Questions for Ashley

Ashley, since you're locked out of your email, I'm pasting the email I sent you on Tuesday below:
_______

I can't believe its a week away!!!!!!!!!!!!  I feel like there's a lot to be in communication with you about, sorry I haven't done a better job of that.
 
Our flight lands at 233 on the 16th.  Kristine (last name with held here) will be meeting us at the airport to bring us car seats so we don't have to haul ours out there.  We should be in Kburg some time around 4-ish.  I don't have a clue what your work schedule is like and I was thinking (and may be wrong) that you work in Fres__.  So, we'll probably hang out at Kristine's for a while to give you a chance to get back to town.  But that's all totally up to you, I just don't want to inconvennience you (as if that's possible when we're invading your house).
 
A couple of questions I have:
- do you by some odd chance have a pack-n-play or a little crib at your house?  If not, I think Kristine has one that we've borrowed before.  I know that she uses it for her daycare so she may not be able to give it up for 2 weeks, I haven't asked yet.
- I think we'll be on the go quite a bit.  But for some down time, I'd like to just hide out at the house.  I talked to Nicole (name with held, think beautiful brown skin, big hair, loves the Lord, a year younger than me) yesterday and she wants to hang out too.  Would it be okay to invite people over to veg on the couch with?  I don't think that would happen very often because I imagine we'll be spending a fair amount of time with family and running around.
- What else should I know or be asking about... I've never stayed somewhere besides my dad's or mom's before.
 
How's the ADX picnic looking?  I did view the evite the other day.  I was totally bummed that Mandy may not be making it.  When is she due?  And Kristine, I totally wanted to see her too.  Those two were both pledge sisters so I was sad to see that it wouldn't work for either of them.  I know that Mel is in San Antonio now so she won't be home.  But, what about Deborah?  Have you heard from her?  And Natasha, does anyone talk to her anymore.  I got a note that someone named Natasha soemthing-or-other added me to facebook.  Maybe it was her, I don't know since I've not been on facebook for quite a while.
 
Where are you going to church these days? 
 
I think that's it for now.  Of course most of my questions come while I'm driving home or getting ready for work, not a time when I'm at email :)
 
Hope you're having a good week
tb

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Scott

I suppose if Bethany gets an update, so should Scott, right? Let's just say that he's daily testing my patience. The child has a few new habits that are very displeasing to this mom:
- name calling. His "names" aren't even real words but the emphasis is definitely there.
- peeing in his undies. and thinking its funny. not sure if the child comprehends that its not funny and he's just being a snot or if he doesn't get it.
- not pooping on the toilet. he holds it in people. i tell him it will make his tummy hurt and he'll have to go to the doctor. but no, he holds it. i've even threatened to not let him go to cubbies on wednesday. last night, i put some of bethany's laxative medicine (don't worry, its OTC) in his juice which he promptly sucked down. he spent some time on the potty last night and finally pooped. yes, he was proud and even carried the potty chair into my room so Bethany and I could see it. Atta boy, son.
- He can spell his name and he almost has his phone number memorized.
- He knows his key bible verse for Cubbies. His grammy has been bragging to everyone that he had it memorized the next morning. Sweet Grammy, I informed her last night that he's known it for a year now.
- Scott loves his new shoes. We're finally forgetting about the crocs that he had to wear everyday. Sorry son, its getting cold out and crocs just won't cut it.

Bethany

The past two weeks have flown by. Some have asked about an update on Bethany post seizure. I'm excited to report that she's been fine. With that in mind, here's a quick update on my little wild one's adventures:
- the week of the seizure she was really starting to stand up more and would go from sitting to standing quite easily
- while on the phone with Ryan (he was in Kansas City) I told him about the standing and he said, "is she walking". I promptly replied "no" and as soon as the word came out of my mouth, she turned around and took 3 steps before grabbing on to the quilting machine!
- Bethany is mobile people, watch out! She's not walking quite yet but she'll be there before we get to California I'm sure. She will take 3-4 steps at a time and might take more if she wasn't so excited.
- The other night she stood up from her sitting spot on the bottom stair and walked half way across the room. It was so fun to watch her accomplish the walking. She hasn't repeated that yet!
- Friday night I sat her on the piano stool to play at the piano while I cooked supper. She giggled as she "tickled the ivories". A bit later, I heard a faint whimper and came around the corner to see that she had crawled up the piano and had one foot on the keys and one foot where the book goes and was holding on for dear life. That's my girl!
- She loves to stand and play on her bed. No fear of falling the 3 feet to the ground. It scares me.
- She likes to sing the Larry Boy song. You wouldn't have a clue what she was saying if you didn't already know but its pretty cute.
- Bethany loves music. She won't hold still during church worship time. It's kind of distracting but I don't want to discourage her dancing. She also loves to clap her hands and dance any time music is playing.
- I still can't get her to sit still while in the tub. She's always trying to climb all over, drink the shower water and stick the shampoo container in her mouth.

I think my mom is getting a kick out of Bethany all the while laughing at me and thinking "pay back, baby, pay back..."

umm, good

I'm a simple girl, especially when it comes to food. This morning as I dropped the kids off, mom invited me to stay for breakfast. As usual, I was in a hurry to get to work and thanked her for the offer. So, like the awesome mom that she is, she made me breakfast to go. Where I come from, almost anything can go in a flour tortilla. This morning on my way to work, I thoroughly enjoyed a fried potato burrito with bacon. I know you may not think its anything extravagant and its not. But I love fried potato burritos. It was so perfect... even though I didn't stick to my "diet" for the morning.

With that said, its my boss' birthday and he brought donuts... if you're gonna sway from eating healthy, you might as well make it worth it, right?

fun with the kiddos

Last night we went to the park for a bit. Some friends were gathering for volleyball but I decided not to play. Instead I pulled the weeds in the one flower garden they have and it looks much happier now. When I was done with that and friends were all showing up, I took kid duty. We had fun. Z and B were having a "guy party" since their mom and sister were out of town. Their dad brought them toys to play in the sand and even thought to bring toys for Scott. It was such a sweet gesture. After they were done in the sand (mostly because Scott kept throwing sand at Z and B, naughty boy), we played on the swings. I wish I had a picture of it. I had 4 kids in swings and was running back and forth pushing them as high as I could, telling them to hold on tight, pushing their little butts back into the swing, pushing some more, listening to them giggle and getting quite the work out.

Not sure if my arms are sore this morning from the swingset work out or from loading fire wood on Saturday!

To be fair to the neighboring office, I really do enjoy my time there. I made myself at home and found a corner cubible with a lap top. It made it much easier to work than trying to take over the boss' office. Everyone is laid back and has fun together.

It wouldn't surprise me if in the near future I would end up helping them out one day a week or something like that. If it weren't an hour drive, I might volunteer to do it more often.

Update from the office

It's so good to be back in my own office, even if its been absolutely stir crazy all morning.

Again

In neighboring office helping again. It's been fun. I like the people here. But an interesting thing today, I've heard 3 card gambling stories in the past hour... and all at seperate times with seperate people who walk through. Crazy

New Purse

I've been wanting a new purse lately. I even stopped in a local shop that has knock-off purses. They were cute but didn't find one that wanted to go home with me. I saw a cute one this weekend but it was white and white isn't a fall color so I left it on the shelf too.

This morning I searched a bit on the net to find knock-off purses. After perusing a few, I felt hopeless. Will I ever find the perfect purse in my price range? I want one that is cute, has straps that will go over my shoulder, is shallow, and is big enough to carry all my crap (and some of the kids' too). Right now my purse is falling apart and is tall/deep so I feel like I'm constantly digging to the bottom to get to things.

As I was searching, I thought that maybe I should just make the one I want. Of all the things I have to do in the next few weeks, do you think I could find fabric and make a new purse?

Thank you Laborers

I thoroughly enjoyed my 3-day weekend. Saturday was a good day to play with the kids and give them my time rather than trying to spend the day cleaning. Sunday was a bachellorette party on a pontoon boat on the river - very relaxing and fun, followed by a nice dinner out. Got back to town in time to play sand volleyball with a few friends before I went and picked up my kiddos at their grammy's house.

Yesterday I spent about 8 hours preparing 13 meals, it was pure craziness to keep food cooking, dishes washed, etc. I managed it by myself in the morning but asked Ryan to help in the afternoon which meant the kids were left to play by themselves. It worked out just fine. Only had to intervene once!

Last night was a rough one. I was needing lots of sleep for my tired body. Ryan and I decided to watch a movie. It was a dumb funny (poor acting, etc) and I eventually gave up on trying to stay awake. Scott was up twice during the night and it was hot in our room. At 130am, I woke Ryan and asked him to turn the air on. I got 5 hours of wonderful sleep last night which was appreciated.

Here we are at Tuesday already. Yipee for a short work week.

Bummer Dude

Remember this post? I was so excited to submit a poster knowing that I had a good idea and the extra cash would be helpful in buying the new scrapping toy I want. Unfortunately, I got word today that I didn't win. Bummer dude! I gathered from the email that the winner has quite the artistic side. I'm curious to see what her poster looks like. I might have to compare the two and let you guys decide who should have won... that is unless hers is amazing.

Bethany follows in Scott's foot steps

Yesterday, there was some excitement at my mom's house involving Bethany. Yesterday around 5pm, following a full day of whining, not feeling good and constant fever, Bethany had a seizure. Thankfully mom knew how to handle the situation because we learned what to do in case of a seizure following Scott's seizure a year and a half ago. The ambulance was called and and arrived but Bethany, being an infant, was referred on to a larger transport company to care for her needs. She was taken to the ER at the local hospital where they ran blood tests and watched her until her fever came down. We think it spiked somewhere around 104.4 but dropped in a matter of 90 minutes or so. Just before 8pm, Bethany was back to her normal self and was hungry and laughing at Scott.

The febrile seizure was caused by the temperature. The temperature was likely caused by the ear infection. And the ear infection was likely caused by her teething issues. All seem to be related. In the next few days she will likely be on fever reducer medicine as her body fights off the ear infection and after that she should be just fine.

Praise God that mom knew what to do with her, that the ambulance company took good care of her, that she received excellent care at the ER and that she seems to be fine. And on top of that, I specifically thank God that I had left my office and met the ambulance at the hospital and that Ryan was on his way home from Kansas City rather than being on his way there.

The kids were playing nicely in Scott's room this morning and the ambulance toy was one of many that got pulled out of the toy chest. I couldn't resist a picture of her with her little bandage thingies and the ambulance toy

Kids

Ryan has been gone since early Friday morning. In the mean time I've been flying solo with the kiddos. Ryan is helpful with the kids so its no surprise that things just haven't been the same the last few days. There are lots of little stories but only a few do I have time to share.

Friday night, kids are fed and I'm in the kitchen fixing enchiladas for Saturday lunch. At the same time I was cooking some mac&cheese for me to eat for supper. While all of this was going on, I'd been in constant discussion with Scott that if he pooped in his undies, he would be in trouble. All of a sudden when I should be mixing cheese, milk and noodles and while I have hamburger starting to cook, Scott decides that he has to poop. I'd sat him on the toilet several times with no result. So, I rushed to the bathroom and sat him on the toilet again. Being in the middle of cooking, I told him I'd be back in a minute and went back to the stove. Bethany headed his direction which would likely keep him entertained and at least sitting on the toilet. Over a period of about two minutes, I heard occassional giggles from both kids and was glad that they were entertaining each other. When I went around the corner to check on them, I was surprised at what their laughter was about. Fortunately he hadn't pee'd all over (did that the other night while sitting on the toilet, although I think he was trying to aim down; and had already pee'd in his undies and my floor just a few hours before). There was toilet paper all over the floor and Scott was grinning from ear to ear. Bethany was sitting in front of the cabinet that I tell her all the time to stay out of and was playing with mouse, hair spray and deoderant. Those little turds!

Funny Conversation

Ryan and I had a funny email conversation the other day that I want to share but I must preface it first: with each child that we've had, a few weeks prior to the birth of our baby, we've gotten a new puppy. Crazy, I know, but that's how it happened.

me: Ryan, I really want to raise a puppy for a guide dog. Here's a link:
ryan: no comment

That night I asked him if he read the email. He hadn't.

The next morning:
me: Ryan, my salary has increased to X amount. Do you think the difference is enough to pay for an adoption? [this email was sent full of sarcasm as my salary had increased by about $1,000 at the most and it costs about $40,000 to adopt]
ryan several hours later: if we adopt a puppy does that mean we need to adopt a child?

Okay, you might not find the humor in it but I did. I want to do both things and his reply perfectly fit both emails and how things seemingly work for us: puppy = a baby at our house.

Happy Friday!

WOO HOO!

I'm so stinkin' excited. We just purchased our airline tickets to California. We're going home for a full two weeks!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

Arriving in CA: September 16th
Leaving CA: September 30th

Now the plans begin... Hume Lake, Friends, the coast, family.... woo hoo!!!!

Did you know?

Did you know that since 1884 Iowa has had a statute that makes it a crime to discriminate in public accomodations? Do you know what that means? Long before Martin Luther King Jr., this 29th state had laws on the books to treat people equally. I recently read a short piece on Edna Griffin who has been referred to as the Rosa Parks of Iowa. She and several others had a situation where they were refused service by a local drug store who was known for discriminating even though the law required all people to be served. Edna's efforts led to picketing and civil law suits against the store owner who'd previously been aquited multiple times. Eventually the store owner was found in violation and Edna was rewarded $1. After several other run ins, the store owner finally agreed to stop discriminating.

What I find totally cool about this story is two things:

1. that Ms. Griffin was bold enough to stand up for what she believed to be important. Her husband was a prominent doctor in the community and they risked his prominency for what they believed was important.
2. That the state of Iowa has a long standing history of treating people equally.

Places to go, people to see

I'm excited to go home but I know this trip will be a little different than previous ones. The last time I was home was almost 3 years ago. Scott was 6 months old and I flew out for my brother's wedding and Ryan stayed home. I had a little one to take care of so I wasn't out as late or as often but Scott went everywhere with me and slept in his car seat a lot. This time, we'll be going as a family but there are still places to go and people to see. Here are a few things on my wish list:

• Seeing family: It's been 8 months since I've seen my dad. Last time I saw my brother he was getting married. By now, I have an adorable nephew I've never met. I also really want to see my grandma who has had two heart surgeries recently and my heart aches that I haven't seen her in almost three years. I also want to see some other official and unofficial family members that I miss.
• coffee with Nicole and Paul. They were my church/missionary buddies
• snuggling on the couch with Kristine. She is my forever friend and we have lots of fun memories together.
• Hume Lake and Buck Rock Lookout, maybe even a memorial bike ride. Hume is where I went to summer camp. And the ride from Buck Rock to the lake is rough (yes Tony, I would likely puke as usual) but in memory of a precious friend of mine who taught me a lot in his life and in his death.
• the class reunion of course. 10 years has passed, which doesn't seem like a lot when you're a mom to 2 kids.
• hanging out with Becky. A junior high and high school buddy that took a different path in life and we didn't talk for 6 years probably. Two of those years I prayed often for her and it was so good to get back in contact with her after she cleaned her life up.
• Riding wave runners on the lower river and/or heading up to the lake.
• Will there still be fresh fruit?
• Checking out the Fresno State campus, buying a new tshirt and visiting with Dr. Nef who I've kept in touch with over the years.
• Katie, Cori, where are you? Will you be in the area so we can get together while I'm home?

I'm sure there's more but my lunch is about over so I better head back to my office!

Trip to Californ-i-a

I started thinking more about the trip to California. Lots of stuff that I don't want to think about but I have to:

Airline tickets $475 x 3 persons (thank you God that Bethany is under 2) = $1425
Rental Car for 10 days (picking it up at 7pm, drop off at 9am counts as 2 full days) = $300
Mailing out clothes ahead of time (because you can't check squat for luggage anymore) = $50

We're looking at spending over $2000 easy and that won't even cover everything. We'll have food, fuel, and hopefully some fun packed in there to pay for. For trips like this, its too bad that we don't agree with debt. It would be so much more fun to plan if we could do everything the way we want and not worry about the price.

I'm glad that we won't have to pay for hotels or that would just add to the agony. Between family and friends, we should be good on space.

I can't wait to go home and see family and friends and check out a few places that I miss.

Week in Review

Here are a few pictures from recent weeks.

• I survived VBS, or better yet, they survived me.
• By time the week was over both of my children had colds and weren't taking naps.
• I managed to get my back out of place on Saturday somehow and could hardly move.

With that said, I had a great week and a wonderful weekend. My little ones were such a joy to play with. To see their faces light up, watch them dance to the music and play in the canoe was refreshing. The last night Scott joined the bigger kid class since that class was missing a few kids. He loved it and was perfect for Tracy. At the Friday night program Scott was in a mini-skit with Tracy's class and watching him act as a "Levite" in the good Samaritan story made me forget that the role of the Levite wasn't an encouraging one. My kid was so cute, I forgot about the story all together!

Our weekend was good too. Ryan was off for the weekend and though he was gone till early afternoon, I was glad to have some time with him. I spent the day trying to balance cleaning with kid time and enjoyed accomplishing both. Saturday night we spent time as a family which was exactly what I needed. Nothing super extravagant but good quality fun time. We took a picnic to a nearby park and after eating our leftovers from lunch, we played on the toys with the kids. It was fun and it was free (except for the $2 burger we ordered for Scott since we knew he wouldn't eat crab wraps). Sunday afternoon we spent helping some friends move into their new apartment, a week after getting married. That was fun to feel helpful.

Tonight, I'm looking forward to a night of snuggling and watching a movie with the kids and planning our family trip to CA... there are lots of details to work out.

Update from the land of Oz:

Okay, I'm not really in the land of Oz, but it sounded like fun. I'm actually kinda sorta at home. I'm actually working in a nearby office this week helping them with some contract paperwork, planning and reporting. It's an hour drive from my house but fortunately I get to stop at our area office (about 7 miles from my house), get one of their vehicles and head to the flat lands. My miles and time driving are all on the government dime. Here are a few highlights from this office experience:

• I already know the staff here. I made plain to the boss here that I didn't appreciate feeling like I was expected to answer the phone when the secretary was out. HELLO, I'm NOT the secretary and I don't even work here.
• Planning is so much easier when working in the flat lands.
• Being able to work [almost] interrupted allows me to get a lot more done.
• This office is much smaller and I'm working about 3' from the next guy compared to having my own corner to hide in at my regular office.
• The boss here is receptive to change and makes a point to ask me if I need anything. I appreciate a little feedback from him.
• People here cuss like sailors... maybe worse. Lots of swearing and using God's name in vain, which I don't appreciate.
• Woo hoo, I might be saving a few dollars on gas this week.

I'm starting my day early and ending late (which is normal for me) to give me more time here. I get back to town just in time to pick up Scott and head to Vacation Bible School. Here are a few highlights from my week with the 3-Pre-k kiddos:

• I quickly learned that God has not gifted me to teach 12 preschool kids!!!
• I had one little boy pee his pants twice last night... and he's potty trained.
• The creators of this material must not have realized that 3 and 4 year olds can't read.
• It is way cool to hear Scott rattle off the different verses for each day.

With the hours I'm working followed by VBS with preschoolers, it shouldn't surprise you that I'm whipped each night when I get home. Last night was the first night this week that I was able to stay awake while Ryan and I prayed together before bed!

Front Page of the Paper

A few days ago I received an email from a friend who saw Scott on the front page of the paper. I saw Meghan take a picture of him at Sweet Corn Days and gave her his name and age but was so busy that night that I forgot all about it. The news from Vanessa was exciting and I was eager to see the paper myself.

This morning a friend who works in the building and lives near the same town as I dropped by my office. The following conversation occurred:

D: [with a proud tone in her voice] do you know who made the front page of the paper?

me: [with an equally proud voice] MY son did

D: [with a confused tone to her voice] your son?!?!, no MY son did

me: [realizing that her son must have made the paper] cool, I'd heard Scott made the front page but maybe it's not on the front page.

We walked to the break room together where she proudly had the paper folded in half displaying Matthew with his grand champion beef cow. Debbie flipped the paper in full view and sure enough, there was my little cutie pie on the front page of the paper, just below the newspaper banner. How cool is that?

I took the paper and scanned it for Scott's scrapbook but also so I could show him off here. After a few minutes I decided against sharing the scanned newspaper. Most of you know who I am and where I live but for the rest of you, I'll just keep quiet on the location we call home. Really wanting to share the picture of my cute kid, I called up the paper (gotta love small towns) and asked Meghan to send me the photo. Thanks to Meghan for sharing the photo of my kiddo so I can share it with all of you.

yes, my son was eating watermelon at Sweet Corn Days. I think he ate 4 or 5 pieces that size.

6:40am Phone Call

I answered the phone this morning prepared to hear my mom ask me to bring milk for Bethany (yes, we still have frozen breast milk stored up). It wasn't my mom. It was Debbie, a friend who I work in the same building with. She was asking for my husband. I was confused. Ryan is their veterinarian but why would she call him rather than call the clinic and let it transfer? I heard a few bits of the conversation but what I found worth of sharing was when he said "find the cat, kill the cat, cut its head off, bring it to the clinic and we'll send it in". Having been around him long enough and familiar with different veterinary issues, I knew that meant an issue of rabies.

My poor friend was asleep at 4am when she heard glass crashing to the floor and her son screaming. She thought someone was in the house. No, it was a farm cat that managed to get inside. In the process it attacked Matthew and bit him multiple times drawing quite a bit of blood. Debbie wrapped up his wounds and sent him off to work. My guess is that some time today Matthew showed up at the clinic with the head of a dead cat!

How's that for a fun story from the the countryside?

Potty Training

We're finally getting the #2 issue down. That kid of mine knows that he needs to do his business on the toilet but will ask for underwear so he can poop in them. It's obvious he has to go but will LIE and say that he doesn't. It has been my prayer for a while that my children will be honest and trustworthy people. I best keep praying for that! In the mean time, he's at least learned to potty on the "little" toilet at my mom's. Still has to be dumped into the "big" toilet but better than the alternative.

Fun at Work

Thoughts from today's outting:

• When a client introduces you to his wife and says "this is who I call up at the office all the time for assistance", don't expect her to be thrilled. Maybe she expected me to be 60 or extremely homely looking. As it was, I was dressed for the field and not to go out!
• Just because the track hoe made a path through the field, doesn't mean you should follow it. There may be partial logs that you get hung up on.
• When you get hung up on the above mentioned log, it might push the engine up which affects the fan and makes a horrible noise.
• Thank God client was home and heading out to the site.
• Skid loaders come in handy for "towing" type of needs.
• Contractors can be liars and (what's the word I'm looking for here) . No, he's not the cheapest contractor around. No, he can not buy us lunch, even if he is just trying to be nice.
• 5 hours in the sun = red face
• Bug spray helps with the sweat bees. Those darn things were about to make me crazy!

5k walk/jog

I did a 5k on Saturday with my friend, Renessa. I haven't ran in several years for the most part and didn't run that day either. We speed walked though and it was rough on my lazy legs. We jogged part too. It felt so good to exercise and to have some time with my friend. She lives 2 hours away and when I do see her, we're busy chasing kiddos. It was good to catch up. Maybe next time I ask her to walk with me, I'll be prepared to keep up with her!

*Yesterday my legs/hips hurt so bad I could hardly walk. I was dreading a day in the field today. Thank you Lord for bringing rain that brought me back to the office. It's not too often that I prefer to sit on my rear!

* A big thanks to Ryan for entertaining our kiddos all morning while I walked and piddled around in town!

I love my mother-in-law but I'm sure some of the wise-cracks I say to her don't speak love at all. I entered this contest to win the "Daughter In Law Rules" book. Cross your fingers...

Dead Phone

I've been wanting a new cell phone. The one I have is 6 years old. The car charger died and can't get a new one. The phone doesn't stay charged the best. But, because it still works, there's no point in spending money on a new one. Until Friday. I plugged it in at work, charged it till the charge was completed. Took it off the cradle and it was turned off. That's screwy but not a total surprise. I turned the phone back on and it instantly said that I needed to change the battery and died. I could not get it to turn back on. So, I mentioned it to hubby. He chuckled and said "maybe for Christmas you can get a new one". I think he was half kidding and half serious. Our budget is tight all the time but super tight this month. Like $50 in our account to last us 10 days - tight. What's the point of paying for a cell phone service when you don't have a cell phone? Might as well cancel the service, right? Only, I want a cell phone so I can feel safe driving 25 miles to work. One of the guys was at our house and said that you can buy them off the internet and get it hooked up. Well maybe that will work now but when I brought my cute little phone otu here from CA six years ago, they wouldn't do that and I had to buy a new one. Times have changed I guess. I'll have to save up some money to get a new phone unless someone has an old one they want to donate to me.

August is Almost Here

I can't believe its been almost two weeks since I've written anything about family life. I'll try to do a quick recap:

• Scott is potty training. Yes, he's wearing big boy underwear now and loves it. However, he hasn't figured out how to do #2 on the big boy potty yet. Last night was an adventure when he sat on the toilet a million times but wouldn't go (even when bribed). Yet, a few minutes later, while running around without underwear, he decided to poop. Yes, he was pooping while he was running. I'll spare you the rest of the details but let's just say that I wasn't thrilled about the situation.
• Bethany is jabbering up a storm and repeats many words, although not clear yet.
• Bethany has this wave she does when she says bye-bye that will steal your heart!
• Scott loves his sister but also loves to keep her away from his toys. He's a pain about it for sure. Eventually she'll be bigger and tougher than him and he'll let her do what she wants.
• Stayed home with the kids last Friday. They love their new pool which is more like a puddle than a pool but they seem happy.
• Things are crazy busy at work. I could spend all my waking hours there and still not catch up. Lots of flood relief work out in the warm, humid weather. I love it, even if I sweat like crazy, but am worn out when I get home.
• Ryan has been working solo for the past 9 days. Good thing they weren't swamped! Being on call every night wears on you even if you don't have to go out a ton. We're glad Steve is back.

Looking forward. August will be a busy month. We have lots of stuff going on in the next few weeks. September will follow suit I'm sure. I thought we'd picked a date to go home to CA only to find out that the class reunion is scheduled for the weekend before. So, I was tentatively thinking that weekend. Only to realize on Sunday that the reunion weekend is the same weekend I committed to an inner city missions trip. Arrg. Anyone wanna take my missions trip spot so I can go to my class reunion? And on top of that, I'm wishing I could make a trip home by myself to spend a few days with the girls.

Seine

Seine (noun) - 1. a fishing net that hangs vertically in the water, having floats at the upper edge and sinkers at the lower.

Some days, I do really interesting things and today was one of those days. A quick stop between appointments at the local trout hatchery and I caught a glimpse of an interesting project. When we had all the flooding, the hatchery flooded. Fish were out of their raceways and downstream. Fishing near a hatchery recently has proved to be quite a catch. Today, the guys were using a seine to gather some of the fish from the overflow pond and put them back into the raceways. The trout are raised at the hatchery and then put into nearby cold water streams. In previous seining events, they've gathered over 25,000 trout. Today was another venture to save some fish to be returned to the cold water streams. It was really cool to watch it all happen. Check out these pictures:

First you start with the seine which is weighted on the bottom and has the floaty things at the top. You line one edge of the pond with it.

The boys swam the end of the seine across the pond to create a huge net

Then you begin to pull your net in, hoping its full of fish

Once you have the fish in a confined area, you can begin to fish them out. In this case, they were removed with a net, put into the trucks that usually deliver them to the stream, taken to the raceways and put back into their homes.

How Busy Am I?

Each morning and evening I drive along a beautiful row of shrubs along our driveway. The shrub is called "Bridal Veil", I think. Recently Ryan mentioned to me that the shrub is dying. What? How did I not notice that? I drive along side of it twice a day. I'm outside playing with the kids in the yark every few days right up near the row. I love plants and kinda have a green thumb, how could I not notice? How busy am I that I wouldn't notice a 200' long shrub row that was 90% dead?

Saturday when I was out pulling weeds, I paid some attention to the shrub row. Sure enough, it looked like it was dying and moving right down the row. As I took a closer look, I saw that it wasn't really dead yet. And it wasn't a disease, rather it has provided a tasty snack for some bugs. So, yesterday I was telling my coworker about it and we decided that I needed to find the bug and kill it before it killed my shrub. My DNR forester buddy told me that if something was eating it, I should be able to find the pest. Oh, great, like I was going to find some tiny bug in the shrub... its kind of like finding a needle in a hay stack.

Last night was supper was in the oven and the kids were about ready to make me crazy (those are a whole seperate post), I went out to hunt the pest. And you know what? I found it and lots more like it. The shrub was covered in millions of little beetles. Dangit, how come I didn't see those on Saturday when I check out the shrub? I collected the pests and some of the shrub and brought the jar into the office. My forester buddy identified the pest (you would think he's an entomologist, not a tree guy) and told me of the chemical cure. Tonight, I'm off to find someone who carries the chemical cure so I can kill the Cottonwood Leaf Beetle before it kills my Bridal Veil.

Thanks!

Thanks to Jody for her assistance in updating my blog. I hope it looks a little more like me now.

Contest

I'm not one for contests online to earn a few bucks. But I received an email weeks ago about a poster contest through my agency. When I read the slogan for the poster, I immediately thought of the perfect picture to use. I just submitted the poster I designed (keep in mind, I'm not a graphic designer but I'd love to be) this morning. The deadline is fast approaching. I'm hoping to hear in the next month if I'm the lucky winner of a $300 cash award (granted it will be $150 by time they take out taxes). Whew, I'm nervous and super excited. I hope mine stands out amongst any others and gets chosen!!!!!!

I used this picture that I took back in January of 2003 when I was in Nicaragua on a missions trip. We were teaching the locals how to compost and garden so they could feed themselves rather than starve. It was a sad situation but encouraging to teach them to provide for their families. The little girl was a daughter of a couple that came from Oregon to help with the class. The man was a local leader (educated engineer) that was there to learn. Amazing experience.

Help Wanted

A few things I need help doing:
1. If I create a fun picture for the top of my blog, how do I get it to replace what's already there?
2. How do I get the list of labels to show up in the margin?
3. I want to categorize my links. When I try this in the template, it doesn't work. In fact, if I change the text saying "links", it goofs it up.
My fellow blogger friends, please help

Funny Conversations with Scott recently:

Scott: Daddy, God made everything, right?
Ryan: yes, son
Scott: Then, can he make Grammy a new Zackery (Grammy's teacup poodle that died last year)

Scott holding a green bean in each hand:
left hand: Do you know you're going to get eaten?
right hand: yep, we're going to get eaten...
he proceeded to have a detailed conversation about being veggies and getting eaten.

me: Scott can you carry this into the other room?
Scott: yes, mommy. I'm strong like everybody.
He frequently talks about being strong like everybody because we ask him to eat his meals and drink his milk/juice so he can grow big and strong.

Scott: [takes something away from Bethany]
Bethany: [screams at him]
Scott: oh Bethany, you're being naughty. Go drink your nini bottle.

4 Generation

I've been working on Bethany's scrap book lately. I had a picture of generations of Buitenwerf's. I asked Ryan if he wanted to write a little something for that page. He came back downstairs an hour later with a very cool page to put in her scrap book. Only it was 3/4 of a page long and I was thinking something that would be 2"x4". I saved what Ryan wrote to be used later in her book. Saturday was the perfect opportunity to capture a 4 generation picture to be used with the history. With one wiggly baby and lots of cameras taking pictures, this is what we came up with:

And since we were taking pictures, why not take a few more right? This picture is Ryan's paternal grandparents, Ryan's parents and us.

Update from the Office

I updated my "Another Day at the Office" post with pictures. Click here to check those out.

Birthday Party for Two

We had a fun day. A few friends and family came to celebrate with my little pirates. I made each of them their own cakes to dig into. It was a long day with lots going on and not much for nap time. At the end of the day, we all felt like Bethany looks in this picture:

The Great North

We spent a long weekend up North over the Independence holiday weekend. Ryan's brother lives in the north woods and invaded his house for a few days. Because I'm so delayed in writing about our trip, I'll try to capture a few things with bullet points:
5 adults, 2 kids, 1 dog in one house. Thanks to Eric for opening his new home to us.

• We were able to meet Eric's new "friend". She might have been a bit overwhelmed by all of us but she was wonderful to get to know and spend a little time with.
• I don't eat organic. I did those few days. It was actually good.
• I love salsa and chips, don't like goat cheese or tomatoes :p
• I love to be outside and am a rockstar at horse shoes. Yes, us girls schooled the guys!
• I don't like mosquito bites on my kids!
• Scott loves parades but doesn't like the siren noises from the fire trucks.
• Scott is a smart little boy and doesn't take him long to figure out that he doesn't want you to "share" with him if all you're going to do is ask for a piece of candy back.
• My skin appreciated a little sunshine.
• Bethany has no fear of large bodies of water.
• Both kids learned that inhaling water isn't a good thing.
• Scott has a new best friend, his Grandpa B. Sorry Ryan.
• Driving in pounding rain makes me nervous.
• Never follow a load of round hay bales too closesly. They do come off sometimes. (thankfully it wasn't our car that had to learn that lesson)
• My father in law really likes to eat at Culvers.

Here are a few pictures:

Bethany and her Unky Eric

Kelly and Bethany cooking green beans in cocunut butter... umm, good

Scott with his new best friend, Grandpa B.

Thank you Eric for opening your home and letting us take over for a few days. I understand that it can be quite a lot to have a house full for a few days. Not only that, but I also understand what it costs to feed a family for a few days. I appreciate your willingness to provide for us while we were there. It was so good to be welcomed into your home, meet Kelly and spend a few days with you. Thanks for introducing us to your church family and friends too. It helps to put faces with names. We look forward to our next visit.

Happy Birthday Scott

My Dutch Love

I have lots to post about from last weekend but this is a fun post that I wanted to write:

On a Sunday afternoon while getting ready to leave church, my friend Joe had a cow to check out at the dairy. She'd basically had a c-section and he was doing a post surgery check on her. I went with Joe to the dairy and to this day, I remember the conversation. He told me (and continued to tell me for months) about this Dutch dairy boy that would be perfect for me. He was a Christian, hard worker, good looking and seeking a relationship. Insecure about not being good enough, I grinned and let Joe tell me about this "perfect" guy. I wanted that guy that Joe described but never gave it serious thought. Little did I know that years before while I was in high school, I would see that very guy on occasion at the local restaraunt where I worked. He'd come in with his brother who happened to be dating another employee. I drooled over him and his brother from a distance.

As best I can remember, a few months later I met this "perfect" guy, Mike. He was a good looking Dutch dairy boy. I think we met at an ag ambassador conference where he was presenting on listening skills. I definitely listened in that session and gave him my full attention. Throughout the weekend, we chatted a bit and found out that we lived a few miles from each other and were attending the same university. He asked me if I would ride share and I think I about fainted at the opportunity. [cori, do you remember this story, am I getting the details right?] Throughout the next semester I took advantage of his offers to help me with my dairy science classes (even though I don't think I really needed the help), make small talk and day dream. I even wrote a paper about how to marry him.
[okay, let me clarify that I wasn't stalking him... I had to write a paper on a goal in my life and how to accomplish it. I didn't feel like sharing my dreams and goals with a TA, so I got a little creative and wrote something fun. I love to write. Apparently, it was so well written that the TA decided to read it in front of the entire class. People seriously thought I was in love with this guy when in fact I just had a little crush on him. What 18 year old doesn't have a crush on some boy?]
... Throughout college we crossed paths several times at agricultural functions, Bulldog athletic events, etc. I remember seeing him with his girlfriend, now wife, and thinking that Joe was totally wrong about this "perfect" Dutch guy. And not in a sad or envious way but in a fun and humorous way. Joe was father-like friend and wanted me happy. He also knew Mike and wanted him happy and thought we'd be good together I guess.

Fast forward a few years and I did find my Dutch Love. Only he wasn't the one Joe pictured when he talked about hard working Christian Dutch dairy guy. It was Ryan, my wonderful husband who happens to be all of the above: Dutch, follower of Christ, hard working, handsome and even a dairy guy (dairy in the sense that he's a vet and works on dairy cattle). Oh Joe, if you only knew back then that you were talking about my future in a prophetic kind of way. Not that I would have believed you anyway. But I do get a kick of how God works out the details in our life. I do firmly believe that the God who created the world and everything in it, also has a sense of humor. I bet he laughs at this story too.

To my Dutch Love, I'm so thankful that you are the one I married. That those days of day dreaming and drooling are over. That you love me for who I am, regardless of my insecurities! That you are the father to our little Dutch Burritos! I love you honey!

Another Day at the Office

Just another day at the office, only I got to go outside. I had a 930am appointment but the sky was dark and full of clouds. I decided that walking a mile of stream in the rain wouldn't be fun so I opted to cancel the appointment. As the day continued though, I wanted more and more to go outside. Okay, I have tons to do in the office and I'm so behind on things but I really needed to do my stream stuff for Kristy. As I was stuffing my face with a late lunch today, I decided to head out. It was awesome. These are the moments when I love my job. I took my wildlife coworker out with me and we saw some really cool stuff.

As we got down to the creek, an owl came flying out and scared the tar out of me. As we were standing there talking about the owl, I noticed a bat hanging from a tree branch in broad day light. We stopped and snapped a few pictures. We saw frogs, tad poles, racoon waste, and lots of dragon flies. We saw blue clay and lots of springs coming into the stream. The erosion along the stream bank was sad to see but amazing to think what the power of water can do. It was a mile walk in hot and humid air. While we walked, we heard the thunder in the distance.

While heading back to the truck, the thunder roared in the distance. Up over the hill, we could see the storm coming. It wasn't a moment too soon that we finished up. Within minutes, it was pouring down rain and I couldn't really see the road to drive. As I traveled down the highway slowly with the radio turned on, we heard the weather service mention the two storms in the area and that we should seek shelter. Well, too late now. We had shelter from the stream, and although the truck kept us dry, didn't provide much protection from other storm issues.

Back in town where the storm had already passed, we could see that plenty of water dumped on us (as if we need any more storm damage and flooding). The ditches looked like mini streams running and everything was soaked. Fortunately we were fine and the hail was tiny enough to not cause damage!

Flowers

I got to my desk this morning and there was a small bouquet of flowers on it. It was awesome. My coworker has amazing flower gardens that she's growing to make her wedding bouquets. She decided to share some with me and I'm so excited to see the color on my desk. How fun!

oh... that must have been a dream

A conversation last night with Ryan:
me: Can you go put sheets on Bethany's bed?
Ryan: [gives me a weird look]
me: Did you already put sheets on there?
Ryan: yes, I did that last night before I put her to bed.
me: oh, that must have been a dream.

I promise, I remember picking her up out of her crib and there not being a sheet on her bed. It had to have been a dream because the all-star dad in my house had put a sheet on her bed the night before.

Wedding Shower and Bachellorette Party

I had a weekend with the girls and it was lots of fun. Thanks to hubby for making arrangements for his parents to keep the kids. And thanks to his parents for coming down so I could go out and have some fun with the girls!

Friday night was the wedding shower. The invite said "lace and frills welcome". The previous shower I went to, the bride got a million pairs of thongs. So, I decided on something a little different. I took an artichoke jar out of our recycle bin. Cleaned it up and made a new label. It looked just like the old one only it was specific to the bride and groom. It had an ingredients label and nutrition label and the whole bit. The jar was filled with lots of "frills". We had a good time. One thing I'd change is that I'd find out ahead of time if the bride's @postalic mother would be there. And in the event she'd be in attendance, I'd save my gift for another time. Needless to say, the mother didn't appreciate the "lace and frills" and it was obvoius!

Saturday we spent the day on the Mississippi River. Thirteen friends, the bride and the "slave" had a fun day together. A big thanks to RJ for driving the pontoon boat for us. It was fun celebrating and enjoying a little sunshine. I had a blast on the wave runners and laying on the beach. They talked me into wearing a cute bikini and I got a little tan. Woo hoo, its the 1st of July and I'm finally getting some color to my skin!

It was quite the adventurous day. A few things to remember... I forgot to stop in M town at the Quick Trip with the other Suburban. In fact, we were having so much fun talking, I don't even remember driving through the M town! How many people can say that it hailed on them while they were on a sand bar on the Mississippi? Yes, we can. It hailed for about 3 minutes and poured for another 10. It was crazy. Don't wear your contacts if you'll be splashing around on a wave runner. [side note: I didn't know about the wave runner and wore my contacts thinking I'd be spending the day basking in the sun with friends]. And one last thing to note, after losing the safety key to the wave runner, don't volunteer to hold the button out with your fingers the whole time back to the docks. Even if you can see the bridge from there, its a long drive and your hands will get really, really tired. I had forgotten what river water smells like. Its not so pleasant but I loved every moment of it. The river here was tons warmer than the San Joaquin River I grew up playing in!

Happy Birthday my sweet baby girl. I can't believe a year has gone by already. You have brought such joy to our home. I love to watch your little personality develop. You are as stubborn as I've ever seen but it is my prayer that your stubbornness becomes a quality trait that helps you say "no" later on in life. Your love for people, animals and food make us smile. You look for Scott when you wake in the morning and call his name if you can hear him. If DJdog is anywhere nearby, you are completely distracted and give him all of your attention. With food, you are a bottomless pit and love to eat everything. You are as precious as they come and we are so thankful for you every day. We love you my beautiful little girl. Happy Birthday!

Atta boys!

Congrats to my alma matter: California State University, Fresno! What an exciting few days its been. This all happened in Omaha... and if I lived in SW Iowa, I so would've been at those games. I was even tempted to stay at my moms last night to watch the 3rd game. Go bulldogs!
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Fresno State Wins 2008 College Baseball National Championship
Bulldogs defeat Georgia 6-1 to win CWS.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -Fresno State was smashing in its final performance as college baseball's team of destiny, winning a championship that would have been impossible to predict.
With Steve Detwiler providing all the offense Justin Wilson needed, the Bulldogs captured their first national championship in a men's sport with a 6-1 victory over Georgia in Game 3 of the College World Series finals Wednesday night.

Detwiler homered twice and drove in all six runs, and Wilson allowed five hits in eight innings to cap Fresno State's wild ride to a title.

Fresno State was forecast to be a Top 25 team coming into the season, but the Bulldogs lost 12 of their first 20 games. They needed to win the Western Athletic Conference tournament just to make the NCAA field of 64, fought off elimination in regionals and super regionals, and became the first No. 4 regional seed to reach the CWS since the tournament expanded in 1999.

The Bulldogs (47-31) from California not only showed they belonged, they showed they were the best, even though no previous national champion had more losses. The national title was the second in school history. Fresno State won the 1998 women's softball title.

Give 'em a Brake

Give 'em a brake, isn't that slogan for the state DOT workers? I totally agree that we should be cautious around road workers and would hate to cause any one harm, but today, I wasn't so compassionate. The road I travel to work is getting ready for a face lift. This past week, workers have been ripping out the old tubes in the road ditches under the driveways and installing new ones. Each morning and evening when I go home, all is quiet on the road and machinery is parked in nearby fields. Yesterday I was frustrated that the warning signs were placed quite a ways ahead and I slow down right away only to crawl along for a while before getting to the work area. Last night I paid attention to where the work had been finished as the new culverts are corrugated metal pipe and shine brightly in the sun.

This morning as I was moving right along down the road when I came up to the work site. I immediately slowed down. There was a lady standing to flag cars only she wasn't flagging cars at all. She wasn't even facing the same direction nor did she have her flag rolled out yet. I slowed down and moved into the other lane since it was down to one lane at that point according to the warning sign a while back. As I did so, the lady stopped, stared at me, gave me a nasty look and shook her head. I watched her in the mirror as she turned and watched me go by.

So here's what I found entertaining and frustrating all at the same time. I know this isn't a highway or a super heavily traveled road but you can still take the appropriate cautions. It wasn't like they were just getting started and I flew through there. As I got a little bit down the road, the one lane and even a bit of the other were covered in dirt they'd dug out of the ditch. There were no cones to guide traffic, no person on the other end to divert traffic around the track hoe. Just this one lady who had a pissy attitude and didn't have her flag out. As I continued to drive to work, I tried to make sense of her reaction to me. And it just didn't make sense. I slowed down and moved into the other lane. Was I supposed to stop? Maybe she should have had a sign out then that said stop then. Geesh, I hope she has a better day and she's done working when I drive back through this afternoon.

[non]scrap bribing

Sign me up Jody... I need a little help in the scrapping department. Some of you might be familiar with the IowaGeek site. Its always a great read and they're cool people too. Anyway, Jody has a [non]scrap bribe going on. I'm letting you know about it so that you can go over and sign up and then pass the gift along to me if you win :) Okay, fine, you can keep the gift yourself if you want. Go over and sign up and let Jody know that I sent you will ya.

Scrap Booking Fun

For those of you who know me, you know that I love to scrap book. I love all the creative things others come up with that I can copy or use to get my own ideas. I'm not naturally creative but I try. When I scrap, I find something cool, have some ideas on how to put the page together but then end up doing something very plain. Yes, I live a type-A personality. Between that and my unwillingness to spend loads of money on scrapping accessories, my pages aren't extravagant.

For the last year or so I've really wanted to get a computerized die cutting tool. But, in all honesty, I just couldn't make up my mind. I'm on the computer most of my work day and the last thing I want to do when I get home is spend more time on the computer. My computer is in the spare bedroom which isn't even on the same floor of our home. Plus, I have two little kids to chase around when I get home at night. I wasn't sure how much use I'd get out of the thing. Recently, though, I've been working on Bethany's first year book. I've borrowed my friends non-computerized tool and as much as I appreciate it, it just doesn't compare to the computer version. So, I've been looking and reading lots of information about the different tools. And, I've made up my mind, thanks to this very detailed machine comparison sheet I found online. I really, really want the one that is out of my price range. Like $200 more than I have saved up. It does so much more plus the program that it uses is so versatile. But because of my lack of funds, I would have to get the other one. Still a good machine, just not want I want. I so feel like a child who thinks I have to have a certain one. I just want to throw a fit to get the one I want.

So, here's the current debate going on in my own head. Get the cheaper one (I'd right the names of them to simplify but don't want people to google the name and read my worthless info) and then later wish that I'd gotten the other. And spend the extra money to add the program from the expensive one too it. Or, wait a few months and hope and pray that I can get a cash award for a contest I'm entering at work and buy the more expensive one. Wouldn't that be sweet?!?! I'm not a patient person so we'll see if I wait the 6 weeks to find out if I get the cash. I just want it know so I can make Bethany's book all pretty! Grr.

Teeth, Finally

Tomorrow my sweet little baby will be one year old. And last week that poor child still didn't have any teeth. You could tell they existed underneath her gums by the shape of her gums but none had poked through. That didn't stop my little girl from eating though. She never was really a fan of baby food and has to eat what you eat. But these days she chews up chicken, veggies and other foods without any teeth. That's my girl. Last weekend, two little teeth poked through the skin. Its funny to see. Scott got his two front top teeth first. Bethany is getting her two front bottom teeth first. It's about time!

Bio

I recently had to write a bio for a website I was asked to contribute too. You should all know by now that nothing I write is short. Here's what I wrote, it may have to be shortened before it can be used. Let me know what you think.
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Born and raised in Central California, Tamara B received a degree in Agriculture Education with a double emphasis in Animal and Plant Science. As a multicultural academic scholar, she experienced a variety in education, travel and career experiences. Similar to the rest of her life, she was involved in a little bit of everything: welding, showing cattle, micro plant propogation trials, student government, greek life, athletics, leading bible studies, working for the USDA, grant writing, boys and even a little formal education thrown in the mix.

It was during her college days that the USDA employed her with a variety of agencies for work experience. She thoroughly enjoyed the days that she sat under the Giant Sequoia for a quick bite to eat, hiked up the streams in the national forests for water quality monitoring, and surveyed for endangered owl species at midnight with the Forest Service. She loved and appreciated the days she worked for an environmental based education program to educate the underserved rural communities on natural resources. Hiring students who knew nothing more than picking citrus fruit was more than educating on natural resources. It gave the students and their families hope. Eventually those experiences led her to the Natural Resources Conservation agency where out of offers from 6 states, she chose Iowa. The 10-week summer experience in Iowa was quite the learning curve. You could imagine all the things that were strange to her after growing up in Central California, even if it was a small (6k people) farming community. It peaked her curiosity enough that she came back for another 4 weeks to check out a "winter".

Two short weeks being honored as the first in her extended family to attend college and receive a degree, Tamara B made the big move to the midwest. Unsure of its permanancy, she settled in rural Northeast Iowa. Content with her surroundings (but missing fresh clam chowder, fresh fruit, friends and family), she quickly got involved in her new community. It was a few weeks later that she met Ryan (a whole 'nother story in itself), whom she married less than a year later.

To date, she lives in a beautiful old farm house with her amazing husband and two beautiful children. She continues to work full time with the USDA. Her husband, Ryan, is a veterinarian and fixes both livestock and pets. The two of them are blessed to have both of their parents move to the area and take an active role in their children's lives. In her spare time, Tamara likes to scrap book, sew and enjoy the outdoors. In the 6 years she's lived in Iowa, she has become just like you - An Iowa Mom.

Amish Questions

I was just out working with an Amish landowner. It was beautiful out and quite amazing to see the women out in the garden and the children tending to chores, napping on the lawn, etc. The more I visited with the Amish man, the more questions I would love to ask. It would be so neat to see what their day to day activities are like. This family had a huge garden, two small barns with milking goats and a small area that looked like a green house. I saw a battery hooked up to a motor which I suspect keeps the milk tank cool. How do the keep their meat cold? Do they ever have iced tea? Are the children born in a hospital or at home? I have found this group of people intriguing since the day I moved here. I would love to come up with some kind of outreach project so I could get to know them better. Wouldn't that be cool?

Give Me Words to Speak

I can hardly type at the moment but I wanted to share a quick prayer request. A young couple in our church had a baby at 24 weeks gestation. This little baby has been fighting for her life and is doing well for her situation. Weighing in at 2 lbs now, she's growing and beating the odds. With that said, its a continual fight and her kidneys are not so hot. So, we keep praying for her. Well to add to the stress of the parents, who have their baby in a hospital almost two hours away in a hospital, today they are sufferring a tragic loss. Daniel's dad was in a car accident and killed yesterday. My heart goes out to these people. I read the prayer chain email this morning and was flooded with emotion. I hardly even know this couple and my heart aches. I can't imagine how they would even be able to stand on their own two feet at this point. Please be praying for my new friends as they walk through this valley and try to keep the strength they need to travel to see and love on their baby.

Mosquitos and other pests

i hate mosquitos. in fact, i despise any bugs that crawl on me when i least expect it. i have several mosquito bites recently and typically i'm not their favorite food.

on the same note, i was out playing with the kids on saturday. we were running around in the lawn and bouncing from the fort house thingy to the bucket of water to fish in to watering plants. it was a blast. while scott was fishing, i noticed a spider on his pant leg and called him over to get it off. only, it was a tick and not a spider. okay, i despise ticks. so much so that i'll avoid the timber at times because of them. but i got it off, squished its guts out and went on our merry way. fast forward to the next morning and ryan was giving the kids a bath. he pulled the kids out, let the water out and found a tick in the bath tub. a tick!!!! freaked me out. it was on my son, or at least on his clothes, all night. what if he gets sick?!?!?

needless to say that when we played outside sunday night, i was glad to let him run around with no pants on. that way, no ticks would be climbing up his leg without me seeing it on his bright white little legs. and i hardly sat bethany down at all because of it. and when i did, she had 7 or more ants on her within 1 minute. what the heck? i grabbed her up quick, brushed off the ants and hauled the kids inside. when inside, i pulled her diaper off to make sure none snuck down her crack. poor baby. she was fine, i was the one traumatized :)

A Simple Thank You

I called one of my producers [Alan] today to let him know that I needed a signature on a document before I could send an automatic payment. His wife answered the phone and informed me that he was out and to call his cell phone. I did just that, called a few others and then went to the kitchen to grab my lunch. Ready to sit down for a meal, the secretary informed me that I had a call. To my surprise it was Alan's wife. She called to thank me for all the assistance I give Alan. She went on to tell me that he's shared with her on multiple occasions how I've helped him, given him new insight, etc concerning his cattle grazing operation. She said that she understands we don't get thanked enough and wanted to pass along a little appreciation.

Needless to say, it made my day. There are certain farmers that I like to work with, some that make my job difficult and some that I avoid. As much as I like working with Alan, I often times feel like I can't feed his hunger for learning ways to improve his operation. So, it was nice to hear that, in doing my job, I've helped someone out. Sometimes, I feel like we get in a rut and do the bare minimum and do so with a sour attitude. This was the encouragement I needed after having a non-motivating day yesterday!

Thank you Lori for taking the time to make a difference in my day!

Elkader Floods

Thanks to Shannon at the Clayton County Register for allowing me to post a few pictures.

This first picture is an aerial view of Elkader. The top of the picture towards the left is a camp ground that was completely under water. To the right of that is the baseball fields and city pool. At the center of the picture running from left to right is the Turkey River channel. Below the channel in the picture is several city blocks that were under water. The downtown is located along the river and many businesses and homes were flooded. Residents were evacuated and moved their vehicles to higher groud at the Catholic church. Only the water came up more than expected and even the catholic church flooded.


This second photo is downtown looking up river. This bridge was the only bridge that remained open in many of the nearby towns. I've been crossing this bridge recently to get to work as the route I would typically take has bridges closed. Elkader is a mess but it is a tiny mess in comparison to nearby Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, etc.

To see more pictures of downtown Elkader, check out the Clayton County Register photos they have posted.

Mommy Stays Home for a Day

It's been a whirlwind of a week with lots of regularly scheduled items as well as the emergency type stuff. Late Tuesday afternoon I got an email from my mom asking if I could find any one else to keep the kids. So, on the way to Wisconsin that night I made a few phone calls and had no luck. Wednesday morning I decided I would stay home with the kids. Now, I know mom would have taken them but I also knew she wanted to quilt with my aunt. Because of all the other things going on around here, it was the perfect time to stay home with them.



We ate breakfast together, rather than having a snack in the car and Scott eating at moms. We played with blocks, trains and other toys together too. I even made a meal for lunch and Ryan came home to eat with us. Scott, who usually likes to help out around the house, opted to play while I cleaned the main floor. We had fun playing together, eating together and just being home. While the kids napped, I made sure to not vacuum but spent that time putting away several loads of laundry. I think I made good use of my time at home and even managed to hang out on the couch to watch a little of the noon news before Scott woke up and Ryan called.



In the late afternoon I even managed to have supper ready. Not quite on the table when Ryan got home but close. Now, I kind of cheated because both meals were part way prepared in advance. The chicken corn soup (I don't know the actual name of the recipe) was in the refrigerator waiting to be heated up and milk to be added. And for supper, Ryan had prepared the poppy seed cheese sauce and the meat mixture ahead of time too. All I had to do was thaw it, cook up some tortellini, spread some cheese across the top and toss it in the oven for a while. Regardless, that was two meals prepared, 3 if you count Scott's cereal, a house cleaned and kids attended to. Whew, did that feel good.



The best part about all of that was I had energy left to give my family after we finished supper. Ryan wasn't feeling great so I took both of the kids outside to play. I put Bethany in the baby swing and Scott played in the fort. I pulled a few weeds and played on the fort with the kids. Yes, I even went down the slide holding Bethany like a 3 year old child. We pulled weeds, picked up sticks from the lawn and chased each other around. Scott and I even managed to find 3 robin eggs which we promptly took care of and watched for a while. It was a bit windy but otherwise a great night to enjoy the outdoors. After an hour outside we headed in. Scott and I went upstairs and bathed him quick, I fed Bethany and put her to bed and then snuggled on the couch with Scott for a few minutes before putting him to bed. And once the house was quiet, Ryan and I sat and watched the news together for a few minutes before I fell asleep on the couch.



It seems like yesterday was a busy day even though I would have loved to clean my bathroom, visit a friend and her new baby and scrap book. By the end of the day my feet hurt and my back ached but it was so nice to have energy. Just goes to prove that some days my job sucks all the energy I have and its not even physical labor!

Broken Camera

So, my trusty little camera that goes every where with me has retired. Its very frustrating when I use it all the time. I love to capture fun moments, milestones with the kids or other things. A few weeks back the lense decided it wouldn't close all the way but still worked. And now, it closes even less but won't work. I guess one of the lenses moved around causing the blur and other problems. There have been multiple times recently when I've wanted the camera to capture something:

• Bethany "army crawls" across the floor
• Bethany tries to crawl but doesn't quite have it figured out
• Bethany saying all kinds of things audibly and in sign language: please, more, eat, and thank you. Audibly, she says mama, daddy, dada, papa, grandpa, scott (without the "s"), DJ, etc.
• Kisses from both of the kids
• Flood Issues here in Northeast Iowa

Do you know how to build an ark?

Way back when, there were some very important words spoken that we should consider today. God was talking to Noah and said something along these lines:
God said: Friend, I'm disgusted by the corrupt people on this earth. I'm about to destroy them with a flood. But Noah, I like you. Go build an ark.
And God gave Noah specific design criteria to build. It took him a long time and many people laughed while Noah did exactly what God had commanded him to do but the time came and God flooded the earth. Everything died except what was on ark with Noah and his family.

We've had a lot of rain lately. Rivers are raging, floods are as bad as they've been in the past and are expected to get worse. Lots of lakes and big bodies of water around these parts lately. Do you know how to build an ark? They're closing bridges left and right and Ryan just called to let me know that I should pay attention as I have to cross the Turkey River multiple times to get home. The good news is that God promised in His word that he would never again destroy all living things. As long as the earth remains there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night. Whew, that's good to know. I think some people are getting worried around here!

To check out the full story, which is really interesting to read, click here to read a few pages of the bible (Genesis 7-9).

Busy... edited 6/6

Okay, so I'm just enjoying life... accomplishing a few things at work, playing with my kids, visiting with family and serving in my community. I don't have the time to write about a few things going on right now. I was going to paste an email that I sent to my friend Cori but I've since cleaned out my inbox and don't have it anymore. Shoot. Well, just know that we are good. And if Cori sends me the original email, I'll post it below.

In other news:

1. My camera is broken. Do you think it would cost more to fix it than buy a new one? Its not even a year old!
2. There has been a huge issue, which I'm not sure I've ever posted about. Telling you about it would really bring out my angry side, I would become a gossip and would get all worked up. Its been a 3.5 year ordeal already. God has really been teaching us patience. Well, I must report that finally the wheels have started to turn. Let's pray that they continue as it really does affect our livelihood.
3. It feels like Tuesday but its really Thursday. Woo-hoo!
4. Bethany is trying to crawl all over... yes my kids are slow movers. She's rolled around for a long time but she's now interested in crawling. She's pulling her self up on things too.
5. Her vocubulary improves at an alarming rate. Peopl are always surprised that she less than a year old when they hear her say specific words and hear her jabber constantly. She's also learned a few animal noises and a few words in sign language. Atta girl. Oh, how I thank God for blessing us with her!
6. Scott loves his sister dearly. He has funny conversations with her all the time in the car. He assures her that we will be to Grammy's soon, holds her hand, shares his snacks, etc. He's a talker too. The things he says are hilarious. "oh, just forget about it" as he covers his face. "imagine that" and many more... he's a funny kid.
7. Last night Scott watered the flowers with me which means he drenched himself, soaked an iris that hadn't quite bloomed yet and played in the water/mud. I'm so thankful that God has blessed us with him.

edited to add what Cori so graciously sent me:

Here's what I've been up to lately-

• Service Saturday is done
• Trying to get done with the b-feeding. It's bittersweet and not so convenient!
• Lost weight and am in pre-scott clothes but still can't get in those original wranglers. I think it’s the extra skin. I desperately need some new clothes that actually fit me
• Lacking sleep on a regular basis with a little one that screams in the middle of the night but she did sleep the last two nights which was heaven.
• Wanting the area program specialist position that Troy is leaving next week. Don't think I'll have a fighting chance. If it runs as an 11, I'm not eligible. Even at a 9/11, there will be stiff competition.
• Wanting to run away to CA for a quick trip to hang out with friends and not take my kids or my husband. Do you think my family would kill me if I did that?
• married for 5 years now. Wow.
• Bethany's birthday is 4 weeks away and I have nothing done in her scrap book. In fact, I don't even have pictures ordered yet. Yikes. I think I'm going to do a combo party for her and Scott. They'll hate that when they're older but for now it just might have to work because our schedules are nutso
• Today is a crappy weather day. I feel like I'm drugged on benadryl but didn't take any. I think its allergies.
• watching a friends dog for a few weeks. It died on Sunday. It was a HORRIBLE phone call to make to the owner. Why does that happen when we were just trying to be helpful?
• Still needing to get my thyroid and tailbone checked but I still don't like the doctors and feel like I've been off a lot lately.

Attitude Adjustment

Well, to put it simply, my attitude sucked. Really, it was getting so negative that I'm sure my friends were trying to avoid me. I was negative about work and complaining a lot that I'd rather be home with my kids. I was complaining about my home, that I couldn't keep clean. I was constantly frustrated about something. And the worse part about it is that I would admit it but wasn't doing anything to change it. But today is a different day. I'm so thankful for Rhett who pointed it out to me indirectly after I bit his head off through an email conversation. I know where my joy comes from and I know what I need to keep my cup full. I wasn't doing it.

Now, things aren't perfect. I would still love to be home with my kids but also realize that I'm in this place for a reason. Ecclesiastes says that there is a time and a season for everything. And in this season, I'm going to choose to quit being so negative. And I might even agree to see the doctor about a possible problem that might be the cause of my constant state of exhaust.

Thanks to my friends, family and God who continue to love me even when I'm not so easy to love!