Pictures

I realized I hadn't posted pictures in awhile. Some of these are from Molly's birthday a few weeks ago.

Xander helping Molly with her present.

Pretty girl in green.

Messy face from her birthday oreos. This particular one had white chocolate coating it. She recently ate one with milk chocolate. It looked like she had a brown mustache and goatee! I'll post one of those soon!

Getting political with daddy. I'm not really caring a lot right now about the presidential race. I'm angry with both of them (McCain & Obama) for supporting the bailout proposal. But, back to the baby pictures...

With her second cousins!

That's What Brothers Are For

Molly received several new books for her birthday. I'll give you one guess... which one is from my brother, Molly's Uncle Tim?




Yep, that's right... Walter, the Farting Dog. Somehow I missed it when this book hit the bestseller list. I especially enjoy the nicely illustrated clouds of flatulence on nearly every page. Do I want Molly using the word "fart"? Guess that's what Uncle Tim had in mind!

In Molly's World

Since Molly turned one last week, she's really taken off with her sign language skills. I have been doing some signs rather inconsistently for a few months. The last couple of days she has mastered the most important ones, "Eat", "More", and "All Done". For "All Done" she waves good-bye. The sign is somewhat similar to that, and I guess that "All Done" and "good-bye" are somewhat alike in their meanings. It is really helpful for me to know when Molly's hungry. When she's getting fidgety in her high chair, I ask her if she wants more or if she's all done. She usually answers with a sign. Often I'll only ask a question verbally, and she'll reply with a sign.

After her meals, I'm trying to clean her up in her high chair and give her her toothbrush while she sits there. It is too dangerous for her to walk around with it in her mouth, but she likes to chew on the bristles. I just put a little toothpaste on it for her to "brush" her teeth. It gives me a chance to clean up a little while she's still strapped in.

Our church just started an 8:30 am service that we've been attending. The nursery has about 5-8 kids of all different ages. There aren't enough kids yet to have a class that is uniquely babies. Molly has been the only one less than two or so. When we were dropping her off this morning we heard some excited little voices, "Molly's here!" It is so fun to know that the older kids like having her there and that she's got a little place to belong!

Fisher Price House Party

I was selected to host a Fisher Price Play Date from houseparty.com. This website organizes parties sponsored by brand name products. They send you a FREE party package, and all you have to do is invite your friends and make some snacks. It is not about selling anything, just creating a buzz about new products. The party package I received was over the top. They sent four big new toys for kids to check out. Each child that came got to take home a goody bag that had a small toy in it. I gave away one of the big toys as a door prize. I'm going to keep two for Molly, maybe I'll put one away until Christmas. I might ebay the fourth! It is incredulous to me that we get such nice toys for free without having to sell anything. I guess the marketing strategy works for them. Thank you Fisher-Price! Here are some pictures of the fun:

Happy Birthday Girl

Molly turned one yesterday. I've heard that a lot of moms feel sad about this milestone. She is definitely a toddler now, but she is more of a baby than ever. I'm not sad, just loving every minute of being a mom.

She really, really likes attention from Ryan and me. She loves it when I rock her for a few minutes before bed. Previously, she would squirm and not want to merely be held. As she's getting older and more aware of her surroundings, she is showing more love to others. She'll kiss my arms quite often. Today she just started sucking gently on my finger after she pulled my hand to her mouth. We were relaxing on the floor after dinner, and Ryan was lying on his back. I laid down next to him on my side and started patting his chest. Pat, pat, pat, pat. Pat, pat, pat, pat. Molly looked at us for a second, came over on the other side of him and started doing the same thing! We cracked up; it was so cute!

I enjoy my time with Molly every day. Occasionally, people will ask me if I can stand being at home every day. I love it. Molly is so happy, and she keeps me entertained. I don't feel like she's growing up too fast because I get to be here for all of it. Time doesn't fly like it would if I were really busy. Time doesn't drag either, because I genuinely enjoy it. I used to think that my favorite stage of childrearing were the newborn months. I asked my assistant principal a few years ago what her favorite age was when she was raising her children. When she told me that she enjoyed all of them, I was reluctant to believe her. Now, I'm realizing that as a parent there is a healthy fascination for your children at every stage. I have also heard that once they start talking, many parents wish they could go back. I might update my thoughts then.

Babies are always changing their eating, sleeping, and playing habits. At her age, Molly is doing several different things every day. My nature is that of an analyzer, and so I enjoy studying and wondering about her habits. Is she down to one long nap a day or are two better? She used to swallow the tiny pieces of diced food whole, now she's mashing them up in her mouth better. Is that why her mouth gets so full of food? Does that sound mean she wants a drink of water or she's done eating?

Happy Birthday Molly! Mommy loves you! I'm so thankful for a wonderful year, and I pray that the next one is just as much fun.

Go State!

Molly is an MSU fan already! She got a package with Michigan State things from her Grandpa KK this week.

She also got this fun tin of white chocolate covered oreos. We'll let her try one on Monday. It's going to take Molly a long time to finish all of these!
Molly loves to check out new things. She just entertained herself for several minutes with an empty Cheez-it box. When she knows she has something she isn't supposed to have, she takes off with it and walks really fast to her room and hides behind her pink chair! She loves to try to lift and carry really heavy things like pillows that are bigger than her. One of her favorite games is being chased by mommy or daddy around the dining room table or pink chair in her room. I've already gotten a few laps of crawling around the chair on four different occasions this morning!
Molly is an expert sleeper. She's down to one nap a day, I think. She woke up yesterday at 8:45, slept from 12:30-3:15 in the afternoon and slept last night from 6:30 until I went in to check on her at 9:35 this morning! For her nap yesterday, she even fell asleep willingly in her crib while there were still about 6 guests still here from her playdate! So, she's been very happy this morning after all of that sleep.

Tribute to My Uncle Ron

Uncle Ron is the one in the back row on the left, the one that is nearly as handsome as my dad. He passed away early Saturday morning. I want to write a few sentences in honor of him.

I always picture him with a smile that comes easily and with a laugh that accompanies it. He would tease me when I was younger. I remember a time that he instructed me to hold my cat in front of me with one hand on each side of it. Innocently, I complied. He then grabbed my forearms and pulled apart so that I no longer had a grip on the fur, and the cat fell to the ground.

Uncle Ron did lots of wood carving. We visited him once when he was camping in his RV with Aunt Donna. They also have a gorgeous condo in Northern Michigan. We always ate well at his house because in addition to Aunt Donna's cooking there always seemed to be venison jerky. Yum!

I remember my Uncle Ron faithfully caring for his first wife, my Aunt Carole, who was often ill. He was very interested in hearing about Molly and always commented positively when he received a picture of her in the mail. He suggested that my dad "smuggle her" to Michigan so he could meet her. Molly and I were able to visit with him last week. God must have ordained it because after a long morning of travelling and missing a nap, Molly was cheerful and perfectly behaved while at their home.

Like all cancer patients, he suffered. He seemed to be positive and uncomplaining. What a sharp contrast it must be to be in the throes of pain and to be instantly transported to fullness of life in God's presence. God's word says, "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us." Jesus told the thief on the cross that he would be with Him that day in Paradise. And so I trust in God's provision of Jesus and have unwavering faith in the promise of heaven for all that believe.

Our Master

I rarely forward e-mails that contain stories or jokes or chain letters. However, I found this one from my Grandmother-in-law to be simple and beautiful. As my Uncle Ron is in the last days of his life here on Earth, I thought it was especially meaningful.

A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, 'Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.'
Very quietly, the doctor said, 'I don't know.'
'You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?'
The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said, 'Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that is enough.'

I have written before about how faithful dogs are to serve their Masters. This is again a good reminder to me to spend time with my Master so I can better serve Him.

Nearly One

We had a busy week last week. My brother was in town for my cousin's wedding, and so we had an early birthday celebration for him and Molly. She wasn't too interested in her cake, but she loves her new presents. She also wore a lei the entire time and didn't try to take it off. My parents wanted to take Molly to her first circus. She enjoyed watching the action from Papa's arms. We then left Molly at home with her first teenage babysitter and went to the wedding. It was beautiful, and Molly seemed to do well at home. We are still trying to figure out the mystery of the five cheerios found in her crib...

Love Shack

Molly loves to push our stools around. She does not yet know that she has to push at or below the center of mass in order to keep them from toppling. We'll work on the physics lesson.
She loves to clap her hands. Often, if I tell her, "Good girl!" She'll begin clapping. She loves to give kisses. She kisses the cat all the time. She'll open her mouth slightly and lean over to touch his back. She's also kissing us quite a bit. It's sweet!

Mom and Dad babysat, and Ryan and I went to the Love Shack! A famous chef in town, Tim Love, has an upscale restaurant, but he also opened this entirely outdoors burger joint in the Stockyards area of town. The only indoor parts of the place are the kitchen and restrooms. There was live music, and we sat the highest level of patio seating overlooking the street below. It was really fun.

Oklahoma!

We took a family trip to Lake Murray in Oklahoma last weekend. We stayed at the lodge at the state park. The lake was beautiful, but it wasn't very baby friendly. We are used to Michigan's beautiful beaches and were disappointed at the beaches there. It is a manmade lake, as most in this part of the country are. We just went into the lake for a few minutes. We swam in the pool a little bit, too. It seems like a very fun park for older kids. There was mini golf, lot of playgrounds, and many water sports. There were also a lot of cabins and villas for rent- all air conditioned! The most difficult part of our trip was that Molly woke up at 4:50 am both days. She was too excited to sleep in the same room with us! The second morning we just left at 5:15 am and were home just after 7! We didn't want to hang around just to kill time for a few hours.


We also visited Gene Autry, Oklahoma. It is the weirdest little town. There is basically nothing there except a BBQ restaurant, a huge Dollar General warehouse, a nice sized airport, a post office, 3 churches, a convenience store, and the Gene Autry Oklahoma museum. There were no fastfood restaurants even. The nearest town is at least 10 miles away. The Tex Ritter picture is with respect to my maiden name. The museum is packed with all kinds of film and concert posters and memorabilia. This small town and others we drove through reminded me of the setting of Napoleon Dynamite.

Molly's little second cousin is growing up. Molly is good at giving the cat kisses, but we couldn't get her to kiss the baby.

Summer Days

Here is our park visit from a mom's perspective: We met Xander and his mom at the park this morning. It feels good to have a social arrangement, but we are so busy taking care of our little ones that there is little time for conversation. Our babies are also too little to interact much with each other, so there is very little social aspect to this play date. Before I unstrap Molly from the stroller, I subject her to a slathering of baby sunscreen and the affixing of her shoes. Finally it would seem like she'd get some freedom to explore. We sit in the pebbles that fill the playground area. She is very content for a minute or two to merely let the stones fall between her fingers. You, astute reader, are likely correctly predicting that she quickly grew curious about the taste of the stones. The next several minutes are a wrestling match as I try to pry a pebble from her mouth, empty her tightly clenched fists of stones, and prevent her from grabbing any others. Remarkably, I succeed.
Making feeble conversation with my friend, we climb, babies in tow, a top the multifunction play center. We strategically place our bodies to block any places where the babes could fall. They spend several minutes deciding that they each desire the toy that the other is holding. Amazingly, their inability to share does not result in any anger or tears. A discussion about whether Molly and Xander are able use the slide unaccompanied, but not unassisted, comprised the next few minutes. We come to the conclusion that they probably are able, but the friction of the slide on their bare legs might hurt them. Xander and his mom climb down while Molly and I slide together.
We amble to the baby swings, examine them to make sure the hornet that had been sitting on the swing had not made a nest inside. Molly begins her crinkly-nosed, squinty-eyed breathy laugh as she begins riding the pendulum motion. I enjoy the moment with her briefly, but then run to the diaper bag to obtain my camera and her hat. Amazingly, she doesn't protest about the hat. My second attempt at affixing it works. As expertly as I try to photograph the swing in motion, I fail. I decide that it is more fun to watch her swing and laugh with her than try to capture an adequate photo. So, I spend a few minutes pushing her swing and watching her smile. We quickly get hot as the temperatures soar into the 90s. So, we return to the play structure to enjoy its shade. Molly is looking cute in her hat, so I snap some pictures as she stands and plays. Since we are getting dusty and sweaty, we decide to head home. Next week we'll try something cleaner, like toddler story-time.

Farmer's Market

This diaper goes on my bottom? But it is so fun to play with!

See me wobble as I walk!

Good Golly

Molly loves the water. She loves taking a bath in her ducky tub. She also loves to go to the pool. When we get back, she gets a sink bath. We can't get her undressed fast enough when the water is running. She is frantic to get into the water!

We do style Molly's hair, although you wouldn't know it by these last two pictures. Sometimes I even put a bow or barrette in her hair. Today, she was wearing a turquoise and periwinkle jumpsuit with flowers on it as well as a purple flowered barrette. A man at Borders asked, "How old is he?" This happens to every baby, but it is just so funny when it does! As you can see, Molly has discovered climbing. She likes to climb on this chair to reach for the blinds.
Molly loves to eat. She eats Cheerios throughout the day. She eats little pieces of food off of her high chair, mostly cheese and Cheerios. She likes all kinds of cheese, like her mama. We cut melon into tiny cubes and feed them to her by spoon. She eats hummus by sucking it off of a cracker, or I break a cracker into tiny bits and feed them to her with a little hummus on it.
She is walking a lot. She started walking when she was 9 1/2 months old. I'm not sure if I mentioned that in a previous post. She is pretty unsteady, but she LOVES walking. She sometimes laughs and grins as she toddles. Crawling is still her main source of transportation, but she's walking more and more.
She is very interested in books. She plays with her books more than anything else. Pulling the books and toys off of her shelf is a favorite activity. She pages through them and looks at the pictures. Her favorite one is a lift the flap book about God watching over the animals and people as we sleep. She always reaches for it, even when it is on the bottom of a stack. She looks at it probably 10 or 20 times a day.
We are so thankful for our baby and love spending every day with her. We pray often that God would give us wisdom as parents and that He'd continue to give her a spirit of peace and joy.
Please pray for my Uncle Ron. He is suffering from cancer and is in need of a miracle. Thanks!

Ryan's Birthday

Just a quick post because it's bedtime. These are some pictures from the park last week. Ryan got a new cell phone recently, and it has a slot for a memory card. So, these are pix from his phone that we then saved to our computer. Fun!
Ryan babysat this morning when I worked at the GAP. Then we went to a running store and got him some shorts and ordered some shoes. We ate out at La Playa Maya, a Mexican restaurant specializing in seafood. I had ceviche. It is like a fish salad. Very yummy. I had it on our honeymoon in Los Cabos, too. We then watched a video after Molly was in bed. I had fun on Ryan's birthday. I hope he did, too. I did make him a pretty good breakfast- egg casserole with hash browns topped with an egg mixture containing bacon, mushrooms, tomato, and cheese. I served it with a side dish of fresh raspberries. Yum!

No More House

Sadly we withdrew the offer on our house yesterday. It just had too many repairs that needed to be done. Our insurance company wouldn't insure it with the roof in its current condition. It also had some original clay pipes in the plumbing. Clay pipes don't usually last this long, so surely they would have failed while we owned the home. To put it very nicely, our realtor wasn't the most helpful during this process. At one point, I told him I felt like he was representing the seller as he continued to tell us it was a great house. We are not too upset; we're just feeling gun shy about looking for another house. However, we're relieved to be out of this position and eager to be saying adios to our realtor. I'll write soon about some of Molly's new milestones!