Christmas Cookie Exchange

When: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at 10:00 am

Where: My house!

What you do if you decide to participate: You will make any type of cookies, fudge, candy, whatever is your specialty. The amount you make will depend on the number of participants. You'll separate your goodies into bags or boxes for each person with recipes attached. Then, you'll bring them all over to my house, where we will lay out all the goodies and everyone gets a little of each.

It doesn't take very long and you don't have to make any Martha Stewart-esque cookies. We'll share in some fellowship and hot cocoa or cider, and you can bring your kiddos along, too. You'll get some really good recipes and treats!

If you don't have any idea what cookies to make, I have some good, easy ones from Christmases past. I've done lots of Christmas Cookie Exchanges!

Please let me know if you plan to participate ASAP or by THIS WEDNESDAY so I can let everyone know how many cookies to make. Let me know by posting to the comments section what type of cookies you're going to make so we don't get any repeats.


I will be making sugar cookies (the frosted Christmas cookie cutouts).

Thanksgiving Results

Here's grandpa (John's dad) with his new and very first grandchild. They were so excited to meet each other!

We made our annual trip to Hallmark to get our 2008 ornaments. John chose the "Super Baby" ornament that he's hanging for Maryn here. He chose the ornament of a daddy bear dancing with a baby girl bear, and I chose one of a snowgrandma making cookies with her snowgranddaughter. It reminds me of my grandma (Mary Louise) making Christmas cookies with me, which is a tradition I intend to carry on with my daughter, Maryn Louise.

And here we are, the cooks. I got all my cooking done early, as usual, so I can avoid the stress of last minute chaos. It was surprisingly easy to make Thanksgiving dinner. Plus, I had Donna and Grandma Erdman to make mashed potatoes, gravy, and do a majority of the cleanup! That stuff, to me, are the hardest parts! I made two apple pies. One turned out perfectly but the other one was pretty burnt. It still tasted really good, though. I also made the pumpkin hazelnut cheesecake. It was delicious but I think it really irritated Maryn's belly. So no more cheesecake pour moi.

I'll try to get some pictures up of Maryn with her great grandparents soon. I forgot to get one of those four generation pictures. Arrggh. I really need to work on this picture taking stuff.

Milestones

Maryn hit two milestones this week.  She is exactly ten weeks old today.  She figured out that she can shake her keys and bring them to her mouth.  She saw her feet in the bathtub and splashes with her kicks.  AND she said "uh-goo!" which I've been trying to get her to say.  It's something I remember Kendra's little girl Evelyn saying when she was here for our wedding.  At this rate, she'll be talking by Christmas.  Hahaha.  She must get it from me.   

Thanksgiving

I tried to take some Christmas card pictures of Maryn today, only to realize afterward that she had a piece of my hair between her eyes to whole time! Agh! Anyway, here she is giving me her classic, "Mom, what are you doing?!" look. This is an expression she makes often.

Anyway, I think we are going to send out New Year's cards or maybe even Valentine's Day cards, since we're getting our pictures taken in Ohio with my family. I read in Good Housekeeping that this is an acceptable new trend. So if you don't get a Christmas card from us, that's why! Just hold your pants on!

Here are some quick Thanksgiving details, since I know you were wondering.

Guest List: Great Grandma and Grandpa Erdman (John's grandparents)

Grandma and Grandpa Erdman (John's dad and Donna)

Dayton (John's stepbrother)

And the three of us.

Menu: Turkey (John's job for the day)

Homemade stuffing with fresh herbs, in the crock pot (my favorite Thanksgiving dish!)

Mashed Potatoes

Sweet Potato Casserole (a favorite of John's)

Green Bean Casserole

Corn (for some reason John said we had to have this)

Cranberry Sauce (which we bought already made from Target!)

Appetizers: Spinach and artichoke dip, salsa and chips

Vegetable Tray, Cheese Tray, Pumpkin Spice Trail Mix

Desserts: Two homemade apple pies and pumpkin hazelnut pie

Grandma's fudge and graham cracker cookies

To Give Little or to Give Much? What Really Matters.

I learned a lot from working in Immokalee. I learned that the neediest people are usually the most giving. I learned that those who are given much sometimes end up asking for much. I learned that some of the neediest people are the hardest working and others are needy because they work very little, or spend their money unwisely. But what I've learned is that we should still give unselfishly without judgment. What someone does with what we give doesn't matter, for our treasure is in Heaven (Matthew 6:19). When we give, we give to God, not to man. ALL of our possessions are His. Including money.

Times are tough in 2008. The holidays are here and many of us are wondering if we should "Adopt a Family" this year or if maybe we ourselves should add our names to that tree.

I've been wanting to visit one family in particular in Immokalee that is in need of many things: love, attention, food, a warm, clean place to live. A little holiday cheer. But I have very little to give this year. Should I still visit?

While many of us are not able to give much, we should still be willing to give our time and talents. And not just this time of year, but all year. I hope that I will make time to visit that family in Immokalee, even if it is just to play with sidewalk chalk and bubbles for a while.

When the pilgrims celebrated with a feast, they were coming out of what was probably the toughest year of their lives. Most of them had lost at least one relative. Yet they were still able to give thanks and praise to God. We know nothing of economic hard times. Some have the nerve to compare these days to The Great Depression. But not one of us really knows that pain (I don't think any of you are that old). Surely we can give thanks, for God has blessed all of us so much.

Psalm 95:1-6
"O come, let us sing unto the LORD:
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,
and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the deep places of the earth:
the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it:
and his hands formed the dry land.
O come, let us worship and bow down:
let us kneel before the LORD our maker."


Psalm 107:1 "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

80s, Karate, and Thanksgiving...oh my!

John and I went to an 80s Mystery Dinner Theater lastnight, put on by our Saturday night Bible and Life Group at church. It was very interesting! Here we are in our 80s outfits, complements of Goodwill. Too bad John is covering up my shoulder pads!

We got to see some great characters, including Pat Benatar, Mr. T, The Karate Kid, Molly Ringwald, and Tammy Faye Bakker. The Evans dressed up and acted like televangelists all night. It was hilarious.

And here is a picture of me and little Maryn all dolled up for church on Saturday night. I think she's starting to look a little bit more like me now. The nose could be becoming an Amanda nose. Maybe. The white background in this photo with the shadow makes it look like a mugshot. My baby and me, going to jail.

We are almost all ready for Thanksgiving. I'm so excited! I had a weird dream about turkey lastnight. I put it in the oven today (in my dream) and messed it all up and had to secretly buy a new turkey without John knowing. He's supposed to be in charge of the turkey.

Maryn is very funny when she sleeps at night. She really moves a lot. She waves her hands all around, fusses and kicks. So I don't think anyone has to be worried now that she's sleeping with me. It's far more likely she'll hurt me than it is that I will hurt her. We had a good night last night, which was refreshing because nights haven't been quite as good lately. She slept for about 3 hours then 6 hours. But I didn't sleep that much because she was practicing karate in her sleep.

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

When Maryn was born, I thought our days of spending hours at the book store were over.  But today we spent over two hours at Books A Million, the newest book store in Naples.  We LOVED it.  The Christian section is gi-normous and the kids section is superb.  Please go there so they don't go out of business.  They have more books than either B&N or Border's and they're the cleanest, most organized bookstore I've ever seen.  Maryn loved the baby toys and books they had, especially this turkey with a mirror and black and white feathers.  I think we can say that she IS laughing now, just not quite from the belly yet.  It's more like shouts of glee!  So, so cute.  

As you can see, mirrors are her favorite toy.  They bring on instant smiles.  John and I are wallowing in the joy of baby smiles right now.  And doing everything we can think of to try to get her to laugh.

Criticism and Mere Christianity

I'm going to try to type a serious post with Maryn on my lap. What fun. She keeps falling sideways. I love this stage. It's so easy right now. Trust me, I'm grateful. I know this isn't interesting to most of you. You have my permission to skip it!

Kendra has decided to join this trek with me through the book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. You can find her blog at http://www.kendrawestkendle.blogspot.com/, where she will be posting about the book as well as other things, I'm sure. We would love for you to join us and our husbands in this book study.

John and I are realizing how important--no, crucial--it is to study church history, to read the classics, to know the accomplishments and mistakes of those who have gone before us. In the theological process, there are several aspects and disciplines, them being: exegesis, biblical theology, systematic theology, historical theology, philosophical theology, practical theology, and apologetics. In many of the groups and studies we've done, the focus has been on the philosophical and the practical. Our desire right now is to get back to the first four.

Exegesis: The process of seeing to determine the correct meaning out of a particular passage of Scripture.

Biblical Theology: The study of scriptural revelation based on the historical framework presented in the Bible.

Systematic Theology: A study that answers the question, "What does the whole Bible teach us today about a given topic?"

Historical Theology: The study of how believers in different eras of the history of the church have understood various theological topics. (This all taken from the article: Biblical Doctrine: An Overview by Erik Thoennes)

Now, about Mere Christianity so far. I am not going to write a very good essay right now because Maryn is requiring my attention, but here goes.

My first impressions:

I read the preface, forward, chapter one and part of chapter two through rather quickly. I intend to go back and read at least some of it more carefully. But I found it so easy to read, so conversational.

This reminded me of my love for conversational writing. I remember reading James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and the love I had for that tone. But at the same time I was reminded of the conversational tone of the Eldredges' books and how much I disliked it. Why? What is the difference?

It is so refreshing to hold in my hands a book by a Christian author that, although I don't agree with everything he says, I can respect him and his opinion. C.S. Lewis is an amazing writer. When a book is poorly written it is difficult, almost impossible for me to respect the views of the writer. Am I being picky? Overly critical? No. Paul said, "Test everything..." (1 Thes. 5:21) Teachers of the Bible carry a heavy burden, as well they should (1 Tim 4:6-7, 13, 16, Titus 1:9). Everything a teacher teaches affects the lives and hearts of his hearers. So books and sermons are carefully prayed over, carefully written, carefullly edited. It's the reason lawyers, textbooks, and scientists have editors. No one will respect a writer or listen to their ideas if they think they can publish a book, for goodness sake, that rambles on in a bunch of nonsense. Well, I guess that's not true. The Eldredges have made millions from their ramblings

Why are we not more discerning? Why are we not more critical of the things we read, hear, see? We should be. In a world that tells us to be open minded. In a world that criticizes us when we are critical. What does the Bible say about that?

"Judge not, lest thou be judged," is a classic example of how Scripture is so often taken out of context. I'm not even going to take the time here to write out a decent argument because Maryn is being difficult, and it's just idiocy I don't feel like taking the time on, but here are some good verses.

"Judge with right judgment (John 7:24)." Jesus said that!

"I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say (1 Cor. 10:15)." -Paul

"Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside...(1 Cor. 5:12-13)."

I have been praying that God would take my critical spirit and turn it into something for good, and I certainly believe He is working on me. I'm really starting to discern when it is right to be critical, and when it is wrong. Because being discerning and being critical can be admirable instincts. But my imperfect human nature and Satan will of course try to twist it for bad. And maybe a critical spirit is more often bad than it is good, but it can be good. Instincts, all human instincts, can be used for either good or bad. Which is a topic in Mere Christianity. A topic coming up soon.

I think many churches today take this right that we have to judge fellow believers the wrong way. What has happened to church discipline? The church can place rules and expectations upon its people, at least its leaders. No tattoos, no drinking, no this or that. But when a born again brother or sister is involved in actual sin we are told to just "love them." Just be an example. Blah blah blah. I'm not saying I'm good at keeping people accountable, because I'm not. But it just isn't what the Bible says. That's not how we're to deal with fellow Christians.

I know that I have been corrected and held accountable, and each time I was blessed, even grateful.

Well, here's to my critical spirit. God gave it to me for a reason, and I pray He uses it for His glory.

Citations:

Biblical Doctrine: An Overview by Erik Thoennes

Fool's Gold by John MacArthur

The ESV Study Bible

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

Challies.com:  Informing the Reforming

www.kendrawestkendle.blogspot.com

Mere Christianity

Since my stay-at-home stint began, I have been trying to keep up on a few favorite blogs introduced to me by my iphone husband. Probably my favorite blog is by Tim Challies. He has a lot of blog followers, too. They do this thing where they all read the same book and discuss it, like a book club. They're reading through the classics of the Christian church, switching between old and modern. This time they are reading a more modern classic, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I believe I started reading this once but it was too difficult at that stage in my life. I also think I need the accountability and discussion for this one. John and I are going try it and we invite you all to join us. Maybe it will spark some discussion in person, through emails, or whatever. For some reason I just can't post links lately. Click on Tim Challies' link on the right of this page, then scroll down until you see the title "Mere Christianity," and Reading the Classics Together.

Let me know if you intend to do it.

Christmas Pictures, Christmas Shopping, Christmas Excitement!

I've never bought an outfit for Maryn.  Someone please tell John that this is incredible.  For a new mommy to never buy her new baby girl an outfit.  In Naples at least, that's practically unheard of (and I only say practically because I'm thinking Bethany might not have bought Jovie any outfits, at least when she was only 2 months old).  Well today, I bought Maryn three outfits.  They're so cute I could just die.  I resisted the cutesy dresses, though.  They would definitely only be worn once and babies look kind of funny in dresses.  You know, because they're always in car seats or being held by mom and dad, with the dress being lifted up, crumpled up or covered up so you can hardly see it.  

We are going to have a photo shoot, hopefully, when we visit my family in Ohio for Christmas.  My friend Laura from church back home has graduated with some sort of fancy art and photography degree and now has her own studio.  I'm excited.  I'm hoping Sara (my little sister) will let someone make her hair look pretty.  I think my mom should take her to the salon.  

I'm going to try to take some pictures in the meantime for our Christmas cards.  Maryn and I went to Target, Michael's, Kohl's, and the bank today and finished almost ALL of our Christmas shopping.  It was so much fun.

I can't wait to revisit our old family tradition of buying our Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments.  I wonder if John will get another Rudolph ornament.  I think Maryn will pick something else besides a Baby's First Christmas ornament, because I think she might get some other ones.  And me, I don't know what I'll pick!  I always go for the ones that actually have two or three in one box.  I'm sneaky that way.

What else should we do on ornament night?  Maybe we'll come home to some hot cocoa (it was 45 degrees when I woke up this morning, by the way).  Maybe we'll decorate the tree.  This is fun, creating family traditions.

What family traditions do you have?

Mommies!

I just went through and read all my mommy friends' blogs and talked to Erin on Facebook.  I can't even describe to you how much contact with them (and Kendra, mommy friend from home) means to me.  Ohhhhhh conversation with them and reading their blogs is like warm cocoa for my soul.  Maybe not my soul.  Definitely for my mind!

Speaking of caffeine, I bought myself a large Coke from McDonald's after grocery shopping today.  Ahhhh!  Woooo!  I love you, Coca Cola from McDonald's!  

I also love Matilda, the cashier at Publix.  She knows us now and was wondering where John was, seeing as he's usually with me or by himself.  She said it looked like I did a great job grocery shopping, but I told her I spent almost twice as much money as he usually does.  I even bought the Publix brand and didn't buy any fruit.  But now I feel guilty for spending too much.  

This is why I feel like a giant puzzle piece lately.  That doesn't fit into Jaxon's tiny 50 piece United States puzzle.  I love it here in Naples.  I hate it here in Naples.  I miss my family and friends in Ohio, so much it hurts sometimes.  So much I want to curl up and die sometimes.  But I have so many friends here now.  There's no way John and I could ever make this many friends in po-dunk little Ohio towns.  

I know quality is better than quantity, but as friendships and attachments grow stronger and stronger here in FL, my heart breaks more and more for my people back home.  And my heart breaks also for the friendships here that will be cut off if we ever move.  If we stay here or if we go, no matter what we do, will I ever truly belong anywhere?  

And then there are days like today, when it's 71 degrees and beautiful.  I feel like we should just buy a house and stay forever.  But other times I feel isolated.  Other times friends fall short and I want to curl up with my mommy.  Maybe that's why I get so upset when friends here fall short.  "Just be nice to me.  Please.  Because I miss my mom.  So be nice.  And cook me some pot pie while you're at it."  

Pictures and Videos

I just posted new pictures and videos to my facebook page. I also uploaded new pictures on Snapfish that I will send to you shortly. If you don't receive or see any of these and would like to, let me know.

I know it's probably annoying to some of you to see a picture of Maryn's cute little face every single day, but it has to be done!  I should rename this blog "Maryn's Face for Grandma!"  

Maryn is so cute.  These pictures don't even do her justice.

Maryn took a three hour nap today!  I was able to really clean the bathroom.  I used to do this every weekend.  Move everything off the floor, sweep, mop, reorganize the drawers and cabinets, scrub the shower, scrub the sinks, wash the mirrors...  No one ever told me how often to do these things, so I just did knock-down, drag-out cleaning every weekend.  Not so much anymore.  I wonder how often I'm supposed to clean the windows.  Because I have a feeling that's just NEVER going to happen as long as Maryn is living.  

Hello from Orlando!

Here I am at our hotel in the downstairs lobby. John is upstairs with Maryn. What a great thing Mommy Time is, even if it's just for a few minutes!

Everything is going really well. Maryn has been an ANGEL!

John and I spent a lot of time in prayer and in discussion about him getting an iphone. And I am so glad he did. We have both been so blessed by it. On the way up, I was able to do my quiet time (the girls had headphones in their ears anyway) and I read a great sermon by John Piper. It was a sermon on fear, which I needed to hear. And I always need to hear as much as I can on fear. You can read it here: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1993/844_Fear_Not_I_Am_with_You_I_Am_Your_God/.

Sorry, this hotel computer is not letting me add a simple linky thing. Whatever you call those.

Two individual swimmers have made it to finals, which are tonight. Some relays also made it, but I can't remember what they are or how many because I never remember anything John tells me about swimming.

Our friend Jackie is here. She went to Peru with us and she is a nurse/midwife/lactation consultant and she has been keeping me company and helping me with Maryn. It's been wonderful.

Well, that's all for now. I'll post pictures when we get home. This computer I'm on is at least 20 years old, so no picture card hook up thing (I'm very technologically advanced these days).

My Johnnie

My friend Kara tagged me to post this, so here you all go!

Where did you meet? We met at summer camp in Ohio. I was a counselor and he was the director's son. But we didn't even really talk until the next spring, and that all started online accidentally.
How long did you date? a year and eight months before we were engaged, and we were engaged for about ten months
How long have you been married? three years
What does he say that surprises you? When he says nothing. I'm amazed how often he's able to keep his mouth shut although I know he could say a lot more. I usually admire that about him but sometimes it bothers me, too!
What is your favorite feature of his? His arms. Hunka hunka. :)
What is your favorite quality of his? His ability to make me feel more loved than I've ever felt by anyone, in a way that's perfect for me and my personality.
Does he have a nickname for you? Yes. :)
What is his favorite color? Green, blue
What is his favorite food? Moe's and Chipotle
What is his favorite sport? to coach and participate in: swimming
to watch: Kansas Jayhawks basketball (the whole reason we got together)
When and where did you first kiss? His sister's bedroom. Don't ask. Ha!
Do you have any children? Yes. You all know!
Does he have a hidden talent? John has so many talents others don't know about because he's so quiet and humble.
How old is he? 27, same as me!
Who said, "I love you" first? He did.
What do you admire most about him? His self-discipline.
Do you think he will read this? Yes.

State Swim Meet 2008

We are packed and ready to head up to Orlando tomorrow morning, bright and early at 6:30. Let's hope Maryn is as happy this weekend as she was today, as you can see in these pictures. She should be. She'll have the attention of seven high school girls and their moms. They all adore our sweet baby girl. Who wouldn't?

Sorry for the bad photo job on top. Grandma has to see how big she's getting!

Pray for us and all the high schoolers.

an important piece of my story

The majority of my life has been spent as a quiet, pleasant girl to the outside world. Teachers always wrote "a pleasure to have in class" on my report card. When people asked me as a child, "Why don't you ever talk?" I always said, "I don't have anything to say." And really I didn't think I did have anything to say. My thoughts were always going, my mind was always running in a million different directions, but I just didn't have anything to say.

Then sophomore year of high school came and I had Mr. Bardall for my history teacher. He was very good at getting us into political discussions, and he would be up there arguing a case emphatically (not necessarily his case, as all good history teachers are so good at) and he would see, somehow, by the look on my face, that I had something to say. So he'd call on me by asking, "What is it, Harrington?" That's my maiden name, by the way. And with a coy smile and a giant lump in my throat, I would state my opinion. I didn't know a thing about politics and I'm sure much of what I said was wrong, but he would listen. And he would argue with me, and other kids in the class would start to debate. Some were on my side, some were not. But it was OK.

Because I was an early childhood education major in college, we were often asked to tell what teacher in our lives made the biggest difference. Though I may have loved many of my teachers more (Mrs. Conway, my first grade teacher especially), Mr. Bardall made the biggest difference. Because I was a shy girl who just thought her opinion didn't really matter, and there was no point in trying to debate, or change people's minds, or influence anyone. Mr. Bardall gave me a place where I felt secure and comfortable with sharing my opinion. He let me know that my voice does matter. That I can change things. That I can teach people things. That I am smart and my views do matter.

Then there was Mrs. Maegly, who was in sharp contrast to Mr. Bardall. Mrs. Maegly was my home economics teacher in ninth grade. Her class ended up being a waste of time for me, as it covered things like dental care, bike safety, and only spent a few weeks on cooking and such. I made sure I told her at the beginning of the year that I felt this class was wrong for me. Maybe I could withdraw. That it was a waste of time and I had learned these things in second grade. Had she given me extra projects to do at home (or let me withdraw), I would have loved it. But she didn't. She pulled me out of study hall one day, yelled at me in the hall to keep my mouth shut, told me I was disrespectful and insubordinate, and that I was not the teacher. I stood there listening to her, shocked. I was absolutely stunned that she didn't care I was struggling in her class, that I wanted challenge, and that she didn't want any student feedback. I just stood there with tears in my eyes, too stunned to say anything.

Mr. Bardall asked me, only me, at the end of the year to write a critique of his class. I did. It offered suggestions, stated what worked well and what didn't, and gave a lot of praise, too. He took me aside one day after class and went through all my suggestions and such, explaining why he didn't do certain things, and said he might try some of my suggestions.

At the end of the year, Mrs. Maegly gave me a B. Ugh.

I've seen these two teachers since I graduated from college. I made sure I said thank you to Mr. Bardall. And I made sure that Mrs. Maegly knew I had become a teacher myself, and love to make accomodations for my students, whether they are gifted, behind, second language learners, have ADHD, or whatever. And she was the one with shock in her eyes that day.

I'm not the type of person to intentionally be fake, so let me be honest with you here. I have my nice, sweet moments, and I have a critical streak as well. Certain things make me very angry, certain things break my heart. I'm an emotional rollercoaster most of the time. I'm almost always understanding but not usually very sympathetic. I'm not perfect, and sometimes the sin in me does get the best of me. Just like it does in all of us. I get myself into big trouble sometimes, like I did with Mrs. Maegly. I think it just throws people through a loop when I show my critical side. But just so you all know, just so you're all aware, I'm not as nice as supposedly some people think I am. But just so you all know, just so you're all aware, I don't think I'm abnormally mean. And I don't think I'm abnormally kind, either. I don't think I need counseling. I'm just human.

As Kendra pointed out to me yesterday (she knows me so well), I am the girl that wrote a song entitled, "I Hope You Die," and, when you complain about the same issue for months or years, I'm the girl that will tell you to just get over it, already. I'll pray with you, I'll pray for you, I'll cry for you, too. But I'm just not as nice as you might think I am, that's all. So I'm sorry if I disappoint you. It isn't intentional.

There. You've all been forewarned. I feel like I should have you all sign this like a waiver.

John and Amanda Plus One

I am addicted to the show Jon and Kate Plus 8. I know a lot of people, especially moms, love this show. But this is really weird to me. I feel like I know this family so well, but they don't know me. And that makes me feel a little bit like a stalker. I even wonder sometimes where exactly they live and if John and I could move to their town and I could teach in their school and have some of those sextuplets in my class. I know that's crazy. And THAT leads me to wonder, if I, a sane person, can think about those things, are there people out there that really are stalking this family? And what is the big appeal of this family anyway?

I also really enjoy the show 17 Kids and Counting, but it hasn't had many episodes yet. It's probably really scaring John that I like these shows with such large families. I think I'd love to have a large family, but only if John was totally into that sort of thing. Plus, I would want to live somewhere other than Naples. Where shopping at Goodwill and wearing the same outfit twice in one month is not a misdemeanor.

I know this is a private matter, but just to let you all know, I did go back on "the pill" recently. So don't worry, grandma! You'll only have one grandchild for a while.

Mleh

I am physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted today.  And it has nothing to do with the amount of sleep I'm getting, because that has been fine.  

John was my hero yesterday.  I wish I could be his hero back.  Maybe one of these days I'll feel up to the task of dawning my armor and rescuing him from something.  But not today.  Today, maybe,  if Maryn isn't nursing at 5:30, I'll make tacos.  I guess that's sort of close to heroism in his book.

I really need to get motivated to clean the house because I might be having a potential day care client visiting tomorrow evening.  I just can't keep up with the upstairs of our house.  Though John has always wanted a two story house, I think I've decided NEVER AGAIN.  Especially with a baby.  It's just too difficult to go back and forth, up and down, to get things done.  Multi-tasking is more difficult (i.e., Maryn falls asleep downstairs, I have to leave her there while I am on the computer, she wakes up, I have to go down, try to get her back to sleep, yada yada yada).  We can't play music through the computer and hear it downstairs, our bills collect on the dining room table because our office is upstairs, if I take a shower, I have to bring Maryn all the way up the stairs with me, along with her bouncy seat, my phone, and whatever else I need, dirty diapers get left upstairs because I can't carry them and Maryn at the same time...it's just not convenient.  Yes, and today I think I'm willing to say I hate it.  And I truly don't hate it, but it's just one of those days where I feel like complaining.  When Maryn is three and throwing a temper tantrum, I will understand that much better.  Because that's what I feel like doing.

I felt like doing that at church on Saturday.  I wanted a cookie from the cafe but I couldn't have one.  Because I have been eating way too much anyway and I need to save my money.  WE need to save money.   But it all makes me appreciate the food we do have that much more.

I guess God's teaching me a lot these days.  To be patient, to understand, to accept kindness from others, and to appreciate what (and who!) I have.  Uggghhh.  

:)

I Heart Baby Smiles

I'm not having a very good day today.  But Maryn's smiles from yesterday make me feel a lot better.  Maybe they'll make you feel pretty good, too!

It's amazing what you'll do to get your own little baby to smile.  Here's John acting like a complete nutcase to get Maryn to smile.  So cute!  I love them.

Sleepy Saturday

Maryn has fallen into a routine! I'm not sure if it will be stick, but for the past few days she's been falling asleep at midnight, sleeping until 6:00ish, falling back to sleep until 7:30ish, and then taking a two hour nap each morning. So I'm really feeling good, because I thought the sleepless nights would never end. I just decided one day that I was going to start getting up at 7:30, and Maryn must have read my mind.

She slept a lot yesterday, and even fell asleep in her swing! I'm so glad she's getting used to it. Rosa slept a lot, too. Well, she ALWAYS sleeps a lot. John was gone all day and all evening at the Regional Swim Meet. :-(

I added some extra smile pictures for you. I know in the one you can see her "baby acne" pretty bad. She has that and prickly heat and cradle cap. I knew our baby would have skin problems seeing as we have so many ourselves. Olive oil is working wonders on her, though, and it only looks really bad after she eats.

Day Care and Tutoring

Hola amigos!

Yep, that's just one of my talents. Speaking Spanish AND je parle francais, aussi! I have a degree in early childhood education (pre-K through 3rd grade), my reading endorsement (which means I could teach Title I Reading) and my English as a Second Language (ESOL) endorsement. I can provide excellent references from the two principals I've worked for and parents I've provided day care for. I am trained in CPR and First Aid, and even have some kind of thing for Nutrition and Communicable Diseases. Shwew!

Why am I selling myself this way? Because I'm going to start providing day care in my home starting in January, and I'd like to start doing some after school care/tutoring NOW through December 12.

Please email me, give me a call, or post a comment so I can get in touch with you if you or anyone you know may be interested.

Maryn turned 6 weeks old today!

I did capture a really big smile this morning (she is SO smiley in the mornings--a morning person just like her daddy!).  But she looks really weird in the picture.  So here are some half smiles.  She's such a doll.  And she slept over 6 hours lastnight, pretty much straight without waking up.  I say pretty much because we were cheating.  I was sleeping with her.  I tried and tried to get her to sleep in her bed.  Tonight I'm going to try letting her fall asleep with me and then moving her to her bed.  

But you know what?  I'm getting sleep.  Maryn's getting sleep.  And we're both happy!  And if she's still sleeping with me at three years old, that's a problem we'll deal with when she's three years old!

Holy Randomness, Batman!

First, let me explain the random pictures I just posted.  First, this is Maryn actually sleeping AGAIN in the middle of the day.  She's been taking longer naps, and this is wonderful news for me.  I'd just like her to go to sleep a little earlier at night, but we'll get there eventually.  She loves to sleep like this, with her head tilted way back, especially when she's on her side.

Second, this was my breakfast.  The breakfast of champions!  I know for sure that coffee doesn't sit well with Maryn's belly, but Mountain Dew doesn't seem to bother her.  So this is what I had for breakfast this morning.  It got me through our MOPS meeting, which is a fellowship type of group for moms of young children at our church.  It was wonderful!  I have so many friends and so much support here.  What a blessing.  Oh, and that's my new Bible there.  It's enormous, isn't it?  But I love it.  

OH, and there's the roses John got me for our anniversary.  They're a week old and still beautiful.  Almost as beautiful as our marriage, since marriage is a symbol of the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church, created by God to be between a man and a woman, and anything less is simply not a marriage.  He created marriage and nothing humankind can say and no law humankind can make will ever change that.  In case ya'll wanted to know.

"As the Scriptures say, 'A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.'  This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.  So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."  Eph. 5:31-33

Another blessing has been our new table, shown in the bottom photo along with some of our Election Day Party decorations.  Since John's mom moved to Minnesota rather suddenly and unexpectedly, she left us a bunch of great stuff, including this table.  We even inherited a pantry full of food and a freezer full of meat!  Score!  It's especially wonderful when a certain new mommy and a certain new daddy keep losing things, like wallets full of money.  ;-)

A lot to say

Maryn has been asleep for an hour and a half!  It's a miracle.  She never sleeps this long during the day.

I had a fabulous birthday.  Last night we had a little get together for Election Day.  I had my camera all ready to take pictures and this is how many pictures I took:  ZERO.  Arrggh.  I can describe it for you, though:  CROWDED.  Our downstairs is so small!  I don't understand the person who designed our house.  I envisioned myself chopping it into tiny little matchsticks with an ax as I fell asleep last night.

Speaking of falling asleep, I'm having issues.  My six week old baby is sleeping fine.  But me?  I'm not.  I often just lie there awake, my mind swirling in a hundred different directions.  I know this is normal for new moms.  But it's annoying.  So we slept until ten today, then we went on a two mile walk around the park with Stacie and London, Maryn's little friend that was born two days before her.

Moms, do you ever find yourself comparing your child to others' children?  I think Stacie and I fall into that trap.  It's kind of unavoidable when they're so close in age.  London sleeps better than Maryn and Stacie can eat whatever she wants!  I'm so jealous.  But London isn't smiling yet, really, and Maryn smiles a lot.  Woohoo!  It's not on purpose, but I feel like I'm keeping score.  Not in competition, but I like to know my baby is on track (in other words, I like to think Maryn is gifted, a genius, special).  No buts about it, though, Maryn IS and always will be special, whether she's behind in some things or ahead.

Above is a picture of our sweet pea.  She was smiling a lot but I just have the hardest time capturing it.  Our camera is slow.  And the picture is crooked again.  Oh well.  

In other news, John got me this new Bible that's out.  It's the new English Standard Version Study Bible.  I've only flipped through it and read a bit of the beginning, where it has an article entitled, "An Overview of the Bible:  A Survey of the History of Salvation," and it's incredible.  I just love it.  It has maps and illlustrations in color, too.  AND it's on sale at our Christian bookstore here in Naples.  So if you're in the market for a new Bible, go take a look!  Or look at their website here:  http://www.esv.org/  Warning:  It's heavy!  I recommend NOT getting the hardback version.  My comment was, "Ooh, this is like a Harry Potter book!"  Haha...or, maybe not...

Sorry this is such a long post.  I just have so much to write about.  I haven't posted in a couple days.  I'm going through withdrawal.  I just figured that some of you might be wondering my thoughts on the election.  My thoughts are:  Boo.  I really wanted McCain to win, but was expecting Obama to win anyway.  I have always been a fan of John McCain.  What a privilege it would have been to have such an incredible, strong hero as our president.  We haven't had one in a while.  

I'm not really in a panic about it, though.  I think we'll be fine...probably.  OK, I would have felt safer with McCain.  And the way our country is going is not good, but it's all in God's plan.  He chooses all of our leaders, He blesses kingdoms and He destroys kingdoms.  And I know I have security in Christ.  Do you?

Go Browns!

Maryn has a bit of a heat rash that has now spread to her chest, so we're letting her go naked today!  First, we had to try on our new Browns cheerleader outfit from Uncle Mark.  Uncle Mark left today for his new home in Minnesota.  :-(

Happy Halloween!

Yesterday was a very busy day!  I dressed Maryn in her cat costume early because the pediatrician told me to bring her dressed up to her appointment.  Sidenote:  At the appointment, I found out that our insurance still had not added Maryn, even though I've talked to them a hundred times.  So I had to pay $230 for the pediatrician to tell me she's fine.  I already knew that.  And to give her a shot.  

So, this shot knocked Maryn out for the rest of the day and evening.  If she wasn't sleeping, she was crying.  So we let her sleep.  Of course.  After the appointment, we went to Chick-fil-a because I was starving and I spent too much money on a disappointing meal.  Next time, McDonald's.  Then the Family Birth Center for vitamins and to pick up the candle we forgot there during labor, and then to Michele's where I forgot my phone.  Hmm, a tad bit forgetful lately.  That happens whenI'm busy.

Then John and I went to Betsy's for some Halloween fun (see picture of cute kids!), where Maryn slept the whole time.  Then we went to Hallelujah Night at church, which was pretty uneventful.  Maryn slept in her Moby wrap the whole time.  But I ate a funnel cake.  Mmmmmmmmmmmh!  We also saw London, who was born two days before Maryn.  She's so much bigger than Maryn and older looking, too!  

Theeeen we went to Alicia and Bradd's NEW house!  We saw it for the first time.  It's being painted right now, and doesn't have any furniture or anything, so we didn't stay long.  I'm so happy for them.  They're getting married in February and I get to be a bridesmaid.  

I got fitted for my bridesmaid's dress the other day and my measurements are pretty funny.  I'm a size eight in my "bust," a size twelve in my stomach and a size TWO in my hips!  Ha!

Enjoy the pictures.  I'll try to put them on snapfish soon for those of you who want to buy some (mom, dad).