MERRY CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Crazy Michigan Life!!

Here are our going away Maui pics.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Yes it is cold here in Michigan; and dry, dry, dry. Yes I am kind of missing the 85 degree balmy Maui climate. If I were not sick the last 2 weeks I would not notice as much. We actually exited the airplane in Grand Rapids, MI without a jet bridge, which meant walking off the plane into the lovely snowfall of the day--it actually felt quite nice at that moment and was very pretty. The boys asked, "It's Christmas mommy?" Then shorlty after Clayton asked, "Where is the baby?" :) I guess our timeline of moving and having the baby are not quite understandable by a 2 and 4 year old, but they got it pretty close (Michigan, then Christmas, then Jeriah's bday, then the baby).

Life has been crazy here trying to adjust to the climate; living in my parents house and getting the attic ready for Eric and I and the baby; and trying out a complex (glucose/cassein free) diet for the kids!! We had to test for mold in the attic and tear out old ceiling tiles and carpet so I am waiting for the guys in my life to get together and get it finished up. The carpet will be in next week but some of the ceiling tiles and insulation need to be replaced before we can put in the carpet. Eric can help when he gets here but i dont know when that will be--probably next week. He flew from Maui to California last night for work again. When he finishes up there he will fly to Michigan. We miss him a lot!! We have been apart 3/4 of the last 2 months :(

Clayton started school this week so I am getting a little more rest now--he does not nap anymore. So far he seems to like it and enjoys riding the big bus. I dont know if I can get Jeriah in preschool here since he is not potty trained yet. Hopefully Eric and I can work on that when he gets here--I do not have nearly enough patience, energy or fight left in me to try that on my own right now!
Needless to say, it has been difficult to prepare physically, emotionally, etc for a new baby and even for Christmas so rapidly approaching. Hopefully the next couple weeks will change that.

In case I dont get on here again soon, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Please give us a call if you are in southwest Michigan!! We would love to see you!

First Fight

This was a few weeks ago, but we thought there first fight/hitting match was pretty funny so here it is!

Here are also 2 videos of the boys doing my Hula workout video with me. They are pretty good at it!

UPDATE

As for the rest of this crazy life, we are on the home stretch now for moving to Michigan. The boys and I leave next Saturday the 15th. Slowly but surely i have been packing the house since Eric was gone for over 2 1/2 weeks this month. He is home now though and his parents are here helping. This weekend we are all taking a little vacation to Kauai and then we will come back and finish the packing and other details. See you soon, Michiganders. :)

Halloween and Insensible

Here are some pictures of Jeriah's last day at school and also of the boys and their downstairs buddy Ian tonight. They are all dressed and ready for family fun night at their school. Clay is the lion, Ian is the ninja and Jeriah is the cowboy, Woody from Toy Story.

Clayton's word of the week is "insensible." He was sitting on the toilet yesterday reading a book and got all upset. I thought he was mad at the book and asked him why he was mad at the book. He just looked at me, got a very slight smirk on his face, pointed his finger at me and said, "You are NOT insensible!" I was flabbergasted. Where in the world did that word and phrase come from? I dont know, but he used it several times yesterday while they were playing as well.

ps. still waiting for my husband to come back from CA. I guess they really like him (so do I) and need him (so do we) :)

Pumpkins and Goats

I forgot my camera, but the boys had a good time today visiting the pumpkin patch. They also got to see horses and goats--even baby goats. There was a dog running around the fence frightening the goats so we got to see a show down. First the mamma goat with the babies was eyeing the dog and taking one step closer at a time and giving him "the look!!" Then the other goats started to notice and one by one each of them turned toward the dog and started moving slowly toward then fence where he was and some of them were stomping their hooves on the ground. It was actually pretty hilarious. It was like a member of an oppossing gang had just come over and given lip and the goat gang turned and almost in unison began moving slowly toward the culprit/victim and giving him the deadly glare that he was about to be pounced!

Anyway, then we went to our friend Melissa's house and she helped the boys seed the pumpkin and carve it and even toasted the pumpkin seeds, while i tried to rest.

I am trying to tell the boys that we might have a baby boy but they seem convinced that it is a girl. We were praying at bedtime the other night and clay squeezed me and said, "you going to push that baby out to a girl... a baby girl is gonna be a baby sister." I told him it might be a baby boy and then i would be a brother, but he said, "no, it's a girl. it's a baby sister." So, we shall see. Let's hope the "faith of a child" is right.

Oh yeah, and here is my latest mug shot:) I usually take my pictures in the morning when i am smaller, but this one was at night so the change may be a little more drastic than my morning shots. I really am bigger in the evening. I even measured myself one day in the morning and then that night and I was like an inch or two bigger around that night--it must be the slow digestion!

Sarah

A conversation I just heard from Jeriah, standing on our front steps: "No, can't come in. This is my house. It's for boys. Go downstairs. Go to your house....please say ruf, please say ruf. ...Go. Go doggy. Get down. Hi...Bye. Bye." Our neighbors puppy had come over and wanted to follow Jeriah into the house, apparently.

The picture to the left is our family with Eric holding the 15 lb ahi yellowfin tuna he caught while he and the boys were out fishing with our neighbor on his red zodiak.

We have not had any house action for a few weeks. I guess that is good since my house is currently strung with empty bins, boxes half-packed, clothes piled that no longer have a dresser to rest in, and as always, toys strewn on the floor.

Guess Who?
I walked into the bathroom yesterday and one of my children was squatting on the floor, sticking his pee tool into a bathroom cup. I moved him toward the toilet and he began urinating in the trash can until i turned him toward the toilet.

One of my children just bought an electric guitar (toy) at our garage sale. I awoke at 545am today with the guitar music playing and my son scream singing. A great new alarm clock!

Update
Eric was in CA last week Sunday to Sunday and goes again this Thursday. When we picked him up at the airport Clayton said, "I so glad to see you again, Daddy." It was a heart-melting moment.
While Eric was gone last week I held 2 garage sales and got rid of a lot of stuff. I am trying to pack a few things here and there and prepare them for shipping. Some things I am not sure if i should ship or not, like my nice Pfaltzcraft dishes. If anyone has any suggestions on packing and shipping, please let me know. 3 1/2 wks and counting!
Sarah

Kiddie tales, Doggie tails and Moving tales

10/06/08 "Daddy....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I so excited to see you. I feel better to see you, daddy." -Clayton

11/13/08 Jeriah was acting like a dog so I tried to convince him otherwise by saying, "Doggies eat dog food and only drink water, no milk, no cookies; and they pee on trees and chase cats." So, what does my smart 2 1/2 yr old do? He heads toward the front door and says, "Wanna go pee on the tree and chase kitty cats, mommy..." and continues to say so until i let him outside where he proceeds to a tree, pulls his diaper down, and says he is peeing on the tree. So much for my bright idea. I guess next time I will stick to the no ice cream and cookies statement.

Jeriah just had his last day at preschool. He has been doing school 5 hrs/week and clay goes all day everyday. Clay just started soccer but his younger brother is much more interested in playing than Clay is! Funny how different their personalities are :) I am posting a cool shot of Clay's thoughts on soccer (throw the ball right at mom while she tries to take a soccer photo!)

As for our moving update, it is a little overwhelming trying to figure out what is worth keeping and what is worth sending back to Michigan but we are slowly working on the process. We go to Kalamazoo first to have the baby and let clay finish school for the year (till May or June probablyly) and then we will head up to the great white north. Eric will still be making a lot of business trips out here to Maui, where the main company location is, and maybe to California, but for now we can live either in Maui or in Houghton, where one of the company owners is still a professor at MTU. The kids and I leave for MI Nov 15 and Eric will come a few weeks later.

Speaking of Eric, he is in CA for work all week (on a one-way ticket so far) so hopefully he comes back to help me pack :)

Sarah

Conversations with Children and Other silly occurences

Pics: Daddy's helpers; Jeriah "making a line"; and Eric's lates home improvement project, the tiled shower downstairs and our new paint job

Mommy and Clay

"What are you doing mommy?" (Clay)

"I am sweeping the floor."
"Oh, that's great! .. I am getting some water." (Clay)

Daddy and Jeriah and Mommy

Background: Jeriah had a nightmare about a bug, so he came in our bed for awhile. While I was in the bathroom, Eric was telling Jeriah he just needed to "squish" the bug next time he saw it. He was telling him he could "squash them with his feet or run over them with his bike......."

Jeriah lays his head down and says, "Daddy, I wanna go to sleep now" (In other words, 'be quiet and go to sleep, daddy. It is not time to ride bikes.')....

...............................

I come back in the room to lay down and Jeriah is taking up most of my spot, so I say,

"Jeriah, how about you scooch over that way more and 'squish' your daddy instead of me."

Jeriah is quiet for a second and then responds, "Daddy is a bug?"...(pause from Jeriah and laughter from me)..."I dont want to 'squish' daddy."

Things in Odd Places

1. Calculator in fridge (Clayton, a couple yrs ago)
2. Liquid sweetener in dishwasher (Jeriah, a couple days ago). I searched for this one for about 10 or 15 minutes before I found it!

MORE TO COME.................

Funny Boy Stories

Story #1:
Recently our boys discovered that when we hose down our tiled deck to clean it off that it is slippery and they can slide on it like a "slippery slide." Now whenever I try to clean the deck I hear, "you make a slippry slide, mamma?" Then they get on their bellies and start sliding around. I told them it is too dangerous to do without a helmet, but I've pretty much just been trying to avoid the whole thing. Anyway, today I was just cleaning a small portion of the deck where they had spilled milk and behind me i hear Clayton say, "Look Mom, I can make a slippery slide with my pen*s" so I am thinking, "what?" I turn around and they are both naked and Clayton is peeing on the deck! So I turn my head away so I can laugh before I scold him and when I turn back Jeriah is sliding into first, right through the fresh puddle of urine! I yelled at him that he was in pee pee, but I could hardly do anything but laugh!! Hopefully they dont hate me in 10 yrs for putting this on the internet :)
Story #2:
The boys and I were in the bathroom the other day cleaning up or something. I was facing the sink, helping Jeriah, when I suddenly feel wetness running down the back of my leg. I whip around to see Clayton there, buck naked, about 1 foot away from the toilet, but facing me instead and peeing on my leg!! I am sure you can figure out my reaction to that one! I know he did not pee on me on purpose but it floored me that he could not think fast enough to turn and face the toilet instead of me!
Story #3:
The last couple days when Clayton has gotten off the bus he said, "I had fun at school today, mommy. And I listen to Mr. Arthur" (his teacher) I ask him what he did and he says, "I play with my friends and listen to Mr. Arthur." Then today he also said, "you happy tonight. yeah, you happy" i am not sure what that was all about, but it was cute.

Ultrasound

So, we had our 2nd trimester ultrasound yesterday at about 17 weeks. The votes are in and the verdict IS.......................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................We
are having A Baby (a boy OR a girl) !!!!!!! Yeah, you already knew that, but we did not find out the sex, so all you impatient people will just have to be patient and all you old-fashioned people (ie: Dad T), will be proud of us this time :)
Everything looks good so far. The ultrasound tech said i am measuring like 8 days ahead of my due date but I told her that is just because I have big babies (#1 8lbs 14 oz and #2 8lbs 5oz)!
Unfortunately I am going to have to try to give up ice cream and hit the pool because sciatica has been keeping me less active and I gained 6lbs this month--aaaaaaahhhhhh!!! On a positive note, my doctor suggested I use a pregnancy support belt to help with the sciatica; so she wrote me a prescription for it and my insurance covered like 90% of it. It is definiteyly not fashionable, but it should help reduce my pains with all the bending over cleaning and lifting of my children that I do.
Well, that is all for now. I will post ultrasound pics as soon as i find someone to scan them for me.
Sarah

So my last day at Boeing was yesterday. It was bittersweet. The hardest thing was giving up my computer in which I have been using and developing for 3 to 4 years. We went to "Fat Daddy's Smokehouse" for the going away lunch. Then we had rosalani (sp?) ice cream in the break room for good meausre. Anyway, off to PDS. -Eric

Lives Always Changing

So I did not plan for my big belly to be the first picture on this blog but that is just how it worked out. I am now 16 weeks pregnant with baby #3, due February 13th, 2009. We are hoping for a girl, but waiting till "birth-day" to find out if it is a girl or boy. Yes, this is the last one! He/She was trying to push a limb out of my belly button last night. It was cool to clearly feel her for the first time.

Partially due to this baby's coming and the fact that they dont do v-backs on Maui, we are planning to move to Kalamazoo in December for a few months. Then we will head up nort to da UP eh (Houghton), in the spring or summer.

We are still trying to sell our house.

Clayton is 4 and in preschool. He talks and sings and loves to read and watch movies and play with cars and trains. He is very independant.

Jeriah is 2 1/2 and goes to preschool 5 hrs a week. He has been talking in sentences since he was 1 1/2. He is a social bug and a mamma's boy. I am hoping he adjusts to the baby ok because I am 'his' mamma (he always says, "My Mamma"). He turns 3 about 2 wks before baby #3 is due.

Eric has been busy working 2 engineering jobs and remodeling different parts of the house--the downstairs bathroom and new stairs were the most recent. He officially finishes up at Boeing next Friday, September 5 and will be full time with his new job at PDS, which is located here but is allowing us to move to Michigan.

Well, that is all for now but we will keep you updated as life progresses.

Blog Start

Sarah and I are starting this blog in an attempt to capture experiences while raising our kids, being pregnant (not me... her) and living the life God has given us in general. Experiences cannot really be captured well like this but I presume these nuggets of text will bring back valuable memories of the events to help us rebuild the experiences in our minds and hearts. We will see how this turns out. If it were left to me this might be the first and only blog but I think with Sarah in the mix maybe, just maybe, there is a chance that this will go on for a while creating a potpourri of memories allowing us to reconstruct a semblence of this wonderfully abundant God given life. I think this may also be a great thing for our kids to read when they are older to get a better understand of how thier lives progressed and personallities and character formed. I pray they will know the Lord in the most real way in there lives as I have had the privledge of experiencing.

Cheers,
Eric