My Husband

I just wanted to dedicate a blog post to my man to commemorate the fact that he has survived being married to me for 3 years today :)   Some days it seems like we were married just a few weeks ago, and other times it seems as though we have been married for ages (in a good sense though-- I just can't imagine what life was like before he came along!) He is simply amazing and more then I could ever ask for... a wonderful man that loves the Lord and seeks to serve Him....  that truly loves me with a Christ-like love in spite of all the silly and emotional times I display my worst... that is willing to kill any spider for me... or stop on his way home to surprise me with pizza-- even though he can't have any...

Joel, you are an incredible and caring husband, father and doctor and I'm so blessed to be your wife! We have so many wonderful memories together, and I can't wait to create more! Love you!

In a Nutshell...

... or a picture or few...
here's what I've been upto the past few weeks of my blogging absence.

First, Liam and I flew to Phoenix where we spent over a week reconnecting with family and friends, while enjoying mostly warm weather (my dear husband and Michigan church friends made sure to point out that a few days were actually warmer in Michigan while I was away). It was good to come back to Joel though, and we spent a few days together (as much as work would allow), having fun with the baby as he rounded the 6 month mark! Joel's parents and brother Timothy came in Friday night and stayed until Sunday. We enjoyed the farmer's market, sushi, ice cream (a poor substitute for gelato for my f-i-l), football and Purdue ball (the men, Purdue ball once again being in the intern lounge) and painting and pear sauce making (the women).
Liam's room was painted, and now I'm working on the trim... which could take quite a while since the baby has not fully recouped from all the activity and doesn't seem to enjoy taking longer then  one 1 hr nap a day, and I need to keep an eye on my moving child while not letting him breathe in the fumes, or roll into the fresh paint. He's also teething... and unlike some kids, mine must take after me with having a very low pain tolerance, the poor guy!

Hmmm... what else have I done?? Really, I don't think too much else...

I've killed a lovely poinsettia tree (yes, that's right, it was 3 ft tall) gifted to us by the former owners. My only consolation is that now my child won't croak from eating it's poisonous leaves.

I've discovered an amazing vacuum for fall leaves... and apparently it's a free service for my city (well, free in the sense it's probably included in the taxes)... but while I was away, my husband mulched all the leaves into the grass, so unfortunately I won't be able to experience it myself this year. :(

I visited the mall last weekend for the first time since moving out here! Yup, that truly is an accomplishment. Joel wanted to go Christmas present shopping for our date night so off we went.

I've taken a hiatus with my baking... it'll probably be short-lived, but I went to a nutrition talk with Mom's Connection, and haven't quite recovered from all the "bad stuff" I eat. I haven't gone all-out though, as I still refuse to get into the natural/organic kick, and I did have two cups of coffee at Bible Study the following morning with chocolate caramel cream in one, and peppermint mocha in the other (probably a total of 4-5 servings at that, hehe-- tho for all you Mom's Connection women out there, I have discovered that International Delight, at least the choc caramel, does NOT have partially hydrogenated in its nutrition label... a true non Trans fat-er! :)

 My water-lovin' baby

Who sometimes prefers to eat the washcloth... a result of teething

Grandpa and Liam

Missy and Liam. We were able to make it to SCA's regional CC meet.

What fun memories from when I coached! 

Below are some photos Tyler Knochel was able to get of my uncooperative (he needed a nap) 6 mo. old boy...

 

While the rest of us scarfed (?) down the sushi, Tim quietly held Liam

Joel's mom used the brush, and I was the roller

The Men

What they did when they were not watching Purdue ball at the hospital

Playing with garage sale finds :)

Apparently Climacus' writings are not a good enough bedtime story to keep my son awake

 Liam's room in "Liberty Blue". It was a spur of the moment choice, but hopefully we will like it for a while :)
The blanket was knitted for him by his Grandma Virkler

Halloween and Harvest

Halloween. I hate it. I wish it didn't exist. But it does. And I deal with it. But I don't like it. I don't like what it represents. I pretty much don't like anything about it.  ...except for maybe the clearance candy that takes place in your local Target or other stores the day after. But then I don't like that I went out and bought that candy because I know that I don't have the perseverance to hold back from eating piece after piece of chocolate, caramel, nougat and whatever else that I might purchase. I actually have for the most part avoided certain grocery stores this month so that I don't have to listen to the hideous hackle of a air-blown witch that gets triggered every time someone walks by. What a perfect concept by the devil to ruin such a beautiful time of the year!

Fall is absolutely lovely. I love driving to church in Livonia, as it is tucked back into a grove of trees, that are all vibrant in red, orange and yellow hues right now. It is a wonderful reminder of God's faithfulness in terms of farmers and their harvests, and that truly He is the ultimate Provider for all our needs as He has promised. And I love fall foods (I'm sure I'll probably end up writing a post of this all by itself later)... everything pumpkin, squash (my new found delight), sweet potatoes (though I still disagree with my husband and love the brown sugar and butter vs plain concept)... I could probably go on. But I should stop now. I'm getting hungry.

All that being said, I was hesitant when there was a "Halloween" party with the Botsford Avocates group for the month of October. But I figured it was mostly for the kids, and for the adults to once again get together for a time of dinner and fellowship. AND since I was given a pea pod costume for 0-6mo back at my baby shower, I figured I might as well put it to use here, since he definitely won't be going out Oct 31st. At least not with me. I wasn't going to dress up at all, although a couple of my friends had called me a party pooper. Goes back to the fact that I really don't want to support all this nonsense. But with 5 min til I had to run out the door, I figured at least I could be a farmer carrying around my little pea. Not that I have farming clothes. So in the end I was stuck just putting my hair in pigtails, threw on a John Deere shirt, and old jeans. And that was my get-up.

Joel met me at the hospital (the party took place in a room there) and we ended up having an enjoyable evening of carving pumpkins, talking to doctors (Joel), talking to the spouses (me) and watching little kids get amused by "smoke" (dry ice) rising from a caldron (punch bowl), having their parents carve them pumpkins, and run around in their costumes with bags given to them to get candy.

Apt 2 Reunion...

... a few weeks late... :)
And actually I didn't get too many pictures. The day was spent eating, talking and for the guys, playing yard games outside in the cold and rain. Rob and Kim Schlipf hosted it again at their house, though this time it was a old B&B instead of an old church.

Though this half of the marriage is not a big Purdue fan, I do appreciate and enjoy these get-togethers!

We then spent the night at Nate and Natalies, and went to South Bend church on Sunday. We were able to spend the afternoon with Craig and Rachel, before it was time to head back to reality in Michigan. What a nice (early) break in this long month for Joel!

Birthdays... Raspberries and Cider Mills... oh My!

So I just realized I haven't posted in a month. Actually I didn't "just" realize it. I knew it had been a while, but was kind of shocked when I saw how long of "a while". Pathetic thing is I'm not really in the mood to post anything now. Well, not really talk anyways. Which is probably a good thing, because you guys probably prefer photos to my unending ramblings anyhow. So here it is. My life in the past month or so. Or whatever my computer had currently. It's a quick download, so that I can enjoy a book and a hot chocolate (since the baby is taking a nap and the husband is doing nights in the ICU).

Birthday parties (or party to be specific... of another ortho pgy2's 1yr old)

Raspberry picking with Amy... we were going to go another time... but time got away from us

Ypsilanti Cider Mill with the Botsford Advocates

 

Northville Cider Mill with some of the mothers (and Amy :) from church

Like Father Like Son

I just thought I'd do a quick post about my little baby boy. He brings us such joy and I truly enjoy him so much, it's really kind of hard to get anything done around the house, when he is smiling and laughing, or talking to me (or when he is being in one of those needy moods-- I guess he gets that one from me ;) The Lord has blessed us so much!!

He is growing up so much though, it's hard to believe. At 4 months, he only weighs 13 lbs 6oz, but I like it and now that he is nursing better, I'm more confident that he doesn't have to be the average :) He is getting more and more of a personality as time goes on, and is always happy, except when he's overly tired...

4 month Stats:

Length: 25in
Weight: 13 lb, 6 oz
Hair: getting lighter by the day
Eyes: still not quite sure whether they want to be blue or brown

Likes:
- Socializing, especially with his daddy or crib bumper
- Rolling over
- Look at contrasting things
- The activity mat that is on loan from Bev Bahr
- Be held and snuggled
- Shoving his fingers in his mouth


Dislikes:
- Taking naps
- Bath time (well, it might not be much of a dislike, but he is always in such shock that whenever I pour water on him, he breathes in so deep, there is a big cavernous hole in his chest)
- When he is all by himself for too long
-Being in one spot for too long (he shoves himself across the floor/crib... I think he may be an early crawler! Yikes!!)

It is crazy how much he reminds me of Joel, ranging from his desire to always be interacting with people, even if he is extremely exhausted... to the fact that he can also sleep through my husbands alarm!