So...

My Asperger's Kid, Chapter 2

2011-12-01T19:45:00.001-05:00

Two years after Max came Leo. Wow! What a different baby. Leo was so smiley and happy, and he loved to SLEEP! In his OWN bed! Josh and I had noticed that Max was always very serious, but it became even more pronounced when compared to Leo. We still didn't think much of it, though. Neither Josh nor I are very easy laughers, so we just decided he came by it naturally. We even thought his not wanting to sleep was sort of hereditary, as Josh had trouble sleeping when he was a kid because he just couldn't stop thinking.

Sleeping changed, a little, for Max as time wore on. A few months after he turned a year old, we put him in his own bed. We would lie down with him until he fell asleep. It still took a long time, but he did at least sleep in his own bed for a large portion of the night before he would sneak into ours. But then we didn't care because we were able to have some time alone and sleep without a little person on top of us or kicking us.

Around the time Max turned two, we saw an episode of The Super Nanny that focused on getting kids to go to sleep on their own and in their own beds. We thought, "Heck, why not? It can't hurt." Her instructions were (after going through your bedtime routine) to sit quietly next to the bed without talking or looking at the child and to scoot a little farther away each night so that by the end of a week you just walk out the door. We followed her instructions, well Josh did, because I couldn't stand the thoughts of not hugging Max or cuddling him if he wanted me. It went fabulously! He had no trouble until the night that Josh just walked out the door. And cried off and on for about an hour. However, he got used to it. He would get out of bed a lot because he "needed to tell us something," but it was so much better.

With the sleeping changed, life focused on other things. In pretty much all other areas Max was super easy. He reached all his milestones in the range he was supposed to, and he was healthy. We loved watching him learn and grow. Parenting became more simple, and we had a season of refreshment.

My Asperger's Kid, Chapter 1

2011-06-24T15:18:00.005-04:00

So...

I have never really been a girly-girl. Growing up, I never planned my wedding, didn't even really think about having a husband until late high school. I did think about kids, though. I thought about what they would look like, what they would say, and how they would play. I remember specifically thinking about boys. I don't know why, I've just always jived with them better than girls. Little girls are annoying. There, I said it.

I had these visions of a pudgy little boy on the floor, half on his belly with one arm under his head, watching his cars as he drove them back and forth, making the engine sounds. I had these visions of being the perfect mommy. And visions of the perfect child.

When Max came along, I was elated to put it mildly. He was my world. Josh (my husband) would head off to work every day, and then it was just the two of us. It was fabulous! I was smitten. I loved taking him with me everywhere. I loved that he was so beautiful that people couldn't help but comment. I loved that he was such a good baby. The thing I loved the most, though, was that he loved me. I was secretly thrilled that he never wanted anyone else. Our days were filled with cuddles and nursing, and my heart was full. For awhile.

In babyhood, Max would not sleep in his own bed. And please don't judge me and say that we didn't try hard enough because you weren't there. I didn't even think twice about it when he was a newborn because I knew that babies that breastfeed eat often, so I just assumed that he was hungry a lot. He became attached to me to the point that at times I thought I would lose my mind. And because I was a first-time mother, I was afraid to put him down. It wasn't until kid #2 that I realized babies won't die if you put them down and let them cry sometimes. So there I was, straddling this fence of loving every minute of cuddling, yet feeling so overwhelmed because I couldn't ever put this child down. I felt like I was going to choke sometimes because I had this ball of something continually rising in my chest and I was going to explode because I couldn't even fold one load of laundry without him sitting on my lap. I distinctly remember one evening when Josh came home and I burst into tears. Sobbing, I choked out, "I'm so tired of being a mommy."

The key word there is "tired." My amazingly selfless, sweet, wonderful husband took over. Instead of Max using my breast as a pacifier (because he wouldn't take a real pacifier), Josh walked the halls with him. And bounced him. And sang to him. And cuddled him. And swayed with him. And watched TV with him. And still he wouldn't sleep. Hours it would take him to finally conk out, only to wake as soon as Josh put him in his crib. We quit trying to lay him down because we were so exhausted. Josh lovingly and without complaint did this every night so I could rest and then would bring him to bed with us where he would stay asleep. Praise the Lord!!!!! Then, a new day would dawn, and we would forget that long night and see that face. He was absolutely breathtaking.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

2010-07-05T13:31:00.005-04:00

So...

My baby is a year old now. Seriously!?! Where has this year gone? She is cruising around everywhere and even has a few words now. I am not ready for my last baby to grow up! The thought of not having a baby around anymore makes me sad. I love getting to experience all their stages of learning and growing. Alas, I must come to terms with the end to this era.

I do, indeed celebrate these little lives God has given me the great pleasure of overseeing. So I'll delight in my life now while my kids are little because this is it. No more kids, until I have grandchildren that is. And we're not going to talk about that.

Clemmie got to celebrate her birthday this year by sharing a party with her cousin, Scout, who turned four.

Happy birthday, my beautiful Clemence.

Country Roads, Take Me Home

2010-05-10T00:02:00.002-04:00

So...

My friends, we are movin' back! To ole' West Virginny that is. It has been a bit sketchy these last few months, but we now have a plan. God is good. He knows my limitations and has given me the info that I need to start making plans, which I needed to do before going crazy.

My sweet Josh was not accepted anywhere to pursue his MFA in creative writing, so our direction has changed. Although, we love our Mountain Mama we never really anticipated going back there. God has apparently always had a different plan. :) We are super excited to be moving back home and be close to our family. We are also very excited to see how God will have us minister there.

As of right now, we have no foreseeable means of income, so if you know of something that Josh can do please let us know! We like to eat!

The End of My Hiatus

2010-04-13T12:01:00.003-04:00

So...

No, I didn't really take a hiatus, but having that baby girl in June mixed with the other three has made blogging a back-burner item. I think, too, the old Facebook status steals my blogging thunder as well. I really want to be someone who can blog regularly. Daily is probably out of the question, maybe even weekly, but my goal right now is to at least do a monthly post. That's my promise to you, faithful reader. :o)

I think right now I'll talk about friends. They are truly God-given. After spending a lovely evening with some friends last night, I have come to the conclusion that they are truly probably the sweetest people I know. They are so loving to each other and to their children, so in turn, their children are super sweet and loving. There are moments when it is easy to react in a loving and sweet way, but this isn't just a reaction for these folks. They are always this way.

I have thought before that for me to be sweet to my children requires their obedience. If they would just do what I ask, then I wouldn't have to get upset and discipline. Or with Josh, if he would just take care of me the way I need, I would repay him by being a more loving wife. Why do I do that? If I had to guess, I would probably say pride, which comes from my sin nature. I want things and people to be a certain way so as to fall in with my plan, and if that happens, then I can love them.

I realized last night as I was putting the kids to bed that these people had inspired me. I was patient. I was loving. I was sweet. I didn't yell. I didn't fume. I didn't belittle. I just enjoyed my children. What I also realized was that I had made a conscious decision to act in this way. I didn't expect my 2-year-old to act like he was 10. I let my 5-year-old take his time getting his pajamas on. I didn't get aggravated that my 7-year-old's obsessive teeth-brushing routine takes so long. I let them be, just be. They don't need to be any certain way for me to love them and to have my respect.

I think the Lord gave us yesterday evening to just relax and be with people we enjoy and to teach me to step back and quit expecting perfection.

Drop out

2009-09-24T18:57:00.002-04:00

So...

I was reading a blog post a bit ago by someone I know. It was about her dropping out of a Master's program. It got me thinking.

When I graduated high school in 1996, I had every intention of getting a Bachelor's degree and having a career. I went to Marshall University for three years. While there I started working full time and going to class in the evening. You must understand one thing about me, though. I HATE, yes HATE, school. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy learning things. However, I do not enjoy homework. I do not enjoy research. I do not enjoy group projects. I am an introvert. This thing called school, it overwhelms me.

I decided to sit out for a semester and take a break from the misery. It was a great time, totally stress free. And you guessed it, I never went back. I wondered, really, what would be the reason for it. I had a full-time job, as I mentioned, that I really enjoyed. I decided it would be fine for me to work there forever. I liked my job, and they were letting me work there without a degree already.

Josh and I decided to get married not too long after that. I certainly didn't have time for school then. I was busy planning a wedding! Then, I was too busy just getting used to being married and working full-time. I had become the assistant manager with a lot of responsibilities after all. Then, I got pregnant with Max. I worked until a few weeks before he was due and became a stay-at-home mom. It was truthfully one of the greatest phases of my life. Since then, I have worked full time a bit, but mostly part time off and on because we have always needed that extra little bit of money. Currently, for the first time since Max was born, I am unemployed, and I LOVE IT! Certainly, there are times of frustration, but it is so great to be home with my kids.

I know you are probably wondering, is she ever going to make a point? Yes, yes I am. My point is that over these past ten years or so I have wished off and on that I would have stuck it out and gotten my degree, but most of the time I'm at peace about it. I'm just delighted that I have a husband who is willing to let me stay home and works SO hard to take care of us. Plus, I get to be around my four blessings all the time. I'm prayerful that the Lord will keep reminding me that this is a special time in my life and let the frustrations go.

Death by coffee.

2009-08-03T13:32:00.002-04:00

So...

It has happened, my friends. The Mac, our beloved Mac, is dead. Sweet, little, angelic Finn has spilled coffee into it. Alas, I'm typing this on our old Gateway, which I'm delighted works, by the way. I do miss the fact that I open the Mac lid and it's immediately on. Our Gateway takes, um, 10 minutes to power up. Not as bad as the old days on our Compaq Presario, though. :) I am thankful.

Josh and I have decided there is a lesson in this. Well, two lessons. The obvious first one...do not leave our drinks next to the computer. The second, we spend too much time on the computer. We are planning to monitor that better in the future.

*A side note...the Mac is extra special to me because of its name.

Clemence Ileana Duncan

2009-07-12T21:09:00.005-04:00

So...

Our baby girl is here! I got pictures up on Facebook, but I'm a little late posting here. Clem was born June 27 at 5:33 p.m. She was 20 and 3/4 inches long and 9 lbs. 4oz. We are so in love with her, all five of us! Pictures below, loaded backwards, but loaded nonetheless.

Bad dreams apparently.

Clem getting dressed for her trip home.

Sooo sleeepy.

Finn and Kimmy (how he says Clemmy).

Sweet Leo holding Clem.

Max is so proud of her.

My new baby girl.

The girl all slicked up.

Daddy's first hold!

Our runt of the litter.

Brand new, and I got to pull her out!

Missouri Botanical Gardens

2009-06-20T22:18:00.008-04:00

So...

I'm so sad to say that we have lived in St. Louis for three years now, and today was the first time we have been to the Botanical Gardens. We had SOOOO much fun! We really did not think the boys would be all that excited about looking at all the flowers and such, so we decided to just kind of glance at things on the way to the children's garden where they could play. They were totally into everything! We saw so much beautiful plant life while we were there. I think I may make this our Saturday morning ritual. Enjoy the photos of all the beautiful creation our Lord has made (including my boys :).

Dad, this is for you. Let me know who he is.

Obviously, a waterfall.

I had to take 2 pics to get this tree
in. It spins around as it grows.

This leaf is actually HUGE, probably
like the size of a large canoe. It was
up near the ceiling.

Banana tree, with bananas nonetheless. If you
look closely, you can see the birds munching.

This beauty was called jade vine.

This was in a "living green" exhibit.

It was to show how it took more energy to run
regular light bulbs compared to the energy savers.

The guys in the "temperate" building that may
have been temperate for the plants, but sheesh
it was hot in there!

The Max man on the rope bridge.

And the Leo.

Climb boyoes!

Now the water fun!

Finn was a little unsure.

Still hesitant.

Leo jumped right in.

Waiting for another one to squirt up.

Later at home cheesing. Had to throw it in.

Jaboticaba. We thought this was so cool
because the fruit grows directly on the limbs.

Pineapple.

Bromeliad.

Pineapple ginger.

Magnolia. Oh, it smelled SO good!

Dinner

2009-06-19T23:52:00.003-04:00

So...

Josh and I were both so tired tonight that neither of us wanted to fix dinner. We jokingly asked Max and Leo to do it, and to our surprise, they happily obliged. They were so proud of themselves too. The only hitch was when Finn was climbing on the stool they were standing on. Leo very calmly told him to get down a few times, then with a little more aggravation. Finally, as he tried to physically get Finn out of the sandwich he was making, he said, "When is this kid ever going to learn?"

Hmmm...

2009-06-03T21:06:00.002-04:00

So...

On the way home the other day Leo asked if ALL worms have protein. Because you are probably wondering, no, I don't mind if he eats one (unless it is the wrong kind). However, I am wondering if I should be concerned that my four-year-old is aware of the fact that worms have protein at all. Can you tell that Josh and I enjoy startling our children with weird bits of information?

A Leoism While You Wait

2009-05-17T23:07:00.004-04:00

So...

Leo got himself into a little trouble last night before bed. After we had our discussion, I left the room for a minute to take care of something. When I came back, he said, "Mom, can you spare me a little love?"

Update

2009-05-17T22:43:00.005-04:00

So...

HELLO PEOPLE!

I'm sorry to those few of you who actually check my blog regularly because I've been extremely lax about posting for quite awhile. I'm going to try and get back into posting more often, so here's my first update...of photos. You can't expect me to write something earth-shattering immediately, can you?

Josh in his very familiar place
finishing up some end-of-the-
semester work.

Max doing some reading for school.

The boys hanging out together watching TV.
Disregard the huge pile of unfolded laundry.

Spider Finn.

Not my loveliest picture ever, but I
wanted evidence on record that I do
cook once in a great while, plus a fairly
recent photo of my growing girl. :)

The 20-month daredevil about to climb over
the back of the couch.

Leo's most recent injury. He had a run-in with
the carpet.

That's all for now.

Another Leoism

2009-03-03T16:08:00.002-05:00

So...

Josh was reading the boys a Bible story the other day. When finished, he was asking them a few questions about the story to make sure they understood. The little book we're using right now has a little phrase with each story, which is like the special thing the book wants you to learn about God. It's called the treasure or wisdom and knowledge.

Josh: What was the treasure of wisdom and knowledge in this story?

The boys couldn't remember, so Josh tried to give them a hint.

Josh: God pro.......

At this point, the correct answer would have been God provides. However...

Leo: Protein!

IT'S A............GIRL!

2009-02-17T09:52:00.003-05:00

So...

For those of you who haven't heard, we're having a GIRL! We're shocked but excited! As far as we know, she's as healthy and perfect as she can be. Yea!

Leoisms

2009-02-02T21:04:00.001-05:00

So...

Leo says today, "Mom, do bad guys leave their toys out?".

Anybody know?

Yeah Steelers! Woohoo!

2009-02-01T23:40:00.002-05:00

So...

Here are a few shots of Josh when his beloved Steelers won the Super Bowl.

Snow Days!

2009-02-01T23:07:00.004-05:00

So...

Here are some pictures of the boys playing in the snow...and a few of Mommy and Daddy too. Enjoy!

Finn isn't so sure about the snow.

Daddy getting Leo.

So much fun, for Mommy, not so much for Finn.

Daddy taking a turn.

Go Max!

Oh crash!

This was actually the first go. They loved it!

Leo the angel.

What a face.

Look! Mommy can still run!

Roaring fun!

I LOVE this picture!

Got you Max!

Two cuties.

Misunderstood

2009-01-31T20:18:00.003-05:00

So...

Have you ever had one of those times when you say something to a person or a group of persons, and the response is not at all what you were expecting? Maybe you haven't. I, however, have had many. I was pondering this in the shower the other day. I've gotten to the point where I can tell by the look on someone's face if they are really getting what I'm saying or just nodding to be polite. Even Josh does it to me. He gets this glaze in his eyes and just nods. I imagine most of the time he does this is because he knows how I hate to repeat myself and doesn't want to say, "What?" one more time. I've relayed the story to him of a time when I was asking my sister a question, and she THREE times asked me to repeat myself. Finally, when I put my hands on her face and made her pay attention to me, did she hear what I had to say. At times, I think it's probably because I speak softly, which makes it understandable why people don't get what I'm saying. Truly though, I feel like many times people just don't get me. I personally find myself extremely funny, but I have come to realize that not everyone shares that thought.

*Disclaimer for what's to come* No offense to anyone who posted on my Facebook page recently regarding a thought that I had in my status. I know your responses were in love. :)

Recently, after listening to someone talk about how he had yelled at his son, I was so convicted because of the way I treat my children sometimes. They deserve SO MUCH MORE grace than I give them. I just started thinking of all the times that I've overreacted to something they've done or said or didn't do, or whatever--all because I was tired, or my pregnancy hormones were in full swing, or "they just need to learn". My Heavenly Father is never too tired to treat me with kindness, and I do not feel like He ever thinks, "My gosh, I have told her over and over not to do that. She should know by now that that makes me furious." I realize that my boys need discipline; I'm not saying they don't. There are just so many times that I have flown off the handle for something so insignificant because in my mind it's justified. I want to be mad. I want to yell. I'm so tired of dealing with that. I realize the Lord doesn't expect me to behave as He would, nor am I so ignorant to think this is attainable. All I'm saying is my boys deserve better. I was actually glad of this conviction I had because it first led me to actually realize, Mary Ann, what you are doing is not okay, and it is not justified! You can say the same thing with lovingkindness, gentleness, and self-control (among other things). It also led to a great conversation with Josh.

Anyway, this line of thinking led me to put a pondering thought into my status update to which I expected no reply because for some reason in my mind it was as if no one was reading it and I was just thinking aloud. However, people actually read it! Who'd have thunk it? I'm guessing they were just reading it as though I was feeling bad for myself, when in all actuality I was rejoicing because my day had been so wonderful without my anger.

To wrap up, getting the comments from people trying to make me feel better reminded me of my thoughts in the shower of how I'm just "misunderstood". I've decided, though, that it's not necessarily because people don't get me. People just think differently than I do. I don't laugh at every joke I hear. Why should I expect all people to like mine? I don't agree with everything that is said around me. Why should I expect everyone to agree with me? I could probably go on, but you get the picture. But how void would life be if we all laughed at the same things, ate the same food, read the same books, wore the same clothes? It really is a good thing that not everyone thinks I'm wonderful and hilarious (although I am).

2009-01-19T19:32:00.004-05:00

So...

As I was folding some laundry, I overheard this conversation between Max and Leo while they were fighting some pretend bad guys.

Max: Come on; we've got to get those evil guys!

Leo: They're not evil; they're good.

Max: They aren't good. They're evil. They cackle. Wahahaha.

Just thought I'd enlighten you in case you were uninformed like me and didn't realize that anyone that cackles is evil.

Toothless, Part Two

2009-01-13T22:18:00.003-05:00

So...

I thought people might like to see that Max's mouth no longer looks like the picture in my recent blog, and now he looks sooooo cute with both of his front teeth missing!

Good Taste

2008-12-08T14:27:00.002-05:00

So...

Last week Josh's mom asked me for a Christmas list for the boys. I first asked Max what he'd like to have and was compiling a list on e-mail. Got his finished and asked Leo what he'd like, and his response was, "Uh, something expensive." Like mother, like son.

Toothless

2008-11-19T00:51:00.005-05:00

So...

Max is 6 now. He's lost a few teeth and been cool with that, of course. Lately, his front teeth have started loosening up, and he lost one a few evenings ago. However, the way he lost the tooth was less than desirable.

I was in the kitchen fixing dinner, Josh at the computer, the boys running around. Max runs into the living room, dives onto the ottoman and smacks his mouth on the arm of our chair, which is really hard below the cushion. Big thud. Painful crying. Josh jumps up and goes to him. We both think he must have broken his arm because it looked kind of funny in between the chair and the ottoman. Not the arm. He looked up at Josh with his mouth full of blood. I believe Josh's words were, "Oh gosh, Buddy!" We took Max to the bathroom and had him swish around some salt water and got him cleaned up all the while trying to keep him from freaking out because he was spitting out so much blood, and he could see himself in the mirror. After slowing the flow, he bit on a rag for awhile and watched a movie and appears to be okay for now. Here are some lovely pictures for you to enjoy. Josh also blogged about this if you want to read his interpretation. It has a bit of a different spin.

My Husband

2008-11-09T00:00:00.003-05:00

So...

I just wanted to say how much I love Josh.

We had an unexpected date tonight. Our friends that live across the hall asked us to watch their boys for them last night, so they watched our guys tonight in exchange. It was great! We went to St. Louis Bread Co. (known as Panera everywhere else) for dinner, and then we did some Christmas shopping. The reason my husband is so great is the fact that he went Christmas shopping on a date. You must understand that finding Christmas presents is my favorite thing about Christmas (the material part of it). I love trying to come up with the perfect gift for each person. I really hate it when I can't come up with that gift, though.

I digress. For those of you who know Josh, shopping is really not fun for him, but because I wanted to, he did. It's not just the fact that he went shopping that makes him wonderful obviously, but when I thought of how he was doing something just to make me happy, I started thinking about how great he is overall.

Josh is an amazing man. I'll just list some of my favorite qualities about him. He's a man of God, which to me means he leads our family in worship, studying God's Word and teaching it to his family, being an example to our boys of God's grace and love, having faith in Christ, loving us all unconditionally and on and on. He's extremely intelligent, which not only comes in handy when we're playing trivia, but he keeps me informed of important things. I'm not saying I'm stupid, but he's certainly a level (or ten) above me sometimes. Of course, he's a hottie. I love those blue eyes and dazzling smile. He's the best daddy around. I couldn't ask for a better father for my little guys. He's so sweet and tender when they need him to be, yet he's still able to dole out the discipline when necessary as well as being a wonderful example to them. He is the perfect fit for me. God new exactly what he was doing when he put us together. I can't wait until he gets home from work so that I can just melt into his arms, before my belly gets too big for it that is. Yes, I'm pregnant again for those of you who didn't know. I'm delighted that Josh and I will be having another little one to love and nurture. Thanks, Lord, for my wonderful husband.

Halloween or Reformation Day As We Like to Call It

2008-11-06T22:15:00.005-05:00

These pictures are in reverse order. Our day started at the bottom and completed at the top. We went to the Magic House earlier in the day with some friends, which the boys loved! Then, of course, we went trick-or-treating with everyone's favorite superheroes. I am well protected; I assure you.

God Is So Strong

2008-10-29T22:27:00.002-04:00

So...

Today Max and Leo were sitting at the snack bar checking out our pumpkin from our Fall Fun excursion. Here is a script of their conversation:

Max: This pumpkin is so heavy.

Leo: This pumpkin is not stronger than God.

Josh: Yeah, God is so strong.

Leo: Yeah, God could sit on it and smash it with his bottom!

Ensuing laughter by Josh and me. I wonder aloud to Josh, "Does God find these comments by little ones as funny as we do?" I have to think so.

My Evening

2008-10-20T21:59:00.004-04:00

So...

My day started out nicely. Today was Mom's Morning Out day for the boys, which let Josh and me have our Monday morning date that we are so thankful for. Picked up the boys. Had some lunch.

Here it begins.

We decided to make a quick trip to Target to get Max some new pants because he keeps growing out of all of his. This trip of course takes longer than expected. We finally get back home at 3:00 or so and realize we need to have the oil changed in the van before our trip to West Virginia this week. We think this won't be a big deal because we have a coupon for a dealership that we frequent that's close by. Coupon expired Friday. Okay, we decide to put off school until after dinner, so Josh can go to Wal-Mart to get the oil changed because we're sure it will be cheaper there than going to the dealership without the coupon. Keep in mind this Wal-Mart is in the same area where the Target is that we just left 15-20 minutes away, as opposed to 5-10. I get chicken out of the freezer for dinner, work on getting some clothes ready for the trip while Josh is gone, change two poopy diapers, do a load of laundry, fold another load and check my e-mail. Josh gets home a little around 5:15 after paying more at Wal-Mart than he would have at the dealership. Lesson learned. I start making dinner while he takes the boys outside. Dinner takes longer to get ready than anticipated, so we don't start eating until 6:50. We eat, some of us. One parent, I won't say who, has to go to the bathroom. While he's gone, I finish feeding Finn while repeating to Leo about 200 time to finish his dinner and griping at him for putting his cup at the edge of the table where it could spill easily. He then proceeds to put it where it should be and knocks over almost all of it. Trying to contain my instant anger, because Josh and I just had a conversation about being more gracious to the boys, I go get a towel and make myself not be mean. Start cleaning up the kitchen. Josh starts giving the boys a bath. Must relieve Josh in bath-time duty because he's having intestinal distress. I get to the bathroom, and Leo is sitting on the potty waiting to be wiped, Max is finished in the tub waiting to be dried, and Finn is standing in the tub pooping. "Hurry and get out, Max, before Finn's poop gets on you!" Max is dried. Tub is drained. Poop taken care of. Leo wiped. Start running new water for Finn as he starts peeing. Drain tub again. Just wash him while water is running. Finish and he poops again. Clean his hind quarter and feet and also his hands because of course he touched his rear and dry him off. Thankfully, with Josh getting the other two washed and them knowing how to dress themselves, the next few minutes were sane. Get Finn diapered and pajamatized. Clean up second poop. Josh starts bedtime ritual. Thank you, God, for that man. Start another load of laundry. Finish cleaning the kitchen. Start water boiling to make a pitcher of tea. Go look at my closet and find nothing that I want to take to wear for the trip. Lay down. Kettle whistles. Pour boiling water on my hand. Curse. Confess. Run water over my hand to make it stop burning. Go lay down because my back hurts from holding Finn wrong earlier today. Pray. Burden easing. Sit down at computer as Josh leaves for work and hear Max and Leo both in the bathroom. Threaten them to get up again. Blog for sanity. Check on boys, all asleep! Going to work for two hours. I will survive.

Now that I've purged, it's actually funny. Lord, thanks for a laugh.

It's Officially Fall!

2008-10-19T00:11:00.008-04:00

So...

Pickin' punkins, ridin' ponies and camels, playin' with friends and makin' smores. That's what happens at Eckert's Farm. We love going there each year to pick the perfect pumpkin and let the boys do some things they don't normally get to do. It was super fun, as usual! Not until the boys started melting down did we finally pack up to leave the fun.

Oh, Leo.

2008-10-15T00:03:00.004-04:00

So...

This is the second post in one night, but I had to put up a series of pictures Josh snapped last night that I thought was funny.

Just as an aside. I don't love Leo more than my other sons, but he just seems to do so many funny things that I have to post about. For example, he got out of bed this evening to tell Josh something while I was in my room unaware that he had gotten up. When I passed by the boys' room, he was standing in the middle of the room. I asked him what in the world he was doing, and he said that he had to tell his dad something. I said, "Okay. You need to get back in bed now." He then states, "I can't tell you what I told Daddy, but I'll tell you something." "What is it?" I asked. "What did one poop say to the other poop?" I, of course, came up with nothing for an answer to that. His answer was something like "Pee and poop smell." Um, okay. I then came into the living room and passed "the joke" onto Josh. I think Josh actually felt sorry for me because he was hesitant to say that what Leo got up to tell him was, "I love you." Great. Josh gets declarations of love, and I get poop jokes.

Here is the cute series.

Family Fun

2008-10-14T22:58:00.005-04:00

So...

Yes, I know I'm late in doing so, but here are some fun pictures from our visit with Mimi and Pop (Josh's parents). They were here a month ago. We had so much fun being treated to lots of good meals as well as being treated to lots of cuddles, hugs, laughs and love. Oh yeah, there were loads of birthday presents for all those September boys, too!

Mimi and the boys while we waited for our lunch.

Pop and Leo cuddling at First Watch.

Max opening up his Batmobile, which he

played with ALL day, no kidding.

The little Finn man working on his present.

Pop and Finn doing some long-awaited cuddling.

We love you, Mimi and Pop!!!!!

Sweet Boy

2008-10-08T11:23:00.004-04:00

Leo: Mama, I want to give you a smooch.

Me: Thanks, buddy.

Leo: That was for my love.

Can you see my heart swelling?

For the Birds

2008-10-02T21:29:00.004-04:00

So...

Yesterday, I was ever so proud of myself because I was doing something cool for school with Max. We are currently studying animal life in science, and as we have just finished up mammals (all the while with Max declaring that HE WAS NOT A MAMMAL!) we moved on to bird life this week. I got really excited because awhile back my dad had sent us these little cards on a chain, a flip chart of sorts, with birds on them. I thought it would be fun to get out and do a nature walk and flip through the chart and learn about what birds we saw along the way. Well, as I was preparing to go, I discovered that what dad had sent me were plants and trees. Oh yeah, I remember now. Argh, plan B. Not a big deal, right? I then decided we'd take the camera and just snap some pictures of a few birds that we saw, and then we would come back and look them up online to learn about them. That would be fun. We took Leo along because Josh and Finn really needed a nap, and I knew he'd have fun.

Let me just tell you that we walked around the seminary and even to a nearby park for a solid hour, and we did not see one bird. Let me repeat, NOT ONE BIRD! I couldn't believe it. I realize it's late in the year and birds have probably started migrating, but not all of them for goodness' sake! You'd think we would have at least seen a goose. They're everywhere here. Well, the boys and I decided that the birds were all hiding on our "bird hunt" as they called it, and we had fun anyway.

I'm bound and determined we're going to study some real live animals during this section of science, though. I refuse to make them learn everything from a book. SCHOOL WILL BE FUN! I guess we could go to the birdhouse at the zoo since they're all in hiding where we live.

At least I got some cute pictures of the boys on our "bird hunt". You might notice we were able to find some sticks/swords.

Addendum to Sin

2008-09-25T13:19:00.004-04:00

So...

I got to thinking that people might have misunderstood my post the other day about sin and miscarriage and what I learned at church. I just wanted to clarify that I meant these effects were from the fall. I don't want anyone to think that I think God is punishing me specifically with the miscarriage. I don't think that at all. I just meant that because of Adam and Eve's sin, i.e. the fall, there are things that are going to happen, and we will feel the effects of it.

I don't know if that had crossed anyone's mind, or if this really clarifies anything. Just know that I don't think God is punishing me.

Visitors

2008-09-16T23:30:00.013-04:00

So...

I've been meaning to post pictures of our fun visit with Gigi (my mom), Auntie Barb, Drewby (my brother, Drew) and Jackson (Drew's precious little guy). They came on Labor Day weekend. I guess it's not too terrible since I'm at least in the same month. :)

Leo and the ginormous turtle at Grant's Farm.

Aren't these eagles beautiful?

Jackson and Finn at Red Robin.

Don't you want to squeeze those cheeks?

My cute brother and his adorable son.

My six-year-old, Max. Where has the time gone?

Finn's first cake experience.

He also had a birthday. Again, where has the time gone?

Aunt Barb (who you can't see) and Max

feeding the goats at Grant's Farm.

These are some highlights. I hope you enjoy! We had a great time, family, and we can't wait until we see you in October!

The Effects of Sin, Some of Them Anyway

2008-09-14T23:15:00.002-04:00

So...

We were in Sunday School this morning, and I just have to share a few things I learned.

We started a new "semester" of classes last week, and we are doing a very broad overview of the Bible. It's categorized as Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration. This is a reformed theology way of looking at the Bible in case you're interested. So far, we've discussed creation and made it up to Adam and Eve today when they were banished from the Garden of Eden. First off, we were talking about how Gen. 1:27 is indented, set off from the rest of the text, which means it could either be poetry or a song. Our teacher likened it to the hobbits breaking out into song in The Lord of the Rings. In the previous verses, God names all the things he has created and "saw that it was good." When he gets to verse 27 it's like he breaks out into song because he delights in the man he has created. Just think about that. You always hear that God loves you, but have you ever thought about how he delights in you, HIS CREATION? He broke into song or makes a poem because of what he has created, man, and then in verse 28 he blesses man. I don't know, maybe this isn't news to you, but it just reminds me of his awesome grace.

Along comes chapter 3. Eve is tempted by the serpent, Adam is tempted by Eve, and they both give in to their temptation and eat the forbidden fruit. "Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked." Later when God came to walk in the garden, he talks with Adam and Eve about what they have done. After he curses the serpent for what he has done, he tells Eve that because of what she has done he will multiply her pain in childbearing and tells Adam that the ground is cursed because of him and thorns and thistles will be brought forth, and he will have to eat the plants of the field. Now, here is the other thing I learned. Our teacher reminded us that the creation mandate tells us to be fruitful and multiply and have dominion over the earth. Do you find it interesting that what has been mandated to us has also been cursed? Because of our sin, life will be hard. There will be pain. There will be hard work.

And yes, I said, "our sin". Even though Adam and Eve were the ones who ate of the fruit it doesn't mean it was just their sin. I know that if I had been the first woman, I would have eaten it too.

Changing the subject for a minute, for those of you who don't know, I recently had a miscarriage. We're doing fine. It was very sad for a time, but it was very early, and I hardly even had a chance to know I was pregnant before it happened, so don't worry about us. However, you can't help but wonder things. It wasn't that I was questioning God, but I just kept wondering why if he didn't think I should be pregnant, then why let it happen in the first place? My question was answered today, at least in my opinion. You may not see the scripture this way, but it's how I interpreted it.

Because of Eve's sin, she (all women) was (were) cursed with pain in childbirth. I had always thought of that pain as physical. I realized today that the pain could also be emotional. I am a human. I sin. I receive the effects of that sin.

I also realize that not everything has a reason. God never promised that he would make everything crystal clear to us, but this is just something I feel like he put on my heart, and I felt like I should share it and also work out for myself as I type it.

First Day of School

2008-08-27T22:57:00.005-04:00

So...

It begins again tomorrow--Josh back to class. These last couple of weeks have been so nice having him home all day. It makes me sad to lose him for those precious hours each day; alas, that is why we're here. Now that Josh has decided what he wants to be when he grows up, though, the atmosphere has changed a little. It's not quite as stressful because he doesn't feel like he's going to fail at being a teacher or pastor or whatever because he doesn't do well on some theology quiz. He's now decided that he wants to write fiction. I'm actually really excited. I know he can do great things with that. It's not that I questioned his ability for teaching or preaching, but I could just never see him clearly in those roles. I could see him teaching some things but probably not at a seminary, which is what he thought of for awhile. I can TOTALLY see him holed away in some corner typing on the laptop for hours working on a novel or pacing the floor with a baby in his arms while creating a character in his head.

The only problem now, however, is that I want the seminary chapter to be over. I was never in a hurry before to be done here because we never had any idea what was next, but now that we know, I want to be there now. Lord, please help me wait.

Waiting has never been something I'm good at, unless it's something I don't want to do. I'm sure that's the way for anybody. Speaking of that, the two main things on my to-do list are still undone because they are overwhelming tasks for me, so what have I done? I've completed all the other things before these two, of course. Now, I'm down to the wire and am still putting them off by writing this post. Sheesh.

My major one of the two is making some "lesson plans" for school for the boys. It's not that it's hard; it's just time consuming. I just want to snap my fingers and it be done. I hated school so much (in high school) that I'm desperate to make it fun for the boys. I don't want them to have the same experience I did. I don't know what the problem was exactly in high school. I had friends; I had sports; I even graduated sixth in my class with a 3.96 for goodness' sake; I just hated most of the actual classes. I guess, aside from the few classes I really enjoyed (thanks Ms. Ferguson, Mrs. Meade and Mr. Meade), I could just never get on the same wavelength as most of the teachers. It probably had something to do with the fact that I didn't want to think any harder than I had to. Who knows?

Anyway, I'm working on making some plans for the boys because I just don't want to wing it and not give them my best. I don't want them to grow up wishing they didn't have a loser life by me teaching them and not getting to go to "a real" school. There are various reasons why we're homeschooling that I won't go into, but I want school for us to be SO cool that they'll never feel like they missed a thing. Well, if it's going to be spectacular, I better get to the planning.

Here are a few books we're using. Seems a bit much for preschool and first grade doesn't it? :)

Random Pictures

2008-08-15T15:57:00.008-04:00

So...

Here are a bunch of random pictures for those of you who don't get to see the boys very often. They are just some of my favorites. Enjoy!

Now that Finn can walk, he also likes to climb, sometimes in his toy basket.
Daddy and Finn. Finn loves hanging out here.
Max climbing over the back of the couch.
Max after his first shower by himself.
Finn having a pancake.
In the toy basket again.
Cuteness.
Leo getting ready for the slip and slide at a seminary picnic.
Max before the picnic.
Slippin'...
...and slidin'.

These last few loaded a little weird. They are some swimming pictures and a couple family reunion.

Conversation with Leo

2008-08-15T15:47:00.002-04:00

So...

Today, we were at the gas station getting gas. Leo heard Josh talking to the man on the other side of the pump. Here's the conversation:

Leo: Daddy, who's that man...Daddy, who's that man...Mommy, who's that man Daddy is talking to?

Me: I don't know.

Leo: What did he say?

Me: He asked Daddy how to get to the airport.

Leo: Why is Daddy going to the airport?

Me: Daddy isn't going to the airport. The man needed to know how to get there.

Leo: Why does that man need to go to the airport?

Me: I don't know; maybe he needs to catch a plane.

Leo: Why does he need to catch a plane?

Me: Maybe he's going somewhere.

Leo: Where's he going?

Me: I DON'T KNOW, Leo.

As you can see, I get a little tired of answering questions.

Leo, Leo, Leo

2008-08-13T15:27:00.003-04:00

So...

This morning, I'm sitting at the computer, doing something totally unimportant I'm sure, when I hear a thud and crying. Never a good combination. It's Leo. First of all, I must tell you that Leo's cries always sound the same, fake or real, so we never know when he's really hurt unless we see his face. Needless to say, this one was definitely real. He was holding his head around the temple area with blood seeping through his fingers. Sooo not a good sign. I surmised that he tripped over something; I don't know what. It could have been one of the 20 toys in the floor or it could have just been his own feet. He has inherited my klutz gene after all. Anyway, he whacked his head right at the end of his eyebrow on a little bench we have.

I have to congratulate myself on an excellent display of composure, I must say. I was afraid if I reacted that Leo might freak out, so I calmly examine him and get a washcloth for him to hold on it. After that, I ran to our bedroom and franticly called Josh to come home from class to see if he thinks we need to get stitches. The conclusion is, yes. I believe Josh's words were, "It looks like a gash that boxers get in a fight." I take one of the fastest showers ever, and Leo and I head to St. John's, the hospital that's only about two minutes away. Thank the Lord, they were not busy! Can you believe it, an ER not being busy? Leo got checked out, and it was decided that he definitely needed stitches; ended up being two inside and five out. He was quite the little trooper until the doctor had to shoot him with some numbing stuff. He freaked a little, but overall, he did super well. He and one of the nurses hit it off, and she gave him some of her peanut brittle. Then, he and I headed to McD's for some late lunch. Poor little guy fell asleep in the drive through, so he ate when we got home.

He's Mr. Cool about it all now. I'm so glad--the arms outstretched with the, "Mommy, I want yoooouuuu," was a little hard to handle while the whole proceedings of stitches were going on.

The picture is not really close enough to actually see the stitches, but you can tell where they are and see my adorable Leo.

Duncan Double Entendre Day

2008-08-08T22:45:00.005-04:00

So...

Today Josh and I are in the dining room chatting, and Max comes walking down the hall with a trailer from one of their trucks, a sword and a rifle (all toys) stuck down in his waistband. He says, "I'm going to play the instrument in my pants now," and commences to blow on the end of the rifle like a tuba. While Josh and I are suppressing our laughter, Leo follows behind him with another sword between his legs and announces, "Hey, look. I have a third leg!" We couldn't hold back the laughter then. As you can see, Josh was able to get a shot of the third leg.

Teaching

2008-08-07T22:36:00.003-04:00

So...

In high school, I often wondered if I should be a teacher, and then I'd remember that would mean being with other people's kids all day. Don't get me wrong, some people have great kids, but I'm just not up for that. It's hard enough to stand my own kids some days, and I love them. They are the fruit of my womb for goodness sake!

All that said, I never in my life (before children) planned on homeschooling. Guess what I'm doing now. "Why?" you ask. Let me enlighten you. At one point in our marriage, Josh and I were planning on moving to California. That was the initial pick for school when Josh first started thinking about a Master's. Obviously, we have chosen a different part of the country. St. Louis, Missouri is not anywhere near California. I digress. When we were thinking of moving there, we were overcome by the appalling situation of the public school system there. Well, I should say, Josh was; he is the researcher. After much discussion, we decided it would probably be our best bet to homeschool because we were afraid to put them into public school, and there was no way we'd have the money to do private school.

I just have to say now, "What the crap was I thinking?!?!" No really, I don't feel that way (every day). Max is so complex. I get so aggravated with him sometimes because he just can't turn his brain off to all of the plots he's got going in there to realize that he's supposed to be reading the sentence I've been pointing to for a whole minute. However, after I remind myself that he's not even quite six yet, I get over it for awhile. He's reading waaaaay more than I was at that age, and if I do say so myself, I'm a pretty good reader. I could go on about the aggravation, but that's not why I started this post.

Today was probably the BEST day of school we've ever had. It was like all of the sudden his focus button turned on. We finished reading in 15 minutes, whereas it usually takes us almost an hour. It was great! I felt rejuvenated today because he actually enjoyed it. I've been slightly worried lately about school this fall because I'm going to start working with Leo, too. The worry has not been because it will be hard with two kids or that Leo is trouble, but I've been concerned that Max will be so distracted by him that he won't accomplish anything. I think the lesson for me is that I need to get over myself and not worry if Max isn't as far along as some kids or trying to make sure he lives up to that genius idea Josh and I have of all our boys. One of the things I wanted to accomplish with homeschool was that the boys would love learning, unlike me who hated school, and that's not what is happening currently. Today gave me a glimmer of hope, though.

If you're reading, pray for me to be patient and let the boys learn the way they learn, not how I learn.

Ninja Finn

2008-08-06T21:59:00.003-04:00

So...

Finn is a walker now! This isn't the best evidence of it, but you can see him walk a little as well as execute his ninja skills. There's a bit of Leo too (Max and I were doing school while this was going on).

My Boys

2008-07-27T15:12:00.003-04:00

So...

I was told the other day by my brother-in-law that I needed to post some new pictures of the boys. Instead, Josh and I got them on iMovie today. It's nothing life changing, but if you have a hankerin' to see some Duncan boys compete for some camera time, this is the place to look. We were mainly trying to get Finn to perform for our far-away family because they haven't seen his new stuff. Josh had Finn cackling out loud before we started; of course, he quit when we started rolling, but you still get to see his cute face and hear him say one of his new words. Love to all.

Where is Home?

2008-05-29T00:08:00.010-04:00

So…we’re on the road today, headed to old West Virginny! “Luuuuuv it,” as Wheezy says (Dragon Tales for those non-parents in the crowd-Dragon with sort of an Ethel Murman voice). Going back is always such a nice treat. The boys love getting to swim in the hotel pool where we stop along the way; we get treated to all kinds of meals; and best of all, we get to see our family and just relax.

Family is in West Virginia. We are in St. Louis. Which place is home? Can it be both? Josh and I always consider St. Louis home because that’s where we live with our lads. Then, why do we say that we’re “going home” when we take a trip to see the family? Do we secretly wish we were back there living? I don’t think so. Have we not truly settled in the Show-Me state? I do think so. We love it there. Perhaps it’s true; home is where the heart is. I don’t know who said that, but I think he/she was right. It’s simple but true. Home is the people you love, where you’re comfortable. My heart lies in more than one place, not broken; it just has many residences. My heart overflows so much that it doesn’t fit into one house, I guess. :)

Currently, there’s a little of my heart in St. Louis waiting to get back into the routine. There’s a part of it in WV dying to see the boys (that part would be named Mom). There’s a bit of it driving to a different part of WV with my sister who really wants to be back at her new house unpacking stuff but instead needs to do some pre-graduation stuff. The last slice is here in the van, though, with my loves.

Loves of our lives

2008-04-28T22:39:00.004-04:00

So...back in my hometown my friend, Jane, just lost her two granddaughters, Haley (10) and Zoey (6) at the hands of their father. After his wife, Maggie, left for a medical mission trip in Belize, he and the girls got in the car in the garage and never left. He murdered them and committed suicide with carbon monoxide.

Why, oh why, Lord, would someone do this to his/her children, to the family, to themselves?

I live out of town, so I'm out of the loop except for what I've heard from my mom and read on the blog of the girls' aunt, link. Mom says they are all so strong. Phil. 4:13, which says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," has a whole new light. They made the girls' memorial service this past weekend a celebration of their lives. Praise God for the sweet life they had together that Maggie and the rest of the family can remember. The loves of their lives.

After my mom called with this terrible, horrific, sickening news I asked Josh why would God let this happen? He quoted one of his professors, saying, "There is no understanding sin. It's fundamentally absurd. There has been no sense in it since the moment Adam and Eve bit the fruit." Smack.

How dare I question God? Forgive me, Lord, for my sin. I know that He will get the glory, and I can't wait to see how.

I've been trying really hard this week to love my boys, the loves of my life, better and more fully. I lose my temper with them way too often. I don't ever give them enough grace. I don't spend enough time with them. I'm not a good example. They WILL know that I love them, though, no matter how badly I fail them in every other aspect of their lives.

2008-04-16T00:37:00.004-04:00

So...my Sweet Cheeks (Leo). He's 3 now. Oh my. I have three sons! I'm a mom! Do you ever have those moments when you're just grooving along through life, and you realize you have someone amazing right at your feet (literally :)? This scoundrel really pushes my buttons sometimes, but come on, how can you not love this face? He's so smart and such a sweetheart. After looking at this picture, I'm going to have to go smooch him. Thank you, God, for my boys.

The Conference

2008-04-01T23:02:00.002-04:00

So...Josh wants to go to the Trinity Arts Conference. It's one of those things that seems soooo great for him. For those of you who don't know my Josh, he's a really talented writer. This would be a really great experience for him to learn and get some good critical advice. He loves to soak up information, and he could really use some time to just get away and be.

On the other hand, I'd be all alone with the kids for four days! Don't get me wrong; it's not that I don't love my boys, but doing everything alone for that many days.... Also, I want to go too! If I go, however, we would have to find someone to watch the boys. In my mind that just seems impossible, especially since Finn will still be nursing then. I don't know that there are many wet nurses around anymore.

What to do? Should I tell him to go in peace? Is there some way for us both to go? Should we both just get over it, and trudge along in our writing careers (if we can consider them careers)? We joke all the time about one of us writing that one perfect novel that will take care of us for life. Harper Lee did it; why can't one of us? Could we do it on our own without professional insight?

I think I've talked myself through it. Josh should go. And maybe, if something miraculous happens, I can too. Happy planning, babe.

Cry baby

2008-03-16T22:03:00.002-04:00

So...My sweet little Finn has gotten to the ripe old age of six months. We've decided to try the "crying it out" method. I know Ferber says the idea of this is not to make babies cry but to keep them from crying, or something to that effect. Yeah right is what I say. He's been crying for a half hour now. Josh has been checking him every five minutes or so and patting him like you are supposed to, but when all the boy wants you to do is pick him up, that is the ONLY thing that is going to make him calm down. I get so stressed when one of the boys is crying like that.

We tried it with Max too at about nine months old. He had been sleeping with us until then. It was torture with him because he could actually stand up, so we kept having to lay him down and leave again and again. I was in the room next door crying while he was crying. We gave up after about two or three days with him because we couldn't stand it. At about 15 months, we put a mattress on the floor and started laying down with him and then sneaking out after he fell asleep. At about 26 months, Josh used the Super Nanny's trick and worked his way out of the room over a week's time, each night sitting a little farther away. It worked fabulously!

****Josh has gotten Finn and is now standing and rocking with him. Finn is already asleep.

Leo was a different animal. He stayed pretty scheduled with eating, and I would just nurse him at night while Josh was reading and praying with Max. I could just lay him down after he fell asleep, and he would actually stay asleep in his crib! He would wake up to eat once or twice for awhile, but he amazingly started sleeping through the night. His struggles didn't start until 20 months when we moved to St. Louis. We had started laying with him in a big bed a few months before we moved. Once we got here, he started fighting us. It would take an hour sometimes before he would fall asleep. Josh and I started fighting over who would do bedtime because neither of us wanted to lay there that long. He had studying he needed to do, and I always ended up falling asleep when I needed to be doing laundry or something. We eventually started having he and Max sleep in the same bed, and we would lay with them after we read and prayed with them, and he did a little better. When we moved into our new apartment, we got them bunk beds. At this stage, Josh was working every night. I was eight months pregnant with Finn then, so I didn't have the energy or the patience to wait for Josh to come home to debate about who would do bedtime, so I just told them I couldn't lay down with them both since they were in separate beds. We just roll our desk chair in and do the routine, and then we're out. They call out occasionally and get in bed with us occasionally, but all in all it's alright.

I was just telling Josh that I feel guilty whichever way we do it. If we put them down to cry, then my heart breaks because I know they feel abandoned. If they sleep with us, then I worry about SIDS because all the docs say that's a threat. I've come to the conclusion tonight, though, that I refuse to feel guilty about letting my baby sleep with us. We both love cuddling with him, I can nurse without really having to wake up, and he doesn't have to feel abandoned.

When Finn is bigger, we'll move him to a big bed like his brothers and lay down with him if we have to. As for now, I'm going to nurse my little guy and enjoy his squishy little body. I'll get to sleep through the night someday.

Spring, come!

2008-03-14T21:10:00.004-04:00

So... I really don't enjoy winter. The snow and the cold is fun for about a week. I can handle it until Christmas, and then I'm ready for the sun and the spring flowers. I cannot tell you how annoying it becomes to bundle up three little people besides myself, not to mention the sickness. It seems we all get sicker in the winter. I don't know; maybe that's the way for everyone.

Poor little Leo.... Everybody but Josh has a cold. Leo has had a fever all week as well as the cold. He is so pitiful when he feels bad. I took him to the doctor today and found out he has an ear infection. Hmm. No wonder he has been complaining every time we put the thermometer in his ear.

Last night was sure a treat because of his sickness. First, he was standing in his seat at the table, which we repeatedly tell him not to do. You know what happened next. Yep, he flipped over backward. He didn't hurt anywhere but really scared himself. The onslaught of tears followed. If you'll recall, I said he had a cold, so the snot overflowed. Now, Leo, in case you don't know him, has a really sensitive gag reflex. Therefore, when all the snot and tears started flowing, and he started gagging, he proceeded to puke up the taco he had just eaten. I, of course, sent him to the bathroom to finish. While I was getting some Clorox wipes to clean up his "stuff", he came in the kitchen telling me, "Mom, I'm red!" I had my back turned to him, so I just assumed he had caught sight of himself in the mirror and noticed his cheeks were red, as they usually get when he cries. I turned to look at him, and I believe the words out of my mouth were, "Oh crap!" He had a nosebleed. I'm not sure if the fall caused it or the puking or the ibuprofen that I had given him earlier (ibuprofen makes blood vessels constrict in case you weren't aware), or I suppose it could have been all three together. Anyway, it was quite an ordeal. Of course, at the same time I was trying to get Leo taken care of Finn was screaming on my lap because he was sleepy, and Max chose that moment to try and tell me some superhero scenario that he was acting out. As nicely as I could, I had to ask him not to talk to me at the present time because it was a little hard to hear him with Leo crying and Finn screaming. Needless to say, it was a fairly eventful evening, but it turned out okay.

Max

2008-03-12T19:34:00.003-04:00

So... Josh and I have decided to have Max tested. He's our 5-year-old son. We've got some issues with schooling (we homeschool). We really feel that he is above average, and yes, I realize all parents think that about their children. We'd like to know his learning style so as to teach him in the most effective way, but we also want to know his IQ. It's not like we plan on going around telling everyone what his numbers are once we find out, but we feel like it will help us understand him better. Is it terrible to want to know how brilliant your child is?

Organic eating

2008-03-12T19:00:00.004-04:00

So...We recently ordered a quarter of a cow. Yes, I said a cow. My friend, who is really good about eating healthily and organically and had gotten the same amount last year, was able to get it for us. A lot of people here at the seminary were inquisitive.

This lead to conversations about Josh's vegetarianism, which he has recently kind of quit.

When he originally claimed this state of meatless existence, he told me he would eat meat only if it was free range (after reading an article about animal cruelty that really got to him). Well, there was maybe one place that was accessible to us back in WV to buy it, and it was way too expensive. Therefore, we started eating a lot of soy substitutes. Here in St. Louis, however, there are a few options, so we started getting free range chicken and turkey. We were never really able to find any beef that was actually labeled "free range". It was always "hormone free" or "organic". Don't get me wrong; these things are important, but they weren't priority for some reason. Now that I think back on it, we were pretty much saying that we didn't want the animals to be treated cruelly, but it was okay for our boys to eat hormone infested meat. What goofballs we are sometimes. I digress.

I kept having all these moms ask me about buying a cow and also some who wanted to start eating organically because we are sort of doing that now. Anyway, my friend that got the cow for us is way more knowledgeable about this stuff, so she and I decided to see if anyone wanted to get together to discuss this sort of thing. Well, I thought maybe five people might want to come. We actually have ten including me that want to come. I'm really excited that so many people are trying to eat healthy. I'm hoping it will keep us motivated to continue.

I don't know if this is coherent or not, but that's what is going on this week.

2008-03-09T18:58:00.001-04:00

So... Blogging. I've just gotten started. Now that I've gotten the whole thing set up, I'm ready to quit. I think I'll go make some dinner and post something worthwhile tomorrow.