2 lines = life change

We found out a few weeks ago that we will be adding another member to our family on August 10, 2009. That means I am 8 weeks, 2 days pregnant. I am nauseous, I am tired. I have NO IDEAS about girl names... and I'm already stressing about it. Maybe this one will be a boy.

Merry CHRISTmas!!!!

(please excuse the red nose on Lydia...we've had some colds floating around the house.)
awwwww....

Construction zone

Getting ready.Decorating the house. Catie had a lot of good ideas about how this should happen.

Catie's bed

Catie's "new" bed

Snuggled in bed.

Big Day

Today Catie slept in her "big-girl" bed. Our plan was to have the bed in her room for a while before actually moving her to it, but that didn't happen. The bed is an old, metal bed that my Grandmother (also named Catherine) had slept in as a small child and had given to my mom when I was a teenager. It then became my bed and now it's Catie's. Being that old meant that it wasn't in great shape and needed a fresh coat of paint. For anyone who has attempted a do-it-yourself project you know these never go as planned, but it got done, thanks to my wonderful husband.

Catie was so excited when we set it up in her room this morning with her new sheets and quilt. She immediately started to play on it and when it was time for her nap she slept in it for about an hour, then tonight, fell asleep immediately when we put her there. I don't know if this will become the new pattern, but it was significant enough for me to document. Maybe I'll get pictures next time.

What's wrong with people?

I have had my share of frustrating comments from people who think they know how to raise my children better than I do. When Catie was little, I was in line at a checkout and she was fussing. I knew it was time for her bottle so I got it out and began to prepare it while James took care of our purchases. The lady in line behind me, thinking she was simply making a funny comment about how chubby Catie was, stated "It doesn't look like she needs that!". I smiled. I might have said something like "yes, she's big." Inside, I was FUMING!!! I wanted to let her have it. Say something like "What would YOU like me to do? Let her starve until she is the size that God intended her to be?"

Then there was the old man who approached my husband FROM BEHIND (and stayed at his shoulder) while we were sitting in church with the girls and suggested VERY RUDELY that we take them to the nursery so that they weren't disturbing others who wanted to listen to the message. We happened to be visitors at this particular church (it was in Virginia, if you're worried that it might be your church). We had kept Catie out of the nursery b/c she was sick. She was on antibiotics and feeling better, but we didn't want her in a strange nursery and having them think we brought a sick kid to contaminate their regulars. When the man spoke to James we were barely 15 minutes into the service and Catie was just beginning to be somewhat disruptive. We hadn't even had a chance to intervene before we were reprimanded. And that's really what it felt like. James did take Catie out to the hallway and while out there, noticed that same man come out a bit later. He confronted him and asked why he was so worried about listening to the service and yet he wasn't in the sanctuary. He made up some excuse. My wonderful husband let the man know our reasons for keeping Catie out of the nursery and he asked why we didn't keep her home. "Because we go to church on Sundays", was his reply. I was so proud of him for knowing the right words and for keeping his cool when he wanted to rip this 65 yr. old ex-military man to shreds!!!

I've also had my share of old ladies in grocery stores commenting on my daughter's lack of shoes/socks/both after having removed them....BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT CHILDREN DO!!!

Well, the most recent run-in was yesterday. The girls and I were out shopping with my sister and her little girl when we decided to head to Panera for lunch. Since it was a fairly nice day, I decided to leave the girls' coats in the car. There was no wind, no snow. The sun was shining. Catie had on a long sleeved shirt and jeans. Lydia had on a long sleeved onesie and a hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants. As I walked in, I heard a lady behind me ask "Where are their coats?" I turned to see a woman in her upper-30's, dressed very stylishly, turning to leave the restaurant (I think it was because of the long line). I made enough eye contact with her to know that she was talking to me. I am not quick on my feet and could only say "In the car." As I watched her and her companion drive away in their expensive SUV, I wanted to go out and shout a few choice words at her. I wanted to know what makes her think that she knows how to care for my girls better than me. What made her think that she knew their comfort level and needs in that weather?

Do these things happen to others? Tell me your story and how you handled the situation. I need to know that I'm not the only one that gets these comments, or I might start to believe there really is something wrong with my parenting skills.

logic and reason always win in my mind.

http://pinkelephantpundit.com/2008/12/01/a-gift-worth-giving/

fixing myself.

I have never been someone who has control of things. of myself, least of all. The only time in my life that I remember having a CONSISTENTLY clean home was when my house in Indiana was for sale. That proved to me that I could, indeed, keep a tidy home. Then I got married, moved to Virginia and chaos happened. I have gotten worse (if that's possible) since the birth of children. My home is not DIRTY. It is simply cluttered and unkept. This bothers me. Elisabeth Elliot wrote that a "cluttered home is usually lived in by someone with a cluttered mind." It's true. My brain has been cluttered. I even tried to force myself to change by blogging about it. I called that blog "Confessions of a disorganized soul." I haven't posted there in quite some time. I think that's b/c I have been working on fixing myself instead of writing about it.

My first goal has been to work on keeping the house picked up. I have done pretty good recently. I run the dishwasher at least once a day. Do at least one load of laundry a day. Vacuum twice a week. Dust when I see it's needed (maybe I should work harder on this). I fold clothes and put them away within a day of washing them. I put away toys at least once a day (this is easy, since I actually enjoy that task). I sweep the kitchen/dining room every day (or at least every other day). Mopping needs some work, but I have to start small. I'm even starting to clean the bathrooms more often. (That's a job I HATE!!!! I do it when it needs cleaning, but not until then.)

I know...some of you "neat-freaks" think I'm insane and you never want to come to my home. Keep in mind. I'm working on it. Habits are formed very slowly and that's especially true for me. I am getting better and when you do come to my house, please notice the clean places and not the ones that need a little more attention.

AND NOW..

A little bit of Lydia.

isn't she cute?

Catie's birthday party

Catie blowing out the candle. She cried through "Happy Birthday", so there are leftover tears on her cheeks.

We did a hayride behind the 4-wheeler. The kids LOVED it and I think it will need to be a yearly tradition. The guests were Ross (in the back of the wagon), Maggie (who is behind Cate), Jacob (next to Catie), Cora (front Left), Abby (front center), Leah and Ethan (back right) and Britton (front right). These are all kids that Catie has played with in the past and talks about regularly.

This is the "cake" I made for Catie. I can't take credit for the idea, since I saw something similar on the internet, but instead of trying to cut a "cone" out of a cake, I decided to use rice krispie treats and formed a cone out of that. The cupcakes are meant to resemble scoops of ice cream if it's not obvious. It made life easy since we didn't have to cut a cake...we just handed out cupcakes.

Overall the party went really well. Catie enjoyed it and that's what matters most, right?

i didn't lie.

I tried to upload pictures...twice, but something went wrong both times. I'm sorry. Although, I'm not sure there is anyone out there that I should be apologizing to b/c I don't know if anyone still reads this thing.
Highlights from the past few days include Catie pooping in the potty (no pee yet, though) and Lydia crawling with her belly off the floor, pulling herself up on furniture, and getting up onto the first stair step. The snow is a wonderful sight and I had a few friends in this afternoon so our kids could play. James works until friday and then is off for the week of Thanksgiving. What a blessing. We are going to enjoy it b/c it may not happen like that in the future.

busy, busy..

I am just going to type right now. I don't have the time or the patience to upload photos for this blog, so you'll just have to wait.

The last few weeks have been so busy. My good friend of many, many, many years moved to Missouri yesterday. Those who know me have heard me mention Jane. She is a wonderful woman of God whom I met when I was 14. At that time I started to babysit her 2 boys, ages 4 and 6. She was a great mentor to me for a long time and somewhere, somehow she became a best friend and was a co-Matron of Honor in my wedding. Her boys are now in their early 20's and there have been 2 more additions to the family...Janelle (14) and Jacob (6). I have been trying to spend a lot of time with her in the past few weeks, so that is why I have not had the time for you.

Between that, Catie's 2nd birthday, dedication for both the girls, the election (I won't even start on that, b/c it bothers me too much), a long weekend off for my husband that included dates and Christmas shopping, trying to keep up with the house, I have been soooo busy. I promise to post some pictures by Tuesday....and to tell more about the events of my life.

Catherine Margaret Auffhammer is 2

2 years ago Catie was born, so I thought that I would take this opportunity to tell her birth story. That was the disclaimer. If you don't want to read any futher I will not be offended or hurt... :)

I was due on Oct. 28, but had no signs of labor so I attended the wedding of some friends of James. That was on a Sunday. On Wednesday, I went to the doctor's office with some false labor. I was told that I was 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced, but was not in active labor. "Go to the mall and walk" was the advice. It didn't work. On Friday, I was 5 days overdue. James woke up at 6 am to go to work and, of course, I had to get up to go to the bathroom. As I sat up, my water broke. I wasn't having contractions or pain or anything. I called the dr.'s office and they said to come in b/c I needed to deliver within 24 hours and I also needed to have antibiotics at delivery. We called my parents and they started on the 6 hour drive to Virginia hoping to make it before Cate was born. James called his boss and let him know he would not be coming to work.

We got in the car at 7 am and started out into Northern Virginia traffic. Usually a trip to Fairfax would've taken us AT LEAST an hour at that time of the morning, but we were there in less than 1/2 hour. At one point James used the "right turn only" lane to go straight (through a red light) to get around a line of about 20 vehicles. All I could think was that if we got pulled over, the cop probably would not believe that I was in labor b/c I wasn't in pain.

By 10 am I was checked into the room and relaxing in bed. I hadn't been a patient since I was a little kid, so it was very strange to be on the "other side" of medicine. I was still not having contractions, so the nurse encouraged me to walk. I walked for about an hour. (they told me not to eat....we went to the cafeteria and got a bagel. By that time, I knew that I would not be delivering anytime soon, so i figured it was safe.)

At 11 am, I was started on Pitocin. They had to increase the dose a few times, but i finally started to have contractions. My family arrived. James's parents were there. We all just waited. By 2 pm, I couldn't handle the pain. Seriously, it was ridiculous. I could tell James was struggling with seeing me like that also. I told the nurse I wanted an epidural and asked how long it would take to get the anesthesiologist up there to put it in. She gave the usual nurse answer of "about 15 minutes" and continued filling out paperwork and doing something with my monitor. Trying not to be rude, I said "wouldn't it be faster if you called them?". She took the phone out of her POCKET and made the call. The anesthesiologist was there within minutes and I was feeling better.

The epidural worked so well that my right leg fell off the bed. It was dead weight and i couldn't move it. haha... James thought I was playing. Then I started not feeling well. James notice my blood pressure was dropping and I was very, very lethargic. He asked if he should call the nurse and I remember telling him no, but he called anyway. i remember feeling like I was dying and telling myself that the nurse was coming and she would take care of things. (That is how my heart patients felt when their pressures dropped and they told me they felt like they were going to die.) The nurse gave me some meds to bring my pressure back up and turned down the epidural. I had passed out and I remember waking up and vomiting. It was scary.

Around 8 pm, I was able to start pushing. NOTE: my water broke at 6 am....so i had been in labor for 14 hours...not in pain, but in labor just the same. Catie was born at 9:15. James was the only one in the room (other than medical staff). I had a wonderful doctor whom we had seen throughout my pregnancy and "happened" to be on call that day. Catie was beautiful. most babies aren't born with perfect looks and i was prepared to see an alien or a monkey, but she looked perfect. (but most parents think that, so here's a picture so you can see for yourself.)

What a blessing it has been to have her in my life. Yesterday, she was dedicated at church. It was an opportunity for James and I to say, publicly, that she is only on loan to us from God. She is His child. We simply have the privilege of raising her for a short time and we will do it to the best of our ability and teach her about Him.

"I love you, my sweet Boogie."

Papa's pumpkin patch

My dad wanted the girls to come pick out pumpkins from his garden. The dog ended up biting into one of them the day we brought it home, but we had fun going to get them.If I was really being honest I would tell you that I just wanted some cute pictures of the girls playing in the leaves and sitting next to some pumpkins.

She loved this leaf pile.

What a sweety. She really is just as precious in real life. I wish all of you could meet her.



A little bit distracted. There were quite a few not-so-good pictures in the bunch b/c of the curiosity of little girls. (and that stubborn streak!!)


P.S. Thank you Aunt Erds for the wonderful matchy-matchy sweatshirts!!!

on the move

She started in the living room (Where the sunbeam is coming from).

She's quick even though she doesn't get on her hands and knees.

soon, Rachel, soon

I'm getting annoyed with the same old post too. I'll update again in the next few day...I promise.

healthy, but....

Today Lydia went for her 6 month visit to the doctor. I really like the pediatrician that the girls see. He's very knowledgable and kind and the girls don't seem to be afraid of him. He tends to repeat the same things each visit, but this time was a little different.

When Lydia was 2 weeks old a hemangioma showed up on her eyelid. It's barely even visible in this picture...

It's simply a cluster of blood vessels close to the surface and should disappear within the first few years of life. Dr. Khan has always mentioned that it's okay and should go away but keep an eye on it. Today, he said the same thing and added that he's a little concerned b/c of it's location and if it gets bigger he will refer us to a plastic surgeon. Wait...what? He then said that he didn't want to scare me and that it would probably be fine. For a moment, I was afraid, though. My brain immediately pictured my precious little girl needing surgery. I'm not a fan of surgeries of any sort. When I think about someone I love going to surgery I feel panic in my heart. This has more to do with the way Andrew died than a distrust of the medical profession. It was a passing feeling though. I know that the chances of this thing changing and growing are small, but now I am prepared for it.

a rare occurance...

A picture of me and James.

I'm a little scared...

There's lots (and I mean....LOTS) of gunfire outside. At times it sounds like a 4th of July fireworks finale. No, I don't live in the hood. I live in the middle of nowhere and my neighbors (whom I can't see from any spot on my property) are out target shooting. I think there might be more than one of them shooting. I'm avoiding windows and praying a stray bullet doesn't make it's way through one of them. The dog has been indoors all afternoon. He doesn't like the noise, and he looks a little like a deer.

I grew up in the country. I, myself, have done my share of target shooting. I understand that hunting season is coming up and this is part of living out here, but I also know that there are some REALLY stupid rednecks out there. I don't know which neighbors are shooting and I have no reason to believe that they are drunk, dumb, or otherwise incapacitated. I just know that it's possible.

My comfort is that the shots sound too far away to be our immediate neighbor. And I did notice a car at one of the hunting cabins down the road, so I'm guessing that's where the sound is from. If that's true, it's too far for a bullet to travel.

Taking the bad with the good

Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love the colors as the trees change. I love the smell of the crisp air. I love knowing that soon I will be cozy and warm b/c of the fire burning in the furnace. I love the possibility of being snowed in for days with my family. I love driving in the snow. I love the anticipation of Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year's Eve. I love that the fall brings Catie's birthday on November 3rd. (She will be 2 this year.) I love the end of mowing the lawn and the beginning of raking leaves to play in. I love sweaters and sweatshirts and winter coats. I love feeding the birds.

Autumn is my least favorite time of year. I hate that every time I turn around I am reminded of loss. I hate that autumn brings death.

Today would've been Andrew's 33rd birthday. Last night I cried and James just held me like the wonderful, supportive husband that he is. He knows that my tears are not a reflection of a lack of love for him, but simply a representation of the sorrow I feel over the loss I experienced 7 years ago. Has it really been that long? I hurt for Andy's family, especially on days like today.

Autumn is hard. This time of year gives me so much to smile about, but then it also gives me reminders of something that's missing. Andrew's surgery was on October 22nd and he died on November 2nd. I know the crying is not over this season and will return next year at about the same time, but I'm okay with that. It's good to remember. Through my crying I am allowing myself to mourn. I promised myself that I would grieve well and I will continue to do so when I have moments like last night, b/c those moments only come once or twice a year. And the grief reminds me of all that is to come when death finds me and I get to spend eternity in Heaven with my Lord and my Andrew.

cousins

I watched Ross and Magdelene while my sister and her husband went away for their anniversary recently. Here are a few pictures of the fun.

Morning snack, a little "Tigger and Pooh", and a break for Aunt Tarah/Mommy.
This is a doll stroller. They were having so much fun riding around the house on all the toys. (This is why I buy toys at garage sales. Then I don't have to worry about them getting ruined.) It got a little loud. (see previous picture for solution!!!)
I let the kids play with one of my old stethoscopes. This is one of the quiet moments.

The kids really play well together and I have found that when Catie has older kids come play she learns more of how to play with her toys. Do other moms see this? I sometimes think that if I got down on the floor and played with her more often she would know how to play, but I still think there is a huge benefit to her playing with other children. They play different than adults. So, who knows something about early childhood development? Is she learning how to play from other children better than she could learn from me?

some favorite recipes

I cooked and baked today, so I thought I would share what I did.

Stern's Chicken

2 cups vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/4 cup salt (yes, 1/4 CUP)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 TBSP Poultry Seasoning

Mix it together and marinate chicken overnight and grill to perfection. When I was growing up we used to have chicken like this at family reunions. My mom got the recipe from the company sometime in the past year and I make it quite regularly. Leftovers are great too.


I also made some Pumpkin Whoopie Pies for my husband, who, although he doesn't eat desserts much, will eat anything made with pumpkin.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt

5 eggs
1 can (15 oz) solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract


In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and stir into the dry until moistened.

Drop by 2 tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Cream cheese filling for cookies

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a small bowl, beat the filling ingredients until smooth. Spread over the bttom of half of the cookies, top with remaining cookies. Store in refridgerator.

yields 2 dozen.

Farm City Day

....I don't understand the name either, but that's what it was called.

Catie looking at the animals. She was a little more shy than I thought she would be.
There were 3 of these pulled by a 4-wheeler. What a great idea!! The kids loved it.
Ross has never had fear of animals.

Mima pushing Maggie and Catie in a stroller.

The farm was HUGE. My grandpa was a farmer and so was my mom's uncle, so I grew up at farms, but this was so big...and high tech!!! There were easily 1000 cows at this place. It was also a windfarm. Check out the size of that windmill compared to those cars (the windmill is quite a ways BEYOND the parking lot.) There's been a lot of controversy over these windmills. This area was actually NOT the first choice, but the other place they wanted to put them was a wealthier area and was able to fight them in court. Here's my political view: Those wealthy people (who were only going to be affected by the view of the windmills) are probably the same people who "care" about the environment and believe in global warming. "Fix the world, hug a tree, but not the one in my back yard." The windmills are helping to promote energy independence. It's a good thing...and quite fascinating to see.

Reading

another catie quote

mommy: Can you do it? (refering to a task I gave Catie.)

Catie: Sure can.

(Who says that?!)

Good dog, BEAUTIFUL girl

check out the background...

We found this spot with a beautiful view. We don't know who owns the land, but we drove out into the field, thankful that it was still just a field, but still wondering why noone has thought to build a home here. There are 360 degree views. It's breathtaking.

milestones

Lydia got a tooth and is working on the next one. Here she is showing it off.

We discovered (about a month ago) that Catie's hair is long enough to put in a single pony-tail. I love it up like this. If I had never been pressured to cut her bangs, they would be long enough to fit in also. Oh well, it will reach soon.

I hit 31 and James took me out on a dinnerboat cruise on Keuka Lake. It was beautiful. I had never seen that area of the lake before.
Our first trip to the Steuben County Fair with Catie. My parents were there along with my sister and her family. Catie and Ross have no fear when it comes to animals. We stayed that night to watch the monster trucks. Catie kept saying "monser trucks jumping". (and yes, I do know how to spell monster, but that's how she pronounced it.) (they were so loud!!!!) That was a month ago and Catie still talks about those trucks. When asked what monster trucks do, she says "they jump". And when asked what they jump over she says "cars". James bought her a matchbox monster truck and taught her how to set up her matchbox cars for the truck to jump.
I'm really slow about posting. All of these things happened at the end of August. I hope you don't mind.

2 down....1 to go

We had a nice visit to Virginia. Lydia ended up with an ear infection the morning of the day we were supposed to leave so we made a quick trip to the Dr., got a 10 day supply of antibiotics and started on our way. I ended up sick on saturday morning and slept while Lydia slept. James and Catie played in the rain from Hurricane Hannah. Mom and Dad took pictures.

Weekend #2: I went to camp for Ladies Retreat. Lydia was supposed to stay with Jane for the weekend, but on Friday morning she called and said Janelle was sick during the night. I spent the day trying to come up with another option. The best one I found was taking her with me, but James stepped up and said that he would keep both girls. This meant that he was not going to get things done like he had wanted. As much as he adores those girls, I know that it was a sacrifice on some level for him to do that.

I had a good weekend and even got to go shopping for an hour BY MYSELF. I realized how much I miss my alone time without responsibility. I have alone time when the girls are napping, but they are still there and I have to always be thinking about them and listening for them and worrying about them (b/c that's what I do). James did a great job and proved to himself that he is capable of having them both and doing well. I think it turned out to be easier than he thought it would be. Well....everything except those poopie diapers!!!

Next weekend starts on Friday when I have Ross and Maggie all day. And James leaves for Virginia. It will be a long weekend, but I have a few things planned.

the weekends are spilling into the weeks

September is going to be a busy month. We had a great time at camp last weekend. The girls loved it, but they are still recovering. We leave tomorrow for Virginia to gather up some of James's belongings at his parents' house so they can pack up their house to move north. We also plan to try to see some of his old buddies since we won't be back down there for a long time. They need to meet Lydia and some of them want to see Catie again (cause she's so cute). We don't plan to be home until Monday evening and then I will take 3 days to settle in and pack AGAIN!!! I leave for a Ladies Retreat at camp. The original plan was for James to stay home with both girls for the weekend, but Jane has offered to take Lydi. That will work out better, so James can still work around the house, and Catie could use the one-on-one time with Daddy. The weekend after that, James will head back to Virginia to pack his parents' stuff into a truck and help them drive to NY. Meanwhile, I will be watching Ross and Maggie so my sister and her husband can go away for the weekend. I won't have them on Saturday and Sunday, but I will have them on Friday and Monday. That takes us to the final weekend of the month. Nothing is planned yet. I have no doubt that it will fill up eventually.

I'm a little overwhelmed now that I've written all that out. Pray for me this month. I've not been handling stress really well recently.

a quote from Catie

Mommy (at about noon): "Catie, what time is it? "

Catie: "5:30."

(I was expecting her to say "naptime" like she usually does.)

My favorite age

5 months. When Catie was born, Sherry (my sister-in-law) told me that 5 months was a fun age. At the time I was dealing with an infant who wouldn't sleep on her own and spit up constantly. So I waited for the "fun age". I wasn't disappointed. Catie still spit up, and still couldn't sooth herself to sleep, but she began to laugh and roll and sit up. Lydia is at that age now. She's a little more difficult to get to laugh, but she smiles big ALL the time (especially when she sees Daddy.) She has started to roll all around the room and when I sit her up she can balance herself for a short time. I like this age b/c, even though she's mobile, she's not really. I can more or less trust her to be in the area where I put her down. The best part of it all is that she doesn't spit up (much) and she goes to sleep on her own.

Another great thing about this age is that I understand her needs better. I know her signals when she needs to be fed or put down to sleep. She is also starting to eat pureed fruit. I enjoy feeding babies at this stage. They make a big mess the first couple of times, but after a while they get the hang of it and things smooth out.

I have found that when each of the girls have reached this stage that I don't long for the past or look forward for the future to come as quickly. I am content. And as I write this Catie just came up to me for a random kiss. I do look forward to Lydia doing that. Every stage has it's benefits.

The amazing race

Saturday was my birthday. I turned 31. The day was very busy b/c we had to go to a family reunion about 1.5 hours away. From there my mom came back to our house to watch the girls so we could go to a get-together at the home of a family from our church (also the sister of one of my best friends from high school). Wendy puts together an "Amazing Race" every year with clues, tasks, riddles, the whole 9 yards. We drove around on the back country roads, to state forests and trails, and had so much fun. She went so far as to put an add in the local paper as a clue!

I probably don't need to tell you this, but we won!!! My friend Amy and her husband, Jerry, were on our team and we kicked butt!!! i was very proud of myself. There was a lot of running involved and a lot of thinking. I kept up. And I'm looking forward to next year's event!!!

Thankful for the slave trade....? (and other Olympic thoughts)

What would our track and field team (and many other sports for that matter) look like without the amazing athleticism of African-Americans?

Lolo Jones did a great job as a white girl. As a former high school hurdler, it was difficult to watch that race, but I was IMPRESSED that she stayed on her feet at all.

Shawn Johnson is adorable!!!! What a great little smile!!!

sports i'm not a fan of: wrestling, field hockey, basketball, baseball, and probably a few others.

favorite sports to watch (not in any particular order): gymnastics, swimming, diving, trampoline, volleyball, cycling, rowing, syncronized anything.

those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.

Our backyard shrunk

Well, not really. After seeing the bear in the yard (see previous post), we decided it was time to act on our desire to fence in a large portion of the back yard. These are some pictures of the process. It took about 2 weeks and we love it. I even feel comfortable letting Catie go out by herself and run around with the dog. Before the fence, it was just a wide open, undefined space with a small pond. I was always afraid of her wandering off toward the pond or into the woods. Now i don't worry about it. She sticks right with the dog and the pond is outside the fence. Now it feels like we have a yard and not just a field.

The posts can be seen off in the distance.

Before the posts were set in cement.

The finished fence (with the fencing guy's van).

Catie and Jericho running around.

July Happenings

The fountain in Corning is a great place to play on a hot summer day.

Meade's Creek was a lot of fun, too, until the crayfish bumped into Catie and she FREAKED OUT!!!!

Pictures with sister.

Lydia learned to use her hands to reach toys.

Ice cream. The place that's closest to our house has these tiny little cones that Catie can hold and eat by herself. (and make a mess by herself.)

We put up the swing for the girls. Lydia loves it. Catie loves to push Lydia in it.