Communication

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

Kaylee

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

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

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

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

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?