Labor Day Weekend

I love these cute little shoes. :)

Maryn loved playing with her Auntie Sara!

My mom and my sister were here Saturday through Monday and we had lots of fun playing. Maryn, of course, got lots of new toys and clothes (SPOILED!). And John and I got a little spoiled ourselves at Buca di Beppo. Yummmmmy.

Maryn ate a whole bowl of macaroni and cheese off the kids' menu. She's a bottomless pit. Today she ate Cheerios for breakfast because it doesn't make sense to feed her this baby oatmeal anymore. I'm thinking of feeding her Cream of Wheat or grits or something for breakfast. Any suggestions?

Laundry, Eating, and Recreation

Laundry

We do not yet have a washer and dryer, so we have been taking our laundry to the laundromat. But today I took our laundry to the laundry room here in our neighborhood. Here are the prices:

1 washer load in the laundry room: $1.50 Yearly Cost: $312
1 dryer load in the laundry room: $1.50 Yearly Cost: $312

1 washer load at the laundromat: $1.75 Yearly Cost: $364
1 dryer load at the laundromat: $.50 Yearly Cost: $104

Factor in having to buy disposable diapers and wipes, since we cannot wash them here. Add $350, conservatively.

Since we only have one car and John works when he's not in school, I decided I'd do the laundry bit by bit here in the laundry room. I load up the wagon with Maryn, the diaper bag, my purse, a book to read, toys, water bottles, the laundry and detergent, and we walk there. It only takes 30 minutes or so to wash the clothes. Then I load everything back up and hang it on the clothesline outside our house. So our yearly cost is only about $312-350. That's really not too bad. I don't know what on earth I am going to do if I start babysitting more kids, though! There's a playground right next to the laundry room, so maybe we'll be able to keep it up.

Remember, I got used to doing laundry outside our home while at camp this summer. Thank you God, for preparing me! Now it doesn't seem to be nearly the hassle.


Recreation

I have been a bit curious about Gymboree and all the cool things they must be hiding in there, so I looked up their info. $60/month for a membership! I guess they don't just let you come whenever you want. Needless to say, we won't be doing that.

But I just found out there's an indoor baby pool at the seminary, which is free for us. A Mommy and Me power walking class, AND I decided to make our own really cool play gym right here in the house. Maryn had a blast. I stacked up the pillows and cushions, layed out some fun textured things (non-slip cupboard liners, mats, rugs), and connected our long tunnel (that my mom purchased at Goodwill) to all of it.

This is what Maryn did for a majority of the time:
climb on and off the ottoman. Up and down. Up and down.

Eating

Maryn is at that stage where she's eating more than most four year olds would. And she's been eating off of a plate! No more messy table or trays! At least until she finds out how to throw the plate. One trick with her is to give her the least favorite food first. So today for lunch, I put only peas on her plate first. She ate almost all of them. I was shocked because I really gave her a lot. Then I gave her strawberries and peaches. Then...LAST I gave her macaroni and cheese. I thought for sure she wouldn't be able to eat all of the macaroni, but of course, she did. It was probably a cup and a half of macaroni and cheese! Really, sometimes she eats more than I do.

John wrote a new blog! Go check it out!

Hey Mom, does this remind you of something?

Maryn found her way into the cupboard today, and it just so happened that she didn't have any clothes on because she made a mess with her macaroni and cheese for lunch all over her dress. We have pictures of my sister around this age sitting in the cupboard in a diaper with my little brother. I guess it runs in the family!

Don't let her cute little smile fool you...

You just gotta click on this picture and check out Maryn's
facial expression. What do you think she's thinking?
This bike was given to us by Teri. It's the weirdest thing I've ever seen.
It's buttons are crazy mixed up and wacko. I'm hoping Teri will tell me
someday what happened to this bike and where on earth she got it. I think
it must have come from Mars. And maybe Hunter put sand inside the controls.

After dinner, the neighborhood kids usually run outside for
some soccer and bike riding. Maryn is their baby doll. Here she is
with one of her new friends in the picture above. It's nice because while the kids
and dads are playing, the moms stand around and talk. I never thought I'd
be the one to choose standing around and talking, but I love it!

Maryn has finally figured out climbing. So she has decided to
suddenly climb E V E R Y T H I N G. Including John. Including
using his nose as a foothold. Here she is above, after climbing onto
her rocking chair. She can get on and off of it pretty well now.

Today was super exciting. John worked from 4 am-8:30 am. Maryn took one nap. It lasted 15 minutes. I have no idea why she isn't sleeping. She's in bed right now at 9 pm crying. She just won't sleep. I don't know what on earth to do or what could possibly be wrong. And for all you Babywise fans, I will have you know that I have been letting her cry. Yesterday she cried for an hour and a half, with me going in only once to soothe her. And she never did fall asleep. Not until 9:00 pm did she finally go down to sleep, and that's because I nursed her to sleep. I don't know what else to do! I'm just flabbergasted. Anyway, I am totally open to advice or personal stories on this one. I am about to join a support group. It's driving me nuts. And it's been like this for weeks--since we moved here.

My homework is done, the kitchen is clean, my baby is sleeping, and now I shall blog.

Hitting the Books Last night I had my first SWI (Seminary Wives Institute) class. I met two great young ladies (younger than me, for sure! Weird!), Hope and Jennifer. I met a bunch more, but those are the only ones I remember.

My class is called Essentials I. I guess it's supposed to be the "Essentials" for being in the ministry alongside my husband. I am SO glad I'm taking it. So glad! I have a lot to tell you. But not all of you will care, but some of you will, so I'll go on.

I know famous people! Mary Mohler teaches the class. Mary Mohler! She is Al Mohler, Southern Seminary President's, wife. We talked about stereotypes for minister's wives (pianists, singers, speakers, sweet, exceptionally but naturally beautiful, etc.) and how sometimes, in some churches, people think of the pastor's wife as a celebrity and can be kind of intimidated by her. Okay. That being said, when I saw Mary Mohler walk in the classroom, I almost crawled under the table/dashed up to her to introduce myself/asked for an autograph/teared up a little...etc. So I guess I'm guilty of having some people on pedestals. But anyway, what a gift to be learning from a woman such as Mary. She's a great Christian role model. And now that I've met her I don't idolize her like I sort of once did.

What is this? I kind of thought the SWI classes were just a nice little thing for us seminary wives. Like a ministry to us. Like a break from changing diapers. But it is the real deal. I have a whole book to read, homework every week, quizzes, and I even get graded for each class. Yes! I love it! I love school! And the class, at least this class, is very kind of you know, soul searching. I get to think about my strengths and weaknesses and I get to take a personality test. And the subjects for each class are things like Time Management, Hospitality, and a bunch of others. I remember those because they sounded the most interesting to me.

I know famous people! There were TWO Wicker references during our class last night. When I said I was from Naples, FL, Mary said, "Oh! Were you with the Wickers?" Yes, I was! And when a girl said she worked for Crossings camps, she asked if she knew Evan Wicker. I know him, I know him! So if I ever need a quick conversation topic, I am going to ask her something about the Wickers and we can share in some great Wicker Trivia (our head pastor at FBCN was Dr. Wicker).

Sick! Maryn and I have been sick with colds. It all started after the fair, where I let her crawl around on the ground. Because manure and stale fries are good for the immune system. She has recovered but I have not. Ugh.

Battle Wounds: Maryn and John also acquired their first roughhousing battle wounds today. Maryn hit her face right on John's face somehow, and her lip was bleeding. Bleeding, bleeding. Blood all over the place! I didn't freak out, because I know mouths tend to bleed a lot, and it stopped really quickly. But there is something disturbing about all that bright red blood all over your sweet baby's face. Ugh, it's kind of dreadful. John has a little bruise and a dent in his cheek from where her teeth must have hit his cheekbone. Ouch. Beat up by a one year old!

The House and My 11 Month Old Daughter :)

Maryn's new room! It doesn't stay clean for long.

This is the part of the house we haven't quite gotten to yet...

The living room, obviously.

In honor of Maryn's 11-month Birthday tomorrow, I thought I'd highlight some of her personality traits that are developing, some milestones we've hit, and whatever else I want to say about our precious baby girl.

Mommy's Helper

Maryn is a hard worker. She is always busy and focused on something. It may be putting the blocks in the dump truck and taking them out again, or switching around the puzzle pieces, or pulling the books off the shelves. Whatever it is, she's serious about it. Here she was, in the picture above, sorting through the plastics cupboard and I could NOT get her to crack a smile.

She's started wiping things down with whatever cloth she can grab. Today she found a pair of her little pants and she wiped down the changing table.

Daddy and Mommy's Sweetheart

Maryn really isn't a wanderer or a huge thrill seeker, though she does love to roughhouse on the couch or bed. She likes to stay near us, follow us, and hates when we leave her behind or walk away without her in our arms.

She models us as she talks on the "phone," hugs and kisses her toys, cleans, packs and unpacks, puts things away in the cabinets or on the shelves, etc. She gives us hugs and kisses, pats our backs, and rubs our faces. She's a sweetheart.

Milestones

Maryn continues to repeat a lot of words and sounds that we say. She says "hello" and "hi" into the pretend phones (which can be anything and everything she chooses. Today she used banana slices as her phone). She still says Mama, Mom, and Dada and Dad. She makes a few animals sounds. At the fair, she baaa-ed at the sheep but I think she must have really wanted to see a tiger, because she kept growling at them as well.

Maryn gives high fives, plays pat-a-cake, "sings," dances to music, and claps her hands. She even fakes a high five with people, pulling her hand away quickly and laughing. She washes her hands by rubbing them together under the water. She can find the mouse on every page of her "That's Not My Truck" book. She stands unassisted, can twist and turn well while standing, and can push her car or truck around while walking behind it. And...

She took her first steps today! That's right. In a few days or a week or two, we may have a walker!

Baby Food Update

I love strawberries!

Some blueberries, strawberries, honeydew and peaches
I steamed for Maryn, nice and soft...and messy!

Since I have a baby food topic here on my blog now, I figured I'd write a special post about Maryn's eating habits lately. Not that most of you care, but I've had a few new moms with younger babies ask me about food, so here we go.

Breakfast Foods:

Maryn's typical breakfast is baby oatmeal mixed with Yobaby yogurt and hot water. She's been eating this concoction since she was about 6 months old. She usually has a banana to go with it. But since we're financially challenged now, we will be switching to some off brand yogurt, or something like that. :)

Snack Foods:

Maryn has a couple of snacks each day, and it's usually something grainy (graham crackers, crackers, Puffs, Rice Krispies, Beech Nut "Let's Grow" cookies when I get them BOGO, toast, peanut butter toast, etc.) and something dairy (cheese slice, shredded cheese, cottage cheese).

Lunch:

Maryn and I typically share something, and we eat lots of leftovers. Plus I make sure she gets a vegetable and a fruit. She doesn't eat my Ramen noodles, you know. She's really into french cut green beans right now. I try to keep some frozen veggies steamed and ready for her, because we sometimes forget to eat vegetables ourselves. :) We'll have to change our eating habits soon as she begins to realize Mommy and Daddy don't eat THEIR veggies. But vegetables have been the tough thing for me to feed Maryn, because they are often so difficult to get soft enough for her. Thankfully, she's finally gotten the hang of peas. She really struggled with pea skin for the longest time. She loves red peppers, green beans, onions, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms. I hope we can keep that up.

Dinner:

We try to give Maryn whatever we are eating, plus we make sure she has a protein and a vegetable, which is what we are often lacking. Healthy, I know. I just try to keep hard boiled eggs, tuna, and cottage cheese on hand for proteins if we need some.

Maryn's Favorites:

Maryn is a really good eater. She has discovered the yummiest foods, however, and usually chooses at each meal which food she is going to eat. Some of those favorites are:

Macaroni and Cheese
Spaghetti
Bananas
Rice
Green Beans
Anything cheesy or any kind of cheese
Eggs

Maryn's Least Favorites, the few foods she has nearly refused to eat:

Green and yellow peppers

It's an adventure. Our goal for the next few months is to eat healthier ourselves and try to save lots of money while we do it. Otherwise our children will be raised on Ramen noodles and Totino's pizza. Not good!

The Fair and Other Fun Stuff

There was a kids' stage and section where they had these crazy bear performers
and Looney Tunes characters. Fun! We got a fuzzy picture with Daffy Duck.

Maryn's first carousel ride!

Yesterday, Maryn ate her very first peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
We've been trying peanut butter gradually for a couple weeks.
No allergies so far!

Maryn is a genius!

All that walking around the fair wore me out, Mom!
Can we watch TV before bed?

The fair was at Six Flags, so John got to ride a roller coaster. Some nice people gave us about 12 tickets ($1.25 each!), so we got some free rides! For an admission fee of $8, that's not too bad, right? We could have ridden more coasters or rides. There were no lines and things weren't very busy. There were some weird, weird people there. But I guess you'll have that at all state fairs. :)

There was a nice little nursing and changing room, too. And a quilt contest and a pie contest and a cake decorating contest and a Christmas tree decorating contest. I never knew there were so many contests at the fair. It made me feel a little better about my cake decorating abilities, because I know I could have been in the running in the kids' cake decorating contest, at least!

Well, I'm rambling. I'm exhausted. Good night!

I heart this town!

We're going to the FAIR tomorrow!

Today we woke up bright and early at 6:30 am in order to make it to our Sunday School class which starts promptly at 9:00. Though it was our third time visiting this church, it would be Maryn's first time in the nursery there. Shwew. I was a bit nervous. I hate it when I leave her in the nursery and she cries, because I hate people thinking she's not a good baby. Because she IS a good baby!

We dropped her off without a single grimace or tear, and went to our awesome class, where we talked to new friends like we've known them for, well, weeks, and heard some good, great, fantastic teaching...uninterrupted by the nursery buzzer (yay!). Then we went straight to service where we heard MORE good, great, fantastic preaching...uninterrupted by the nursery buzzer (super yay!).

After service, there were SO many people in the lobby and in the halls, I wanted to push them all over so that I could get to my baby. I mean, maybe our buzzer wasn't working or something. But there she was, busy as a bee, playing. We called her once, twice, three times...and she didn't even turn towards our voices. I don't think she even wanted to leave!

The nursery workers took her on a walk with the other babies in the big strollers. They gave her Cheerios and graham crackers and let her ride on the rocking horses, play with the dollhouse, and chew on every thing she could find.

I am elated, but not giving my hopes up. She did well the first time in the nursery in Naples and the first time in the nursery in New Hampshire. The second time, it's like she knows what's happening and freaks out. I hope both John and I can continue going to the class and the worship service. It stinks when we have to separate.

Today I made cookies for our two neighbor friends, so we chatted with them for a while, and we were even able to give them some of the things headed for Goodwill. Tomorrow we go to Goodwill to drop off our give-away pile, and we are going to the Kentucky State Fair! I am totally amped.

We also got a lot done today in the way of unpacking and decorating. John did, anyway. He took all the donations down to the car, hung up most of our pictures, and set up our dining room table. I cooked a yummy meal of tilapia, baked potatoes and peas (yeah Aldi!) and we were finally able to eat at a table like a normal family. Cooking and cleaning up is quite interesting without a microwave and without a dishwasher. Sigh. But, we're doing well, and I am starting to feel very at home.

Friday Funnies

This from StuffChristiansLike.blogspot.com, dedicated to my husband, of course.

This guy writes this blog that's like that book, Stuff White People Like, but it's called Stuff Christians Like. It's pretty funny sometimes. Here's the 205th thing Christians really like. So if you are a Christian, you better get on the ball. I mean, frisbee...

#205. Frisbee - God's Favorite Sport

I can't prove this, but I think Christians might be better at frisbee than non-Christians. I know that doesn't sound very scientific, but it feels right. Roughly 94% of the Christians I know can really throw the Frisbee well. They're good at ultimate frisbee, can play disc golf, and can even throw a pretty accurate flick or sidearm if you will. The Christians that can't throw the frisbee? Probably backsliding.

I like to imagine Jesus and the disciples out on the shores of the Galilee playing a game of ultimate frisbee. Robes would be flying, beards flapping in the wind majestically as they all laughed and played like that volleyball scene from the movie Top Gun. Of course, Jesus had to play using "human rules." He couldn't have his throws go farther using the holy spirit or walk on water to catch an errant pass. As the "Sons of Thunder," James and John would probably be body checking everyone and of course Judas would be calling hand fouls left and right.

You've had that same thought too right? I'm not the only one am I? Maybe I'm weird.

Organize and Declutter City!

The wonderful thing about living in a very small apartment is that we have to de-clutter and be extremely organized. I have touched nearly every single thing we own and sorted it. Just a few more boxes to go. Then I have to go back through the give away pile and the store pile and sort those even more. I heart decluttering and organizing. :-) Weird, I know.

I just remembered that I need to post a Friday Funny. I will try to find one. Maybe.

Yay for an internet connection! Finally!

This is where Maryn has been eating: In her Bumbo, between the couch and
the ottoman. Because there isn't room for our table yet. We have two piles of
boxes in our dining area. One pile to store at my mom's and one pile to give away.

Anyway, the above picture is of Maryn eating her VERY FIRST plain piece of
American cheese. Later she had a grilled cheese sandwich and she loved
that, too. She is a very cheesy girl. She also had Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
for the first time the other night. She is still a good eater, but now that
she knows what cheese and graham crackers taste like, she isn't too psyched
about peas and peaches.

Here she is eating her lunch today. Pureed fruit, cottage cheese, tuna and peas.
Yum yum! Don't YOU wish I could cook for you, too???

I took some pictures of our apartment today but have decided not to put them up because they make it look like I've been doing NOTHING, when that is far from the truth. Maryn has been quite cooperative and plays wherever I'm unpacking. She even tries to help by handing me things. It's so cute!

Since we've had no internet and since I, for some reason, do not have service on my phone, I've been able to get A LOT done. Mostly, I've been unpacking and sorting books. And throwing away papers and papers and papers from teaching. I don't know why I used to print everything.

Amanda, Satan doesn't want you here!

"Amanda, Satan doesn't want you here!" Is the message I got from the orientation address at Southern Seminary, given by Dr. Russell Moore on Friday morning. He spoke about hardships we will face while at Seminary.

Classes haven't even started yet, and Satan has made it quite clear that he doesn't want us here.

First there was the whole canceled flight deal. Then, while I was in Ohio and John was in Louisville I realized he had nearly everything of mine with him. And, though our moving trailer was supposed to arrive on Wednesday, it is Sunday night and it is still not here.

Our belongings not being here has been a bit of an inconvenience, especially with a baby, especially on an extremely tight budget, especially since we needed bedding (and beds for that matter!) for four people (my mom and sister were here) plus a baby. Not to mention food, and choices are a bit limited without pots, pans, knives, silverware, cooking utensils, etc. And we can't get our internet/cable hooked up until we have our television here. So that is my excuse for the huge hiatus here on my blog. We sit on the floor and read books.

And my phone is getting very, very bad service. So basically, I am hardly able to communicate with anyone except our neighbors.

Our neighbors! Our neighbors have been so, so nice and friendly. They loaned us air mattresses and bedding, cooking utensils, and they've offered us tons more. Dennis and Betsy live across the hall with their two kids, and Andrew and Melanie live one more apartment over with their two little girls.

Our neighborhood! Our neighborhood is mostly low-income families, so there are lots of cool programs going on to help us out. As well as programs through the seminary. It's so, so great to be around other families in the same boat we're in, you know? Most of them have kids, most of them are around our age, most of them left good jobs and whatever behind to come here in view of a call. It's awesome!

Our church! Our church is so nice. Good teaching and preaching. It has a huge adoption ministry and many of the pastors and church members have adopted. This is very important to us, as we hope to adopt someday and don't have a clue what we're doing and haven't observed many families do it.

(((I really love it here)))

So...since our stuff is arriving late...and since our apartment is about the size of our moving truck...we are going to be storing or getting rid of a ton of stuff. John and I are a tiny bit afraid of what our next week of unpacking and sorting and living under boxes might look like. This is ONE of the reasons we got here early. This is ONE of the reasons we left our jobs ($$$) at camp early. Arrgh. (((There's a bigger picture. There's a bigger picture. God works all things according to His purpose.)))

I also haven't been able to get online to find: children to babysit, a washer and dryer, coupons, Kroger deals and information, etc.

So, please pray for us. I think we're doing okay, and I think God has given me a peace about our situation. Let's face it, it's far better than I deserve. (((What am I going to do with that huge cake carrier and all my cake decorating supplies? Should I keep those? What about all that crazy teacher stuff? What about all my high school year books? Ah! I have too much junk! Too much!!)))

I'm at peace. With a little bit of insane on the side.

A Sunny Day in Orrville

Maryn and Grandma (my mom ) on the swings.
Maryn puts things into her mouth so often, I am always
saying, "Let me see!" So she opens her mouth when I say
that and sticks out her tongue. In this picture I said that,
so she was sticking her tongue out for us.
Grandpa decided to do the same!

Tomorrow my mom, sister Sara, Maryn and I will leave for Louisville in the afternoon. Our moving has been, basically, a huge mess. The moving truck was supposed to be there today with all our things, and we were supposed to be there as well. But the moving company had a truck break down and so EVERYTHING has been delayed. John arrived in Louisville early so that he could get a few things straightened out, and we were supposed to try to get our cable hooked up, our license plate renewed, new drivers licenses, etc. He wasn't able to do any of that without our documents which are stored in a file cabinet in the moving truck. He also has an interview with Target tomorrow, but had no interview clothes. So he had to buy some. Orientation things start on Friday and continue all weekend. So we just have very little time and spent way too much money trying to be organized and prepared. Of course!

But I did get to spend more time with my family here in Orrville, which has been special. But we miss John a lot! It's all so crazy!

Everywhere I Go

Lots of acts of God in this post! So I highlighted them in bold, because I want that to be the focus here...

We left camp yesterday morning at 6:30 am, Maryn wide awake. I was all set for our two hour trip to Boston with several of her favorite toys. She did great, I got through security easily, and we met some wonderful new friends in the airport. John left us at security, planning to meet Chris, who lives in Boston now, for breakfast, and make the drive to Ohio with all of our stuff. Our flight was delayed, so our new friends Samuel (18 mo) and his mommy spread out all the babies' toys and we began a little play group. A three year old joined us later and we talked babies and toddlers, teething, sleeping, eating, etc. It's so easy to make friends with a baby on your hip!

Our flight was delayed some more, and then a lady (another new friend from the airport) popped her head around the corner, announcing that our flight had been canceled. Canceled! I packed up our toys and headed to the desk. Thank God I was 6th in line, which is not typical for me. A few people cut in front of me, though, which is typical for me. But some very kind people let me cut in front of them. Then we heard our options. We could wait until 11:oo pm to fly to Canton, or we could cancel the flight, receive a refund plus a free domestic round trip. The very kind people behind me offered to let me use their stroller all day if that would help. I didn't come prepared for a long stay. Samuel's mommy offered to take us back to their place for the day so that Maryn could take her naps and we could rest. What nice people!

But after a few quick conversations with my mom and John on the phone (while standing in this line, which was taking FOREVER, while holding Maryn, who was growing more and more tired and impatient), I decided to cancel our flight and make the drive with John. We'd made the drive there, so surely a drive back couldn't be that bad. Sure, Maryn would be tired. It's not ideal to leave for an 12 hour drive at 11:00 in the morning, but at least John and I would be together.

And...I got a free domestic flight! Which is so odd, considering my sweet friend Michele just asked me to come visit her. I replied to her request, "Well, maybe if God drops a couple hundred dollars from the sky I will try to make it." And now it really seems that maybe I'll be able to visit Naples sooner than I thought. But, John and I still need to discuss our plans for the free trip.

The trip went quite well. Maryn had her moments and we spent a ton of money stopping for lunch and dinner. The turnpike totally rips people off on those fast food rest stops. Everything was priced double what it should have been. But thank God John stayed in Boston for an extra couple hours. And thank God for Chris, who took a few things out of our car to allow me some extra leg/head room in the car. Thank God that our clickety-clackety car held out just perfectly. Thank God that I did a little extra packing to keep Maryn fed and entertained and we found some good food at Boston Market (macaroni and cheese and creamed spinach!) for Maryn to eat. Although...she ended up preferring my cooked apples.

John left for Louisville early this morning to get there and check out our new place. I realized after he left that I had a suitcase packed full of Maryn's clothes and my winter-y clothes. That left almost nothing for me to wear. So my sweet mother took me on a shopping spree to Goodwill, where I bought two new pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, three or four new shirts, and some treasures for our new house.

God is showing off! And God is teaching us a lot. So when John called from Louisville today to inform me that our kitchen is smaller than our former bedroom closet and does not include a dishwasher, and that we may be giving up at least part of our new, beloved living room furniture, and our dressers won't even fit in our bedroom, I am assured. I'm getting used to making sacrifices. I'm getting used to small spaces. I'm growing in faith and patience. God will take care of us. He has bigger plans.

Swimming with Daddy

Friday Funnies

Camp Jokes!

What goes 99-clunk, 99-clunk, 99-clunk?



...a centipede with a wooden leg!

Hey, whatever works!

Oops! Crooked picture...sorry. It takes too long to fix it, so you'll
just have to forgive me!

The above two pictures are of Maryn enjoying her new hobby: Playing in
the water from the bottled water dispensers! There is one in our house,
and there are others throughout camp. Don't worry. We give her fresh
water in the dish each day, and we try to keep her from drinking it.
Another activity that follows along with my mothering motto: Hey, whatever works!

It's been quite hot. And I still wasn't able to find a swimsuit. And I want to be
able to go to the day campers' swim time. And Maryn LOVES water.
We considered buying a $5 baby pool, but decided to use a different sort of tub.
She's played in this a few times, and I still do go swimming with her sometimes--in
my clothes. What fun! Again, whatever works!

Here's my cutie patootie in her little swimsuit. She's almost grown out of it!
I never thought she'd fit into her 12 months clothes, but she has been growing
like a weed these past few months. It must be the camp food!
Where else can you get two desserts every day? And you know we give Maryn
a taste of each dessert. Today she had some chocolate chip cookie. It was
a huge mess, and when it was gone, she threw a temper tantrum.
I'm afraid my sweet baby girl's days of being sweet are almost over
(at least for a few months)!

The Big Move

We are starting to get packed and ready to head to Louisville. I am so excited! It looks like we are all set to move in to a little apartment (little meaning THREE bedrooms! Yay!). Although there was some really bad flooding in Louisville, the area where we are moving did not flood.

We were really blessed to find a great apartment just in time, but we had to make a few sacrifices. One of them being our sweet kitty Rosa. Rosa has been staying with my aunt Cathy, who lives one block away from my mom, and Rosa will be staying with Cathy, my uncle Kent, and my cousins Drew and Darren. It wasn't a very tough decision, because I love Rosa and know that she will be happier there. She has a huge house to run around, she gets lots of attention, and there isn't a baby (almost a toddler!) chasing her around. With our one-story apartment, and with me babysitting even more kids, I was afraid Rosa wouldn't be very happy. Cathy loves cats, and my sweet sister Sara, another cat lover, is nearby. I think we made the right decision. But I will miss her!

Now, back to Maryn and her growing...

She weighs 18 pounds now! At her 7 months appointment, she weighed 14 lbs. 6 oz. Since we've been here, she's gained about 3 or 4 pounds, she's grown a couple inches, and she's gotten four teeth! She's been standing up on her own a lot--when she doesn't realize it. Only when she doesn't realize it. I know very well that she can do it on her own, because when we let her go, she slowly (very slowly!) squats down for a while or sits down very carefully. It's obvious her legs are strong enough for standing. But I really don't want to rush her. She's a fast enough crawler--I can't imagine how fast she'll be walking! She also climbed up our stairs the other day. All of them! I was behind her, of course.

As for talking...she doesn't mimic us like she used to, but she does say "Mom!" and "Dad!" when she sees us, and waves really well at appropriate times as well. Here and there she'll copy a word we say (she said "bug" the other day as an ant crawled across the floor). And she's been doing this really cute "Whoa!" sound, "Oh!" and, "Wow!"

I am currently uploading a video of her playing in the sand, but it's taking all day. I have quite a few videos to show you, but our connection here isn't very good.

Top Ten Reasons to Be Episcopalian

This is honestly on the back of a conference t-shirt some of our counselors wear here at camp. It's a list made by Robin Williams, funnyman and an official Episcopalian. I guess it's supposed to be funny, but I just find it very sad...and I think it's making fun of evangelicals. I added my two cents in italics.


10. No snake handling. How many denominations actually do this any more? Come on.

9. You can believe in dinosaurs. I believe in dinosaurs, you idiots. You obviously know nothing about the standpoint of Creationism.

8. Male and female God created them; male and female we ordain them. If you don't believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, then how can you believe in anything at all from it? We don't get to pick and choose. Next thing you know, you'll be saying Jesus isn't the only way. Oh wait! You already believe that, don't you? What's really the point then?

7. You don't have to check your brains at the door. Obviously you did.

6. Pew aerobics. I'm not sure why this is funny.

5. Church year is color-coded. I don't know what this one means.

4. Free wine on Sunday. Hahaha--I'm laughing on the inside. Really. Not that there is even anything wrong with having the wine, but please. Grow up.

3. All of the pageantry - none of the guilt. None of the Holy Spirit either then, probably.

2. You don't have to know how to swim to get baptized. Maybe you should study what the word baptism means.

And the Number One reason to be an Episcopalian:

1. No matter what you believe, there's bound to be at least one other Episcopalian who agrees with you. How comforting.