There and Back Again

Northpointe Kids Singing "Come On Ring Those Bells"

2010-12-20T20:53:00.002-06:00

I'm new to the YouTube thing, so that's why I have these 2 videos in separate posts. Our church had the kids sing for Christmas during the service yesterday. We had practiced the songs with Jeremiah, coached him on standing still, and even had a discussion about that he would NOT be holding a microphone.

But evidently the speakers and poinsettias on the stage were just interesting enough that he needed to check them out. As one of his teachers told us, "He was just curious." Oh, if she only knew!

Anyway, the congregation was entertained! After a while, Jeremiah had enough, so he decided to make his exit.

Northpointe Kids Singing "Go, Tell It on the Mountain"

2010-12-20T20:52:00.000-06:00

A lot happens when you don't blog for 4 months . . .

2010-12-20T14:40:00.009-06:00

First Bites

2010-08-04T17:30:00.003-05:00

Sarah had her first bites of cereal today. Overall, I'd say it wasn't a really big hit.

Resemblance?

2010-08-02T20:50:00.007-05:00

What do you think? Is there a resemblance? (You can also weigh in on whether Sarah looks like her Grandma Kroesche.)

Adjustments

2010-07-13T15:03:00.003-05:00

Ever since Sarah was born, Jeremiah has been a little more clingy to Mom. Always before this Daddy's boy only wanted Daddy to read the story, Daddy to do the bath, Daddy to put him to bed. Now, he wants me.

And when someone else has had to watch him while I've been gone for a while, it's even worse. Several weeks ago, Aunt Amy watched him while Sarah and I went to a MOPs meeting. As I drove out of the garage, I could see his lower lip slowly getting farther and farther out. Amy reported that when I was gone, he cried, then proceeded to hide behind our living room chair sobbing, "Why does everybody leave me?"

Then this morning, I had another MOPs meeting, one which provided childcare. He happily went into the room, but was pretty sad when I picked him up. As I buckled him into his car seat, I asked him why he was crying. "I don't know," he sobbed. I said, "You know that Mommy always comes to get you." "Yes," sob, "I know" sob "that you always" sob "come to get me."

"Mommy won't leave you, Jeremiah. I love you very much." "Yes" sob "I know" sob "you love me very much." Sob, sob.

Poor little boy. But I love his tender heart.

Super Why at the Zoo

2010-07-10T15:46:00.006-05:00

This morning we headed out to the Lincoln Children's Zoo. Characters from the PBS show, Super Why, were going to be there, and I thought it would be a fun family outing. So did everyone else in town. We got there about 40 minutes after the zoo opened, and there were no spaces left in the parking lot. So Jon dropped me and the kids off while he searched out street parking. Thankfully, it didn't take him too long to find, since Jeremiah was more than ready to see Super Why, Alpha Pig, Princess Presto, and Wonder Red.

The line to see the characters and get your picture taken with them was huge--much longer than either Jon or I wanted to wait in on a hot day with two kids. But Jeremiah had already lost interest in them and moved on to other things, like playing on the playground and trying to crash a birthday party in the Crooked House. We saw three neighbors, ate lunch with another pilot family from Duncan who we ran into, saw animals, and found a much shorter line to see one of the Super Why characters at the other end of the zoo. And Jeremiah got to do his absolutely most favorite thing at the zoo--ride the train.

Despite the crowd, it was a really fun day. And even though Sarah didn't really see any animals, she enjoyed it as well.

Important vs. Unimportant

2010-06-12T21:59:00.005-05:00

As I'm still in that adjustment period after Sarah was born, I find myself putting activities and tasks into the above two categories. What's really important for me to do today? And what doesn't really matter? And guess what? The things that fit into the second category far outweigh the first.

Oh, I still somehow find time to do some unimportant, trivial things. Facebook manages to make it into almost every day. And there are some very important things like reading my Bible or doing my freelance work that I just don't dedicate enough time to.

But I'm realizing that it's OK right now that there's dust on top of my piano. It's fine that I'm two years behind on Jeremiah's scrapbook and have yet to start on Sarah's (or even get photos of her printed). We have clean laundry, we have meals to eat, and I'm spending time on three of the most important things in my life.

I don't know why I have to justify that to myself, but I do. And I know someday Sarah will sleep better, Jeremiah will play more independently, and I can do those other things. But right now this is where we're at. Maybe I should write that in the dust as a reminder!

Family Photos

2010-06-12T21:53:00.004-05:00

Six Weeks

2010-05-21T20:43:00.005-05:00

Six weeks--that's how old Sarah is today. And that explains why we haven't blogged in a while, or done much of anything else for that matter. All of those people who said the adjustment from one child to two was difficult were absolutely right!

It's hard to believe that much time has passed already, but even though we're still making adjustments, it's harder still to believe there was a time when Sarah wasn't here and a part of our family. Jeremiah absolutely loves his baby sister; sometimes a little too much and sometimes he expresses it in inappropriate ways. Today, for instance, he announced loudly, "I like Sarah!" followed by a "whack" on her nose. Sigh. That's normal, right?

Jon and I realized how quickly we forgot what the first three months were like the first time around. We remember being tired, but remembering isn't the same as experiencing it again. And Sarah has some sleep issues that Jeremiah didn't, which makes it a little more challenging. Right now I'm thinking that the money I spent on a swing at a garage sale was well worthy every penny. For the first time in possibly a few weeks (other than a few exceptions), Sarah was asleep before 11 p.m. or later and without someone holding her. Now at some point I'm going to have to take her out of the swing into her crib, but I'm praying this lasts.

But it's not all hard. Sarah is giving us beautiful baby grins more and more. She especially likes her big brother, who always seems to be right there in her face. I guess she's OK with him invading her personal space. And she's cooing and "talking" to us more too. As much as I want some of the aspects of these first three months to be over, I'm going to miss other parts of this little baby stage.

Here's just a few pictures from the last several weeks. Sorry, no shots of the smile. As soon as she sees the paparazzi show up, Sarah puts on her serious face.

What a Mess!

2010-04-23T20:32:00.002-05:00

We have a cupboard downstairs where we keep all of our board games. Jeremiah knows where this is and loves to get a game out on occassion, mostly just to take everything out of the box. This is OK when we are there to monitor. Today however, he was downstairs playing while Mindy was upstairs working on lunch. Jeremiah decided it would be fun to take ALL the games out of the cupboard. Not only did he take them all out but opened most of the boxes and emptied their contents on the floor. When his "fun" was discovered it was lunch time. After nap time we spent 45 minutes working on sorting out which parts go with what box and putting everything back in the cupboard. Phew! Hopefully Monopoly didn't get mixed up with Scattergories!

Welcome to Sarah Elisabeth Kroesche

2010-04-20T21:42:00.004-05:00

Well, she's finally here. Our long wait, which really wasn't so long, is finally over. Sarah Elisabeth arrived on April 9th at 6:44 am. She weighed 9 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20 3/4 inches long. We are so happy and excited to finally meet her. Jeremiah is beginning to make the adjustment to being a big brother quite well, so far.

Let's Go Fly A Kite

2010-03-29T14:42:00.004-05:00

So Jeremiah and I have gotten to go fly our kite a couple of times now. I must say he really enjoys it and so do I. We're going to have to get a bit simpler kite for him to make it easier for him to keep it in the air though. I'm looking forward to more days when we can go fly a kite.

Jeremiah took this shot.

Little Mimic

2010-03-16T18:11:00.003-05:00

The other day Jeremiah was playing with his toy phone. This was the end of the conversation that we heard him have. "Let me call you back, I need to check the weather." At this conversation we both smiled, of course. The day before I had just had a conversation with our dispatcher on the phone where she had asked me to check the weather for an upcoming trip. I told her I would check and call her right back. He's definitely a little mimic.

Packing the Bags

2010-03-10T21:04:00.003-06:00

So it's usual that when a bag or suitcase comes out of the closet that means that I'm off on another trip. Usually one night trips only require a duffel bag and the longer ones means I'll need a larger suitcase. Fortunately I don't have many trips that require the large suitcase. However in this case I'm not the one packing the bags. There are two duffel bags out and they're not even for me. No, Mindy and Jeremiah aren't off on a trip. The day for the baby to be born is drawing much closer, so Mindy will be packing a bag for the hospital for her and one for Jeremiah for his short stay with friends. This week is the 36th week and 37 to 42 weeks is considered full term. Soon....

Changes, Changes, Changes

2010-02-26T20:28:00.005-06:00

So some of you have been asking for pictures of all the changes going on around here, in preparation for the baby girl on the way.

Here is a small preview of the baby's room.

Some of the changes in Jeremiah's room.

One of the "New" guests rooms downstairs.

The other guest room downstairs. As you can see Jeremiah enjoys being in the new rooms!

Finally, the office/library shares a space with the "game room."

Two Big Words From a Two Year Old

2010-02-24T11:23:00.003-06:00

Yesterday Jeremiah decided to try out a couple of new words on us. He just got a water paint set from his Aunt Amy. He had been playing with it and decided he didn't like the water that he was using. I informed him that this was the water he could use or nothing at all. He decided he wanted nothing. So as I took the water away he sat on the floor and told us, "I'm disappointed." I asked, "What are disappointed with?" He responded he was just disappointed about the water.
Later at supper he was not behaving and we told him he needed to stay seated in his chair. He informed us, "I'm frustrated." To which I just broke into laughter. I know I'm not supposed to laugh at those things but hearing that word come out and in context was more than I could contain.

Hide Your Word in my Heart

2010-02-08T20:40:00.002-06:00

We have been working on John 3:16 for some time now, and he has it memorized but always wants a little help.

Jeremiah singing The Cowboy Song (a.k.a. "Home on the Range")

2010-01-13T19:16:00.002-06:00

Christmas

2009-12-26T16:45:00.005-06:00

Christmas has been a little different for us this year, but still quite nice. We went to my parents' last week for an early celebration, and we are so glad we hadn't planned to travel this week when the blizzard hit.

This week, Jon also continued the Kroesche family tradition of making sugar cookies with Jeremiah. It was something that his dad always did with them. Though I should clarify, Mom actually makes the dough, and Dad cuts out the cookies with the kids. When I tried to add frosting and decorating into the mix, I heard some protests. But I prevailed--for a little while at least.

On Christmas day, we didn't go anywhere, due to the blizzard conditions and 11 inches of snow that we received. We loved celebrating at home for a change, and it was a lot of fun watching Jeremiah wake up, get excited about the presents under the tree, and then open them and try to decide what to play with first.

Jon's cleared our driveway and walks at least 3 times, and we're getting some more snow as we speak. He had a trip today and on his way to the airport, he almost got stuck on our street (which will probably not be plowed for several more days). There's no way the Vue will make it out, so I'm not sure what's happening for church tomorrow, as Jon as another trip in the morning. But we're warm, we have more than plenty to eat, and I'm not experiencing any cabin fever at all!

Come on peoples!

2009-12-10T09:35:00.002-06:00

Last week was the Star City Parade in Lincoln. Since Jon was out of town, I opted not to go. Instead, Jeremiah and I did some Christmas shopping and met a friend for lunch.

On our way back through downtown Lincoln, the parade had just ended. Marching bands and people in costume were making their way back to their cars. Plus, the giant balloons were being led back to a parking lot in order to be deflated.

Jeremiah loved these balloons. We got to see a giant Kermit the Frog and a basketball. We were several blocks away from Kermit, and I said, "Maybe if the cars move some more, Jeremiah, we can get closer to the froggy."

Up to this point, traffic had moved fairly well, but then it got very congested and we were barely moving. Kermit continued to move past the point where we would be able to see him up close. Then I heard from the back seat, "Come on peoples! Let's go!"

Now I wonder where he ever would have heard something like that?

The Ups and Downs of 2

2009-12-10T09:25:00.002-06:00

The age of 2 is an interesting one. There are a lot of things that I both like and dislike about this stage. I dislike temper tantrums, I dislike that ears seem to shut off when you're trying to tell them something (maybe that's all ages), and I really dislike dirty diapers being taken off and dumped in the middle of the living room floor.

But there are lots of things that I like, and just plain love, about this age, too. I love that Jeremiah still wants to cuddle with Jon and I. I love hearing a "I love you, Mommy," out of the blue. I love his excitement and wonder over little things.

And even though it's sometimes embarrassing, I love that he wants to share his excitement and whatever is going on with him that minute with the entire world.

Two examples: Last week, we were out shopping and I picked up some vitamins for Jeremiah. Now, these were his very first vitamins. Jon and I had decided that since he was so fascinated with our vitamins (and had even gotten a hold of some of mine a few times and popped them in his mouth before I could stop him), maybe it was time for some of his own. Jeremiah was quite excited about this prospect and even more so when I found some Toy Story vitamins on the shelf. As we continued our shopping in Target, I let Jeremiah hold the box. He was shaking the bottle and telling everyone who passed by (definitely not in his inside voice), "These are my vitamins. Peoples, these are my vitamins!"

Then last night, Jon took Jeremiah Christmas shopping with him. Not only did Jeremiah get to ride in Daddy's truck (a matter of great excitement at our house), he got to eat at the mall food court. Evidently shoes had come off a long time before the eating commenced and pasta sauce managed to somehow get on Jeremiah's sock. Jon said from that point on, Jeremiah loudly proclaimed to all within earshot, "I got pasta on my sock! I got pasta on my sock!" all the while holding out his foot for them to see.

I'll miss these stories later on, I know. But I'm definitely looking forward to not finding diapers on the living room floor anymore.

Thanksgiving weekend

2009-11-27T17:08:00.004-06:00

We've had a wonderful time with Jon's family for Thanksgiving. Lunch at Bob's . . . tortellini soup . . . celebrating the soon arrival of the 1st granddaughter . . . the Kroesche Amazing Race . . . Thanskgiving dinner . . . target and trap shooting for the guys . . . a book discussion at a coffee shop for the women . . . 4 adorable (and lively) little boys . . . the movie The Blind Side . . . pumpkin cheesecake, 2 kinds of pie, caramel apple crisp . . . lots of laughs and lively discussions. It was a great time with family and even making a new friend, Melissa. A lot to be thankful for this year!

Our Little Tigger!

2009-11-12T21:21:00.002-06:00

Jeremiah dressed up as Tigger for Halloween and he had lots of fun going to houses to get candy. After every house he would say, "Go to another house!"

Tonight . . .

2009-11-07T20:51:00.002-06:00

as I folded laundry, Jeremiah was running around, dancing to music, waving my underwear over his head, and yelling, "Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!" Too bad I didn't get video. That would be a great thing to haul out when he brings his fiancee home for the first time.

Our Active Little Boy

2009-10-31T18:09:00.007-05:00

Jeremiah is feeling much better from the croup. And we were so glad to stop the neb treatments--they made for a very hyper, naughty little boy.

With being sick and the rainy days we've had this week, everyone has been kind of couped up inside. (We've had so much rain, that Jeremiah will look outside and, rain or shine, say "It's still raining, Mommy.") But we've kept busy.

First Jeremiah helped me sort through some maternity clothes that Brandee sent.

It's a long way from fitting him, but I think I'm going to grow into it. (-:

Then, Jeremiah helped me clean house this week. He loves to vacuum, sweep, dust, and mop. I wish I got as excited about these things as he does.

Thursday, we watched his friends, Brayden and Connor, and then hosted play group with 9 total kids in our basement. One of the other moms asked if I was ready to start a daycare. My answer--an unequivocal "No!" Brayden and Connor will be coming back a couple of days next week, as their mom is in the hospital on bedrest awaiting the arrival of their baby brother. As you can see, the boys have a good time together.

Today, the sun was shining! So, Jon and Jeremiah went out to play. Our backyard is a little messy. Lots of rain + clay dirt dug up for a construction project = big slop. But boys of all ages seems to love that. This is what was going on as I was downstairs working on a sewing project.

And I wonder why all of Jeremiah's shoes are dirty!

The Croup

2009-10-19T20:53:00.003-05:00

So, we're officially the proud owners of our own nebulizer now. Jeremiah has the croup, again. He had it a few times last spring (always on a holiday weekend, of course). We did some neb treatments at the urgent care center and then rented a nebulizer. Then he went all summer without needing it, so we gave it back.

But last night, he started coughing a lot, which turned into wheezing mid-day today. I managed to get in to our doctor's office and they diagnosed it as "a cold and the croup." Thankfully, not H1N1, though I didn't really think it was that.

I'm supposed to give him a treatment in about 5 minutes. The nurse said just to do it while he slept. Hmm. Since I just got him settled down and almost asleep, I think I'll wait just a little bit longer. And then I'm supposed to do it again in the middle of the night. We'll see if the boy sleeps through any of it. I have my doubts.

Things heard at our house this week

2009-10-15T21:20:00.002-05:00

To the "worker" (contractor who was here putting in our window): Went pee-pee. Got candy!
Cookies be done in 2 minutes!
Went to Caleb's house (or played outside or watched TV or rode in Daddy's truck) the whole time.
See Daddy's keys. Drive Daddy's truck. (Repeated over and over and over and over . . .)
Ate snack a long time ago.
Mommy is fun (as he's bouncing on our bed).
Daddy, stay here, stay here (as Jon is leaving for a trip).

Pictures from the last month

2009-10-15T21:07:00.007-05:00

Since we've been absent from the blog world for a while, here are a few pictures from the last month.

Jeremiah singing at his "microphone" outside (when the sun was still shining).

Here's Jeremiah with two of his friends--twins Braden & Connor.

About a week ago, we visited an apple orchard north of town. Jeremiah liked the apples, pumpkins, and just wandering around.

We had our first snow last weekend. I was out of town, but Jeremiah assured me he wore his hood.

Birthday Pictures

2009-09-09T19:47:00.003-05:00

See Daddy

2009-09-09T19:38:00.007-05:00

What do you get when you combine a two-year-old boy, a Daddy who's been gone from home for five days, and a project that keeps that same Daddy outside the entire day? One very clingy little boy who constantly asks to, "See Daddy" (even when Daddy is less than two feet away).

That was us yesterday and today. Jon was in Dryden, Ontario, from Thursday through Monday, where we could only talk to him on the phone once for about 10 minutes. Then on his first full day back (Tuesday), he needed to spend the whole day digging gigantic holes in our backyard for our newest house project--installing egress windows.

Because I knew the lure of Daddy outside, not to mention the little bobcat, would be too much for Jeremiah to stand, he and I spent most of Tuesday away from home. We went to my friend Tonya's house in the morning, home for lunch and a too short nap, then off to the zoo in the afternoon. Jon still had work to do when we got home. It was a long, long day for him. But the holes are dug, and we're ready for the contractor to come and cut holes in our basement and install the windows, which won't happen until next week.

Funny Boy

2009-08-20T20:04:00.003-05:00

We have a funny boy who lives at our house. One who gets extremely excited about laundry, vacuuming, sweeping, dusting, and pretty much cleaning of any kind. One who is quite particular about where his toys get put away. And if any of his books are still out when he goes to bed, he can't sleep until Mommy or Daddy comes and puts them in their proper place.

This funny boy is also quite concerned about the cleanliness of our kitchen. If any tiny bit of water drops onto the floor (and I do mean tiny), he's right there with a towel that he pulled out of a drawer to clean it up. (Not sure where he got that from. It sure wasn't from his mom.)

Our funny boy likes to sleep on any bed or couch in the house--preferably not his own--but it's never nap time or bed time, and it only lasts for 30 seconds at best. He enjoys doing his "cizes" along with Mommy as she does her physical therapy. And he gets excited about picking "ma-toes" though he usually gets in trouble when he squeezes them or takes a bite.

What a funny boy we have who lives in our house! Every day has more laughs and adventures (both good and bad) than the one before.

An Anniversary, A Graduation, and Two Birthdays

2009-08-17T21:45:00.004-05:00

This last weekend was a busy one for us in the celebration department. Dusty, Brandee, and Kaylee all came for a visit. And although my parents had planned to be here, too, there were some things on the ranch that they needed to stick around for.

On Friday, we celebrated with Brandee as she received her master's degree from UNL. She's been part of the Math in the Middle grant program the last three years, and after all her hard work, she's finally done. Friday was also our 10th anniversary. We didn't do too much for it on that day, other than exchanging cards, but have some bigger plans for this upcoming weekend.

Then on Saturday, we celebrated Kaylee's birthday (August 5) and Jeremiah's (August 29). I had a young woman from church make a special cake for them, and it really turned out well. I guess I had talked up the cake so much to Jeremiah, that when it came time for his nap, he fought it for an hour (I'd said we'd have the cake after he woke up). Then, after he finally did fall asleep and then wake up, his first words were, "Mommy. Cake!"

Brandee wasn't sure Kaylee would like the cake so much, since she didn't seem too excited about it at her birthday parties in Arthur. Maybe it was the chocolate, but she sure dug in. It's so fun to have the cousins together for things like this. Although this picture is a little staged, they really did hug (or in Jeremiah's case--tackle) each other a few times throughout the weekend.

Noise

2009-08-07T09:04:00.003-05:00

Here's a camping story from our camping trip two weeks ago. Wow, time flies! Anyway, Friday night a thunderstorm rolled through the campground. Jeremiah and I (Jon) were in our friend's camper. They had air conditioning and it was over 90 degrees that day. We had been trying to get Jeremiah to go to sleep for a couple of hours, to no avail. The lightning and thunder got closer and closer. Then we had a bolt of lightning that seemed to be just feet away. I could see the bright light even though the camper shades were all drawn. Instantly with the the bolt of lightning was a clap of thunder louder than I have ever heard. It sounded like a loud explosion going off. It made those loud booming firecrackers, you hear on the Fourth of July, sound like a toy drum.
I must have done alright with my reaction because Jeremiah studied my face for about ten seconds. Then he pointed his arm and hand out towards the direction of the lightning and simply said, "Noise."

July Photos

2009-08-03T21:22:00.004-05:00

When We're Not There

2009-07-16T21:44:00.002-05:00

I think most parents wonder what their kids do when they're not around. I certainly know what Jeremiah usually does the moment I leave the room. Like two weeks ago when I was loading stuff in the car and told him not to come in the garage. He obeyed--and then promptly shut the door and locked me out. Then I heard him climb up on the kitchen stool, grab the car keys, lock and unlock the car a few times before turning on the car alarm. I had to get our extra set of keys out of our key box to get back in the house.

Then there was last Sunday as I was getting ready for small group. When I ran downstairs to grab something, Jeremiah managed to get the full pitcher of lemonade I'd just made and set it on the floor, with some spillage of course.

But we don't really know what he does with babysitters or when he's at Sunday School. Last week, his Sunday School teacher clued me in a little bit. Jeremiah gets very excited about seeing Mimi at Sunday School, a doll who helps to tell the story. His teacher said that when she starts to set up ahead of time, Jeremiah is so excited that he starts to line up all the chairs and then round up the other kids to come for storytime.

That's cool, I thought. But does he actually listen to the story? You bet, said his teacher. He's focused, one of the few kids who is.

I'm really glad he likes to listen to stories. I hope this continues throughout his lifetime.

Going to work

2009-06-30T20:38:00.003-05:00

Jeremiah loves to copy me (Jon). So today he put one of his toy cars in his back pocket. That would be his billfold. Placed a baggage tag attached to a lanyard around his neck. Then he put the baggage tag inside his shirt. That would be me wearing my airport badge and putting it in my front shirt pocket. Finally he attached my cell phone to his shorts. He always sees me with my cell phone on my belt. Then he walked to the door leading into the garage saying "waauk" (work). He did this several times and smiled every time.

A Time-Out and A Dance

2009-06-30T20:30:00.003-05:00

As many of you are probably already aware, Jeremiah is not always obedient. For those of you that this comes as a shock, you shouldn't be. Anyway, the other night Jeremiah was listening to music on the stereo downstairs, dancing and generally having a good time. However he found a way to get into trouble. While he was in "time-out" the music was still going on the radio. I (Jon) thought instead of us just sitting here staring at Jeremiah while we wait for his "time-out" to be over, I will ask Mindy to dance. So we danced to the music while Jeremiah stared at us. Of course when his "time-out" was over he wanted to dance with us too. So all three of us danced together. It was a very nice moment.

Random Jeremiah Moments

2009-06-25T20:10:00.002-05:00

Sue often tells Kristin and I that we need to write down things that the boys say and do. We may think now that we'll remember them forever, but it's too easy to forget, even a few weeks or months down the road.

So with that in mind, here are a few random things that Jeremiah has said and done the last few days.

When he got put in timeout and I told him not to get up from his rocking chair, he waited until my back was turned and then moved the chair to be where he wanted and never got up. Now I have to be a bit more specific with my instructions.
He woke up early from his nap the other day to the sound of an airplane flying over. He said, "Ai-plane," immediately followed by, "Daddy."
We've been reading Blueberries for Sal this week, and I told him that this little girl was helping her mommy pick blueberries just like he helped Daddy and I pick raspberries. I pointed out the pictures of her sitting and just eating the blueberries off a bush and her getting a big handful from her mother's bucket. Jeremiah has always eaten one or two raspberries as we've picked them off our bush in the backyard. But that night, Jon said he ate so many more off the bush and kept getting handfuls out of Jon's basket and eating them. I guess he was paying attention to the book!
That same boy who will eat raspberries off the bush refused to eat them off his plate tonight. Sigh . . .
When we said goodbye to Jon before he went to work, I said, "Say, 'I love you, Daddy.'" Jeremiah said, "I love you" for the first time in his garbled toddler language.
Jeremiah jammin' out to "Axel F" and "Chicken Fried" playing on the computer.

Oh what an energetic, bouncing, exploring, getting-into-trouble-one-minute and being-so-sweet-you-can't-stand-it-the-next boy!

Cousin Kaylee visits (aka: Kay Kay)

2009-06-18T21:02:00.004-05:00

So the last couple of weeks Brandee has been in Lincoln, at the University, working on part of her Master's Degree. We have been fortunate to have Kaylee and Brandee's niece, Taylor, over to visit during the day. Jeremiah has gotten used to this routine and in the morning now asks for, "Kay Kay." To which we reply that we'll be going to get Kaylee soon. We'll miss seeing them every day but we know they'll be glad to be home.

Things heard around our house these days . . .

2009-06-12T18:55:00.003-05:00

From Jeremiah:

"Kay-kay." Cousin Kaylee, who's here for a visit.
"Up, up, up," as we pass by garage doors on a walk around the neighborhood.
"Me!" meaning, "I will open the door for Maggie/go down the stairs/kiss my owie myself!
"Poopy." Can refer to a dirty diaper or the "fun" game of looking for Maggie's deposits in the backyard.
"Jay Jay." Means, "I want to watch only the opening theme song of Jay, Jay the Jet Plane, and then I'm done." I think that of the 7,200 views of this YouTube video, over 200 of them are ours.
"Daddy," as he points to the iron. I really do iron . . . sometimes.
"Owie" as he points to a bit of a fingernail/toenail that needs trimmed, or as he pats my shoulder and kisses it. What a sweet boy!
"Oh my!" Also refers to a dirty diaper. Evidently I've said this a few times as I've changed his pants.
"Me-ma." Means "camera," which must be taken out and used when he puts on our shoes, plays the piano, wrestles with Daddy, etc.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Heard multiple times throughout the day, but never more frequent as when he's just gone to bed.

From us:

"Jeremiah, don't climb on that/pull that out/open the fridge/throw that toy . . ." You get the picture.
"Yay, Jeremiah." Used for eating more than one bite of a particular food or even more recently, when he goes to the bathroom in the toilet like a big boy.
"It's not time to get up yet, Jeremiah. Just lay in bed and talk to your puppies." Heard almost every morning anywhere from 6:15 to 7.
"Wow, we're tired." I can't imagine why. Can you?

Play Me a Song

2009-06-12T09:48:00.003-05:00

Here he is "learning" to play the piano!

Branding Pictures

2009-06-02T21:24:00.008-05:00

Here are just a few photos of the branding at my parents' ranch last week--all taken by Jon. He's the one who got up before 4 a.m. and went on the round-up. Me? I slept in until 6 and helped with the dinner. It's a lot less smoky in the kitchen.

No pictures with this one!

2009-05-23T17:58:00.002-05:00

I was in the middle of making pies for branding today while a very bored little boy was in the kitchen with me. After trying to entertain him with spoons, magnets, and telling him to go play with his toys umpteen million times, he finally figured out a way to entertain himself. He was able to get his shirt off, and then ran into the living room to play--or so I supposed.

After a long period of silence (which is never good), a very excited and naked little boy ran around the corner into the kitchen. I had a moment of panic when he told me "poo-poo," but the diaper he'd left in his fort was just wet. Whew!

In Daddy's Shoes

2009-05-23T17:55:00.003-05:00

Almost every morning, Jeremiah grabs a pair of Jon's shoes (there are usually a few pairs lying in the entryway). He runs into the kitchen saying, "Me-ma" (a.k.a. camera). Then, we have to take a picture of him wearing Daddy's shoes. He would love to be just like his daddy.

A Few Photos from the Last Several Weeks

2009-05-23T17:48:00.005-05:00

We're still here!

2009-05-14T19:32:00.002-05:00

I don't even know if anyone will see this, since it's been over a month since we last posted. Sorry--April just wasn't a good month for our family. We're happy to have moved on to May. Our next post will just be pictures to make up for some of that.

Last Friday, May 8th, was a pretty big day for the Kroesches. Jeremiah got to take his first ride on a bus and an airplane. Amy graduated with her master's degree (and got to hear Dan Rather give the commencement address on how this economy is the worst to be graduating and looking for a job). And our new nephew Simeon Eugene was born. A pretty eventful day all around.

Jeremiah loved riding on the airplane. As soon as we took off, he asked for "More." The layover at Midway was a little tough, but Jon figured out something to entertain him--running up and down the moving sidewalks. Jeremiah really liked how fast he could go on those things, and it was a great way for him to run off some energy in between sitting for long time periods.

It was so good to see Amy and celebrate all of her hard work. And Jeremiah loved all the attention from Grandma and Aunt Amy. When we got home, he asked for "Am-ma" and Amy quite a bit.

I promise there will be another post before June!

Grandma Doris

2009-04-10T19:52:00.005-05:00

It's been a busy, hectic, and somewhat difficult last couple of weeks. Busy with traveling to my parents, hectic with a bathroom remodel going on, and difficult because my Grandma Doris passed away last week. She was 92, so it wasn't completely unexpected. But I was still surprised. Jeremiah and I had just seen her the week before, and she was doing so well.

I spoke at her funeral, along with some other family members, and thought I would share my memories of my grandma here as well . . .

I was very blessed to grow up with my grandparents living just down the valley from us. In all my memories of growing up, both my Granddad Charlie and Grandma Doris are there in some way or another.

I’ve only had one babysitter in my life, and that was my grandma. When my parents went to town or had something going on, Grandma would pick us up from school. We were always glad to go back to her house, and often asked if we could stay for supper, even if our parents got back early.

We always found something to do at Grandma’s house, whether that was playing with the Fisher-Price Village, playing in the trees (where each of us cousins had our own special one), watching the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday evenings, playing dress up with her special clothes upstairs, reading all those Bobbsey Twin books I didn’t have at home, or just sitting down in the kitchen listening to the grown-ups talk or chatting with Grandma when I had her to myself.

Even though we were at Grandma’s house several times a week, it was still a special place. It was a safe place—one where I knew I was loved unconditionally, where if I got in trouble, Grandma would be firm, yet quickly forgiving.

One of her favorite phrases was, “Well, bless your heart.” As I grew older and saw Grandma less often, she would always say, “I think about you all the time, sweetheart,” and I knew she meant it.

As I’ve tried to think of different things to share about Grandma Doris today, memories of food kept popping up. Angel food cake with her special brown sugar frosting, a hard boiled egg always sitting in a saucepan on the stove, that box of Pecan Sandies in her breadbox, leftover frosting sandwiched between crackers. It’s not that my grandma baked a lot—I figure that by the time she had grandkids, she’d cooked and baked for enough family dinners, hired men and hay crews to last a lifetime. But for Grandma, giving us food was one way she showed us that she loved us. By offering her grandkids that pop or little candy bar, she was showing us how much she cared.

And with how much she cared about us, she also worried. In the winter, she would say, “It’s too cold for you to play outside. You might get sick.” In the summer it was, “It’s too hot to play outside, you might get sick.” And while I was in college, Grandma was the only person to tell me, “Don’t study too hard.” One time as I was driving back to school, she gave me a box of graham crackers to keep in my car trunk, “just in case of an emergency.”

Grandma was also devoted to my Granddad. Married for 64 1/2 years, I know she felt lost without him after he was gone. For several years before he died, you’d often hear her on the two-way radio about the same time each morning. “Charlie,” she’d say, “what are you doing?” That was her way of letting him know she thought it was time he came back to the house.

And Granddad was devoted to her. He often told my brother that there were two secrets to a good marriage—finding a good woman and being broad-minded enough to keep her. Well, he found a good woman, and he knew that. When we visited, he’d ask if we wanted to see a picture of his girlfriend—and out would come a photo of my beautiful grandmother when she was around 20.

One of the most important lessons Grandma taught me was the importance of family. Her husband, her kids, her grandkids and great-grandkids were everything to her. The last time I saw her was just the week before she died. Jeremiah and I had been visiting Mom and Dad and stopped by on our way back to Lincoln. Just a few minutes before we left, she told me, “I never was one for going many places and doing a lot of things. I just liked staying home and taking care of my grandkids.”

Thank you, Grandma, for taking care of me all the times that you did. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for blessing my heart.

Fun at Menards

2009-03-31T15:55:00.002-05:00

Food Alert

2009-03-27T20:41:00.004-05:00

Jeremiah is now eating meat! In the last few weeks, he's eaten several bites of meatloaf and roast (drowned in ketchup) and at least half a chicken nugget (drenched in honey). It's not perfect, but it's progress! And he's taking small steps to expand his palate in other areas as well. Tonight I was able to bribe him to eat more bites of pasta by giving him black olives. His Aunt Kristin would be proud!

The Trip Out West

2009-03-27T20:37:00.002-05:00

There must be something about me going out to Western Nebraska in early spring. For the second year in a row, Jeremiah and I headed out to the ranch while Jon went to Wichita for flight training. And for the second year in a row, the weather forecast predicted warm, pleasant days. And for the second year in a row, the forecast was wrong!

Thankfully, the blizzard on Monday and Tuesday missed my parents’ place, but it still made for a couple of cold, very unpleasant days. Ones where a very active little boy was not able to go outside to play, but instead chose to get into every cupboard in his Grandma and Granddad’s house—and make his mother exhausted.

Seriously, we had a wonderful time, despite not being prepared for the cold weather. Jeremiah loved being with “A-ma” and “A-dad,” as well as his aunt and uncle and cousin Kaylee. After waking up in the morning and asking for daddy (of course), he’d then say “baby?” as if he couldn’t wait to see her. He got to pet a horse and a newborn calf, see some deer and lots of cows, not to mention the two other “puppies” (border collies) on the place.

And I had a nice time catching up with my parents, hanging out with my brother and sister-in-law, playing with my adorable niece, and watching lots and lots of HGTV. We got back last night and spent today catching up on laundry. We’ll post pictures later, as soon as I get them downloaded from the camera.

A visit from Grandparents

2009-03-19T21:34:00.005-05:00

We recently, ok almost a week ago, had visits from both of our parents. My parents (Jon) came on Friday and left Sunday. Mindy's parents came on Monday and left Wednesday. Let me tell you we had one wound up boy. All that attention sure had him full of energy for the next couple of days. We discovered he also had a few more time-outs than usual. Never the less we are very grateful for the time he gets to spend with his grandparents.

Jeremiah's new favorite word (and possibly food)

2009-03-19T21:25:00.004-05:00

Jeremiah has recently learned a new word. He loves to say it, it kind of just rolls off the tongue. He also loves to eat it. Well, watch the video and you'll see what we mean.

Things I Learned Today . . .

2009-02-19T22:07:00.001-06:00

That when you let a toddler play with a plastic knife, he can easily break it and send pieces flying all over the fast food restaurant you're sitting in.

Mimi and the Fort

2009-02-18T10:41:00.005-06:00

Not long after Jeremiah gets up in the morning, he wants us to help him make his "fort." This just means we prop all our couch pillows against our coffee table leaving one side open. He likes to crawl under the table, then push one of the pillows aside and pop out as if saying, "Here I am, Mom and Dad!"

He also likes us to get in the fort with him. It's hard for me (and even more so for Jon) to maneuver in that small space, but Jeremiah insistently pats the carpet until we are at least partway underneath the table with him.

But the last few days, Mom or Dad hasn't been enough. "Mimi," Jeremiah calls, and then pats the carpet underneath his fort. "Mimi," he calls again, as he waits for Maggie to join him in his play space.

Yesterday, I did get Maggie to lay on the floor and kind of be in the fort with us. It was enough to satisfy Jeremiah. He got in his fort, said "Mimi," and patted her on the nose. Then he patted Mama's cheek, too. He was a contended little boy.

Cleaning out the Fridge

2009-02-14T19:22:00.002-06:00

I was inspired by Sue's blog today (plus the odor of spilled milk that had turned sour) to clean out our fridge. As you can see, I had a little helper. And yes, that is a cell phone that you see on the shelf. Jeremiah loves to carry Jon's cell phone around listening to downloaded music--his own personal "boom box" if you will.

A Long Absence

2009-02-14T16:59:00.004-06:00

OK, I know we haven't posted in awhile--as many of you have reminded me. In fact, it's been a month today. So, in the off chance that anyone who used to look at this blog is still checking--sorry.

Jeremiah is now in the climbing stage. I guess he always was, but now he's actually able to do it! A few weeks ago, he figured out how to climb our kitchen chairs. I knew that was coming, but I'm sad that I can't use the middle of the kitchen table as a safe place to put things anymore. One thing I have found in the middle of the table, however, is Jeremiah!

He is also big into mimicking us. Yesterday, Jon signed and put his hand on his head. His little shadow let out his own sigh and put his hand to his mouth. One of his favorite things is to wear his cell phone on his belt, just like Daddy. And today, as I was vacuuming and dusting, Jeremiah got out his own "cloth" and proceeded to wipe off the coffee table for me.

With all of Jeremiah's energy and his curiosity, every day is a new adventure around here. But we're loving it. And as long as Mama, Daddy and Mimi are here with him, everything in his world is all right.

Chatterbox

2009-01-14T18:27:00.002-06:00

Jeremiah is a regular chatterbox these days. Oh, we don't understand 75% of what he says, but he will "talk" up a storm, as if he's having a conversation with us.

A few things we do understand are the always popular "Daddy," but not to be outdone anymore by "Mama," which once in a while slips out as "Mommy." Then there's "Mi-mi," which most of the time means Maggie. "Puppy" is heard a lot most days, as well as "baby," which refers to anything from an actual baby to Jeremiah's pictures around the house to children of any age. I'm just waiting for that 10-year-old in the grocery store to get offended when Jeremiah points and says "ba-by."

One that took us a while to figure out was "Ba-boo." It means Bible. And before you think we're super spiritual parents, I have to admit he probably picked this up in Sunday school singing "the B-i-b-l-e" song. Bath night means "ba-ba," a cow is "moo-moo" both in what it says and what it is. The dog/puppy says "woof"; the horse says "whee," and as of today the sheep says "baa." And last but not least there's "na-na." I'm not completely sure what that means, but I think it might be naked. And I reserve the right to not explain that one in cyberspace for all to read.

This probably isn't that exciting to anyone else, but Jon and I continue to be amazed at how Jeremiah's language skills are quickly progressing. It was just a few months ago that all he said was daddy. I know his vocabularly will increase leaps and bounds from here on. And not too long in the future, we'll have to watch what we say, because we'll have a little voice repeating it for all to hear.

Breakfast in TX, Lunch in CA and Dinner in OK

2009-01-08T15:36:00.002-06:00

So, you want to be a pilot. Yesterday was a busy day for me. We started the day in Dallas, Texas and flew to Palm Springs, California. After a quick lunch in Palm Springs, where it was still 10:00 AM, we headed back to Texas. We picked up one passenger in Killene, TX and then a quick hop to Dallas. In Dallas we picked up two more passengers and flew up to Tulsa, Oklahoma. After checking into our hotel we had dinner. There you have it, a very full day. Today isn't so busy as we are just flying back to Lincoln this afternoon.

Christmas

2008-12-31T13:31:00.004-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas with Jon's family in Orange City. Here are just a few pictures from the five days we spent there. Highlights included: all the yummy food (of course); a picture scavenger hunt (go to Sue's blog to the Kroesche Family Games post to see more about that, plus a special video); little boys running, laughing and playing; spending time with family; and a whole week of Jon, Jeremiah and myself being together! We had such fun, but we were also glad to get home to somewhat a sense of normalcy.

Christmas Baking

2008-12-16T17:22:00.007-06:00

Things in our kitchen have been rather busy of late. I love to bake, and it wouldn't be Christmas if the mixer wasn't going, the oven wasn't on, the counter covered in dirty dishes, flour, and pans of cookies, candy, etc.

At Jon's suggestion, I tried to cut down this year, but it's so hard. I love to bake, and I keep thinking, "I'll just make one more thing." But really, I think I've done less this year; it's just been over a shorter period of time.

Our kitchen has produced thus far three kinds of Christmas cookies, several "cookies in a jar," cinnamon rolls, and something else that I won't name since it will be used as gifts for some who read this blog.

Jon and Jeremiah even got into the baking mode with some sugar cookies. As I was starting to roll out the dough, Jon says, "What are you doing?!" I replied with the obvious answer. "I'm rolling out the cookie dough." "No," he says, "I'm supposed to do that. It's tradition!"

Now I've heard that the tradition for the Kroesches growing up was Mom made the dough, Dad rolled it out, and Dad and the kids cut out the cookies. However, we've been married for 9 years (9 years, thank you very much) and this is the first time it's been offered in our household. Granted, I don't make cut-out sugar cookies every year, but still. How was I supposed to know we were starting that tradition this year?

So, Jon rolled out the dough, and Jeremiah "helped" to cut them out--for about 5 minutes. Then he was more interested in chewing on the cookie cutters. (However, he loved eating the finished product.) But it was a good start to what I hope will be a yearly tradition that will last in his memories when he's older.

So, after today, I'm done with my Christmas baking. Well, maybe I'll make just one more thing . . .

Thoughts of Christmas

2008-12-16T14:38:00.004-06:00

So Jeremiah is taking a nap and this seems to be the best and sometimes only time to blog. He is so active and full of energy. It's fun trying to keep up with him.

As Christmas draws closer it's good to reflect more on the reason for the season. We sure are glad it's not about shopping, parties, or toys. It's not about hoping the stores do well so the economy can keep on rollin'. It's this time of year when we should be filled with joy as we reflect on the gift God gave to us, the gift of His Son, Jesus. Before He came there was no way to be redeemed from our sin. Now that He has come we have hope and a reason to be joyful.

We are blessed in so many ways and thank God for His blessings, but mostly for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.

A Christmas Prayer

2008-12-06T19:58:00.001-06:00

I received this in an e-mail today and thought it was so good that I should share it:

Most Holy & Majestic Father,

There's so much "hype" around Christmas time. I have to admit that I enjoy all the jolly jingle and festive frolic as much as anyone. But, Lord, as I enter into the fast-paced season ahead, help me walk slowly and quietly.

Let me stop and listen to the angels sing of the greatest news ever told!
Let my heart, mind and soul join the chorus. "Glory in the Highest!! The Messiah has been born!"

Among all the bright sparkling lights and cheery holiday tunes, let my spirit travel once again toward Bethlehem to honor and worship Jesus, my King! The Prince of Peace, the Lord of Hosts, Mighty Counselor, Son of God, the Lamb. All Your love, mercy and power somehow made flesh in the tiny form of a humble baby born in a manger. Let me worship the only one who is worthy to take our sin away and open the gates of all eternity!

Amen

On the Go

2008-12-04T19:55:00.005-06:00

It's almost 8 o'clock, and I just finished the dishes after putting one extremely wound-up boy to bed. From the time he finished supper to the time he went to bed, he pretty much just ran up and down the hall. Every so often, he'd turn around to look at me as if saying, "C'mon, Mom. Chase me!" So I did. Up and down the hall. Into the living room. Around the kitchen. Tickling, laughing, carrying my "sack of potatoes." It was fun.

I don't do the chase game as well as Dad does, but he's out of town--in sunny Miami, no less, while we enjoy highs of 20 degrees! Jeremiah is at the age now where he misses Jon more. He wakes up saying, "Da-ddy!" and goes to look for him. The longer trips like this one (Tuesday through Saturday) are hard on all three of us. But we get to talk on the phone several times a day and that helps.

It also helps on our end to get out of the house if we can. So this morning we had a play date with the Thelander twins from church. Braden and Conner are 4 months older than Jeremiah. They played together very well, and it was fun to watch them teach some new games to Jeremiah. Since there are two of them, they can do things at home that Jeremiah can't--like one climbs into a cupboard and the other closes the door. They knock, giggle, and change places. Jeremiah liked the climbing in part, but he didn't always like having the door closed on him.

And along that same theme of twins, we went to the hospital to see my friend Tonya who just had a twin boy and girl on Monday. Leah and Canaan are still in the NICU, so we didn't get to see them since Jeremiah was with me. But I know we'll see them lots. Their older brother Caleb is almost 2 and is a favorite playmate of Jeremiah's.

It's quiet in the back bedroom now. My energetic little one has finally fallen asleep. But I know tomorrow he'll wake up raring to go. And I'll need to be on my toes to keep up with him!

P.S. The pictures have nothing to do with our day. They were taken during Thanksgiving at my parents' house. (The one picture is of Jeremiah and his cousin Kaylee.) But since we haven't posted in so long, I thought I'd put them up.

Getting Faster

2008-11-21T20:03:00.003-06:00

We really like the video option for this blog. It's been fun to put videos up of Jeremiah. He sure is growing up fast. Here we have a video of him "running." He is definitely getting a lot faster.

Something New

2008-11-16T20:24:00.002-06:00

We've had the privilege of having Isaiah and Phinehas with us since Thursday, and we've learned a few new things about each of them.
Isaiah loves the movie "Cars." He really likes to help in the kitchen, especially if it involves cooking or food. He can be pretty sensitive and is able to turn on the tears pretty quickly. It also takes the proper tact to get them to turn off.
Phinehas, there is so much we learned. He is the "quiet one," but you definitely have to keep your eyes on him. If he doesn't like some type of food, he will tell you that it's "hot." After you feel the food and assure him it's not hot, he will hold it in his mouth, start to cry, and then spit it out and tell you it's hot. When you listen to what he is saying to you, he provides the verb and a noun and you must fill in the rest. He will sometimes only provide the verb, and then you have to figure out what it is that he wants.
We've had a great weekend with both Isaiah and Phinehas. Jeremiah has also had a blast. It's been fun to watch him, watch his two older cousins. Shortly after his cousins do something there is Jeremiah repeating what he's seen.
We're taking Isaiah and Phinehas back to their parents tomorrow, who we know are anxious to be back with them. We'll miss our nephews but we've really enjoyed having them here and getting to know them better.

The First Full Day

2008-11-14T20:39:00.003-06:00

If you hadn't figured it out already, or weren't "in the know," we are watching our two nephews this weekend. Today is our first full day with Isaiah and Phinehas. We had a very full day today. Let me be the first to admit taking three boys on a shopping trip is so much more challenging than one. I'm sure many of you are reading this, smirking and giving that all knowing nod but I don't mind, we're enjoying our time with the nephews.

The weather was also nice enough to spend some time outside today. The boys got to swing, play in the sandbox, and go down the slide. I'm still pretty psyched about that playground set purchase I made at an auction almost a year ago now. Later in the afternoon we had a fun craft time and then finished the day off with a movie night. Tonight's movie feature was, of course, "Cars." We're looking forward to another day of fun. Stay tuned!

Rainy Days

2008-11-13T08:30:00.002-06:00

It's been cold and rainy here the last several days, which means staying inside where it's warm and dry. For me, that's no problem. In fact, it's what I prefer. But for Jeremiah, there have been some hard moments where he stands by the sliding glass door, points at the swingset and cries.

Yesterday it finally stopped raining and was a little warmer. Jon took him outside to play, and as you can see, he had a blast.

Something else that we've been doing a lot of these days is dancing. We'll come downstairs and play the stereo and just have a jam out time. We've gone to Toddler Time at the library, and Jeremiah has gotten to dance with some other kids. And sometimes he just starts dancing when we have the radio or other music playing in the background upstairs. Yesterday, we checked out a kids' CD from the library, and Jeremiah had fun listening to it. (Because I couldn't figure out how to rotate the video, you'll have to bear with me and tilt your heads to watch it. I figured a few seconds of tilt was better than me spending hours trying to figure out that one little thing.)

This afternoon, we're off to Onawa, IA (halfway between Sioux Falls and Lincoln) to pick up Isaiah and Phinehas. They'll be staying with us for a few days while their dad has shoulder surgery. So, be watching for fun pictures and stories that are sure to come!

Election

2008-11-06T08:11:00.002-06:00

Jeremiah did his part on Tuesday--by wearing a sticker anyway!

Halloween

2008-11-03T13:36:00.004-06:00

The Halloween costume decision was an easy one for us this year--a friend offered to lend us her son's costume from last year. So, Jeremiah was a pumpkin (and a very cute one, I might add).

He wasn't overly fond of the costume, particularly the hood. But he left it alone while Jon took him trick or treating to a few neighbors' houses. He didn't get a lot of candy, which was fine with us since we ended up eating most of it. And I'm sure he didn't really get what Dad was doing. But I hear he did get the hang of holding out his bag for people to put stuff in it.

As soon as they got home, off went the costume. But that's when the real fun started. Jeremiah loved going to the door to see all the other kids come to get candy. Every time the doorbell rang, we'd hear, "Oh!" and he'd toddle over to see who it was. Jon also had fun greeting the kids in his cowboy outfit. With the bandana pulled over his face (and with his height), he looked more than a little imposing. There was more than one child whose eyes got big and round and took a couple of steps backward before accepting their candy.

A Veritable Cornucopia of Topics

2008-10-27T21:06:00.007-05:00

I knew a girl in college who loved to use the phrases, "It's a veritable cornucopia of ideas," or "that's a plethora of words." So, since this blog is going to be full of various topics, and it's harvest season, veritable cornucopia seemed like a good title.

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My parents came for a visit at the end of last week and over the weekend. Thankfully, they left the snow in Western Nebraska . While Jon and my dad drove an hour away to look at a tractor, Mom, Jeremiah and I had a lot more fun going shopping at a quilt shop, the mall and other stores. I guess I should say Mom and I enjoyed it. Jeremiah wasn't especially thrilled about it, and let me know by screaming. A lot. In very quiet stores. I hope it's just a stage, and a short one at that.

It was fun to watch Jeremiah warm up more quickly to my parents than he ever has in the past. He quickly realized that it was fun to sit on Granddad's lap and play with the pen in his front pocket. And he liked it when Grandma looked at books with him (and shared her food with him, too).

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Have I mentioned that we have a picky eater in the house? No, it's not Jon (though sometimes he qualifies). Jeremiah is extremely picky about what he will eat. The list isn't long--milk, crackers, yogurt, cheese, pudding, applesauce, pureed fruits and vegetables, green beans, cheese, strawberries, and bread (sometimes and only certain kinds). Oh, and ice cream and anything else that's sweet (muffins, cake, pie, etc.). He refuses to eat meat, and routinely throws his food off his plate. We keep trying to introduce meat and non-baby food fruits and vegetables to him, but he squishes them, like he's using his fingers to taste them, and then, whoosh, off they go to be gobbled up by the eager Weimaraner waiting in the wings.

But I've been reading a book (The Baby Whisperer for Toddlers) that basically is telling me to chill out about it. To stop trying to get him to eat more and just relax and know that when he's hungry, he'll eat. So, the last couple of days, I've been trying to just let it go when he only has a few bites of food and signs "all done." Maggie's still enjoying the leftovers, Jeremiah doesn't seem any the worse for wear, and I'm not as stressed at mealtimes.

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This isn't our year for appliances. At the beginning of July, our fridge decided to quit. For one week, we ate out of a cooler full of ice on the kitchen floor before our fridge was fixed. Our latest appliance to quit was the dishwasher. It was only three years old, and unfortunately the warranty had expired. To fix it would cost about the same as a brand-new dishwasher, which is the way we went. In fact, Jon's on the kitchen floor right now trying to remember how he installed the old dishwasher so he can uninstall it. I haven't heard too much muttering yet, but I know it's not going as smoothly as he'd like.

I have a very generous husband. He gave up buying a few things this month that we'd been saving for so that we could get a new dishwasher. He said he knew it made my life a lot easier. Jon has many qualities that I'm thankful for, including being thoughtful and considerate. Thanks, Ron and Sue, for helping to instill that in him.

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I've known that our library has a toddler time for a while, but always thought Jeremiah was too young. They recommend the time for ages 18-2. But after pretty much being on my own with a 14-month old for 5 days, I felt the need to get out of the house today for something other than a doctor's appointment or church. So, we went. And Jeremiah did great. There was singing with lots of clapping, stomping, and actions, plus an interactive story about the Hungry Caterpillar. Jeremiah had a great time and also enjoyed running around the library later on in the kids section where they have some toys and puzzles. I had to restrain him from pulling all the books off a shelf or two (guess what he likes to do in his room?) and he would have rather put the books in his mouth rather than have me read them to him today, but I think we'll go again soon.

*********

Well, that end my cornucopia, other than I just have to express my sadness that my favorite Lady Huskers volleyball team just lost their first game of the season!!!! And to Colorado no less. Oh, well. That happened two years ago, and they went on to win the National Championship. Maybe I should have Jon get me tickets to the Final Four in Omaha for my birthday? Here's hoping.

A Moment in Time

2008-10-22T20:14:00.002-05:00

The second weekend in October we made a whirlwind trip to my parents (Jon) and then up to my brother's place. While we were visiting my brother's we had one of those times that we both agreed was one of our favorite moments for the weekend. It was one of those times, which I'm sure you've all experienced several times in your life, where you wish that time could go on for much longer than you're actually able to experience. I'll try and set the scene for you as best I can.

We were all hanging out in the living room, and Nathan plugged his Ipod into the stereo and started playing random music. Isaiah and Phinehas knew this as their cue for a "dance party." They pushed the bench from the table up to the couch to use it as a sort of "runway." Then all the boys and some parents began dancing to the music. As I sit here writing this I'm at a loss for words as to how describe the feelings in those moments--contentement, wonder, grace, joy, treasured, peace. Let's just say it will be a time that I will strive to hold on to in my mind.

The Last Few Weeks--Condensed Version

2008-10-10T16:52:00.004-05:00

Ok, it's been almost 2 weeks again since we've posted. (Sigh) The days have gone by so fast. We got back from Sioux Falls, and now we're headed that way again this evening, as soon as Jon gets back from a trip. I've had a lot of writing deadlines, but have the big projects all done, for now anyway. We've made apple crisp, apple bread, apple cake, apple butter, and have a lot of apples in the freezer. Jeremiah (the picky eater that he is) has tried some new foods. Some were a hit, like a cheese quesadilla, green beans, and strawberries. Some were not, like the broccoli that was thrown across the room. Jon's been to Arizona, California, Kansas and Iowa.
So, that kind of sums up the last couple of weeks for us. Here are just a few pictures from when we were in Sioux Falls. Jeremiah had a blast playing with his cousins.

September Days

2008-09-30T11:30:00.004-05:00

Hello . . . hello . . . is anybody out there? I can understand if nobody is, since we haven't had a post for two whole weeks. So, for the last day of September, here are just a few pictures from that time. Some are from an orchard we visited. We also had a great visit from Dusty, Brandee and Kaylee.

Jon's in Arizona right now and won't be back until the end of the week. So, this afternoon, Jeremiah and I are headed up north to Sioux Falls for a visit of our own to Nathan, Kristin, Isaiah and Phinehas.

Ranch Centennial Celebration

2008-09-14T19:50:00.018-05:00

In 1908, my great-grandfather, James Wilson, left the coal mines of Tennessee to come to the Sandhills of Nebraska to seek a better life for his family. Under the Kincaid Act of 1904, he took over a relinquished homestead and over the years built up what is now my family ranch—the Lazy Five.

This Saturday, my family held a centennial celebration for the ranch at my parents’ house. Let me just say, it was a wonderful time. My parents had invited all the descendants of my great-grandfather, neighbors, friends, and business associates. We didn’t know how many people to expect and still aren’t sure of the final count, but Jon (who is good at estimating such things) said there were easily over 200 people there.

After a soaking all-day rain on Friday, the weather was sunny, clear, and beautiful. My brother did a lot of work putting together a slide show of the history of the ranch, which constantly ran throughout the day. There was also a varied display of photos showing ancestors, the ranch throughout the years, Hereford bulls, etc., plus several photo albums, historical documents, scrapbooks, and more.

Following a huge lunch with almost every kind of salad and dessert you can imagine, plus some yummy meat my parents’ had catered, Dusty gave a short talk on the history of the Lazy Five. Then, my cousin Ryan played some of my grandparents’ favorites on the guitar and my cousins Wheeler, Kelton, and Weston (with accompaniment from their dad, Troy) entertained us with some down-home fiddle playing. I organized a scavenger hunt for the kids, which gave them a little history while taking them from place to place hunting for clues. Wheeler (the ring bearer in our wedding who’s now 12!), told me it was fun and educational.

I saw cousins and family friends whom I hadn’t seen in years, plus got to meet new friends of my family. We ate good food, played with the umpteen kids who were running all over the place, laughed at jokes and stories, and just plain had a good time.

My immediate family (who planned all of this) didn’t know what to expect, but we were so pleased with how the day turned out. There were a few times when my parents almost decided not to have a party, but now they’re glad they did. Because as my mom said, it’s not as if we’ll be around to do it again in 100 years!

On the Road Again

2008-09-11T20:18:00.006-05:00

Well, we're off to Western Nebraska again tomorrow morning. This time, we're going for the 100th anniversary celebration of my family's ranch. We'll post more on that next week, along with some pictures.

Before we go, here are some random photos of Jeremiah. In this first one, he's letting me know he's ready for his snack.

He also likes to drive his car around saying "vroom, vroom" (or have Mommy drive him around).

And he really likes bathtime. Daddy is good at making him laugh.

He's All Boy

2008-09-08T15:43:00.000-05:00

What exactly does it mean when someone says, “He’s all boy”?

Several people referred to Jeremiah with that phrase last week. At the time, he was busy exploring a new place, crawling, walking, climbing to see new, tantalizing items that we either don’t have at home or have been put away, out of sight.

So, does “he’s all boy” come into play when Jeremiah pushes his little car around the house, making vroom, vroom noises? Is he being all boy when he takes all the pots and pans out of the lazy Susan, banging lids together, stepping into bowls and sliding them around the floor?

How about when he’s sitting with Mom on the loveseat, crawls to the side and hangs over the edge (with Mom holding on to his feet, of course) so he can see Maggie lying on her pillow?

These all fit with the stereotypical meaning of “he’s all boy” (i.e. active, climber, yeller), but let me suggest one more scenario that I think fits as well. How about those times when he snuggles in my arms after he wakes up from a nap? Today, he woke up early, so we sat and rocked for a while. He quietly played with a tie on my shirt, content to be cuddled up close. After a while, he looked up and I smiled. He smiled back. And we just sat there for several minutes, rocking, smiling, content just to be there together.

Then, he fell back asleep, and I kept rocking. I looked at his sweet little face, his long dark eyelashes lying on his smooth, perfect little boy skin, and my eyes filled with tears of joy and gratitude at this wonderful, amazing gift God gave us a little over a year ago.

Yep, he’s all boy. Whether awake or sleeping, laughing or crying, getting into everything or snuggling with Mom or Dad. He’s all boy, and I’m so thankful he’s ours.

Visiting our New Niece

2008-09-05T17:15:00.003-05:00

We were finally able to go and visit our new niece, Kaylee. She is already three weeks old. Before we know it we'll be remembering how just one year ago we were going to meet Kaylee for the first time.
We're looking forward to watching her grow and showing Jeremiah the ropes around the ranch as they get older.

More of those Birthday Party pictures

2008-08-28T20:21:00.005-05:00

Jeremiah had a lot of fun with all the party balloons
Here he is riding along on his birthday present from Mom & Dad
You may have noticed a duck instead of a candle, that was planned
He loves chocolate, don't we all.
Mmmmmmm good.

We don't have a Bridle or a Saddle!

2008-08-27T22:02:00.002-05:00

Jeremiah thought it was great fun "riding" Maggie.

The One Year Birthday Party (A few days early)

2008-08-27T19:57:00.005-05:00

Wow, are we slow at this sometimes. Ok, so it's been four days since we celebrated Jeremiah's first birthday. The last few weeks we have been reminiscing about what our life was like and what we were doing, "a year ago today." We are always amazed at how God worked all of the details out. A year ago today (Aug 27 ) we had no idea that in just two days we would get a call that would be the answer to a prayer we'd prayed for so long. Of course many of you are wanting to get to some pictures so here there are. A great time was had by all, and we are so thankful for all the friends and family that took the time to come and celebrate with us.

Jeremiah's Like List

2008-08-21T18:45:00.004-05:00

As Jeremiah approaches the big "1" it's been fun to watch his personality develop and take note of what he likes and what he does not. At this point, there are more things in the first category, which include:

∙ Pushing chairs around the kitchen

∙ Climbing on anything he can find. Last week he was in my Sunday School room with me as I was getting ready. I turned around for a second, and when I turned back, he was sitting on top of a Little Tykes picnic table.

Maggie. Just seeing her makes him laugh. She usually comes with me into his room when I get him up in the morning, and he squeals in delight when he sees her.
His daddy. Yes, he loves his mommy, too, but Jeremiah is definitely a daddy's boy. When Jon goes in another room and shuts the door, Jeremiah stands outside and cries and cries. He's not very happy when Jon has to leave for work, either.

His stuffed Weimaraner--a mini-Maggie, if you will. I don't know if that's why he loves this toy so much, but he does. He'll hug and cuddle with it, and rarely pays attention to his other stuffed animals. It's fun to watch him lie on his back on the floor with the toy dog pressed up to his face.

Baths. Jeremiah loves to splash and play in the tub. He also likes to stand up and play with the faucet. Last night, Jon was giving him a bath, and Jeremiah turned the shower on while the water was running. It scared him, and he definitely did not like that!

Walks. It hasn't been as hot lately, so I've been taking him and the dog on more walks. He will squeal and laugh at things as we go by. Don't ask me what, though. I haven't figured that out yet.

Watching older kids play. Jeremiah loves to stand at our front window and watch our neighbor kids play outside. We'd join them, but they always go out in the evening right before his bedtime.

Jammin' out to music. Jeremiah likes to bounce up and down now whenever we have the radio on. A few weeks ago, we were at a praise concert in a park, and he bopped up and down while in his stroller.

I could go on, but I thought this would give whoever reads this a little glimpse of Jeremiah. It's amazing how much he's grown and changed. He's getting better at playing by himself. The last several days he's entertained himself by playing with our tennis shoes (dragging them around by the shoelaces), bungee cords, a cardboard wrapping paper tube, pots and pans, and books. Makes me wonder why we bought him a new toy for his birthday!

In other news, we're gearing up for his first of two birthday parties this Saturday. Jon's parents and a few friends are coming over. Tomorrow's my big baking day. I'll be cooking three kinds of cake (two cupcakes and one rubber ducky cake) and some mini quiches. Jon's folks get here tomorrow night, and then his mom and I will go to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning before the party. It's going to be a busy weekend, but one full of fun.

Anniversary Thoughts and Celebrations

2008-08-16T09:26:00.006-05:00

Nine years ago last Thursday, Jon and I stood at the front of the church before family and friends and promised to love, honor and cherish one another for the rest of our lives. It's hard to believe how much time has passed since then. The people in the pictures have definitely changed, both on the outside and the inside. The faces don't look quite so youthful anymore and maybe not so idealistic.

If we could go back to that young couple and give them some advice, what would we say? We'd tell them to be more patient with each other, to listen more, to go out of their way to do what the other person enjoys, even if it's not their favorite thing. We'd tell them to be each other's champion, to offer encouragement, to hang on to faith and trust in God when life doesn't turn out exactly like you thought it would.

We've learned a lot in nine years, but it makes me realize how much more we (and especially I) still need to learn. Just think about all the wisdom of couples who've been married for 40 years (my parents next year, Jon's in three) or those who even make 75?

On a less serious note, we had a hard time deciding what we should do to celebrate our anniversary. We definitely wanted to go on a date, but we wanted to do something different than dinner and a movie. And we weren't ready to do an overnight trip yet without Jeremiah, even though some family members had offered to watch him.

So, we opted for something different, something I've wanted to do for a long time. We took a cruise on the Fremont Dinner Train for one of the Murder Mystery Nights. In our car, we sat at a table with two other people (who were from Le Mars and Ireton, IA, no less, and the lady worked in Orange City). Throughout the meal, three actors from Omaha put on a play loosely based on The Maltese Falcon. All other actors were recruited from the audience, and even those of us who didn't act had some lines to shout out together. At the end, each table (or detective agency) marked on a piece of paper who they thought was the killer. Can you believe it--we were the only table who got it right! And we won tickets to a play in Omaha.

We ate. We laughed. We laughed some more. We wiped the tears from our eyes, we were laughing so much. In a word--it was fun. We're so glad we chose to do the Murder Mystery car rather than just riding the train and having dinner. I think that would have been rather boring. And while the food was good, it wasn't spectacular.

We didn't get home until after midnight, way after our bedtime. Jeremiah was, of course, asleep, and quite awake at 6:30 this morning. So, I'm a little bleary-eyed and have a nap as my top priority this afternoon!
P.S. The photos from the train were taken with Jon's phone (not a sentence I ever would have imagined writing nine years ago), so they're a little grainy.

Little by Little

2008-08-13T10:36:00.005-05:00

"I can't believe how big he is!"

That's usually the first thing we hear these days when someone sees Jeremiah. We know he's grown a lot, but it's hard for us to notice the changes when we see him every day.

This past year has gone by so fast. It seems like just a few days ago when he was so tiny and pretty much just slept, ate, cried, etc. Now he's all over the place, taking a few steps here and there, saying a few "words"--ba for bottle or ball--laughing, playing, climbing all over Mommy and Daddy.

As I write this, he's pushed one of our dining room chairs into the kitchen and is playing with all the pots and pans he removed earlier in the morning from our lazy susan.

When we look back at pictures, the changes are more noticeable. Our little baby is no more, and we have a little boy in his place.

Communication

2008-08-11T21:24:00.003-05:00

As many of you know we have been working with Jeremiah on signing. We're hoping this will help with our communication while he is learning to talk. It finally appears as if all of that "one-way" signing is beginning to pay off. Jeremiah can definitely sign for more and for all done. Although he doesn't have the finesse he is sure about what he is trying to communicate. It's been great to see. Sorry no pictures or videos of this yet but we'll see what we can do.

Kaylee Pictures

2008-08-10T09:36:00.004-05:00

Kaylee

2008-08-06T07:49:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, we had a very important shopping trip we had to make. You see, our neice, Kaylee Del Wilson, was born yesterday at 12:48 p.m. and it was imperative that we go shopping!

Kaylee was a couple of weeks early, but she was still pretty good size. She weighed 6 lbs. 15 3/4 oz. and was 19 inches long. Her dad, my brother Dusty, said she didn't have a lot of hair, and what there is of it is light. Her mom, Brandee, had a long, hard labor and hopefully can get lots of rest now while other people wait on her hand and foot.

Dusty and Brandee combined several family members' names to come up with Kaylee Del. Kay is Brandee's mom's middle name; Lee is Dusty's middle name; and the Del comes from my dad's name, Delwin. This is actually the third person who has been named after my dad. That's quite an honor!

I haven't seen any pictures of Kaylee yet, as my parents were in such a rush to get to the hospital, they forgot their camera. I'm sure there will be at least a few in the future. And we won't get to see her for 3 weeks yet. Sigh. I guess I'll just have to be patient.

Saturday Ramblings

2008-08-02T20:59:00.005-05:00

It was just Jeremiah and I today. Jon had a trip to Brainerd, Minn., where he'll be until sometime on Monday. To be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to a long Saturday cooped up inside the house with an 11-month old. But the day actually turned out to be pretty fun.

Here's a quick run-down of how Jeremiah and I spent our time. First, we went to the Farmer's Market this morning, when it was cooler. We bought vegetables and pizza crusts, sat by the water fountain (which Jeremiah was fascinated by) and drank cool drinks, and saw 2 people we knew. No matter when I go to the Farmer's Market, I always run into someone I know. And it's great when they give you tips on which stands have the best vegetables.

Then we ran to a quilting shop. I was inspired to get back to my projects a few weeks ago by a luncheon quilting presentation I attended. Plus, Kristin has this really cool purse someone made for her, and it made me think that maybe I could do one, too. So, I got a pattern and some material and hope to tackle this project in the next couple of weeks. Admittedly, this was more fun for me than Jeremiah. He preferred to play with my keys, drop them, and make loud noises until I picked them up, and then repeat all of the above 10-20 times.

Since it was over 100 degrees out this afternoon, we stayed inside. But I made a mini water table out of Jeremiah's high chair, and let him play with bath toys and splash around. I got this idea from a blog called Rookie Moms and had hoped Jeremiah would have a lot of fun. He thought it was just OK and had the most fun throwing all his toys off the high chair tray and watching Mom pick them up again. Oh, well. I tried.

Jeremiah was his usual busy self pushing chairs all over the kitchen, and climbing under the dining room table. I don't know why he likes this so much, the climbing that is, because he almost always gets stuck and then cries in frustration. Then after about 30 seconds, he figures out how to get free and all is well once again.

We played the "where's Jeremiah" game behind the living room curtains. For some reason, this really tickled him tonight, and every time I would say "There he is," he would laugh really hard. Of course, he did the same thing as he watched Maggie wag her tail and roll around on the floor.

For supper, he ate strawberry banana yogurt, provolone cheese, graham crackers, but he did not eat his mixed vegetables. When I asked him to eat just a couple of bites, he took me at my word, because after two spoonfuls, he refused the rest.

Well, those are my ramblings of our uneventful, yet enjoyable for the most part, day. Tomorrow, we have Sunday School--nursery for Jeremiah and a room full of 3-4 year olds for me. Then on Monday, Jon will be home. Let me just say "yeah!"

Buds

2008-07-30T21:11:00.004-05:00

Jeremiah and Maggie have gotten along fairly well since the beginning. Maggie wasn't too sure about this little person at first--he took away a lot of the attention she was used to getting. And Jeremiah pretty much ignored her for quite a while.

But over the last few weeks, you could say that Jeremiah and Maggie have become "buds." On Jeremiah's part, he's just fascinated with this big "toy" that moves. He'll sit there and laugh as Maggie wags her little tail or rolls on the floor. He loves to crawl over to her and "pet" her, which can sometimes be a little on the hard side or involve pulling. We're working on the "be gentle" thing, and are always watchful as Maggie forgets she's big and can get too playful.

On Maggie's part, she's really warmed up to Jeremiah since he made another new discovery--sharing. In particular, the sharing of his food. Jeremiah will sit in his high chair and lean over the side with his hand stretched out with that meal/snack's offering. And Maggie is only too happy to accomodate.

We're trying to nip this in the bud. "Maggie, go to bed" and "Jeremiah, that's your food. Maggie has her own food" are phrases said often during mealtime at our house. But if I turn my back for a second, there they are at it again, both of them looking like guilty playmates when I catch them in the act.

One nice thing--I never have to sweep or pick up the food that Jeremiah drops on the floor.

Good Eats

2008-07-23T19:09:00.002-05:00

Food is such an important part of our daily lives--at least it is for me. Sometimes I know I get too much of it, especially that which isn't necessarily good for me. Everything in moderation, right?

This last weekend with Jon's family, we split up who would be responsible for different meals, and let me just say we ate quite well. We had pizza, ice cream, chocolate cake, cinnamon rolls, blueberry French toast, shish-kabobs with steak, chicken and grilled vegetables, turkey, mashed potatoes, brownies, pita chips with hummus or salsa and cream cheese. Yummm. Are you hungry yet?

One thing we had that I'd never eaten before was grilled fruit. Let me tell you if you've never done this, you need to! It is delicious, it only took 4 minutes on the grill, and it's also good for you. A win-win situation.

I also made a flourless chocolate cake so my nephew Isaiah, who's allergic to wheat, could eat dessert along with the rest of us. My mother-in-law and sisters-in-law asked for the recipe, so I thought I would post a link to it here. It's called the Ultimate Flourless Chocolate Cake, and it was super easy.

So, happy eating whatever you're dining on tonight. For us, it's turkey-cranberry salad with pita chips and fudge souffle with Cool Whip.

Family Weekend

2008-07-22T21:02:00.008-05:00

Ever have something that you look forward to for months and months, and then it's over in a flash? That was our weekend. Jon's entire family came for a visit, and we have been eagerly anticipating this for a very long time. We had not all been together since last summer. And when I stop and think about it, this was really the first time we had all been together since Jeremiah was born.

The time went by so fast, but it was such a special time. I (Mindy) have several memories that will stay with me--making ice cream with Isaiah. Watching all three cousins play together in the sandbox with Jon. Seeing Isaiah practically bounce off the walls with excitement at the Children's Museum as he ran from one thing to another to another. Hearing Phin cry and cry because he didn't want to get out of the bathtub, and then seeing him try to crawl in later (with his pajamas on) while Jeremiah was getting his bath. Laughing harder than I have in a long time at family rembrances, the "would you rather" game, potty training stories, etc. Eating all kinds of really, really good food. Sitting on the patio furniture in 95 degree heat as we watched the kids have all kinds of fun on the swing set. Just sitting and listening to everyone and realizing how blessed I am to have married into this wonderful family.

Yes, the weekend went by at lightning speed. But I have a lot more to look forward to in the future. A new neice or nephew. Our 9 year anniversary. Jeremiah's first birthday. The 100th anniversary celebration of my family's ranch. Plus, I have every day of this life that my Heavenly Father has given me.

LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;

you have made my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance (Ps. 16:5–6).

P.S. Would you rather . . . wear wet jeans for 6 months or have a cold drop of water go down your back every 30 seconds for a year?

Omaha Zoo

2008-07-19T08:49:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was the big zoo day. We had a good time looking at many of the displays. Jeremiah payed attention to a few of the animals. There were plenty of other things to capture his attention as well. We spent about four hours at the zoo. In the afternoon it got pretty warm and we were ready to head for home. Jeremiah took a good nap on the drive back to Lincoln.

Highs and Lows

2008-07-14T21:02:00.003-05:00

The last two days have been hard at our house. Jeremiah is running a low-grade fever and just doesn't feel like himself. Today was better--he actually smiled and laughed a little, whereas yesterday he didn't. But our normally on-the-go, never-sit-still little boy has been most content when Mom or Dad are holding him and has even sat in our laps for up to 20 minutes at a time.

We love the snuggling and together time, but we're looking forward to our normal happy boy being back. We think the fever is due to teething--Jeremiah has a new tooth on top that broke through yesterday and is still biting down hard on anything he can get his hands on (including Mom's toe--though that was a few weeks ago!).

On another note, our household has been busy, busy getting ready for a big visit from Jon's family in a few days. We will have 11 people total at our house this weekend, and we are really excited. We'll post more about that after the weekend, with pictures from the Omaha zoo, Lincoln Children's Museum, and who knows what else. It all starts Wednesday, when Jeremiah and I pick up Amy who's flying in to Omaha.

Well, enough blogging for now. Time to get back to cleaning . . .

Summer Days

2008-07-08T18:45:00.002-05:00

So we know many of you check this web site faithfully, anticipating an update, some kind of information or just some new photos. We, however are not as faithful, and for this we apologize. We're not sure how other people keep up with their blog, let alone their life.

Jeremiah is, of course, growing, growing, growing. He is also very adventurous and loves to climb on things. He really keeps us on our toes.

Swimming, Clapping, and Other Fun Stuff

2008-06-25T11:07:00.007-05:00

Jon was home on Monday, so we decided to take Jeremiah to our neighborhood swimming pool for the first time. It was a really nice day, in the mid-80s, so we thought it would be perfect.

Jeremiah thought otherwise. He didn't really cry, but he did make lots of whimpering "I'm not so sure about this" sounds. The water was not nearly as warm as his bath, which he loves to play in, so I can understand why. The pool is a zero entry pool, so we could just walk in with him and gradually go into the water. He liked it much better when Dad was holding him--that way he could be farther out of the water.

Jeremiah also had another "first" yesterday--he started to clap his hands. The way he does it, it almost looks like he's giving himself five, but hey, whatever works.

The other fun stuff going on? Playing in the new toy box that Dad built, going to a park for a few minutes before it started to rain, playing chase down the hall, and for Mom and Dad, consistently sleeping through the night.

Hi Everybody

2008-06-21T21:55:00.003-05:00

Jeremiah has a couple of new found skills. The first one is, in my opinion the best one. This week while Aunt Brandee was visiting Jeremiah decided it was time to start waving. So now he likes to wave. It doesn't have to be for anything important, e.g. you're leaving the room. His other skill, that he recently discovered is the volume of a high pitched scream. This one's not so great for us but he loves to do it. Below is a video of him waving, I'm not sure we'll try and capture him screaming. I'm sure you get the idea.

Staying at Home

2008-06-05T20:15:00.004-05:00

I went in to Back to the Bible today to show the lady who is in my former position how to do a few things. Sometimes I miss the interaction with the other employees (and just plain adult conversation in general), but overall, I'm so glad that Jon and I made the decision for me to stay home. Yes, the days can get long, especially when Jon is gone. But there's nothing like playing peek-a-boo with your little boy (at 6:30 a.m. no less) to lift your spirits!

Branding

2008-06-05T20:03:00.008-05:00

Last week, we headed out to my family’s ranch in western Nebraska for the annual branding. I look forward to the branding every year for several reasons. 1) I get to spend time with my family; 2) I see a lot of neighbors and people I grew up with that I don’t normally get to see; 3) I love that even though some methods have changed over the years, the branding is a part of the heritage of the ranch that’s gone on for a long, long time; 4) there’s lots of good food to eat; 5) there’s lots of good food to eat!

Jon took all of these pictures. He went on the round-up for the second year in a row. I used to do that kind of thing, but now realize that I prefer getting up at 6 a.m. rather than 3:30, my posterior probably wouldn’t handle riding six miles on a horse anymore, and my mom needs my help.

I don’t know that my mom would necessarily say that she looks forward to branding. Maybe that she looks forward to it being over! While the guys have lots of work to do to prepare (move the cattle in to a certain pasture; get the necessary vaccines and medicines ready to use, if necessary; move panels; make sure they have enough help lined up; get the horses ready; gather all the necessary “tools”—knives, buckets, water jugs, branding irons; block off pasture roads so people won’t wander off into the hills; etc.), as well as lots of work that day, my Mom has plenty of her own.

She spends a lot of time cleaning the house and Morton building, getting the yard ready, buying all the food, and then cooking it. The last few years, she’s let my sister-in-law Brandee and I help a lot more, though I know it’s hard for her to let go of something she’s done for so long.

As you can see from the pictures, everyone at the branding (guys and gals) work really hard riding horses, roping calves, wrestling (correctly pronounced “wrastling”), branding, vaccinating, castrating, dehorning, etc. When they get done branding the three bunches of calves, which I think total around 550 or so, they’re hungry. So, my mom has put together quite the feast.

This year we had 25 pounds of seasoned beef, umpteen pounds of new potatoes, enchiladas, meatballs, ham, corn casserole (yum, yum!), baked beans, rolls, fruit salad, pies, apple crisp, and ice cream brownie dessert (triple yum). This is just counting the things that my mom made, with the help of Brandee and myself. Other neighbors and family members brought more salads and desserts. I wish I had a picture to show you, but no one ever takes one of the food line—I guess they’re too busy getting their food before it disappears! We did have food left over, though. Our crowd was slightly smaller than past years—the count came in at right about 100 people.

As I read over what I just wrote, I realized that a person tends to write “what they know.” If my brother was writing this, he would focus more on what was going on at the branding corral. But since I was back at the house with the food, that’s where my mind was!

Picture Day

2008-05-27T14:45:00.005-05:00

Since Jeremiah's 9-month birthday is just a couple of days away, we decided to get some pictures taken before we head out west to my parents tomorrow. We went to Portrait Innovations for the second time, and were once again happy with the results. In less than an hour, we had 71 pictures to choose from. And in another half an hour, our pictures were done ready for us to bring home.

This was Jon's first time coming with us to get pictures taken. As I suspected, we ended up ordering more than if I had been by myself. (Don't mention this to anyone, but my husband is kind of a softie--particulary where his son is concerned.) Plus, Jon told me yesterday he wanted to get a family picture taken. Ack! A family picture? I didn't have time to get my hair done, or even trimmed, plus what about getting the perfect color-coordinated outfits? Well, I had to let go of my "planner" tendencies and just go with the flow. That meant we didn't even figure out what we were going to wear until about an hour before we left for the pictures. Spontaniety is good for the soul, right?

Here are just a couple of the shots that we didn't choose. (Notice the precariously hanging shoe in the family photo.) We'll be sending some of the ones we did get printed out to family and friends in the near future.

Books

2008-05-24T20:37:00.004-05:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I love books. If I have some free time on my hands, my preferred method of spending it is to curl up with a good book. I consider going to the library a treat. And if I'm really splurging, I'll go to Barnes and Noble, get a drink and dessert and sit and read. Sometimes I've even finished the entire book in the store.

That's why I'm thrilled that Jeremiah really likes books. He loves for us to read to him, and he'll also lay on the floor and look at books on his own. Sometimes they might be upside down, but hey, he's still looking at a book, right?

Some of Jeremiah's favorites right now include Goodnight Moon, The Big Red Barn; Cowboy Small; The Barnyard Dance; Llama, Llama; Red Pajama; Is Your Mama a Llama?; and My Little Word Book. When he really likes a book, he'll lean his whole body up against you, completely relaxed, and just watch each page intently as you read.

I hope this love of books continues for a long, long time. I can't think of a better way for him to learn and grow his imagination.