with us forever and hopefully the smells will linger on. What did we have that was so delicious? Well, I guess if you look at the meal, it was pretty standard. But if you remember that I'm still in the first trimester of pregnancy and even looking into my kitchen can make me naseous, you'll understand how good a home cooked meal is to this family.

Our menu tonight was ham, au gratin potatoes, green beans, and cornbread. Let me elaborate on these dilectable items: The ham was half of a ham that we bought as part of a meal deal at Pick and Save. With the purchase of the $20 ham, we also received a 3 lb turkey breast, a loaf of bread, a bottle of soda, and a box of stuffing. We're set for meat for awhile! The ham had a yummy glaze and was well-received by the boys. Even Ben, who's new hobby is not eating at mealtimes, gobbled down as much ham as he could.

The potatoes were a box thing, but they were still very yummy. As for the beans, well, Rob doctored them up good. We had a huge can of green beans from Second Harvest (Maranatha does a Second Harvest thing for married students and off-campus students) and Rob cooked them up with some ham and extra ingredients and they were soft and yummy (I may go into a coma just thinking about how good they were). Matthew, our resident green bean-hater, was forced to eat some and actually liked them. The cornbread was homemade, but by the time it got on our plates, we were too stuffed to enjoy it. It'll be a nice breakfast side tomorrow.

Man, that was a good meal. We portioned out some for Rob to take to work on Monday and have been making many plans for the remaining ham. Rob and I will top it off with Mocha Brownies leftover from the Tupperware party last night. Mmmmm....nothing like a goood meal. (Oh, and Rob cooked it all, just to give credit where credit is due!)

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Tiny Trackers

Our first night of Tiny Trackers went very well. We had four three-year-olds in our class and it was fun. Three of them just turned three in the last two months, so it was interesting to see their skill levels compared to the 4's and 5's when we joined them for songs, puppets, lessons, and gametime. They did pretty well considering how little they are.

It's always a joy to work with the pre-school crowd, as they do and say some very funny things. One little boy didn't quite get the concept of running down to the pin carrying a ball. He rolled it instead, but he knocked down the pin, so it was kind of cool inspite of the mistake. Matthew and another boy ran for the other team's pin, so they had a bit of a problem with directional sense. The last boy did well, but seemed confused when he was told to to run down and then told to run back! It didn't seem to make sense to him, but he did it anyway. They were all very cute.

I think my favorite quote of the night came at the very end when the parents were picking up the kids. After two boys had been picked up, the third one said, "My mom won't be here forever." And it was said pretty matter-0f-factly with just a hint of resignation to his fate.

Matthew loved it and has been asking continually to go back. We kept them pretty busy and no activity was longer than ten minutes, so there is no way the kids could get bored or have time to misbehave. Rob and I taught the lesson on creation by me talking about it and Rob choosing a sign for each day of creation. The kids caught on pretty quickly. It was very cute to see them sign turtle (my favorite animal sign.)

In other news, I have my first Tupperware party tomorrow night. A friend is hosting it, but it's in my home, so I have a bit of cleaning to do. It should be fun and relaxed. Oh, Rob took the day off work so that he could get some extra sleep. We all took a nice, long nap this afternoon (from which I don't think I've woken up yet!)

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Mmmm....frosting....

I got onto the computer this morning to check e-mail, choosing a time when the boys were occupied and quiet. Things were going along well and when I finished, I went out to check on them. They weren't in the living room watching TV or reading books, they weren't in the toy room or dining room either. That left the kitchen. And there were my two little darlings, eating chocolate frosting. Matthew had found 1/2 a can in the fridge, had gotten a spoon, and was alternating bites between himself and Benjamin. I couldn't help myself...I died laughing. They laughed as well, which really didn't help reinforce the whole "stay out of the fridge" rule. I know that the "experts" say not to let your kids see you laugh at them (or students) but I can never help myself. I constantly laugh at my kids (and I laughed at my students as well.)

And don't worry...they still ate their lunch.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

For Sale

For Sale: One severe case of allergies. Current sufferer cannot take medication for problem due to pregnancy. Will sell to the highest bidder. Comes with Alavert to irradicate the symptoms. Will ship to you. If no offers are given, sufferer will call doctor in the morning.

For Sale: Two small boys ages three and eighteen months. Have problems hitting each other. Three-year-old likes to talk back. Eighteen month old hits adults and calls them naughty when he doesn't get his way. Will trade for chocolate.

For Sale: Loads of schoolwork. Subjects are Greek Syntax, Intro to World Missions, Intro to Philosophy, Pre-Field Missionary Service, Evangelism and Missions, and Old Testament Biblical Theology. Will break apart the set. Work must be sent back by deadlines. Only A and B students accepted as possible buyers. Will trade for sleep or time with family (or time sleeping with family instead of on couch in between assignments.)

Saturday, September 8, 2007

When providence strikes

I've been asked several times now how Rob's job search is going. Well, it isn't. He has not heard back from WisPak and we're assuming that by now, he won't. However, he's not disappointed because a rather odd thing happened on Sunday/Monday that may be God's way of telling him to stay put.

On Monday morning, Rob was taking the trash out the side door when he noticed a cell phone open on the porch. Seeing as we no longer have the obnoxious things (sorry, we're cell phone haters) we knew that it wasn't ours. Nothing looked like it had been damaged and we could see no sign of someone attempting to get into the house. So, we inspected the phone and found a bunch of pictures. It was pretty apparant that the phone belonged to a teenager. Since we have a house two doors down where a slew of them hang-out, we figured it might belong to them. We debated taking it to the police, but decided to show it to our landlord instead. He thought he might recognize the kid, but wasn't sure.

Instead of calling the police, Rob decided to give the home number listed on the phone a call. He got ahold of the boy's mother, who said that her son had been in a fight and his phone, wallet, and glasses were taken. We're guessing that the teens who beat him up put the phone on our porch to be funny. She came over right away to pick up the phone. Rob told her that she might want to look at the pics, which included obvious drug use and other stuff. She told him that he is her youngest and the only one to cause trouble. She left, thanking us for calling her.

After she had left, it dawned on Rob that this boy was the younger brother of someone he works with! This guy at work talked about his younger brother who was into drugs, drinking, and had even spent time in juvy. The mom came back later to see if she could look around our yard for his other missing things and Rob confirmed who the family was. He later talked to his friend at work about it.

Wow! This incident cannot just be mere coincidence. Rob feels strongly that he needs to help this family and will be speaking to our pastor about possibly counseling them. We also know of a place, the Victory Boys Home, that deals with teenage boys like this kid. We believe that Rob has been kept at the C.S. for a reason, and this might be it. Please pray for this family and Rob as he tries to help them.

Woo-hoo!

I finally woke up this morning with NO MORNING SICKNESS! It doesn't mean that it won't strike later, but I don't have it now. The boys and I even braved the hordes of mosquitoes and went on an early morning walk. Yipee! Just had to share!

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Adorable Things from Adorable Boys

Okay, so the kids have been driving me nuts lately (Mr. Independent and Mr. Defient, Matt and Ben respectively) so I decided to take a moment to reflect on how adorable they can be.

Benjamin has been learning lots of new words recently. He tries repeating anything we ask him to and if he gets it right, the word will become part of his regular vocabulary. Matthew is his best teacher. Here's how the conversation goes:

MJ: Ben, say "light."
Ben: wite.
MJ: Good job! Now say "couch."
Ben: cousch.
MJ: Good job! Now say.....(and on it goes)

They do this everywhere: in the car, the store, at mealtimes, while watching TV and I never get tired of it.

Ben is in love with Larry from Veggie Tales. He constantly asks me to read him Veggie Books and loves to watch Larry pop out with his tuba.

Matthew has the most adorable nervous habit. He chews on his fingers. He kind of twists his hands so that they are a little backwards. He does this in new situations or anytime that he doesn't have a handle on the situation. If he's feeling confident, he chatters like a monkey. It's so funny to listen to his conversations as well.

Ben loves to color. When I sit down with Matthew for "schooltime", I give Ben some blank paper and crayons. Today he managed to keep them out of his mouth until the very end, when he went to town on the brown crayon.

The boys love it when Daddy comes home, although they have taken to screaming. There have been a few times that Rob has almost turned around and gone back to school/work. That's when Mommy screams.

Matthew's stall tactics for bedtime are hilarious. My favorite one is when he comes down and tells me that the fan blew off his kissie. We got a good laugh out of the night that he told us he was afraid of Ben. Usually he's afraid of the door, the doorknob, or the wall.

Ben has been getting bad cases of the "me toos" recently. It's usually not too bad, but the other day, Matthew hurt his knee and needed a Band-Aid. As soon as I patched him up, Ben came up, lifted his knee, and said, "Owie!" So, I doctored his "owie" as well. It's a good thing we have lots of band-aids!

Okay, so they can be very cute. I'll try to keep them :)

Monday, September 3, 2007

What a week!

This past week we had quite the adjustment to Rob's new schedule. He leaves for class around 7am, comes home for about 40 minutes after classes (different times each day) and then leaves for work and is gone until 8pm. It's been rough on me and the kids to not see Daddy quite so much and of course, very hard on Rob. He loves his classes, but he is exhausted at the end of each day. And it doesn't end there, because he has school work to do. He is taking six classes this semester, the toughest of which is Greek Syntax. He loves Greek, but it's a lot of work. We pretty much limped into the weekend. I have noticed a major behavior change in the boys, especially Ben, and have had to be firmer with them. Another friend who's husband also started his classes said she's been having boot camp at her house, so at least I know that it's not just me!

Rob's parents came for a visit this weekend, along with their delightful new dog, Abbie. Abbie was left at a shelter with little more than her name attached. She's around three years old (giver or take a year) and is a Schnauzer mix. She is very sweet and the kids had fun seeing a dog in the house. They both got to feed her a treat. Matthew made her sit for her treat, but Ben just gave it to her. Ben just might be her favorite. :)

We had a nice visit with the Litwiller's, although Rob and I were rather tired. We went out to lunch at Culver's ( I won paper/rock/scissors so I beat out Rob's Chinese place) and then came back here. Matthew is a Grandma's boy and he had Grandma playing a fishing game, playing with Play-Doh, Candyland, Ants in My Pants, a Discovery toys game, reading books, and probably a few things I missed. Ben just wanted to be read to and wanted to be part of whatever action was going on. We didn't put him down for a nap because it's hard to predict how long he'll sleep.

They went on a walk (Mommy napped) and shortly after, Jim and Leanah left. Ben had fallen asleep in the stroller, but woke up shortly after they left. We decided to let Matthew calm down a little and popped in The Wizard of Oz. He fell asleep during "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and woke up during "If I Were King of the Forest." I'd say he missed all the good stuff!

We've had a great day today. Rob only had one class (Greek, go figure) and then he's been home all day. We tried taking the boys to the park but the mosquitoes were so bad that we left after only 30 minutes. Ben was rather upset, as this park had a toddler play area. Rob and I, however, were tired of smashing the little pests all over ourselves. Matthew even complained that his ear itched.

Oh, and for those that know MJ well, get this: he requested a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and actually ate it! Will wonders never cease? (MJ does not like pb and j's.)

I'm hungry (for the 80th time today) so it's time to go eat!