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!

Polish Basketball .in June...or is it February!?!

We had a great time Saturday playing basketball in our driveway with Daddy! Funny thing is that the game hardly resembled basketball and the weather hardly resembled June! We got a kick out of Daniel, who is used to wearing shorts lately, being cold enough that he went and got his winter coat on! Shorts, sandals, and a winter coat? Only in the northwoods of Wisconsin where it was 35 degrees Saturday night! But we can't complain because it's only been in the mid 70's during the day which is beautiful! So Great Grandma...yes, it's cold at night, but you'd love the weather in the daytime! and my 2 tomato plants and 1 cucumber plant that I've planted to see if I can make them grow before I commit to a real garden next year survived with no frost damage! And unfortunately all the weeds that we "Yoopers" like to call our flower gardens survived, too!

Aren't they a bit young for this?

I've had a couple of those sappy hallmark moments recently and wanted to share them...

The other day I was talking with Daniel and told him to tell someone that "Mommy had said..." He looked at me quite innocently and said, "Can I say 'Mom'?" And we were writing a note to Brent from the kids and myself and signed it Daniel, Hannah, and Mommy. He asked me to cross out the "-my" and have it say "Mom" instead! He's only 6 but doesn't want to call me Mommy any more!!!

And Hannah the other day said to me when I was fixing her hair, "No, Mommy...I don't like it like that!" And then yesterday she said, "Mommy, can you make me look cute?" (meaning she wanted 2 little pig tails instead of the one pony tail I was putting in) Isn't 4 a bit too young to have an opinion about how I do her hair?!?

Perhaps I'm just getting a bit sappy about my kids growing up all of a sudden! Talk about feeling old!

Hannah's Latest Passion

Our sweet little Hannah has taken up coloring, and do we mean taken up coloring! I found this little desk (and a yellow one for Daniel) at a garage sale recently thinking they would use them in the car while we took road trips. However, Hannah carries hers everywhere! She loves keeping her coloring books and crayons (except for the ones she keeps in her purse which is always next to her and her desk) in the side pockets. She takes it out to the swing set, the front porch, the car, the garage...and tries to sneak coloring is whenever possible...here she is right after her bath! She started out making everything one color, but has since progressed to making everything as colorful as possible. Her favorite thing to say to me lately is, "Mommy will you teach me to color like you?" Who can resist? And it has provided some great one on one time with her. Tonight we sat and colored together and sang and talked about God being so good to us. With precious times like this, who can't help but stop and praise God for being so good! Now if only I could fit under the desk like she does! :-)