A Late Easter Celebration

Easter was a little bit crazy at our house this year. Or maybe I should say it was rather uneventful. Hannah came down with a pretty nasty virus that lasted 6 days, and she was about at her worst on Easter Day. So, our family did not get to go to church, which I was really bummed out about. I love the Easter service and always really look forward to it! I did go up to church just to teach Beginner Worship but did not get to sit in a service. Josh stayed home with Hannah. Luckily, Easter is one of the few Sundays he has no responsibilities. We were supposed to go to all three of our families that day too. It is always a little crazy and stressful for us trying to get everywhere, but we were really bummed that we didn't get to go anywhere! Hannah just was not up for it. In the night, her temperature had been 104, and she just wasn't herself. I was so bummed that she didn't get to wear her Easter dress that my mom made. But, it is just the reality of life. I got over it. She got to wear her dress the following Sunday, and we got to see our families the following week. She got lots of Easter presents and way too much candy. She LOVES her musical Peter Cottontail book, and her dancing chicks, and her big pink bunny. I was a big fan of the new clothes and hairbows. And, she actually did participate in the Easter Egg Hunt the day before Easter since Josh and I were in charge of it and really had no choice in taking her. When I looked back at the pictures, I thought, "What was I thinking?" She was clearly not feeling well, but we didn't know what else to do.

March Madness!

Hannah and I have had so much fun this month. Here is a highlight of our activities: First, Hannah and I went to an indoor park at First Christian Church in Champaign. The playground is open to the public all day, every day. It was a lot of fun. She loved the merry-go-round and the slides. They were the biggest slides she has been on. I went on them with her the first few times, and then she went down them by herself. She can be a little daredevil at times. I have to chase her lots, but she had tons of fun. To get ready for spring, I painted Hannah's toenails for the first time. I was doing mine, and she seemed really interested, and she actually sat still to let me do hers. Aren't they cute? Hannah and I got to go to a state basketball game in Peoria to cheer on the Salt Fork Storm! This was the first time they have ever gone to state in basketball, so it was really exciting! We went with my parents and had lots of fun. Hannah slept through the 4th quarter though, which was amazing since we were in the middle of the student section during a huge game! The next week, Hannah and I went to the Bloomington Children's Museum to meet up with Jennifer and Kristina and their 6 kids! We had one 4 year old, two 2 year olds, two 1 year olds, and two newborns! What a crew we were! I was constantly counting to 7 to make sure we had everyone (although only 5 are mobile :) Hannah really enjoyed playing at the water table! By far, Hannah's favorite exhibits were the ones that involved steering wheels! She drove everything she could and really did not like being pulled away! That night, we headed up to Streator to stay with the Gorschs. We got to play at a couple of playgrounds and got to go to story time at the library. It was a little hectic and a lot of fun. The next week, I babysat Hannah's friends, Lily and Violet for a day, so I had three 19 month olds! It was interesting. I felt like I got a brief glimpse of what it would be like to be a mother of multiples as I changed three dirty diapers, fed three lunches (taking turns in the highchair), and put three down for a nap (taking turns in the crib). In the afternoon, we got out for a walk. I pushed the stroller and pulled the wagon. It was a little bit of a workout but not too bad. A few days later, Hannah and I joined Josh on his work trip to Louisville. It was fun but busy. First, we dropped Josh off at his convention, and then Hannah and I headed to a really nice mall. We didn't buy much (mostly higher-end stores), but we had fun looking. We found some fun riding toys in the mall that cost a quarter, and Hannah LOVED them... anything with a steering wheel! We did have a minor incident there as she apparently pushed another boy out of her way. I didn't see it, but I believe it. She's still at that learning age. However, the other mother was MAD! I smiled and apologized, but I really wanted to tell her to chill out! After that, we went to The Great American Cookie and got a double doozie.... my favorite!!!! Our Champaign store closed a few years ago so it's been too long since I've had one! We then spent a lot of time at Target and then drove to our hotel and checked in. Once Josh got back to the hotel (which was in the heart of downtown), we walked down to The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner, which is always a good family choice. The food was yummy. Hannah enjoyed the spaghetti and ice cream! Hannah did NOT sleep well at the hotel. I'm not sure why either. She did fine at the Gorsch's the week before, so she must just need a dark, quiet room! I'm really not sure, but she "slept" with Josh and I most of the night. Luckily the bed was huge, but none of us slept well. The next day, Hannah and I had breakfast at the hotel and then went swimming. I think Hannah thought she could swim on her own because she kept trying to push away from me. I didn't bring her floatie. We had fun though. Then we went shopping and had lunch downtown. We had to pack up our room and check out before Josh got back, so I hauled all our overnight stuff in the stroller around downtown. We walked down to the river, which was really pretty. Then, we headed for home. I was glad we went because I've literally talked about going for years, but I don't think I'd do it again anytime soon! I've tried to be intentional about doing fun things with Hannah and not always working on my "to-do" lists, so looking back on March, I'm glad we got to have so much fun!

Hearts at Home 2010

This month, I had the opportunity to attend my first Hearts at Home conference in Bloomington with a couple of my college girlfriends, Amy and Kristina, and a few of their friends. It was a great day. It was so awesome to be in a room of nearly 5,000 women who are all striving to be better wives and moms. I especially loved worship time, which was led by Christy Nockels. It was amazing to hear so many women lifting up their voices to God. Throughout the conference, we learned a lot about the power of the words that we use. As mothers and wives, it is our responsibility to choose our words carefully. We need to affirm and encourage our husbands and kids with our words. We also need to use words to show appreciation and to apologize when necessary. We cannot speak without thinking. The results can be devastating to those we love. I attended one workshop that talked specifically about marriage and was taught by Mark Savage. He talked about how important it is to think and speak well of our husbands. I think for most wives and moms, it can be easy to pick out what was done "wrong" or to complain about silly things. We need to focus on our husbands' strengths, not their weaknesses. Our husbands need us to need them, believe in them, trust them, and affirm them. We are not doing this when we are being nit-picky or nagging. We need to remember why we fell in love with them and love them for who they are. I feel like I have been blessed with such an incredible husband. I love his commitment to God and to our family. He always tries to do what is best for us and loves to make us happy. He has been so supportive of me staying at home with Hannah. I appreciate that he appreciates what I do, and that he wants me to do it :) Another thing I really love about him is his organizational skills. It may sound silly, but for someone with my personality, it is a huge plus :) I can always count on him to follow through on the things he is supposed to do, and I don't have to ask him twice (usually :). He is also a very hardworker. He always does a job the best that he can. I have no doubt that he loves me and Hannah, and that he is completely committed to us. I know that he would never leave us (even on my worst of worst days :). Maybe you would say that your man is disorganized and forgetful, but maybe he has other strengths such as being handy around the house, or being good at building new relationships, or being the life of the party. Whatever your husband's strengths are, be thankful for them, and focus on them. That is who you fell in love with! The other workshop that I really appreciated was taught by Jill & Mark Savage and was based on their new book, "Living with Less so your Family can Have More." They talked about how having less money, activities, and stress in your life can create more availability, peace, patience, kindness, joy, health, organization, energy, attentiveness, time, and margin. This has definitely proven true in my life. Since I started staying at home, I have had so much more time and opportunity to do the things I wanted to do when I was working but never had the time. I am much happier, and I feel that I have become a better wife due to reduced stress. Yes, that has meant a reduced income for our family, but honestly, we've hardly noticed the difference, and the sacrifice was well worth it. When I was working full-time, I was not yet a mother, and I still met myself coming and going. I felt like I was NEVER at home, and I never had any time to do anything that I WANTED to do. The only time I could clean my house or grocery shop was Saturdays, and that was only if we didn't have somewhere to be. So, on the weeks that we did, things simply did not get done. I was overwhelmed. I cannot imagine trying to squeeze time in with Hannah on that schedule. We were living a crazy, stressed life. By staying home, I have been able to shoulder some of the work that Josh was doing at the church, and I have a much better handle on managing our household, making it a more peaceful place to be. I love that my husband does not have to worry about dishes or laundry or what he will eat for dinner. I love that we each have our role in making our family work. I wouldn't change it for any amount of money. Instead of having extra material possessions, we have peace and time for our family. To me, that is priceless. This seminar corresponds with the devotional I am doing right now, which talks about how too many good things can actually be bad. It may be good for us to serve on a certain committee, and to relax and watch TV each night, and to spend time with friends, and to read a book, etc., etc., etc. But, if all of it adds up and takes away from our time with God and family, those good things become bad things. We should consider our time as a more valuable asset than money and set our priorities accordingly. I was so glad I got to go to the conference and reflect on all these thoughts. I left feeling encouraged in this journey of motherhood. I have found myself choosing my words and thoughts more carefully and being reassured in how our family has chosen to function. I look forward to future years of learning and growing. I know I have a long way to go!

Valentine's Day

We celebrated Valentine's Day a week late this year. Between all of the birthday celebrations, Josh traveling to Texas for work, and me coming down with the flu, it was a chaotic few weeks. We had a simple family celebration with little gifts for each other. I made some super yummy cinnamon rolls in my bread machine. Josh got me a book I had been wanting, I got Josh a game he had been wanting, and we got Hannah a little Disney Princess table and chairs. It was a fun day. Hannah wore her little heart outfit that Grandma Teresa and Grandpa Ed got for her. Maybe Josh and I will get to go out eventually. It seems like something always happens when we try to get out!

Dad's 50th!!

We just got done celebrating my dad's 50th birthday. Yes, just 19 days after celebrating my mom's. We always joke that he married an older woman :) It was another great celebration. The weekend before my dad's birthday, his sister and husband drove 8 hours from northern Wisconsin as a surprise. It was so great. They were at my parents house waiting when my dad came home from work, but they were hiding, and their car was hidden. Dad came in and chatted for a minute, and then he went outside to carry groceries in. Mom said we'd come help him, so we followed behind him. My Aunt Paula and Uncle Mike snuck up right behind him and starting taking groceries from him. He handed Aunt Paula about five things before he realized who it was! He was so shocked I thought he was going to fall over! We got to have lots of family time that weekend, and it was great. We had pizza that night and watched the Olympic opening ceremonies. The next day, we went to my cousin Ben's basketball game and then to Steak 'n Shake for lunch. That is kind of a tradition when dad's family comes in town because they don't have any in northern WI or in New England, which is where his brother lives. That night, mom made a good dinner. Dad got several nice gifts. All of us kids chipped in and got him a nice lawn trimmer, made extra long for a tall guy :) On his actual birthday, we had another small dinner, and all of us kids made a list of our top 50 dad stories. I read them all out loud. I think dad liked it. I had fun reading through them and seeing what everyone remembers. I think the list is a testament to dad's love for his kids, his goofiness, and his involvement in our lives. My favorite personal entry was when dad took me out to the country in the middle of the night when I was in 3rd grade to watch shooting stars after I had to get stitches in my wrist. The girls remember watching thunderstorms on our porch swing with dad. Phil remembers never being able to beat dad at HORSE or at a foot race. Paul remembers listening to his favorite song-Crocodile Rock-with dad in the car and getting to go on Boyscout camping trips before he was really old enough. Lots of other stories involved dad singing crazy songs to us or the goofy sayings that he has. It was a lot of fun to celebrate my parent's 50th birthdays, and I pray that the Lord blesses them with many more years!

A Year and a Half!

A shopping day with mommy-we got lots of clothes for next winter!

Hannah is 18 months old now. She is 33" and 27 lbs which is about 75-90th percentile on both. She has 15 teeth with one stubborn canine trying to come through. I think she will feel so much better once it does! She is becoming a little chatterbox and seems to pick up new words every day. Josh is so good at teaching her how to do new things too. It's fun to see how quickly she can pick them up. My favorite new one is "gentle." She lightly strokes her hand against both of your cheeks and then gives you a hug. I love it! She is full of hugs and kisses; she for sure is a little cuddler. I had a little scare with her the other day at church. We were up on the 3rd floor at church, and she ran down the hall, pushed the elevator button, got on, and rode to the first floor and was wandering around before I even noticed that she was missing! She keeps me on my toes!

A day with my buddy Hayden!

Playing with Grandma!

I love mommy's new treadmill!

Walking in the snow for the first time!

50 Years Young

My mom turned 50 on Monday. All of us kids organized a fun family day on Sunday. To start the day, all five of us kids, along with our significant others, sat with my parents at church. We filled up two pews! Although we all go to the same church, it is rare that we all sit together. It has actually probably been years since that has happened. Between Paul's crazy work schedule, our children's ministry obligations, Emily living in southern IL, Betsy at college, and Phil not being able to get out of bed (haha), we are NEVER all together for worship. It was so nice to all sit together, and it made me think 25 years down the road and hope that all my children would be around to be in church with me. After church, all of us went to The Beef House for lunch. This is another extreme rarity. Our family NEVER goes out to eat! Of course, with 14 people, it is not cheap, so you can see why it never happens. All of us kids pitched in to cover the bill, and it was nice to give my parents a break from entertaining for once. My mom prepares a huge meal EVERY SINGLE Sunday after church for all of us, so I was glad she could have a break (although she does love it). After lunch, we all came back to our house and my mom's mom, brother, and sister and their families all came over for cake and presents. Paul's wife Alisa has been taking cake decorating classes, and she made a beautiful chocolate cake that looked like it was from a bakery. All of us kids went together and got mom lots of new shirts. She also got several gift cards to go shopping, so she should be set for awhile! Everyone hung out and played games and visited for several hours. It was a great day. I hope my mom loved it as much as I did. I have to think that as a mother with grown children, there is no better feeling than this. I pray that my children and I are as close as we all are with our mom.