Friday Photos

I tend to take tons of pictures during holidays (and Valentine's Day counts for that). So, after trying and trying to narrow down the pictures, I have these pictures to share.

House of Pancake Sharing (HOPS)

Welcome to HOPS. What's mine is yours, and what is yours, you'll share with me. Weird night last night; David woke up with a bloody nose around 2 AM. Janey and I both took care of him. Somewhere around 3:30ish (?) Jonathan crawled into my side of the bed and said his belly hurt. I mumbled and went back to sleep (very dangerous considering what Thomas had been doing the last few days.) Anyway, he woke me up a little while later saying it still hurt. We (Jonathan and I) got up and I grabbed some children's pepto and a glass of water. He said it was hurting really bad so I thought he's gonna do #4 (thanks Leigh Ann). So, about the time he pulled his pants around his ankles I realized the lasagna from dinner (delicious by the way) found another way our of his body! I thought, "Hmm, I guess I could pull his pants up." He says, "Daddy, I think I should pray some more. It worked before so, I'll pray now." And he did. Afterwards he told me that when Thomas was sick, he prayed that Thomas would get better. I talked to him about the possibility that he would still be sick even after he prayed and that we should pray that he is a good example for other people when he is sick; that he should act like God wanted him to act. So we prayed again. Then he woke me up around 5:15 to puke again. He threw up, sat down on the stool and looked at me and smiled. He said, "Daddy, I like that you are growing a beard!" with both dimples showing (for Jonathan, that means he is REALLY smiling. He washed his mouth out and went back to sleep with a great attitude. He's such a great kid.

Thomas sharing his pancakes

Thomas picked up a pretty good stomach virus on Thursday afternoon. He "Shared His Pancakes" with the family from about 4 PM until 10 or 11 or so. Friday, although a little low energy, he was fine. He ate a (very) little for lunch and then ate a big yummy burrito filled with meat, refried beans, cheese and tomatoes. And, yes, he held that down. So Friday night, sure we were done, I cleaned the carpets. You see where this is going, right? After two cups of chocolate milk, some hashbrowns, eggs, and bacon this morning... well, I took pretty good inventory of everything he ate and Thomas would agree that it definitely tasted better the first time. Here he is after deciding that he wasn't all that hungry (thank goodness!) for lunch:

We brought his mattress downstairs again (I slept with him in the living room on Thursday night to continue playing "catch" with him.) Notice the strategically placed bowl. He has since eaten two bowls of cereal after waking up. Maybe I won't see post digested Frosted Flakes (fingers crossed.)

Friday Photos

Here are some pictures from our week. We had a nice week...but by the time Jonathan and David were showing off their puppets last night Thomas was sick with a stomach virus (so no Thomas puppet picture). It was a rough night but so far so good this morning.

Enjoy the pictures!

For "Friday Photos" I can post pictures individually (like last week) or in this slideshow format. Let me know if you have a preference.

No More Bath Toys Left in the Tub

I have this bad habit of not always getting the bath toys out of the tub after the boys take a bath. This won't be happening again. The other night we were about to head to bed and Seth heard someone up. He looked upstairs and the bathroom light and the boys bedroom light was on. He ran up there expecting to find Thomas awake. In the past, Thomas had gotten up and turned on the bedroom light when he couldn't sleep. Seth found David and Thomas sleeping soundly. He found Jonathan tossing and turning on his bed. He asked Jonathan if he was okay. Jonathan mumbled a bunch on incoherent words with his eyes closed. Seth tucked him and and turned off both lights. The next night as I am in the boys bathroom getting ready to make sure their teeth are brushed, I notice the tub is not clean. It is clear beyond a reasonable shadow of a doubt that someone peed in the tub. The evidence is clear across the tub, kind of all over that side, and on almost in a straight line from the nearest side of the tub. When asked about it, Jonathan got this embarrassed smile and said, "Maybe I sleep-walked?"

Friday Photos

We want to share a few pictures from our week.

Elisabeth



Elisabeth loves to get all dressed up!

THOMAS


Thomas loves to "walk on the ceiling"! (This really wears Daddy out.)


Daddy thinks Thomas and Momma have the same smile.

David



David playing the GameBoy while wearing Daddy's eye protection from Iraq.

Jonathan



Jonathan earned his Bobcat badge at cub scouts this week.

Boys Day Out



Daddy took the boys out to see The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. The boys were very, very excited to see the movie. They had a great time. This was Thomas's first movie at the Theater (which is how Momma was able to convince Daddy to take lots of pictures).

Our Favorite Meals

Last night I was anticipating making our grocery list. So, at dinner, I asked the boys to tell me their favorite meals.
Momma: "What is your favorite meal?"
Jonathan: "PIZZA!!!
David: "I looove potatoes. Mashed potatoes or juuuust potatoes (referring to baked potatoes)"
Thomas: "Pirate Food!"
Laughter from Everyone
Momma: "Thomas, what is Pirate Food?"
Thomas: "Macaroooooni"

Snow Day

We woke up to a beautiful snow day. It snowed until noon. We got about 5 inches. When we were waiting to go outside (really, the boys were waiting and I was scrambling to get snow clothes), I kept explaining that the snow was a treat and it was unusual to get this much snow where we live.
Then, Jonathan said, "This is like a TREAT from God!"

2 Months Old

Elisabeth is 2 months old today. She had her 2 month doctor appointment (complete with her first round of shots) this morning. She weighs 10lbs 11 1/2 ounces and is 22 3/4 inches long (50 percentile for both).

These pictures were taken this afternoon.

David Health Update

This past Thursday David met with his new Asthma and Allergy doctor. We were pleased with his new doctor. We choose him because he specialized in both allergies and asthma. We learned a great deal at the appointment.

Asthma: The doctor determined that we needed to have a nebulizer (medical device that delivers liquid medication in the form of a mist to the airways) at home. Not only did David’s doctor suggest that we have one, he suggested that we be more proactive about his asthma treatments. Instead of simply treating attacks when they occur, he put David on a daily treatment plan. Each day, David has a nebulizer treatment. We also have medication for when an attack occurs. Part of the reason that David needs a more aggressive treatment is that he has allergies that trigger his asthma.
Allergies: The doctor did a skin allergy test. This test requires that tiny drops of purified allergen extracts are pricked or scratched into the skin's surface. This test was not fun for David. After the first skin prick, David was screaming as loud as he could. He was not still, either. Seth had to hold him very tightly. He was tested for allergies to pollen, trees, mold, grass, dust mites, weeds, animal dander from cats and dogs and peanuts. The pricks were done and we were told it would take about 15 minutes for a reaction to show up. The nurse left the room. About 1 minute later, David started crying saying his arm hurt. He was saying, “It huuurrrts. It HURTS!! It hurts RIGHT HERE.” He was pointing and tapping the pinprick right next the “P”. There wasn’t a visible reaction yet but he was clearly in pain from the Peanut test. He started really crying so we went to the get the doctor. By the time the doctor came in a couple of minutes later, the peanut test was red and swollen. He said that there was no doubt he was still allergic to peanuts. (He had talked to us before the test about how there was still a possibility David could outgrow the allergy.) It was heartbreaking to see David's reaction. Even after putting some medicinal cream on the spot, David kept saying his arm hurt for quite some time. The test also showed that David has other allergies that we were not aware of. He is allergic to grass. He is also allergic to animal dander from both cats and dogs. I had an epiphany of sorts. It was an “ah ha” moment for me. I knew that at times when David was around cats or dogs, he would have an asthma attack. This had happened a few times as friends' houses. I had decided that some cats and dogs must trigger his asthma. I had not considered that he might be allergic to cats and dogs. This revelation saddened Seth and I. Immediately, though we hadn’t discussed it, we were both wondering about George and Bailey (our sweet 12 year old dogs). The doctor said that he was not going to recommend that we get rid of our dogs. He did make some other recommendations that include: Regular dog grooming, weekly dog baths, keeping the dogs out of David’s room (that was easy because the dogs just don’t ever go in there), weekly washing of sheets, and very frequent vacuuming. Back to the grass allergy—this is one explanation for why playing actively outside exhausts David so quickly. (Of course, physical exertion wasn’t ruled out as an asthma trigger, either.) We were alarmed to find out that David is allergic to grass. It just so happens that the area we live in is known for its grass seed production. There are grass seed farms everywhere in this area. We live in the Willamette Valley and I think this quote from an Oregon Grass Seed website says it all: “Grass seed production is one of the state’s leading agricultural crops, it ranked 3 rd in Oregon’s Top 40 Commodities of 2006. Over half of the Willamette Valley is sown to forage seed.” The doctor told us that the grass season could be really hard on David but we have nothing to worry about because we will get him set up with what he needs before the peak season. (That didn’t really put my mind to ease but I am thankful that we found out about the allergy before “grass seed season.")

It amazes me how David takes all of this in stride. Yesterday at church, there were snacks afterward. He ate his fruit, cheese and crackers, without complaining that both of his brothers got to eat cookies from the cookie tray. (I ended up making some chocolate chip cookies at home.) He has taken to the nebulizer really well. David really likes that it came with a cool fish mask. In all honesty, I think he realizes that it is helping him. And, it seems that he is sleeping so much better. Normally he frequently coughs night. He has been sleeping so soundly the last few days.

New Year's Day

Jonathan and David were quite sick on New Year's Eve and they went to bed about 6:30 p.m. After a nice relaxing bath, Thomas got in bed around 8 p.m. Momma and Daddy were just plain worn out. It was an unusual New Year's Eve for us. We celebrated the New Year on New Year's Day. We had confetti poppers, noise poppers, and balloon whistles. We rounded out the celebration with a large decorated cookie. Here are some pictures from our Owen celebration.

Thomas's Bank

Thomas received a Frog bank for Christmas. The other boys have different piggy banks. (We couldn't find a 3rd unbreakable piggy bank so we opted for the unbreakable froggy bank.) One night not long after Christmas, Seth told Thomas that they needed to "Feed the Frog." Jonathan and David get pretty excited about feeding their pigs. What we didn't know is that Thomas thought the feedings were essential for growth!

Thomas was very excited and jumped and bounced around while Daddy got some money for the bank.
Daddy and Thomas: "Feed the Frog! Feed the Frog!"
Thomas put the money put into the bank.
Thomas begins fussing and whines: "Awwww... it didn't get bigger."

Thomas Said:

When I got up this morning, I had on a brown Star Wars shirt with the words "Star Wars" written with a camouflage font. Thomas, who previously (see here)had no reaction whatsoever to me getting out of the army had a funny insight. When he saw the shirt, he immediately said "Daddy, you go back to uhrack?"

I had no idea he would put the camo pattern together with the Army.

David Says:

You're not the boss of me! God's the boss of me!"

Elisabeth's Smile

Tonight I caught Elisabeth's smile on camera for the first time.

Grandparents are Great!

We were really fortunate to have both sets of grandparents visit recently. The boys loved playing with Gran and Daddo and Mimi and Poppa. It was really special to have them meet Elisabeth.

Hanging out with Gran and Daddo (Jane Anne's parents)


Hanging out with Mimi and Poppa (Seth's parents)

Bath Time!

2 Week Old Doctor Visit

Elsie had her 2 week doctor visit today. She is doing great! When she was born on November 17th she was 7 lbs 14 oz. When we took her in for her bilirubin test for Jaundice the Wednesday before Thanksgiving she had lost down to 7 lbs 5 oz. Now, she is 8 lbs 1/2 ounces. I couldn't be more thrilled. She was awake and very alert at her appointment. Here are a couple of pictures I snapped before we left the doctor's office.

Santa

I hesitate to share this because many of you might thing we are scrooge's at our house. But, the moment was so funny, I have to document it. We don't participate in the traditional Santa Claus festivities. We have explained Santa Claus to our kids by telling the story of Saint Nicholas and sharing that the Santa Claus story starts there. We emphasize that the story of Santa Claus is for fun and that the boys shouldn't spoil the fun for other kids. On Christmas morning, we have "Santa Surprises" that are set out and also put in Stockings. We don't suggest that they are delivered by Santa. They are just surprises left much like Saint Nicholas did special things for people.

This past week Jonathan came home from school saying his teacher had him write a letter to Santa and that she was going to mail it to the North Pole. This was a bit confusing for him (because he is pretty trusting of authority, I guess). So, we had to explain how some parents and teachers really have fun with the Santa story and that it is all meant in fun.

In the middle of the discussion, David had all the answers. He kept saying the following over and over, in his loud, determined way.

"BUT, Momma... Santa is DEAD. Santa is DEAD! For Reeeeeal, Santa is Dead!"

It was so funny (and I couldn't help but laugh to myself at how sad it would seem to some people).

How to know your baby isn't jaundice anymore

David: "Hey Momma! Elisabeth is growing white skin like the rest of us."

Thanksgiving Thanks

During our Thanksgiving dinner, we went around the table and shared our thankful thoughts.

Daddy: I am thankful that I am not in the Army and deployed to Iraq. I am very thankful to be with my family this Thanksgiving.
Jonathan: I am thankful for my bike.
Gran: I am thankful for my husband and that he is alive. I am thankful for each of my NINE grandchildren! I am thankful to be with family.
Daddo: I am thankful for Gran and how she takes care of me. I am thankful for Jonathan, David, Thomas, Elisabeth, Anna Marie, Brianna, Boris Jr., Matt and Sarah and for all of their families.
David: I am thankful for my family.
Momma: I am thankful for Elisabeth and that her birth went well. I am extremely thankful for my family.
Thomas: I am thankful for movies. I am thankful for the sun.
Elisabeth: She was thankful for her bouncy seat, which she was sleeping in at the time!

She is here!

Elisabeth Jane Owen arrived at 1:52 AM Saturday morning. She weighed 7 lbs, 14 oz and was 20 3/4 inches long. Here are two pictures with more to come when we get home from the hospital on Monday!

If only it was that Easy

At lunch David and Thomas were talking to me about how big the baby is going to be. Then, David asked me when baby Elisabeth was going to be born.

(David) When is she going to be born?
(Momma) I don't know, David. Soon. Maybe tomorrow.
(David) Well, Momma, wwhhyyyy don't you look on my calendar and see when she is going to be born? THEN you can tell me.

Time Keeps on Ticking, Ticking, Ticking

From a man's point of view, this time is different! I know that I cannot speak with any authority of what JA (or any pregnant woman) goes through. But it seems (and she will attest to this) that this time really is different. Someone said that it seems that the baby is holding on and doesn't want to come out. JA would say that is true, except that she is literally hanging on to every nerve bundle there is. She rolls over- PAIN. She stands up- PAIN. She breaths- PAIN. She gets contractions and we think, "Oh this is it!" and then they stop. The doctor last Friday afternoon actually called the hospital and told them that we would be there in a few hours. And then the contractions stopped. But surely the baby would come through the weekend... and now its Monday night.

Things I think JA is tired of hearing: Is it today? How are you feeling? Are you having contractions?

Things she will never tire of hearing: Can I rub your shoulders? Want me to make a bath for you? Silence.

Quote of the Day

Every day Seth is getting more and more nervous about Elisabeth's arrival. I think (but he would have to confirm this) that a lot has to do with being in a new town without the awesome friend support network we had in Washington. I also think his nerves will calm down once my parents arrive. In the meantime, he is driving himself crazy and I am getting a lot of extra ("how are you feeling") attention.

Seth quote of the Day:
"I am sooo nervous. What's wrong with me?? I have been in a WAR!"

Signs of Labor

To understand the signs of labor- look at Seth's Site

Sleep-peeing

I know at least once when I was young I got out of bed and went to the bathroom and when I opened my eyes, I was nowhere near the bathroom, but, say, in the kitchen filling up the trashcan. I remember on occasion that at least two of my brothers did the same thing. Now, I can proudly say, I have been on the other side of the exchange. Tonight just after watching the Rockies lose Game 4 of the World Series, I heard one of the boys walking around upstairs. I waited and then walked up to see what was going on. The boys dorm room door was open so I walked in to do a bed check. David- check. Thomas- check. Jonathan- nope. 1 Missing In Action. I walked into Elisabeth's room. No Jonathan. I walked into Momma's Sanctuary (her craft room). There stood Jonathan with his underwear around his thighs peeing on the television. I spoke his name. He jumped and looked at me and looked around bewildered. Then I carried him into the bathroom where he finished putting out forest fires. When I carried him into his room, he started laughing. I asked him what was so funny and he said, "grumphiujng jerdinction frunctural." He was definitely still asleep and I didn't get the joke.

When the Baby Comes

This morning as the boys were playing I asked them what they are going to do when the baby comes.

Jonathan's answer: (he answers as he runs over and jumps on Daddy) "I am going to wrestle with Daddy ALL THE TIME!"

David's answer: (with the sweetest smile on his face) "I am going toooo take care of her."

The Logical End and Object Lessons

Jonathan has an amazing mind and I love how it works. He is a very logical thinker; in his mind he takes things to their logical end. He was talking to David about God. He said, "God is in my heart. God is in my skin. I am God." David argued that God is in his heart, but God is God, not Jonathan. It sounded like a debate that would happen on a college campus between a Christian and a modern religion major, and just about as well-formed. I took Jonathan aside and grabbed a glass from the cabinet in the kitchen. The conversation went like this...

Daddy: "Jonathan, what is this?"
Jonathan: "A cup."
Daddy: fills the cup with water. "Now what is it?"
Jonathan: "A cup with water in it."
Daddy: "Are you sure its not just all water now?"
Jonathan: "No. Its a cup."
Daddy: Pours water out "Now?"
Jonathan: "just a cup"

I explained that the cup is like him and the water is like God. You are made to have God in you, but you are still you with or without Him; but you aren't very useful if you don't have God in you (like an empty cup).

Moments like that I LOVE being a daddy.

Interrupting Thomas

We were having quite a rough dinner. The menu was complete with some complaining, crying, and screaming kids.

Daddy and Momma were at their wits end when this quick exhange made us laugh.

David was trying to talk to Momma and Daddy but Thomas kept crying (throwing a fit about not getting what he wanted).

David: (at the top of his voice) "Thomas is INTERRRUPTING!

Thomas: (gives David his angry face) "Me NOT rupting!!! Me Thomas!"

Overheard At Dinner

After a particularly difficult dinner with the boys

Jane Anne: "I hit my limit- I'm getting ready to start twitching."

Thomas moves to a Bed

On Sunday Thomas moved out of his crib into a "Big Boy Bed." He was really excited and didn't seem to have a second thought about moving out of his crib. We transitioned him to a Toddler bed in part because we couldn't decide if we wanted to get him his own twin bed or buy a set of bunk beds. The Toddler bed seems to be the perfect transition bed for him. He was very, very excited when Seth was putting together the bed. He loves Thomas the Train and was thrilled with his new Thomas bedding. After the bed was put together, he just wanted to be in it. He got in it and told us to turn off the light! It was quite cute. Of course, with all of the excitement he didn't really fall asleep for naptime that day. Bed time went well and I had to sneak in and take a few pictures of him sleeping.

Two nights later (Tuesday night) Seth and I went in to check on the boys and found Thomas sound asleep on the floor of the room. I am not sure how he got there (fell and then rolled or got out of bed and then went to sleep) but he was sleeping really hard. I was able to pick him up and put him back in his bed without him even noticing (not to mention snap this picture with the flash on!).

September Student of the Month

Today Jonathan's school had their first monthly Afternoon Awards Assembly. I (Momma) thought about going but I didn't because it was right during naptime. I sure wish I had gone! Jonathan was awarded September Student of the Month ("Awarded for being Responsible"). He had no idea he was getting the award and was very caught off guard when they called his name. He said he didn't even hear his name and his teacher had to wave him upfront. Then, he went up infront of the whole school assembly to get his award. He said after everyone clapped, they took his picture. Jonathan was clearly excited about getting the award but I had to pull the details of everything out of him. Here's a few of his comments:

(Momma) How did it make you feel to get the award?
(Jonathan) HAPPY!
(Momma) How did you feel being up infront of everyone?
(Jonathan) Nervous. Um, Ma, I've never been in front of that many people before.
(Momma) What should we do to celebrate?
(Jonathan) I KNOW! Go to Chuck E Cheese!!

Another David Quote

"Momma, Jonathan is amaaazing but you are the BEST."

Please note: Momma is not trying to win points with blog readers. This is just a record of the cute things the kids say.

Words from David

Here are couple of cute things David had to say yesterday.

1. "Maaawma, I love EVERY thing about you."


2. Daddy had just told the boys it was time to start getting ready for bed.

David: "If I cannot play with toys, I am going to loose my happys."
Daddy: "How many happys do you have and how to you get more of them?"
David: "I have 5 happys and I get more when I play with toys."

Milestone - September 15

Today we cross a milestone for our family. September 15 is Seth's official end date of his army career. For him, it is a change a choosen career path, it is letting go of military terminology and prestige, it is not wearing a uniform to work, and it is a loss of the military comradery. This is a decision that took hours, days and months of soul searching and prayer. It was a decision that was not made lightly. Seth is confident that he is where he wants to be. Still, this date marks a letting go for him. In the most practical ways, he parted with the military about a month ago. On the 13th of August, he began his civilian career. Seth took the time on his blog, Popping Smoke, to chronicle some of the significant events of his Army career and our family in Army life. This shares some of our journey for the last 10 years. We are so thankful for the experiences we had as an Army family. We feel blessed to be on target with our new path in life! It is exciting to be together starting a new journey as a family.

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round

Jonathan rode the bus for the 1st time on Friday Sept. 7. We eased into the bus riding experience. I walked him to the bus stop in the morning and made sure he got on the bus. Then, I drove to the school and was there when he got off the bus. In the afternoon, David, Thomas and I met him at the school and made sure he was in the right bus line. Then, we went home and waited for him to get off the bus. The boys were too cute waiting for the bus that afternoon! As soon as Jonathan got off the bus, David ran over to him and hugged him. It was a sweet moment (which I quickly recreated and took a picture of!). To celebrate Jonathan's first bus riding day, we went home and decorated school bus cookies.

Doing Fine In First Grade

Momma: "Hey Jonathan."
Jonathan: "What?"
Momma: "I really miss you when you are gone at school."
Jonathan: "Well...I don't miss you! I am right where I need to be...aaaalll daaay long!"

David is 4!

David turned 4 on Sunday. The day was celebrated in pirate style. For a pirate feast, we took David to Red Robin for lunch. Then, we celebrated with a pirate birthday party. We had several pirate games and a treasure hunt that ended with treasures found in our moving boxes. The McCoy Family (Keith, Kim, Samantha, and Savanah) came to help celebrate.
Here are a few pictures of David's special day.

The Owen Home

Per Requests, here's a picture of the new house. We are really enjoying it! Of course, it will be a bit before we are truly settled...and maybe ages before I figure out how to decorate the place! We all love the house, though the boys are already tired of unpacking. Jonathan said today that he wished all houses were the same so you wouldn't have to figure out where to put things when you moved.

Who Won?

Last night the boys were really loud in the house. Truth be told, we have a lot of loudness in our house all the time. Our new house has high ceilings and it seems the noise is magnified. After dinner, Seth sent the boys outside because they were yelling.

Daddy: "Out, Out-- Boys, go outside! You cannot be that loud in the house!"
Jonathan: "Awww..."
Daddy: "Outside, Now."
Jonathan: "Alright!"
Jonathan and David run outside with Thomas following behind. Momma smiles because she sees what's coming.
Jonathan and David begin screaming as loud as they can. (After all, they are outside and screaming is for outside.)
Momma to Daddy: "I wonder how long this will last."

Daddy's face shows a mix of being amazed and frustrated. Not much doubt he is thinking about our new neighbors listening to the extremely loud screaming.

The screaming continues...and continues...(Momma keeps checking out Daddy's reaction.) The boys are clearly having a great time.

Jonathan bounds inside--
Jonathan: "DADDY!? Do YOU give up?!?!"

Momma erupts in laughter. Daddy tries to hold it in but gives up.

Daddy: "Yes, Jonathan, you guys can come in."

Clothes for the New Job

Seth started his new job on Monday. On Monday night he had to drive back to Washington from Oregon because he needed to get his Social Security card or birth certificate. Once home he said he needed to leave early enough to go by the hotel before work. He didn't bring his work clothes for the next day. I asked him why he left his clothes there.

Seth said something close to the following: "I couldn't figure out what I needed to wear. I can't stand it! I NEED A UNIFORM!!"

Not much I could say to that

Jonathan's appt yesterday at the doctor went really well. His arm setting was good: the bones had not moved. He received an additional outer casting, in glow-in-the-dark white. Jonathan is constantly talking about his broken arm and figuring out what he can and cannot do. There wasn't much I could say yesterday in response to this comment.

Jonathan:

"Momma, maybe my broken arm was a reminder you should be praying for me to be safe on the stairs."

Jonathan's Broken Arm

Jonathan broke his arm on Wednesday night. He spent that night and much of Thursday in tremendous pain. Thursday afternoon the doctor split open the hard layers of the cast and wrapped it because the cast was too tight. After that, Jonathan has been doing much better. He will go in again on Monday for additional X-rays and to have his arm re-casted.

Jonathan's First Impression of Oregon

Not long after we crossed the state line into Oregon, Jonathan exclaimed very excitedly, "They have McDonalds in Oregon, too!!"

No more booster seats for David

Tonight we ate out at a local restaurant here in DuPont. About 3/4 the way through dinner David said his eye was hurting. Last night he had an eye lash in his eye, which caused him a lot of discomfort. I first thought that is what it was. Seth checked out his eye and found nothing so he chalked it up to seasonal allergies. The allergens have been high lately. By the time we were getting close to being done David was complaining more about his eye. It was getting quite red. I had this fleeting thought that seasonal allergies symptoms make me really nervous with David because of his peanut allergy.
This restaurant lets kids pick out a toy when they leave. David and Thomas picked out theirs pretty quickly so Seth took them on out. Jonathan and I went out and went around to the car a different way (we were parked around back). When I saw David's face, I felt panic. He had this big read mark on his forehead. Seth quickly said that he had been looking at his toy and ran right into the building. Sweet relief... until I was buckling David in his seat and noticed that the eyelid for the eye that was red was beginning to swell up. He also had this white junk coming out of it. As we are starting the car, he began sneezing. It is suddenly pretty obvious to Seth and I that you don't get seasonal allergies in ONE eye. His body was fighting off an allergic reaction.

David had been sitting in a booster seat. All we can figure is that the child that sat in the booster seat before him had eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (which the restaurant serves but I didn't think would be a danger because David was getting a cheese burger).

I felt so overwhelmed with emotion after giving David Benadryl and allergy Visine. I felt this feeling of hopelessness that I just cannot protect my child every where we go. I don't know what amount of peanut butter it took to make his body react that way but it had to be small. I am trying to remember to count my blessings that he didn't get it in his mouth. This allergy creates such fear in my heart-- I guess this is just a reminder to constantly pray for safety and health for my kids.

Seth's comment: In the long run, this is going to save us money... once stop eating out all together.

Knives and Swords

Last night at dinner, right after I sat down to eat, I began cutting up my food.

Thomas asked, "Where's MY sword? Where's my sword? My sword?!"
Momma, "Do you mean knife?"
Thomas, "Es"

T-Ball

The boys are playing T-ball. This is a first for all of us. Jonathan and David are on the same team. Daddy ended up being the coach (except, of course, when the Army sends him out of town!). There are 9 players on the team. We haven't had a game yet. We are in a beginner league that is very, very relaxed. We are having a blast with it!

Boys Notice Everything

Yesterday, I was lightly ironing a loose fitting pregnancy tank shirt on the floor. (It was almost 90 degrees outside, which is quite unusual for Western Washington this time of the year, and we don't have air conditioning.) I was wearing a non-pregnancy tank top at the time. Jonathan came into the room and asked me what I was doing.

Jonathan: What are you doing mom?
Momma: I am trying to iron this shirt really quickly.
Jonathan: Why?
Momma: I didn't want to get the ironing board out because it is so hot. I just pulled this pregnancy shirt out of a box and it is very wrinkled.
Jonathan: Oh... Hey, Ma? (probably never mentioned that Jonathan often calls me "Ma"- short for Momma)
Momma:Yes?
Jonathan: When your pregnant and your belly gets bigger... your boobies get bigger, too.
Momma: yes, yes, they do...

Getting David to Eat

We have to work really hard to get David to eat sometimes. He would much, much rather drink during mealtime than eat. He is most always the last one eating and it seems he has only taken a few bites when we are all finihed. One morning recently, Daddy was telling David to eat his breakfast.

Daddy: "David, you need to eat now."
David: "But, Daddy, I cannot eat."
Daddy: "You need to eat your breakfast NOW. We have to leave soon."
David: "I caaan noooot eat because my stomach is growling at me."

Grass Needs Cutting

This little conversation totally cracked me up. It was a little over a week ago. It was such a pleasantly funny way to remind Daddy to cut the grass!

The boys and Seth were in the backyard.

Jonathan: "Daddy, you look a lot younger than you normally do."
Daddy: "How young do I look?"
Jonathan: "You look like you are about 10!"
Daddy: "Wow- why's that?"
Jonathan: "Well... the grass is so long that it makes you look a lot shorter."

Thomas is 2

Thomas turned 2 today. His birthday had a Curious George theme. Thomas's own Curious George doll, which he has had for a while, was his guest of honor. It was a lot of fun watching him open presents. We spread out the present opening off and on all day. He was so excited about everything!

Hidden Words

I have never been a teacher. This story is proof of that- and I feel certain my homeschool friends will get a kick out of it.

Jonathan is working on sounded out words. He loves to sit down and see how many words he can think of and write. Of course, he wants to do it with as little help as possible. One day this week, he was making his list of words. He was trying to sound out the word "bear" and I decided to explain that the word had a hidden letter in it. I really had no idea how to explain the "ea" sound and I was trying to get everything ready for soccer practice so "hidden letter" was the best I could come up with. I told him how to spell it and he said, "oh, that's too hard." When I went to review his list of words, he had "gat" on the page. I asked him about it and he said it was gate. I explained that there was letter at the end of the word you couldn't hear. He summed it up to a hidden word and then he corrected himself and said hidden letter. I didn't think too much about it as we went through a couple other words with similar issues for sounding out words. How do you explain the "ck" in "rock" anyway?
Now, fastforward to that night when the kids are all in bed. I am checking out the piece of paper Jonathan had been working on. I was gone for an hour or so before bedtime and it was obvious he had worked on his list of words with Daddy.

Seth comes over and says he was really caught off guard by Jonathan when he was working on his list.
(This is basically how the conversation went as I understand it.)

Jonathan: "Daddy, is there a hidden word in the word "grass"?
Seth: "Uhhhhhhhhhhh... yes, Jonathan but some words are bad words."
Jonathan [really confused at this point] "What?"
Seth: "There are some words that are not nice and that you shouldn't say. You spell Grass, G-R-A-S-S."
Jonathan: "Are there 2 S's?"
Seth: "Yes, Jonathan. Here's what it looks like." [He writes the word out.]
Jonathan: "Daddy! You said that was a bad word."
Seth: "No, 'grass' is not a bad word... you can write and say grass. I will have to explain bad words more another time."

Seth and I determined it is better to say "silent letter" instead of "hidden letter". That will be a lot less confusing for all of us!

Goodnight…oh, and Daddy, I asked Jesus into my heart tonight.

“Goodnight…oh, and Daddy, I asked Jesus into my heart tonight.”
Those were Jonathan’s words to Seth right before bed last night. What wonderful words to hear! Of course, Seth didn’t just stay, “Okay, goodnight!” Seth and Jonathan came out of the room (which surprisingly didn’t bother David at all) and they had a nice talk and prayed.

More about this on Gravity of Motion. *It is such great news, I have to blog about it on all my blogs!

Boys and Burping

My boys take great pride in burping. I don't allow them to burp constantly or anything like that but they are quite happy when they happen to have a loud burp. The loudest burps in our house have been deemed "man burps".

Jonathan: "Momma, a little while ago, when I was in the bathroom, I had a REALLY loud burp."
Momma: "Oh really?"
Jonathan: "It was louder than a Man Burp. I think it was a God burp!"

The Wrong Thing

David: "Heeeeerrreee comes the WRONG THING."
(Momma, looks in the living room- quite interested to see what David is doing.)
David runs over to Thomas with fists clenched and punches his legs.
(Much to Momma's amazement) Thomas laughs.