We apologize for not posting recently. The reason we haven't posted is not because we don't have anything to write about or pictures to post. On the contrary, the last few weeks have been really fun with Hosea's first birthday and Bethany's 31st birthday. We have been having some problems with our external hard drive (where we keep all of our pictures stored). We have been unable to access any of our pictures. The thought of losing more than 6 years of pictures is quite sad and stressful. We have been wrestling through how to hold loosely to our possesions, even those in digital form on an external hard drive. We are doing our best to recover our hard drive and thousands and thousands of pictures and other documents, but we are also working through the possibility that we might not be able to get our pictures back. I, in particular, am having a difficult time with this process of surrender. Recovering our data (if even possible) is going to be quite an expensive endeavor, money that is difficult to think of spending in a time of upcoming transition. We appreciate your prayers as we move forward with the decision about whether or not we should recover this data, and if so, the means to do so.
We will be back blogging soon. We hope to have many great images to share with you.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Wedding time...with our little bruiser
This last weekend we celebrated the wedding of Karin Effland and Doug Scott in Edgewater, MD. Jed worked with Karin at YouthCare in Seattle for four years. It was a beautiful celebration and BBQ on the water. We had the opportunity to reconnect with several of Jed's former co-workers and friends from YouthCare in Seattle, which was so fun.
Hosea had his first major spill (one that left a mark), while he was walking around at the wedding. He tripped on a brick path and his nose caught his fall. Thankfully, he was not seriously hurt and recovered fairly quickly. Knowing Hosea, this is only the first of many injuries to come.
Hosea seems to have no fear. He jumps right off the edge of the swimming pool into our arms, climbs stairs (and thinks he can jump off them), and tries to crawl off beds/couches/chairs. He is constantly getting into everything he can't have (dog dishes, cords, cabinets with cleaning supplies, outlets, toilets, trash cans, etc.) As parents, Jed and I find ourselves saying, "No", "not for Hosea", "stop", "come here", "don't touch", etc. all day long. This is SO tiring! When will he start to listen? Will he grow out of this? I think not. We are doing our best to embrace Hosea's curious/risk-taking nature and, at the same time, determine how to best teach and discipline him when he is disobedient. It is difficult to know how much a child of his age and development understands and can be held accountable for. Even though Jed and I both have a lot of experience with children, we find ourselves feeling incompetent and confused when raising our own child. It is a humbling experience. We continually ask for the Lord's help and wisdom. Bottom line: Parenting is hard work.
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| The bride (Karin), groom (Scott), and officiant (Tracy) |
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| The happy couple |
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| Jed, Tracy, & Karin - dear friends and former YouthCare colleagues |
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| Great times with Carrie (former co-worker at YouthCare) and her husband, Lance |
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| Group shot with the YouthCare/Seattle crew |
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| We captured a picture of Hosea's nose injury while sleeping. |
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Talking, Eating, and Getting into Trouble
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| Anchors aweigh! |
Hosea continues to breast feed quite often and is eating 3-5 BIG meals each day. It seems he is always ready for a snack. He is enjoying more and more "people food" and loves eating things right off mom and dad's plates. Recent favorites are freeze-dried bananas and strawberries, rice, beans, corn, quinoa, chicken, lentils, and pancakes.
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| Hosea's first corn on the cob - Uncle Matt took Jed and Hosea to Maine Avenue Fish Market in D.C. Daddy thought it was a little too early to introduce crab to Hosea, so he got corn instead. "Wise choice," says Mama. |
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| 2nd time eating corn on the cob (at home) - "Dad didn't leave me much. Maybe I could eat the cob." |
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| Is that a hint of ginger I taste in the rice? (eating rice and beans at the airport) |
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| This is Hosea after getting his fill of breast milk - clearly it is a fan favorite! Cutest smile ever! |
-Mama (all day long)
-Dada (sometimes...a few months ago he only said "Dada", but now he has taken a break)
-More (this word means "yes", "please", "I agree", "now", "again", etc. and usually comes in pairs)
-Please ("eeee")
-Ice
-Up
-All Done (he is so cute when he says this...he tips his head forward, chin to chest, and opens his mouth really wide)
-Tickle tickle tickle (I gotta capture this on video...it is the cutest! He says it when we read a story.)
-"Moo" - loves cows! Says this every time he sees a cow.
-"Neigh" - recently starting making horse noises
-Knows how to sign the words "Water" & "Milk" (created his own versions of American Sign Language, but we understand them)
Hosea also loves books! It is very common to see him sitting next to his bookshelf flipping through books, all by himself. Sometimes he even lies on his tummy and reads books...it's the best. He loves books with real people and real animals (not cartoons or drawings). He also loves to drool on his books and put them into his mouth, so his Mama only lets him read and play with board books. He doesn't mind. :)
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| Enjoying a good read...upside down |
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| Reading with Daddy is the best |
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| "You guys got any more books?" |
Even Hosea's reading is "high impact" - Be Safe!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Gramps & Grandma time
One of the other fun things about getting to go to BJ & Sarah's wedding this past weekend was getting to see Gramps and Grandma. We flew into Milwaukee on Thursday, June 16th and got to enjoy dinner and a night of hanging out with my parents, before driving together to the wedding the next day. Here are a few of the highlights from Hosea's time with Gramps and Grandma.
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| Greeting Grandma & Gramps at the airport with a smile and his mad walking skills |
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| Checking out Gramps' recent oral surgery results during dinner |
Strolling to the park with Gramps - Gramps makes every ride MORE fun!
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| Going down the slide with Grandma's help (he is very close to being able to do it alone) |
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| LOVE! |
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| Cuddles from Gramps |
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| Going down the slide with Mama is a hair-raising experience |
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| Asleep in his carseat on the drive to the wedding - always an epic event! |
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| Stopped for lunch at Culver's - a Midwest tradition! Hosea charmed everyone in the restaurant. |
Hilarious video of true Gramps' style (below). Gramps is ALWAYS trying to capture pictures of Hosea on his camera and/or cell phone...here he is working really hard to capture the moment AND keep Hosea safe.
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| Saying goodbye to Grandma at the Milwaukee Airport - heading back to DC |
Uncle Beej AND Auntie Sarah
This last weekend we celebrated the wedding of my brother BJ and his amazing bride, Sarah - our new sister and Hosea's new Auntie. The wedding weekend was spectacular. It was held at a Northwoods Conference Center in Watersmeet, MI (on the Upper Peninsula) - a gem in the middle of the woods. The wedding started at 5 PM Friday, June 17 and ended at 3 PM on Sunday, June 19. BJ and Sarah put so much work into making the wedding weekend special for their guests. It was so organized, which I loved!!! :)
Friday night was a time to get settled in the rooms BJ & Sarah assigned, read over the thorough itinerary for the weekend, play games, enjoy snacks, and hang out with one another as guests arrived. Saturday we enjoyed a delicious breakfast and then they they had all sorts of outdoor activities planned that you could sign up for (hiking, kayaking, creative art in the woods, a run/walk around Wolf Lake), each with a person designated to run/lead it. After the morning activities we had lunch together and then, all guests participated in an Olympics that BJ and Sarah had planned. Every guest was placed on a team of four and they rotated between four stations (wiffle ball, boccee ball, Frisbee golf, and bean bag toss). There were sixteen teams, each with their own color of bandana, four at each of the stations. Can you believe it?! So organized and so fun!!! My parents hosted a picnic/BBQ outside, near the lake, on Saturday night. It started to sprinkle while we were eating, but we still enjoyed ourselves. The rain got a bit harder as we finished our meal, so the bonfire, worship, and smores planned for the evening were canceled. That was no problem because everyone just moved inside and continued their conversations in the cozy conference center, with many gathering to worship in the "control tower" (a room with 360 degree windows). Sunday morning was getting ready for the wedding, enjoying a continental breakfast, and celebrating the vows of BJ & Sarah. Their ceremony was so meaningful, as Sarah's father married them, and they involved all of their immediate family members in the readings and worship time. BJ & Sarah are so genuine and their love for the Lord and for one another oozed out of them. It was beautiful! After they were hitched, we took a bunch of pictures (also totally organized...everyone was assigned a time slot to appear for pictures, when they arrived on Friday night), and then moved into the dining hall, which was beautifully decorated with white table cloths and centerpieces of branches, woodchips, daisies, wildflowers, pinecones, stumps, etc. Sarah and her family have some amazing creative skills. We had a delicious brunch and lovely desserts. Immediate family gave their blessings and BJ & Sarah played a trivia game. Then, they were off for their honeymoon.
BJ & Sarah have such dear friends and family. The weekend couldn't have been more "them." It was an honor to get to spend so much time with BJ & Sarah & all of the people they care about. We were so busy having fun, that we didn't take as many pictures as we would have liked. Here is a small sampling.
Friday night was a time to get settled in the rooms BJ & Sarah assigned, read over the thorough itinerary for the weekend, play games, enjoy snacks, and hang out with one another as guests arrived. Saturday we enjoyed a delicious breakfast and then they they had all sorts of outdoor activities planned that you could sign up for (hiking, kayaking, creative art in the woods, a run/walk around Wolf Lake), each with a person designated to run/lead it. After the morning activities we had lunch together and then, all guests participated in an Olympics that BJ and Sarah had planned. Every guest was placed on a team of four and they rotated between four stations (wiffle ball, boccee ball, Frisbee golf, and bean bag toss). There were sixteen teams, each with their own color of bandana, four at each of the stations. Can you believe it?! So organized and so fun!!! My parents hosted a picnic/BBQ outside, near the lake, on Saturday night. It started to sprinkle while we were eating, but we still enjoyed ourselves. The rain got a bit harder as we finished our meal, so the bonfire, worship, and smores planned for the evening were canceled. That was no problem because everyone just moved inside and continued their conversations in the cozy conference center, with many gathering to worship in the "control tower" (a room with 360 degree windows). Sunday morning was getting ready for the wedding, enjoying a continental breakfast, and celebrating the vows of BJ & Sarah. Their ceremony was so meaningful, as Sarah's father married them, and they involved all of their immediate family members in the readings and worship time. BJ & Sarah are so genuine and their love for the Lord and for one another oozed out of them. It was beautiful! After they were hitched, we took a bunch of pictures (also totally organized...everyone was assigned a time slot to appear for pictures, when they arrived on Friday night), and then moved into the dining hall, which was beautifully decorated with white table cloths and centerpieces of branches, woodchips, daisies, wildflowers, pinecones, stumps, etc. Sarah and her family have some amazing creative skills. We had a delicious brunch and lovely desserts. Immediate family gave their blessings and BJ & Sarah played a trivia game. Then, they were off for their honeymoon.
BJ & Sarah have such dear friends and family. The weekend couldn't have been more "them." It was an honor to get to spend so much time with BJ & Sarah & all of the people they care about. We were so busy having fun, that we didn't take as many pictures as we would have liked. Here is a small sampling.
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| Just after arriving at the conference center, viewing the weekend itinerary - this is how happy I get about well organized events! |
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| Northwoods Conference Center in Watersmeet, MI |
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| The bride and groom to be...they did everything to make the weekend perfect for all attending. |
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| View of the pond and the lake from the conference center |
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| Getting some time with the brother and sister-in-law to be |
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| BJ & Sarah greeting everyone and explaining the plans for the weekend. They were amazing hosts! |
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| Jed helped lead the kayaking/canoeing activity on Saturday morning |
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| The love birds enjoy a canoe ride. |
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| Beautiful lady...inside and out. |
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| BJ & Jed preparing for the Olympics |
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| Time for the Olympics...and a family photo |
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| BJ giving instructions about the Olympics |
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| The wiffle ball home run derby |
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| Hosea explored the dirt during the Olympics |
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| Saturday night BBQ/picnic out on the dock |
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| My brother's former roommate, Brady - Hosea loved him...I think the feeling was mutual |
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| Burgers and 'dogs on the grill...what could be better in the summertime?! |
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| Friends enjoying the view, the food, and one another |
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| Rain brought the wedding ceremony indoors, but we still had a beautiful setting with views of the lake |
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| The glowing groom standing at the entrance to the chapel area as people were filing in. |
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| Gorgeous couple saying their vows |
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| We captured one family photo on the wedding day. |
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| Hosea giving some sweet smiles to Gramps and Grandma |
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| BJ & Sarah signing the marriage certificate - it's legal! I was honored to add my signature as a witness. |
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| One of Sarah's friends created a "paint by numbers" of a tree and its roots. All the guests had a chance to fill in a portion of the painting throughout the weekend. Such a cool idea! It turned out amazing! |
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Florida is hot in June
From June 4-11 we were in Kissimmee, FL (just outside of Orlando) with Cousin Deb and Cousin Cam. The end of May, a cousin of Jed and Deb's thoughtfully called and offered us a week at her timeshare in Kissimmee, as she wasn't planning to use it this year. Jed's aunt had enough frequent flyer miles to pay for all of our plane tickets from DC to Orlando, so in a matter of hours we had a vacation all set up. What generosity! Such an amazing blessing!
We had a really wonderful time with Deb and Cam. The only bummer of our trip was that Hosea was sick with a fever for the first 4 days of our time. Having a baby with a fever in Florida heat and humidity isn't too fun, especially when you want to take advantage of all the fun things to do there. Hosea's sickness was confusing because he was surprisingly happy and didn't have any other cold symptoms, even with a 103.9 fever! Obviously, his body was just fighting a virus. We are so thankful to the Lord for healing Hosea's body. The way God has created our immune systems and given them the ability to fight sickness continues to amaze me.
Despite Hosea's sickness, we were still able to enjoy the pool at our timeshare, an afternoon at a Farmer's Market in Celebration, a day at Discovery Cove (an amazing place...if you go to Orlando, you should go there), a picnic at a local park, a day at Disney World, some time perusing a thrift store, and a few hours at Sea World. Pictures are the best way for you to see the fun we had...and admire our son, who is such a little cutie!
We had a really wonderful time with Deb and Cam. The only bummer of our trip was that Hosea was sick with a fever for the first 4 days of our time. Having a baby with a fever in Florida heat and humidity isn't too fun, especially when you want to take advantage of all the fun things to do there. Hosea's sickness was confusing because he was surprisingly happy and didn't have any other cold symptoms, even with a 103.9 fever! Obviously, his body was just fighting a virus. We are so thankful to the Lord for healing Hosea's body. The way God has created our immune systems and given them the ability to fight sickness continues to amaze me.
Despite Hosea's sickness, we were still able to enjoy the pool at our timeshare, an afternoon at a Farmer's Market in Celebration, a day at Discovery Cove (an amazing place...if you go to Orlando, you should go there), a picnic at a local park, a day at Disney World, some time perusing a thrift store, and a few hours at Sea World. Pictures are the best way for you to see the fun we had...and admire our son, who is such a little cutie!
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| On the plane headed to Florida! |
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| Our timeshare for the week |
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| Cousin Deb rented an amazing mini-van so we'd have plenty of space |
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| Our sweet little bear...can you believe how happy he is with a high fever?! |
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| On Sunday we attended St. John's Episcopal Church...they have a steel drum orchestra - youth, from about 10 to 20 yrs old. They played the song, "Days of Elijah" = AMAZING! |
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| Cousin Deb & Cousin Cam - on our way to the Farmer's Market in Celebration, FL |
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| Sweet little boy, even with a fever and no nap |
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| Our cute boys in their Speedo float suits |
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| Peacocks were all over the property at Oak Plantation - spotted these two on our way to the pool |
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| The two loves of my life! |
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| Family time in the kiddie-wading pool |
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| Entering Discovery Cove - check out their website...such a cool place! |
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| Check out the sweet stroller Discovery Cove gave us so we could manuever in the sand |
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| Sweet picture of Cam and his Mama |
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| How cute is this underwater shot of Cam with the fish?! |
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| Daddy drinking an Arnold Palmer and chillin with the sleepin baby while Mama snorkles |
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| Mama is ready to snorkle |
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| Family shot under water |
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| Family shot above water - Hosea was not happy about wearing his baby lifevest |
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| All of us on the lazy river |
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| Feeding the exotic birds in the aviary...so fun! |
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| Wading and swimming among the sting ray (stingers have been removed...don't worry!) |
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| Up close and personal with the sting ray...thoughts of Steve Irwin ran through my mind (I miss you, Crocodile Hunter!) |
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| Gorgeous day to picnic at Cypress Grove Park |
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| Jed and I cook/make/puree all of Hosea's baby food. Hence, he is spoiled and desires superior flavor. He was not too fond of the canned food we tried to feed him in Florida - not much entered his mouth (see video that follows). |
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| Disney World: where dreams come true...if you don't have agoraphobia or masklophobia. |
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| Hosea is speechless, taking in his first magical parade and character show. |
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| We enjoyed a delicious, air-conditioned, Italian lunch at Tony's (of Lady & the Tramp) Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom |
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| Getting in the "Lady & the Tramp" spirit |
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| The Dumbo ride |
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| Hosea was so tired after his Disney day |
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| We visited Sea World just long enough to take in a Shamu show and a roller coaster, before heading to the airport |
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| Our flight home was delayed, giving the boys even more time to squirm around and jump all over the seats. |
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