alicia and casey

please direct your attention (and perhaps, your links)

2009-05-18T20:24:00.002-04:00

to our NEW blog:

http://www.caseyandalicia.com

fancy schmancy address, no?

can't wait to see you there!!

mmmore, please

2009-05-08T10:47:00.003-04:00

penelope's eating has always been a bit of a challenge. she has had some difficulty in switching to table foods, gagging and whatnot, so we're just taking it slow. her ped will give us a referral to first steps (for possible occupational therapy or pediatric GI consult) if she is still struggling at 15 months. i'm not worried, though-- penelope has always done things in her own time. the doc gave her a good pep talk at our last appointment, and assured me that plenty of babies have the same difficulty without needing any treatment, just practice.

after a pretty intense couple of weeks, she's doing really well. we do pureed foods almost exclusively for two meals, and a combination of actual food (albeit, cut into tiny pieces) and pureed food for the third. she also tastes whatever we're eating throughout the day. she's been keeping things down much more successfully, and is even starting to enjoy it. that makes my life a whole lot easier :o). gradually we'll transition to more and more table food, and less baby food.

she learned to sign "please," which is greatly preferred to whining/demanding.. though it pretty much means the same thing :o)
---------------------------------------------------------

in other news: casey is DONE. we're so excited. he has three weeks off before summer school starts, and currently he is sitting on the porch, drinking coffee, reading something that he wants to read. what a leisurely morning!

we celebrated with crab and lobster ravioli last night. we're cooking/eating greek food with some friends next week, to commemerate the completion of a year of greek language study. lol. we're dorky like that.

this summer should be eventful-- 2 summer school classes, packing/unpacking/moving to another apartment, and a trip to california. not to mention, keeping up with our little pre-toddler :o)

the stats

2009-04-28T21:27:00.002-04:00

at 12-month well check:
height: 31 inches
weight: 24lbs 6oz

girl on the go

2009-04-26T18:03:00.004-04:00

after only a few days of crawling, miss penelope is quite the confident mover. we love it. she's so happy to be able to get into things, and move around independently. i know it's a little more work, keeping up with her, but it's just so fun.

tomorrow morning is her 12-month appointment. i'm curious about her height/weight. she seems pretty tall to me, but it might just look that way since she's trimmed down a little. we'll see :)

she's one years old

2009-04-24T20:35:00.007-04:00

penelope jane is 1!!
we're so thankful for this sweet girl.

she started saying her first word this week: UP. initially it seemed like she was just repeating us, but after further observation, it became clear that she understood. too clear. like when she innocently asked, "up?" as I put her down for a nap.. and the subsequent disappointment at my answer.

she also uses it to tell me she's done eating, or of course, wants to be picked up. when casey holds her it often means "thow me! bounce me! be crazy!"

we've finally got a mover-- she started crawling! i'll get a video as soon as possible :). silly nellie bean gets distracted when she sees the camera, so i'll enlist casey's help when school slows down a little.

it's unfathomable to consider how much she has changed and matured in the past year..

equally perplexing is the change that has occurred in casey and i. it's strange when being a parent doesn't feel strange anymore. i could go on, but i know why you're really here...

(please excuse any redundancies-- penelope-starved grandparents enjoy/demand such things.)

her "tough" face

got camo recliners?

"what's that?"
"nope. not eating it"
"told you"

of special note:

*auntie heather, uncle matt, and bff georgie had flowers delivered to penelope. isn't that so cute?!

*this is admittedly very kentuckyish of us. the weather report insisted that we'd have thunderstorms and showers on the day we planned to celebrate at the zoo. we needed to do something indoors instead. we went to bass pro shop. (insert snide laughter here)

*penelope HATED her cupcake. like took-a-piece-from-dad's-hand-and-threw-it-on-the-ground kind of hate. you can see her dread as the cupcake gets closer..

*i went against my better nature and got penelope a doll for her birthday. she just loves the things, and we can't pretend otherwise, try as we might. if you know me, you know this is some type of sick payback for being exceedingly tomboyish/athletic/anti-doll/anti-dress in my youth. will somebody please come over and teach her about stuff like makeup and clothes someday? i'm sure i'll be completely useless to her... maybe she can teach me?

he is risen, indeed

2009-04-24T17:40:00.007-04:00

clearly i'm behind on this whole blog thing. life is just that way, sometimes.

let's catch up.

easter sunday i woke up with this hymn stuck in my head and hummed/sang it allllllll day. ask casey, it was great ;).

we had a wonderful time with the wheeler fam. they invited us and a few other friends from church over. they're sort of our holiday-away-from-home home :). we celebrated christ's victory over death, ate awesome food, and penelope hunted her first egg. she was much more interested in the grass and flowers, though.

(a little sleepy before church)

the fam

2009-04-24T17:31:00.002-04:00

our little botanist was so happy to hold a flower:

good clean soap featured at the soap bar!

2009-04-24T17:25:00.002-04:00

the kind folks at the soap bar somehow stumbled across my soap and featured it on their blog! i'm honored, excited, and more than a little confused as to why.

anyhow. check out this link and look at the much prettier soaps next to my simpleton bars :o).

drumroll

2009-04-15T16:44:00.005-04:00

today is that fateful giveaway day. i woke with great anticipation, eager to end the suspense.

first i assigned a number to each person... two if they blogged about it...

then i utilized the random number generator at random.org...

...and HAYLEY won the good clean soap triple pack! would you please email me your new(ly wed) address? i'll get your package sent out tomorrow. congrats!!

i'll be holding another giveaway in two weeks. i'm hoping to make it a regular first-wednesday-of-the-month thing. so check back then.

thanks all, for your participation, enthusiasm, and especially your kind words. can't wait to do something like this again!

knitting like it ain't no thing

2009-04-15T16:32:00.001-04:00

there are usually about a ~~milllion~~ dozen expecting moms in our church family. that means i've got enough little toes to keep me busy for awhile...

day tripper

2009-04-13T11:06:00.009-04:00

last week was spring break, so we spent a day in cincinnati. we hit trader joe's, ikea, and the creation museum.

(click for larger pictures)

penelope handled the day beautifully. she even enjoyed the museum! the garden was her favorite part. we're still entertained by her affection for plants, trees, and flowers instead of puppies, kitties, and birds. a flower is much more likely to inspire a smile than any four-legged creature.

she came home sleepy but silly, as is her usual bedtime mood..

we really enjoyed the change of scenery, and taking a day off from any sort of responsibility. we ate good food, spent hours talking, and marveled at a wicked thunderstorm on our way home. all in all, a memorable day full of much-needed relaxation.

good clean soap GIVEAWAY

2009-04-08T16:13:00.004-04:00

sometimes wednesdays are just a bummer. to combat the general malaise associated with this day, i'm giving away some lovely, all-natural soap.

the winner will receive a triple pack with wooden soap dish.

browse the shop and pick out which three bars you'd like. enter a comment on this post with your selection, and i'll randomly select a winner next wednesday. if you'd like to be entered twice, write a blog post linking others to this giveaway. share the link to your blog/post in the comment. simple as that!

in the spirit of full disclosure, i feel i must warn you. once you start using natural soap (not just mine) you'll probaby face some serious discontentment issues when returning to stuff like dial/irishspring/dove/etc. consider that before entering :o).

mischief managed

2009-04-05T17:23:00.000-04:00

random cuteness.

2009-04-04T16:26:00.001-04:00

instead of going to bed, penelope thought it was time to be cheesy and cute. so i really laid down the law... or maybe i just grabbed my camera :o)

bed head

2009-03-29T08:16:00.000-04:00

some kids wake up giggly and smiley, or so i hear.

penelope wakes up and she likes things quiet for a bit. she's kinda grumpy and doesn't want to play. give her a minute or two, and she's ready to go... but those first couple of minutes are brutal.

my girl

2009-03-27T23:39:00.005-04:00

big slobbery kiss

uh oh. tickle attack!

we made her walk the plank..

if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.

2009-03-26T09:19:00.004-04:00

a few penelope highlights:

* since (finally) mastering rolling from back to tummy, she has surprised us a few times. rolling across the room to get into the dvd cabinet, for instance.

* when you say "no-no" with a stern voice, she puts her hands up to her forehead and tears up a little. so far little nellie has such a sensitive heart!

* lately she likes eating steamed peas. she picks an individual pea up SO carefully and eats just one at a time. it's encouraging to see her learn to be a better eater-- especially since she's almost past the bottle/formula stage.

* she's starting to communicate-- little noises (like making the P sound when she wants to get up) show us that words are coming, and soon.

* the tooth count is up to six--two middle on the bottom, 4 middle on the top. she's shown signs of cutting her first molar. (hah i just accidentally typed mohler)

* i'm a little scared to report that she seems to really like baby dolls. i definitely wasn't that girl...

* its SUPER easy to get her to laugh or smile. i love that about her..

sunday night she came home from church with a song in her heart, and couldn't stop clapping. we had a hard time putting her to sleep because we were laughing so hard, and just enjoying her... she really sang and clapped through everything-- her bottle, diaper change, changing into jamies, and reading a story. just constant "lalala, bababa, ahhh, oooo...." with clapping. lots and lots of clapping...

here are the superfluous grandparent pics:

Musha rig um du rum da

2009-03-20T23:48:00.004-04:00

for st. patrick's day penelope sported her favorite pub onesie..

thought about norman...

and watched some irish priests sing beautifully...

oh yeah, and there was a nap or two in there somewhere..

(that's dapper the duck, in case you were wondering. penelope loves to have something cuddled against her face while she sleeps.)

daddy's girl

2009-03-18T09:24:00.004-04:00

showing her teeth..

the anatomy of a cold

2009-03-16T23:25:00.003-04:00

good clean soap NOW OPEN!

2009-03-16T00:40:00.005-04:00

last year we decided to make homemade soap (from scratch) as christmas presents for our family. we didn't expect it to be such a joy! casey and i just love making soap. we love the creative process, the precise calculations, and feeling like we can participate in an age-old art. not to mention, natural soaps just feel better.

seriously, we love this soap. opening an online shop (called good clean soap) gives us an excuse to keep making it, and therefore continue to have it around the house.

making a mess. i mean eating..

2009-03-15T20:45:00.002-04:00

unfortunately penelope is sick today.. icky cough and fever. these videos are from a few days ago...

1) eating whole wheat toast with yogurt spread on top. she really likes feeding herself..

2) she's been able to pick tiny food up, but has had a difficult time getting it into her mouth.. so i tried guiding her hand up to her mouth, to help connect the dots. it worked, except left her needing a crutch.. :)

i don't know why i didn't do this sooner..

2009-03-14T23:05:00.003-04:00

i used this pattern to make a diaper for penelope.

the inside is fleece, to keep her skin feeling dry.
the outside is flannel, meaning it isn't waterproof.. so needs a cover.
in the "pocket," i stuffed a prefold, for absorbancy.

because there is no fastener (aplix or snaps), it is completely adjustable, and "one size fits most." by folding it down, and stuffing it with a smaller prefold, it would fit a much smaller baby.

there is an opening at the back of the diaper, a pocket, where i inserted a cotton, rectangular diaper (called a prefold). you could use lots of other things, though, so serve the same function-- a folded up recieving blanket, microfiber auto towel, etc:

edited to add: a picture of the diaper in action..

something clicked

2009-03-14T16:22:00.002-04:00

i forgot to post this a week or so ago.. penelope realized that her style of clapping wasn't quite right.. and started using a more conventional method:

tidbits

2009-03-14T16:13:00.001-04:00

we've been busy, but with simple, everyday life sorts of things:

* casey is about halfway through the semester! he continues to love his studies, especially greek. that guy spends a few hours studying it EVERY day. i've already (accidentally) run a stack of flash cards through the wash. who knew waiters could study vocab in between tables?

* i've been soaking up the last of penelope's babyhood.. spending lots of my day on the floor with her, and loving every minute of it. i'm also attempting to create a database of the recipes we like, that will create a shopping list based on the meals selected for the week.. sort of a meal-planning, shopping tool. if i ever complete it, i'll be sure to share it here. the initial setup is the most difficult part.. i keep reminding myself :o).

* penelope is seeming older every day. she is quite the chatterbox, even babbling to herself and her toys during "room time." lately her interest in books has piqued. i'm surprised at how long she'll pay attention, and intrigued at what seem to be her favorite books. she bounces like a crazy girl, smiling and clapping when we read this book, and leans in SO close to see every detail of this book. and the page with all the children in this is quite a hit. my kindergarten teacher gave her a bunch of board books for christmas, and she just loves them.

* we bought tickets for california this summer, and we're bringing a couple of stowaways with us. we'll be there july 29th-august 14th.

* the hunt for a wheat mill has officially begun. they're pricey brand new, so i'm stalking craigslist/ebay like a mad woman.

* casey is playing the accordion in church this month.

*we're contmplating a nashville trip for a couple of days over spring break. i hope it works out :o)

piano girl

2009-03-14T15:13:00.005-04:00

"um. what's this?"

"cool it plays music!"

"wait... i get to keep it?"

"cheeeeeeese"

((thrifty alert: i found this toy, brand new, in the original packaging.... at GOODWILL!))

fluff

2009-03-13T22:37:00.003-04:00

i try to stick with gender neutral diapers, for practical reasons. sometimes, though, i just can't help myself...

i really ought to do a cloth diaper post one of these days. i remember having LOTS of questions..

so good it hurts

2009-03-13T14:23:00.002-04:00

after a couple years of saving (and pining), i finally got a new digital camera. let the grandparents rejoice :o)

"dancing keys"

2009-03-02T19:35:00.007-05:00

nellie bean CRACKED up when i bounced my keys on the kitchen floor.

hop-a-long

2009-02-27T07:51:00.000-05:00

silly penelope keeps scooting along, completely upright, and at a snail's pace. it takes her awhile, but she can cross the entire room if properly motivated.

here are a couple of videos from the other day, displaying her attempts to hop/scoot on the carpet:

(i particularly enjoy the walking of the hands in order to sit up again..)

yayyyy

2009-02-26T08:07:00.001-05:00

wednesday morning penelope clapped! i was so excited.. i ran to get the camera before i even fed her :o)

of course, it wasn't a traditional clap. penelope marches to the beat of her own drum, you know...

(don't you love how she looks at the camera and claps? such a crack up. she looks so deliberate)

a tummy-time hater's guide to mobility..

2009-02-25T08:08:00.001-05:00

so penelope loves peek-a-boo in all of it's forms. her favorite version involves peeking around a corner, into a different room. i sat her down in the kitchen, with this game in mind, and captured her latest attempt at mobility.

apparently my silly girl thinks that if she flaps her wings fast enough, she'll get where she wants to go... and in this case, it was pretty effective:

stepping out

2009-02-24T08:31:00.000-05:00

casey and i went to a concert saturday night that i can't stop thinking about. it was that good.

we heard about it on the radio and were so surprised that these two artists were coming to louisville, of all places.

sondre lerche and brandi carlile each performed sets with the louisville orchestra backing them up. it was such an amazing show. if you haven't heard sondre before, give him a listen, he's pretty great.

oh, and here's the only picture we took. umm. pretend the background is a neat concert venue or something, not our dishwasher.. that's life, i guess :o)

(thanks, crousers, for watching penelope!)

the fam

2009-02-23T13:15:00.003-05:00

a couple of weeks ago we all needed to get out of the apartment, casey had the night off, and it wasn't too cold, so we went for a walk.

then... because we're a little nutty... we tried to take pictures of ourselves while running. i'm sure people thought we were crazy.

shake, rattle & roll

2009-02-14T13:20:00.003-05:00

our morning had an abrupt start at about 2am when penelope woke up fussing. since a middle-of-the-night waking is so uncharacteristic of her, i was a little concerned. she felt warm, so i had casey go get the thermometer while i tried to comfort her. we took her temp-- 102.5. we gave her some tylenol and within a minute or two she had a seizure. she tossed her cookies, then we headed to the er.

it was scary, but the doctor assured us that a febrile seizure is much more scary than it is dangerous (does that make sense?). we have careful instructions for what to do if it ever happens again (mostly to pay careful attention to exactly what her body is doing... i really couldn't give them specific information this time, i knew she was having a seizure but i couldn't remember what her toes were doing, for instance).

since it sounds scary, and reading statistics isn't always the most reassuring activity, i offer you this picture as proof that our silly girl is just fine:

(note the slap-happy, puffy, tired eyes. i love it. every single nurse and doctor was able to get a smile out of her)

just off the top of my head...

2009-02-14T08:26:00.000-05:00

here are ninety-nine things i like about you, casey, in no particular order:

1. You like music better if you’ve never heard it on the radio.
2. You are deliberate.
3. You are adventurous.
4. You almost always make me laugh when I'm trying to fall asleep.
5. You’re a man of integrity even at a job you don’t particularly care for.
6. You pump gas for me.
7. You make Penelope smile in a way she doesn’t smile at anyone else.
8. You don’t freak out when I freak out.
9. You think anyone can just pick up an instrument and play a song or two.
10. You’re hot.
11. You rock the wii fit yoga poses.
12. You do weird stuff while you’re sleeping. Like move appliances or dig through kitchen drawers.
13. You have a heart for missions and feet willing to go.
14. You wink like you have a secret.
15. You say every meal is your new favorite meal.
16. You don’t just make faces—you make characters.
17. You snuck into my parent’s back yard with Matt to go swimming.. more than once.
18. You put your hand on my knee when we drive.
19. You sing brilliantly but aren’t showy.
20. You value and esteem the work of a stay-at-home mom.
21. You are a terrible liar.
22. You think the accordion is cool.
23. You lead me kindly and humbly, not abruptly or pridefully.
24. You are a slow reader, but you take in every word.
25. You laugh at my jokes.
26. You love going to the opera, theater, or to a concert.
27. You speak broken Spanish to Penelope. A lot.
28. You make sacrifices but don’t complain about them.
29. You didn’t buy a single item in bulk while I was pregnant, despite my pleadings, because you knew as soon as I had had one bite I’d never want it again. You were right.
30. You always sing along.
31. You don’t like to eat food with ingredients you don’t understand.
32. You’ll go outside without a coat in freezing temperatures but hate lying down between cold sheets.
33. You were sweet while I was in labor. I wasn’t sweet.
34. You juggle like you mean it.
35. You coached Penelope through her first bath at the hospital and forgot you were filming.
36. You eat anything and almost always like it.
37. You still make me nervous when you walk into a room.
38. You’re not a TV watcher.
39. You are wise with our money, but not greedy or worrisome.
40. You can fall asleep anywhere.
41. You love having a daughter and it is obvious.
42. You get excited about silly stuff and aren’t embarrassed to tell me... or mad when I don’t get it.
43. You make me feel loved, valued, cared for, and safe.
44. You say “whole house fan” with a special accent.
45. You got caught by my dad “borrowing” an extra DVD player from their house while we were in college.
46. You’re a peacemaker.
47. You aren’t a car guy.
48. You love to camp.
49. You always draw the same goofy face and letter shapes when given a crayon.
50. You pretend to know about sports in your conversations with guys and they don’t notice.
51. You’re a people-watcher.
52. You give really long hugs.
53. You read a book/article/caption about a place and envision living there.
54. You warn me when a scary part is coming in a movie.
55. You enjoy making soap.
56. You are faithful to serve the body of Christ, but don’t have to be up front or get credit.
57. You love to work with your hands, and be exhausted at the end of the day.
58. You cuddle.
59. You seek to do God’s will even when it isn’t the easier or more comfortable choice.
60. You are goofy.
61. You can open doors with your toes and regularly do so.
62. You’ve been subject to the Flowbee.
63. You pray purposefully, not just out of habit.
64. You still listen to Adventures in Odyssey.
65. You and your brother think that shaving your feet is the best way to start the summer.
66. You respect your parents.
67. You love babies.
68. You laugh out loud at my really dumb jokes.
69. You’re a great cook and pick ambitious recipes.
70. You get the door for me.
71. You remember interesting names you heard at work to tell me when you get home.
72. You make good coffee.
73. You love live music.
74. You make family-time a priority, even when you’re super busy and pulled in a million directions.
75. You call even when you don’t have anything to say.
76. You’re cloth-diaper proficient.
77. You can be sweet and encouraging or persistent and candid at just the right times.
78. You used to ring in the New Year with just your brother, and emotional song, a freshly oiled hardwood floor, and slippery socks.
79. You can’t go to sleep angry or upset.
80. You are a Pig Mania maniac.
81. You think the best of people.
82. You like artsy movies.
83. You think that Penelope should get a piñata every year for her birthday.
84. You don’t mind that I’m a semwife reject.
85. You asked me to make you a chicken suit for Halloween.
86. You have friends you’ve known since Kindergarten.
87. You auditioned for American Idol.
88. You take your socks off in the most dramatic way imaginable.
89. You miss having a lawn to mow.
90. You have long conversations with Penelope.
91. You don’t primp.
92. You weren’t scared off by my family.
93. You still miss Norman.
94. You love to have people over to our place.
95. You’ll watch Gilmore Girls with me.
96. You save notes I’ve written you.
97. You are committed to the talent show, every year.
98. You get excited in airports.
99. You’re better than I deserve.

happy valentine's day!!

for picture-starved grandparents:

2009-02-11T21:51:00.007-05:00

penelope wants so badly to walk. casey and i stood her up against a wall and this is what happened:

"I'm a little unsure about this.."

"Okay, well I have the security of this wall behind me..."

"Wait, I better inspect this wall real quick..."

"Okay, I'm back. And waaaaay too cute..."

"Hold on one sec... I need to look out the window... "

"Okay, let's do this! I'm PSYCHED!!"

"Is this walking? Does this count .....will you catch me?"

sweet little lady

2009-02-10T21:52:00.002-05:00

penelope was in the sweetest mood today..

playing a game of peek-a-boo with dad..

she is getting so stable on her feet, we're starting to wonder if she'll just skip crawling..

FOURTH semester

2009-02-09T11:52:00.006-05:00

course list:

* greek syntax and exegesis with dr. thomas schreiner
* church history II (reformation to present day) with Dr. David Puckett
* intro to family ministry with Dr. Randy Stinson

(i copied and pasted these lists for you crazies (like dad or ryan) that would be interested...)

reading list:

Aland, Barbara The Greek New Testament (with dictionary)

Baugh, S. M. A First John Reader: Intermediate Greek Reading Notes and Grammar

Carson, D. A. Exegetical Fallacies

Metzger, Bruce M. A Textual Commentary of the Greek New Testament

Trenchard, Warren C. The Student's Complete Vocabulary Guide to the Greek New Testament

Gonzalez, Justo L. Christianity Vol. 2, The Reformation to the Present Day

Lane, Tony. A concise History of Christian Thought

Marty, Martin. Pilgrims in Their Own Land: 500 Years of Religion in America

Placher, William C. Readings in the History of Christian Theology Volume 2.

Edwards, Jonathan. Religious Affections

Cladis, G. Leading the team-based church.

Grudem, W., and D. Rainey, eds. Pastoral leadership for manhood and womanhood.

Jones, T., ed. Perspectives on family ministry

Mahaney, C.J., and J. Harris. 2005. Humility.

Malphurs, A. Advanced strategic planning

Sande, K, and T. Raabe. 2002. Peacemaking for families.

Wright, Steve, and Chris Graves. Apparent Privilege.

selected articles:

New Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Biblical Theology

New Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Leadership

Dictionary of Biblical Imagery: Leadership

DA Carson - Cross & Christian Leadership

Poirier - The cross and Criticism

Lawless - Leading in Change

Zaspel - Apostolic Ministry

Moore - After Patriarchy What?

Strauch - Meetings that Work

Hegg - Prelude to Position

Block - Deut 17

Schnaiter - John 13

Moore - Weddings of Unbelievers

Perpectives on Family Ministry

(i realize the lists are a little wonky, but lack the time/skill to figure out what went wrong... thanks for bearing with me :o) )

ice, ice baby

2009-02-09T11:31:00.003-05:00

we lost power for a couple of days and were rescued by the crousers. thankfully, they have a very comfortable couch and penelope is smitten with wes. i mean, who else downloads awesome ocean videos for her to watch when she gets a little fussy? we're so thankful for their friendship. even if it is a little weird that we first met in target...

um. hello? are you still there?

2009-02-09T11:27:00.003-05:00

i have a myriad of acceptable excuses for not blogging, but i'll spare you. i've been subject to quite a bit of rebuke, though, for neglecting the blog, so i'll get right back to it :o).

Casey's first day of the semester..

2009-01-27T08:10:00.003-05:00

...is a SNOW DAY!

i'm trying to convince him that it's super fun, but he's mostly just grumbling about starting out behind in greek. what a downer :o).

we sat out on the (freezing) balcony last night and watched tons of snow come down.. and now we're just drinking coffee and staying warm.

i'll try to take some pictures later today.

((and today is the first day penelope woke up without a fever!! she managed to keep a bottle down, as well, so we're hoping to be out of the woods with this icky stomach flu. hooray!!))

NINE months old!

2009-01-23T23:41:00.007-05:00

...and quite the big girl (23lbs, 12oz today..95th percentile height and 97th percentile weight). she loves to roll around, sit up, and especially stand, but hasn't shown much interest in crawling. we're beginning to think she might skip it, and surprise us by walking across the room. she is full of DADADADAs and MAMAMAMAs though doesn't realize what she's saying. i'm just happy she isn't calling me BOB anymore (though, it was always delivered with such loving, unknowing eyes)

here's my favorite picture of her and case lately:

our little (canyon) country girl with gramps

2009-01-23T23:26:00.006-05:00

(fret not: neither the motor, nor the blades were running)

slow motion rePLAY

2009-01-23T23:17:00.002-05:00

merrrry first time opening presents

2009-01-23T23:07:00.005-05:00

shark bait

2009-01-23T23:05:00.000-05:00

vacation from vacation

2009-01-23T22:26:00.008-05:00

for our fourth anniversary we spent a few days in pismo (a beach town on the central coast). it was such a great time-- our first trip just us. we spent lots of time at the beach, walked along storefronts, ate good food, and relaxed. we had tacos and sushi for dinner two nights in a row... which means we went to two separate restaurants to get takeout, two nights in a row. it was that good.

penelope's junior suite (or, walk-in closet... depending on who you ask)

(yes, she is eating sand... because i looked away for one second..)

bff

2009-01-23T22:09:00.004-05:00

penelope and georgie got to hang out. poor georgie wasn't feeling in the mood to spend time with a baby, she much prefers animals, but she put up with it anyway (as long as it meant she could have a bottle, too). penelope still thinks georgie is the coolest kid ever. in the coming years i'm sure they'll get into all sorts of trouble together.

"mom, be cool... stop taking pictures... we're totally hanging out on the couch together"

"yeah, my bff got me this awesome stuff..."
looks like the big girl might've had just a little bit of fun, too..

time traveller

2009-01-23T22:05:00.002-05:00

before we left for christmas, casey had a moustache for a day. i stopped asking questions a long time ago... so your guess as to why is as good as mine.

this post may cause me to lose friends in louisville, i know.

2009-01-14T12:19:00.004-05:00

yesterday we instated take your mom to the beach day and it was wildly successful. malibu felt like a time warp to summer (80°) and we had a blast. penelope is becoming quite the beach bum... next time we'll bring the pack-n-play, though, so that naptime doesn't end the fun.

(sidenote: i have absolutely no idea how we'll manage to board the plane on monday, lol)

unhealthy fear of cows

2009-01-08T15:09:00.004-05:00

so penelope is terrified when casey moos. terrified.

i promised casey and penelope both that we wouldn't do this again as long as i got it on film... and for some reason it is blurry. must be my punishment for being so cruel.

(i know i'm way behind on blogging. this is a modest start, but a start nonetheless.)

reunited and it feels so good...

2008-12-21T21:00:00.002-05:00

little drummer girl

2008-12-20T10:35:00.000-05:00

pa rum pum pum pum...

we take off at a ridiculously early time tomorrow, so next time i'll be blogging from california!!

we are leaving just in time..

2008-12-19T09:29:00.002-05:00

do you SEE that low?!?!!

2008-12-19T09:13:00.005-05:00

earlier this week, we woke up to snow!

the flakes were big enough for penelope to see, so she was pretty excited :o).

sometimes she makes us laugh SO hard.

2008-12-17T08:55:00.000-05:00

what do you do when dad does something REALLY interesting behind you, and there's a chance you could miss it if you take the time to turn all the way around?

bonkers for magnets

2008-12-16T08:48:00.003-05:00

penelope keeps pretty busy these days... magnets on the fridge are a big hit :o)

craftiness

2008-12-16T00:19:00.003-05:00

i just finished a pair of pants, and put a scrap on a plain tee to match. can't wait for her to try it on tomorrow :o)

that towel-dried look

2008-12-15T02:42:00.002-05:00

i like the "i can't believe you're taking a picture of this, mom" face.

pray for grandma jean

2008-12-12T21:01:00.000-05:00

she's in the hospital this weekend with respiratory issues.

christmas is almost here!

2008-12-11T00:35:00.004-05:00

and we're celebrating in california!

get excited!

(ps: who knew theule men had such holiday cheer?)

bargain hunting

2008-12-10T07:35:00.001-05:00

o christmas tree, o chrismas tree

2008-12-09T08:09:00.000-05:00

(thanks, georgie, for the inspiration)

her latest obsession

2008-12-08T18:05:00.001-05:00

...is sticking out her tongue. even when she babbles or smiles. strangers love it.

i think she likes them :o)

2008-12-06T08:20:00.002-05:00

nellie overload

2008-12-05T01:46:00.005-05:00

(for the grandparents)

an update on the (seemingly) former cat of the house

2008-12-04T20:22:00.003-05:00

this is just so norman-ish, i had to post it. i'm especially proud that he knows his own (strange) name, and can't even begin to explain why ~~casey~~ we named him norman.

Hi Alicia,

Just a note to fill you in on Norman.

Tomorrow it will be three weeks!! It was so funny and traumatic at first. He was a wreck! He hid in the crawl space of our basement for the first four days. If I found him and wrapped him in a blanket he hid face first, buried as deep as he could go. He sort of looked like a raccoon stuck in a log. He growled and hissed at the children. Every night when it was quiet I would go down and check on him. I was convinced he had died of cold in the crawl space but suddenly, as if he had made up his mind to make the best of it, one evening when we were reading in bed, he came upstairs and visited us, purring. We were shocked. He has gradually met all the kids on his terms and he sleeps in my 11 year old's bed at night. He stills makes a panicked dive for the basement if you make a loud noise or move too quickly but otherwise he seems to be gradually settling in more and more. We are so glad as we felt terrible for the distress he was suffering.

Hope you are noticing a difference with your baby's allergies?

When you get a chance if you have any paperwork about Norman's shots and also what is his exact age, we would love to have that. Also, why did you call him Norman? He definitely knows his name and will come when we call him. :-)

jammie day (s)!

2008-12-04T00:19:00.002-05:00

i've been dealing with a bit of a cold the past couple of days. i haven't been too energetic, so more than once penelope was just plopped on the ground with a pile of toys at her disposal. she hasn't seemed to mind too much (pictured). a few times she wasn't thrilled at the prospect, and demanded a little human interaction (not pictured). i can't really blame the girl, she's used to a little more structure in her day. thankfully casey has been around much more this week to help. his last finals are tomorrow!!

confession: i took this picture at around 5pm yesterday. she was still wearing pajamas from the previous night. something has to give, right? :o)

how to recycle an old wool sweater

2008-12-03T23:55:00.005-05:00

before (a free sweater that had an unsightly stain at the neck and one overly stretched arm):

after:
(i embellished the pants with some old scraps of fleece, and used polyester thread throughout so the pants can serve a cloth diapering purpose. this tutorial helped me figure out how to make a pattern, not to mention the sewing lessons from mom when she visited)

i was SO tempted to just run into penelope's room, wake her up, and try them on her. don't worry-- i resisted.

my grandparents are way cooler than your grandparents...

2008-12-02T19:05:00.004-05:00

(dad is too, in case you were wondering.)

happy thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T19:22:00.001-05:00

the wheeler family invited us over for tasty food, lively conversation, presidential proclamations, and even a real life william bradford!

casey and i have tons to be thankful for, particularly this sweet girl...

good books

2008-11-25T23:09:00.009-05:00

i'm on a bit of a reading kick these days. i seem to read in spurts-- one month i'll devour three or four books, and then won't pick up another one for weeks. in any case, this is what i've read in the last couple of months:

oh, how i just love hannah coulter. really. for she was my introduction to wendell berry, whom i simply a d o r e. he lives in a nearby county and i've considered stalking him. he occaisionally teaches a special course on creative writing to high school students r ight down the street, so impersonation and/or fraudulent enrollment has crossed my mind.

...then came these....

and when i should've been reading this (for book club)...

...i indulged in an amazing collection of
stories from a real-life foster mom...

...then instead of diving into eighteenth-century
english gossip ((cough)) i mean classic literature,
i found that kathy harrison had another book.
so i read that one too...

now wives and daughters continues to wait
because i've started this...

so far it isn't nearly as good as the previously
mentioned books-- reach for those first.

(in case the pictures were too small: hannah coulter by wendell berry, remembering by wendell berry, a world lost by wendell berry, nathan coulter by wendell berry, wives and daughters by elizabeth gaskell, another place at the table by kathy harrison, one small boat by kathy harrison, mockingbird: a portrait of harper lee by charles shields)

giggles after bathtime

2008-11-25T19:59:00.002-05:00

a lovely pairing of brown rice cereal and pureed sweet potato

2008-11-23T23:30:00.004-05:00

we officially ventured into the world of solids. previous attempts were wildly unsuccessful. penelope communicated her approval pretty clearly this time, when i caught her licking the spoon...

guess who just attended his last class of the semester?

2008-11-21T12:40:00.003-05:00

(and he assures me, despite this picture, that there was no drinking involved)

now a week off.. then finals.. then a winter session class.. then freedom!

pitiful penelope

2008-11-19T17:59:00.003-05:00

isn't this just the most perfect "i got a shot today, so i'm not gonna smile" picture? she's pretty content as long as she has her cuddle blanket. the nurse was able to get a smile out of her right after the shot, but they have been pretty rare this evening.

to my crafty friends..

2008-11-18T20:12:00.002-05:00

craft night is relocated to jen's house tomorrow. see you there :o)

it was love at first sight.

2008-11-18T08:45:00.004-05:00

...not even asher could come between them.

while we were at the interview, my friend jen watched penelope. observing the hijinks of two crazy boys must've been exhausting for penelope, because when she got home she promptly fell asleep for three hours. tired girl! oh.. and casey better watch out for judah, they look pretty serious ;).

the meeting went well, we've got a few things we need to email him, and we're going to hold off a couple months before we move to the next step (medical clearance). the medical stuff is all pretty extensive, and expires in 18 months, so we want to give ourselves a little buffer to avoid having to redo it all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and on an unrelated note, it's nine a.m. in louisville and still only 28 degrees! yesterday when i went out to run some errands, it started snowing a little. i don't think penelope even noticed, she was too busy frowning about having to wear a jacket and hat. to celebrate the fact that it was snowing, i decided that it was finally time to turn on the heater. apparently we need to leave it on overnight, because penelope woke up early this morning and i couldn't figure out why... till i saw the thermostat, and felt her fingers. whoops :o). poor first child... and to californian parents, no less.

this morning..

2008-11-17T09:30:00.003-05:00

..we're meeting with our candidate consultant from the imb. it'll be our first face-to-face, so pray that it goes well.
thanks :o)

small world

2008-11-15T09:51:00.004-05:00

so i'm watching a livestream of local news in la, to check out the sayre fire coverage. 40-50 mph winds, fire, and dry brush is a bad combination. they're losing homes as i watch :o(.

i found this cool map.

sing along

2008-11-14T09:02:00.003-05:00

penny girl just loves music. especially when casey is playing. her latest habit is "singing" whenever he plays something she deems worthy. apparently this zydeco tune really hit the spot.

yahoo! (i hope)

2008-11-13T12:44:00.002-05:00

the family (well, mom and daughter) that visited norman today decided to take him home and see how he does! the dad is actually a professor at the seminary-- and they responded to an ad i had posted on freecycle! they spent a few months visiting our church, so we already knew eachother!! what a surprise meeting that was :o)

i was relieved by their compassionate attitude and willingness to give him time to adjust. if it doesn't work out in a few weeks, or even a couple of months (they have kids-- he's never really been around kids) we'll start the search again. for now, i'm relieved.

it's so nice not to have to do the shuffle (okay, penelope is up, put norm in another room, etc), especially since i'm so pleased with the family that's adopted him. it was strange to suddenly have him gone, though.

thinking inside the box

2008-11-13T09:56:00.002-05:00

i was putting away clothes and diapers in penelope's room, and this box just had her name on it. she was so happy to sit and watch, chatting a little. she giggled whenever i added a new toy...

!!

2008-11-12T21:15:00.004-05:00

someone is coming over tomorrow to meet norman. i know they'll show up, or at least call to reschedule if something comes up, because they're from Southern :o).

as silly as this is-- pray that it goes well! I really hope that normcat is a good fit with their family, because it would be such a relief to know he is in trustworthy hands.

i'm nervous!! i feel like i should put him in his sunday best, or groom him or something. he pretty much takes care of that on his own, though.

entering a new phase of parenting...

2008-11-12T14:43:00.002-05:00

so i was changing penelope into pajamas the other day, and discovered something new:

my favorite part is where she looks at me and complains/demands. oh the heartbreak ;)

mornin!

2008-11-06T08:44:00.002-05:00

here are the words i've been looking for...

2008-11-05T19:52:00.004-05:00

so the conservative/christian blogosphere (and elsewhere) is aflame with desperate disappointment. or worse.

while i am tempted to fret, unsure of what the next four (or eight) years will look like, and grieved for those unborn in dire need of an advocate, i'm surprised to see so many this shaken. i've been thinking about it all day, and haven't been able to articulate my thoughts well. of course, piper has got it covered:

ps: john piper is my favorite.

going for a walk..

2008-11-05T18:51:00.004-05:00

sunday afternoon casey took a break from studying for a much-needed family day. one of the highlights was a long walk by the river. penelope, as you can see, is entirely too interested in nature to be bothered with a camera. except for once... when i caught her chewing her thumb and acted like she was in trouble. the kid loves to think she's being sneaky. whenever i "scold," she's all grins and laughs.

rock the vote

2008-11-04T16:22:00.005-05:00

she does like trees, after all...

2008-11-01T15:56:00.003-04:00

it runs in the family :o)

2008-11-01T01:31:00.002-04:00

paul and heather carved these tonight..

carve baby, carve.

2008-11-01T01:07:00.005-04:00

we had a fun little halloween pumpkin-carving party at our house. jeremy, amy, wes and beth came over for a tasty dinner (provided by amy) and some fun. to redeem the time, we had an appropriate movie on in the background.

wes impressed us with his amazing carving skills. we were rolling on the floor laughing when we finally saw the finished product lit up. you'll know why soon enough...

...it looked impossible...
but wes was devoted...

and they all lived happily ever after. you betcha.

penelope fix

2008-10-30T23:06:00.002-04:00

(this is my current favorite. it pretty much kills me.)

knit wit

2008-10-30T09:08:00.004-04:00

i was SO frustrated when i finished these that i couldn't bring myself to take a picture. basically i should have been knitting a medium when i was knitting a small, and then i should've been knitting a large when i was knitting a medium :o). i'm pleased with how they turned out, and with the techniques i was able to learn and practice with them, but they were both too small for penelope. sigh. *mental note* penelope does NOT fit into age ranges when it comes to sizes... measure, measure, measure!

(the colors are a little weird in these pictures, but you get the idea..)

...and while we're on the topic of craftiness, mom and i made this baby dress while she was here! it just needs to be hemmed, and have a button added. i had never sewn an actual garment before, so this was quite the learning experience. i'm excited to tackle my first solo project soon...

my little overachiever

2008-10-28T23:48:00.000-04:00

in classic firstborn form, penelope has already taken to overachievement.

she woke up from her afternoon nap on monday with TWO teeth poking through! they weren't there when she bit me that morning :o)

she was pretty giggly and proud of herself. i knew she was awake because i heard her laughing alone in her crib. her level of happiness was definitely video-worthy:

and an extra one-- saying goodbye to grandma till christmas:

quick IMB update

2008-10-28T23:45:00.000-04:00

STEP ONE
*~~fill out and submit application part one~~ (9/30/08)
*mail in passport photos

STEP TWO
*~~fill out application part two (health, finances, etc)~~ (10/7/08)
==>meeting with Candidate Consultant 11/17/08
*comprehensive health questionnaire (filled out by doctor)
*dental health questionairre (filled out by dentist)
*children's testing (required for kids three and up, so we'll skip this)
*minnesota multiphasic personality inventory (MMPI-2)
-----obtain preliminary health clearance-----
*life sketch (2-3 pages factual, biographical, public info)
*confidential autobiography (8-10 pages detailing personal growth and struggles)
*statement of christian beliefs
*references (12 people that know you well willing to complete questionnaire... here's the crazy part: if you are a three-year-old child, you need to submit five references. when i was three, i'm pretty sure i didn't even know five people. good thing penelope is little)
*2-3 hour in-depth, individual interview
*reserve a specific missions assignment

STEP THREE
*Attend 1-week long candidate conference (anyone want to babysit for us? :) )
--get a physical
--second interview with another candidate consultant
--interview with regional consultant for job you've selected. ask questions, ensure it's a good match.
--gather information in their library, prepare for the people group you'll be working with
--meet with a bunch of administrative branches on logistical stuff

STEP FOUR
*final preparation of the application packet
--more medical information may be requested
--at this point the questionnaires go out, and secondary references are requested from the primary references

STEP FIVE
*application submitted to the board of trustees (personnel subcommittee)
--they're given the life sketch, statement of christian beliefs, summary of references, summary of job description, and statement from candidate consultant

STEP SIX
*appointment week
--meet with regional committee (from the region you'll be serving in)
--general orientation stuff (packing, shipping, logistics, etc)
--an appointment service
--specific orientation from your richmond consultant

STEP SEVEN
*orientation
--whole family attends/participates in seven-week orientation in rockville, va
--furnished apartments, meals, schooling, and childcare provided
--all family members in class/school/childcare m-f
*departure
--depart roughly two weeks after orientation for overseas assignment to begin formal language instruction

a weight has been lifted

2008-10-28T09:02:00.000-04:00

...from the top of my head.

i got a haircut :)

pumpkin patch

2008-10-27T21:47:00.005-04:00

we went to huber's farm and penelope LOVED it. she stared and stared at everything. i couldn't even get her to look up for my beautifully-staged pumpkin picture. studying new things (like pumpkins) is hard work, you know.

we walked around a little, rode a tractor out to the pumpkin patch, picked a couple, then came back. we bought some apples to transform into lovely desserts, and already devoured the fresh picked green beans. huber's has a pretty extensive you-pick schedule, so we're not going to miss out on such tasty treats as fresh picked peaches and strawberries as they come into season this year.

getting there was pretty tricky. i think we took a strange-country-road route, instead of utilizing the highway. we were pretty sure we'd never make it, but mom enjoyed seeing some fall folliage.

speaking of mom.. she left this morning. we had such a great visit, i can't wait for december!

PS: In case you couldn't tell-- autumn is in full swing here. I'm not sure it even got out of the 40s today!

nellie belly takes a bath

2008-10-24T19:32:00.002-04:00