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!

Weekdays Away

John attended a two-day training for work on Monday and Tuesday in Arlington. We took advantage of the location to head up there as a family and visit a couple of John's relatives and some dear friends of ours. We never imagined that traveling with four people required so much preparation, packing, and just plain stuff. It will never cease to amaze how the smallest people require the most amount of stuff. Gone are the days of throwing a couple days worth of stuff in a backpack and setting off.

We definitely enjoyed our time away. The Bredbenners have three kids (ages 6, 3, and 3 months), so it was great fun for Brennan to have some playmates around and Owen to have another baby to look at. Monday afternoon, we packed up all the kids and headed out to pick up John. Then it was off to a fun evening in DC (with not so fun traffic and parking), complete with a picnic dinner in the Haupt Garden and then a brief tour through the Museum of Natural History.

The Smithsonian Information Center, right in front of our picnic spot

This life-sized elephant was ready to greet us once we entered the museum

Brennan was pretty excited about the elephant!

Getting to see a T-Rex up close and personal. When Brennan was little, he used to make these growling noise, so we called him our "Brenna-sauras Rex." It's fun that Brennan got to see the dinosaur that his nickname came from.

Outside the museum

Five kiddos!

Bedtime Babe

Hanging out in the rocking chair in his room, fresh and clean after a bath (and a second change of pajamas due to a bit of spit up shortly after getting in the first set!).

Time to snuggle with his owl

Smiles

Finally! I got one of Owen's smile on camera!

Since I couldn't get Brennan to smile (out came the stoic face), I got him to show his teeth instead!

Joining the Ranks

It's official, as of yesterday. I'm joining the ranks of fellow stay-at-home moms. We made the decision just recently, after our affordable daycare option fell through. After exploring the other daycare options, we realized that it just didn't make financial sense for me to return to work. Daycare would have been most of my monthly salary, along with the other increased expenses that would have resulted from a return to work.

Thus, the writing appeared on the wall. I submitted my resignation yesterday morning with a mix of sadness and excitement. Sadness because it really had been a very good job for me (even if a little mundane) and I enjoyed the people that I worked with. Excitement because I was finally going to get to be home with my boys and get to participate with them in things that I had been missing out on while I was at work in the morning, things like playgroups, library story time, and women's ministry at church.

I know that the path we are choosing to have me home with the boys isn't the easiest path. There remain financial difficulties. There will be loneliness since I won't have the outlet of a job to satisfy daily adult interaction (with people other than my husband). There will be the normal trials and tribulations that come along with raising children. It will be days filled with running the home and running errands to help make it a bit easier on my hard-working husband. Days filled with Clifford and Sesame Street, books, Legos, playing outside, nursing Owen, changing diapers, and loving on our boys. Shaping our kids to be responsible, loving, caring human beings. What higher calling could there possibly be?

Morning Boy

Happy Father's Day!

But how quickly moods change...

On Our Nightstand, Part 8

Here's another installment of the books that we've read recently that we would recommend.

1. The Five Love Languages of Children, by Gary Chapman
2. Parenting with Love and Logic, by Foster Cline and Jim Fay
3. On Becoming Babywise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep, by Gary Ezzo
4. A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith, by Lori Smith
5. Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen
6. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, by Donald Miller
7. Be CentsAble: How to Cut Your Household Budget in Half, by Chrissy Pate
8. Green Goes with Everything, by Sloan Barnett
9. The Beginner's Bible, by Karen Henley
10. The Scarlet Thread, by Francine Rivers

Good Morning

Owen really enjoys mornings. Now that he is more awake, he definitely enjoys looking around and taking in the world around him. But mornings are his best times. And we are loving his first little smiles. It's hard to capture them on film, though. He's just like his big brother--the camera comes out and out comes the stoic face. Nonetheless, he is one happy, easygoing little boy!

Worth a Thousand Words

John took this photo a couple weeks ago and I finally decided it was time to post it.

Boy trying to give gentle kisses to baby brother...or Boy exhibiting cannibalistic tendencies?

Things to do with Blueberries

Since we have 3.5 pounds of blueberries just waiting to be eaten or otherwise consumed in some sort of tasty baked good, I started looking for some recipes other than just the obvious muffins or pancakes/waffles. I love the website allrecipes.com. One of their search functions allows you to search by ingredient. I was slightly surprised when the top two recipes that appeared were for alcoholic beverages: Lemon-Blueberry Martini and Vodka Blueberry Liqueur. Who knew? Alas, I think I'll stick with the safe Blueberry Coffee Cake and maybe save the Blueberry Vodka Martini for next year's blueberry harvest...

Blue Days

Our playgroup took an outing this morning to pick blueberries at Mt. Olympus Farm. Blueberries are one of Brennan's favorite fruits, as evidenced by the fact that he much preferred to pick and eat as opposed to putting them in the bucket to take home. Owen rode nicely in our Snuggli carrier and slept a good chunk of the time. We had a great time--I got to spend time with the other mom's, Brennan got to play with the other kids, we picked somewhere around 3.5 pounds of blueberries, and we enjoyed a nice picnic lunch with everyone in the shade to cool down (it's the hottest day of the week today--high temps in the 90's!). I think we're all going to head out there again next month to take advantage of picking our own blackberries!

It took some guidance to help Brennan figure out to pick only the berries that were blue instead of the ones that were green. Once he got that down, he couldn't seem to pick (and eat!) them fast enough!

The bounty. I'm thinking muffins, I'm thinking pancakes...Yum!