Ryan's 1st Birthday!

Wow!  Ryan is already 1!  This little boy has stolen my heart with his wide-mouth grins and blond curls.  He absolutely adores his big brother and would love to be able to talk.  Ryan picked up on walking quickly, so we are having lots of fun watching him weeble wobble around the house.  He is a happy soul and we love him dearly.  Happy Birthday Ryan!

With Ryan turning 1 and really starting to enter the training/disciplining phase of life and with Jacob being 3 I am daily overwhelmed by being a parent.  It is this tremendous task that I feel completely unworthy of experiencing with all of it's joys and pains, trials and triumphs, good days and bad days.  I have been reading a book that encourages parents to take obedience and respect a step further and teach their children honor.  The definition of honor used in the book includes treating people special and going above and beyond what is expected of you all while having a good attitude.  The concept is wonderful and the ideas are great, but wow do I feel ill equipped to teach something that I daily fail to do myself.  


Having children has humbled me more than any other experience so far in my life.  When I first got pregnant with Jacob the focus and excitement was on delivering, bringing home, and loving a tiny little baby.  I'm not sure how much thought I gave to the fact that not only was I responsible for making sure this child was clean and well fed but I was also responsible for teaching this child how to behave, think, act, and respond to this world and the people in it.  Yikes!  It is a monumental task that weighs heavy, but praise the Lord #1 for His new mercies each morning...each moment I should say, #2 for His Word and the tools and principles He has given us, #3 His forgiveness because I am continually in need of it, #4 His creation of resilient children that forgive and forget with such ease at this early age when I am learning so much, and #5 for the people around us who come alongside and encourage, teach us, help us, and remind us that we are not bad parents even when I feel that way.  Praising God for His hand on our family as we trust, grow, learn, and give it our best!

Meet Poonee

Last week, the hottest week of the summer, we decided to tackle staining our deck.  Thankfully in the evenings we get shade on that side of the house and there certainly wasn't any rain, so it was a fairly successful event and the deck looks so much better.  Here are some photos!

The portion on the right is what our deck looked like.  The left side is after a good power wash.

This is the final product!  It took a lot longer than we expected, but worth the effort!

While staining the deck one evening, we found a baby praying mantis.  We have been talking about bugs this summer and reading books on bugs, so the decision was made to catch and keep the baby praying mantis as a pet.  A bug cage and a cricket keeper with live crickets are now a part of the decor in our home:)  A second praying mantis was found and Jacob named the small one Neenee and the large one Poonee.  Now I had read online that praying mantis insects have no shame in eating each other, so I knew we were at risk of this occuring....and sure enough the next morning while we were eating breakfast, Poonee cornered Neenee and had a tasty meal!  Survival of the fittest at work.  Since then, Poonee has eaten several crickets and shed his skin once.  Here's Poonee!

Our Newest Addition

Well, Mitch took his motorcycle class and loved it!  The four of us spent all day Saturday in the Harley Davidson store on the Southside of Indy.  Originally we were not supposed to have Jacob and Ryan with us, but it turned out to be a great way to spend Father's Day weekend.  We were all together supporting Mitch in his new adventure and that was better than any card.  Sometimes actions speak louder than words.  Anyway, after hours of paperwork and picking out gear and spending...some money here is what arrived at our house Monday...

Jacob thinks the motorcycle is super cool.  Ryan wants to push the buttons!

This is a video of Mitch on his first ride.  I believe his words when he arrived back were, "That was awesome!"  He is really having a blast riding!  Not the greatest video, but you get the point.

Jacob Quotes

"So guys, what do you think about picking up lunch?"

When he says things that sound like he should be 30, not 3, we can't help but laugh.  We try to keep the laughter on the inside, but it's almost impossible.

Jacob Quotes

"Hey Mommy!  Ryan thinks it's funny when I hit him in the head!"

Oh boy...here we go!  I walked in on Jacob throwing a ball at Ryan.  Since Ryan was laughing, Jacob assumed that meant it was okay.  Yikes!  Needless to say, we have had multiple discussions recently about how fragile Ryan's neck still is and that under no circumstances is it okay to hit him or anyone else in the head.  I think I am going to have more stories to tell like this...

A Little Catch Up

In late May I traveled with my grandma, dad, and mom to St. Louis to witness my sister, Bethany and brother-in-law, Andrew graduate from St. Louis University.  Bethany graduated from the Doisy College of Health Sciences with a masters degree in Occupational Therapy.  Andrew graduated from the John Cook School of Business with a Master of Business Administration.  It was great to spend some time in St. Louis with family.  I missed my boys, but came back refreshed.  Congratulations Bethany and Andrew!  We are super proud.  God has amazing things in store for you both!  Yay for no more tests and homework...ha!

"Yay Aunt Bethany and Uncle Andrew!"



We also celebrated several birthdays while in St. Louis (my mom, Andrew's mom, and Andrew).  The cake was more for the moms!  Isn't it cute?



Following my trip to St. Louis, we were invited to a last minute Memorial Day weekend trip to a houseboat on Lake Cumberland in Kentucky.  We packed up Mitch's truck to the brim with everything from bedding to swimsuits to food to sunscreen and headed down.  We spent two days and one night with several of Mitch's family members.  The boys LOVED it!  Jacob was super excited that we got to actually sleep on the houseboat.  We could have done without the truck ride down (we discovered that Jacob gets car sick...twice), but otherwise had a wonderful time!  The water was FREEZING, but the air was hot so it worked.  We jumped in several times to cool off, which didn't take long.  At first Jacob didn't want to stay in, but after a little while he was having so much fun we had to force him out when his lips were shaking.  It's always great to spend time with Mitch's family.  Thanks for the invite!!

Ryan's first boat ride!  It was in the evening and he slept the whole time, but I'm sure he enjoyed it:)

Happy 3rd Birthday Jacob!

We celebrated Jacob's 3rd birthday yesterday!  He is typically a very animated child, so you can only imagine how excited and well hyper he was yesterday, but we loved it!  He was certainly the life of his party with grandmas and grandpas of various generations surrounding him with love and of course presents:)  Jacob's excitement for life and all things big or small is something that I just treasure about him.  A lollipop gets the same excited reaction as does a new bike.  He just loves life to the fullest and I could learn some things from him.  I pray that somehow he will hold on to the simple joys of life and treasure each moment of each day always.  I also pray that his simple joy would rub off on me and others around him.


We love you Jacob and Happy Birthday!

A Whirlwind Tour

I (Mitch) had the opportunity to travel to England for business at the beginning of March. This was my second time to make this trip, but the first one was all work and no play. This time I stayed a couple of extra days at the end of the trip to tour London with three of my coworkers. After we were done working on Friday, we took about a three hour train ride from Preston (northwest England) to London. We spent all day Saturday and Sunday on a whirlwind tour of London. "Whirlwind tour" sounds kind of random and chaotic. Our tour was far from this. As you can imagine, a trip planned by 4 engineers was very systematic. All of our destinations were mapped out and organized to optimize our time. We were tired at the end of each day, but it was worth it.

For those of you that know me well, you are probably aware that I'm not the most adventurous person when it comes to eating. Well...I got brave and tried some black pudding. Doesn't sound too bad right? It is also called blood sausage. I won't describe it here. You can google it on your own.

Here are just a few of the many pictures I took on the trip. I hope you enjoy looking at them.






Preston Train Station



Tower Bridge





Westminster Abbey



Buckingham Palace (Changing of the Guard Ceremony)



Parliament & Big Ben



Tower of London



St. Paul's Cathedral



Windsor Castle



Windsor Castle



Guard at Windsor Castle





Ryan 7 Months

 Thank you Mama for taking my cutie bug pictures!!

Everything was all smiles until the
bubbles came out. He was so serious!

Check out the eyebrow.  Ha!

You Want to Buy What??

When I started this blog, Mitch had a dream (and still does) of purchasing a circa 1950's Chevy truck to work on and refurbish.  Love this idea and still hope to someday see this happen.  This was sort of the inspiration for the title of our blog (along with the fact that a lot of other things were already in use!).


Well, time has passed and dreams have changed a little...now he wants a motorcycle.  I guess at least it still goes with the theme, right?  So being the loving, supporting wife that God is molding me into, I am ROLLING with it.  So after he takes his training class at the beginning of June, we might just be rolling around town on a Harley!  Yikes!  Never thought those words would even creep into my brain let alone come out of my mouth.  I know it will be fun and something for my hubby and I to enjoy together.  I'll keep you posted!

Video Clips

 Jacob telling stories.

Ryan laughing.

Pictures

Here are some pictures to enjoy!

This is a split second before toppling over.  Don't quite have the sitting up thing down:)

Love these boys!  Maybe sometime we can capture them both looking and smiling at the same time.

Patience is a Virtue...

That I do not possess.  God is constantly testing me in this area and every time I fail.  Miserably.  There are several things in my life on hold right now.  Not really important what they are at the moment, but what is important is that I ran across a thought, actually more of a scriptural truth in a devotion or book (can't remember which).


Isaiah 40:30-31 "Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."


God provides times of waiting.  Now I agree with Inigo Montoya in the Princess Bride when he says, "I hate waiting" while allowing Wesley to regain his strength after climbing a very steep, tall cliff.  I want answers and things to happen right now.  But God is saying, "Wait.  Enjoy this time of peace and good health.  Eat up every moment with your husband and children.  Bask in my glory.  Rest and renew your strength.  Seek my guidance and wait."  I don't know at the moment what the outcome of this time of waiting is going to be, but after having this verse brought to my attention, I want to use this time wisely.  I'm still impatient, but maybe a little less knowing that He has a purpose in everything, even in waiting.

Snow Day!

We finally ventured outdoors to play on Sunday.  Although it was still rather treacherous if you got below the snow layer, it was great packing snow and we managed to build a nice snowman in my parent's backyard as well as sled down the small hill they have.  Jacob's favorite part was using his shovel...he's a worker:)  Ryan's favorite part was eating.  The kid might be thin, but he loves food!  Enjoy the pictures!

The eyes are pepperonis.  Jacob ate one when no one was looking, so we had to get more.  Then we went home and made a pizza for dinner with lots of snowman eyeballs on it!!

Jacob Quotes

We walked by someone at church several Sundays ago.


Jacob:  What is her name?


Mommy:  Angel.


Jacob:  Can she fly?


Ha!  I love it!  Trying to explain the difference between a name and a heavenly being.

My Cup Overflows

Psalm 23:1-6
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.  He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Matthew 11:29-30
Take my yoke upon you, and learn fro me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke in easy, and my burden is light.

I was given an article a couple of months ago that has really challenged the foundations of my faith and how I view Christianity and what I think Christianity should look like.  I was raised in church, accepted Christ as my Savior at a very early age, and really didn't even have a rebellious phase in my teen years.  Perfect?  Absolutely not.  But by the rules and by the book?  Well as closely as I could follow.  It has always been about doing what is right for me and feeling convicted if I don't.  Although there is a value to this and a certain necessity, I have had my eyes opened to a different attitude.

The Pharisees and other religious leaders of Jesus' time had made being a Jew a chore, a burden, and a following of a lengthy list of rules that was impossible to keep.  Christ came and said my yoke is easy, my burden is light meaning that following a set of rules is not what is required of us.  We will always fall short.  The rules have a purpose, but the point is to receive from God and then overflow to others.  We cannot serve in the church, give money to the needy, help others, etc. unless it comes from an overflow of what we have received from God.  I mean, we can, but it will feel like a burden, it will drain us of energy because we will be relying on our own strength, and it will be with an incorrect motive every time...we are sinful by nature you know.  We must go to God and be filled.  And God always gives exactly what we need plus so much more and it is from this overflow that we can serve and give of ourselves, our time, our money, our resources, to others.

So I say all of that, but I am finding it is harder than I thought to make this change of attitude and lifestyle.  And that is what it should be, a lifestyle.  So my focus right now is on how to apply this to my life.  It should make a change in how I think, how I react, how I spend time with God, how I serve.  Here are some suggestions on how to get filled throughout the day even with all the business of life:  Read the Bible! (of course), Pray and don't forget to listen!, read Christian books and articles that reveal how great God's love is for you and allow that awesome love to sink in and overflow, listen to music and radio talk shows that point your thoughts to God.  I think what I need the most right now is to learn how to keep the amazing love of God at the forefront of my mind all day every day.  How easy is it to get wrapped up in me, myself, and I, and to not think about the amazing love and grace I have received from God, who is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, who created this earth and the billions of galaxies in the universe.  He loves me!  He wants to give rest, peace, love, patience, and so much more to me!  My mind should be continually blown at all times!

Okay, I'm done.  I'm just excited!  So, rest in the presence of God today and allow Him to fill you and then watch how this changes your heart toward others!

Christmas 2010

Another Christmas season survived!  We had a wonderful Christmas amidst all the hustle and bustle.  Jacob was super exciting to buy for this year and to watch open his gifts.  He has a very complete and full understanding of what a wrapped package means and a very complete and full understanding of how to open a wrapped package.  Lots of fun!! 


We were able to avoid the whole Santa Claus thing for the most part, but we will have to be prepared next year with a plan!  Here is an interesting article that my sister and brother-in-law sent me that I think provides a really creative solution.  Check it out at:  http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/mark_driscoll/2010/12/what_we_tell_our_kids_about_santa.html?hpid=talkbox1. 


Here is a brief pictoral look at our Christmas morning.

I think this face says it all.



Ryan, in his second pair of pajamas for the morning, enjoying his new tools that rattle.