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. :)

The Fruit of Our Labor... Yum.

Yesterday was a very yummy day. My parents recently discovered that they have blackberry bushes growing over the hedgerow that lines their property. Mom had already spent one afternoon picking and I went and helped her pick some more yesterday. Our hands show the wounds we earned while picking in such nasty brambles, but our dinner table last night also showed the reward of such labor. A delicious pie was enough to make up for getting thorns caught in my pant legs, in my hair and in my hands. While I was picking I was reminded of how hard the Lord has worked for us. The scratches in my hands will heal, but the scars He has in His will be there forever. I was willing to get scratches up in order to taste the goodness of those berries or have a pie. The Lord Jesus was willing to die so that we could taste of His goodness and be with Him in glory. Makes all my effort seem rather puny if I think of it from that perspective. Perhaps I should've been a little more willing to share the fruit of my labor with the man that I love...

Any Ideas?? Please?

I need help. I'm not one to typically complain, but this time I will. I am suffering from hives. I have broken out with hives every evening for the past four days. Except today, I broke out around 2:30. I am doing nothing out of the ordinary and the only thing I possibly have been doing different is using a lotion on my face. But I have no hives on my face and the hives didn't show up until a week or so after I started using the lotion, so I don't think that is it. The hives go up and down my legs, around my waist and last night were also seen on my arms. I am not stressed, it is not poison ivy, and they appear whether I am at home or am out. They are driving me crazy. Any ideas as to what may be causing them? It is so odd because they will be gone in the morning, but will be back by evening. Someone suggested that maybe I was pregnant, but I tested negative, so that's not it. If it keeps happening, I'll call my doctor on Monday to see what he thinks, but in the mean time any suggestions??

A Beach Day for All

Last Saturday Adam and I met with some friends and went to Fairhaven Beach. It was supposed to be a girls "beach day", but one friend of ours had to work, so the two of us remaining girls took our husbands instead. I guess they work if you're in a pickle. :) Josh tagged along and we couldn't leave Molly behind either. Elisabeth and I packed lunches for our group and we ate when we got there. Then it was beach time. Adam threw sticks for Molly to catch. Joshua ate sand. I pulled rocks out of Josh's mouth. Elisabeth's hubby got yelled at by one of the lifegaurds for swimming outside of the designated area. And Elisabeth lay on her sandy towel. All in all, it was a fun day. Someday we may do it again. We'll see. I did get some cute photos of Josh, but none of the rest of us. We'll leave that up to your imagination.

Ain't He Cute When He's Asleep?

Another Castle Photo

This is another picture from the castle retreat. I didn't get very many photos of the actual castle, but this should give you a slightly better idea of it. The rooms in the background make up the main section. There are actually four different wings extending off this main part. It really is grand. Next time I go, I'll have to remember to take a picture from a better angle. Oh, and the kids are "praying" over me in this photo :)

Vacation Bible School

It was another busy week. There was nonstop action every morning with VBS at church. I helped teach the 1st and 2nd graders this year. We had crafts, games, Bible lessons and songs. The theme was airplanes and taking flight with Jesus. We talked about stalling during flight, the drag that sin creates in our lives and how to take off with Jesus. At the end of the week all the kids received their very own set of wings, which they wore proudly during the closing picinic. Next year, I think I'd like to help more. There are so many ideas and things I'd like to do... We'll have to wait and see. It was pretty fun.

The Castle

Well, I made it home :) On Monday, I left with the Junior High group from my church and went to the "Castle" in Pennsylvania. It really is a castle, with towers and everything and the stone building sits high atop a mountain. Our church groups have been going there for a long time and this was my third trip down. Going to the castle never gets boring. We go with great expectations and hopes of what the Lord will reveal to us, and He is always faithful. This year was the first time the Junior High group got to go and they loved the experience. It was fun to watch them interact with my older brother Dave and my sister-in-law Leta, the group leaders. We had some really good studies and the last night there, we had a special prayer time which included songs, tears and a whole box of tissues. God is good. Dave and Leta also prepared some really cool games which the kids loved. He took us out into the woods and each team (there were 3) had to build a little house from anything we could find in the woods. The houses were scrutinized for durability, order and style. We also played a relay game where each team had to put a body together piece by piece and learn scripture verses that went along with that particular appendage. Dave is good at making up kid games, cause he is still a kid himself :) I am so glad I was able to go along with the group of them and I hope to keep up with the kids a little better than I had been. What fun, what fun.