Snowy Sunday Celebration

Saturday was Logan's sister's 40th birthday. It is always hard for Logan to be away from home when loved ones are being celebrated. We love you, Marcia, and promise to get your gift in the mail before your next birthday! :)

Saturday was also my Uncle Jim's 60th birthday, so we were able to celebrate with "Bad Uncle Jim" Sunday afternoon after church at my parents' house. Uncle Jim is a wonderful godly man and we are so blessed to have him in our lives - thanks to Linda's good fortune in meeting him! :) He earned his nickname for encouraging Benjamin to smoosh whoopie pie all over his face and head back when Ben was still small enough to sit in a highchair. Needless to say, that was very BAD! :)

So here is a pictorial recap of our day yesterday. First a picture of our church, then some turkeys we passed on the way to my parents' house, and the boys' amusement in the car ride:

While I helped Mom a little bit, Logan cuddled with Abigail and gave her her first food (without permission, of course!), a Snyders pretzel! She knawed on it like a voracious pirannha on a bit of flesh:

Mom fixed one of my favorites, spaghetti with meatballs. When Logan and I were dating, I regularly fixed this for him. Once we got married, he let me know he really doesn't like it! I'm always happy when others fix it for us, because I can't make it at home too often! :)

After we had Mom's decadent chocolate cake (and Uncle Jim shared the candle-blowing with the boys), Uncle Jim cuddled with Abbey girl. Nana is still recouperating from her fall two weeks ago. She always loves to see the baby though! Mom and Aunt Linda have been watching her day and night to make sure she is taken care of and doesn't have any trouble getting around. Pray for her speedy recovery! She is still in pain, especially when she's up and about.

Sundays are always fun, busy days. We are thankful to have family close-by and to have a close-knit church family as well. And we are always thinking of and missing our family living away. Especially with birthdays and hospital stays happening, and no way to participate. Know that we would love to be there if we could!!!

Jesus, Johnny Cash and Dr. Seuss

Abigail has been dominating the blog, so here is a post devoted solely to her brothers:

The boys are big fans of Johnny Cash. That all started when they saw a video on Youtube of Mr. Cash singing with the Muppets. Last week, I overheard Benjamin tell Josiah that when he died, he would meet Jesus, Johnny Cash and Dr. Seuss in heaven. I thought I was going to die laughing! I was checking my Facebook page at the time, so I put his quip in my status and it generated several responses from amused friends.

Then a couple days ago, our friend "Tammy from Texas," who the boys love, wrote that she shared Benji's comment with her friend Wayne and his wife Millie. They got a kick out of it, because Wayne used to play in Johnny Cash's band and was his good buddy! Wayne is in the hospital now, so the boys made this video for him to send a little cheer his way:

We're also praying for our Aunt Emily. Friday evening, she fell backwards breaking her hip and splitting her head open. She had a rod put in her hip yesterday and her head is doing well. I can't imagine what agony she must be in. Please say a prayer for Emily and Wayne if they come to mind!

I'll close with a couple pictures of my handsome little men from this morning:

To Warm Your Heart

It is well below 0 degrees tonight, so I thought I would warm your heart with photos of my cuties:

Abigail is starting to show some interest in her toys. She's unphased by her brothers wheeling her around the house at high speeds.

The snow banks are starting to look impressive!

The boys have colds, so they rented a Barney movie and relaxed this evening.

And finally, here's a little video of Abbey playing the piano.

Abigail in Her Sunday Best

Here is another installment of photos featuring Abigail in her Sunday Best:

With her doting big brothers

With her adoring Daddy

Showing off her strong leg muscles

And with her proud Mama!!!


Life has been hectic so I have been lagging on updating the blog. I even missed my resolution report on Saturday, although it wasn't going to be a good one. No progress. I've been feeling very blah and I'm not sure if it's due to sleep deprivation or winter blues, but my motivation is lacking. It's very difficult to get my house work done because all I want to do is...well, nothing. I'm so out of it!

We have had a lot going on, though. Multiple play dates, numerous housecleaning jobs, I played for the church choir on Sunday, which meant lots of practice at home for me, grocery shopping, a couple loads of laundry every day, a constant stream of cooking and washing dishes, etc. etc. There are a few notable tidbits to mention:

Logan was asked to be a deacon at our church! I'm very proud of Logan, and of our church for recognizing his wisdom and leadership potential. I was also asked to join the C.E. board and said yes, but am wondering what I got myself into. I certainly will enjoy being a part of the board, but I can see myself volunteering for more than I can handle if I'm not careful.

The boys are enjoying playing in the snow and we've had a couple snow days in the past week. They are also enjoying lots of quality time with their Papa and Grandma since the coffee shop is closed for the winter. It's especially nice when Papa picks them up for a few hours and I can actually get something done without interruption! Of course, Abigail has radar and makes sure to be awake for these special times alone with Mommy.

Abbey girl is growing much too fast!!! She's been wearing 6-9 month clothing for awhile now. Her legs are so cutely plump. I'll have to take a picture for the blog. She's developing a more routinized nap schedule, which is making it necessary for me to stick around home more. Logan has moved his office downstairs and we are going to convert his former office (no more than a glorified walk-in closet) into her nursery. When this is accomplished, she will move out of our bed and into her crib for the first time. That will be traumatic for both of us! I so enjoy cuddling with my little baby at night.

Logan's new job is going very well and he is also enjoying his class this term. He's got a lot on his plate but is handling it all very well and managing to help with the kids and fit in snow removal as well. All three kiddos love getting their Daddy's attention. I even think Abigail coos more to her Daddy than to me. Very cute.

I'll leave you with this picture of Abigail on-the-job with me and Bree, the vaccuumer extraordinaire. I'm enjoying housecleaning so much with this dear friend! If we didn't work together, we wouldn't have time to hang out, so this partnership has been such a blessing. Love you, Bree!

11 Step Program for Those Considering Parenting

I shared this funny post by Amy Lawrence on my Facebook page, but I wanted to post it here for my blog readers too. This made me laugh. Enjoy. :)



Lesson 1

1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.
Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3

A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4

Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6

Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.
Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8

1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9

Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10

Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11

Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is parent will say 'it's all worth it!' Share it with your friends, both those who do and don't have kids. I guarantee they'll get a chuckle out of it. Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things you'll need when you become a parent!

Little Lady in Red

I thought Abigail looked adorable yesterday in her red dress, plaid bloomers and mary janes:

She's 14 weeks old today and is growing too fast. I wish I could stop time for awhile. I can't get enough cuddles!

Resolution Report #1

The good news: I lost three pounds this week!

The bad news: I only partially followed my diet...i.e. I cheated A LOT.

My excuses:
a.) Sleep was not easy for me this week, with a ravenous baby waking me frequently, and two little boys alternately wetting the bed or waking up to socialize with me in the wee hours of the night. I don't think I got much more than an hour's sleep at a time, and I was beginning to feel like an insomniac, unwilling to fall asleep just to be awakened again. This increased my cravings for sugar, caffeine and starches, testing my will power to the max. I really missed my morning coffee!!!
b.) I found that being a nursing mother affected my success. Last year when I tried this diet, I dropped 15 lbs in four weeks and felt fabulous the whole time. I was never hungry. This time, I've been dying of hunger by evening, which is when I would crash off the diet by fixing myself a whole new plate from dinner leftovers after the kiddos were in bed, or nibbling on the Lindt truffles and Hershey's Bliss that are taunting me from the candy jar. I need to figure out how to supplement the diet with protein snacks so that I don't end up sabotaging my hard work at the end of the day.

So today begins a new week. If I continue with 3 lbs/week, I'll be at my goal weight in ten weeks. Ten weeks! That'd be amazing. Knowing how poorly I did this week, I think I should be able to set my mind to it day by day and see better results next week.

Playdates and New Skates

Monday morning we had some girlfriends over - mine and the boys'. Other than sometimes playing too rough, or giving tough bear hugs, the boys get along really well with their lady friends. Here are Josiah, Lily, Emma and Benjamin playing in the boys' big bed:

Emma loves to play with Abigail. She helped me dress her and read her a book on Monday:

Sunday afternoon, we took the boys to try out their new ice skates for the first time. THEY LOVED IT!!! I was so impressed at how well they took to it. We'd had some above-freezing weather for several days, so there was a layer of slush on the top of the ice, which seemed to make it easier for them. I also had bought double-bladed skates. Josiah found a hockey stick and puck and the boys were all over the ice, 'playing hockey' and wiping out. I was picturing them in my mind twenty years from now on the Olympic ice hockey team. :)

We got this family picture after church on Sunday:

New Year's Resolution

I've just finished reading some beautiful blog posts by friends, greeting the new year. I especially appreciated Kerrie's prayer for the new year. Following that inspiration with a post about weight loss just seems depressing, but here I go anyway! I am resolving to lose my baby weight this winter and I look forward to feeling better. My pregnancy days are behind me, so there's no reason for me to wait any longer to get my butt in gear.

Here's my plan: I'll be using the Body Type Diet by Dr. Abravanel. I saw where a friend mentioned it on Facebook last spring, so I ordered the book and followed the diet for four weeks, losing 15 pounds, before I fell off the wagon and took up my old comfort eating habits again. The book explains how we all have four types of glands in our body that regulate our metabolism, but weight gain happens when we overuse our dominant gland and it eventually peters out. Dr. Abravanel gives four custom diet plans according to what your dominant gland is, so that you can rest that gland and the others will kick in and start burning more calories and fat. My dominant gland is my thyroid, so I will have to abstain from all sweets and caffeine, which have been my lifesource as a tired mom. My extra weight didn't come from pregnancy, but afterwards. Whenever I start to drag, I grab another cup of coffee or another cookie. It will probably take months before I can start to have those treats again, and then only rarely. Fun fun.

Although blogging about this is embarrassing, I thought it would be motivating for me to have a little accountability. I'm going to start posting an update every Saturday with my total weight loss to date. Feel free to offer words of encouragement in my comments. :)