Wedding Weekend

This past weekend we celebrated with Jeremy’s sister, Jen, as she married Arturo.  We traveled to eastern Pennsylvania near Scranton to go to the wedding.  Madison did a fantastic job in the car; it was about 8 hours of driving. We could drive for about 3 hours before she hit her limit; then, we would get out, eat, walk around, and play at a park when we could.  We got there just in time to see rehearsal– and be a part of… Jeremy was a scripture reader.  Here are some pics from that night….

                  

                             

It was beautiful and shaded at about 6pm, but the next day at 1:15 would be in full sun.  For good or for bad, it was raining all the next day and the wedding was moved indoors to this simple room.  Here are pictures from the wedding ….

            

            

                                

The dinner was outside under a tent.  The tables looked beautiful.  For most of the meal, I was back at the cabin while Madison took a nap.  When we returned, we dressed in warmer clothes since it was pretty cold outside.  The cakes were arranged on tree stumps, which I thought was a pretty neat idea.  Madison was a dancing machine and pretty much went up to anyone.  Our only mishap during the dancing was when she tried three times to dance with a little girl about her age.  The little girl shoved her down three times!  Poor Madison, she didn’t know what was happening. :(  Otherwise, it was a good night!

            

              

             

             

We traveled home on Sunday to my parents’ house.  We were able to connect with Luke’s family while we were there as well.  On Monday we finally made it home in the morning.  It felt like a longer than a 3-1/2 day getaway… I think there was just a lot of traveling, rather than just relaxing.  We were glad we could share in the special day.  Congratulations, Arturo and Jen!

Summer Vacation!

It has begun, and I am so excited! On Monday, Madison and I went on a walk to the park to swing a bit. On Tuesday, we met Tara and Grace at Park of Roses for a walk. We walked for almost an hour. (Tara is a relentless partner!!) Then, they had to take off for an appointment. Madison and I enjoyed the surprisingly cool (relative term here) morning by playing in the sand and with the other playground equipment. It was a great place. Today, I sent her off to the sitter's again and headed to the school for a day of planning for our new academy next year. (If you really want to know what this is all about, I can explain it sometime.) It was a good day of collaboration with teachers, but I don't know how much we finalized. After dinner, Madison and I headed out to the driveway to play with the rice (read a few blogs back) and sidewalk chalk. We both were sweating by the time we were out there for a half hour or so. I look forward to more memories - even just sitting on the couch after her nap watching Barney with her on my lap... so sweet :) I do not look forward to more heat... looks like mornings will be busy, naps in the afternoon, and maybe a venture out in the evening again. For all you other stay-at-home moms, I am free to hang out now; give me a call.... while playing with Madison is a blast, I also enjoy some adult interaction!

Jeremy and I signed up to teach the 4th graders at church for this month. As much as I have rebelled against this in the past because I already teach all week, I really enjoyed doing this with Jeremy. We only had 4 kids this Sunday, but they were fun - super chatty! They did a great job with the Bible passage from Acts 14. Paul and Barnabus are preaching the Gospel in various cities. When they get to one town, the people want to worship them like gods; they flee. This was to illustrate how people need to stand up for what is right. It was good. I also brought them pumpkin muffins, which they raved about and all wanted the recipe when I told them how easy they are. So, I gave it to them :) For all you teachers out there that just want Sunday as a break, maybe you just need to try an age you don't normally teach and do it with someone you enjoy!

Time Out

I think I have just entered the next phase of parenting -disciplining. Madison had her first time out last night. She was drinking her milk - or was supposed to be - while sitting on the couch beside me. She tipped her sippy cup upside down and tapped it on the couch cushion. (She used to do this on her high chair tray and make the milk spray out all over.) I told her "no" when I saw what she was doing. So, she looked at me and gave me a cute little smile before jamming the cup hard on the cushion to make a puddle. I picked her up and said, "No, no, Madison. You are going to time out." And I set her down on the floor. Her little lip came out, but she didn't cry, and she did stay seated. After I washed off the milk, I picked her up and followed Super Nanny's instructions - tell them what they did wrong, tell them you love them, and give them a hug .... I did neglect to have her tell me sorry. It went quite well for never having done it before. I think she knew what it was because the sitter has given others at daycare a time out before; although I don't think Madison has ever had one. That's it; I have 1-1/2 days of school left before summer break. I can't wait!!!

Summer Fun

Yes, summer because it is way too HOT!!!!!  I know some of you may enjoy over 90 degree weather, but I do not.  I prefer 70s, maybe 80s, with little humidity.  Somehow we missed all of those days this year – went straight from rain, rain, rain to heat, heat, heat.  Yeah, I know – I should just move back to Colorado where the weather is near perfect :)  For those in Colorado, know that I am jealous! 

Saturday, Jeremy went on Fairfield’s Revenge Bicycle Classic arranged by his friend Mike (but Jeremy is the co-organizer apparently, too).  There were about 30-40 people biking on the given routes.  There were short loops and longer loops.  Jeremy went the full 58 miles; thankfully, it was a nice day!  Madison and I headed to the zoo.  I only have one picture, but it is super cute.  We saw these baby ducks soon after we got in the gates.  Here is the shot:

She walked a lot in the zoo – through the reptile building, in the aquarium, the trail back to the gorillas.  She took her first ride on the carousel, and she liked it.  We also went and watched the Animals on Safari show which is so fun with all the trained dogs, cats, and other animals.  By the time we got in the car, she was tired; she fell asleep in 5 minutes!

Sunday and Monday we were with family.  It was good to see Jeremy’s brother who is in from Minnesota for a couple weeks.  We went to Bob Evan’s to eat lunch with his Grandpa, parents, and brother.  Then, we hung out in the air conditioning for the afternoon while Madison napped.  For supper we dined on cold cuts, watermelon, and a strawberry pie (courtesy of Jeremy!). 

We went to my parents for the night.  On Saturday, I went to spend a few hours catching up with Sandy and eating baked oatmeal!  Then, we went to my brother’s (Nate) house for a family bbq.  It was a short, but good time to connect.  Here are a few pictures of the crew:

                  

Enjoying the Outdoors

Finally, there was a break from the rain and cold.  Since Madison is apparently a lover of the outdoors, she was super excited.  Jeremy went on a long bike ride this morning, so Madison and I headed out to Innis Woods to enjoy the cool breeze and sunshine.  I walked with her in the stroller for awhile.  Then, I would park the stroller and let her explore.  It was fun to watch her follow the path and see where she would go.  Here are a few pictures of the day:

                         

         

                                           

Mother’s Day

Yes, I realize it is not even close to Mother’s Day at this point, but I still wanted to post a few pics and tell about the weekend.  We went home on Saturday to my family’s gathering.  It was a Mother’s Day/May Birthday celebration.  It was nice to get there early and ease into the day.  Madison loves pushing this little pooh bear they have there and swinging.  Mostly, she loves to be outside.  Luke’s family and Nate’s family came around 2ish.  Many of them had brought their bikes.  So, while Madison napped, we took them to the cul-de-sac to ride.  Jen and I went to the bulk food store as well for some cheap cheese, snacks, and meat.  When Ben arrived the guys started a marathon basketball game.  And the rest of us watched the kids run, run, run.  Thank goodness that it was a nice day!  For supper, we had bbq beef sandwiches, shredded chicken sandwiches, a delicious salad, baked corn, chips, fruit pizza, and peanut butter cup cheesecake.  It was delicious!!!!  We started a fire after supper and just hung out before many started heading home.  It was a wonderful time.

            

On Sunday, we went to Salem for church, and then headed to Jeremy’s parents to celebrate with his mom.  His dad barbequed hamburgers and chicken breasts for lunch; we also had relishes, another good salad, chips, and desserts.  Jeremy’s grandpa, David and Marianne, and my parents also ate with us.  We enjoyed some adult conversation during Madison’s nap.  When she woke up, she played a little bit more with toys and blocks before we loaded her up in the car for the journey home.  Here are some more pictures from the weekend:

          

                         

Wednesday

So, it has been a long time. Last time I blogged was April, and it is now May. Honestly, I am not sure for my lack of posting - maybe because we haven't taken many pictures. We did go on Saturday to the zoo. Madison was more interested in the animals than last time, but I think she still enjoys people watching better than animal watching. I will post the picture of her facing a gorilla later. Other things:

• I just saw two more molars that have sprung up in Madison's mouth.
• She loves to try to eat her yogurt herself - it is a complete mess, but fun to watch.
• There is a 3 month old baby boy who has started coming to her daycare. She loves him and made him smile the other day and then made him cry when she startled him! I felt bad leaving the sitter with a crying baby.
• Jeremy is halfway through his botany class. I think he is enjoying it, even though it is a lot of memorization. He gets "out of work" on Mondays to go to class, which I am pretty jealous of.
• I have officially started the countdown to the end of school - 20 more days with students (3 of those are exam days). I have learned that this is not really a good idea, however, because it actually slows down time.

That's all the updates. I heard a quote the other day on my teen flick (One Tree Hill) that I thought was so amazing. (Hard to believe much substance comes from that show, but it did.) It was : "Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of us." I don't know where it is from, or who to give credit for it. I just think that is an awesome way to think of children. If God was completely discouraged with us as a human race, He has the ability to close the wombs of all women. And yet, He continues to bless us with children to raise up to worship and glorify Him. Amazing!

I'll work to add that picture (and any others I may have) tonight, and I will hopefully blog more frequently in the week to come. Have a great Wednesday!