It's been awhile...

I'm back for a quick post. Here's what's been going on at our house:

1- My allergies are back and coming on full force. I have almost no voice and am struggling with sleeping since I can't breathe.

2- A is getting his 2 year molars. He's been grumpy (understandably so), but he's hanging in there. It's been a long week for him, and the teeth haven't even broken through the skin yet.

3- P is still recovering from a knee injury. He's spending most of his time on crutches, and the rest of the time finishing up our home projects.

Combine those three, and it's been hard to get around to blogging. Soon, we'll have the house on the market and hopefully we'll all be back to our normal healthy selves. Until then, hope you are all doing well.

And... you can check out our house website. It's not finished, but you'll get the picture for now.

www.4306grove.blogspot.com

A New Twist

I have now reached the point where I can't see my feet and every time I bend over, a noticeable grunt is heard. I was reading to A today, and the books on the floor were just out of reach. Every time I bent over to get another one, he would "mock" me and make a groan noise. It was hilarious!

So it is definitely harder for me to move these days, but I no longer hold the title of "least mobile" in our house. Patrick went to get an MRI on his knee after getting knocked down pretty hard in an ice hockey game. It turns out that he doesn't need surgery (thank goodness), but he's supposed to stay off it for three weeks. He's hobbling around on crutches now. Should be an interesting three weeks as A is getting faster and we are getting slower.

A New Word

We all know that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Most of A's strengths are in his physical ability. He can jump, gallop, catch a ball, etc. But he has always struggled with words. We have been working with him often trying to get him to say "hi" or "dog"... words that we use all the time, but he still has only really mastered about 5 words. But recently he has picked up his first two-word phrase. "NO MINE". Seriously... where do kids get this? It's not like P and I walk around the house shouting "NO MINE" when he touches things. With the thousands of times we have used the word "dog", you would think he would have picked that up, but no luck. Instead, everytime someone tries to take a toy or help him eat, they get the whiny response of "NO MINE". I guess the terrible twos start earlier than I thought.

Pumpkin Farm

Since Halloween is just around the corner, we took a trip to the Pumpkin Farm. A's grandma was able to join us, which was a lot of fun. There were all kinds of activities for A to do, and we ended up spending an hour there without spending any money! Though the weather channel predicted rain all day, the forecast changed last minute, and we had beautiful weather in the 60s. Here are a few pics from the trip.

Home Improvements

It's been awhile since my last post, mainly because we have been so busy working around the house. We are finally completing all of the projects we've wanted to do since we bought the house 6 years ago. That means: completely updated and re-tiled bathroom, painted trim, repaint bedroom, new kitchen counters, paint the kitchen, random yard work (including replanting grass)... and that's just the beginning. It's been a lot of work, but items are finally being crossed off the list for good!

The irony is that the projects will be finished just in time to put our house on the market. We are going to try to sell fsbo and see if anyone is interested. Of course, everyone wants to know where we are moving and why now in the midst of a down market. And the reality is we don't know where we are moving. We have been tossing around the idea for awhile, and then the other day at church, the pastor was talking about faith as an action... how faith is more than just believing, it's acting out that belief. He ended with the question, "What step of faith do you feel like God is asking you to take?" As we left, Patrick and I shared our thoughts on this question, and it turns out we both felt like God was calling us to put our house on the market. It was very random that we would have both come up with this idea at the same time, and we both feel strongly like it's what we are supposed to do. So, despite the long list of reasons it doesn't make sense right now, we are going to put our house up for sale. Though it's stressful, overwhelming and a little frightening to have no idea what the future holds, we know Who holds us. We are both so excited to see where God leads us from here.

On a totally different note, I have some great video of A that I'm going to try to post. I've never posted video on blogspot before, so it may take awhile for me to figure it out. But, you can sit in suspense waiting anxiously to see a really cute movie.

Busy Week

I didn't realize it's been so long since I updated. We've had a really busy week with something going on every night. But it's been a fun week. Here are a few highlights:

-We went to a small group Bible study on Tuesday. A stayed with a babysitter at the house next door with a few other kids. I think he finally realized what he's missing as he watched DVDs, played a video game with a SmartCycle, and spent 1 1/2 in a playroom the size or our living room chocked full of every toy imaginable. I think he passed up the oreos, though, which made me happy.

-I had a doctor's appt... the baby is doing well and getting big. It was fun to hear the heartbeat again, though I had no doubt the baby was doing fine since I'm getting kicked a whole lot more often these days.

-We had dinner out at a nice steak house with my family. A did well staying entertained, though he hasn't mastered the inside voice yet. Though I wouldn't let him have any chocolate cake for dessert, he did enjoy some whipped cream, which he couldn't eat fast enough. He just inhaled every bite and then looked up for more.

-We went to the high school's homecoming parade on Friday. It started with a lot of tears as the marching band scared A. I guess it was too loud. But, the parade ended on a great note with a fire truck, ambulance and police car. He spent the rest of the night making fire truck sounds.

-A had a sleepover at his grandma and nonno's house. I guess I can't speak in past tense as he's still there. P and I went to Cirque du Soleil (however you spell that). It was quite a spectacular show! The strength, flexibility and pure guts of these people was amazing. It was a great time, and great company.

P's now off playing in a hockey game, and I'm on my way to bed. I am looking forward to a morning where I will have to set my alarm to make it to church on time. Sleeping in is one of the best gifts a parent of little kids can receive. I can't wait!

Bonfire

We went to a church potluck dinner/bonfire tonight, and it was so cute to see A interact with other kids. He showed no fear and just jumped in with a group of kids about his age and started playing with them. I am learning to step into a new role as more of a supervisor than a playmate. At home, I am still A's number one friend, but when other kids are around, he becomes so much more independent. I can watch from a distance (unless he's attempting some superman-type feat). It's freeing, that's for sure! I can actually carry on a conversation with another adult with few distractions, but I am still glad that he needs his momma. I'm not ready for him to be completely independent yet. I am learning to savor each moment of cuddling and each time he comes running to show his momma something. This truly is a fun age... a good balance of neediness and independence.