Three Months

Our big boy turns three months old tomorrow! It's hard to believe it, since the time has just flown by. At his check-up on Monday, he weighed in at 12 lbs., 14 oz. and is 24 1/4 inches long. To celebrate this milestone, we're driving to Indiana. What's in Indiana? Our dear friends, Chris and Anne Frank, and their three boys, Cole, Max, and Zeke. Max is 8 days younger than Brennan, and Zeke is about one month older than Owen. We're excited to see them again since it's been over three years since we've seen them last. Vacation, here we come!

We sure do love this little guy--especially his big cheesy smiles!

Brotherly Tummy Time

A post about books ... and Naomi didn't write it.

So there's one prolific reader in our house, and it's not me. But I'm trying. Sometimes.

I have a lofty (ahem) goal of reading one book a month this year. I think that's the first new year's resolution that's made it past February in years.

I'm delighted to say that I'm actually on target and we're more than half-way home. I owe it all to two things though:
(1) books on CD
(2) a 50 minute commute every day.

So if you're getting picky about it, I'm not actually "reading" all these books. I am consuming their contents however, and am pretty darn good about retaining it even though I'm also occupied with the safe operation of a motor vehicle.

So here's my list thus far:
1. The Teammates by David Halberstam. All about the friendship between Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky. Entertaining read about some of the old time Red Sox. Turns out Ted Williams was a bit of a jerk. Greatest hitter of all time, but a bit of a jerk.
2. In-N-Out Burger by ... I can't remember. Unauthorized profile of the company isn't nearly as good as their food. Made me hungry all the time and want to fly to somewhere on the West Coast for lunch.
3. More To Be Desired Than Gold by Christy Wilson. Heaps of great missions stories from the guy who started the Urbana missions conference. Inspiring stuff.
4. Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy (audiobook). What a great guy. Made me feel bad that I rooted against him in all those epic matchups with the Pats, especially since there's definitely a jerkiness vibe coming from Mr. Belichick. But I consoled myself by remembering that I did root for him in the Super Bowl against the Bears. Now I want to try to get him to Richmond for The Family Foundation gala and a nice men's retreat.
5. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (audiobook). Not unlike The DaVinci Code in that it starts out really well and then rapidly descends into hooey. I will say hooray to the idea that prayer really effects things in the physical world and that people who discount faith are far more naive than those that hold to it; but boo to the whole "the temple is just a metaphor for the human mind and god is each of us" malarkey.
6. Blockade Billy/Morality by Stephen King (audiobook). King wrote Faithful back in 2004 about that year's Red Sox team. It was all baseball, and it was an enjoyable read (listen). I was expecting all baseball with this short story. Uh, no. This was like Faithful but with a touch of The Shining, albeit in fairly tame, short-story form. The bonus short, Morality, can be summed up like this: willful sin (of the kind that even people who don't believe in sin would think is pretty bad) has a real corrosive effect on your life and relationships. The End.

That brings me to the book I'm on now ... the only one so far I'd already read (really read): The Screwtape Letters. Read it in college and loved it, so it was long overdue for a second visit. Loving it again. Two things strike me:
1) there's so much in this book that 50 minutes is too much in one day. You need to do one or two chapters, at most, and spend the next 24 hours thinking about them and letting their insights sink in. It's such a short book, and yet you burn through it at your own risk.
2) as great as it is, it'd be nice to have an updated version that addresses some of the more contemporary challenges a Christian faces. Our issues today are somewhat different from 1941 England. Some brave soul (or total fool) ought to write a version for 2010 America. Maybe I'll take a stab at it on my weekends, as I can be both very brave and very foolish. (I believe it will require finding the extreme of both to take this on). I certainly have the time, as all my nighttime reading is now done while safely ensconced in my automobile during daylight hours.

Mom-Brain

I don't remember being quite this forgetful or clumsy after Brennan was born. But Owen's arrival seems to have brought out those lovely qualities in full force! The past couple days have caused me to wonder if it's just plain forgetfulness or if I'm going crazy!

• We went to the library for storytime. I planned to feed Owen after storytime was over so Brennan had a chance to play with the library toys. Only after we got situated for storytime did I realize that I forgot the diaper bag at home--with my nursing cover and the burp cloth in it! Thankfully, I had put a blanket in the car seat so I could still feed him with some modicum of privacy.
• Even though Owen's been on acid reflux medication twice a day for the past month, I have the hardest time remembering to actually give him his medicine! I completely forgot this morning until it was nearly 1pm.
• After finishing my cereal this morning, I went to put my bowl on the coffee table so I could drink my juice. Somehow, completely unknown to me, I managed to miss the table completely, dumping the bowl on the floor and splashing the remainder of the milk all over the table, the floor, me, and Brennan.
  
• Last night, I had to send John to the store on his way home from work because I couldn't find parmesan cheese to top off our meal. I was convinced we had some, but it was nowhere to be seen.
• I got to the grocery store over the weekend, only to realize I had forgotten our WIC checks. Back home I go to collect them and head back for a second try. John told me some specific cereal requests before I left. What did I do? I bought cereal, but forgot all about his requests. Sigh.
  

These are just some of the many examples that sometimes have me questioning my sanity! Please, God, don't let me forget one of my kids somewhere!

A Light in Dark Times

Time for a candid post. Most of our blog readers know that we lived in Florida for nearly five years. And that it was the darkest five years of my life. I struggled relationally and spiritually for years. Depression became my constant companion. I begged God daily for months to put an end to the misery. To be perfectly honest, I don't really remember much about those years there. And those few things that I do remember from that time have a dreamlike quality about them that makes them seem not truly real.

During that time in Florida, we made the decision to purchase a townhouse. It's one of those things that gets chalked up as "seemed like a good idea at the time..." It unfortunately has turned out to be one of the worst mistakes of our lives. Our short sale process on it has been pretty much a nightmare from the beginning. It looks like it might finally be nearing the end, but it certainly has the potential to be one of those mistakes that could haunt us for years to come.

As I was thinking about these things the past couple of days, even tending toward despair when it came to the short sale process, I found myself wondering if there was any good that came from those years. There was so much difficulty, so much bad. Was there any redeeming quality from those years? Sure, we had our church, Southeast Christian (whose name has now changed twice in the time since we left). Most of the other good memories I had all involved traveling out of state!

I was reminded yesterday that even in our darkest days, God can still give us wonderful, good gifts. For me, the wonderful, good gift that was given to me during that time was Brennan. Despite our best efforts to relocate to Richmond before his birth, his birthplace wound up being Florida. But just looking at his little face, his cute chubby feet, and hearing his laugh remind me that he is God's precious gift, His light from that dark time.

John's unemployment was another dark time. But during that dark time, God gave us Owen. He is our other precious little gift. I love his smiles, his snuggles, his wiggles. Another light from God in another dark (but not quite so dark!) time.

Remembering these two lights helps to keep the dark times in perspective and reminds me that God can redeem those times, even when it seems like no redemption is possible.

A Little Bit Country

The children's museum was hosting a Save Our Food day, complete with farmer's market vendors and a cow with her calf. Good times of petting the cow and playing hard in the museum!

Independence Day

John and I have been fortunate throughout our lives to develop some very deep, very meaningful friendships, many of which have now stretched into their second decade of existence. We got to spend the holiday weekend with some of those friends on John's side. We have certainly been blessed by the friendship of Dan and Kate Bredbenner, Kevin and Liz Hass, and Brent and Wendy Vallee. While all of them (with the exception of Wendy) were John's friends first, they embraced me into the circle and quickly became my friends as well. We are truly blessed to have these people in our lives!

We were all able to spend an entire week together last year, but with many scheduling difficulties this summer, we opted for a nice long weekend in Newport News, home to two sets of families from our circle. With the addition of two babies in very recent months, it made for some interesting times! The two days we got to spend there were filled with playing, a church picnic, swimming at the local pool, wild and crazy mealtimes (Brennan was so tired by the last evening that he fell asleep in the middle of eating dinner!), and lots of good time catching up. One highlight (among many) was that Owen, at 9 weeks old, rolled over for the first time. Not just once, mind you, but three times! He hasn't repeated the feat yet, but it's just more evidence that he sure is growing up fast!

Owen's all packed and ready to go!

Uncle Kevin getting some Owen-love

Aunt Wendy with the boys

The glo-sticks were a big hit. Brennan kept collecting them from the other kids when they were tired of them, and then he slept with them right next to his bed!

Happy first Independence Day, Owen!

The crowd all watching Uncle Dan's backyard fireworks display

Loved the fireworks!

Yes, we did allow our 2.5 year old to hold a sparkler! But Daddy carefully guided his hand the whole time.

On a 90+ degree day, the pool was an incredible treat!

"...there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

Zucchini Coins

I recently came across a website called Weelicious that focuses on preparing healthy food for your baby, toddler, and entire family. While scrolling through the various recipe, I came across a recipe for Baked Zuccini Coins. I will admit--zucchini has been a recent discovery for me. I never really tried it before a couple of years ago. Upon discovering this recipe, I thought it might a nice change of pace to add a different vegetable to our regular repertoire in a way that we all would hopefully enjoy and appreciate. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. And everyone in the family loved it! Definitely a repeat for us!

1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Panko or Bread Crumbs

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Large Egg
1/4 Cup Flour
2 Medium Zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch coins

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl.
3. Whisk the egg in a separate bowl.
4. Place the flour in another bowl.
5. Make an assembly line with the bowls, and first dip the zucchini coins into the flour, then the egg and finally into the bread crumb mixture, coating evenly and repeating with all the zucchini coins.
6. Place all of the coins on the baking sheet/rack. Arrange so they’re not touching, spray with oil and bake for 20 minutes or until the
bread crumbs are golden.
7. Serve.

Two Months

Owen turned two months old this past Monday. Where does the time go? With each passing day, it's getting harder and harder to remember what life was like before he entered our world. Each passing day also brings us more glimpses into this little guy's personality.

In many respects, he's been an amazing baby! Yes, the first month was rough, but with the Zantac a firm part of his daily routine, he's emerged as an extremely happy and content baby. He loves to smile and hang out in his bouncer. He enjoys tummy time (mostly) and loves to be held and swaddled. The best part (for me) is the fact our little man has been sleeping through the night since he was 5-6 weeks old. Now that he's on a 3-hour routine during the day, he sleeps at night from about 10:30pm-7am. So incredibly thankful for the gift of night sleep! Daytime sleep is a little different story, but we'll take the catnaps as long as he does so well at night.

We had his two-month check-up today. Owen weighed in at 11 lbs., 5 oz., and topped out at 22.5 inches long. Grow, little boy, grow!