Socks for Christmas

Last night Jeremy took Isaiah out Christmas shopping. I enjoyed a quiet evening at home with Nathan. I finally started some sewing that I've been wanting to work on. I was amazed at how much I was able to get done in a short amount of time since I didn't have Isaiah to keep busy. Anyway, when Jeremy and Isaiah got back I asked Isaiah if he and Daddy went shopping at the store. In his usually manner he replied by coping my question "opping with Daddy at ore". Then I thought I'd take it a step farther and asked him what they bought at the store (I knew they were shopping for me. He replied "ocks" or socks. The look on Jeremy's face was priceless. I almost felt bad for asking, but I really didn't think Isaiah would have an answer for me. So I guess I'm getting new socks for Christmas! Isaiah thinks anything he needs (or wants) from cookie bars to pens to purple balls comes from the store. All we have to do is "go ore buy more".

Snowed In

Actually, it's more rain than snow, but there is no electric at the church so we don't have church this morning. I always feel a little guilty for being excited about a morning without church, but the truth is we are enjoying it! I miss the fellowship, but there is something so nice about being home to relax and be together. Jeremy was supposed to preach this morning so it's a real morning off for him. He and Isaiah are building a tunnel out of Duplo bricks. ??? Nathan is sleeping and I'm writing to you all. Oh yeah, and we're listening to Natalie Grant sing "I Believe".

Speaking of music, I've been struck with a new realization this Christmas. Several of our local secular radio stations have been playing all Christmas music so I've been listening to them at times. They play a lot of "Christian" Christmas songs, but somehow they seem so empty. I don't know if it's the artists singing the songs or the commercials between the songs advertising how many days are left to shop or little elves begging for something more than green tights this year (have you heard that one?). I'm finding the Christian stations so refreshing.

I'm attaching a picture of Nathan. He is four months old today. What a treasure. He is so much fun. He likes nothing more than to have someone sit and talk to him. Jeremy really gets him laughing. Lately he hasn't been sleeping as well at night which is rather frustrating since he had been sleeping at least 10 hours at night. Hopefully it's just a phase that will pass quickly. Maybe it's a growth spurt!

Hope you all have a relaxing Sunday. Several weeks ago I asked a lady at church if she was going to go home and take a nap. She was so surprised to find out that we often take naps on Sunday afternoon. She was going home to clean. We really enjoy our Sundays to relax and rest. What a great idea God!

Isaiah Meets McCloskey

The Boy and the Hat

I had to post this picture of Nathan. It was taken at Lydia's birthday party.

Isaiah's prayer

Mommy: "Dear Jesus"
Isaiah: "Ear Eus" (with eyes tightly closed)
M: "Thank you for Daddy"
I: "Ankou Daddy"
M: "Thank you for Mommy"
I: "Ankou Mommy"
M: "Thank you for Nathan"
I: "Ankou Na'an"
M: "Help me to be good"
I: silence...
M: sneaks a peak...Isaiah was staring at me wide eyed as if in shock. At least he's grateful..

I'm enjoying a few quiet moments before Nathan wakes up. I feel like it's time for a post, but I can't think of much to say so this could get interesting...

I had Isaiah to the doctor on Friday for his 2 year check up. He weighs 28 lbs and is 35 inches tall. They say if you double a child's height at the age of two you will be able to tell how tall they will be. I guess Isaiah will be around 5'10. His dad and all 5 uncles are close to 6 feet so I guess he decided to follow after them and not me.

On Saturday Jeremy and Isaiah raked up a huge pile of leave. Ok, Jeremy raked and Isaiah used a broom. He didn't seem to notice the difference. I helped bag them. I can't remember the finale count, but it was somewhere over 20 bags. Now we're ready for snow! I saw a couple snow flurries today. Not many. You know the kind, you have to squint and look at a dark roof for them to show up, but they were there!

Saturday night we put the tree up. I wish I had a video of Isaiah's face when he first saw it. Jeremy set it up while Isaiah was taking a bath. Isaiah ran into the living room and just stood and stared at the tree. He was so excited! Here's a good way to describe his look "Oh what joy and what surprise when I opened up my eyes..." Great Christmas song. Isaiah had a blast "helping" to decorate the tree. A highlight was when he took a bite out of an ornament that Angel had made for us a few years ago. I'm not sure what it was made of, but he didn't ask for more.

That's all for now.

Jonathan and Lori gave Isaiah and Nathan these hats last weekend. We couldn't stop laughing when we tried Nathan's hat on. He didn't seem to mind. Isaiah is paying more and more attention to Nathan. It's so much fun to watch. I often hear a high pitched little voice saying "Hi Na'an" I guess Jeremy and I must change the pitch of our voices when we talk to Nathan because Isaiah seems to do it too. This morning Isaiah was talking to Nathan and I was trying to explain to him that some day Nathan will be big like he is and will be able to play ball with him. One of these days I will learn that Isaiah doesn't seem to understand "sometime", "later" or "tomorrow". He thinks everything should be right now. So, instead being excited Isaiah was almost in tears because Nathan wouldn't play with him right then.

Isaiah is talking so much now. I guess I should say attempting to talk. This afternoon I chased a cat out of our yard (I'm not a cat lover and I dislike them even more when they poop in our yard.) Anyway, when I came back into the kitchen I said "dumb cat". I think I heard "um at" at least 4 times after that. :(

Question

Can someone tell me what the difference is between white pepper and black pepper? (no smart answers please! :) ) Most importantly, can you substitute one for the other in recipes?

Here's a picture of Nathan at 3 months. (nothing to do with pepper)

Words

I decided it's probably time for a real update instead of just pictures. In case you haven't noticed, I love pictures.

-I love pictures, but I haven't developed any pictures other than a few to send to family since Isaiah was born. I have plans to develope some in the VERY near future. (Jessie, thanks for the information, I'm just slow!) I recently read that 83% of digital pictures never get developed. I think my mom is the reason it's not 90%. (sorry mom. :) I love your pictures!)

-One of our local Christian radio stations is working through the top 500 Christian songs of all time. Talk about a blast from the past!

-It's pouring rain outside. I was supposed to go shopping with my Grandma this morning, but I think we might need to reschedule.

-Jeremy turns 29 today. How old!!

-Nathan is sitting here smiling at me. I have to say, he is a good baby. He will be three months old tomorrow. As of last week he weighed 15 lb 6 oz.

-Isaiah is still sleeping. He's been enjoying his birthday toys. However, the ballons seems to be his favorite so far. He is talking more and more. I'm amazed at what he remembers. Note to Uncle Hans and Aunt Angela, I'm hearing a lot of "ee, or, ive" (transelated - three, four, five) Thanks for getting him started on counting! He loves his little brother and makes sure if we're going anywhere that "Na'an" is coming too.

-My living room is a mess. There are folded clothes on the couch, Bob the Builder duploo bricks and trucks on the coffee table, Nathan's dirty diaper on the floor (the changing table and diaper pail is in the room Isaiah is sleeping in. we don't just throw diapers around on the floor.)and ballons everywhere.

-My kitchen is clean! Thank you to my aunt for washing my dishes for me. She kept Isaiah last night while we were at leadership meetting.

-Song 363, Carmen, "Sunday School Rock". By the way the top 500 is based on listeners votes, not on the charts.

-We are going to be attending RBC for the winter term starting in January. How do you pack for a family of four for 6 weeks??? Other than the packing questions, we are really looking forward to being at Rosedale.

-It's still raining. Grandma and I decided our shopping trip wasn't important enough to drag two children out in the rain and cold. It's a cozy day to stay home and drink some hot tea! Nathan is now sleeping and Isaiah is still sleeping.

If you are still reading this you are a true friend! More pictures coming soon.

Happy Birthday Isaiah!

Grandpa and Grandma F. and Uncle Matt and Auntie Heather gave Isaiah this tricycle. I can't remember why he was crying, but I thought it made a cute picture.


Playing with one of his new toys

Yesterday we went to see Matt and Heather and their girls. I wish we did it more often! Isaiah loved playing with all the new toys and the girls loved playing with him and Nathan. Here are a couple pictures from our day.

A Few of My Favorite Things...

Jeremy is out with Isaiah for some father/son time. I am at home enjoying the quiet and yes, listening to Christmas music. I can't help myself. I love Christmas music! Right now I'm listening to MWS "Christmastime". How relaxing. Now I just need a good cup of coffee and a fireplace. I guess I'll just settle for some tea and candles. Maybe Jeremy will be home soon... :) Here are a few favorite pictures from the last few weeks.

November 1st

Christmas is less that two months away. How many of you are listening to Christmas music? If you're not play it now, when will you start?

Who does he looke like?

We haven't figured out who Nathan looks like. Here is a picture of Isaiah around 2 months and a picture of Nathan at about the same age. I think they both have Jeremy's nose and mouth. Nathan's chubby face and hair make it hard to compare. I think as Nathan gets older he will look more like Isaiah. They are brothers, but I guess they are allowed to look different. :) What do you think?

2 months

Nathan was two months old on the 16th. He now weighs 14 lb 5 oz and is 24 inches long. He is in the 90th precentile for his weight and 80th for his length. He's a chunk! He's a sweet baby! He loves when we sit and talk to him, but he is also content (most of the time) to sit and watch the world go by.

I can't believe how fast these two months have gone by! I want to treasure every moment but I find myself too often rushing to get something done or getting frustrated with a house that needs cleaned or a million other things I should be doing.

Isaiah loves his little brother. He likes to give Nathan toys to play with. The other day I found Nathan wearing a Livestrong braclet... hmmm. Isaiah loves when I put Nathan in the tub with him. Isaiah likes to help "wash" Nathan. Nathan's a good sport. :) Two healthy children, what a blessing!

Glazed Carrot Coins

I've tried this recipe twice now and we've decided we like it. I am not someone that serves cooked carrots often, but these are great!

2 T. butter
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. orange juice
1/4 teas. salt
1/4 teas. ground ginger
1/8 teas. ground cinnamon
6 medium carrots, but into 1/2 inch slices

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, orange juice, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Add the carrots; cover and cook for 20 - 25 minutes or until tender stirring occasionally. Yield: 4 servings.

Let me know if you try this!

Big Bro and Little Chubs

One Year Ago

I can harldy believe it's been a year since Isaiah and I made the trip to TB to surprise my parents. What precious memories. It was awful to leave Jeremy and be away from him for over a week, but the chance to surprise my parents and spend quality time with mom (dad was hunting most of the time) was incredible. I really do believe it was a God thing. Thanks for the memories Mom and Dad! Check out my posts from last October for more details.

Yesterday Jeremy, Nathan and I spent the day in Washington DC with my brother Matt and his wife Heather. We had a beautiful day! We spent most of our day at the Holocaust Museum. To be honest with you I was never very excited about going to this museum, but Matt wanted to see it so we went. It was worth it! Half way through the tour I wanted to come straight home and hug Isaiah. The horror or WW II was incredible. Places like this can cause me to want to stay home and lock my doors and live in fear of persecution, but thankfully I don't have to live in that kind of fear and even if I ever have to face a time like that I'm glad I have the promise that it will not last forever and I have the promise of heaven to look forward too. I love quotes, but I usually have a hard time remembering them. This quote is stuck in my head. I'm not sure I have it word for word and I apologize that I don't remember who said it.

"The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a moral crisis remain neutral".

I don't know about the "hottest place in hell" part, but I do believe we can't stay neutral on the moral issues facing our world today.

Now on to more pleasant things. :) We also went up the Washington Memorial. This was also a first for me. (note: call ahead tickets are a great thing!) What an incredible structure! Did you know that the blocks are not held together with anything? Gravity holds them down. Not something I wanted to hear right before we went to the top! The tower stands 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches high.

The last thing we did was walk to the White House. I'm always impressed by what a beautiful building it is. I wish they were still giving tours.

While we were walking to see the White house we noticed that all the side streets leading onto the street we were on were being closed so that no on could pull onto the street. Then we started to see a few police on motorcycles driving by and then 5 - 7 black cars and SUV's drove past. We tried to find out who was in the cars. One of the policemen stopping traffic claimed he didn't know, but it was some VIP. We hoped it was the president, but later saw the SUV's at the Washington Hotel so we're assuming it wasn't Bush. Oh well.

Baby Nate did great! He slept most of the day. The most exciting part of his day was having a huge mess in the Holocaust Museum. We're talking up the back mess. I changed it and then he filled it again about 10 minutes later. He seemed very pleased with himself. :)

All in all it was a great day. There is so much to see in DC. I think we might have to make it an annual trip. Anyone else want to come?

Legos

I should have explained the Lego picture in the previous post. This "message" greeted me when I arrived home from church on Sunday. Yes, Jeremy is passing on his love of Legos to Isaiah. Isaiah begs for "helms" several times a day. Helms are helmets. He loves to take the heads and helmets off of the lego people and switch them around. Of course this is an acvity that requires supervision so he usually doesn't get to play whem helms until Daddy gets home. By the way, the extra "line" on the U was Isaiah's contribution. :) We're amazed at how well he does at putting pieces together. Jeremy is thrilled! :)

Sunday Update

I can hardly believe it's been a week since I last posted! It seems like every time I sit down thinking I'm going to post something I ended up feeding or at least holding a baby. Here are a few tid bits from our week:

-Isaiah and Jeremy both started the week with bad colds. Isaiah then came down with the flu on Wed and Jeremy got it yesterday. He and Isaiah were home from church today. I'm praying I don't get sick!

-I've decided that cleaning up after a sick child (even if he's mine!) is not one of my favorite things to do.

-Nathan is getting VERY big! I don't know what he weighs, but I'm sure he's weighs more than Isaiah did at 5 weeks. I'll try to post pictures soon.

-Can I please call for a moment of silence? I think I've discovered that coffee gives Nathan gas. :( Why do babies have so many problems with gas?? Any suggestions?

-Isaiah's vocabulary continues to grow. He likes to repeat whatever we say to him. He has also started putting several words together. In the last couple weeks I've heard "puppy not here" and "Audrey make tea". It so amazing to hear him put more than one word together!

-This week Isaiah has started calling me "Mommy" instead of "Meme". What a precious sound!

-Songs sung on children's DVD's and CD's get stuck in my head and NEVER leave!

-We are watching a DVD series on the book "Love and Respect" in our Sunday School class. We're really enjoying it. I highly recommend you read this book if you are in any kind of a relationship.

-Having two boys is wonderful. It hits us the most when we check on them at night. Two little guys sound asleep. What a blessing.

-I feel like all I do is laundry. Everyday there seems to be more. How do we dirty that many clothes??? I don't mind washing clothes, it's folding them and putting away that seems to never end.

-I love fall!

-I'm running out of anything to say so maybe I'll try to post some pictures.

Hair

OK, Robyn, this is for you. I'm home from church this morning because Isaiah is fighting a cold. Jeremy is preaching and I hated to miss it, but what do you do when there is green stuff coming out your child nose! I grabbed Isaiah and made him sit with me on this picture. (note the nose!)

You know it's time to get some sleep when you post the same picture twice. :( And it's not even that great of a picture! Oh well. Now you can kind of see some of my flowers and it is a picture of Isaiah -as I promised. I'll try to post more soon. I'm off to bed!

We're still here! Sorry for the long silence. With a new baby and my parents being here for the last week blogging hasn't taken top priority.

Mom and Dad arrived last Saturday. It has been great having them here to enjoy little Nathan and entertain Isaiah. Dad left this morning, but Mom will be here another week. She has been working so hard that I'm afraid she will need a vacation when she gets home. :( Today she washed windows for me. It's starting to get dark outside, but I don't want to close the blinds because the windows look so nice!

Isaiah is of course loving having "Pa" and "Ma" here. He hasn't been feeling well the last few days so that has made him a little grumpy. I'll try to post a picture of him soon. I don't want him to think his brother is getting all the attention. I think he's starting to finally notice that Nathan is here. Today I found him putting Rufus on top of Nathan and another time he was filling up Nathan's bouncy seat with balls.

Nathan is doing well. He loves to sleep! He's had a few hard nights, but for the most part even those haven't been bad. Nothing that a few gas drops (baby beer) can't help. We are very grateful to have a good baby! Some days I have to remind myself to sit and hold him. He's so good that it's easy to sit him somewhere and almost forget he's there. He's two weeks old today and I can hardly believe how much he has changed already! Grandpa Funk got the first smile!

If I close now I may be able to read a few or your blogs -no promise on comments though. :)

Thank you for all your comments! I decided if a picture gets that kind of attention I'd better post another picture. :) We are doing well. Nathan is a content baby so far. He does cry, but usually just when he's hungry or needs burped. Of course he's still at the age where he sleeps all the time. I have a hard time waking him up to feed him. We are enjoying him a lot!

Isaiah is adjusting well to the new baby. For the most part he doesn't pay much attention to Nathan, but if we hear "baby" we watch closely because this is usually followed by Isaiah running to Nathan and patting him on the face and saying "nice". His nice is a little harsher than we'd like, but he really is just loving on his little brother. So far he doesn't seem jealous of Nathan. Isaiah has spent several hours the last two mornings at my aunt and uncle's house (they live across the street from us) Isaiah loves being at their place and it has given me some down time for which I've been very grateful!

1 day old

i'm holding a baby. more later.

I thought I posted a picture last night, but now it's gone?? Sorry! I'm also sorry to say that I'm too tired to sit here and wait for it to upload again. I'll try again tomorrow. We're enjoying Nathan. Last night wasn't very good, but how many people have great nights the first night home from the hospital? (don't answer that) Isaiah is doing great with Nathan as well. We don't trust them alone together, but Isaiah loves him. He doesn't like when Nathan cries. Today Nathan was crying and Isaiah quickly brought him Rufus and Puppy, his two favorite stuffed animals. Ahh... I promise I'll try to post a picture soon.

Welcome Nathan Gabriel Lehman!!!

Jeremy and Sabrina had their little boy this morning- August 16, 2007. Nathan Gabriel Lehman was born @ 8:23 a.m. He was 7lbs 11oz and 21 inches long.

More details to follow...

Ready and Waiting

Isaiah's surgery went well yesterday. Here is a picture of him in his stunning purple outfit. Doesn't Jeremy look thrilled! :) I was not allowed to be with him when they put him to sleep because of being pregnant. The last time we went through this they held a gas mask over Isaiah's mouth until he feel asleep. I can still see his little eyes looking at me while he cried his heart out because he didn't know what was going on. I had Jeremy all prepared for this heart wrenching experience. We were at a different surgery center this time and they allowed Jeremy to hold him and just put the gas close to Isaiah's face for a couple of minutes until he fell asleep. What a great idea! Jeremy said he didn't even cry. He was a little fussy when he woke up, but overall he's doing great. You would hardly know anything happened to him except for a few times while he was eating. Praise the Lord it's over.

Good Times

Isaiah learning to close his eyes

• 
  
  I decided it was time for a post with a picture! Last night we had a great time with our friends Rodney and Beckee and Ysmaille and Melanie. We meet for dinner at a little tea room to celebrate Beckee's birthday. We had a lot of fun!
  
  
  
  I was tempted to post something about having a baby, but since it would be a complete lie I decided against it. Isaiah is scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning to have his tongue clipped (second time. :( ). I don't like that he has to go through it again, but hopefully this will take care of the problem. It is also giving me something to focus on.
  
  
  
  My friend Charity is going to post the big news here when it does happen so stay posted. Don't start checking every hour or anything though because I do have 1 1/2 weeks until I even reach my due date.
  

Questions

I have wanted to send out this question for awhile. However, it's taken a conversation with some friends and Joy's recent post to actually get it done.

Here is my question. How do you sort and store clothes that children have grown out of and clothes that they will grow into. Isaiah has clothes that are size 12 months that he still can wear, but then some of his 18 months stuff is too small. Any suggestions on how to pack up his clothes so that I'll be able to find the right size when this baby needs them? This sounds like an odd question, but I'm curious to know if anyone has suggestions.

The countdown is on

19 more days until the big due date. Why do they even give you these due dates? I feel like I for sure have 19 more days to prepare and yet I know that may not be the case. I don't like to get things ready too early because I'm afraid I'll start to think I'm going early then I'll be totally miserable if I go late. Oh the unstable ground of the pregnant woman's brain! I feel very irritable lately. Things that normally wouldn't bother me drive me crazy. My poor husband! One minute I'm feeling great and the next I'm crying because I wonder how in the world we will adjust to a second child. Will my house ever be clean -every part of it at the same time? Will Isaiah really grow up without deep emotional scars due to the birth of a sibling that needs lots of mommy's time? Will Jeremy and I ever again be able to just sit at the supper table and talk for however long we want? I'm sure we will adjust eventually and I'm thrilled that we are giving Isaiah a brother. I wouldn't trade anything about my life right now. Just thought I'd let you in on the emotional roller coaster I've been on lately.

Jeremy is preaching tomorrow. On the weekends that he preaches I usually try to disappear with Isaiah for at least a few hours on Friday night or Saturday or both so that Jeremy can study in peace. (our house isn't very big). This morning I went to Wal-Mart. I DO NOT like Wal-mart on Saturdays! However, there were things I had to get (ever use your husbands deodorant?) so off we went. I wasn't in the store for 15 minutes before a little lady that works there gave me a good tongue lashing for walking 2 feet away from my cart and leaving my purse in the cart. Someone could have taken it. Oddly enough she didn't say anything about my son who was also in the cart. ?!?! Ok, so she was right. It's not a good idea to do what I did, but I didn't want to hear it from her. So there I was, with my messed up, emotional, scattered, forgetful, pregnant brain standing beside the deodorant telling myself not to cry. Just so you know I didn't cry and I was able to move on without it ruining my morning. If someone is visiting my blog for the first time and this is the first post they've read, please read on. I'm not really as cracked as I sound! (I don't think, but then again maybe I'm always like this...ok enough of that)

How do you get your children to eat healthy? Isaiah is a picky eater. I thought I was doing everything right, but low and behold he doesn't like some foods. Actually, it's not that he doesn't like them, he seems to not even like how they look. Sometimes when we put his bowl in front of him he'll look at it and hand it right back to us. :( Lately, he doesn't eat supper. We don't make anything special for him. He either eats what we eat or he gets down. Last night I gave him a little bit of chicken, a little macaroni and cheese and a little green beans. He loves mac and cheese so of course he promptly ate all his share then started to beg for more. We told him he needed to eat some chicken and gr beans first. Of course this was not met with rave reviews. However, after some complaining he quited down and I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked over and saw him starting to pick at his chicken. Pick is exactly what he did. He picked off the seasoning that was on the chicken, but did not eat the chicken! Have you ever tried to do this? I'm not talking about big cornflake seasoning, I'm talking spices, very fine breading. What to do, what to do! I did put broccoli in his cheese sandwich for lunch today and he ate it! heeheheheee! I win, I win! (P.S. if there are grandma's reading this please know we love our son to distraction. However, man can not live on bread alone and that is exactly what our son would do if given the chance)

OK, enough of this nonsense. Sorry this is so long. I just started typing and low and behold this is what came out. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Clothespins and a belly

Here's a pictures "the belly". I hope you all feel loved because I do not enjoy posting pictures of myself and especially not when I've been pregnant for 37 weeks! The main reason for the picture was to show Isaiah's response to his daddy's weird sense of humor. I have to admit it really was funny to see Isaiah walking around covered in clothes pins, but Isaiah didn't seem to see the humor in it.

Tomorrow I will have completed 37 weeks. In some ways it's hard to believe I'm at this point already, but in other ways I feel like I've been pregnant for forever. We've had a pretty nice summer, but the last few weeks have been hot and humid and I have to say it's starting to really get to me. Oh what I'd do for a Canadian summer day! Over all I can't complain. I've had a good pregnancy. Here's a question for all you moms. I started to pack my bags for the hospital today. Any suggestions on what to take?

My mom and dad are on their way to PA! I think I've been so wrapped up in waiting for the test results and being afraid that maybe they wouldn't be able to come that I didn't allow myself to get excited about their visit. Mom continues to receive good reports from all the doctor's she has seen. There is a cancer research center in Thunder Bay that is supposed to be really good. She has been meeting with doctors there about future treatment. She's scheduled to start radiation on Sept. 12 which means she won't need to cut her visit short on my end. (they will visiting Matt's and Brandon's for the first part of their visit). They told her if she was in Toronto she'd be waiting at least a month for treatment anyway.

I can't think of anything else so goodnight!

From Mom

I know a lot of you are wondering about my mom. Instead of trying to explain it I'm just going to copy an email that she sent out. Thank you for your prayers!


Dear Friends and family !!

Again THANK YOU for you prayers today !! We again could very much sense the power of prayer in operation !! PRAISE THE LORD for the GOOD report !!!!! The cancer was contained in the lump; the margin that he took around it was clear, and both lymph nodes they took out were cancer free !! I had tears of joy, I was so relieved !! Those bottled up emotions had to be released, I guess !!Although I thought I was fairly calm inside !!?? Because of the type of cancer , I am to call the Cancer Center here in T Bay tomorrow and have an appointment set up to find out about the treatment, or next step. He wants me to see them before we leave for PA. He said I will definitely need Radiation, and in some cases women prefer to just have the mastectomy done on that side !??? HE said it is a "low stage cancer". The type is " Invasive Ductile Carcinoma , or known also as D.C.I.S I am not sure the spelling is all right on that; I plan to go on line and read what I can about it, later,but wanted to email you all first !! :) This type can be hard to follow,or can be unpredictable, . HE said yes they got all the cancer as far as they can tell, but with this kind, ( as all kinds, right ??), it could move to other places in the breast and try to start something again!?!?! (I feel very uneducated trying to explain it!!) He used such big words; I am anxious to talk to the people at the Cancer Center, and hear it explained further !! HE feels we will be OK, for being away for Aug., except I may have to cut it a little short at Sabrina's, the end of Aug ?? ( I had hoped to stay a while longer than Ken felt he could be there) But Sabrina, and I are agreed that we will rejoice in the positive results and see how it all pans out. I want to give the Lord praise for many answered prayers!!!! For sensing His Presence, (more like carrying me/us,) leading us, giving us peace !! I believe we do not really know the awesomeness of His AMAZING Grace, till we are in that place where we need it so desperately!! He really is true to His promises !!! WE CAN TRUST HIM !!! I am not sure I explained it all very well, but like I said I want to do more research on it !! Take care , Sondra

Yum or yuck?

Most of you probably do not know this about me, but eggs are not one of my favorite foods. As a kid I think eggs were the one thing mom didn't make me eat. As an adult I don't mind them as much. Especially if they are scrambled with lots of cheese. The one way I still do not like them is hard boiled. For some reason, I have been hungry for hard boiled eggs. I don't even like them in chicken salad or anything, but lately I've been craving them. The other day I finally gave in (though sure I must be out of my mind) and asked my grandma how to hard boil an egg. (Shows how often I've done it!) That night we had hard boiled eggs on our salad. With each bite something in my brain would scream "you don't like these things!" and yet they somehow tasted good to me. Weird. Today I was at a store that sells lots of homemade foods. I paid $1.60 for four pickled eggs. What is wrong with me?! I must admit I have always liked pickled eggs better than just plain hard boiled, but I spent more on these 4 purple eggs than it would have cost me for a whole dozen! At least it wasn't a box of ice cream.

Good Morning

Good Thursday morning to you all. I'm not usually on the computer at this time of day, but Isaiah decided to sleep in this morning so I thought I'd take advantage of it and visit with you all. I really should be cleaning or sleeping or doing any of the million things that are very hard to do with a 20 month old running around, but I don't feel like doing those things so here I am.

Speaking of doing things, have you ever heard of http://www.flylady.net/? I don't consider myself the most unorganized person in the world, but getting things organized and keeping them that way is a constant goal/desire for me. I heard the Fly Lady on the radio the other day and found her interesting. To be honest with you I really haven't spent much time on her web site, but I did pick up some things from her radio program that I thought were interesting and helpful, or just good reminders:

• Put on good shoes right away in the morning. (Especially if you're pregnant!)


• Spending just 15 minutes a day in one area or room can accomplish a lot.


• If you don't know where to start getting organized, start at the kitchen sink. A clean sink will make you feel good and give you energy to start on other areas.

I've been trying the 15 minute thing and I'm always amazed at what I can accomplish in 15 minutes. I'm starting to feel the need to get the house in tip top shape by the time this baby arrives.

My due date is 5 weeks from today. Jeremy is telling me I'm going to go early with this one, but I'm trying not to listen too much because I don't want to get my hopes up. I don't remember feeling very miserable with Isaiah. I'm sure I had my moments, but over all I felt pretty good. This week I feel miserable. I shouldn't even say that because I'm trying to be positive, but that's how I feel. I'm sure the hot, humid weather isn't helping anything. We've had a beautiful summer up until about a week ago. I think the heat really zaps my energy.

Isaiah's newest backyard toy is a sandbox. Thank you to Grandpa Eldon for bringing the supplies and to Daddy for building it. The thing Isaiah enjoys the most is dumping the sand out of the sandbox. :( I found a little pile of sand and a second pile of stones across the yard from the sandbox. He had carried several little shovel loads across the yard to that one spot. Of course there are also little piles all around the sandbox. Not sure why it's so much fun to dump it out. Oh well, it keeps him happy.

Isaiah is now awake so I'd better get off. Hope you have a wonderful day!

Fun with the sprinkler

Thank you to many of you that have emailed to let us know that you were praying for my mom and our family. Mom did have surgery yesterday. They did not speak to the surgeon afterward so we don't really have any more news for now. I hope to talk to mom today and maybe get more details as to when they will find out the results. Thanks again for praying! Please keep it up.

Anna - 2 weeks old

Watching Fireworks

Updates

This update is longer overdue. Here is a run down of what's been going on around here.

• First of all, thank you to everyone that is praying for my mom. For those of you that don't know, mom is scheduled for surgery on Monday to remove a lump on her breast that has been determined to be cancer. After the surgery there will be another 1 -2 week wait for the results. The waiting is very hard.
• Good news! Little Anna came home from the hospital on Tuesday. I know Brandon and Cindy are thrilled to be home. I'll try to post a new picture when I get one.
• I have now completed 33 weeks of pregnancy. I am feeling the urge to get the house organized and cleaned. I'm so anxious to hold this little boy. It's been fun thinking about pulling out all the little baby stuff again. The second time around is just as amazing as the first for sure!
• Isaiah is a great little guy. Sure there are days when he gets into things and I don't know what to do with him, but overall he is an obedient child. He's starting to say a lot of words. Maybe I should say attempting to say a lot of words! I recognize a lot of the words, but they aren't very clear. He's also starting to recognize colors -a little bit. His favorite toys are balls. He loves them. Today I even let him play with some lemons that he thought were "balls". He also loves to be outside. Hardly a day goes by that I'm not grateful for a fenced in back yard. His other great love is books. I've read some of his books so many times I think I could repeat them by heart. I love the times when I go to check on him because things are a little too quite and I find him sitting on the floor looking at books. I shouldn't say books are his greatest love, that would be Daddy. :)
• On Sunday, July 1st (Canada Day -go figure) we went to Longs Park (I think that's what it's called??) in Lancaster to see fireworks. What a show! An orchestra played for about an hour and a half before the fireworks. Some of Jeremy's family were there as well. We enjoyed great company, great food, and a great show. Canons were set off during one part of the show. Jeremy warned Isaiah that there was going to be a loud "boom" coming. We find that if we give him warning about such things that he doesn't seem to be as scared. I think maybe we over did it this time though. Before the canons even fired Isaiah was too scared to let go of Jeremy. He kept saying "boom, boom". We wrapped a blanket around his ears and Jeremy held him. He didn't get scared when the canons actually fired and seemed to enjoy the fire works as well. Monday morning before I got him out of bed I heard him jabbering away and every once in awhile I'd hear "boom, boom". :)
• Tuesday afternoon I dropped Isaiah off at Jeremy's parents. That evening Jeremy and I went to a play. The play was "Little Shop of Horrors". It was a musical based on a horror film from the 1960's. Sounds awful doesn't it? It wasn't that bad. It would fit into the category of dark comedy. A guy Jeremy works with was one of the main characters. They kept things pretty light hearted to it was more cheesy than dark. Probably not the kind of play we'd go to just because, but since we knew one of the actors we decided to try it. (it was also free!) Overall it was pretty good. Isaiah spent the night at Jeremy's parents so we decided we should take advantage of not having to rush home. We went to Applebees and enjoyed their 1/2 price appetizers. We may do that again!
• What do you do when you have a whole day without a child to look after? I hardly knew what to do with myself on the 4th! Needless to say I didn't get near everything done that I could have, but it was a good day just the same. Jeremy's parents and his brother came for supper and to bring Isaiah home so I made bread in the morning and Jeremy made lemon meringue pies for dessert. They both turned about great.
• It's almost time to put Isaiah to bed so I'd better sign off. I will try to not allow so much time to pass before I post again. I'll try to add some pictures soon also.

One year ago...

Jeremy and I were looking through pictures from June of 2006. Here is one of my favorites. This picture was taken at our church's annual Father's Day picnic. The picture is of Jeremy's Dad, Jeremy and Isaiah.

Welcome Anna Lee!

Brandon and Cindy had their baby this afternoon. Her name is Anna Lee. She weighed 5lbs 6 ounces and is 18 inches long. Cindy was not due until July 25 so Anna was born 5 weeks early. Thankfully, she is doing great! I can hardly believe I have to wait until Christmas to see her.

:( This makes 5 nieces for Jeremy and I and no nephews! We're not complaining! They're all beautiful little girls.

Happy Saturday

It's 10:30 on Saturday night and I can't stop yawning so that probably means it's bedtime! Oh well. Today has been a good day. We did some running around in the morning. Let me just say that it is SOOO nice to have Jeremy with me when I have running around to do. Isaiah does well, but dragging him in and out of places and his car seat wears me out. Between him and my belly it's not so easy anymore to get him into the car let alone into his car seat. Plus it is just nice to have Jeremy's company.

Last evening Jeremy and I went to an Avalon concert. Wow, can they sing! We really enjoyed the concert. I appreciate a group that sounds just as good (maybe better) live as they do recorded. They had a neat spirit about them to which I greatly appreciated.

Yesterday morning (sorry I'm moving backward through our weekend) Isaiah and I went to some yard sales. We hit a couple community sales which are always nice because they cut back on the in and out of the car deal (see first paragraph). Found some legos, but other than that didn't see much. I am finding out that finding clothes for little boys at yard sales is next to impossible! If you do find them they are usually so worn out you wouldn't think of spending money on them. I've started to look from the car before stopping to check out kids clothes. Often I see a sea of pink so I know to just keep on driving.

Last Saturday we decided to get the sprinkler out for Isaiah. (see picture) We made the mistake of turning the water on full blast. I think Isaiah really wanted to test out the spray, but usually whenever he got close it would hit him in the face and then he'd try to run away. Unfortunately, usually he would run the same direction as the sprinkler which of course just mad matters worse. I think we will try it again some day.

I am not in my 31st week of pregnancy. We're getting there! we are so anxious to meet this little guy. Isaiah of course doesn't understand what is going on, but he does know that something is different with mommy's belly. At night before we put him to bed I often sit and sing with him. During this time he's taken to "talking" to the baby. Tonight we sang for him, which included Isaiah patting my belly (we're learning the word gentle!). He also tried to show the baby his feet. At least I think that is what he was doing. I try to explain that the baby is sleeping in mommy's belly. I don't know how much is sinking in, but I get some really cute, curious looks sometimes. He often hugs may belly and gives the baby "kisses". I love those few minutes before I put Isaiah to bed. Usually, we spend half the time trying to figure out which song Isaiah thinks we should be singing. "Deep and Wide" was a favorite for awhile, but the last few days it's been "Patty Cake" or "If you're happy and you know it". He does a very good job of letting me know when I'm singing the wrong song. He usually "tells" me this by trying to make the motions to whatever song he thinks we should sing. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't. :( We've been saying "I will trust in the Lord and not be afraid" to him (thanks mom!). The only motion with this is shaking my head when I say not. One night that's all he wanted to do. If I'd try to sing a song he'd put his hands on my checks and shake his head back and forth.

This got much longer than I anticipated! I hope I didn't bore you. Sometimes I write this stuff so that i don't forget it. Sadly, you have to put up with long posts!

Have a great weekend and Happy Father's Day Dad!

Interesting

I AM: wondering how I will answer these questions

I WISH: for Canadian summer days

I MISS: Christmas music

I FEAR: gaining 100 lbs during this pregnancy

I HEAR: memories in music

I WONDER: why God has blessed me so much

I REGRET: not keeping my piano skills tuned after I stopped taking lessons

I AM NOT: a picky eater

I DANCE: in my heart

I SING: because I have to get it out

I TRY: too many new recipes

I CRY: for no reason (sorry Jeremy!)

I LAUGH: and then I feel better

I AM NOT ALWAYS: the Proversb 31 woman

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: food that I shouldn't eat; sewing projects that stress me out

I WRITE: many lists

I CONFUSE: (the first time I went through this I thought it said "I CONFESS". I was confused. therefore I will leave my answer as I first typed it -now I've confused you!) I put my son to bed tonight without a bath. I used a wet one to clean off his feet :(

I NEED: to paint my toe nails (I can hardly reach them!)

I FINISH: things and then I feel so good!

I START: projects, but don't always finish them

Buddies

Hello from our house again, finally. I have been so busy checking Joy's blog that I guess I just forgot to update mine!

There isn't much to say so this won't be long I'm sure. We are enjoying a cool weather day -I love it! I can handle the hot, humid weather if there are some breaks once in awhile.

I really can't think of much to say. I tried to post a picture, but something went wrong. :(

P.S. Congratulations to Shaun and Joy! (www.shaunjoy.blogspot.com)

Pictures

Here are two pictures from our trip. I wanted to do more, but I can't make myself sit here any longer. :) Got to love dial-up.

Cousins-they seem to really like each other!

At the sand dunes

Still here!

No, I didn't drown in the ocean. I'm still here, just very busy!

We had a wonderful time on vacation. The weather wasn't perfect everyday, but we still had fun. Isaiah loved all the attention he got from grandparents and aunts and uncles and of course cousin Lydia. He spent half the week playing in her walker. (sorry Lydia!)

We got home Saturday evening. We ran into some bad traffic so we took a different route. It's always a little scary to try something new, but it turned out to be a blessing. The way we took was a beautiful route through VA. Isaiah did much better on the way home then he did on the way too the beach. He only slept a little in the morning, but he did well the rest of the trip. He didn't fall asleep again until we were less than 2 minutes (no joke) from our house.

I will try to post pictures soon. Hi to all of you who read this. I have caught up on most of your blogs, but I haven't always had time to leave a comment.

Hello from North Carolina

We arrived in Kitty Hawk yesterday afternoon. We had a good trip. Isaiah only slept about 1/2 hour so needless to say he was VERY grouchy and ready to get out of the car by the time we got here. Last evening we walked on the beach a little, but it was already dark and it started to rain soon after we got there so we didn't stay. Isaiah was very impressed and not very scared of the water. We hoped to be on the beach today, but it's very windy and pretty cold so we are just hanging around the house. The next 3 days are supposed to be nice so hopefully we'll hit the beach tomorrow.

Mom, Audrey has some cell numbers if you need to get in touch with us.

101

Here I am! Sorry for the long delay and for making you worry, Rhonda. :) I have had good intentions of updating, but just haven't done it. When I saw that even Rachel had updated I figured I'd better get moving!

We leave on Saturday for NC and a week at the beach with Jeremy's family. We can hardly wait! I think right now I'm almost more excited to just get all my 'to do' lists and 'don't forget' lists completed than I am about the trip. Maybe it's just me, but going away for a week always seems to take a lot of planning and preparing. Does anyone agree? I guess part of my problem is that I like to come home to a clean house which means I not only pack, but also clean a house that will sit empty for a week.

Here are several highlights from the last few weeks:

Jeremy and I left Isaiah with Jeremy's parents and spent the day together to celebrate our anniversary. We spent most of our time at Harper's Ferry, WV. We have so many neat, historical places around here. All you homeschooling moms need to come visit us so you can take field trips! From our place you can easily take day trips to Gettysburg, PA, Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD. Just to name a few places. Oh yeah, can't forget Amish country -Lancaster, PA

We are having very nice spring weather. It was a little humid the last two days, but still very nice. Isaiah loves being outside! This evening he was disappointed that he was not allowed outside while Daddy mowed the lawn. He actually took it pretty well. He stayed on the back porch while Jeremy mowed the back yard and then stood at the front door and living room windows while the front yard was mowed. He loves his "Da"

(sorry for all the Isaiah updates, but my mind is too tired to think of much else) Twice in one day this week Isaiah walked into the kitchen from the yard and handed me a dead dandelion. He had such a sweet smile on his face. Somehow he has learned that Mommy loves flowers!

Last night I handed Isaiah his cup of milk and he signed "thank you" to me. I almost fell over. We've worked a little bit with him to do it, but not very much. I didn't realize he was even paying attention. Today he's been doing it more, but mostly when asked to do it.

Son II is growing and kicking a lot! I think feeling the baby moving is one of the very best parts of pregnancy. We can hardly wait to meet this little guy! As of today I've completed 25 weeks.

Ok, I'm about to fall asleep so I'd better get off. I don't know if I'll be able to update while we're at the beach of not. If I get a chance I'll try to let you know what we're up to.

Have a great weekend!

100th Post

I just saw that this is my 100th post. I'm amazed you're still reading! Thanks! Here are some random thoughts running through my head while I wait for this picture to load.

• I've discovered that if I sit Isaiah in a chair with books he will sit and "read" for at least a few minutes.


• I am in love with bread. Why does bread make you gain weight?


• Did you know that Bob Barker will no longer be hosting "The Price is Right" after June? I will miss him.


• Quote from Jeremy's computer game, civilization: "Electricity will become so cheap that only the rich will be able to afford candles". hmmm...


• After we put Isaiah to bed he waves to us as we're leaving the room and says "Bye-bye".


• I've just completed my 23rd week of pregnancy. This pregnancy is going much more slowly than the last!


• If I read a book right before falling asleep I often dream about whatever I've just read


• Does anyone have a good recipe for baked French toast that doesn't require the bread soak overnight?
• Have a great weekend!