As for me and my house. . .

We will give thanks! (We'll serve the Lord too, but this is more fitting for this post). When we were looking for houses in Central City, this one caught our eye early for obvious reasons. This house, which is now our home, has history. . . 100 years of it. At one point in time, it was the Thanksgiven House Bed and Breakfast, and a tarnishing plaque on the back door off the kitchen reminds us so. I've heard the story of how it got its name, but I'm sure I'd butcher the details, so I thought I'd just comment of a few of the things for which we're 'given thanks' this year.

-New life and unexpected blessings. Baby Katherine has been such a wonderful addition to our family. While the news of her (pending) arrival was a huge surprise a little less than a year ago, I can't believe how boring life would be without her. We had company over the weekend and my friend said, "I don't think she's stopped smiling." She started about 4 weeks ago and really hasn't stopped since. She's got a fuzzy little head and dark brown eyes, adn when she smiles she usually sticks her tongue right out. Its pretty precious.

-Jobs that we love, that seem to be perfect fits for us at this point in our lives. I love my job and the challenges it presents. I love that Dale makes such an awesome difference in the community with his job.

-The health of our families. Last year, we had no idea where were headed with Little Logan Dale. Apparently he didn't get the memo, as he continues to march right along, hitting milestone after milestone. He started walking a month or so ago, and he's so much fun to watch. He wanders all over and is protective of his little sister. He's become a big helper and works hard to replace her pacifier. . . in whatever orifice is closest. He's also starting to talk and mimic more, which is so much fun. It was also Thanksgiving weekend a year ago when my dad was injured in a farm accident. He's still on the road to recovery, but we're thankful for an awesome team who's taken care of him. He's got an awesome attitude and is working hard. We're looking at one more surgery (hopefully uncomplicated) and he'll be good as new :)

-Friends and family who hang in there even when I go a month between posts :) Sorry! I promise I tried to update a few times, but the photo uploader wouldn't work for some reason (probably operator error). I do have a few new pictures (have been trying to snap some for Christmas cards . . . doesn't seem to be going well. . . they might have to draw you pictures instead). Hopefully this weekend I'll have some time to get them uploaded and passed along.

I hope you have time to share with friends and family this Thanksgiving weekend. We're thinking of the Arcadia crew, out sharing God's love in recuperating Nashville, and look forward to your safe travel home. Tomorrow we'll have Thanksgiving dinner at the community dinner at church. After (and before) we'll snuggle at home as its supposed to be bitterly cold tomorrow.

Love to you and yours-
Dale, Michelle, Logan, & Kate

pictures

We went to see some real cornhuskers! Central City hosted the State Hand Husking competition, so we snapped a few pictures while we were out there.

Kate's opinion of the Texas game.

Our little Herbie Husker wasn't impressed, either.

Sweet Katherine Clare on her baptism day.

It is what it is

We often throw this phrase around at work. Its a nice reminder that some things aren't to be taylored, altered, or changed. They exist as they are for a reason or a purpose. This is my life. It is what it is.

I love this picture. It speaks volumes. The kids both got shots today, so they have reason to be sad. Sometimes we have rough days. This evening was a little bit that way. Although my hair is barely combed, I did shower today-with Logan the bathtub because he peed through his diaper last night. Please also note the badge of motherhood on my shoulder.

We're doing well. We all seem to be settling into a routine. For the most part, Kate is up once at night to eat. Like the bean pod you planted in the first grade, she seems to grow and change every single day! She smiles all the time and is so sweet. She still doesn't tolerate being hungry, but that's easy enough to remedy. She's been getting up early enough in the morning that I can put her back to sleep while I get ready for my day. She usually sleeps until after Logan's done with breakfast, and sometimes even until after he goes down for his morning nap. Logan loves his little sister and for the most part, is very gentle with her. He still naps like a champ twice a day. He can walk, he just chooses not to, so he's still pounding around on all fours. I suspect he'll never walk and will just run. Evenings are a little bit nuts. Kate gets a little fussy, so once supper is finished the bedtime routine begins and takes a couple (or three or four) hours before they're both asleep in their beds. Any activity that previously existed on our schedule is, for the most part, a thing of the past. We have been able to take them to a couple of volleyball/football games, which has been fun. Talking on the phone is a rarity. I have friends I've been trying to connect with for weeks (you know who you are). I wake up every morning with sincere intentions to catch up, and for one reason or another the phone call gets postponed. (thank you for your patience) I'm addicted to facebook and email, because I can usually free up one hand to type. This is life (outside of work). Things are a shade different that I anticipated a year ago, but we are so richly blessed. How lucky am I to be a mommy to two beautiful babies! And yes, I'm lucky to get to go to work to a job that I love. . . most of the time : ) This is my life. It is what it is. And it. is. good.

hanging out

Here are a few pictures of my punkins. We're trying to soak up every last minute of leave before I go back to work on Monday :( We hired an awesome nanny (prayer works) so it will make things a little bit easier. We've been loving the mild weather as its allowed us to get outside once in a while.

Kate is growing and changing right before our eyes. She's a lot of fun. Unfortunately, she got her mother's eating habits and gulps her foods, which frequently results in a tummyache and some crying/squirming/screaming. She always settles down, although I did try to trade her for ice cream last week. Luckily Rick, the Dairy Queen owner wasn't looking to barter that night.

Logan Dale sprouted another tooth the other day (he now has seven) which I think has only accelerated his appetite. this. kid. can. eat. I'm excited to take him in for his 15 month visit (15 months!! are you kidding me?!) to see how he's continued to march up the growth curve. He's still very good-natured, keeps a close eye on his little sister, and likes to "help" in the kitchen.

This last picture is from my birthday. If we look a little tired its because we are (and I have no idea what's going on with my hair here; I actually got it cut that day--so it was salon styled!) We decided to run some errands and try to grab dinner out. . .at a restaurant. . . that serves other people. . . in public. We knew it was a bit of a gamble with two kiddos, and we didn't exactly come out on top. I spent a significant amount of time in the restroom with Kate. She decided she couldn't settle down at the table, so I spent the rest of the meal in the car while Logan and Dale enjoyed awesome food (don't worry, I inhaled my burrito as I walked by). After Kate ate for the third time, we were ready to head home only to discover that the battery was dead. Thank heavens for good Samaritans (and the lady from the next table with whom Logan flirted the whole time) as they were nice enough to help us out. Certainly a birthday to remember, but seriously who could ask for anything more than these two gremlins?

From Across the Street

We had a great weekend. We crazy busy, full of cuddles and hugs and great food and crying and giggling and screaming and great friends and awesome family kind of weekend. To say that there's a lot going on in my brain and in my heart would be an understatement. Kate will be a month old this week-can you believe it? I can't believe how incredibly our lives have been enriched in just a few short weeks. Although he doesn't realize it, Logan has become a loving, protective (adorable, I might add. . . but I'm biased) big brother. I'm at the half-way mark of my maternity leave. To think about returning to work and functioning on all cylinders seems an impossible task. Not to mention, some days its 1030 in the morning before I don a clean shirt and brush my teeth (I'm sorry. . . shower? what's that?). To think about walking out the door and leaving my muchkins also seems an impossible task. Not to mention, the nanny search continues, although I'd say we're closer to a decision. Its no simple task to identify someone to come into your home, love your kids like crazy, keep them clean, fed, and watered, and ask them to be somewhat consistent with our parenting styles (just as soon as we figure out what those are) Add to the mix that Kate had a not-so-great weekend. We didn't sleep a lot on Friday and Saturday nights. She was out-of-sorts fussy and again, the physician in me clicked down the list of potential etiologies, the mother in me clicked down the list of potential solutions. The answer came from across the street. We have a couple of great neighbors across the street, who happened to be available to watch the Nebraska game with us on Saturday (Go Big Red!) I was talking about Kate's rough nights, and that the only thing that seemed to settle her was to hold her. . . even if it meant most of the night. My neighbor (who has successful raised great kids and subsequently has some pretty great grandchildren) gave me sound advice, "Well then I guess I'd hold her just as long as she needs to be held. Remember that you can't do this for very long." and I looked at Logan, busying himself on the floor, babbling, and tearing through his toys and I was reminded how very briefly this period lasts. Quiet the background noise Michelle, quit trying to solve the problem, and just give her what she needs. Subsequently, Kate had a great night last night; she was up twice, ate and went sweetly back to sleep. So with all things, I need to reset anad get back to the basics and the things I know: settle down, God will provide, and we are loved and others want to helpwhen able. I'm trying to relax as we enter this week, believe that God will in fact, provide, and we'll identify just the right person to care for our children.

On another note, yesterday we celebrated my parents' 40th wedding anniversary! How lucky am I to have such a great example of love and family? We were all together, pulled off an awesome meal (the Choutka kids might just have to take our catering business on the road!) and spent some great time together. My only regret is that the day went entirely too quickly. So congratulations Duane and Elaine--we hope you enjoyed your small party and hope that you enjoyed some time with your grandchildren (because the mommies and daddies sure enjoyed a brief period of time away from them : )

So we enter another week, survival tactics in full force, and have faith that things will fall into place (and that when I return to work I'll have time to take showers :) Have a wonderful week!

PICTURES! (as promised)

Not a lot to write today; I'll just post a few pics of my kiddos. They're getting so big so fast!

after my bath

dressed up for my first wedding (Congrats Nate and Rachel!)

My first NE State Fair (maybe next year we'll get a little more excited).

good morning!

Send good childcare vibes our way--we're staring to interview nannies tomorrow. Pray that the right person comes along to love our kids!

One Year Ago Today

Logan was discharged from the NICU and we began our incredible journey into parenthood--free of visiting hours, weighing wet diapers, monitors (except for that stupid apnea/brady monitor that I grew to hate : ), and sharing my child with the nurse who happened to come on duty each shift. We had anxiously awaited the trip home. We were ready.



We knew nothing, except to take him home and love him unconditionally. He has been such a good baby. If you had told me that one year later we'd have a bouncy 13 month old, with no signs of prematurity, I don't know that I would have believed you. And if you had told me that one year later we'd have a bouncy 13 month old and a ten day old little girl, I would have spit milk out my nose. We've been showered with incredible blessings this past year. I'm so proud of Logan and grateful for the good health he's been granted. Certainly, I'm excited to see what the next year has in store, and I'm humbled that I've been trusted with these two precious little bundles.

Kiddos

Sometimes she's awake (but not very often).

Per Aunt Becki's request, we tried to get a picture of the two kids together. What you see is what you get!

Logan seems to be handling the extra attention.

Don't be fooled by the blue sleeper--she's all girl! She's a little bit dramatic and sings falsetto.

We had a visit from Captain Adorable last night (complete with his cape) who showed off his new-found skills behind the walker. He's actually on his feet as opposed to crawling around on his knees behind it.

Busted!

Wiped out and ready for bed. (and sporting my 4th outfit of the day)

My Birthday By: Katherine Sell

Here are a few pictures from my birthday week:

Prior to going to the hospital, as pregnant as my mommy's ever been! (and excited because she actually got some sleep last night :)

Cuddling with my proud Papa for the first time (I won him over already!)

Mom's still smiling (and equally excited that she didn't have to use that emesis basin next to her head!)

Not super thrilled about my first bath.

Right after Dad pushed the lullaby button on the wall and played me my first lullaby

Ready to go home!

and see my awesome big brother :)

(*Special thanks to Auntie Jenn for finding the camera cord so my mom can post pictures!)

She's Here!

We're getting settled in at home after welcoming Miss Katherine Clare into our lives. She's absolutely beautiful, coming from this biased mama. After a great day (thanks to awesome nurses, docs, and a wonderful anesthetist!) Kate was born at 3:51 pm on August 18th. Its amazing how instantaneously a mother's heart swells to double capacity! Weighing in at 7 lb 9 oz, she's ironically within an oz of doubling Logan's birth weight! She still seems SOOO tiny, and now Logan seems SOOO big. I swear Logan gained 10 lb from the time we went into the hospital until we returned.

Having Kate at home makes me appreciate our introduction to parenthood with Logan, and I'm so grateful for it. When we brought Logan home he was trained :) and on a schedule. We were able to wade through so many of the issues of being first-time parents (feeding, sleeping, diapers. . . ) with great help and nurses. It prepared us immensely for baby 2 (it may help some that we went through this whole homecoming thing less than a year ago). Its easier to be relaxed and know that eventually, things work out. So far, she's a great baby--she's been a great eater from the start and its so much fun to sit back and watch the two of them.
I'm ready to enjoy some time as a full-time Mom now (for a little while anyway) but first I'm gonna enjoy a nap ;) More to come!

weekend

We're enjoying a lovely weekend! The weather's been a bit milder, which has allowed Logan and I to take some quick walks around town. We're taking great naps (and not feeling guilty at all about it). Yesterday we enjoyed a visit from the Grandparents and ate macaroni and cheese for dinner (All American!).



We had a great visit to the Dr. on Tuedsday--everything looks good (and we're getting closer to having a baby :)

We'll keep you posted. Have a great week!

Question:

What's a four letter word that starts with T and rhymes with Germ?

T-E-R-M!!!! We officially have a term pregnancy on our hands! Holy cow, I really ddn't know if we'd get here. It feels good (as good as it can feel to be 37 weeks pregnant in August :) I don't have much new as far as updates, but I've been promising pictures so I thought I'd put up a few

(He does have a forehead) Remember Sam? This is a special outfit for me, because its just like the very first one I wore in the NICU. Now Sam's older brother wears it because its much too small for me!

Birthday cake!


Logan's really excited about dinner at Fazoli's! (7/24/10)

Briefly

Just another quick (lack of an) update--

We're doing great! Our biggest news is that Dale started a part time job here in town, working with one the assisted-living programs for psych patients. He's so patient with them, I think he'll really be a great addition to their staff. He works with their recreation/programming (oh, and is a transportation specialist :) He'll get to use a lot of the same skills he developed while working with Mosaic in Omaha. We're not sure what the schedule's going to pan out to look like, but for now its a few mornings a weekend. We haven't disrupted our morning routine (we'll leave that to the new person who's coming to live at our house).

Logan is busting all over the place. He's climbing and has mastered the stairs, but it will be a while before he's walking, I'm thinking. (That's fine with me. . . he's easier to catch this way). He's been loving all the attention lately and has had lots of opportunities to hang out with family (and we're so grateful for the help!) Our babysitter/nanny is out this week, so its a little bit of a revolving door here, which is fun! On that note, if you have a second please pray for guidance for us as we'll need to figure out what to do for daycare for the two kiddos. Our nanny has decided to pick up more hours at her other job (good luck to her--we'll miss her!!). Hopefully it will work for Dale to stay home with two kids when he's here and perhaps we can find an awesome fit for a part-time nanny the rest of the time. After the baby's born, I'll probably look into daycares again. . . something will come together, I'm sure.

I'm doing great--still a big whimp and avoid the heat for the most part. I have another appt today, so we'll see what (if anything) is going on. We rolled past 35 weeks this weekend--each day is like a burden lifted!! Work continues to be reasonable, which helps.

(*or not so briefly*) This post was longer than I intended. I keep hearing from many of you who keep up with us via blog, so I wanted to say thank you, and that we're humbled that you have an interest in what's going on in our little corner of the world. Have a great Tuesday! Picts soon, I promise!

Well, we made it. We've accomplished a lot, actually. This has been a B*I*G week! Thanks to our family and friends who helped to make Logan's first birthday so special. I got distracted that day and took so few pictures with my camera, so I'm at the mercy of everyone else who did to forward them on to me. We had a great day. . . my morning was a little busy, but then we had a nice lunch (in our air conditioned house :), played a little with the kiddos in the shade, and then the Sells took awesome naps! The Choutkas spent the evening at the county fair (I can't wait to get back. . . hopefully next year) while we spent the evening with some of Dale's extended family. It was such a fun occasion. . . along with getting (nearly) all of the great grandchildren together, there are five little boys who were all born in 2009! It was the first time we've been able to get them together and they're such fun (and SO cute!)

On Monday Dale and I headed off and left Logan behind (thanks, Grandma!) We had a great checkup at the doctor, and then spent the night in Kearney. (Daddy's first night away from the little Tiger, and he did great!) A well air conditioned hotel room with a king-sized bed and 6 (six!) pillows on the bed was this pregnant mama's dream. Unfortunately, the alarm went off too early and I was off to UNK to take boards. It was a long day, but the test was manageable (still have my fingers crossed that it went okay) but I don't care--its over! We enjoyed some baby-free errand running, including a stop at the baby store (can you believe we're going to have another one of those things around here soon?) We enoyed a quick visit with friends, and it was home again home again for us.

All in all it was a wonderful week. I hope yours was just as great. For now, I have a toddler who's wanting some attention, and supper is calling my name. Have a great week--stay cool!

One year ago today. . .

I was freaking out a little bit : ) By this time last year, we'd driven from Arcadia to Omaha, from the Med Center to Lakeside Hospital, and back to the Med Center, and by 3:30 pm they were pumping me full of drugs while I was tipped on my head. In the meantime many of you were helping us bombard heaven with prayers that this little kiddo would do okay. I remember that I started feeling better at about 9 pm, thank goodness, with a dose of steroids on board, only for my water to break shortly thereafter. Oh. My. Goodness.

How good it feels today to scoop up my little mister as he's crawling across the floor babbling "mamamama" and grinning with all two of his teeth. Thank you thank you for your prayers, your patience, and your support. We have been so blessed by this precious little boy. He's taught us so very much about ourselves, about life, and about the loving nature of the Good Lord (oh yeah, we're still trying to figure out this parenting thing, too).

Hope you've had a wonderful holiday weekend. Short post today, as I'm trying to study. This is a big week--Big First Birthday on Saturday, followed by boards on Tuesday, the 13th.

Just chillin'

We've been doing a lot of this lately. . . just kicking back, enjoying life. I've been handling the summer heat well. . . I walk from the porch to the car to the clinic to the hospital to the clinic to the car to the porch. And otherwise I stay inside :) We're quite pleased that our first house update was to install central air conditioning when we moved in. Granted, we haven't gotten our first utility bill, but we agree that its worth it, whatever it is.

We've achieved so many milestones in the last couple of weeks!

• We (and by we I mean Dale) harvested our first goods from the garden (leaf lettuce--love it!)
• Logan is pretty much completely off baby food (and formula!). Now we just keep trying to come up with clever foods and snacks. The kid is a trash compactor. He ditched the bottle and now is ready for a birthday!
• I'm officially more pregnant (and still on my feet) than I've ever been. Tomorrow (Wed) correlates with the point in my last pregnancy when Logan demanded a birthday party. We had a quick trip to the doctor today and it looks we're gonna make it (at least past tomorrow :) Now we're in bonus territory, where each day is just a win for us. We get to stop having so many ultrasounds. I'll continue progesterone shots for a few more weeks and after that just try to be a normal pregnant person (that's the tricky part). She assures me each time I go in that I have the right to be a crazy woman, but I don't know if completely understands my baseline.
• We've had some fun times with family--enjoyed a nice relaxing day with Curtis and Jenn over the weekend. They were awesome houseguests (so maybe we all took 2 hour naps in the afternoon). We're not getting out and about as much as we probably usually would, but its nice to stick close to home sometimes too. We're looking forward to the 4th of July weekend this weekend. Unfortunately, we'll miss the Comstock extravaganza this year (which might be okay, because thats where I went into labor last time. . .oops) Anyway, it will be replaced by the Arcadia Q125 festivities, which we're also sad to miss. I'm on call over the long weekend so we'll take in our first ever Lone Tree Days here in Central City.

Alright, I should get off of here; there are things to do. Unfortunately, many of them are on my butt, but there's work to be done nonetheless. If mother nature cooperates, I'll be taking boards two weeks from today. It will be nice to have them out of the way.

Hope you're having a "cool" summer! Enjoy the holiday weekend and be safe (and stay the heck out of my ER!!)

Love to all of you from all of us.

Still cookin'

Hey thanks for your prayers. After this weekend I was pretty tired, and I think my body paid the price. I started feeling pretty rough. We had a routine ob appointment today, and everything continues to look great. Thank goodness! Fatigue and pregnancy hormones can be double trouble, and I went in expecting the worst. Logan is really excited to meet his brother/sister and clapped when my doctor walked into the room. So. . . we stay the course. I continue to be thankful for the awesome helpers in my life (i.e. my husband) who keep my burden light here at home, and my friends and family who try to keep my craziness in check.
Happy Hump Day tomorrow!

Think Tank

*sigh* This has been a week. Not one that I want to repeat anytime soon. It was full of grown-up stuff. I don't mean bill-paying, make-sure-there's-healthy-dinner-on-the-table grown-up stuff. I mean lessons. Life lessons that rock you to the core and make you survey your entire being and purpose. Ouch. I was reminded of a lot things.

*life is fragile

*we are not in charge

*sometimes even your best effort isn't enough

*life isn't fair. . . and it isn't supposed to be

*people will appreciate you for who you are, even if you fall short of your expectations

*failure isn't ours to assess



I'm grateful, however, that these were reminders, instead of things I was having to learn for the very first time. You see, I'm a big believer in practice. I don't necessarily believe that practice makes perfect, but I believe that practice makes prepared. For what?? We'll know when the time comes. In college I had a very insightful friend with whom I frequently spoke about relationships and the future. I'm not sure how we ever stumbled upon the topic, but I remember talking over coffee about practicing to be a great wife and mother, and about asking God for opportunities to do just that. As it turns out, I didn't meet my husband (or my child(ren) for that matter) for many years. But I do believe practice makes prepared. Sometimes life seems a bit mundane, but if we continue to practice, when the time comes (and we'll know when it comes) we'll be ready.



I wasn't the only one who had a rough week. I wouldn't say my week was rough. . . I'd say it was insightful. . . and blessed. Last week I watched a friend, who had obviously practiced, have to take the stage as an outstanding father, husband, friend, physician, teacher, and mentor, all in a period of about 48 hours. He was called to step up to the plate more than once. And he did a great job. He handled his challenges with incredible grace. . . all because he'd practiced. Was it glamorous? Certainly not. Did he win? Not by everyone's standards. Unfortunately, we were all also reminded of the importance of practicing what matters most. . . being a child of God and being ready at the very second we're called Home. . . whenever that may be. We were reminded that we're only human, called to do our very best, but that ultimately (and I've said this before) we are not in charge. We just work here.



It hurts to fall short. But it hurts a little less when we fall short of our own expectations and humbly realize that our earthly efforts, while part of God's master plan, are not meant to determine fate. They're practice.



I was humbled this week, and a little overwhelmed by the gifts I've been given. I've been gifted a spouse, and charged with the task of helping him get to heaven. I've been gifted a son (and sometime soon, but not-too-soon another baby) and what a huge task. . . to help them along their earthly way! I've also been gifted a profession where I have witnessed both the resilience and fragility of life, in a very real way. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life; for helping me practice for the next time I'll be called to an incredible task.

JUNE!

Sorry for the little photo--Allyssa took it and I stole it off of Facebook. I love it. . . I haven't been able to capture a full-on smile on camera.

Holy cow, has it been almost a month??? Sorry for ditching the blog lately. We've been loving the warmer weather and have been running around a bit. I swear, May flew by like a rocket. We enjoyed lots of family time and celebrations and transitions: graduation, retirement, and a celebration of life, just to name a few. Logan got in Gma and Gpa time here and there. He is still growing like a weed. He's starting to be a little mischevious, and requires more attention now. He's mobile with his crawl/belly flop/roll/bear crawl routine. He also loves to be up on his feet, found out what happens when he puts one in front of the other (with help, of course), and wants to take everything apart.


Baby 2 continues to look great. I'm going in for appts every 2 weeks, and so far things are good. Someone asked today how far along I am. I answered 27 weeks + 3 days. The she asked me, "And who's counting?" I am. Man, I have such a new respect for every single day of healthy pregnancy (someone please remind me of that in August when I'm as big as a house and ready to be done :) So until further notice, I will count every single day. And be grateful for it. (S)he is growing well and likes to play footsie with big brother when he's sitting on my lap.

Work is intermittently busy. I'm hoping to take boards again in July, if the baby behaves, so I'm trying to sneak in a little bit of studying here and there. It will be nice to be done with them as they've loomed over me for a while. Dale continues to be an awesome at-home dad and "domestic manager" (hehe). Seriously, he keeps this place afloat. Between him and our nanny, Rachael, Logan is well cared for and loved loved loved!

Any big plans for you this summer? We're going to stick close to home for obvious reasons, but we always love visitors. I got some rockin' chairs (literally) for Mother's Day that are perched on the front porch and are pretty darned relaxing at dusk with a cold beverage. If you're going to be in the area, give us a call!

Enjoy the sunshine! Until next time. . .

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers! I will say that its an honor to be a member of "the club" for the first time. Wow. . . this comes with such great benefits!

We're having a wonderful day today. I went in to the hospital to round this morning and came home to my baby sound asleep and an awesome note from the men in my life. Now, I have a spare moment because Dale's napping on the floor (its his turn; I took mine this morning) and Logan is completely content to roll around him, poking and prodding him here and there, and blowing bubbles incessantly. Its a proud, precious mommy moment. (I tried to snap a picture, but none of them turned out very well.) For lunch we heated up leftovers from last night's "Ocho de Mayo" party (which is perfect because I loooooove Mexican food). Its a little windy today, so we're all hanging out indoors and laying low. We love lazy weekend days.

I hope you have a great week. We have a busy week ahead as Dale has committments every evening, so we'll be doing the parenting handoff all week as many of you are familiar with.
Love to you and yours!

quick prayer request

(and this time its not for us) A friend of mine from high school has had two premature babies, and they're pregnant with their third. I found out that they're now 34 weeks (a record for them). Please pray that everything would continue to go smoothly and that they'll have a healthy, term, take-home baby this summer!

Happy Birthday Dale!

Yesterday was Dale's birthday. The boys got to spend the day at home. I came home for lunch and tried to surprise him with a new grill. I failed miserably, but we have a new grill now so c'mon over and as soon as we figure out how to use it, we'll grill up some steaks and burgers! After I got off work we went to the local greenhouse and got some awesome flowers. If you live nearby you really should stop by. It's a little mom and pop operation (literally) north of town with rows and rows of beautiful plants and flowers. It was fun to push Logan around in the stroller while he flirted and conversed with everyone, and it was really really fun to see Dale so excited to pick out his birthday presents. (sorry the pic is so blurry. . . we'll try to take better photos when everything's planted) After we put Logan to bed we feasted on salad, chicken parmesan, cheesebread, peas, and apple pie until we were stuffed. I cheated on a few things. . . used prepackaged bread and pie from the freezer aisle!! (which oddly enough doesn't make me feel like less of a wife today : )

I took this picture of Logan this morning. He's still trying to figure out how to crawl. As babies do, he'll get up on all fours and either hop forward or scoot backwards. As you can imagine, shortly after this was taken he was trapped under the chair. Shortly after I rescued him, he spit up all over the floor. (some things are slow to change!) He also picked up a trick from his Papa Sell last weekend and looooooves to make motorboat noises, so if he spits all over you when he sees you next, its just his new way of saying hello!

We're really looking forward to a quiet weekend this weeekend. We anticipate getting a lot of things done in the yard, and hopefully I'll get some significant housework done as well. We'll likely make a trip to GI for some "supplies" as well. Hope you have a great weekend. Happy May Day!