Oops...cant' forget this one...

Is this the same girl who was beating up Spider Man just a few entries ago? She's as much of an oxymoron as her momma is! One minute she's being rough and tumble and trying to prove herself as capable as the next person, and the next she's the ultimate princess wanting to be pampered and fussed over! Poor Brent...we're even adding another girl to the mix in just a few more weeks...just to keep him guessing! :-)

Christmas Morning

Just a fun picture of the kiddos after they had opened all of their presents Christmas Morning. We had a great time seeing what was in all the packages our family had sent to us all! How thankful we are for all that people did for us.

We also have to say a special thank you to our parents for all they did for us as kids on Christmas day! As kids, we had no idea how exhausting it was for you to put everything you bought us together and then play with us! By the end of Christmas Day, Brent and I were begging for a break from it all! It seemed we just got one thing put together, and they wanted the next thing out of the box and put together. And you all understand how trying it is just to get things out of the boxes nowadays! We have had a great time as a family, but we have never been so glad to see 8:00 come around on the clock so we can put the kids in bed and get a break!!! I'm sure there's a whole group of people out there that can totally relate, heh?!?

And so it begins...or continues...

Well...it's 3:48 AM!!! And I'm wide awake Christmas morning. Not because of my excitement over opening presents mind you, but just because I can't sleep! Yes...I know, it's the Lord's way of preparing me for the many sleepless nights I'll have in just about 4-5 more weeks, but it's still pretty annoying right now! I've been up since about 2:30 or so and decided to get up and do something rather than stare at the ceiling. Not much to report going on around here at this time in the morning, that's for sure.

I've officially hit the 35 week mark now. It's been a fun thing to watch my little "baby" move across the counter and finally be covering the "35!" I head to the doctor this Friday and begin my weekly checkups.

I also want to add a special "hey there" to my friend, Erin. Check out her blog on my links to the right....she's got some adorable kiddos. She's also another friend of mine that I've been able to reconnect with through blogging. Apparently she offends rather easily these days, so I want to say that it has been a wonderful time reconnecting with her, too! (I'm teasing of course, Erin... about the offending easily, not about how wonderful it is to have reconnected!!! )


Alright...that's about all I can think of at 3:56 in the morning...I might end up enjoying this time...our house has never been so quiet! Oh wait...I do want to say that the new google version that's out of Beta is almost identical to the old version. I've had no problems with it, and see very little difference. Most of the new features are ones that I won't use anyways, so go ahead...switch over...it's quite painless!

Just trying out the new google version...

Just wanted to see how different or how similar the new google version is now that I switched over.
The kids were playing in their spiderman outfits and decided to have a battle of the spideys...It was too close to call a winner. The judges are still counting the points...need I remind you that a certain 4 year old girl sent a certain 7 year old boy to the emergency room this fall?!? It might be too embarrasing to declare the winner! Yes...that's Hannah's foot behind Daniel's head!But Daniel was not to be undone...he managed to get the upperhand on Hannah and smacked her down pretty hard on the floor...even he was surprised by how hard her head hit the floor! But don't feel sorry for her...she had it coming! She is the epitomy of the phrase, "You better stop, someone's going to end up crying!"
And last but not least...no good wrestling match is ever over until Mommy and Daddy's socks have been conquered! It seems no matter how hard we try to stay out of it, the kids manage to pull us into the wrestling match by trying to wrestle our socks off our feet...however, they don't usually end up on Hannah's head like they did this time!

I LOVE THE BLOGGING WORLD!!!

I've been at this blogging thing for a while now, but it just seems to get better and better! I logged on this morning to see what was new on the good ol' web while Daniel was working on his school work, scanned a few news headlines (who need's TV news when you Yahoo and Google!) and then checked email. There was an email saying a "Josh" had left me a comment on our blog. I went to this blog to see who it was since I hardly recognized the picture :-) and found out a friend from the Chicago area had found our blog! I haven't talked with Josh for ages! He's the cousin of a friend of mine from Northland, so I've kindof kept up with what he's been doing, but it was so great to hear from him! He was my teacher's aid one of the years I taught, and we worked on the yearbook together, and he ended up being an usher in our wedding. I've been able to get back in touch with so many people and keep in touch with so many through blogs! I love it!

Brent headed off to work this morning despite the freezing rain that came down last night. I was lying there in bed when I heard him come back in about 15 minutes later (I know...I have a rough life!) The main roads were fine, but the back roads to campus were really slick, so he turned around and came home! Yippeee!!! Vacation starts a day early for all of us! Which also means I will probably get to go shopping this afternoon! Can life get any better than that?!? Well...it could I suppose if there were a mall for me to go to instead of just Walmart and Shopko, but I'm not thinking about that right now :-) It's a good day! :-)

Love My Family!!!

I often remember my single days and the longing I had to be a wife and mother. There were so many times that I wondered if the Lord would ever allow it to happen! Now I look at where the Lord has brought us, and I can't help but marvel! I am so blessed to have a loving husband and 3 children to nurture! (well...we're only nurturing 2 right now, but it won't be long til we're caring for 3!) God is so good to me!

Why should he love me so?

I have the best man in the world for my husband!!!(I know there are those of you who would argue that your man is best, but it's just not true :-) ) He took his one day off, Saturday, where he could do anything relaxing and spent it installing a dishwasher for me! The Lord provided the funds for us to buy a built in dishwasher, and I thought it would be simple to install! And for a man like Brent, it was...it was simple, and TIME CONSUMING!!! He spent literally all day Saturday tearing out the cupboard, running electrical lines, redoing plumbing under our sink, and hooking up the machine! When I thanked him, over and over again, he simply said, "Because I love you!" Let me tell you right now, that I have never done one single thing to deserve such love from anyone! Let alone such an amazing man! Again, I just have to say, "Why did he choose me?!?" I don't know, but I do have to say that I am so glad that he did!

Along those same lines, let me say how much I appreciate his careful attention to detail...I was watching him (and I must admit getting a bit perturbed at the care he took) as he cut out the cabinet where the dishwasher was going to be. And I even asked him why he was being so careful about something that was just going to be thrown out (or burned!) He told me he was trying to save the pieces for the trim. I thought he was off his rocker and walked away...but when the day came to a close and he put the pieces that he had so meticulously saved back in place, it looked like a professional job for sure! That's my man! Nothing shoddy about his work! :-) I, on the other hand, have been known to just hack away at things, and come the end of the day, it looks like our 4 year old had been at work!

More happy news...as if having a dishwasher after 2 years without one isn't enough...we're on the second half of my hundred day countdown! Only 48 days till our due date is here!!! The last 50 or so have gone so quickly, I can't wait to see how fast the rest of the days go! Can't wait to see our precious little Sarah...or whatever flavor of the week her delivery happens to fall on!

Christmas--the Perfect Time for a Picnic!

The other night we had a great time at our picnic under the Christmas Tree! We turned out all the lights in the house and ate pizza on a blanket in front of the tree. Then we played, "Who can find the ornament that..." It was a sort of "I Spy" that the kiddos came up with! It was fun to see them get more and more creative with their hints about what ornament they were describing, and then they would race around to see if they could be the first to find it. It was a great family time! I think we may have found a new Griffin tradition...
It's not often I'll post a picture of myself on the blog, and this is not even a great one at that! That'll teach me not to wear makeup, heh? But I love this one of Brent, especially. I think it captures a side of him that most people never get to see...there's that little glint of something mischievous in his eye that says there's a lot more goofiness under the surface than most would ever imagine! I'm so thankful for my man the Lord gave me...there were so many single girls in our singles' group where we met...why he chose me, I still don't understand, but I'm so glad he did! I can't imagine life without him!

It's beginning to look like a lot like Christmas...finally!!!

Grandma and Grandpa Kelley bought Daniel a starter set for a Lionel Train set for his 1st birthday and have added a train or accessories of some sort for each birthday. We've never had a place to set it up, or the kids have been too little until now! We decided we'd have at least this year (we'll have a toddler by next Christmas who will probably try to eat it!) to get it out and enjoy it under our tree! The kids were so excited when we ran a trial run of it on our kitchen table. It was the highlight of their Friday!

It's so hard to believe that it's December!!! We finally got our tree out and decorated which is helping start the Christmas mood, too. The kids had so much fun putting their ornaments out and were excited to see some of their favorite things in their ornaments. We buy an ornament for each of the kids that represents something that they have loved that entire year...or at least try to! Daniel has a Buzz Lightyear, Scooby-Doo, Veggie Tales, Hot Wheels, etc. and Hannah has mostly little dolls that look like her including Dora. But this year we found the perfect ones for them at the Hallmark store. Daniel has one that says, "Game On" and has little video game controllers on it (there's nothing that sums up this past year for him better!) and Hannah's says, "Fabulous" and has a little purse, cell phone, nail polish, sun glasses and lip stick on it (and that sums up Hannah totally, too!!!) Yes...Hannah's in a tank top in this picture. She went digging through some of her clothes and dressed herself again. She loved having a tank top on and didn't seem to care one bit that it was December 1!!! Vanity, vanity, all is vanity...she's so like her Momma!!!

I can totally relate to this, heh?!?

Robin, a friend of mine sent this to me today...I couldn't help bu laugh and totally relate! Thought you'd enjoy it, too! BTW...the doc's visit went well and uneventful. Everything's totally where it should be...still only gained 13 pounds! Yahoo...it might be easier to lose this baby weight than I thought if I don't gain too much more! And I've made it to the appointment every 2 weeks instead of monthly now...I think it will really help the time fly by...or at least that's my theory!

Did you hear about the teacher who was helping
One of her kindergarten students put on his cowboy boots?
He asked for help and she could see why.
Even with her pulling and him pushing, the little boots
still didn't want to go on.

With the second boot on, she had worked up a sweat.

She almost cried when the little boy said, "Teacher,
they're on the wrong feet." She looked, and sure enough,
they were. It wasn't any easier pulling the boots off than
it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as,
together, they worked to get the boots back on, this time
on the right feet.

He then announced, "These aren't my boots."

She bit her tongue, rather than get right in his face and
scream, "Why didn't you say so?", like she wanted to.
Once again she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting
boots off his little feet.

No sooner had they gotten the boots off when he said,
"They're my brother's boots. My Mom made me wear 'em."

Now she didn't know if she should laugh or cry. But she
mustered up what grace and courage she had left to wrestle
the boots on his feet again.

Helping him into his coat, she asked, "Now, where are your mittens?"
He said, "I stuffed 'em in the toes of my boots."

Playing Catch-up!

Wow...I got really far behind posting! Sorry about that...I sat down several times to update the blog, and the site was having problems. I know I should probably switch to the new google version, but I'm trying to hold out until they get more of the kinks worked out of the Beta version. Anything with "Beta" attached to it usually means "we want you to find all the problems with this product and report them to us so we can fix them before we release the final version which will be a much more stable product than the beta" or at least that's what Brent tells me! So here are some of the posts that I've been meaning to update and am just getting around to it! One of my favorite pics is the one of Daniel on his scream machine striking a pose with his orange hat on backwards. My first thought when I saw the pic was, "there's still a bit of Chicago left in this boy whether he realizes it or not!"

I head to the doctor tomorrow for my 32 week visit. It's getting closer and closer...my friend, Marsel, reminded me that I'm in the 50's now in my countdown!!! And with the holidays here...I'll be hitting the doc's office every week before I know it! That's a great thought! This pregnant thing is getting really old, really fast!

You can dress them up and make them go to work, but when it's all said and done, there's a little boy in every guy that makes them love playing with a blowtorch!!! Although I must admit this was probably the only fun part of the project Brent's dad helped us with while they were visiting. Our holding tanks for our well were quite old and had begun to leak all over the floor of our laundry room. It sure does come in handy when there's a civil engineer in the family who's in charge of the water works for his area coming to visit for Thanksgiving when there's a project like this to be done!!! What a help it was to have his expertise and brawn to help Brent (since I still don't understand any of it even though Brent explained it all to me several times...I try, I really do try to think on the same level that Brent and his dad function at, but this pregnant home-school mom of a 4 and 7 year old brain just doesn't get it!!!) They replaced 2 huge ugly metal tanks with a bright shiny blue on that's less than half the size of one of the old ones and it's doing a better job than the 2 old ones combined! It all makes sense to Brent so I suppose that's all that matters! Brent and his dad are so much alike not only in the way he looks, but in the way they act...the more I talk with my mother-in-law, the more I realize that I'm looking at Brent in 20 years when I see his Dad! And at the risk of being too sappy for such a practical man like my father-in-law...I'm so thankful that Brent's got such a great example to follow! You can't begin to understand how much we appreciate all your help over the years! Take heart...the good news is...you'll be too old when it comes time for our roof to be replaced in 25 years!!!

What a great time we had with Grandma and Grandpa Griffin during their visit! Grandma was a huge help to me in the kitchen and playing with the kids...which Daniel and Hannah both loved very much! Coloring is one of Hannah's favorite pastimes so anytime she can find someone who's willing to color with her she's in hog-heaven! And they played so many games together, too! It was really nice, too, to have her help with fixing all the food for the crew...and the clean-up! She's always assigned to gravy duty...I watch her make it everytime, but just haven't gotten the hang of it yet! We've only been doing this for 8 years...I should be figuring it out soon enough, heh?!? Thanks for all your help and loving!

These are some of the greatest gifts ever!!! Grandma and Grandpa Griffin brought Daniel and Hannah's Christmas gifts with them when they came to visit for Thanksgiving. They bought each of them a Razor Scream Machine. It's a metal heavy-duty throwback to the big wheels we all played with as kids. It's adjustable so it should fit up to a 12 year old! Daniel's so excited that he can ride it without having to turn the front wheel around to keep his knees from hitting the handlebars! And it comes with a cool handbrake, just like a bike...it didn't take Daniel very long to figure out to spin out into a 180 everytime he stopped! And I do want to draw attention to Hannah...she's all girl...notice the pearls and ribbons on her gloves? It wasn't warm enough for her to be out without gloves, but it was too warm for her to wear her winter gloves, so her church gloves came out (and ended up being ruined in the process!) I thought it was a perfect testament to our Hannah...trying to keep up with Daniel by being rough and tumble, while wearing her pretty pink pearly gloves! That's my girl!

This last week of Thanksgiving/Rifle Season (don't the two always go together?!?) was absolutely beautiful weather for us! Most of the days were in the 50's! We couldn't bear to keep the kiddos inside when this was probably the last chance to play out in the "warm" weather. So I did the unthinkable...I bought my kids safety orange hats! They loved them, too! I was still a bit uneasy with them being outside, but gave in since they were having so much fun! We have 4 acres of land that is surrounded by hundreds of acres of wooded land that is used for hunting, so I do have to say that my concerns about stray bullets were not completely unfounded! I do have to admit it was a strange experience to look out from my front porch and see a big ol' deer hanging from our nieghbor's tree! Just another reminder that we're not anywhere near Chicago anymore!

Where in the World are We??? Yet Again!!!

Brent and I were watching TV last night and caught just a snippet of the lead story on our local news channel. Well...as local as Green Bay...there's not really a news channel for just our area! But we caught enough of it to hear , "600,000 hunters head to northern Wisconsin..." Brent and I just looked at each other and laughed...600,000!!! That's a lot of hunters...no wonder it's not safe for our children to play outside! We were out of town last year during the week of rifle season so we didn't see what really went on...but let me tell you! We've not seen this much traffic on our little roads ever! We'd love to have any of you come for a visit, but I would highly recommend choosing another week to visit!

Not your normal school for sure!!!

This announcement was sent out to all the students at Northland today...just a statement about the area we live in! Definitely not something you'd see being announced at Bob Jones or Pensacola!!! You know it's bad when they cancel the public schools the week of deer hunting season because attendance would be so low and it's not safe to stand around outside waiting for the bus! We can't let our kids play outside during this week without wearing safety orange! Our neighbor actually had a bullet hit her roof the first year we moved in!!! (no...it wasn't Brent practicing!) Safety orange and camouflage, here we come! But for all the quirky things...I love it around here!!!

TO: ALL STUDENTS
FROM: SECURITY

The gun deer season will be open from Saturday, Nov. 18, through Sunday, Nov. 26. All areas on Northland property outside of the main campus and all surrounding property owned by Northland Board members will be strictly off-limits to students during this time.
The rifle range will be available and supervised to sight in rifles during the week before hunting season. Students must sign up at the Safety/Security office for a time slot. The rifle range is off-limits to students at all times except for those time slots that are scheduled.

Well...

I only have a quick minute, but hope to post a picture of my ultrasound soon...

Everything went really well yesterday at my ultrasound. There's only one baby (thankfully!!!) and it is definitely (no doubt about it!) a girl! While she's a big baby, she's not huge...so everything stays the same. She's the 84th percentile right now and the doc said he doesn't get concerned until the 90th percentile. Because of my history of big babies (a 10#5oz and 8#11oz-er) and my height...he figures this is normal for me. I was hoping to shave a couple of weeks off my due date, but we're still on for Jan 28th--and he doesn't see a reason to induce--so I may get my "I Love Lucy" moment after all--"Honey...I think you should wake up" or "Honey...I think it's time to come home from work" or "HONEY!!! IT'S TIME!!!"

I do have to say it was so sweet to be able to see our little munchky on the monitor...she was pursing her little lips and moving all around...I'm really hoping the holidays make this time go fast!!! I can't wait to hold her in my arms...and let Brent have a chance to hold her, too!

Excuse the grin...check out that belly!!!

You'll have to excuse the cheesy grin (is there ever anything but a cheesy grin on my face?!?)
and check out how big I'm getting!!! I still chuckle every time I catch a glimpse of myself in a reflection somewhere...and I'm still startled by this big ol' belly...and I still have 2+ months to go!!! Is it any wonder the doctor thinks I'm having a big baby?!?

I'm getting bigger and bigger, but closer and closer!!!

Yahoo!!! I'm already 25% of the way through my 100 day countdown until D-Day!!! And I may be farther than that if the Doc decides to set an induction date earlier than my due date! And I do have to say that these last 25 days have flown by! With the holidays so quickly upon us, I have a feeling I'm going to be letting Brent have a chance to hold this baby before I know it!!!

A quick note of interest...I woke up Sunday morning at 3:30 with contractions!!! I had 5 of them...very painful, too, I might add...back to back with only about 15 seconds in between each one. It's amazing the thoughts that can quickly go through one's head in that short of time! Thoughts of...NICU in Green Bay, remember to grab church clothes for the kids, yahoo...we get the tax break after all... :-) But they stopped when I sat up so just a round of Braxton Hicks...I forgot how painful contractions are!!!

First Snow!!!

Well...it's finally happened...knew it would sooner or later, but unfortunately it's sooner than later! We had about 8 inches of snow this last Friday...It was beautiful for sure, but crazy to drive in. Daniel was in the Fall Play on campus so we had to go out in it to get him there...a normal 20 minute drive took about an hour! And of course, I didn't get any pictures, and now it's starting to melt so it's not half as pretty! I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities to get more pics this winter! If you check out Tricia Fipps' blog...there's a link on the right side of my page here, she's got some great pictures of the snow...and some really cute kids! :-)

Wednesday's the big Ultrasound day! Can't wait to try to see again if it's a Sarah or a Joshua...and how big the baby is! And of course, it's always good to see that there's just one baby! :-) I'll be sure to clue you all in...I have a feeling the Doc will start talking about setting a date to be induced...I may not get my "I Love Lucy" moment after all...but if it means not giving birth to an 11 pounder...I'll probably be okay :-)

Yipppeee!!!

I called my doctor today to see how I fared on my glucose tolerance test. I was expecting to have to go in for the 3 hour test since I did with both of my other pregnancies...but I was really happy to find out that everything was just fine! And my blood counts were fine...even my iron. I guess I'm tired because I'm pregant...go figure! The nurse even said I must be eating right and living really healthy...if she only knew!!! I was so excited after I hung up the phone, I celebrated by eating a hostess cupcake! I'll show her healthy! :-) Less than a week til we get to see our little munchky on the ultrasound screen! Yahoo!!!

It's a real live tea party!!!

We're having so much fun with Grandpa and Grandma Kelley visiting us! It was really quiet this morning, so I went wandering through the house trying to figure out what was going on...this is what I found! The kids were having a "real live tea party" with Grandma...Grandpa was the server making sure the kids has enough "tea" (which was really lemonade since neither of them like tea!) They were thrilled to be using Hannah's dishes with real food. They had special little delicasies, too, to go with the tea...cheezits and cheese popcorn! They invited me to join them for a special tea party tomorrow afternoon at 3:00pm! They even made a formal invitation for me! Really too cute! I might break out the china for tomorrow's tea party and make it special...we'll see how I'm feeling after church! I've been so tired lately! I'm guessing my iron is low...could it be since I've not taken my prenatals for quite some time now!?! I know, I know...but I just forget! :-)

My view of eternity refreshed!

I received news today that a friend of mine passed away from cancer. I've been reminded over and over again as of late how fleeting this earth is and how eternal heaven is. I know that's not a profound statement by any means, but it's been driven home again today in my thinking as I grasp the understanding that this dear lady is walking with Christ in a completely different way today. How precious it will be to see our Savior face to face and to fully understand the wonder of His love when we get to go to heaven. Oh that I would live with that thought more and more each day. What a privilege it is to know that we will someday get to go to heaven. That's really what our earthly life is to be about...investing for that one day when we can see our Lord! But how distracted I often become with the cares of this world!

One a completley different note, I had a doctor's appointment this morning. I was talking with the doctor about how big I am getting. He was very reassuring (much unlike the "stupid polish doctor man" I had in Chicago--who was a very good doctor, but had the bedisde manner of a bedpan!!!) and simply said that most women feel that way around this time in their pregnancy. But as he measured me, he agreed that I am getting bigger than most and ordered an ultrasound to see how big the baby is! It's exactly that same as it was with Hannah. We were not completely sure with her first ultrasound that she was a girl and ended up with a second ultrasound due to my size that confirmed that she was indeed a girl! So we're hoping that on Nov 15 we'll be able to confirm whether or not we are having a girl! If you remember, at 20 weeks we were only about 85-90% sure that she was a girl!

What an amazing blessing!!!

We found out on Thursday that we needed to make a trip to Chicago back to where we moved from to take care of some paperwork. We were unsure what to do and how to handle the situation, so we decided to embrace it and have a mini-vacation with the fam! I cannot tell you how glad I am that we decided to stay a couple of days and visit with friends! The biggest treat was being able to spend Sunday at our former church, New Hope Baptist in Naperville. We love our church in Norway and know that it is the Lord's will for us to be there, but there is something so special about our church in Chicago. The Lord used each of the messages in a special way in my life. A simple discussion about worshipping the Lord in spirit and truth from our hearts (as opposed to just an outward, fleshly reaction) was such a challenge to me. Why do I do the things I do? The Lord is most concerned about the state of my heart, not the actions I take. And the special time with old friends was priceless! We were able to spend some time with our pastors, the McGeochs and the Alberts, too! And our kids had such a good time playing with the Albert kiddos, too! So sorry that their oldest, Kristina, was sick and couldn't get out much! Our lives have changed drastically since the Lord moved us to Northland, but being back in Chicago made us feel as though we were back home! I praise the Lord for the chance to visit, and of course the realization that we don't have to deal with that crazy traffic every day anymore! I'm pretty sure that we've seen more cars in the past 2 days than we've seen total in the past 2 years up North!!! :-) It was great seeing you, too, Leslie!!! How we miss everyone!!! Thanks for receiving us back so warmly!

Our First Artist Series

I know, I know, I know...I had every intention of getting a picture of Brent and me in with the kids before artist series tonight, but it did not happen!!! I spent too much time on Hannah's hair (she really wanted curls!) and Brent was working on getting Daniel's manly tie tied to look right (it's still too big for him!) We were 5 minutes late leaving as it was, and my makeup was still undone! So you get pics of the kids only! But we're told after all that most people only care about the kids anyway!!! So with all that said...we all went to artist series tonight at Northland. The SMS Men's Chorus came and sang for us! It was a wonderful time! They mixed in a number of traditional sacred stylings with some spirituals, and there were even a few classic barbershop numbers. The kids had a great time and even sat still through the entire program! Brent was so kind to surprise us with tickets! It's actually the first time Brent and I have gone to an Artist Series together as well...so it's special all around!

How Ironic is that?!?

Just the other day I sent an email to my friend, Marsel who lives in Atlanta, talking about our lives here and how the Lord has allowed me to adjust rather easily...even for a city girl living in the middle of the Northwoods. I told her that we see several deer just about every day in our yard, but thankfully no bobcats, bears, or wolves yet this year...that we know of. But, last night as we were pulling into our driveway (we have a rather long drive) after church, a bobcat shot right in front of our van! It was booking it, but we got a clear look at it, and there's no denying it...a bobcat! As we drove up to our house, a mouse ran in front of our van and we saw 3 deer take off, as well! I told Brent about the email to Marsel and that I was definitely going to be on the look out for those bears and wolves, now, too! And one other thing that I saw the other evening at dusk was a bat...they are so common around here that people actually gather on top of some hill just over in Michigan and watch them swarm out of caves come spring time. Bears? Wolves? Bring 'em on...but no matter how common they are, I'm not sure I'll ever be okay with bats! or mice for that fact! 94 days and counting!!!

Am I really still that far away for "D-Day?"

I put the counter on my blog to encourage me...but let me tell you...everytime I look at it, I still can't believe how much longer I have to wait to meet our baby! My pregnancy is going relatively smoothly right now, but I can't believe I still have 103 days!!! I'm hoping it works like our engagement time went...once we hit 100 days left, the time flew by! But I do have to say that there's a lot that will happen to me physically before the 100 days are left until "D-Day!" My kids keep asking me how much bigger I'm going to get (as if they can't imagine me getting any bigger than I already am!) Daniel thinks it's really funny that he can't get his arms around my waist anymore...I'm not so humored, to say the least!

But on a happier note, we're getting our new furnace and water heater today! That's a huge blessing to see the Lord replace our 28 year old furnace with a brand new, much more efficient, propane furnace. Our old furnace is fuel oil which is dirty and needs much servicing...God is so good to meet our needs and provide us with a new propane water heater, too. The men say that it should cut our electric bill each month by $40-$50!!!

As an ode to my "City-Girlishness" the biggest dilema for me was where to place the big white propane tank so it would be seen the least amount...everyone here has a huge white propane tank in their yard...it's as common to see those as it is deer! But the men who set up the tank told me I could put a cute little white fence with flowers around it to hide it if I wanted. They even said we could paint a scene on it if we wanted (they clearly don't know that I will probably end up doing just that!) The kids and I decided we'd do it half princess and half hot wheels to make everyone happy! Now...just to convince Brent that pink and purple with hot wheel flames is better than plain white! Like that will ever happen!!!

Some helpful info to help you out!

There are definite perks to being part of a techno geek family! One of them is being able to ask your husband just about anything you want to know about the internet, and he has the answers! Here's my latest question and the answer that I thought you might find helpful and interesting. It didn't take a rocket science to figure it out, but I wasn't sure what to google to find the right websites...enter my knight in shining armor!

There are some very helpful websites to aid in wading through the email warnings you get. There are some really sick people in the world who are willing to do whatever to scam you...who's not aware of all the phishing expeditions people go on!?! But there are also some very well-intentioned people who send on fake warnings or promises of riches from huge companies that are absolutely not true! I've included some websites Brent suggested that will tell you whether or not the email is valid. They all seem to want you to subscribe to their site for a fee, but you can search for free. They'll give you the info you want without a subscription. Two user-friendly, don't need a degree in computer science, websites to use include:
http://www.truthorfiction.com
http://scambusters.org

Hope this info helps! I plan on using these sites often, mostly out of curiosity than trying to make millions from Microsoft!

Saturdays are the best!

Yes...I realize it's Thursday, and I'm a bit behind on the posting! Humor me...I'm pregnant! Anyways...We had such a great day on Saturday! We slept in, watched cartoons, put legos together, played croquet, and then ended up at Dairy Queen for blizzards (as if we won't get our fair share of those soon enough, heh?!?) The highlight I think was just spending the day together doing activity after activity as a family! The weather was beautiful, too. Grandma and Grandpa Kelley bought Daniel a croquet set for his birthday and we were able to play several games! Must admit I didn't do too badly for my first try. Of course, Brent won...he always does...it's no fair! but I came in second...not bad unless you consider I beat a 7 year old and a 4 year old! Our coordination levels are pretty much the same (the kids and I...not Brent and I!) It was such great family time--and it was all free to us! We had coupons for Dairy Queen BOGO Free and gift certificates! You can't beat that!

I'm all for being unique, but perhaps I should not encourage this!

Hannah decided that her capris and t-shirt were not unique enough the other day, so she decided she would add her own touches to her wardrobe. Yes...those are striped capris, a polka-dot skirt, her slip, a hot pink long sleeved t-shirt and a sweater! She was quite proud of herself when she came into my room to show me her latest design! Daniel and I got a kick out of it...You know you're into blogging when your kids suggest putting something like this on our blog!

Everything's On Fire!!!

I LOVE THE FALL AROUND HERE!!! That's a huge change from what I usually have to say, ("Where in the world are we?!?") I forgot how beautiful the colors get right about now! On our way to church in Norway seems to be the best! Coming over the hill and then crossing the Menominee River into Michigan is breathtaking. (Yes...not only do we have to go to another state to do our grocery shopping, but to get to church, too!) The kids and I agree that the colors are so bright and varied that it looks like the trees are on fire.

This is probably the last week or 2 before the leaves fall and raking begins, so I thought I'd drag the kiddos through the dew laden grass and get their feet good and soaked before we left for church this morning. It was hard to get them to stand still...they kept getting giddy about the fun they'll soon be having jumping in the leaves! (Sounds like another blog entry in the making!)

These pics were taken in our back yard this morning...no matter how super-imposed they look!

Where in the World are We???

346 AM CDT THU SEP 28 2006
...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 8 AM CDT
FRIDAY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREEN BAY HAS ISSUED A FREEZE
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 8 AM CDT
FRIDAY.
TEMPERATURES WILL FALL BELOW FREEZING TONIGHT ACROSS NORTH
CENTRAL WISCONSIN...WITH SEVERAL LOCATIONS FALLING INTO THE UPPER 20S.
A FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE IMMINENT OR
HIGHLY LIKELY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL KILL CROPS AND OTHER
SENSITIVE VEGETATION.

This was staring me in the face when I logged on to my yahoo homepage this morning!
The low tonight is 30 degrees!!!  Where in the world are we that it gets this cold
in September?!?

Now he's all grown up!

Yesterday was Daniel's 7th birthday...I made him put church clothes on for all the birthday pictures and did my best to make him look presentable...but he still looked so little! But today I gave him a haircut and I'm amazed at how old he suddenly looks! He's got this strange collick (doesn't every little boy) at the crown of his head so I was trying to get it to stay down for church tonight. I stood him in front of the mirror in the bathroom, moussed him up, and took the blow dryer to him. And then the hairspray came out. I thought to myself, will he not be obsessing over his hair soon enough without any help from me?!? One of those sappy mom moments realizing that he's growing up whether I like it or not.

One of the things that Brent has reminded me of since the day he was born (Daniel, not Brent!) is that we are raising our children to be independent of us...to function as a godly adult without our help (someday!) I had a good cry as I realized that exact thing is happening....he's growing up...it won't be long and he'll be doing his dead level best to get his hair to stand up on end no matter how hard I try to get it to lay down! It's a sobering reality to think that 7 years have gone by...I can never get that time back (I can be really profound sometimes, heh?!?) But it's such a good reminder to be spending each moment I can instilling God's Word into my children and training them to depend on the Lord and not on me!

My baby is growing up!!!

It's so hard to believe that Daniel is 7 years old! It really does seem like such a short time ago that he was toddling around our home in Chicago, but now he's begging me to change this title so he's not being called my baby anymore! It reminds me of that book "Love you Forever" It's a kids' book that talks about the little boy's mom and how much she loves him even as he grows up...It's a goofy story, but sweet and usually chokes me up! My favorite line from it is, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be!" He may be 7 years old, but he still crawls into my lap from time to time (those times are getting fewer and farther between) and loves to cuddle! It's quite sobering to listen to him reason and start to use real logic in his thinking. He's getting to be very observant (just like his Daddy!) and notices so much. I'm reminded now more than ever the importance of showing him a mommy (he would prefer "Mom") who loves the Lord and wants to please Him. I know it's always been true, but I'm struck more and more each day that we're in the big leagues now...we've got a Christian Man in the works here who we are striving to train to grow into a godly man who serves Him with all his heart...quite a sobering responsibility, heh?!?

Daniel loved being outside on our deck talking with Brent while dinner was on the grill!







After 3 pictures with Daniel's eyes closed or half open, he decided to make sure that he had his eyes open for this picture so he could finally eat!






Between both sets of grandparents, aunts and uncles, and parents, Daniel made out with a lot of loot for his birthday! He was so excited to tear into the packages and see what he got! We let him decide if we would have cake first or open presents first...no surprise he chose the presents, while Hannah was wanting the cake :-)!




No trying to bug his eyes for this picture...this is pure surprise and excitement when he saw that Grandma and Grandpa Kelley had gotten him his very own croquet set. Daniel loves to play croquet when he visits Grandma and Grandpa Griffin...now he can play whenever...especially if he doesn't mind playing in the snow!




Daniel wanted steak for his birthday dinner so we splurged! We decided next year he was getting hotdogs since all he really wanted was A1...and oh yeah...he loves chewing on the bones!

We're clearly watching too much TV!!!

Hope this is not offensive to anyone, but I got such a kick out of this I had to share it! Daniel's studying the 13 original colonies and how they got started as part of his school work each day. I was sitting at my computer (in the same room with him) during his Heritage Studies lesson today. You can only imagine my surprise when Daniel started holering out what he thought was the right answer to his teacher's question. He was trying to say "Virginia" but kept saying "Viagra!" I know he has no clue what that is...just a word he's heard on far too many TV commercials, but he kept saying it!!! I obviously corrected him each time, but he could not get Virginia out instead of Viagra! What's this world coming to when 6 year old boys know about Viagra!?! Time to turn the TV off!!!

I need help...what do you think?!?

Wouldn't you know it would be a girl since Brent and I have no girl names that we both really like!!! We chose Daniel and Hannah based on the characters in the Bible, and although this one doesn't HAVE to be a Bible name, I'm thinking it's kind of weird to go against what we did with the first two. And of course we used the only two Bible names we both like on Hannah (Hannah Ruth)! We have teased about naming this girl Ruth Hannah, but Hannah doesn't care for that idea! So I'm trying to narrow it down (at least in my mind!) I've got to convince Brent that either Sarah or Charis (the greek work for grace) is right for our baby...which do you like better?!? I personally am leaning towards Sarah since I love how it sounds...these are our 2 daughters, Hannah and Sarah...both really "sweet" names...but I like Charis, too. Any thoughts? I'd love some feedback!

Well...the big news is...

We had our ultrasound today...and the good news is that they moved my due date up 5 days! So our new due date is Jan 28. And oh, yeah...they are about 85-90% sure that it's a GIRL!!! There was no evidence of "boy parts" but there was only slight evidence of "girl's parts" so that's why they are not sure...the umbilical cord got in the way several times...but they'll never say 100% sure either way. The best they'll ever say is 95%...so 85-90% is pretty good, in my book. The ultrasound tech said to go ahead and buy pink things, just keep the receipts! :-)

Dr. Ryan moved my due date because the baby is much bigger than average. My first ultrasound put me 5 days earlier so he went ahead and moved it since this ultrasound put me 5 days earlier as well. Even at the earlier due date, our baby is still 68th percentile, but this is no surprise since Daniel was 10 pounds 5 ounces and Hannah was 8pounds 11 ounces at two weeks early!

So all in all it's kind of anti-climactic...we kind of know, but not for sure! On the up side of having a big baby, the Ultrasound tech said I'd probably end up with another ultrasound to monitor the baby's size...perhaps we'll see more of our little one then!

I can't wait!

Can I just tell you how excited I am!!! Wednesday is our ultrasound and we're hoping to find out if there's a baby boy or girl kicking around inside of me!!! I'll be sure to post whatever we find out, but the suspense is killing me! And Daniel and Hannah are almost as excited as I am! We plan on making it a family bonding time, perhaps a quick trip to Walmart to buy something girl or boy after! I CAN'T WAIT!!!

It must be a Daddy thing!

It never fails...I'm in the kitchen fixing supper (okay...that part sometimes fails!) the kids hear the garage door open, they go running to meet Daddy as he comes in the basement from work, and the tackling ensues! Well...since he's been wearing suits to work once the new school year began, he changes first...and then the wrestling ensues! What is it with Daddies that make their kids want to tackle them?!? It's turning into a nightly routine. If it doesn't start before dinner, it definitely starts after dinner while I'm washing the dishes (sigh!) but I do have to say it's kind of nice to know they're having so much fun, and I get some time in the kitchen without the "help" of a certain 4 year old girl who loves to be under my elbows constantly! I'm told I'll miss that someday, but most days that's really hard to imagine :-)

It's back....

No picture for this blog (for which I am glad!)

I was just thinking the other day how nice, and strange, that we've not been awakened during the wee hours of the morning (being pregnant...wee hours of the morning have turned into just that !!!) by the howling of wolves. That was a huge adjustment when we moved here--hearing WILD animals close by. Our neighbor tried to tell us they were coyotes, but we've heard both...wolves have very different howls than the yips of coyotes. And then this morning at 4:15, I bolted upright in bed because of this piercing, incredibly loud, sounding like it was right outside our bedroom window, wolf howl! And not long after that some sort of yelp from some poor animal...where in the world are we?!? I know, I know...right where the Lord wants us to be...but come on...do I need to experience the food chain first hand?!? Needless to say, I was awake for quite some time this morning wondering how Brent could ever seriously expect me to camp in a tent after hearing something like that!

Daniel on the other hand was not so excited to start school...He was beggign to wait another week! But once he started watching the DVD's, he was excited that each class was so much shorter than last year. First grade combines reading and phonics so it's a much longer lesson...he hasn't figured out that more lessons, however short they are, actually add up to longer school days! I'm sure it won't take long for him to figure it out! But for now I'm going to enjoy all the excitement about doing his school work!

First Day of School

Yesterday was our first day of school for the kiddos. Hannah was so excited. She's been begging since summer began to start school, and she was disappointed that she only got to do one DVD since Daniel got to do so many more! She's been playing at the desk for weeks making it her little "home." It's amazing to me how much of a nesting instinct she has at just 4 years old! She put her supply box we made in one of the little cabinets, and her special folder (she chose the one with all the fancy shoes on it!) in the filing cabinet. She is so different than Daniel was at this age....he couldn't wait to be done so he could go play, but Hannah wanted to do all of her papers and color the ones that weren't for lesson one! She was so excited to show Brent her work when he came home. He gave her special stickers for her work which was a special treat for her, too! We'll see if the newness wears off any time soon!

Getting Ready for School

Daniel says, "We made a school supply box, and Daddy helped. I put M&M paper on the lid, and I put yellow, red, green, and blue on the sides. We put M&M People on the lid and sides and a string of balloons, and a string of people. It has my name on the front, D-A-N-I-E-L. My favorite part was putting the M&M people on it."
Hannah says, "My box says Hannah on it. I put stickers and buttons on it. Mommy helped me. I smeared the glue with my fingers. It was messy. I did not like getting messy. "
So we went to Wally-world today for our annual buying of the school supplies...We decided to think "out of the box" for our school supplies holder and get crafty. We ended up with paper mache boxes to decorate. It was quite the time, but turned out pretty nice. Now we'll have to see how well they hold up during school...the boxes that is, not the kids! We're set to start on Monday...ready or not...summer is over! We're that much closer to "D-Day!" (Delivery Day)

Goofy Grins!

Well, it's finally happened! Daniel has lost his 2 front teeth! He looks like a 7 year old boy through and through now. We were at my parents' house last week getting ready for church. The first one was so loose it was barely hanging on. I made him let me pull it out so it wouldn't come out in the middle of church and cause a huge scene! Let me tell you, I was missing Brent big time at that moment since I am not one for blood or gory things! But I bucked up and pulled it out. When we got home Daniel started messing with his other front tooth. Tuesday started out with it barely loose and by that evening he brought his tooth to me in his hand asking for a napkin for the blood. Had to post a picture of him since he looks so goofy without his 2 front teeth!

They're back and things are back to normal...well. as normal as we get around here!

We drove back from my parents on Wednesday, and I have to say, "It's good to be home!" We had a great time, but there's no place like home! (I feel like I should be clicking my heels together) The kids were away from home for almost 5 weeks, so it will take some time to get used to a normal routine around here again! Brent took today off and we went bowling in Iron Mountain. We went in the afternoon and practically had the entire place to ourselves! It was great...and we had a coupon/gift certificate so it was FREE!!! Even better, heh? Next week is inservice for the faculty/staff at Northland so that "normalcy" thing will be tossed out the window again! I may just wait until we're empty nesters to try and establish any sense of normalcy in our lives!

Thanks to all our family that we were able to spend time with these past few weeks! We had a great time! We are so glad that Daniel and Hannah got to spend time with Brent's Grandma in Ohio while they were staying with Brent's parents for 2 weeks. Great Grandma, Hannah says, "we miss you and I hope you're having fun." (Thanks for the fabric, too!) They had a great time with their cousins, too! Hope grandma's hillside recovers from the slip n' slide! And Aunt Suzie, Hannah's making scrapbooks for everyone now! She had a great time making one with you, and I love it, too! Will try to post a few pics soon of what's going on!

They're coming back soon!!!

My kiddos are coming back soon! They've been visiting Grandma and Grandpa Griffin in Ohio for the past week and a half or so, and I'm going to pick them up on Friday! Don't get me wrong, it's been a really nice break to have some quiet time around the house, but it will be even better to get them back! Who could have guessed I'd miss those little boogers so much?!?

I've been working hard the past couple of days trying to get work done around the house. I cleaned the garage out yesterday...not something I'd reccommend for the faint of heart! It was a chore, but looks great now that it's clean! I spray painted the ugly 70's door going into the basement...I now understand your spray paint addiction, Carissa! I couldn't stop! I kept looking around thinking..."Okay, what else needs some sprucing up?!?" Now I have to figure out how to get rid of all the junk that was in our garage! Watch out GAD...here I come...loaded for bear! (For those of you who don't know much about living in the middle of nowhere...GAD is the garbage place where we have to take all the extra things that won't fit in the bright orange bags we have to buy to get our garbage picked up...once every 2 weeks)

Next post will probably be all about the kids again...they seem to work their way into the spotlight...and my heart :-) (How's that for sap...I'm clearly missing them, heh?!?)

Having fun on vacation

We've been gone for 5 days now and having a great time! We left Sunday morning after SS to get Brent to the airport in time and then drove down to stay the evening with the Browns, dear friends in Chicago. We got up Monday a.m. and drove the rest of the way to my sister's in the very southernmost tip of Indiana. It was about a 6 hour drive which wasn't too bad--It's the first time I've driven alone with the kids for that length of time, but they are old enough to be able to switch the VCR tape...praise the Lord for modern technology! What would we do without travel TV's and VCR's?!?

My sister, Sheri, and I spent the entire day Tuesday shopping! It was GLORIOUS! I forget how much I love the mall! We went swimming at a friend of their's house on Wednesday--it was a great in-ground pool that my kids said was just like a hotel pool! It's been really nice to be able to spend time with my sister and her family. It's been almost a whole year since we've seen each other.

We're off to my in-laws tomorrow morning where Brent will meet us when he's finished with his conference in North Carolina. It will be really nice to be together again. Hope to blog again from their house. Thanks for all the kind notes about our upcoming baby! It still is almost surreal that we're starting over again--but we know this is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes! (It's even more marvelous now that I'm coming out of the morning sickness!) By the way...I had to go on an antibiotic for something since I've become pregnant. Hannah seemed a bit concerned about why I was taking medicine so I told her it was for the baby (to make it simple for a 4 year old!) She has been worse than Brent is about reminding me to take my medicine! The first thing she does in the morning is ask me if I've taken my medicine! She brings it to me and won't leave until she sees me take it! The other night I told her I'd take it after she went to bed, and then forgot to take it...she crawled into bed with me the next morning and woke me up to see if I had remembered to take it. When I told her I forgot, she said, "Mommy...what about the baby?!?" She's a better mother than I am! She's doing her daddy proud taking good care of me while he's gone!

This cracks me up!

A friend emailed these to me this morning and I had to share it with you all! You can especially relate if you've already gone through this birthing thing before...but it's still hilarious if you can't speak from firsthand experience! Enjoy!

Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough.

Q: I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q: What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's
borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?

Q: My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but
pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant.

Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in
labor?
A: Not unless the word "alimony" means anything to you.

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q: Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.

Q: Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act
normal again?
A: When the kids are in college

SURPRISE!!!

For those of you who have not yet heard the good news, the Lord has decided to surprise our family with another baby! Yep...we're expecting...again! We really thought we were good with one boy and one girl, but the Lord in His infinite wisdom knows that we need another one...so, here we go again! I had my first doctor's visit today and will be posting the Ultra Sound pics tomorrow (Daniel asked me to wait because he wants to help you decipher the different parts of the baby--but it's beddy-bye for them now!)
Hannah said something on the way home that just cracked us up! I told Brent, "That's one for the blog!" It went something like this: (btw, the kids are so excited about having a baby at our house...as long as it's a boy--says Daniel...or as long as it's a sister--so says Hannah!) So Brent and I were asking if they thought it would be a girl or boy which started a whole conversation about which would be better. I interupted the conversation to make sure they understood that it was God who decided the gender, and to remind them that God never makes mistakes and He would give us what was best. I had just gotten out, "God will give us what is best..." when Hannah piped up, "Probably a girl!" "Girl power" starts young nowadays!!!

And no...it's not twins! We had an ultra sound today to help clarify my due date...I'm right around 11 weeks along...due the first part of February--and there's only one! Phew!!!

We've sunk to a new low!

I have to say I am quite proud of myself and the adjustments to country life that I've made over the last year and a half. There are those who knew me who highly doubted whether or not I'd be able to survive, let alone be happy way up here, an hour and a half from the nearest mall! However I have risen above the adversity and actually come to enjoy our home and our quiet little life in the Northwoods...until last night! I am now ready to move back to civilization. Please...take me back to the city! I came out of a friend's house last night about 10:00 to find a snake in front of our van! A SNAKE!!! And it was rather dark outside and the snake was black so I had a hard time seeing where it was going or if it had not yet left! I'm sure I was a sight to behold stomping around in the gravel, banging on the hood of the van, and almost crying trying to make as much noise as possible to make sure it was far out of the way! I haven't jumped so high or so fast off the ground into the driver's seat of our van ever! I can handle almost hitting a coyote on the way home from the fireworks show on July 4. Staring down a bobcat in our yard--no problem. Having a bear in our yard--tolerable. I can even handle the sighting of a wolf in our neighbor's yard. But get me out of anywhere there's snakes! That's right up there with the dead mouse I found in our garbage can in the garage last spring. I now say more emphatically than ever, "Where in the world are we?!?" And as Brent always answers and I must remind myself, "Right where the Lord wants us to be."

What a busy week!

It's been a crazy busy with something going every night and most days, too! But we had a great time! The kiddos got to participate in the children's groups during family camp on campus each morning. It was a fun VBS style of daycamp sort of thing (how's that for a sentence!) I just hung out around campus talking with friends and enjoying the high speed connection :-) We finished up our Monday Night Bible Studies that Brent has been teaching at our church, Tuesday we got together with a bunch of church friends to watch the Norway fireworks, Wed was church, Thursday I tutor a boy in Math, and Friday was the huge Freedom Celebration at Northland. It was the highlight of the week for all of us--The fireworks were spectacular! And there was a carnival for the kids with all kinds of free games that proved to be a great time for sure! Today we went back to campus and were able to putt-putt. Brent took an hour off of work to go with us and we had some special family time. Of course Brent won, and I took second, Daniel was third, and Hannah took the prize for needing the most help--but she sure was cute putt-putting hockey style--she is so much like me it's almost scary!

You can run, but you can't hide

Joey...if there's one thing you need to learn now before you get yourself in any more fixes...when Mr. Griffin gets his mind set on something, there's no beating him! Trust me...I've tried and failed countless times! This is Joey Markham...he's our Pastor's oldest son...and he hates having his picture taken. He's quite the expert at dodging the camera...until Brent found out! It took a couple of laps around the church building and a few close calls cornered behind doors, but Brent finally was able to do what some people only dream about...get a candid of the elusive Joseph Markham! And we want the world to know that although his shirt looks blue...it's really a purple Taco Bell uniform! Come on, Joey, purple's not that bad...just think it could be purple and pink plaid...now that would be bad!

Fun at the Park

It's not everyday I post a picture of myself on our blog so enjoy the rare moment for the special thing that it is!

Saturday, Brent took the kids and I out to Marion Park for something different to do. We had a great time talking while the kids played on the playground. Can I tell you how much I love this guy?!? He thinks on such a different level than I do, but always does his best to explain such complex things in a way even I can understand it! He never gets frustrated with me and my silly attempts to help him with his work. I love listening to him and hearing his ideas of how things should work. There were so many single girls in our singles' group where we met...why he chose me, I'll never understand, but I'm so glad he did! He truly dwells with me according to knowledge...and trust me...figuring me out is not an easy chore!

The kids had a great time playing on the playground. There are some really fun things to do at Marion Park. Here they are sliding down the curly slide together before they go off to something else!

Daniel has just conquered the monkey bars and is quite proud of himself. It took a while for him to be able to do this without any help, but he's got the "hang" of it now (he-he-he!) Hannah will not be outdone by Daniel and really did want to do the monkey bars, too. And with a little bit of help from Daddy was able to make it all the way across, too...okay...alot of help from Daddy...she barely held on to the bars while Brent walked along supporting all of her weight!

Hannah has turned into quite the Daddy's girl lately. She almost always prefers Daddy over Mommy even when she's hurt and needs some loving! She's making up for lost time, I guess. Whatever it is, she sure knows how to melt Daddy's heart!

What in the World Is It?

One of the best things about living so far North is that there's a never-ending supply of strange and new-to-us creatures that we see! It's not unusual for us to see some creature that we've never seen before, and then get online and find out all about it!

Well, imagine my surprise when the kids came runnning into the kitchen from the deck yelling for me to come quick! I went out there to see what the hullabaloo was all about and came across 2 of these strange looking moth like things. One was on the side of our house and the other on our deck. They were clearly dead, but still a bit freakish, nonetheless! I've seen some pretty big moths around here...some that rival small bats, but never anything like this! (Does it scare anyone else like it scares me that I know what a bat looks like...from personal experience?!)

So off to the computer the kiddos and I went to find out what this strange thing was...who knew there were so many moths and butterflies in Wisconsin to sort through...and on dial-up even better! I was about to give up, when on a whim I decided to look up Luna Moth to see if by chance that's what this was...and sure enough...it's a luna moth! It's quite unusual for people to see them since they only fly at night and live only a week.

One of the best things about living in the country has been seeing our kids sense of wonder at the Lord's creation increase. Daniel often asks if we can look things up on the internet and learn about it...like the day we learned about a western fox SNAKE!!! that's a story for another blog!

Bowling never took so long!

It was taking forever for the ball to make it down the lane so the kids loved having the ramp to help their ball build up some momentum. Daniel was actually doing okay without it, but he liked aiming it much like you would on a video game!








Hannah and Daniel used a 9 pound ball...it was almost more than Hannah could handle. She started out wanting Brent to help her, but when she realized Daniel was doing it without help, she decided she was big enough to do it without help, too! "Daddy, can I go up by myself?" Miss Independent, I tell ya!






Hannah started out pushing the ball between her legs...it was taking around 40 seconds for her ball to make it down the lane. It was going so slowly by the time it got to the pins, the ball was barely able to knock them down! But she patiently waited each time until the ball made it down to the pins. I wonder where she picked up the hands on her hips thing?!?




Daddy's little princess! We had such a great time....Northland gave everyone certificates for 2 hours of bowling, free shoes, etc. that the bowling ally in town donated to the college. We had a great time...and the best part...it was free :-) Well, the best part may have actually been bowling with children and having an excuse to use the gutter guards! For the first time in my life...the gutter queen had a gutter free game and actually broke 100!!! Clearly, shopping is much more my thing than any sort of sport!

Finally...I'm back to posting!

Sorry for the long delay since the last post. Brent changed some things on the printer to help me out, and I thought I couldn't use the printer to download pictures from my camera...Duh...it took a week to figure out that I could still do it the old fashioned way with the cable! Thankfully Brent is smart enough for both of us--because there are days when I'm barely smart enough to make blonde status :-)

Daniel and Hannah matched yesterday for church! Navy and White is such a sharp look! And a friend at church had a very similar dress as Hannah's on so they were excited to be twins!

Daddy, please don't do that!

So Hannah played basketball with us, too, on Saturday. She was on Mommy's team against Daddy and Daniel. She clearly does not get the idea of personal fouls, but had fun nonetheless! Everytime Brent would try to block her or get in her way, she would stop and say, "Daddy, please don't do that!" What Daddy could resist such a plea? Certainly not Brent...especially since he knew very well that our team would need all the help we could get! I'm afraid she's going to end up just like me...her idea of sports includes running up and down the mall being the first to spot the best bargain! Don't worry...she's got the world's best shopping coach!