Not-Yet-Winter Wonderland

It started coming down around dinnertime last night and kept going all night long. We woke up this morning to a little over a foot of heavy, dense snow.

Our power had gone out just before 8 and finally came back on just past 6 this morning, so the chilly house contributed to the whole "winter wonderland" feel. The only thing is, it's not yet winter.

Kind of odd that our two blizzards in Richmond (yes, this qualifies as a blizzard in these parts) have come on March 1st (late in Winter) and December 18-19th (not yet Winter). We're not complaining though -- we'll take it when we can get it!

Yesterday, in preparation for the storm, Richmonders went crazy and raided the hardware stores (buying out all the snow shovels and rock salt in town) and grocery stores (canned goods, bottled water). We made do this morning with a rake, spade, broom and seed scatterer (worked nicely as a little shovel -- MacGyver would be proud).

Here are some pics of the beauty and fun...

Proof: over 12 inches ... and counting

Who needs a snow shovel when you have a sturdy rake!
(Check out that snow drift too -- it's up to Brennan's chest).

Look, a snow angel!

Brennan takes careful steps to avoid getting snow up his pants! (It's a lost cause, son)

Our snowman, who looks more like a snowwoman in a ball gown.

Always on the lookout for a good deal

You have to start early teaching kids
to be thrifty and save money!

Jingle Jam

Our church hosted an event called "Jingle Jam" yesterday afternoon. Having missed it last year, we ventured out this year with Brennan since we figured he would enjoy it a bit more. He loved getting to eat popcorn and checking out the gigantic inflatable figures displayed all over. He wanted to keep hugging them and then moving them around because they were so lightweight! He also got to make a jingle bell necklace and stick a nose on Rudolph. We unfortunately had to leave before the bulk of the program started, but it was for a good cause...a friend came over to babysit so John and I could have a date night!

The inflatables were a huge hit!

Choosing his bells for his jingle bell necklace.

Getting the finished product tied around his neck. He loves his bells!

More D2 Pics

When we had our ultrasound on Wednesday, the tech was a little concerned when some measurements for his nuchal fold at the back of the neck measured slightly thicker from some angles (which is a soft marker for Down's syndrome). We were immediately referred to a specialist. Overall, we were not too worried. All my other blood work had come back with VERY low risk for any sort of birth defects and everything else on the ultrasound (and my previous ultrasounds) showed a very healthy, normal little boy. So, while there was some concern, we were just excited to see our new little man again.

Friday was our appointment. When the doctor looked at the images taken on Wednesday, she began to suspect it was the baby's head position that created a thicker fold at the back of his neck. And, sure enough, the ultrasound confirmed that. Everything is perfect and normal with no further tests or meetings with a specialist needed.

It was such a relief! Especially having been down a similar road with Brennan (who was diagnosed with a choroid plexus cyst at his big ultrasound, resulting in a referral to a specialist) but that ended happily as well. Since we've now been referred to a specialist for both boys, if we have a third baby, we're just going to go into the ultrasound expecting to be referred and hopefully be pleasantly surprised if we are not! It just might be easier that way...

But, we were super excited to see our little man again--who still was modestly crossing his legs, but did uncross them long enough to get further confirmation that he is indeed a little man! We got to see all his organs again, his spine, his brain, the blood pumping in his heart and umbilical cord. We even got to see him moving around and then cover up his eyes like he was playing peekaboo!

The little man in profile, with his little hand up by his face.

A perfect shot of his leg.

Manville, population 3

We had another ultrasound this morning and got the word that D2 is a little "he"! D2 wasn't quite as immodest as Brennan was, but once the ultrasound tech convinced him to uncross his little legs, the confirmation was there. Brennan's response when told he was going to have a little brother: "uh-oh!" An auspicious beginning to the sibling relationship!

We are very excited for the news, as it means reusing lots of clothes and toys that are still in great shape (and super cute -- the clothes that is). Not to be all bottom-line about it, but that was a factor in what we were hoping for!

We have to guard against expectations that D2 will be "Brennan 2.0" -- just like his older brother in every way. No, he may be a boy, but he'll be his own man. We know a bit about what to expect and are better prepared than we'd have been if a little girl were in our future.

Now we just have to pick a name...

Balance

Two hats are always better than one!

He did the tower all by himself!

Homemade

With John being home in the evenings now, we've really enjoyed getting to have a family devotion time before Brennan goes to bed. We have been using Scriptures from the Bible study that John's a part of, but with Advent here, we have started using passages from our homemade Advent calendar. Now that Brennan is a little more aware of Christmas, it is our deep desire to teach him the true meaning of Christmas, especially since we all get assaulted by the commercialism of the season pretty much everywhere! It was actually a lot of fun for us to dig through our Bibles and find passages we wanted to include in our calendar that would teach about Christ and His birth. Our first night using the calendar was last night, and it's definitely a time we are looking forward to...especially as we prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus' birthday!

Preparation

With Advent upon us and Christmas quickly approaching, we are trying to slow down and remember the true meaning of Christmas and to use the season of Advent to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christ's birth. Our church is doing a sermon series called "Simply Christmas" as a way to encourage the congregation to turn our hearts toward Christ instead of allowing the season to pass in a flurry of gifts, parties, and general holiday craziness. One thing I hope to do to prepare my heart is to truly focus on the lyrics of Christmas songs. We've heard and sung these songs so often that it's easy to forget what the lyrics are truly saying. I was listening to "Mary, Did You Know?" this past weekend and was amazed once again that God became a baby, that Mary's baby was God incarnate.

Mary, Did you Know?

by Mark Lowry

Mary, did you know

That your baby boy

Would someday walk on water?

Mary did you know

That your baby boy

Will save our sons and daughters?

Did you know

That your baby boy Has come to

make you new?

This child that you've delivered

Will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know

That your baby boy

Will give sight to a blind man?

Mary did you know

That your baby boy

Will calm the storm with his hand?

Did you know that your baby boy

Has walked where angels trod?

When you kiss your little baby

You've kissed the face of God.

The blind will see

The deaf will hear

The dead will live again

The lame will leap

The dumb will speak

The praises of the Lamb

Mary did you know

That your baby boy

Is Lord of all creation?

Mary did you know

That your baby boy

Will one day rule the nations?

Did you know

That your baby boy

Is heaven's perfect Lamb?

This sleeping child you're holding

Is the Great I Am

Tree Time!

Last year when we put up our tree, Brennan showed absolutely no interest in it. He only wanted to pull books off the bookshelf. This year was a much different story! He was so excited to help decorate and it was a lot of fun to watch his interest and involvement in family Christmas traditions develop. Next up on the list of fun Christmas things...make an Advent calendar, send out Christmas cards, and indulge in the yearly dose of "White Christmas" movie magic!

Brennan helped put up the first ornament on the tree--his "Baby's First Christmas"

The finished product

Leaf Fun

We spent some time playing in the many, many, many leaves that have fallen in our yard. Brennan really got into the fun!

He loved watching Daddy throw the leaves up in the air, but never quite managed to repeat it on his own.

Getting ready to dive right in!

This look captures all the joy that came with playing in the leaves!

The Cure?

For the last several years, I've thought it might be fun to make a gingerbread house. My parents graciously bought and sent one for us to do as a family project this year. Today was the day to put it all together. It was a lot more work then I was expecting! So I think I might be cured from wanting to do this every year!

The boys getting in on the fun

Work in progress

The finished project. Far from professional, but a decent first attempt.

Naomi's Guide to Prepping the Bird

Let's see ... turkey breast for $8 or entire 11 lb. turkey for about half that? Not a tough decision. There was a downside though: Naomi would have to clean and prepare the turkey. This is not something she's had the opportunity to do yet in her life, so a learning experience was in store. And by "learning experience" I mean "photo op". Here is Naomi's guide to prepping the bird. (Move over Rachael Ray).

Step 1: Remove giblets. (Be sure to only use thumb and pointer finger so as not to goop up other digits).
Step 2: Carefully inspect bird cavity for missing neck of bird.
(Discover that bird neck is crammed in other end of bird).
Step 3: Display still-frozen bird neck to camera and make grossed-out faces (not shown).
(Be grateful that bird head was not included).
Step 4: Give bird a bath.
Step 5: Dry bird off with paper towel pat-down.
(Shave, lotion, deodorant and after-shave not necessary).

Step 6: (Not shown). Give bird a lovely spice massage and rub down, then throw it in the oven for three hours.

Step 7: (This is where I come in). Eat bird.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Intensity

Brennan has really begun to show an interest in helping us as we cook or bake. His idea of helping tends to be emptying out the container of utensils and playing with them as we do the work. Today, I gave him some of the leftover dough from the apple pie crust and let him go to it. At first he didn't know what to do with it, but he eventually really got in to playing with the dough. He didn't want to stop playing with it once the pie was in the oven, so off to the kitchen table he went for some intense playtime with the dough!

A New Saturday Tradition?

One thing that I've always loved about Saturday mornings was having unlimited time to read. Since Brennan came along, it's a luxury that doesn't happen very often. But this morning, Brennan crawled up on the couch with several books and had a blast looking through them. Maybe he'll start his own Saturday morning reading tradition!

Joys of a Yard

We've enjoyed getting to spend some time outside before winter sets in. John has been diligently working to rake up all the leaves and pine needles that have littered the yard. Due to an incredibly wet October, the progress has been slow, but we've gotten some play time in around the piles (which Brennan likes to lay in, stand in, and "help" Daddy bag up). Today, he spent some time collecting sticks, pine cones, and leaves to add to the growing piles. After being pretty unsure of himself in the yard at first, he's really warmed up to the idea of having a big place to wander, explore, and play.

The Winning Recipe

A couple of people have asked for the apple pie recipe, so it here goes. It's actually just a recipe I found randomly off the internet!

Mix in a large mixing bowl:
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vinegar

Peel and slice 5 tart apples. Mix them with the spices. Add apples to your pie crust. Place about four chunks of butter on top of the apple filling, then top with your second crust. Cut strips of tinfoil and place them around the edge of the pie. Take the tinfoil off about 10 minutes before the pie is done. Bake at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Festival Time!

In lieu of doing the traditional Halloween activities (in part because I'm not too keen on celebrating Halloween and John is undecided), we opted to attend a fall festival at a local church. They had tons of games for kids to play in order to earn candy and small toys, bounce houses, and a Christian illusionist. They also had a cornbread cook-off, a chili cook-off, and a pie contest. I entered the pie contest with two pies, an apple and a chocolate chip (two of the three pies that I know how to make). For me, the best part of the night was discovering that my apple pie had won first prize out of 41 pies!

The award winner!

It was nice they were lenient with him when it came to the games. But he seemed to enjoy getting to play and then choose his prize.

He tried the bounce house for the first time and really enjoyed being in it.


Bouncing boy!

He wasn't too sure about the whole cotton candy thing, but feeding it to Daddy was great fun!

Brennan's First Haircut (if you don't count the ones done by Dad)

Before ... wild hair!

During ... why is this lady attacking me with scissors?

After ... such a handsome man!

Ten Apples Up on Top

We spent the morning out at Carter Mountain Orchard picking apples. We went out there last year and had a really good time, so we think this will become a yearly tradition. Brennan was able to be much more involved this year. His favorite activity was picking up the apples that had fallen on the ground and carrying them around as he made his way down the row. He wasn't quite so keen to try eating the apples, but we enjoyed the ones we sampled!

We finally convinced him to actually pick an apple and this was the result of his hard work.

A little too high for him!

Once he dropped the apples he was carrying, playing in the long grass and picking the flowers held much more allure.

So much hard work required a bit of a break...especially to gear up for heading back up the mountain.

Peter Panda

Brennan attended his very first birthday party today for his buddy Caleb. We went to Build-a-Bear and then to the food court for some lunch and birthday cupcakes decorated by Caleb's big brother, Manning. We had a really good time celebrating with friends!

He chose to build a panda bear, but wasn't really sure about the whole stuffing it thing.

He loved the finished product, which we ended up naming Peter Panda.

If I had a Homer Hanky...

...I'd be waving it proudly! Way to go, Twins! Ah, such a great time to be a Minnesota sports fan!

On Our Nightstand, Part 6

Here are some more books that the Downer family has been enjoying as of late:

1. "Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith" by Rob Bell
2. "Your Boy: Raising a Godly Son in an Ungodly World" by Vicki Courtney
3. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
4. The Broadmoor Legacy series and the Brides of Gallatin County series by Tracie Peterson
5. "Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers: Prayer for Ordinary Radicals" by Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Pumpkin Picking

We went to the Hanover Vegetable Farm with our church's playgroup this afternoon for a fun outing. We enjoyed viewing the farm animals, playing in the giant box of corn, and racing rubber ducks. A tractor pulled a hay wagon out the pumpkin patch, where the kids got to explore and pick out their pumpkins. Then we got to enjoy roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over a bonfire. The weather was perfect for October, making the day even more enjoyable!

He was excited to see the pumpkins and enjoyed patting them as he passed by them! He even tried carrying a couple that were just a little bit too big for him still, but he made a valiant effort.

The dirt road, rocks, and pumpkin leaves held more appeal than the actual pumpkins themselves.

Playing with new friends in the giant box of corn was a big hit!

Another Special Spot

Brennan recently discovered his own special place to hang out and enjoy some peace and quiet.

The Hiding Place

Here's a peak into Brennan's room, with a surprise.

The Fantastic Four--Downer Style!

D2 is on the way!

We are super excited to have another little one entering our family in late April. I've been feeling pretty good, and I'm hoping that morning sickness will decide to skip me this time around! I had my first appointment today, which made everything feel more real--especially getting to see D2 in an ultrasound :)

Welcome Home!

We are all moved in to our new house! We had a lot of help from some tremendous friends here in Richmond to get all our possessions from one place to another. We were thankfully able to stretch out the move over several days, so we could take our time with getting our boxes over here, leaving last Saturday as the day when all the big stuff made the move.

We feel incredibly blessed to have found this place we'll be renting for hopefully the next several years!

Playgroup Potluck

Our church has a playgroup that meets weekly in the mornings. Due to my work schedule, I'm unfortunately unable to participate (although there is talk of starting an afternoon group for moms like me who work in the mornings). But we did find out that they do monthly potlucks, and tonight was the first one that we attended. It was a lot of fun to get to meet other families in the same stage of life, and Brennan enjoyed being outside and around the other kids. Once he got warmed up to the idea of playing with the others, he and his buddy Josh spent some quality time in the sandbox and in the playhouse together. We're already looking forward to connecting more with this great group of people!

Pony Pasture

After having gone to Pony Pasture (which, contrary to it's name, is not a pasture, nor are there ponies) last week with my mom, we decided to head out there today to let Brennan get some final water fun before fall sets in. We rock-hopped out into the James River and waded around a bit. Brennan really enjoyed the water, and is probably already looking forward to the days when he's older and can swim in the river instead of just wading in the shallow end!