An Extra Special Sort of Christmas

What a fun Christmas we had! With a brand new baby and my own son, it was an extra special occasion. Josh just loved that baby. He touched his little head so gently, but still managed to make Aunt Leta nervous. When Lucas gets a bit bigger, the two of them will make good friends.

Adam and I thought it would be a good idea to get Josh a truck for Christmas. We found a big Tonka dump truck that is just about as big as he is. What little boy wouldn't love a bright yellow dump truck? Especially when he can sit in the dumper and have his Mommy push him through the house. Grandpa made him a wooden truck and some blocks and Grandma Jo bought him a little push mower. So many new things to play with... I think the two of us will be busy for quite a while.

Speaking of busy, I have had such a nice past couple of weeks. I have had more days off than I have had in a long time. It feels wonderful to have the time to clean my house. I actually mopped my floor on Friday! (Do I hear applause?) Tomorrow will be my last scheduled day off for a while, with the exception of New Years Day. Only two days of work this week. I could get used to this...

Question of the Day

The question of the day is does pinkeye have to be medicated and is it kosher to go out (ie shopping, church, friends house) when you have pinkeye? Should I call the eye doctor?

Snow. And More Snow.

Snow, snow snow, snow. All I see is snow, snow, snow, snow. It started this morning and I think we'll be buried alive! Snow is falling faster than 2 inches an hour. Get out your snow boots, it's time to shovel the driveway!

A, He's Adorable, B, He's So Beautiful....

Oh my word. I don't know if any of you "non related" bloggers out there caught the fact that I was about to be an Aunt. But in case you didn't...

She was a week early and started having contraction. By 4 pm, my brother Dave had taken his wife, Leta, up to the hospital. Dave called my at 9-ish and said I could come up if I wanted. (For moral support.) I brought him a couple cheese burgers and a coffee. It was going to be a long night. Leta started pushing at 12:15. The waiting room chairs were not very conducive for sleep. I had in my mind that she would push for about an hour, but then that's how long I pushed with Josh. At 1:30 I decided to go home. Little baby Lucas entered the world at 4:17am, after Leta pushed for four long hours. She is amazing. Mom and Dad are so happy, Lucas is healthy with a strong heart and I am an Aunt. Baby weighs in at 6 lbs 15 oz and is 20 inches long. He's a skinny little thing, especially compared to Josh, who was a whopping 8 lbs 9 oz. Ahh, new life. It is such a miracle.

Speaking of which, my miracle has just woke up from his nap. And something smells... like poop.

All Wet

Bath time sure is one of our favorite times around here. Josh doesn't need too many things in there to keep him happy either. Lately he's been perfectly content with an empty soap bottle, though he hasn't yet figured out how to squeeze water in and out of it. It won't be long before he's squeezing water out of the tub at me. That'll be better than getting peed on, I think. Quite frequently, as he is waiting to get in the tub (or when he just gets out, like tonight) he lets loose all over my feet. Gross. At least it's not poop, right?

On another note, can you see the molar back in Josh's mouth? He cut all four molars this past month, as well as his incisors. Now I can trust him to eat bigger bites. :)

The Good and The Ugly

Our daycare inspection went very well today. The lady was really easy going and we passed (!!) with no violations!!! Which is basically amazing and typically never happens. A big praise the Lord moment.

Josh went the whole day on the B.R.A.T diet and even had no dairy products. But he still managed to have a nice explosion while at Grandma's house today. Thankfully I was not there. ;) Today makes it eight days of diarrhea. I even bought Pedialyte on the way home from the daycare, so we'll see if that helps. Does anyone out there have opinions on oatmeal? I hear it's good from one source, but was told to stay away from too much fiber from another. What to do, what to do?

A Tidbit For Now

*sigh* What a busy weekend. I started out early Saturday grocery shopping with my Mom, stopped at church for the silent auction (proceeds toward missions) and didn't get home till 5:30. Woke before sunrise this morning to head to church to practice the set of worship songs scheduled for this mornings' service, ate lunch out (as usual for Sunday afternoon) and got home after 2:30. Went back to church for Sunday night service and now can rest for the night. Josh went home with Grandma and Grandpa this evening because I have to leave bright and early for work tomorrow. The home daycare where I work is having their annual inspection done. We shall be on pins and needles all morning until the inspector leaves. And so starts another busy week. *sigh*

Poor Josh has had diarrhea for the past week. I started implementing the B.R.A.T. diet, but don't see a change yet. I suppose I should stop cheating and really stick to it. Spaghetti does not count. I hope his little tummy gets better soon.

What a Skinny Little Wimpy Bride I Was

Happy third anniblersary to me! My, my, what three years they were. This evening my man took me out to a fancy, shmansy dinner. We dined on pumpkin soup (excellent, I might add, and it tasted like pumpkin pie... SO good), dinner salad and entrees of our own choice. And since it was a weekday, we were the only couple dining in the entire restaurant. The whole place to ourselves. Fancy that. And to top it all off, I felt rather pretty too. I got to use my new make-up (woo-hoot) that I got for nearly free at CVS. I am kinda excited about it. It's cream eyeshadow from Revlon and I like it best so far. You put it on with your fingers and blend it in and it looks quite natural and the colors made my eyes look very green. (Vainity, vainity, all is vainity...) Just thought I'd share that tidbit with you, so you'd know it's ok to buy the cream eyeshadow. And now I bid you all good-night. Good night one! Good night all!

Bedtime for Bonzo

It's bedtime at our house. Time for small children to put their jammies on and climb into bed. Goodnight Bonzo!

Those Good, Old Shoes

I am saying good-bye to some old friends. They are too old and worn out for me to keep them any longer, though they have comforted me many times when I was tired or aching. I had grown to love them like they were a part of me. Those old, lovable shoes... They have treated me well, but now they must go. The soles are worn thin, very thin, and the rain and snow often gets too friendly with my socks because of it. My toes are beginning to peep through the sides and the backs are being worn out too. I already have a new pair of sneakers waiting for me in my closet, but for some reason I am having a hard time letting go of these. My feet feel so at home inside these shoes... They fit "like a glove"... Please, won't you come and do the deed for me? I'm afraid I won't be able to say good-bye. Those good old Payless shoes.

It Looks Like Christmas

I think it is January. We have skipped right over Thanksgiving and the entire month of December. Two weeks ago we were enjoying 70 degree weather and now we bundle up before going out. We don our boots, hats and mittens. We mustn't forget our sweaters or our thickest coat. We would regret it if we were caught without our snow brush and hopefully it is still in the trunk of our car waiting for us from last winter. We trek through the snow here and there. We dig through the garden shed looking for the snow shovel. Oh, where did we put the leftover ice melt? Snow, ice and winter cold, you have jumped on us like an unexpecting mouse. Caught us unaware. The garden hose is still coiled in the garden. The leaves have not been raked out of the front lawn. I was about to cover my vegetable garden with black plastic. Now the remnants of fall have been covered by winters' first icy blast. Shall we see the grass again? Maybe. Maybe not... At least in looks like Christmas.

Hey Mom, What's That??

Today was this winter season's first day of accumulation. The snow was 2-3 inches deep by noon. When Josh and I left this morning there was no snow, so upon our return home, it was quite the treat for the little guy. After all, he doesn't remember last winters' snow. He was mystified by the white ground... He stepped (or rather stomped) into the snow, bent down cautiously and raked his fingers across the cold snow. Interesting. Good thing his mittens were handy, because then he could hold the snow and see how it tasted. I'm pretty sure he liked it. Time to break out the snow suit!! (If you are wondering what happened to his lip, he did that at Grandma's. ;)

Double Coupons (Finally!)

I was tickled with excitement today when I discovered that a local grocery store doubled their coupons up to $0.99. I hadn't been able to find a store that practices this since I started looking. So I am eager to try out shopping there. Maybe if my food coupons are doubled I am more likely to use them. (I usually find that store brands are cheaper than name brand items with coupons.) And to further my incentive to shop at this particular store, is that it is a "Mom and Pop" store- one that's been around for ages and doesn't belong to a large grocery store chain. And CVS shopping has been going swimmingly. Last week I bought shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, 2 things of lysol, 2 palmolive dish soaps and a large bottled water for $2.55. Gotta love coupons + extra bucks! It is a rather fun game.

A Photo Tag

The rules…

Find the 6th folder in your pictures directory and post the 6th photo in it.

So here are the instructions:

* Go to your sixth picture folder then pick your sixth picture.
* Pray that you remember the details.
* Post it on your blog.
* Tag 5 others, leave a comment to let them know they’ve been tagged.


Ah, the infamous Beach Day. My buds and I hit the beach one fine summer afternoon a couple years ago and had a simply marvelous photo shoot together. What fine memories. This is Elisabeth and I. We've known each other about 13 years now. Fine friends.

I tag Stephanie, Jessica (I know she has loads of pictures ;), Veronica, and Sherri.

My Little Sailor

Isn't he the cutest little sailor? Josh amazes me more everyday. He seems to be a pretty bright kid, if you want my opinion. He makes car noises when he plays with his trucks. He points at the pictures when we read a book. Josh can even put shapes in his "shape house", though they go in through the chimney, not in the shape holes. I enjoy hearing him mimic the words I say and I love when he says "Mommom", which I know means me. People say that I will grow tired of being called Mom, because I will hear it all the time. But for now I enjoy it and try to believe that I will never grow tired of my child/children calling me Mom. I think it's the greatest thing anyone could be called.

Thoughts After A Busy Week

It is ten o'clock at night, Veterans Day. I sit sipping my grape juice while I type. My husband is gone to his late night hockey game and won't be home until at least midnight. The house is basically quiet, with the exception of an occasional murmuring from my son, who fell asleep at 7, only to wake an hour later. I finally find time to record the happenings of the past week. But can I recall anything worth sharing? The days were packed. My mind was racing.There were so many things to do and so much to think about. An election, political discussions and thoughts of scripture kept my mind occupied, while preparations for my sister-in-law's baby shower kept my body racing. There were cookies to bake, cupcakes to frost and last minute shopping to be done. There were friends to persuade, convictions to defend and truths to be made known. One busy week is over and another has already begun. My time at home is filled with things that need my attention. Laundry, dishes, sweeping, vacuuming, chasing Joshua... And what do I seem to be forgetting? Oh yes, the bathroom. And it has obviously been forgotten. Perhaps it will get cleaned tomorrow. I am considering, and praying about, cutting something out of my schedule. I am not sure if I can, though. This particular something is very important to me. Well, it's not actually the something. It's the someones who go along with it. I have mixed feelings. I feel that it is somewhere the Lord wants me. And sometimes like maybe the time He has had me there is drawing to a close. But I'm not ready yet. There is still work that needs to be done. It is like my little mission field, and I have yet to see any fruit from my labor. I know, I have not labored hard enough, but I want to redeem my lost time. You know how God sprinkles His children throughout the Earth and each of us has our own little group of people that we are to reach out to? I feel that I cannot cut this something out until there is someone else who can fill my spot. I guess, all I really know, is that somethings gotta give in this busy schedule of mine, and I don't want to sacrifice my home and family to the hectic life style I am currently leading. But I don't want to make any rash decisions, especially without taking the time to look to the Lord and really seek Him about His desire for our lives. He knows my every need and how I should, or shouldn't be spending my time. It's great that I can go to Him when I need answers. He is my faithful God and gives me strength in my weakness. Amen. :)

NEWS FLASH!!!

I'm still alive!!! And Josh said "Mom" for the first time yesterday! And I'll try my best to post soon, but have to leave home again in ten minutes. So little to do and so much time...

Meddle Not with Those Given to Change

“My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?” – Proverbs 24: 21-22.

Make sure to cast your vote today. I, as well as my Mother, am so looking forward to this day being over. I already feel anxious. But as I read this morning, "The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD." Proverbs 16:1. So I should not be anxious, but trust in the Lord. His hand is controlling all, even our future as a nation. Have mercy, dear Jesus.

Josh's 1st Birthday Party

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JOSH!!!

One year ago today, I welcomed my beautiful little boy into the world. I cannot believe how fast the past year has gone or how wonderful it has been. I am just so in love. If I love my boy this much, just imagine how much Jesus must love us! We had a nice pre-birthday party on Sunday to celebrate Joshua's first birthday. Both sets of Grandparents came and all the aunt's and uncles, with the exception of Jim who lives in Minnesota. I had made two pumpkin pies and we had just enough pieces for everyone, including Jim. When I was cutting the pie, it somehow slipped my mind that Jim was not in attendance, so we had one left over. Josh loved his pie and he also loved eating it all by himself. I typically feed him, so as not to make a mess, but made an exception this time. :) Then we opened gifts. We had a friend who was home from the Navy stop by and he was disappointed that he didn't have a gift for Josh, so he left his hat for Josh to wear. My Mom has the cutest photos of him trying it on. Maybe she'll have to send me one or two so I can share them with you. In the mean time, enjoy these.

Another Year Older

I have been feeling a bit of animosity, or perhaps resentment, at the fact that today is my birthday. I don't want to be 23. I want to stay 22. I will only get older from here on out. Twenty-two was a wonderful year. So many great things happened in it. For instance, the love of my life was born. And he holds my hand and runs into my arms. It is "practically perfect in every way." I guess the excitement of birthdays has just worn off... Just another day that is supposed to be exciting. Ugh, what is wrong with me? I am much too sentimental, I think. And for some reason that makes me regret that I am no longer a young wisp of a willow. Tell me, how beauty becomes you more as you age. Like good cheese or wine...

On a cheerier note: Adam called me on his way home Monday evening. He said that he had bought me something for my birthday and wondered if he could give it to me when he got home. It was a whole three days before my birthday, but he couldn't wait. It did make me curious!! Upon his arrival, he brought in this large box, inside of which was... A brand spankin' new vacuum!!!!!!! I was pretty excited. I had been fighting with our vacuum cleaner all summer. The hose had busted, it tried to eat me, etc, etc. It was a very inexpensive vacuum, which makes it hardly worth replacing parts on, but it did the job. But Adam is such a good man, he wants me to have a easy life. The new vaccum has a pet hair brush and great filters and it comes with 0 bags, just a neat emptying thingy that you just empty into the trash when its full. Pretty cool. Now I can clean the car, which, oddly enough, I am actually looking forward to... What a great guy. Maybe my birthday isn't that bad after all. *smile*

IT'S IMAGINARY PEOPLE!!!

I have a facebook account and I created an imaginary event (a birthday party for myself) and people actually had the gall to say they weren't coming! People who are my "friends" could not come to my IMAGINARY birthday party!! Inconceivable! I am appalled. Who cannot imagine themselves at something as imaginary as an imaginary birthday party? Or at least pretend they are imagining going? Aren't they silly?

A Mover In

My brother Joe moved in yesterday. He used to live with my big brother and his wife. But they are very happily expecting a baby boy sometime in late Dec (Christmas Eve) and have kicked him out. Okay, they did not really kick him out. But Joe has also started going to college this year and we are a bit closer to his classes, and it was just easier on him to stay here for a while. Joe has brought his cat and we have cleaned out a room for him to stay in. It'll be fun, I think, getting to know him more while he is here. We hope that it'll be an easier transition for him to be able to save up some $$ while going to school, so he can eventually have his own little apartment. There is no rush for that, but I hope we can be an encouragement to the kid (aw you cute wittle Josiah, you) and be around if he needs to be pushed in a direction or two. Isn't this exciting?

Random Meme

My blog friend Jessica tagged me for this one. I love making random lists about me, so I don't mind being tagged more than once to do this meme. Hope you don't mind hearing my list of random, and possibly embarrassing, things about myself.

Six random facts about me

1) I collect receipts for unknowns reasons. I used to record what was spent on what. I don't record expenses anymore, but I still keep ALL my receipts. Embarrassingly enough, I have nearly three years worth of them in my filing cabinet.
2) I am often paranoid about contracting some strange ailment such as pink eye, ringworm, sinus infections, or strange growths in my abdomen.
3) I will be 23 on the 23rd this month.
4) I am in charge of my sister-in-law's baby shower. I will probably never so willingly volunteer for a similar position again. Everyone has different opinions and I can't stand being caught in the middle.
5) I start projects and never finish them. Bits and pieces of them lie around my house, begging for attention. But I am too distracted to apply myself for great lengths of time.
6) I have a strange inclination to try out for community theatre.

I will tag Stephanie and G.I. Joe.

A Sunny Saturday at the Playground

On Saturday, Adam and I took Josh to a playground. He just loved walking through the stones and collecting sticks and pine cones. He was such a pleasure to watch! Enjoy these photos from our first trip to a playground.

Josh admires all the neat things to play on.
Josh tries his very best to collect all the sticks at the playground.

"I wonder if I can find anymore sticks?"
He's going to try climbing up the climber.
Josh makes sure Daddy is paying attention.
I try to get a shot of my hubby and I.
"Mommy, look what I found!"
Daddy thought Josh should try out the big slide.
He had such a blast going down!
Look how much he loves hanging out with Daddy!

Too Good to Wait

On Saturday night, Adam and I decided we needed to try out a new restaurant in the area. One of my Mom's blog friends, Gudl and her husband recently opened an authentic German restaurant. My man is a fan of German cuisine and I love to try new places, so we took our boy and drove down to see what it was like. Gudl was very pleased to have us visit and we were greeted with a smile and a hug (kinda like meeting a friend). It was fun to meet someone who was somewhat familiar, even though I don't frequent her blog very often. But she knew our names (after I told her I was Martha's daughter) and loved meeting Joshua face to face. Dinner was very tasty and Adam even shared his suarkruat with Josh, who would take a bite and then give a horrendous shudder. It was hilarious! Josh eventually wised up and refused to take any more food off of our forks. When we had finished our supper, we were delighted to find that Gudl had treated us to her homemade dessert. And, oh my, it was delicious! I obviously couldn't resist taking a bite before I got out my camera to capture the moment. Thank you Gudl for a wonderful dinner and you can treat us to some of your dessert anytime!

I Think a Kid Lives Here

You'd think a kid lives at my house or something.

Good thing his Mom lives here too, don't cha think?

Oh, and on a side note, our coffee "table" was $5 at a garage sale. I love cool, old, bargains.

My Big Boy

My Joshua is getting big. Last week he cut two molars and his incisors are cutting through too. His hair is long enough to play with and he walks all the time. He is wearing size 18 month clothes and his favorite word is "ball" and "Da". Joshua also weighs almost, if not, 27+ lbs. He is quite thick, meaning stocky, not fat. He takes after his Daddy in that sense. I find it quite funny when Josh finds a sock and tries to put it on himself. And I am enjoying watching him learn, especially learning to be obedient. It's quite great actually. Like the other day, I taught him not to throw his cup. He does need daily reminding, but has improved substantially. He has also caught on to the phrase I use when I don't want him to touch or do something. He'll stop and just stare at it like, "Oh, I so want to, but Mom said no..." Josh is going through the seperation anxiety stage too. He started crying at the daycare I work at, when ever I leave the room or walk away from him. He does this at church now too. I just sit him down and say, "Bye Josh, be good." And then I leave, hoping that he isn't terrible for the girls during the whole service. I pray for my boy every day and sing him "Jesus Loves Me" every time he goes to bed. That was my favorite song when I was little and maybe it'll be Joshua's too. I've uploaded a video so you can admire him walking. Ain't he the cutest little guy you've ever seen??

Charting

Okay guys, be warned. The following is a girly type subject, though I'll try to be discreet about it.

This week I have been learning some new things. About a month ago I had decided to start tracking my basal body temperature. I had/have a friend or two who were doing so and I thought it would be helpful for me to learn more about my own self. Seeing as it has been two and a half months since I stopped nursing and my cycle has not yet resumed (not pregnant!), I'd at least like to be somewhat prepared for when it does. I happened upon this amazingly helpful site called "www.fertilityfriend.com./" where you can enter in your basal temperature and other body signs and it basically predicts your ovulation for you. You are supposed to take your temperature at the same time every morning (before getting out of bed). Generally speaking, you will be able to observe a dip and sudden rise in your temperature when ovulation has occurred and after a couple weeks, well, we all know what happens after that. My temperatures though, have been very "flighty" and inconsistent and I had been unable to see any sign of anything that was remotely typical. But, when I came upon this site and entered my temps on to their charts, they took an educated guess for me. So, we'll see how reliable this site is, right? Anyway, I've been having fun charting and reading up on this whole basal body temp. thing and suggest that anyone trying to have a baby check it out too, because it is a site mainly devoted to those trying to conceive. Cool stuff.

"Rise and Pray"

Luke 22:46 And He said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."

I read this verse yesterday during my daily reading. Jesus says this to His disciples in the garden right before His betrayal and usually I read it in that context. But this time the Lord showed me that He was not only speaking to His disciples here, but also to us. How many times have I lain in bed in the morning wanting a few more moments of sleep, when the Lord is calling me to rise and seek Him? So often... I could feel the prick in my heart when I read it. Oh Lord, do you mean me too? You want me to wake out of sleep, rise early and pray? How He desires that fellowship with me! He longs for me to greet Him while the day is still young! During the wee hours of this morning, I tossed and turned, sleep avoiding me at great lengths. This verse ran over and over in my mind... "Rise and pray", Rise and pray"... It was only 5:15, but I was wide awake. I climbed out of bed and answered the Lord's calling. His Words are always sweet and I should've lingered longer... How He wants us to seek His face. So, I encourage you, and please encourage me too (as I hate getting out of bed sooner than I need to), to "Rise and pray, lest we enter into temptation".

Ask me how it goes tomorrow.

Photos from the Big Game

I didn't realize my photos from the weekend were so piteously boring. But I said I'd upload pictures, so here are my boring Sabres game photos. Not that you'll find them especially fascinating.

Many, many anxiously waiting Sabres fans.
The guys in the blue and red forgot it was a Sabres hockey game.

We waited for something exciting to happen.

Some famous hockey player. He looked like a normal guy to me,
just wearing a REALLY expensive suit.

The opposing Toronto Maple Leafs. It was actually more exciting to be playing against a team that was from so near. Made the fans more varied and interesting.

This is the part of the game where everyong gets nervous because the Sabres are down by one. But no need to fear. They tied the game with five seconds to spare and ended up winning in overtime. That was pretty exciting. And loud.

All by Ourselves

Lovely time that it was. The two of us skipped out of town this past weekend for a romantic time by ourselves. We had a taco, bought some boots, watched an AMAZING Sabres game, rented a room in a motel, ate a pricey, but simply marvelous breakfast, meandered through antique stores all the way home, bought four sets of old sheet music and some old glass doorknobs while we were at it and made it home in time for the four o'clock Bills game that we simply could not miss. It was great. I'll upload pictures tomorrow, maybe...

All in a Night's Work

Can you tell what I have been doing ALL evening? Now all I have left to do is put it all away! I know this photo makes it seem like a never do laundry, but in all actuality if you look at my latest post AND realize that Joshua had diarrhea all last week I think you'd understand. Good work me! (Pat myself on the back...) Now off to put it away and then I can crawl into bed. Yum.

PS. I like ice cream. A lot.

See, this is how my life goes as of late.

Sept. 16th- Daycare til 5:00
Sept. 17th- Restaurant stuff till 2ish and church at 7:00
Sept. 18th- Daycare til 5:00 and tot swim at 6:30
Sept. 19th- Clean house, play with Josh, drive to Child Care Council to have fingerprinting done, drive from there to church to try my best to sing harmony with the worship team, fail miserably and go home.
Sept. 20th- Go to local big garage sale day in small historic hamlet and then go see about wallpaper.
Sept. 21st- Church morning and evening
Sept. 22nd- Wallpaper ALL day long at Children's Pastor's house
Sept. 23rd- Daycare til 5:00
Sept. 24th- Restaurant stuff til 3ish, try to catch up at home.
Sept.25th- Daycare til 5:00, TOT SWIM CANCELED!!!
Sept. 26th- Finish wallpaper and go to worship team practice to do better singing harmony.
Sept. 27th- Spend time with my husband at a Sabres game in Buffalo.

And you wonder where I have been. Now I must go and see about tomorrow's Kindergarten lesson as I have been trying to teach good health habits to three Kindergartners at Daycare. I could really use some magazines with pictures of food that could be pasted onto our food pyramid.

Oh, and Josh has hair. It is great and grows more every day. And he wanders around the house like he is two. Walking here and there. I am still amazed.

Walk, Walk, Walk,

Sorry this isn't the best video in the world, but it's the best I could get today. Josh is so funny. I hope you can get the gist of how well he is doing now.

Time For This and Time For That

Time. It needs stretching. Nap time, bed time, time for this and time for that. If there was always plenty of time, I would never get anything done. Odd as that may sound, it is true. I only am motivated to do things when time is limited or quickly fleeting. For instance, on Saturday evening we were expecting dinner company. Friday was "filled" with grocery shopping and Saturday morning there was a Ladies Prayer Breakfast at church, which I felt that I should attend. That left me Saturday afternoon (and a total of five hours) to clean my house and make dinner. Since I hadn't been home ALL week, pretty much everything had to be cleaned. But because time was quickly running out, I was able to apply myself to the task and get it all done, including laundry, with the much needed help of nap time for a small boy. I felt so rewarded when it was finished. Like I had really accomplished something. It is silly, I guess, because it is not like I did some sort of extra or over-the-top deed. I did what should've been done earlier in the week, but had just been put off till last minute. A terrible habit it is to put things off. Perhaps that is why I always feel guilty writing on my blog... There is this persistent nagging in the back of my brain telling me all these things which I should be doing instead. One of which today happens to be making sauce form the tomatoes in my garden. I have never made sauce and am slightly intimidated by the thought of doing so, but if I put it off too long, I will regret not getting to it. And watching all those plump tomatoes rot will be a sad reminder of my shortcoming. Perhaps I will remove myself from my seat and get to that which has not yet been done.

But first, I will tell of lovely things which take place in the home of a child under the age of one. Joshua, my little 10 1/2 month old Joshua, is walking. He smiles so broadly when he does so, so proud of himself. His little steps. Tottering across the floor. Tipping onto his bum. So adorable. *smile* And his hair is finally growing! It can be "blown" in the wind and messed with our hands. Every other day I smooth it with the palms of my hands and smile to myself because I can tell it has grown some more. My bald baby will soon have a head full of hair. Josh said "kitty" the other day. He loves our kitty, Louis. He has also said "doggy", "ball" and "Daddy". And I'm pretty sure he said "yes" one day too. The four things Joshua loves the most in the world are his Daddy, kitties, doggies and his ball. I guess I must be on the list somewhere too, but I'm not entirely sure where I fit... *Sigh* I love being a Mom.

What We're Up To

My brother Jim left for home on Saturday. We had a blast while he was here. The week was filled with a baby dedication, a trip to the State Fair, a Labor Day picnic, an afternoon canoeing adventure, a family pizza "party" and a Friday night movie. Since Jim hadn't been home since Christmas, we packed in activities like sardines packed in a can. I'm not sure if we could've fit anything else in if we had tried. And to top off my list of things I did with Jim, I also started helping at a daycare run by a friend of mine and was there three days last week. This friend has been after me for a few years now to help her and I have put it off until now. Seeing as I now have Joshua to look after and am only working at the restaurant one day a week, I was able to concede to her wishes. Josh comes along with me and plays with the other children (sort of) and I am still able to make a little extra money to help with the bills. So far it has been enjoyable, though when there are three or more children crying at once (including my own) it can be a little taxing. I suppose it comes with the territory and I'll learn the ropes soon enough. But that is what I've been up to lately. Keeps me out of trouble, I guess. :)

Six More Random Facts About Me--Meme

I have been tagged by My Mom, Martha.
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. List 6 random facts about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they've been tagged by commenting on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know the entry is posted on your blog.
~~~~~~~~~~
1.) I am so random, this list should be twice as long.
2.) I played soccer during my high school years with a home school group. We lost every game, but had a blast doing it.
3.) Once upon a time, I wanted to be a princess when I grew up.
4.) I like pickles but I love olives.
5.) I think I wiped noses a hundred times today. Literally. Almost.
6.) I would like to go to Cape Brenton.
7.) I "never" paint my toenails.
8.) My dishes often stack up for days at a time...
9.) I take the garbage to the road 95% of the time.
10.) He's still workin' on me, to make me what I ought to be.
11.) Some days, I'd like to pretend I was someone different and have a totally new wardrobe. I'm very selfish like that.
12.) I don't especially care for Lima beans.

I am not tagging anyone because I have no friends left to tag. *sniff*

A Swampy Day

Today was a day of sunshine and happiness...... I had taken the day off work to spend time with big brother Jim. (I intend to soak up every minute I can with him while he is in town.) At first we weren't quite sure what we were going to do with our time, but decided on canoeing up Irondequoit Creek. The creek empties itself into the Bay, but first goes through a bit of swampland. The canoe rental spot starts right near the swampland and you must canoe through that to get to the creek. So Jim and I and other brother Ben start off and head into the swamp. There are definitely clear areas that are good for boating and paths that go here and there. But none of us had ever been conoeing there before and we weren't sure which path to take. Needless to say, we took the wrong one. The waterway kept getting smaller and smaller and more condensed with cattails, but I was sure it would widen up "just around the next corner". And seeing as I was in the front, I encouraged the boys with sayings like, "Where's your sense of adventure?" and we pushed on. Well, eventually the path through the reeds was only a canoe's width across and came right up to an old log in it's path. Quite defeated, I said that I thought we should go back now. (duh) So we all turned in our seats and paddled back to where we found the real way to the creek. In the first two photos you can see how silly I was to think that maybe, just maybe, we were going the right way. That is the point at which we turned around. Notice how clear the water is behind me. Not.

Once we were out onto open water paddling our canoe was much more fun. We went a ways up the creek, though I'm not sure how far exactly. At one point we all got out of our boat because there was a sign for shallow water. But then this boat full of people went by a one guy asked us, "Where's your Pioneer spirit??" So, not to be outdone, we climbed back in and pressed on. Further and further we went. Ben, being in the middle of the canoe, paddled the hardest of all of us. Just ask him. He was amazingly strong, like any good Girl Scout would be... (I wrote that just for you Ben!) Anyways it was very fun and we did eventually go back. We even made it through the swamp the second time without getting lost. We got to see a couple heron, one turtle, a few ducks or more and some minnows. When it was all over, all three of us still had smiles on our faces, though we were very thirsty and our heads hurt from the sun glaring on the water. Next time, if we ever go again, I'll at least know which way to get through that swamp.

We Dedicate Him to Jesus

On Sunday, Adam and I had Joshua dedicated to the Lord. It's actually more like dedicating ourselves to raise him in the Lord. Pastor Ray prayed for Joshua and for us and it was sweet. We have a big responsibility ahead of us and sometimes it can be a daunting task. I am so glad that we can lean on Jesus to give us the wisdom we need as parents. My hope and prayer is that someday Joshua will give his heart to Jesus and want to serve Him as king of his life.

At Least I Can Admit It

I'm addicted. I was encouraged. By a bloggy friend. Now I go every week. But I save $$. Look at all the great stuff I bought for just $11.75. Two boxes of cereal, 2 bottles of dish soap, 2 tubes of toothpaste, 2 things of shaving cream, 2 toothbrushes and 3, yes, I said 3, bottles of hand soap. All for $11.75. I saved nearly $29 on my purchases today. The only bad thing is I didn't get any Extra Bucks back today. Good old CVS. I love you. And I cannot wait to see what kind of sale you will have next week. It's no wonder our little CVS ranked 8th out of the nation this summer.

I Guess You Can Say That I'm Excited

My toes are itching and my ears are twitching, but it's not because of poison ivy. My heart is racing with excitement. I shall be giddy with glee. I may sound way too excited for what it's worth, but my brother Jim is flying in tonight at midnight from Minneapolis. He moved there late last September and, much to our disappointment, landed a permanent job there this past spring. I know, that is terribly selfish on our behalf, but if he hadn't been able to get a permanent job, he would've had to move home. So now we all eagerly await that week or two in a year that he can come home to visit. And this next week just happens to be one of them. Jim used to hang out with Adam and I almost every weekend, so we really miss our "hang out" buddy. I would love to hoard him all to myself this week, but unfortunately I have to share. Sunday we'll accompany him to the State Fair and Monday we're having a large picnic at my parent's house. I took off Wednesday so I could visit Jim some more, but I'm not sure what we'll do. Anyways, we're awfully glad he decided to come home. He'll probably be shocked too see how big Josh has gotten! Jim hasn't seen Josh since Christmas. And speaking of Josh... I'm not quite sure what to make of this, but yesterday I asked Josh, "Would you like another cracker?" And Josh said, "Yesh." ??? What do I make of that? Did he know what he was saying? Did he actually answer my question? Very interesting anyways...

A Trip "Abroad"

I don't know how some of you manage to post several times a week or even every day. I just can't seem to have the time! I suppose that we all make the time for the things that we want to do, so I really have no excuse. Anyways...

This past Monday Josh and I went on a little adventure with his Grandma, Aunt Hannah and Uncle Ben. We drove out to the Fisher Price Museum in East Aurora and then we hopped over the Peace Bridge into Canada. We have some friends and family who live in Fort Erie and we stopped to see one of them. We attempted to find Crystal Beach, but landed on a quieter shore on Lake Erie. Ben walked out quite far on the rocks, while Hannah and I collected seashells. (Anyone have any ideas on how to make a seashell necklace?) Mom snapped photos and Joshua took a little nap. The sand was warm under our feet and my flip-flops left deep impressions as I walked across the beach. Seaweed and other organic matter gave the air a slight foul odor, but the view was fabulous and the seashells plenteous. Josh soon woke up from his nap, and since he likes to put everything in his mouth, we didn't stay much longer. Our visit to Ontario was short and sweet and one we don't do more than once or twice a year (if that). But we always enjoy our day trips to visit our northern neighbor and we never leave without purchasing some Aero Bars (chocolaty goodness that we cannot buy in the states). I ate mine before we even got a mile down the road. I guess we'll have to go back. Next time I'd like to go all the way to Toronto and maybe drive through the African Lion Safari. I've always wanted to do that.

Is He A Climber, You Ask?

"Oh no, he's not a climber..."

(Don't worry folks, I was right there to catch him when he started to fall.)

A Glimpse Into the Life of Josh

I had to share a few pictures from our day today with you. Josh was sick yesterday (his first time with a fever), so his nose is a bit runny in the pictures. (Nobody worry, he's dong fine today.) He's getting so big and doing so many fun things! His latest thing is standing up all by himself and I know walking isn't too far away anymore. He's also been sticking out his tongue non-stop, just like a little puppy dog. It doesn't help with the drooling and his shirts are always soaked from slobbering. But, as you can see, life hasn't slowed down around here!

My little puppy dog.

Ready to go out and play.
A taste of Mom's blackberry pie.

Playing in the yard.

Playing is a serious thing.

"Don't hug me when I'm cranky!"

I love to tease him. :)