So's My Saucer

Miscellaneous Moments

2012-01-01T09:18:00.002-05:00

These are just a few pictures from the end of 2011 of some sweet moments between my three favorite kiddos. No explanation necessary!

End of the Year Recap

2011-12-31T20:07:00.009-05:00

I know, I know, I'm a terrible blogger...blah, blah, blah. I have no excuses except laziness and lack of motivation. I've just not been in the mood to blog...and yet there is this nagging guilt in the back of my mind that reminds me that this is all I've got for recording my family's memories. Blank baby books sit on shelves; I haven't had a photo printed in YEARS, unless I have a specific purpose for one here or there so, needless to say, photo albums are nonexistent after Gabbie's second year of life.

That leaves this blog. And I don't even think anyone reads here anymore (except for my hubby because I tell him to check it out the second I hit publish on a new post--hi, Danny!) but I'm doing this for my kids. And myself. I actually feel semi-creative and inspired when I spend my time here (but obviously, that feeling doesn't last very long).

So, I won't be making any New Year's resolutions about blogging more regularly...I will consider it an accomplishment if I do a quick catch-up post once a month or so...but I will at least try for my own catharsis. So, here we go with a quick rundown of Fall 2011 in our neck of the woods:

Gabbie's First Day of School

Gabbie is a Kindergartner. It came as no surprise to us, but she is flourishing in school and the entire experience (so far) has far exceeded our expectations. Danny & I (okay, mostly me) agonized over our decision on how to best educate her this year and, in the end, we felt that public school was the right option at this point in our lives. I won't go into all of the details or reasoning (but I'd be more than happy to chat/email about it, if you're curious), but it was/is a decision we are completely at peace with.

Her teacher is an absolutely perfect fit--not only for Gabbie, but also for her slightly neurotic mom--and is really challenging Gabbie--not only academically, but in developing her into a better human being. And we couldn't be more pleased.

Gabbie has made many new friends and, in the process, Danny & I have also gained new friends with their parents and grandparents. We feel more connected to our little community than ever and pray that we will use these opportunities to bring God the most glory by any means necessary.

A couple of closing thoughts on the whole school thing: First, when we decided to enroll Gabbie in school, we also committed to being as involved as we possibly could in her education. For me, that has meant being the co-room mom for her class and volunteering in her classroom as an extra set of hands for her teacher. For Danny, it has meant helping out A LOT with drop-off and pick-up (there are no buses in our little town so everyone walks/drives to school which isn't always the most convenient thing with three kids) and also showing up to "surprise" her (and her friends) once a month or so in the school cafeteria for lunch.

I am so thankful for Danny's willingness to have an active part in our children's lives and that he takes great delight in spending special time with our kids. He is simply the best! And you better believe Gabbie LOVES every minute of her lunch dates with Daddy (he'll take it while he can get it!).

Onto the good stuff!

(Crazy Sock Day)

(Hat Day)

(A Thanksgiving turkey project)

(Holiday Party/Pajama Day)

(Gabbie and her student teacher, Miss M, on Miss M's last day.)

Trip to Tennessee

I hardly have any pictures of this trip because we were so busy just soaking up the love with our family and friends but it was a great time! It was our first time down since Jonah was born and we followed the lead of our brother- and sister-in-law and drove through the night on the way down. Danny didn't love it (he did all of the driving) but he was a trouper and agreed that it was SO nice to not hear a peep the whole way down and the first time the kids opened their eyes, we were about 20 minutes from his house! We did the drive back home during the daytime and although the kids didn't sleep the whole time, they were so, so, so well behaved!

Halloween

Not much to say about this holiday except that I scored Luke's costume for $3.75 the day before Halloween and the other two kids wore old costumes we had lying around the house--hooray for a bargain! We enjoy trick-or-treating as a family and visiting with some neighbors whom we wouldn't see otherwise and, if I remember correctly, the weather was just perfect. Lots of fun!

Christmas

Christmas was bittersweet this year as we said goodbye to Grandma Norquist after a long battle with cancer but some of the pain was lessened as we were surrounded by family we don't get to see very often.

The kids are all at great ages for Christmas and we enjoyed many sweets and treats of the season! Each day of the holiday season was magical to them and I don't know who was more excited for the long-awaited gifts--them or me! So much fun, celebrating this time of year with kids!

Well, that's my (long-winded) recap of the end of 2011. I will be back to post a few miscellaneous pictures and videos that didn't quite fit into this post.

I make no promises about my blogging habits in 2012, but I know regardless of what makes the blog, memories are still being made every day.

Happy New Year!

Things I don't want to forget...

2011-10-05T20:09:00.002-04:00

**For the record, I wrote this post 6+ months ago and never posted it. I'm throwing it up here now so that I have it for posterity's sake.

Gabbie: (with her hand over her racing heart) Wow, Mom, you have to feel this. God's really running around in there!

Gabbie: (referring to one of the numbers in her dance recital) Do you think we'll get to see the "Wizard of Odd" at rehearsal?

While playing outside, I spotted one of the hundreds of rabbits that live in our yard. "Jonah, do you see the bunny rabbit?" I asked. Thinking I was talking about something else, Jonah lifted his shirt and searched for his belly button.

Gabbie: (while watching Luke play a bowling game on my phone) C'mon, Luke. Put some mustard [muscle] in it.

Luke: (whining while watching TV during Jonah's naptime) Moooommmmmyyy! I don't want to watch this movie. I'm allergic to it. [*cough cough*]

Summer Recap

2011-09-22T15:35:00.002-04:00

It may have been quiet around this ol' blog lately but that's not a reflection of our lives this summer. As we're currently engrossed in our newest phase of life--GABBIE'S IN KINDERGARTEN!!!--there is no way I will ever sit down to blog about each summer activity individually, so here is a mishmash post of everything we've been up to these past few months...

Gabbie:

Gabbie is a lean, mean, reading machine! She started with very basic Dick & Jane books in March or April and is now reading Magic Tree House chapter books with little-to-no help. She amazes us every day with all that she can read and comprehend...and nothing is safe anymore! She reads my texts, she can figure out what Danny and I are saying if we try and S-P-E-L-L things out in front of the kids, and heaven forbid you try and check your email in front of her--good thing we have no secrets!

Gabbie also got her ears pierced this summer. We have always, jokingly, asked her every time we were at the mall if she wanted to get them done and one day she just said yes. I was a little leery when she did it because the store only had one "ear piercer" on staff that day which meant she had to get her ears done one at a time. I was worried she'd chicken out after the first earring and then we'd have a real problem on our hands. As it turned out, she did just fine with the piercings and put up more of a fight with me having to clean them three times a day for the next six weeks. We're past all of that now and she loves her little bit of ear bling.

Luke:

Luke is very into make-believe right now and is always one of the following characters at any point in a given day: firefighter, cowboy, golfer, basketball player, baseball player, football player, David (of "David & Goliath"), or Buzz "Lipe"-year (as he pronounces it). It's hard to keep up and if we don't refer to him as the proper character, he will either correct us or ignore us completely. It's a very serious thing!

Luke's big accomplishment this summer has been potty training! We started right after our trip to Myrtle Beach and he caught on pretty quickly. He now gets on and off the potty by himself and doesn't need help with his pants or underwear. We are so proud of him can't believe how big he's getting!

Jonah:

Where do I start with Jonah? This is such a fun age as he seems to change and mature in leaps and bounds. He is talking up a STORM and even gives Gabbie a run for her money. The clarity of his words is astounding and his comprehension is amazing. He has such a great personality and is a very funny little guy. He loves to make us laugh and always has time to give a hug and a kiss. I am really looking forward to Luke & Jonah's budding relationship as they spend much more quality time together while Gabbie is in school.

Jonah had his first haircut this summer. No more wild curls for this boy! He looks so grown up now. He did okay at the salon. He started out sitting in the cool race car chair but ended up in my lap for most of the actual hair cut. We gave him a lollipop (his first) which really helped him sit still. (I took all three kids to the salon without Danny so Gabbie had to take pictures for me since I was holding Jonah.)

Family:

We enjoyed a week down in Cape May, as is our summer tradition, and this year did not disappoint. Apparently, it was the only week of the entire summer that it rained nearly every day but that didn't stop us from being out and about. We spent a day at the beach, the zoo, the boardwalk, Storybook Land, and of course, Wildwood. I didn't take many pictures that week but I did get a few.

Church:

We're currently in the thick of an outreach-oriented fall but I wanted to highlight a few special summer events that always mean a lot to our family. We had our annual VBS with a Jonah theme called "Wet & Wild Week." We saw around 80 kids over the course of the week and raised over $600 for a family in our church who will soon be full time missionaries in Haiti. The kids had a great time and for my kids, particularly, this is the highlight of their entire summer.

We also had our annual "Friends & Family Picnic" at a local park and had around 140 people attend. This is always one of my favorite events at our church. The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, and the time with friends is priceless. Such a fun and easy way to reach out to people who might not attend a church service but have no problem hanging at a cookout. Lots of fun!

Hope your summer was a good one!

Toes in the Sand

2011-07-22T14:19:00.003-04:00

Our family recently (okay, like three weeks ago) returned from a fabulous vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This trip was a Christmas gift from my parents to my siblings and me which resulted in each member of my immediate family (and their respective spouses and children) to be in the same place, at the same time, for the first time in a long time.

We stayed at this resort years ago, when Gabbie was barely walking and she was the only grandchild. This most recent trip was even more fun with more kids (my brother and his wife have two girls who are the same ages as Luke and Jonah) and lots of downtime which was spent relaxing on the beach, splashing in one of the six pools, or cruising the lazy river. We rarely left the resort grounds during the day, as there was so much to do. At night, we'd gather in one of our condos (my family had one, my brother and his family had another, and my sister and her hubby shared one with my parents and my dad's mom) to play cards or just hang out.

Certain nights of the week were designated "Boys Night" (they played a Par 3 golf course), "Girls Night" (we went to The Melting Pot for cheese and chocolate), and "Couples Night" (my siblings and I triple-dated to Broadway at the Beach for late night appetizers and desserts). These were all adult-only activities that took place after the kids were in bed, but we also went to the boardwalk one night with the kids and took them miniature golfing another night.

The week was awesome with the perfect mix of activity and relaxation. I didn't take many pictures because, in my experience, cameras and beaches/pools don't mix but I did mentally note a few great memories and milestones our family experienced on this trip:

All three kids had their first airplane ride. Gabbie & Luke loved it (Luke has said for a long time now that he wants to be a pilot when he grows up) and Jonah did well, considering his age. He was fidgety and the ride back was well past his bedtime but he eventually passed out, much to the relief of the entire cabin--ha!

We very quickly became accustomed to the awesomeness of living next door to cousins! I loved hearing that little knock on our front door each morning and opening it to find Ella, still in her pajamas, asking if she could come hang out. Everyone got along beautifully; there was not one ounce of jealousy or bickering all week long.

Going into this trip, I knew there was one X-Factor that could make or break the entire vacation: the beach. Last summer, we somehow spent a week in Cape May without barely stepping a foot in the sand. Gabbie was terrified of the ocean and Luke despised both the water and the sand. I had no idea how they would respond this year but I talked it up for weeks leading up to the trip and, thankfully, it paid off. Gabbie & Luke LOVED both the beach and the pools (Luke has never been a fan of water--even baths) and Danny and I were delighted to watch our kids roll around in the sand, build castles, and jump over waves. By the end of the week, Luke was even "swimming" around in the adult pool and floating along the lazy river with the rest of us. Huge!

Unlike his older siblings, we discovered that Jonah is FEARLESS when it comes to bodies of water. He did not like being held in the pool and spent much of his time trying to wriggle out of our arms. When he discovered the ocean, we had to watch him like a hawk because he would charge, full steam ahead, into the water and never look back. He also seems to find water extremely relaxing because one afternoon he was floating along in the pool in his little turtle raft and the next thing we know, he's slumped over--sound asleep. He also fell asleep on Danny in the ocean. Jonah knows how to live it up on vacation!

Uncle Jon's magnificent magic tricks were a big hit with the kids. If you know my brother, you know he's a total goof, so he's automatically a kid-magnet. He bought a little magic kit while we were down there and performed his (lame) tricks for the kids which they thought were AMAZING. My kids are still talking about it and begging us to tell them how he did it.

And, of course, just spending time with family--our little clan and the extended crew--was, by far, the highlight of the entire week.

Thank you, Mom & Dad, for an incredible trip!

I found this...

2011-06-20T15:00:00.001-04:00

...hanging on our living room wall the other day:

Under Gabbie's handwritten name, it reads: "God is my strength."

We pray this is always true for you, Gabs!

"Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Psalm 73:25-26

A Decade

2011-06-17T07:00:00.004-04:00

Today is Danny & my tenth wedding anniversary. I've said it to him before, but we've had more major life-changes in the past 10 years than we may ever have in any other decade of our lives. Here are a few fun facts from our first 10 years:

We were married and both completed our undergrad degrees.
Danny started and finished his MDiv.
We've both worked numerous jobs while the other was in school and in 10 years of marriage, we've only both worked full time, at the same time, for nine months (during my pregnancy with Gabbie).
We've had three beautiful, healthy babies.
We've lived in three different states, in four different apartments/houses.
Danny has served on staff at three churches; first as a youth director, then as a pastor of outreach, and now as a pastor/church planter.

I'd say it's been a busy 10 years!

Honestly, hardly a day goes by where I don't thank God for the beautiful life He's given me. Danny is far and away my best friend and our commitment to and love for each other only deepens with each passing year. I'm excited to be celebrating 10 years today and look forward to the next 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 years with my incredible husband.

Happy Anniversary, Danny!

⁶ Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.
⁷ Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of one’s house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.
Song of Solomon 8:6-7

A Particular Church

2011-06-13T14:00:00.004-04:00

This is old news to most of you who know us in real life, but since I occasionally use this blog to chronicle our ministry life, I certainly couldn't let this quietly slip by.

Three years ago, Danny was called to serve as the church-planting pastor of New Beginnings Bible Fellowship Church. At the time, this group of around 35 believers was meeting and worshiping in a newly-leased office suite in Woodbury Heights, NJ (to read more about the history of New Beginnings, see this post).

Today, by the grace of God, this Body has grown to an average attendance of 115 on Sunday mornings and is ready to take on a fully, self-supporting role. To that end, at the BFC's annual conference in April, our church was recognized and received into our denomination as a "particular church" (as opposed to a "mission church").

We had a group of 40 church members travel two and a half hours to the Pocono Mountains where the conference is held. It was a poignant evening as we celebrated what the Lord has done, not only with our church but also through a fellow mission church that was also received into the denomination that night.

Then, on May 15, we held a chartering and installation service at New Beginnings where a group of 175 people--consisting of BFC pastors, church members, friends, and family--gathered to praise the Lord for His faithfulness to us in the past, as well as to encourage us as we look toward the future. Our church hosted a lovely reception after the service at a local catering hall and it was so much fun catching up with old friends and meeting some new ones, too!

It's amazing to look back and see all that God has accomplished in three short years--not just in the life of our church but in our personal lives, as well. I don't have the words to adequately describe all that we've learned, witnessed, and experienced, but I will say that it's been an awesome adventure. Danny & I had no idea what we were in for three years ago when he accepted the call to New Beginnings; we left the stability of a staff position at an established church--living minutes from family and friends I had known all my life--to move to NEW JERSEY (ha!) due to an unmistakable calling we felt the Lord clearly leading us to. I am immensely proud of my husband for his integrity and conviction as he leads this church but especially for his devotion to our family, first, as we seek to glorify God through our marriage and in our parenting.

Thank you, New Beginnings, for loving, encouraging, and most of all, serving the Lord alongside of us. The last three years have been incredible but we know the best is yet to come!

Monkey Business

2011-06-06T15:00:00.003-04:00

I spend all day, every day removing Jonah from the following situations:

Good thing he's cute!

A Star is Born

2011-06-03T15:00:00.005-04:00

Gabbie had her first dance recital on Saturday and oooooohhhh, we were so proud. I have great childhood memories of my recitals and was hoping that she would enjoy her first experience as much as I did. I think it's safe to say that she loved every minute of it!

She tap danced her little heart out--not once but twice--for two different performances. She looked adorable in her costume and SO grown up in makeup. Her entire class did an awesome job thanks to their amazing teacher, Ms. Stacey.

Probably even more than being on stage, Gabbie loved watching the other classes perform (especially the older kids). This dance studio is unique in that it offers different types of classes including several classes for special needs children and options such as "cheer dance" and musical theater (which Gabbie is DYING to take once she's old enough). The recital was very entertaining; we can't wait for next year!

**Watch Gabbie perform her dance at dress rehearsal! But first, don't forget to scroll down to the bottom of the blog to pause the music so you can hear the video!

Bedtime

2011-05-30T07:00:00.005-04:00

Every night after I finish tucking these two into bed...

They roll toward each other and drift off to dreamland like this...

Best friends.

No Greater Joy

2011-05-26T13:18:00.002-04:00

Last night, May 25, 2011, the Lord allowed me the greatest privilege I could ever experience as a parent when I witnessed my firstborn ask Jesus to be the Lord & Savior of her life.

What started with a barrage of questions right before bedtime ("How can God hear everyone at once?" "Why can't we hear Him?" "How does He talk to us?"), ended with a prayer of repentance that forever changed her eternal destiny--or, as Gabbie likes to put it, "a party in Heaven" as the angels rejoiced over a new life in Christ.

I could share all the details of our special moment here, but I will instead give you Danny's words as he blogged so eloquently this morning:

Into my heart, into my heart, Come into my heart, Lord Jesus;
Come in today, come in to stay, Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

In Christ's final week on earth, Jesus quoted from Psalm 8:2 just after driving out the money-changers and healing the blind and lame who came out to him. Jesus said, "Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise" (Matthew 21:16). What is abundantly clear throughout the Gospel narratives is summed up in the words of James 4:6: God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Jesus came on a rescue mission to save sinners, help the hurting, and bind up the brokenhearted. He came to reveal the loving heart of a holy God so that the sin-stained hearts of men might be changed.

This morning, after getting the kiddos out of bed and making their breakfast, Gabbie turned to me and said with a huge grin on her face, "Daddy, I asked Jesus to come and live inside my heart last night. I told Jesus that I love him and that I want to live with him forever!" W...O...W...! Needless to say, my heart melted and tears filled up in my eyes, and I gave Gabbie a big hug and told her how much I loved her and how much God loves her. I went over the basics of the gospel message and sure enough she scored a 100%. Just before I had to leave the house she said to me, "Daddy, Luke and I gave Jesus a hug and a kiss last night." How amazing is that?! Gabbie has displayed an understanding of the gospel for some time now, but today, for the first time, I heard in her a budding desire for God.

Apparently last night, Laurie had the wonderful opportunity to talk extensively with both Luke and Gabbie about God's holiness, man's need, God's provision, and man's responsibility. Gabbie, even at a tender five years-old, recognized God's infinite worth and her own need to be rescued from the penalty of sin. Gabbie wanted to tell me about her encounter with God herself because "she knew it would make me very happy". What a way to start the day!

God is so good, and He is so faithful. He has blessed us with three incredible children and has placed on us a tremendous responsibility to demonstrate the true, faith-walk of a Christian, to teach them about God from His written Word, and to point them to both the reality of their sinfulness and God's provision for their sin. Laurie and I have carefully and intentionally--albeit not perfectly--sought to display and declare God's love to our children.

I remember back to my childhood and to all the times I emotionally called out to God. It can be hard for a child who is blessed by God to be in a loving, "Christian" environment and knows the right thing(s) to do, to have a proper foundation and understanding of the basis of their salvation. It took me many years to realize that it wasn't a magic prayer that "saved me". It wasn't my involvement at church or even my behavior that identified me as a child of God. It took me a while to realize that "feelings" are a part of faith but not the primary evidence of faith. Salvation is the result of God's amazing love extended in Christ colliding with the Spirit-induced conviction of sin in man, his repentance, and acceptance of Christ's sufficient work on the cross. Theologians and Bible scholars have written libraries on this most incredible subject, and yet even the smallest little child can come to simply understand that their Creator loves them and wants to be loved by them in return.

Will Laurie and I do anything differently now that Gabbie has said "the prayer"? Nope. We will continue to include God in as much of the "daily happenings" as possible. We will continue to pray, read, and worship together. We will continue to talk about our need to show and declare God's love to others. We will continue to talk about our need to participate in God's family, the church. Now, we will probably begin to talk about baptism and it's meaning and significance for those who belong to Christ by faith and realize the importance of publicly identifying with Him. And, in time, we will encourage Gabbie to follow Christ in believer's baptism. Essentially, we will continue to speak the gospel to each other--day in and day out--for the glory of God and for our growth as a family.

Thank you, God, for working in my family and especially in the life of Gabbie. May her life be filled with the fruit of true faith for your glory.

"Here Comes Peter Cottontail..."

2011-05-25T07:00:00.002-04:00

Although, we don't "do" the bunny thing here, we still managed to enjoy our Easter Sunday with a few traditions at our house and ending with dinner at Marmie's & Poppy's house. It was a beautiful day--one in which (I hope) we instilled in our kids a bit more of why we celebrate this fundamental day.

All dressed up.

Jellybean hunt!

Sampling their treasure.

Luke was not a fan.

Found her hidden Easter basket!

Hope your Easter was as sweet as ours!

A Day in the Life

2011-05-23T15:00:00.001-04:00

These pictures are now a couple of months old (due to a major slacking on my part) but I wanted to get them up on the blog for posterity's sake.

This is why it is nearly impossible to get a decent picture of all three kids at once when all they want to do is this...

Bunch of wackadoos.

A Bouncy Birthday

2011-04-28T20:00:00.002-04:00

Although it was a month ago, Jonah's first birthday party was a [cake-]smashing success! As I mentioned in my last post, we had the party during Tim & Haley's visit which made it extra-special since we never get to celebrate each others' kids' birthdays in person.

We held the party at church to accommodate all the kids and extended family. Just days earlier, my mom bought the kids an AMAZINGLY AWESOME moon bounce which we set up in the back of the sanctuary and let the kids jump to their hearts' content.

My favorite part of each of my kids' first birthdays is watching their first taste of birthday cake. True to their personalities, it was love at first lick for Gabbie as she couldn't stuff the cake in her mouth fast enough; Luke, on the other hand, was much more cautious and took a few small bites before quickly deciding that cake wasn't worth the mess. Jonah's got more of Gabbie's free spirit in him so I knew he'd enjoy it--and he did! I don't think he ate the whole thing but what he did eat, he devoured.

Thanks to all who made Jonah's first birthday so special and happy birthday again to my big boy!

Big Love

2011-04-09T13:34:00.007-04:00

Last week, we had the joy of hosting Danny's brother, Tim, his wife, Haley, and their three kids: Emmy, 5, Addy, 2.5, and Lucy, 11 months, visiting from Tennessee. Unlike their last visit, during which we enjoyed various day trips, this time we went with a more laid-back approach (plus, the weather was COLD) and stayed close to home so that the little ones could have naps and keep a somewhat normal routine.

Even still, as you can imagine in a house full of six kids under the age of 5, there was never a dull moment. The themes for the week can be summed up in the words: NOISY, CHAOTIC, INSANITY. And while that is all true, the overarching theme for the week was truly LOVE. Our kids absolutely adore each other (as evidenced by the tears from our 5-year-old "teenagers" at the end of the week) and the bond between Tim, Haley, Danny, and me deepens each time we're together.

I didn't take many pictures of the week, but these are the highlights that come to mind: celebrating Jonah's birthday (party post coming soon!); watching our kids "learn" each others' personalities so that by the end of the week there was rarely a squabble; our Mommy/daughter outings with the big girls while the little kids napped; Tim's first Phillies game; Haley's first cheesesteak and her love for Rita's; and most definitely, our double-date night where we hired a babysitter to hang out at the house after the kids were in bed so that the four of us could go out for dinner--a new tradition we will be sure to keep!

We had so much fun with our house guests and look forward to the fall when they will return the favor and let us crash at their house during our visit to Tennessee. The countdown has begun!

Things I don't want to forget...

2011-03-24T14:00:00.002-04:00

Mommy: Lukey, you are so cute!
Luke: No, I'm eeeensome [handsome].

Mommy: Luke, can you please ______ [fill-in-the-blank].
Luke: Okay, Mommy. Whatever you say-so.

Whenever Luke gets frustrated, he mutters, "A piece'a steak!" [Translation: "For Pete's sake!"]

Mommy: Gabbie, what's your favorite season?
Gabbie: Any season where you can play an outdoor sport. [She is her father's daughter, for sure!]

Mommy: Lukey, who are you going to marry when you grow up? [FYI: The answer to this question has always been ME!]
Luke: I'm gonna marry Gabbie.
Mommy: What?!? What happened to marrying me?
Luke: You're too big for me, Mommy. I need to marry someone my size.

Gabbie: Let's play bolleyball [volleyball]!

Luke: (on the eve of his birthday) When I turn three, I'm going to be an airplane pilot and find a very [pronounced "wary"] big plane that I can fit in. Then I want you, and Daddy, and Jonah, and Gabbie to get in the back, buckle up, and enjoy the ride.

Jonah: Twelve Months

2011-03-19T21:28:00.007-04:00

We are just in disbelief around here that our baby is one year old!!! The year has truly flown by and yet it feels like Jonah's been around forever. While this is a bittersweet milestone as we bid farewell to babyhood, his budding personality and increasing social skills make this stage one of my favorites. He is SO much fun and keeps us laughing all day long. Here's what Jonah's doing at age one:

He's walking 90% of the time now. He really only crawls if he falls down and needs to get to something to pull up on. He has recently mastered squatting and standing back up, though.
He's a true boy and is obsessed with balls! He says "ba" all the time and will seek out every ball he can find to throw, kick, bat, or roll all over the place.
He is no longer drinking from bottles and is a pro at using the sippy cup. He is also completely done with his (expensive!) formula and has made an awesome transition to rice milk--he LOVES it!
He understands so much! It is amazing how much babies comprehend at this age. Some of our favorites: he makes a beeline to the steps for bed if we tell him it's "seepy time;" he goes to the front door when we tell him to wave to the cars; as soon as he sees someone putting shoes on, he starts frantically waving and yelling "bye-bye."
He likes to "feed" bottles to dolls and "talks" on the phone. He also attempts to brush his own hair and likes to brush other people's, too.
At one year old, Jonah tips the scales at 25 lbs 3 oz (80th percentile) and 30 inches in length (51st percentile). He's my first baby to break the 20 lb-mark at one year and just to put it in perspective, Luke weighs 33 lbs at age 3...they could be sharing clothes before the year is out!

Happy birthday, Jonesy! We love you!

Remembering Pop-pop N.

2011-03-16T19:31:00.004-04:00

Today, our family said goodbye to my dear Pop-pop--my kids' great-grandfather--as he left the pain and suffering of this world and entered into the arms of his heavenly Father. I will forever be grateful that all three of my kids were able to know and love him. I know that his impact on this earth and in our family will not soon be forgotten.

"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere..."
Psalm 84:10

A Winter Oasis

2011-03-11T15:00:00.001-05:00

As is our annual birthday tradition, we took the kids to our favorite indoor playground a few weeks ago and burned off some of our cooped-up, winter energy. We also hit up Ruby's Diner for lunch, complete with french fries and milkshakes. These are the best kinds of days!

Twinkle Toes

2011-03-07T15:00:00.002-05:00

Gabbie chose to have her 5th birthday party at her dance studio this year and it turned out to be a great idea. We invited some girls from church ranging in ages from 4 to 10. Her dance teacher, Ms. Stacey, let the girls pick from a bunch of costumes to dress up in and then she taught them a little dance that they performed for the parents.

The girls did a wonderful job and all seemed to have fun. At the end of the dancing time, the studio's mascot, a dancing star, came out and did the chicken dance with them. I think it caught Gabbie by surprise because she was VERY reluctant to join in and resorted to holding Ms. Stacey's hand while the star made her appearance.

After all that excitement, we had a little lunch and, of course, birthday cake. I usually make cupcakes for the kids' birthdays but this year I surprised Gabbie and ordered her a ballet-themed cake, which she loved.

I'd say the party was a hit!

**Don't forget to scroll down to the bottom of the page and pause the music before viewing the video!

Super-Sized

2011-03-05T14:38:00.006-05:00

I'm going to do my best to get all of our birthday recaps up here in the next week before the February birthdays become overshadowed by our big March birthday in a couple of weeks.

I didn't take many pictures at the little family party we had for Gabbie & Luke but I did want to post the ones of them with their "Big Top Cupcake." They've watched commercials for this massive cupcake for the past year and have always said that's what they wanted for their birthdays. Thanks to my friend, Renee, I was able to borrow her kit and grant their wish. It was nothing fancy but they loved decorating it (and eating it, of course)!

Jonah: Eleven Months

2011-02-19T14:03:00.010-05:00

My baby is eleven months old! I know I say it every month, but where does the time go? In one week's time, I've gained a five-year-old, a three-year-old, and now, an eleven-month-old--impossible!

Jonah has been on the move this month. Here's what he's up to these days:

He shakes his head yes & no (mostly no, every time he hears me say it to him!).
He is completely eating table food--no more baby food for this baby. He has yet to find anything he doesn't like and does really well chewing/gumming things without choking.
He has yet another ear infection and is on his fifth round of antibiotics in three months. We will see what the E.N.T. doctor thinks at his appointment in April.
One of Jonah's most exciting accomplishments this month was his first steps!

He continues to babble and "talk" our ears off. He says "woof" like a dog, makes an elephant noise when we ask him to, and he also says Luke's name by making the "K" sound. He loves his Lukey!
He can crawl up steps now and many times will decide mid-step to turn around to check how far he's come. We're still working on step safety!
He has pulled our lamp off the end table twice and is constantly into everything. His nickname in our home is TROUBLE!!! but we love him to pieces!

Gabbie is FIVE!

2011-02-17T07:00:00.005-05:00

Our sweet & sassy girl is turning five today.

Our girl with the beautifully freckled face...

...the personality-plus...

...the little mother hen...

...the vivid imagination...

...the ultimate people person.

Gabbie, you are a treasure! We cannot BELIEVE that you are five years old. We remember, clearly, when you were our first and only child and all the wonder and awe new parenthood inspired. We are so proud of the little girl you are becoming. Your love for God and for others is an example to all of us. Keep trusting Jesus to meet your every need and serve Him with your whole heart!

"Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you."
Psalm 63:3

Luke is THREE!

2011-02-15T07:00:00.007-05:00

Our precious, firstborn son is turning three today.

Our boy with the sparkling blue eyes...

...the million-dollar smile...

...the lover of music...

...the superhero in the making...

...the tenderest of hearts.

Lukey, we love you more than words could ever express! Thank you for bringing so much joy to our family. We pray that you will grow more in your love for Jesus every day!

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12:2

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-11T19:49:00.004-05:00

We're gearing up for a BIG week of birthdays next week so I'm sneaking this in a little early. I originally made this for Danny years ago using pictures of just Gabbie in a triple frame. I think four years and 2 kids later, it was high time to update the photographs. So, this will now grace the wall in Danny's office...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,
Gabbie, Luke, & Jonah

The Little Sin Nature

2011-02-03T19:54:00.006-05:00

So, Jonah definitely understands the word, "no," and he is beginning to hear it a lot. Depending on what he's getting into, he will sometimes obey or will sometimes decide that whatever it is he wants is just too awesome to turn away from. That's when he will flash me his mischievous little grin and go full speed at the thing he wants because he knows it's only a matter of seconds before I snatch him away from his prized possession.

His latest discovery in our home is a piece of furniture in our living room that is made up of about 15 drawers in which we store CDs, nail polish, batteries, playing cards, and various odds & ends. Here's what happened the other day when he first figured out that these drawers open...

"Well, lookie here!"

"These look fun."

"Busted!" [Right after Mommy said, "Noooooo, Jonah."]

"If I can't see her and pretend not to hear her, it's like she's not even there."

And this is why we call him TROUBLE! Looks like we've got our work cut out for us.

White Christmas: The Musical

2011-01-29T13:00:00.002-05:00

This post is about six weeks late, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to blog about Gabbie's first (almost) official Broadway show experience. Last month, Gabs & I had our first of hopefully many more "Girls Days" with my mom and grandmother--four generations of Osborn/Emmons/Norquist/Williams--in Philadelphia to see "the play of White Christmas" as it is affectionately referred to around our home.

Gabbie was all dressed up for her evening out on the town and after we had a nice dinner, we hit Macy's Center City for the famous light show and Dickens Village before heading to the theater.

We arrived at the Walnut Street Theater shortly before the show started and settled into our seats. I am happy to report that the production did not disappoint! While it was not exactly true to the movie (which cannot be improved upon, in my opinion), it had some new songs and dance numbers that were truly spectacular. Gabbie sat mesmerized from start to finish and was in awe of the actors/dancers. If you know Gabbie at all, it will not come as a surprise to you that we now each play one of the roles in White Christmas on a near daily basis. She is always Judy but the rest of us are cast according to her mood on that particular day.

We didn't get home that night until 11:30 and we had church the next morning but Gabbie held up like a champ. She just felt so special going out for her "Girls Day" and always loves spending time with Marmie and Grandma E. Thanks to all for such a memorable night!

My Guitar Heroes

2011-01-24T07:00:00.002-05:00

Jonah: Ten Months

2011-01-19T14:50:00.006-05:00

Jonah is ten months old now! I am constantly in awe of how quickly babies change over the course of the first year. I look at Jonah and can't believe that less than a year ago he was a little 7 lb bundle of joy and now he's a crawling & cruising bundle of energy. He is one fun kid, let me just tell you. His outgoing personality is daily becoming more evident. He has qualities of both Gabbie & Luke with a good mix of his own, unique attitude thrown in; we just love him to pieces! Here are this month's accomplishments:

Jonah is a talker! He is almost constantly babbling and utters many "dadas" (when we say Daddy's name), "babas" (when we say it's time for a bottle), and "gagas" (when we call for Gabbie). He recently started saying "mama" (none of my kids got the "m" sound down before age one, so I'm happy!) and "nana" (whenever I say, "No, no, no, Jonah!"). I think this boy may give his big sister a run for her money in the talking department!
We are still dealing with the remnants of a double ear infection he's been battling since Thanksgiving. He just finished his third round of antibiotics and is finally sleeping through the night again (hallelujah!) but is still pulling at his ears a lot. I'm still deciding if I should take him back to the doctor since, other than that, he's acting fine. In the meantime, we have an appointment scheduled with an E.N.T. doctor in March (earliest I could get) as the first step in case he ends up needing tubes. We shall see...
Jonah loves music and dancing and now does the hand motions to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," "The Wheels on the Bus," and "If You're Happy and You Know It." Adorable.
He waves "bye-bye" and claps when he gets excited. He will occasionally blow you a kiss, if he's in the mood. Doesn't happen often but we love it when we can get it.
His top two teeth finally popped through. Teething and ear infections are NOT a fun combination--trust me.
Jonah is obsessed with light switches--seriously. He lunges for the wall as we walk out of rooms and growls with delight as he flicks the lights off. It's the small things in life!
He has started to let go of things when he's standing and balances for a few seconds. He gets SO excited and proud of himself and grunts and squeals to make sure we're watching and applauding him, accordingly.

On a somewhat related note, he is starting to comprehend so much of what we say. If we tell him to "stand up" he will let go and balance; if we tell him to go play in the playroom with Gabbie & Luke, he'll go; he knows everyone in our family by name; he DEFINITELY knows what a "bottle" is--ha!
He has started drinking out of a sippy cup and is doing great! Right now he's just drinking water but I will soon begin giving him his formula in there and then switch over to whatever type of milk we will use when he turns one.

We continue to deal with allergy issues. We believe he had a reaction to the Cheerios and Puffs he was eating (he also had a reaction at six months old to the baby oatmeal so we think oats are the culprit) so for now he's eating gluten-free Cheerios and lots of rice products. He has also recently begun eating wheat toast (he LOVES it) and seems to be fine with that. It's such a guessing game with the allergies!
On a happier note, it looks like Jonah's reflux has cured itself! He is no longer taking any medication and rarely spits up anymore.
Jonah celebrated his first Christmas and New Year's this month and met his Tennessee grandparents for the first time.

This was a big month for our boy and we're looking forward to many more!

The Christmas Post

2011-01-15T19:48:00.011-05:00

I know, I know, I'm SO behind. Obviously, blogging wasn't one of my new year's resolutions but maybe it should have been. I have no real excuse except to say that I've been in a blogging rut, lately, and busy with various family and church obligations. Even still, no excuse. Here is the long-awaited Christmas post:

"Christmas" begins on Christmas Eve in our family when my mom, dad, siblings, and grandparents come to our house for the day to open presents from my parents to us. My parents show up with an insane amount of packages and within two hours, every gift has been opened, sweaters have been tried on, and toys have been played with. We are spoiled; that's all there is to it. My parents' big gift to all of us this year is a family trip to Myrtle Beach this coming June and my mom *swore* she wasn't going to get us much for Christmas, but that didn't exactly happen. Thank you, Mom & Dad, for always going above and beyond and blessing us with more than just gifts at Christmas--we love you!

Among other things, Gabbie's favorite gift of the day was her Toy Story 3 movie and talking Jessie doll. Luke got his hippopotamus for Christmas (he'd been asking for one ever since he heard that song on the radio in early December). And Jonah would have been just as happy eating wrapping paper but he was still thankful for his glow worm.

After the festivities, we enjoyed a relaxing dinner and then headed over to New Beginnings for the Christmas Eve service. A perfect way to head into Christmas day!

On Christmas morning, the kids woke up with more than their usual morning energy and were SO excited. After Jonah (who, unbeknownst to us was still suffering from a double ear infection he'd been battling since Thanksgiving) had his bottle, the kids opened their presents from Danny & me. (And yes, they wear matching pj's that we give them on Christmas Eve night--it's a tradition I plan on keeping as long as they'll let me!) If you're interested in the way we celebrate Christmas with our kids--giving gifts that parallel the wise men's gifts--see this post from a couple of years ago. It's just one small way we try to maintain a focus on the real reason for Christmas.

Gabbie was floored that we gave her a vanity with REAL makeup for her big gift--she did not see that coming! Luke was thrilled with his remote-controlled train set and sat staring at it going around and around the track endlessly. And, once again, Jonah would have been satisfied with some paper to chew on (but we threw in a crocodile block toy since we're nice like that!).

(Her make-up skills have improved drastically since this picture was taken!)

After a special Christmas breakfast of hot cinnamon rolls, we got ready and headed to my mom & dad's house for Christmas with all of my extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc). The kids were beside themselves with the prospect of even MORE presents and plowed through the pile, shrieking and squealing with delight along the way.

I will make a quick note here to say that all the talk that day was about the snowstorm that was headed our way the following day (Sunday) and the fact that my mom and grandparents were scheduled to fly out to Seattle to visit my brother and his family on Monday. Plans changed suddenly and they got their flight switched to very early Sunday morning before the snow was supposed to start so as soon as dinner was over, everyone went into cleaning/packing mode because they were going to go spend the night at an airport hotel since the flight was so early the next day.

All that to say that I think in all of the craziness, my dad's BIRTHDAY got overlooked--I don't ever remember one Christmas where we didn't sing to him and have him open a few gifts after dinner. Now, I could be wrong because our family left at a fairly decent hour since we had church the next day so maybe they did, indeed, celebrate Dad's birthday after we left, but just in case they didn't--HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD/MIKE/POPPY!!!

And now you think I'm going to end this ridiculously long post...but I'm not! Christmas was not yet over for us.

The following day, Danny's parents and brother arrived from Tennessee in the midst of the snowstorm and settled in for a few days to meet Jonah for the first time and play with the grandkids. Sadly, I didn't get too many pictures of their visit but I can assure you we had a great time being "snowed in" and just hanging out. Both Gabbie & Luke enjoyed baking and decorating cookies with Grandmommy and performing magic tricks for Grandpoppy. It was a sweet visit with lots of memories made!

(And no, Gabbie does not have two black eyes in these pictures, just more make-up experimentation.)

And THAT was our Christmas. Happy New Year!

From our family to yours...

2010-12-25T07:00:00.004-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

"Mary will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
Matthew 1:21

Jonah: Nine Months

2010-12-19T15:05:00.010-05:00

Despite battling a double ear infection all month long (for which he is on his second round of antibiotics), Jonah sure managed to accomplish a lot! He will have a check-up in a few days so I'll update this post with his stats later on (UPDATE: Jonah now weighs 23 lbs 7 oz and is 29 inches long. He's a growing machine!). Here we go...

In addition to his lovely, pureed fruits & veggies, Jonah added finger foods to his menu. We started with large Wagon Wheels and have since moved on to things like Puffs and Cheerios. He's not great at getting the smaller foods into his mouth yet but he loves them all the same.

He likes to play peekaboo with a blanket over his (or your) head and then he pulls it off and cracks himself up. So cute!
He is a crawling machine now. He'd been working on it for a month and he finally figured out how to move those hands and legs at the same time. He's getting faster by the day and is LOVING his newfound freedom.
Even before he officially began crawling, he started pulling himself up on everything within reach--the couch, tables, chairs, anything! It only took a couple of days after that until he started cruising and oftentimes you'll find him creeping along the walls and furniture to get to wherever it is he is focused on. Now, if only we could teach him how to get back down by himself (especially in his crib)!

Jonah celebrated his first Thanksgiving this past month but unfortunately for him, he did not get to try any Thanksgiving food (like mashed potatoes) since we don't know exactly what allergies we may or may not be dealing with yet. He didn't seem to mind!

Another one of my favorite baby milestones is when they learn to "dance." Anytime there is music on you will see Jonah's legs and torso start bopping. It's soooooo adorable and it's almost as if he can't help himself.
Just as his big sister did at this age, Jonah can do some of the hand motions to his favorite song, "The Wheels on the Bus." It may not be perfect but there is no doubt he's trying his hardest to turn those wheels with his hands--ha!
Finally--and probably the sweetest of all--whenever we sing the "I Love You" song from Barney, Jonah will instantly put his head down on your shoulder and cuddle up for the duration of the song. Needless to say, we all sing that song a lot around here!

One Fall Day

2010-12-15T14:00:00.001-05:00

These were taken several weeks ago on one of the last warm days we had. Enjoy!

These last pictures are what I like to call "The Many Faces of Gabbie." These were all taken in a matter of two minutes or less during the course of which she (animatedly) regaled me with stories from her Sunday School class earlier that day.

Did you get all that?

This is what happens when you have a big sister...

2010-12-07T15:06:00.002-05:00

The Other Kind of Football

2010-12-03T15:00:00.004-05:00

Gabbie had her first taste of team sports this fall when she participated in our town's soccer clinic for 4- to 5-year-olds. She had a great time and a GREAT coach who said she definitely has some natural athletic ability (which we all know did not come from me!).

She's already looking forward to soccer again next year but only after we test the waters of t-ball this spring!

Things I don't want to forget...

2010-11-29T07:00:00.007-05:00

Luke: "I am Dukey Weebubs."
Translation: "I am Lukey Williams."

(Conversation between cousin Emmy & Gabbie while watching their fathers play football outside)
Emmy: My Daddy is a better football player than your daddy.
Gabbie: No way, my Daddy is better than your daddy.
Emmy: Go Tennessee!
Gabbie: Go New Jersey!

Gabbie: (singing) "Hail, hail, Line of Tuna."
Translation: "Hail, hail, Lion of Judah."

Luke: Where Daddy go?
Mommy: He's at work. Do you know where he works?
Luke: He works at my church.
Mommy: That's right. What do you think Daddy does at church all day?
Luke: He passes out cookies to all the people.
(In Luke's defense, he had recently "helped" Danny at a community event where our church had a booth and passed out cookies so he didn't completely pull this out of nowhere.)

Gabbie: (singing) "Blessipe [rhymes with "recipe"] the name of the Lord; blessipe His name. Blessipe the name of the Lord; blessipe His ho-o-ly first name."
Translation: "Blessed be the name of the Lord; blessed be the name. Blessed be the name of the Lord; blessed be His ho-o-ly name."

Luke: "Good nike [rhymes with "like"]."
Translation: "Good night."

Gabbie: Mom, are you 13?
Mommy: No, I'm 31.
Gabbie: Whew! You're old. You should be going to heaven soon.
Mommy: Gee, thanks.

Luke: (praying) Jesus, thank you for my Daddy, and Gabbie, and Daddy, and Mommy, and Daddy, and Bugaboo [Jonah]. Help me to obey with a happy heart. I love you, Jesus. Amen.

Got Milk?

2010-11-26T07:00:00.004-05:00

One of the (many) things we're thankful for this week is something that happened at the pediatric allergist's office on Monday. After a four-hour milk challenge, it was determined that Luke is no longer allergic to dairy!

This is a huge answer to prayer and while he is still allergic to peanuts and soy--along with nearly every possible environmental allergy out there (I'm only half-joking)--allowing dairy products into his diet will open up a multitude of new foods for him to experience--from yogurt to cheese to casseroles to chocolate! Gabbie keeps telling him he needs to try macaroni & cheese and Luke is just excited to eat some of the foods he's only ever watched Gabbie eat.

Thanksgiving dinner was a breeze this year as he could eat more than just turkey and corn and he had fun sampling a little bit of everything (for the record, mashed potatoes was the biggest winner of the night and ice cream was a bust).

To celebrate Luke's new dietary freedom, we made pizza on Tuesday night and cheered him on as he devoured two delicious pieces.

Thank you, Lord, for Your healing!

Jonah: Eight Months

2010-11-19T20:30:00.007-05:00

I truly can't believe that there are only four months left in Jonah's first year. He is now eight months old and seems to get cuter and smarter by the minute! Here's what he started doing this month:

By far, my most favorite accomplishment of any of my kids was when they understood how to give kisses. Jonah has that down, and he gives the biggest, most slobbery kisses (with a raspberry blow mixed in) that you'll ever receive. It just makes me laugh every time he grabs onto my hair and pulls my face close to his and lays one on me. Gabbie's not crazy about all the wetness but my Lukey dives right in and lets his baby brother drench him!
Jonah now has two little teeth on the bottom and we suspect there may be one or two new ones getting ready to pop through on the top. He LOVES to feel his teeth with his tongue. All day long, he's constantly rubbing his tongue in and out of his mouth over those teeth.
He certainly understands a few words that he hears on a regular basis (like his name) but the one that gets me is that if you ask him where his paci is, he will search all over until he finds it. He is awesome at getting it into his mouth (something the other two didn't get until they were closer to one year), which makes nighttime a little easier since most of the time he can find the paci in his crib and plug himself back in.
On a related note, one of Jonah's favorite games to play is "My Paci/Your Paci." If you start saying that while he's in your lap, he will stick the paci in your mouth and then pull it out. It cracks him up!
One of Daddy's favorite tricks is when you say "Dada" he will start babbling "Dada" over and over again. I must admit, it's adorable.
No more infant tub for this big boy. Jonah is now bathing in our inflatable tub and loving his new-found freedom in the water.
He participated in his first Halloween playing the part of a chicken, as evidenced here.
Jonah has figured out how to wriggle and squirm across the floor to get whatever it is he wants and he even gets up onto all fours all the time but once he gets there, his legs are go-go-going but his hands don't move so he looks like he's crawling on a treadmill. It would be funny if he didn't get so frustrated. I'm really hoping he'll perfect his form VERY SOON!

I love watching my little boy grow and change every day. It's been a great month and we're looking forward to the next!

Trick-or-Treat!

2010-11-16T21:00:00.001-05:00

Halloween was lots of fun this year, as usual. Gabbie is finally at the age where she is really into it and races from door-to-door ringing doorbells and raking in the candy. Her enthusiasm rubbed off on Luke and even our normally reluctant two-year-old was full steam ahead with collecting candy--most of which he's not even allowed to eat due to his allergies!

Each year we trick-or-treat with some friends from church who live two streets over from us. I love seeing all the kids walking together, totally absorbed in their kid conversations and their kid world. There was, of course, a little bit of drama involved when Luke was running to keep up with the pack and completely wiped out in a big puddle and got soaked. He was upset but refused to go home and got back in the swing of things soon after the incident.

This year, Gabbie was a fairy, Luke was a robot, and Jonah was, of course, a chicken. One of these days I'll have to post pictures of all three of the kids in our beloved chicken costume that has served us well over the years.

Here is a look at Halloween 2010:

Hittin' the Hay

2010-11-12T20:31:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we went on our annual (although, last year's was rained out--twice!) church hayride. A great time was had by all as we filled two wagons of about 70 people total and were treated to a long, bumpy tour of our host's farm. We were dropped off at our bonfire site where we roasted marshmallows, made S'mores, drank apple cider and hot chocolate, sang some songs, and almost witnessed the poor farmer fall to his death in the fire pit--no joke, it was scary!

Gabbie had a great time sitting by the fire and running around in the dark playing flashlight tag with the the big kids. Luke was SO looking forward to his "first" hayride (that he remembers; he has actually been on them before) and he really enjoyed himself until one practical jokester in our group started putting on different masks and sneaking up on unsuspecting bystanders. In his defense, he left the kids alone but Luke stuck to us like glue after he saw him scare somebody. Thankfully, he still managed to have fun, despite the minor distraction!

Our annual hayride is an event we always look forward to and this year was no exception!

Melt my heart...

2010-11-02T22:11:00.001-04:00

I didn't include this picture in my last post because I felt it needed an explanation. During the week that Tim, Haley, and the girls were visiting, Gabbie & Luke slept on an air mattress in our bedroom so that our guests could use their rooms upstairs. This is how we found them sleeping one night when we went to bed:

Precious.

House Guests

2010-10-30T20:52:00.003-04:00

This past month we had the joy of hosting Danny's brother, Tim, along with our sister-in-law, Haley, and their three darling girls for one fun-filled week. To be honest, I've been putting off writing this post for two reasons: 1. It's a completely daunting task considering everything we packed into five days; 2. I don't even know how to adequately put into words how much we loved every minute of them being here.

I'll start by saying that from sun-up to sun-down, this house was HOPPING. Picture it: Ten people living under one small roof, six of those people being children age 4 and under. Here's the breakdown of cousins, by age: Emmy, 4.5; Gabbie, 4.5, Luke, 2.5; Addy, 2; Jonah, 6 months (at the time); Lucy, 5 months (at the time). Crazy, huh?

Crazy, yet awesome. The kids got along beautifully with minimal fighting and/or tantrums. They were all so excited every morning to meet around the breakfast table and discuss the day's plans. We kept them plenty busy all week but we also took a couple of afternoons to let the little ones catch a much-needed nap. Some of our activities included: Church (where Tim led worship and Tim & Haley sang a beautiful duet); Marmie & Poppy's house (my mom had never met Haley and my dad loved entertaining all the kiddos); Cape May (for Emmy & Addy's first time seeing the ocean); Oasis (our favorite indoor playground); Girls Day Out (a trip to the mall for smoothies during nap time for the mommies and oldest daughters); and Duffield's Farm (for the pumpkin patch).

Perhaps the best part, for the adults, was around 7:30 every night when the kids were all tucked safely into bed and we had the entire evening ahead of us to talk and talk and talk and talk...all right, so maybe that was just Haley & me while Tim & Danny played Madden on Playstation, but they would occasionally grunt at us to "show" that they were paying attention. It was like the good ol' college days, all over again (with the occasional interruption from a crying baby). Ooooohhhh, it was so much fun!

Tim, Haley, Emmy, Addy, & "Jucy"--We love you guys and had the best time with you! We so wish we lived closer to our Tennessee family but it makes it that much sweeter when we do get to see you. We hope you felt at home in our house and welcomed in our great state of New Jersey. Please come back and see us again!

I'll end the recap here but be forewarned, there are A LOT of pictures to follow. Six cute kids + two camera-happy moms = way too many pictures. Don't say I didn't warn you...

New Beginnings for New Beginnings

2010-10-21T07:00:00.005-04:00

Over the last two years, I've written occasional posts & updates on the happenings of our church which, in case you aren't aware, is a church plant here in South Jersey. The original group who formed the church began meeting in a garage at the man's house who was serving as their pastor and they continued to meet faithfully in that garage for about three years before their beloved Pastor Carl went home to be with the Lord and the group was led to meet at our current location (an office building) almost three years ago.

Danny was called to New Beginnings in June 2008 and it has been one of our goals since then to become officially recognized as a "particular church" (as opposed to a mission church) in our denomination. Regardless of title, this body of believers has always been the Church. If you've read my blog in the past, you've seen me gush over these people who have become family to us. We love each person dearly and are so thankful for the unique gifts they each bring to our Body.

All that to say, we've had BIG things happening this month at New Beginnings. It started on Sunday, October 3rd, when we celebrated the church's 6th Anniversary and welcomed eight new members into our community. We heard a message from one of our Elders who reflected on the past and cast vision for the future. It was a wonderful time of celebration!

The following day (Monday), Danny went before our town's planning board along with a lawyer who's been handling a lot of legwork for us, and we were approved to move ahead with plans to take over (lease) the entire bottom floor of our current building which will double our space and vastly expand our sanctuary. Right now, we are using one suite in one half of the bottom floor but the nurses who rent out the suite on the other half of the floor have been gracious enough to allow us to use their space on Sunday mornings for our Kindergarten through 6th grade Sunday School classes. Still, there have been occasions on Sunday mornings where we've had to break out folding chairs in the sanctuary and fill the aisles with seats--probably not the safest option! We actually had our highest-ever attendance day two weeks ago with 148 people and I still don't know how we fit everyone! This space issue is definitely a good problem to have but it's become a priority to figure out the solution. So, come February, after the nurses' lease is up, we will be in the midst of renovations and remodeling to much of our building.

Finally, that same week on Saturday, October 9th, we had our assessment by a committee from the Church Extension department of our denomination. This committee decides whether or not we meet the criteria (financially self-supporting, plurality of elders, and at least 20 committed participants) to become a "particular church." I wasn't sure what to expect going into the assessment but was pleasantly surprised with what a special day it turned out to be. We had about 50 people come out and the committee literally asked each person to give their testimony and speak about what brought them to New Beginnings, their commitment level to the church, and what their vision is for our church in the future. It's hard to describe exactly what it meant to each person but from talking to people afterward, I think most agree that it was an incredibly unifying time for our church as we laughed, cried, and celebrated with each other all the ways the Lord has provided for, blessed, and led each of us in different ways to where we are now on our journey with Him. We may have been being "assessed" but for all of us there, it was a time of sweet fellowship and deep authenticity. We closed that portion of the assessment by singing "Great is Thy Faithfulness" and I think that song adequately sums up the life of New Beginnings. It hasn't always been easy, but God has been faithful to us as we've endeavored to be faithful to Him. I can't wait to see what He has for us in this next chapter!

After the time of testimonies, the committed participants were dismissed and Danny stayed on for the rest of the day as the current Elders and Elder-designees (four, in all) were interviewed for a few more hours. Danny came home exhausted but encouraged and happy to report that we "passed" our assessment and will be welcomed into the fold of particular churches at Annual Conference in April.

Although we may not be considered a church plant after April, the mission doesn't change. As Danny is constantly reminding us, New Beginnings exists to "make disciples who make a difference for the glory of God." May we never stray from that mission!

Jonah: Seven Months

2010-10-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

We are full steam ahead into the second half of Jonah's first year. Every day, it seems, his personality evolves and develops a little more into the man he will one day become. I've never been good at picking out who our kids look like at this age but more and more I see lots of Danny in him. Most people who meet Jonah agree, but people have told me that each of our three babies have looked just like Danny in infancy--with this one I definitely agree! Here's what Jonah's accomplished this month:

He is now a professional sitter and rarely spends time on his back or stomach anymore. He prefers to sit with a tub of toys in front of him only to dump everything out which we then fill back up and he starts all over again. It's the little things in life...
Last month at his doctor's appointment, it was confirmed that he seems to be having some sort of allergic reaction to something. After I posted last month's milestone post, he broke out in a head-to-toe rash that went on for six days. After I stopped giving him baby oatmeal, it started to fade away and within three days, it was gone. For that reason, the doctor said no more oatmeal and to introduce new foods very s-l-o-w-l-y. We're also supposed to give him Zyrtec when he has a bad outbreak and use hydrocortisone cream on any inflamed patches of skin. After he turns one, we'll be paying a visit to Luke's allergist (who is awesome!) to see if we can pinpoint Jonah's allergy issues. Until then, we hope he will outgrow some or all of them!
A mere three or four weeks ago, I got out the 6-9 month clothes for my boy but alas, he really could have skipped that size altogether. The other day I pulled out the 9-12 month stuff and even in those clothes he's at the big end and will probably be ready for the next size in a couple of months. For the record, Luke was wearing 9-12 month stuff from about 15-21 months old so it was VERY strange for me to be pulling clothes out for my 7-month-old that I remember Luke walking in. Thankfully, since Luke wore this size for so long, the range of clothes span pretty much all seasons so I have plenty to get Jonah through the winter.
His taste buds have branched out since last month and he has now tasted peas, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, string beans, pears, bananas, and prunes. He seems to like them all!
He is officially sleeping all night in his own room, in his own crib. We finally got bunk beds for Gabbie & Luke, who will be sharing a room for the next year or so until Jonah is ready to move in with his big brother, and Jonah moved out of the pack 'n play in the playroom and into his own room upstairs. He had no trouble transitioning to the crib although, big brother Lukey took a few days to adjust to his big boy bed (but now he's doing great!).
Jonah's latest development in the past few days has been his new tooth that popped through on Sunday! He hasn't been fussy during the day but has had a little trouble sleeping lately and he is constantly chomping on anything he can get his hands on. Danny was playing with him the other day and Jonah bit down on Danny's finger when he felt the little sharp tooth. No more gummy smiles for this little boy (that's bittersweet, for me)!
And last but certainly not least, Jonah got to meet his some of his Tennessee cousins, Emmy, Addy, and Lucy, along with his Uncle Tim & Aunt Haley, for the first time! More on that to come in a future post...

It's been a fun and busy month and Jonah gets cuter and cuter by the day!

MIA

2010-10-16T22:01:00.002-04:00

Have I really not posted since September 28?!?

I know, I know, I'm a slacker BUT I do have good reason. Prepare for a blogging blitz in the next week or so. I have lots to share...

When the cat's away...

2010-09-28T10:06:00.007-04:00

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend the Women of Faith conference in Philadelphia with a small group from our church. While it was certainly a wonderful time, that's not exactly what this post is about. In fact, I wasn't even going to mention my little two-day getaway on the blog...that is, until I discovered on my camera the other day that Danny documented his side of the weekend in pictures as he played Mr. Mom.

Here's an overview of what happens when Mommy is gone and Daddy's in charge...

...tents go up...

...puppet shows are performed...

...ravioli for lunch...

...spaghetti for dinner....

...makeup session spectacular...

...community day fun...

...hula-dancing shows...

...and a little help from friends.

In all seriousness, Danny is a fabulous daddy and barely broke a sweat. Things got a little tricky on Saturday when our town's annual anniversary day (at which our church hosts a booth) coincided with the conference, but numerous people at church stepped up to help set up/break down and wrangle our kids so that Danny could do what he needed to do. While I walked away from the weekend feeling encouraged and refreshed, I was most happy for my kids who got two solid days of Daddy's undivided attention of which they loved every minute.

Jonah: Six Months

2010-09-19T10:46:00.012-04:00

Don't ask me how my baby is six months old already. I know it's cliche, but time is truly flying by faster with each child. Jonah will go in for a check-up next week so I'll update this post with his stats later but let's just say it's an obvious fact that he's a healthy, growing boy (UPDATE: At six months, Jonah now weighs 20 lbs 13 oz and is 27.5 inches long. He's in the 75th-90th percentile for height and weight! The doctor said he looks like the Gerber baby and continues to be pleased with his (proportionate) growth. I think it's hilarious that Jonah weighs more at six months than either of the other two did at one year. Way to go, buggy!). Here are some of the milestones he's reached this month:

While he hasn't completely mastered it, we've gone from "practice" sitting last month to (some) unsupported sitting this month. If he's got the boppy around him, I can plop him down with a bucket of toys and walk away for a few minutes and know he'll be fine. When he sits without the boppy, I need to be right there to catch him if/when he topples over.

Earlier in the month we tried switching his formula to a milk-based kind (with the doctor's permission). Up until now, he's been on a hypoallergenic formula because at the beginning when he wasn't gaining weight due to the reflux, this was the only stuff he could semi-keep down. Since I know what an undiagnosed milk- and soy-allergic baby looks like (Luke) and Jonah had none of the same symptoms (i.e. he's a completely happy baby and never seems to be in any kind of discomfort, among other things), the doctor gave us the green light to try out the milk-based formula in the hopes that Jonah would do well with it and we could save some--actually, A LOT of--money. He did really well with it for the first week and a half...and then I began noticing patches of eczema (something that Luke was covered in until we took him off of milk at 15 months old). Even though Jonah's temperament didn't change from his happy-go-lucky self, I reluctantly switched him back to the hypoallergenic formula about a week and a half ago. The eczema did get better but there is still a little bit that is inflamed so now I'm just plain confused. This will be on the top of the list to discuss with the doctor next week.
Jonah is beginning to wear 6-9 month clothes, which is nice timing since he's wearing Luke's hand-me-downs and all the 6-9 month stuff is for fall/winter.
He started solids this week and is now eating rice and oatmeal cereal. He tolerates the rice but is not crazy about the oatmeal (which is the opposite of the other two kids). This week we will begin introducing fruits and veggies which I'm sure will help to make the cereal a bit tastier.

He's starting to cut out his third, evening nap and goes to bed around 7:30 p.m. and sleeps to 7 a.m. He wakes up every now and then in that time frame but the paci and a couple of pats on the bottom put him right back to sleep. I'll take it!
When on his stomach, Jonah pushes up onto his knees into crawling position and can work his way around in a circle or backwards by pushing off the ground with his arms. It's hard to explain without seeing it; he's not crawling but more like scooting around on his belly and, every once in a while, pushing so hard that he gets up on his knees before flopping back to the ground. He works very hard to get to his toys!

And not to leave the big bro' & sis' out, they are both phenomenal siblings to their baby brother. They are so helpful to me and so loving to Jonah; I couldn't have asked for a better dynamic between the three of them. Jonah adores them, too, and I can already tell he can't wait to tear around this house with them in the (too near!) future!

Back to "School"

2010-09-13T09:07:00.006-04:00

School officially kicked off in our town last week. For most kids, that means trading in the lazy days of summer for early mornings spent walking to school and late evenings spent crunching numbers for math homework. And my kids are no exception--er, sort of.

For us, the beginning of the school year means a new routine and more structure with a little learning mixed in. I have never blogged extensively about our little "preschool" here at home but I think I may have mentioned it in the past. I started by making a concentrated effort to teach Gabbie her letters when she turned 3 but it quickly became evident that she loved to learn so our school time became a bit more involved. Luke was always a distant observer but this school year we're bringing him into the fold and including him in our daily activities.

A typical school day consists of us packing as much as we can into Jonah's (and Luke's, in the afternoon) AM & PM naps. During his hour-long morning nap, we have our "circle time" where we sing songs, memorize/review Bible verses, talk about the calendar and the weather, work on name recognition, learn a letter of the week, and encourage positive character traits with "Champ" the superdog. We end our time with a little art project (Gabbie & Luke's favorite part of school) at which point Jonah is usually waking up and ready for Mommy's attention.

The afternoon session is a focused one-on-one time with Gabbie & me, while the boys sleep, where we are currently reviewing letters/sounds, improving handwriting, thinking through simple math and problem solving skills, and will begin learning to read in a month or so. She's already spelling things phonetically so I really think she'll catch on quickly.

I'm already learning more about how drastically different Gabbie & Luke's learning styles and personalities are. Luke is a bit more challenging as far as keeping his interest, but some of that comes with age. Gabbie, on the other hand, thrives in a learning environment and eagerly soaks in everything. Regardless of personality, both of them love recounting their day to Daddy and showing off their art.

So, that's a day in the life of us here in New Jersey. Can't say it's the most exciting day in the world but for our family, it's pretty close to perfect.

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?

2010-09-09T08:59:00.005-04:00

We sure are!

Bernie the Bee

2010-09-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

Over the past four years, all three of my babies have taken to the same particular toy that we like to call "Bernie the Bee." It's nothing more than a glorified teething toy but the wings make it easy for little hands to grasp and, apparently, it tastes pretty good, too. Here's a look at all three kids around the same age with our beloved Bernie:

Baby Gabbie (4 months old)

Baby Luke (4 months old)

Baby Jonah (3 months old)

Probably the best 5 bucks we've ever spent!

The Other Jersey Shore

2010-08-26T21:45:00.010-04:00

Well, I need to get this posted since our one vacation of the summer happened two weeks ago already. We made our annual trip down to Cape May and enjoyed a week full of relaxation and entertainment. The weather was a sweltering 95+ degrees with 100% humidity so you can imagine how good that felt everywhere we went. Still, we managed to do a few things and also spent time just hanging out at the house while the big kids played in the pool and Jonah napped to his heart's content.

The highlights of our trip include:

Wildwood for its fun rides, wild boardwalk, and yummy food. Gabbie braved the kids' roller coaster this year with Daddy. She got right on it without a second thought but came off of it saying she didn't want to go on it ever again. We'll see if she changes her mind next year. Both Gabbie & Luke went on almost every kiddie ride Wildwood has to offer and had a blast. I'm sorry to say, Jonah is my first baby that I've never gotten on the merry-go-round as an infant. We were trying to keep him as cool as possible, so my mom was sitting with him in what little shade Wildwood has to offer while Danny & I were running around with the big kids.
The Cape May Zoo. I will admit, it was so stinking hot that day, Danny & I took the boys back to the van after about 20 minutes just to cool off. Marmie & Gabbie stuck it out but I think they visited all the animals in record speed. It was just that hot.
Dolphin-watching sunset cruise. This was probably my favorite activity of the week. After 30 years of going to Cape May, I don't think I've ever done the Dolphin Watch and boy, did we see dolphins! We probably saw 50 during the entire boat ride and many of them were extremely close to the boat. The coolest part was when three dolphins "surfed" in our boat's wake as we zoomed along the coastline. They rode with us for about a minute and it was the neatest thing.
Evening strolls on the boardwalk in Cape May. Cape May's boardwalk (or "promenade," as some like to call it), is admittedly weak. But, for my kids who don't need all kinds of chintzy souvenir shops or greasy pizza joints, it serves its purpose. They enjoyed playing skee-ball in the arcade, splashing in the fountain on the mall, and sampling fudge from Fudge Kitchen.
For Danny & me, my family treated us to a night out to dinner while they watched all three kids and we had the opportunity to sit and have an uninterrupted conversation for over an hour (and no, we didn't talk about the kids...the whole time). It was a wonderfully relaxing date with delicious food and spectacular company.

You may notice the glaringly obvious item missing from our list: the beach. The beach didn't go over so well this year. While Gabbie likes playing in the sand, her real fascination is the water and yet, she was TERRIFIED to set foot in it--even when I offered to hold her hand. She wanted to go in so badly but was so scared that she couldn't handle the stress of the situation and had a full-blown temper tantrum right there on the beach (because, you know, it was all my fault that she couldn't conquer her fear). After she got that out of her system (and was disciplined for it!), she decided the beach wasn't all it's cracked up to be, anyway.

Luke took one step onto the sand and demanded to be carried the rest of the way and wouldn't be put down even when we got up to the hard sand with his shoes on. Factor in the blazing heat and it just wasn't worth the fight. We did walk out onto the beach one night, so I can say I had my toes in the sand this summer but I hardly think I would have been able to do what I love most about the beach even if we had been able to go for a day with the kids: read a book and soak up the sun. Not happening anytime soon. Gabbie & Luke were completely satisfied splashing in the pool back at the house and at one point my mom even sprayed them with the hose and they thought that was great.

As I said, it was a leisurely, laid-back week and other than the fact that we're still paying for it with the virus that is being passed around our family, it was well-worth packing up half of our earthly possessions and making the trek down. Thank you to Grandma & Pop-pop Emmons and Marmie (and Poppy, who had to work but was there in spirit!), for a memorable week!

Summer Sickies

2010-08-22T10:00:00.004-04:00

**This post contains a video so be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page and pause the music if you want to watch it!

Here's what we've been dealing with this past week...

It all started when Danny caught a virus while on vacation two weeks ago--he was even sick enough not to go to church last Sunday (unheard of for him!). Luke caught it on Monday, Gabbie on Tuesday, and I started on Friday. Both kids were running high fevers but Luke's version of the virus quickly spiraled out of control on Wednesday when he was lethargic, wheezing, and just barely functioning. I took him to the doctor and was informed that he had bronchitis and a double ear infection so he's been on heavy-duty antibiotics and the nebulizer four times a day.

At this point, Jonah is the only one who hasn't gotten sick and we're praying it stays that way. It was scary enough when Luke could barely breathe, I don't even want to think about a sick infant.

Danny, Gabbie, and Luke all lost their voices (so far, my voice is still going strong) and while I thought I'd enjoy the unexpected quiet for a few days, it got quite boring around here. I guess those monkeys keep me entertained more than I realize--ha! Here's a short video of them the other night talking with their raspy voices about being sick:

Hopefully we're all on the road to recovery now!

Jonah: Five Months

2010-08-19T15:00:00.002-04:00

Jonah is five months old today! No doctor's appointment this month so I can't give you any stats but he has really blossomed this month and is quickly losing that pensive newborn persona and developing his own "big boy" personality. Here's what he's up to these days:

He added back-to-belly rolling to his repertoire so now he can do a complete roll which comes in handy when he's lying on the floor trying to get to his toys.
He (finally!) kicked his swaddling habit and now sleeps with his arms and legs free and prefers to sleep on his stomach or his side (and thanks to his newfound rolling ability, he flops all over his bed).
He has discovered the wonder of the jumperoo. He is in a stage where he quickly gets bored of the few things he's able to do (i.e. the bouncy seat, floor, or swing) so we added the jumperoo to his rotation and he's a little jumping bean.

He attended his first VBS but didn't seemed too impressed with all the hype.
This child literally never gets his feathers ruffled; we rarely hear him cry. However, if he's playing intently with a toy and he drops it, he gets SO upset! I can't help but laugh at how mad he gets and yet it happens all the time because he still doesn't have complete control over his spastic arm movements.
Although he loves his paci, if it's not within arm's reach when he wants it, he will gladly suck away on his thumb. Neither Gabbie nor Luke were ever thumb-suckers (if/when they did, it was by chance and not very often), but Jonah pops his thumb in his mouth several times a day when he's bored or getting ready for a bottle. Gotta nip that in the bud (I'm a big fan of the paci--much easier habit to break)!

He seems to recognizes his name and turns to whoever is calling him. He even recognizes his nickname when we call him "Jonesy" (we've tested this theory by calling him all different names from across the room and he only responds to his own).
No one makes him laugh harder than Gabbie. For some reason, Jonah becomes a gigglebox every evening before bed and he laughs hysterically at everything Gabbie says and does. I tried to videotape it the other night but Gabbie was so loud in the video that she drowned out his laughter and it defeated the purpose. I'll try again another time.
He's not sitting up totally on his own quite yet but he likes to practice. He'll be a pro soon enough!

He took his first of many vacations to Cape May, but I'm sorry to say, he has yet to put his toes in the sand (vacation post coming soon!).

As you can see, Jonah's had a busy month of development. This is such an exciting time to watch a baby grow and change daily!

Friends & Family Picnic 2010

2010-08-14T21:33:00.007-04:00

The Friday before last, our church held its 3rd annual Friends & Family Picnic. This has become a highly-anticipated, yearly tradition (at least, for our family) and it just gets better every year. This is by far one of our most successful outreach events each year due to the non-threatening, laid-back atmosphere with some good food and great friends thrown in!

The unofficial head count was around 140 people and, unlike last year, the weather was absolutely gorgeous--sunny skies with a light breeze and no threat of rain. The day's activities consisted of food-eating, friend-chatting, playground-playing, wiffle-balling, football-throwing, cornhole-tossing, and river-walking. A good time was had by all!

Heartbeat Hosptial

2010-08-04T14:02:00.009-04:00

Last week at church, we wrapped up another exciting week of Vacation Bible School. This year's theme was Heartbeat Hospital and the church was decorated to look the part. The volunteers all wore scrubs (Danny wore a scrub shirt that the hospital gave him with Jonah's newborn footprints on it) and the kids donned surgical caps, masks, and "hospital" bracelets used to identify them and what age group they belonged to at VBS.

We saw 64 kids over the course of the week (65, including Jonah!) with our highest day of attendance at 60. The kids CRUSHED last year's record and raised $691.51 in coins to benefit a children's home in Timbuktu called "Elijah House." Our beloved "Miss Karen" was back this year and to say that our family adores her is an understatement (see Danny's post for more about Karen Boorse and her powerful ministry). She never ceases to amaze me with her mesmerizing paintings and masterful teaching. It's hard not to be drawn into her story-telling as she presents the Gospel with such clarity and simplicity.

I'm sure I don't have to tell you that Gabbie had a blast. She waits all summer for VBS and it never disappoints. She was totally into the coin competition and worked hard each day to memorize her Bible verses. Here's my favorite memory of Gabbie from the week: Each day's Bible verse built on the previous day's so that by the end of the week, the kids had memorized Psalm 51:9-13. During each opening ceremony, a few kids would come up and say their verse into the microphone for everyone to hear. Somehow, Gabbie worked her way up to that microphone almost every time (What can I say? She's her father's daughter!). One of the days, she proudly blurted into the microphone, "Do not cast me from you president or take your Holy Spirit from me." It was too funny!

Luke was the wild card going into VBS week. He likes to talk a big game at home about being excited for things like this and then when we get there, he clings to our legs and hides his face from anyone who might happen to make eye contact with him. Danny and I were fully expecting to be taking turns passing Luke back and forth between us all week long. Well, we couldn't have been more wrong. Luke gave us the biggest surprise of all by actually ENJOYING himself (albeit, cautiously) and staying with his class during all of the various activities. We were so proud of him and it was so much fun to see him having such a great time.

Jonah, of course, was just along for the ride. He spent the week being passed around from person to person and just took it all in. VBS was in the evening this year so by the time we got home each night around 9:00, he was wiped out. We are so thankful he is such a laid-back little guy.

While VBS is a monstrous event and requires an enormous effort to pull off, it would all be in vain if we did not take a moment to rejoice over the five children who surrendered their lives to Jesus last week. There is no greater privilege in ministry than to see God use your efforts for His eternal glory. We look forward to what He has in store for these little ones in the future!

My Third Son

2010-07-30T13:46:00.002-04:00

This summer, our church has had the pleasure of hosting a church planting intern from a BFC church in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. Tim Radcliff moved into town for the summer and was quickly put to the work of church planting. It's safe to say that Danny provided a well-rounded experience for him and if you're really interested in all that Tim did, you can read about it here.

The point of this post is to give you a little glimpse into why Tuesdays have been one of our family's favorite days of the week. You see, Tim had a standing invitation to dinner every Tuesday evening and each Tuesday, Gabbie & Luke would wait in eager anticipation of one of their favorite playmates.

Tim was a great sport and would give them his undivided attention for much of the time before dinner and bed and then, as soon as the children were safely tucked away and drifting off into dreamland, Danny & Tim would launch into a cutthroat series of baseball and/or football on Playstation (and by cutthroat, I mean there was some trash-talking going on but mostly coming from my sore-losing hubby).

The reason behind this post's title is that someone at church (who shall remain nameless (*coughcough* Kathy)) started calling Tim "my third son" but I will point out, for the record, that he is only nine years younger than us so I prefer to think of him as my much younger brother--hey, it could happen! In all seriousness, we've thoroughly enjoyed welcoming Tim into our home this summer and truly think of him as family. We hope he will be back to visit in the future, but for now we look forward to celebrating with Tim and his lovely fiance, Kaylena, at their upcoming wedding in January!

Cousins

2010-07-26T07:00:00.003-04:00

In the past week, we have had the joy of spending time with two different sets of cousins, both of whom live on the other side of the country.

First, we got to see my brother, Jon, and my sister-in-law, Kristy, who live in Seattle, Washington. They have two adorable little beauties: Ella, who will be 3 in September, and Julia, 2 months. They were in town for a whirlwind tour and we spent time with them at our house one evening and then visited with them again at my grandmother's house in Delaware.

The babies (two months apart)

Julia & Jonah

The two-year-old troublemakers

The cousins...

...you can't blame us for trying!

The big kids

As good as it gets

A few days after they left, I was able to see my cousin, Allison, and her two boys: Chase, age 6, and Dean, age 2. I wasn't able to get any pictures with them (shocker, I know!) but we still had a great time hanging out and catching up on life (they live in New Mexico).

We are so thankful for family and for cousins who are perfect-age playmates!

Gotta Dance!

2010-07-22T22:00:00.002-04:00

**This post contains a video so be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog and pause the music if you want to watch it.

Gabbie survived her first week-long dance camp last week and to say she had the time of her life is putting it mildly. The theme was based on the Disney movie "The Princess and the Frog" which we have never seen but I'm assuming it's set in New Orleans as there were a lot of jazz-themed activities.

Our family's ignorance of Disney movies aside, the whole experience was awesome. Gabbie went to camp for three hours each day and learned three different dances, did arts and crafts galore (her personal favorite), enjoyed yummy snacks, and played a bunch of fun games like freeze dance and hot potato. This was the perfect introduction to dance class for her--she'll be starting a ballet and tap class in the fall--and I really feel like I got more than my money's worth out of the week for all the projects she came home with, the friends she made, and the fun she had.

On the last day, they held a performance for the parents to come and watch the three dances they had learned that week. Their teacher made them all matching t-shirts which they wore with denim shorts/skirts and they couldn't have looked any cuter. Surprisingly, Gabbie was visibly nervous but did a great job. She practiced at home every day and was so excited for her first "recital." Danny even made it over to see her performance (he was the only daddy there!) and Luke thought his big sister was a superstar.

Personally, my favorite moment of the week was when we were watching one of her dances and she's whisper-yelling, "LUUUKE!!!" and waving with all her might...mind you, we were sitting three feet in front of where she was dancing. I didn't get that one on video but I do have a picture of her frantically waving at us. Here's a bit more of the cuteness:

Finally, here is a video of one of her dances with a couple of caveats: First, there was a technical glitch in the beginning when the wrong song came on which is why they all look a little confused. Second, that is not firecrackers you hear toward the end of the dance but my son chucking his sippy cup out into the middle of the dance floor. We're still working on proper audience etiquette. That being said, enjoy!

A New Blog on the Block

2010-07-21T13:53:00.004-04:00

Introducing...

The Daily Difference

Authored by my wonderful hubby and sweet daddy to Gabbie, Luke, & Jonah. He's hoping to be a faithful blogger and is off to a great start. So, go check out his new digs and jump right into the conversation!

Jonah: Four Months

2010-07-19T22:23:00.008-04:00

Jonah is four months old and is growing in leaps and bounds! We have a doctor's appointment next week so I will update this post with his stats later (UPDATE: At four months, Jonah now weighs 16 lbs and is 25 inches long. The doctor was very happy with his growth!) but here's what he's accomplished this month:

We had the pleasure of experiencing his first laugh and have discovered that he is quite ticklish.
He celebrated his first Father's Day with Daddy and a very low-key Independence Day with the family.
He rolled over from his belly to his back--and will do it a million times in a row when he remembers that he can. He is *thisclose* to rolling from his back to his belly but not quite there yet.
He is officially wearing 3-6 month clothing. No more "new baby" clothes for our big boy!
He loves to "stand" on his legs. Usually, if he's in our lap, he's standing.
Everything goes in the mouth. Everything. Gabbie & Luke love to hold his hand and then watch as he pulls their hands to his slobbery lips; cracks them up every time!
Some of his nicknames: Bugaboo, Buggy, Bugs, Jones, and Jonesy
He's starting to show a preference for people he knows vs. strangers. He is quick to smile with those he knows and is a little more reserved with those he does not.
Most importantly, he started sleeping through the night this past week. Now, I'm experienced enough to know not to declare this a permanent victory just yet but I'm excited, nonetheless. He goes to bed around 9 p.m. and wakes up for the day between 7 and 8 a.m. None of my kids have ever slept that long this early and they certainly never got to this point on their own--we had to force them to sleep through the night with all kinds of crazy sleep training tactics. Just a bonus of a formula-fed baby, I guess. Whatever it is, I'll take it!

Under the Sea

2010-07-17T22:56:00.007-04:00

We have had a BUSY, but exciting, week. Lots of blogging material so look for a bunch of posts in the coming days. For now, I'll start with this past Sunday.

We showed up to church in the morning and were invited on a spontaneous trip to Camden's Adventure Aquarium that afternoon with our friends, the Maricles, who have a membership there. If you remember this post about Gabbie's obsession with the "Sound of Music," I will note that Emily Maricle is the girl who played Maria in the show. Needless to say, Gabbie thought she was in the presence of a celebrity all day long.

We had a wonderful time checking out all of the sea creatures (some were downright freaky!) and John was an awesome tour guide. Gabbie seemed very interested in looking at the fish but had no desire to touch the sharks or stingrays that were there for petting--not that I can blame her! Luke was a little hesitant at first but soon warmed up to everything and mostly enjoyed just walking the long hallways. Jonah just chilled in his stroller (thanks, Judy, for being his buddy all day!) and was mesmerized by the colorful fish. Bottom line: A good time was had by all!

After the aquarium, we took the ferry across the Delaware River to Philadelphia. We didn't get off in Philly but just enjoyed the boat ride and the beautiful scenery. It was a hot day but everyone held up well and the kids had a blast (sorry, no pictures of the ferry ride as I was feeding the baby at the time). Thank you, Maricles, for a wonderful day!

Haircuts...

2010-07-04T19:00:00.002-04:00

...were long overdue (for Luke, at least). Gabbie said she wanted a "summer style" and requested a chin-length bob "like Stephanie's" (a 20-something-year-old from our church). She went for the full salon treatment, getting her hair washed in the sink and having it blow-dried. Luke was just in desperate need of a cut and unfortunately, the experience wasn't any more pleasant than last time. Even still, they both look cute as can be and so grown up!

Jonah and the Big Fish

2010-07-01T13:44:00.018-04:00

You're probably familiar with the story of Jonah and the big fish from the Bible. If you've never read it, I encourage you to read this exciting documentary of God declaring His love and salvation for all people from all nations.

Although we didn't necessarily name Jonah after the prophet (we just happened to both love the name and actually agree on it!), I discovered recently that someone gifted us with quite the appropriate outfit for such a namesake.

Love it!

As I began snapping pictures of Jonah in his fishy onesie, it quickly turned into an informal photo shoot as I realized that all three kids were miraculously in great moods--AT THE SAME TIME! Thus, resulting in a series of pictures that will forever be some of my favorites.

Mourning into Dancing

2010-06-28T09:27:00.010-04:00

Last night our little church suffered a huge loss and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to mention the life and legacy of Danny Offenbacker here on the blog. You may remember my post in September where I talked about the benefit concert our church hosted for his family. I encourage you to read it by clicking HERE if you are not familiar with this amazing man and his family. That being said, after a long and painful battle with cancer, Danny left this sinful, broken world and entered a new one of perfection and wholeness.

I'm not going to drag this post out but I wanted to acknowledge this man who had such a tremendous impact on everyone who knew him. I know that he served as a mentor to my own husband and both he and his wife, Sara, are people we respect immensely.

I also want to point out that despite Danny's bleak prognosis, he did not fear death. That's not to say he wasn't brokenhearted that (barring a miracle) he would leave behind a loving wife and four wonderful children, but Danny clung to hope in Jesus Christ--in His death and resurrection--and that he would one day be fully healed and living in eternal glory with his Savior. Danny never missed an opportunity to point others to their need for Christ; he truly lived the Gospel in word and deed.

I encourage you, if you're reading this and do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, to leave a comment, email me, or speak with a trusted pastor or friend who does. If you've felt a tugging on your heart or feel as if your life is lacking purpose, do not ignore these urgings! God loves you regardless of how "messed up" you are. The truth is, we're all sinful and deserve eternal death apart from God but He loved us enough to send His Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to pay the penalty of our sins by dying on a cross and offering us hope of eternal life through His resurrection from the dead. All you have to do is believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you, too, will experience this "living hope." As evidenced by Danny's life, we are not promised an easy road but God has promised to walk each step of the way with us and He will work in all situations to bring glory to Himself.

I will close with this story: Yesterday was a long and emotional day for everyone involved and while my kids were blissfully unaware of what was happening, they undoubtedly noticed their daddy's absence, who spent almost the entire day with the Offenbackers. I received word of Danny's passing shortly before the kids' bedtime so when we went upstairs to go to bed, I decided to share the news with them. We've been praying for their family for years now and Gabbie knew that Danny's been really sick and getting progressively worse. When I first told her that Danny had died, her face fell and I thought she was going to start crying. Then I quickly added that he is now in Heaven with Jesus and her eyes grew huge and a big smile spread across her face.

"Is he still in a wheelchair in Heaven?" she asked.

"Nope. He's completely healed and has a new body and he's able to run and skip and jump and hug Jesus," I answered.

"Do you think he's lonely up there, Mommy?"

"No, there are lots of people there, too, including Abraham [who she's studying in Sunday School] and others from the Bible who loved God."

Now her eyes were about to pop out of her head. "Wow, Mommy! Danny Offenbacker is SO LUCKY!!!"

Yes, baby girl, he is.

"You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!"
Psalm 30:11-12

Jonah: Three Months

2010-06-19T13:44:00.005-04:00

**I promise, this is the last post with video for a while! That being said, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog and pause the music so you can hear it.

Jonah is three months old now and is growing up too fast! He changes on a daily basis and is such a fun little guy. We didn't have a doctor's appointment this month so I can't give you any height/weight stats, but here are a few milestones he's hit in the last month:

He has officially discovered his hands and is quickly figuring out what to do with them. He reaches and grabs for everything in sight (including my hair--ouch!) and of course, it all goes directly into his mouth.
He's starting to giggle & squeal here and there but we have yet to hear a real belly laugh.
He continues to perfect the art of conversation, as evidenced here:
He's a bubble factory. This child blows bubbles and drools like no other. The poor kid has to wear a bib almost 24/7 due to the reflux but the bib is constantly soaked from all the drool pouring out of his mouth.
We made a trip to Pennsylvania this month to introduce Pop-pop N. (who lives in a nursing home) to Jonah. Gabbie, Luke, & Jonah are lucky to have four living great-grandparents--what a blessing!
He has discovered the TV and has even watched his first movie (Baby Einstein). He was fascinated and Danny & I got dinner ready with two hands each!
His dark newborn hair has completely fallen out and has been replaced with soft, fuzzy, dirty blond hair. It doesn't look as light as Luke's and definitely not as dark as Gabbie's.
Despite a lack of "tummy time" in the first two months due to his reflux, he's a champ on his belly and is lifting his head up like a pro. He seems to enjoy being on his stomach more than my other two ever did.
He still likes to be swaddled at night (with one arm out) and sleeps on his side. He's a great sleeper!
He's an all-around happy, social baby!

Luke Daniel

2010-06-15T20:53:00.005-04:00

**This post contains yet another video so be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog and pause the music so you can hear it!

Today we're catching up with Luke. In case you missed my post on Gabbie, you can read it here.

Lukey is our stubborn, yet silly; strong-willed, yet tender-hearted, toddler. He is caught in a stage of life where he thinks he's a "big kid" like his sister but still has many "little kid" traits. He tries his best to keep up with Gabbie--and often, he can--but once in a while his limitations present themselves and he melts into a puddle of tears.

That being said, I am daily amazed at how much his personality has matured and blossomed in the few short months since he's turned two. His vocabulary has exploded since February and every day he is adding more and more words. He has a great sense of humor and loves to make people laugh. Here's a look at Luke's legendary knock-knock jokes:

Notice a theme here? Yes, every single joke Luke tells has the same punchline: "Eat cake!" I have no idea where he came up with that but we hear many jokes all day long and they all end the same way.

As I mentioned, Luke's vocabulary has taken off but he still has some baby words thrown in here and there. For instance, he pronounces his name "Duke" and (thanks to his role model, Gabbie) he has a great imagination. He is currently obsessed with Super Heroes and "flies" around the house in a cape, calling himself "Super Duke." My other favorite Luke-ism is when he runs up to Jonah (who we call "Bugaboo" or "Buggy," for short) and says, "Hi, Bu-a-boo. I, Duke!" I wish I had it on video because the way he says it, in sort of a Southern drawl, is the cutest thing ever.

Finally, I'll close with a Bible verse for my favorite Super Hero. Luke: Daddy & I love you with all of our hearts and pray that you will live life to the fullest with Jesus by your side. Life is a great adventure but thankfully, you don't have to navigate it on your own:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9

Gabriella Rose

2010-06-08T20:57:00.010-04:00

**This post contains a video so be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog and pause the music so you can hear the video; it's a must-see!

Since all of my blog posts in the past two months have been devoted to our newest family member, I thought I'd dedicate a post to each of our other two children. Today, we see what Gabbie's been up to...where to begin?

Gabbie is four going on fourteen, or sixteen as she likes to say (it's her favorite "grown-up" age). She is in a fiercely independent stage but it's a catch-22 because the more she strives to do things on her own, the more she discovers her limitations. This creates the perfect storm of frustration, hormones, and tears. On the other hand, there are many things that she is able to do that just a few short months ago seemed impossible to her such as writing her name and drawing detailed pictures.

We like to say that Gabbie lives her life as if she's the star of her own musical. She always has a song in her head--whether it's made-up or real--and many times will be in her own little world singing her heart out (this is not just around our home but in public, too). The child even sings her theology; one of her favorites goes something like "God is Jesus, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, toooooooo!" Next time you see her, ask her to sing for you and you may just learn a thing or two!

I'm not sure if I've blogged about Gabbie's imaginary friends in the past but she still has them. For a long time, she would pretend to be a part of the Duggar family (she was always Jinger and Luke was James) but these days she's Liesl von Trapp from "The Sound of Music." Shortly after Jonah was born, a high schooler in our church played Maria in a production of "The Sound of Music" and Danny took Gabbie & Luke to see it. Ever since then, Gabbie is OBSESSED with all things Austrian and we re-enact scenes many times a day. She even has the nerve to tell me that "a sixteen-going-on-seventeen-year-old can make her own rules" when she doesn't like my rules. Um, nice try. Here's one of the many songs I hear all day long:

Gabbie loves to take care of her little brothers. Recently at one of Jonah's many check-ups, the doctor commented on what a "mother hen" she was as she was fawning all over the baby, explaining everything the doctor was doing to him. I had to agree and I am so thankful for what a help she is to me in caring for "our" boys. She can be smothering at times, but it's all in love.

Most of all, Danny & I are excited by Gabbie's tender heart toward spiritual things. No matter how many times she messes up, she's quick to ask for forgiveness and often prays at bedtime for the Lord to help her be more kind and respectful. Her desire to please God through loving obedience is beautiful and I pray that Danny & I will always point our children to their (and our) need for a Savior. I'll wrap it up here and close with this short prayer for my precious girl:

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."
1 Peter 3:3-4

Because I promised you a post...

2010-05-31T14:29:00.005-04:00

...but don't really have time to write anything in-depth, here is the latest and greatest sibling picture of the week:

We're off to swim in the pool and enjoy the company of friends for a cookout.

Happy Memorial Day!

Jonah: Two Months

2010-05-19T14:13:00.007-04:00

**I started this post on Jonah's actual two month birthday and am just now getting around to finishing/posting it. Sorry, my three loyal readers, for the blog neglect lately...hoping to be a more faithful blogger from here on out!

Jonah is two months old today! These past two months have been a whirlwind of doctors appointments but I'm happy to report that we just got the all-clear for Jonah to resume a normal baby's well check schedule, meaning: no more doctor's office visits for two months--hip, hip, hooray!

Just to catch you up on the medical issues, Jonah was officially diagnosed with reflux after his milk scan and he is now taking Prilosec daily. It's hard to tell if the spitting up is really getting better; we have good days and bad days. I'm discovering that no medication will take away the spit up completely, but the Prilosec will eliminate the acid in his stomach that would damage his esophagus when it comes back up. So, for now we deal with this (hopefully) temporary laundry issue and Jonah gets to model several new outfits per day.

We had his two month check-up this past week and he is a whopping 10 lbs 14 oz (up from 7 lbs 9 oz a month ago) and 21 inches long (up from 19 inches last month)--now that's a growth spurt! His doctor is very pleased with his progress and Jonah is now around the 10th-20th percentile for his height, weight, and head circumference. Great news!

Here are a few other notable two month milestones:

He started smiling this month and all of us--Gabbie & Luke included--will practically stand on our heads and quack like a duck just to see him do it. We can't get enough!
He is quite the talker and will hold lengthy "conversations" back and forth with his adorable coos.
He loves to track objects (toys, his brother & sister) with his eyes as they move across the space in front of him.
He celebrated his first Mother's Day with me and had dinner out with Daddy on Danny's birthday.
He is still a great sleeper (for one of our babies) and only gets up once a night for a bottle.
He still wears some of his newborn clothes but is finally growing into his 0-3 month stuff.
He loves sitting in his swing or his bouncy seat and staring at the animals that are attached. He gives them the biggest smiles and sometimes even "talks" to them. All three of our kids have done this and it's one of my favorite newborn memories of each of them.
He gained two new cousins this month--one on each side of the family and both are girls. Welcome to the world, Lucy Charlotte and Julia Jane! We can't wait to meet you!

Check back soon for updates on the big brother & sister as I am determined to get back to my weekly blogging habit. I hope to post again on Monday!