"I'll make a deal with you . . . "

". . . let's switch places - no one will know the difference!"









"Oh no! She caught us! Quick, smile and act like nothing's happening!"

Okay, so I hate posting anything without a picture, and it was so cute watching Joshua play with Sam from the other side of the window on our rainy yesterday afternoon. But the real reason for this post is to give an update on Joshua -

Everything went well today. This will be "old hat" for those of you who have gone through this with a child before, but for us, it was all new. Joe doesn't remember much from getting his tubes in as a child :o) Anyway, they took him from me a little after 8:00 a.m. (the hardest part, by the way) and then by 8:15 he was done and back to his room. They brought us back about 5 min. later when he had woken up - crying his head off. He was miserable for a couple of hours after - he was crying inconsolably for probably 45 min. after he woke up, but they say that is normal for babies. It's gradually gotten better and better. He's on Tylenol and basically only cries now when he burps - I think b/c of the pressure that puts on his ears. But even those cries are getting shorter and less intense. He ate a normal lunch and took a good afternoon nap. He seems almost back to normal now.

So, that's the update. Hopefully it'll be smooth sailing from here on out - at least as far as his ears are concerned ;o)

Oh, and I didn't bring my camera, but he looked so cute in his little hospital gown :o)

Like father, like son

So, Joshua had his ENT(Ear/Nose/Throat Dr.)appointment yesterday, and we concluded that he is going to have to have tubes put in his ears. Not much of a surprise after the last few months of ear infections, one right after another. Basically the antibiotics are "cooling" the infection, but the fluid isn't draining, so it just keeps getting reinfected. I was nervous at first at the prospect of them putting tubes in my baby's ears, but after all that he's put up with, I'm glad they can do something to help him. He goes in early on Wednesday. I'm still a bit nervous because I'm his mommy, but I know this is only a minor "bump", and he is always in God's hands!

KEEP GOING!!

Okay, so my last post for tonight! Yes, I didn't update my blog for over a month, and now over a dozen posts in one shot! So, if you are one of the few still checking my blog, you'll have plenty to look at, and when you reach the end of the page, KEEP GOING!! - you'll have to click on the "older posts" link to actually see all of the new posts. I think this may actually be motivation for me to keep this updated a little more faithfully - or maybe just give up on it completely - only time will tell! Thanks for visiting our blog - it is always great to hear from friends, old and new!

Ear Update

So, Joshua was in at the end of last week for yet another ear infection - his 5th since March, and 6th in his almost 9 months of life. Fortunately tomorrow is his ENT appointment. But, for all the pain he's been in, and all of the yucky medicine he's had to take, he's been an overall happy baby. I love to hear him laugh!

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Joshua and Gracie - what a pair!

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Wow! What an arm!

Okay, so maybe Daddy's a little biased, but he wanted me to take a video of Joey throwing the football. I don't know much about football, but Joe thinks Joey throws a mean spiral for a 7 year old! See what you think!

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Father's Day

So Father's Day this year was actually Joe's birthday, too. This is the project the kids and I put together for him. The hand-prints are made out of clay - baked to harden, and then the kids painted them - well, except for Joshua :o)

I was looking for some kind of meaningful quote or verse or something to go along with the hand prints in the shadow box, but I couldn't find anything. So, I asked the Joey, Gracie, and Madie each seperately why they like to hold Daddy's hand, and, what it came down to is that holding Daddy's hand makes them feel safe. So this is the poem that I came up with and put in the shadow box. The kids loved it and Joey read it to Joe before we gave him the gift.

Daddy Hold My Hand!

Reaching up into your hand,
I hold your fingers tight.
My little hand fits right in yours,
And all the world seems right.

I can face the mighty foe!
I’m bravest in the land!
No fear can fill my little heart,
When Daddy holds my hand!

What a day!

I guess it's not easy being the fourth child - parents have no time for you! A guy's just gotta' catch a nap whereever he can!

Our Building Committee??

No, not really, but they're trying so hard with their Legos and those blue prints! We've designated them the "special" building committee :o)

Actually, our friends, Josh and Crystal, came over and they hadn't seen the blue prints for the new church building yet. We just got a kick out of how cute the "boys" looked playing on the floor together so nicely!

The Plane Ride Home

So, all in all, we had a nice trip. And with the antibiotics and a full bottle of milk, the plane ride home was nice and pain-free too. We had an empty seat beside us, so Joshua really enjoyed having his own seat for a while - especially the tray table! He kept looking behind me and grinning and the nice lady across the aisle :o)

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Joshua's Ear

Well, my mom and I ended up spending the 5 hours after my sister's shower on an emergency room trip for Joshua's ear. I had taken him to his pediatrician a day or so before we left and he didn't have an infection, but his ears seemed to be bothering him ever since the air plane descended. My cousin, Courtney, who's a nurse, looked at his ears at the shower, so we were pretty sure one was infected. However, his pediatrician would not call in a prescription, so we got to go to the the ER instead - what a FUN way to spend a night! But at least my mom was with us to help and keep us company - it made the 5 hours pass a lot more quickly! No pictures of the ER ;O), but here is Joshua waking up after his late night and probably his first good night of sleep since we left Indiana.

And breakfast!

(Oh, and Joe had given him his first "buzz" cut - third hair cut - a few days before we left on our trip)

Sharon's Shower

So at the end of last month, my parents flew me (and Joshua) back to PA for my sister's bridal shower. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the shower. You may wonder why I took a picture of a little girl and a trash can? Well, that is my cousin's little girl, Madison. When Madison saw her reflection in the shiny trash can, she began grinning at herself, talking and singing a Veggie Tales song - it was just too precious! She's also there trying to be a "big girl", like my niece, Amber.

Joshua got to spend some time with "Papa" (my dad) during the shower and even got to try some delicious icing off the cake! I think one of my dad's favorite things is giving candy, cupcakes, Oreos, or any other tasty treat to his grandkids!

Uh oh! Where's Madie??

Usually, with four children, when there is quiet, it's not a good sign - especially if it's the absence of noise from Madie as she seems to be the one that really likes to get into things. So, one day I was looking for her and calling for her - in almost a panic as I realized I hadn't heard from her in a while. After not getting an answer to my calling her name, I finally looked around to find she was just plain tuckered out and had made her own bed - not on one of our soft couches, but on our antique church pew - or maybe she was just praying?

Grace Bible Church ~ Our New Building

We have been meeting in a school for a little over 3 years now. This past fall, we signed the final papers to purchase our own building. This picture is of the outside of the entire building. I will try to explain briefly ;o) - it is basically a shell that we are building out the inside. The building is made up of 8 "suites". We bought the entire building, but will only be currently building out 1/2 of it. We are so very thankful for how God has provided this building for us. You can check out our church's web site at www.grbible.org.


So, this is what is currently in the other half of the building :o) - 1/2 basketball court, volleyball court and 2 rope swings - think we'll need extra insurance?? :o) It made for a great play day with Daddy!

Forever . . . and a day.

So, for any of you who are still even looking at our blog, I am finally getting caught up.