The Delicious-ness of Spring Break

Josh is on spring break this week, and it's already been soooo nice. This morning we went to the park to play, which is something very normal for Howie and Mama to do alone, but Josh got to come this time!! It was marvelous. Howie has discovered the bouncy horses at Heman Park and is completely obsessed with him. There are two of them in the park, one behind the other, and Josh put him on the front one this morning and Howie went to town bouncing. He's at the stage where he has definite ideas about what he wants to say but doesn't always know how to say it in a way that we'll understand, so it quickly became clear that Howie was dissatisfied by the wrinkled face and the "oohs" and other noises. Then comes the next step in this process: try to figure out what he's saying. I ran through a typical list before figuring out that he wanted Josh to ride the other horse behind him. (He's learned how to say yes and no, not with words, but with full-body shakes- it's really funny) So Josh got on the other bouncy horse behind Howie and the two of them rode off into the sunset. (metaphorically speaking)

Ahh, the simple joys of spring break.

Slow Blogging Month

The past 5 weeks (which I think is what it's been since I've blogged) have been pretty crazy!! I'll give you some updates on what's been going on...

1. I have a beautiful new nephew!! Pax Nathan Carlile was born Friday Feb. 27, and he is just as sweet as can be. I went to see Marnie, Chris, and Pax in Texas shortly after his birth with Howie in tow- yes, that's right- we drove. It was one heck of a long (and at times painful because of a toddler in the car) drive, but worth every second to hold my precious new nephew! He is growing bigger and doing great. He and Howie have paci love in common already- I'm sure that they'll be great friends.

2. Josh has been busier than ever with school! He's up to his neck in school work, so somehow that makes me busier as well. He's really enjoying his classes but they're kicking his butt.

3. The weather here has been GORGEOUS!! Therefore Howie and I have been outside as much as possible. We reopened the sandbox, and Howie has loved digging in there with his friends. He's discovered sidewalk chalk in the last week or so, and he loves drawing on anything outside now. We've all been having a blast walking to the swings, reconnecting with neighbors we hadn't seen much over the winter, and just getting rid of our winter blues. I'm so happy it's warmer.

4. I've been making preparations for my garden! I've started celery, onion, and broccoli seeds indoors in little yogurt cups and I've been trying to take good care of them so we can transplant them outside in a little bit. I know next to nothing about gardening but it's just fun to see what happens when you put seeds in. I've got big plans to grow lots of stuff!! I'm most excited about watermelons, which is definitely my fruit obsession!!! Josh was digging today to get the soil ready, so I'm looking forward to getting dirty out there in just a little while.

5. I participated in my first consignment sale this weekend!! I've gone to lots of consignment sales as a shopper, but this time I actually sold some baby/kid stuff that we didn't need and it's the best feeling to see it go home with someone else!! It's good to remove it from your house and also make some money.

6. I've been busy trying to keep up with Howie!! He is changing so fast right now and turning into a full-blown toddler right in front of our eyes. He is so much fun and makes me laugh all the time. He's always on the go so I have to reserve energy for caring for him.

I hope that the beginning of spring finds you all well!

Numbered Updates

Warm weather zoo celebration... "What's up, monkey?? Aren't you glad it's warmer?"

Howie and the lemurs



Bear pacing back and forth... I'd probably pace too if I were him

Crazy kid with Mom's sunglasses

1. We've had some lovely weather over the past week, which has been wonderful! Howie has thoroughly enjoyed getting out, but I'm afraid that this weather is a horrible tease and we'll be plunged back into endless weeks of winter and staying inside. I'm not cut out for this winter thing anymore... yes, I grew up in Illinois and scoffed at people who didn't like the cold, but now I'm one of them. I'd like nothing more right this second than to be sitting outside with Howie in his sandbox, sweating like crazy and frantically licking a popsicle before it melts. I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!!!!!!! PLLLLEASEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It will be so glorious when my hands aren't always freezing, I'm not always wearing 25 layers in the house, I can sleep with the windows open even if we're hot, Howie and I can go outside whenever we please, etc. I never thought I'd say it, but I think I've become somewhat of a snowbird. On a walk today I thought my hands were about to crack into a million pieces with the cold piercing my eczema... must I list another reason that winter needs to END NOW?? I'm about to go crazy, people.

Howie's first snowball

Venturing out into the snowy world

The Little Red Hen, take 10,000

2. Because we've been trapped inside so much as of late, Howie has decided that he wants to hear the same books over and over. In the past week I have read The Little Red Hen more times than I can count. "Who will help me reap the wheat?" "Not I, not I, not I..." Yeesh. Howie knows the word chicken and so he asks for this book by name, although it sounds more like "hicken." I took to hiding it for a while, but then he just moves on to other books on repeat so that's ineffective. He's also currently obsessed with Clifford's Busy Week, The Poky Little Puppy, The Saggy Baggy Elephant, and some other board books. Last night when we were putting him to bed I think he literally had Josh read him a Curious George book at least 4 times in a row, maybe 5. I took him to the library the other day to get some other Clifford book, but so far that strategy has had limited success. Oh, well. One day he won't want us to read to him anymore, so I guess I better enjoy it, even if it's the same one over and over again.

3. Over the past year I have read some really good books, which I wanted to list below. Here goes on the highlight reel that comes to mind right now:

1. So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids (Levin & Kilbourne). This was a sobering but very eye-opening book- a really important topic for any parent or anyone who likes kids.
2. Grace-Based Parenting (Kimmel). I read this for a class that Josh and I took in the fall, and it was really, really good. It gave basic but very helpful principles to follow in raising your children in a communicative, loving, gracious way.
3. Under the Banner of Heaven (Krakauer). This was a really fascinating book about the history of Mormonism.
4. My Year Inside Radical Islam: A Memoir (Gartenstein-Ross). I learned a lot about different sects within Islam and their beliefs.
5. Praying Backwards (Chapell). This was such a good book about praying with God's priorities in your heart and mind.
6. Affluenza: the All-Consuming Epidemic (de Graaf etc.). This book was about our culture of consumption and how infectious it is to want to get more and more and more. I didn't finish this book, not because I didn't want to, but because I have a serious library fine problem and this one was due... I think I actually turned it in on time and couldn't renew it for some reason. I definitely plan to finish it.
7. The Road of Lost Innocence: the True Story of a Cambodian Heroine (Mam). This is a MUST-READ, but very difficult. It is one of the most horrific and tragic books that I have ever read. It's the story of a girl who was sold into sex slavery at a young age, her eventual escape, and now her project to help other women out of sex trafficking. This is such a huge issue throughout the world but I know that I had little awareness of it before reading this book. I actually heard Tom Ashbrook (my favorite talk show on NPR) interview a woman who had been rescued by the author of this book, Somaly Mam. Her story of suffering and brutality was truly horrifying and something that we need to be aware of as citizens of the world. We need to be active in pushing against this indescribably evil crime.
8. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier (Beah). This was the horrible story of a young boy who was forced to fight in the civil war in Sierra Leone. This is another one of those issues that is easy to ignore from the comfort and relative ease of our lives in America, so I really recommend reading this book. It was absolutely horrific to imagine a childhood like the author experienced.

I guess that's the end of this somewhat random post for now. Here's to a quick end to winter!!

Where I've Been For the Last Month and 11 Days

We have all been sick for the last bagillion months, so it seems... resting on mama has become one of Howie's favorite things

Howie, the yoga master... how exactly does he do this? He does a perfect downward dog

Josh's new glasses!!! The big excitement in our house

The illicit toy

You know, I just don't have that kind of time in my schedule right now

Christmas in Peachtree City

Howie doesn't really get the concept of a train track

Breakfast on Christmas Morning

Christmas in Peoria

Hello Friends! This past month has been pretty crazy... we spent 10 days with Josh's family in Peachtree City over Christmas, and ever since we got back I feel like I've been busy but I'm not sure what I've been doing. Things are fine here- Josh is starting his spring semester on Tuesday and I'm also taking an evening course on Thursdays, World Religions! I'm pretty excited about that one. Auditing, of course.

Much more to come later. Until then, we bid you adieu!

Pix and Flix

Howie reading in one of his favorite chairs. There are few things that he likes more than to cozy up with a good book.

Somewhere along the way Howie learned how to signal a touchdown. Don't know how, but it's really funny!! We're already raising a football fan!

Josh is still in the throes of final exams, unfortunately. One exam stands between him and complete freedom for 3 weeks or something. It will be so glorious to get back to bossing him around whenever I want instead of having to let him study. HA! We will both breathe the biggest sigh of relief when this semester is finally over!

Howie is fighting the return of his ear infection from several weeks ago. He hasn't been sleeping well for quite some time now, but Josh and I couldn't figure out why. First we thought maybe it was his paci falling out that was waking him up, but that wasn't it. Then we thought maybe he was thirsty and not getting enough to drink during the day. That didn't seem very likely since I offered him his cup all the time. Next we thought he might be too hot, so we turned the space heater off in his room. Nope. Then we thought maybe he was uncomfortable seeing as I put so many layers of jammies on him that he looked like the abominable snow beast (Rudolph the Red- Nosed Reindeer- watch it, people). We took some layers off to see if he would be more comfortable and sleep, but no. Kept waking up over and over. We had gotten to the point where we didn't know what else to do to help him when it dawned on me... the return of the runny nose, Howie crying when we laid him down in bed and wanting to sit up, waking up so many times each night... it all finally made sense. I'm going to take him to the pediatrician tomorrow. I'm sure Howie was thinking, "What part of this don't you GET????" We're a little slow to put things together sometimes. Sorry, Howie.

These pics (though a bit blurry due to camera issues) are from our neighborhood women's Christmas party!! It was a total blast, complete with a gift exchange that involved stealing drama, plenty of treats, and lots of fun. It's nice to live with other families doing seminary- then while the husbands are studying we can goof around!!!

This is what we do for fun around here...

Peyton Is Rolling

Josh and I have been watching just as much football as usual this fall and enjoying it as much as ever, but this season has a decidedly different feel from the last one. That fact is in large part due to the absence of Tom Brady after his season-ending injury in Game 1. Last season was as much about seeing the success of the Colts as the demise of the Patriots, as you know if you read our blog back then. As the season stretched on, I became more and more fed up with the Tom Brady worship, especially by the talking heads on CBS, FOX, and ESPN. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick could do no wrong (apart from a mild chastising for spy gate). I watched many Patriots games last year, wanting them to lose so bad with my fingernails dug into the couch and about to have a heart attack. There were a couple of close games that the Patriots just barely won, and I was so mad after those games that I think I forbade Josh to talk to me for a while. Obviously it goes without saying that there was much rejoicing in our home when the Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Anyway, all that to say that it has been so nice to watch football this season without the added stress of domination by Bill Belichick and his minions. The Colts had a pretty rough start, but now it seems that they're rolling, winning some real nail-biter games, and hopefully that will continue straight on into the playoffs.

P.S.- I'm sorry if I've offended any Patriots fans out there... it's nothing personal.

Surprise Party, Saving Species, Tom Ashbrook, and the Travails of Motherhood

Well, Josh threw me a surprise party for my 26th birthday, which was on the 19th. It was such a blast!! I don't think I've ever had a surprise party, and I don't know if another one could ever top this one. It was pretty amazing! Josh isn't that great at surprises usually- I think I've known about every other one he's ever tried to do. I remember a time before we were married that he was going to come up to Peoria for a surprise visit. Being the intuitive person I am, I quickly figured out that he seemed to be hiding something during our phone conversations. Then I turned on my expert manipulation abilities, which have been carefully honed, and I told him that I was probably going to have to work on the weekend that I was suspecting he was going to come. Then I carefully evaluated his response. The panic in his voice let me know that my suspicions were indeed correct. Thus when I walked into my apartment on that weekend to see him sitting on my couch, my reaction was nothing short of skillful. This time around Josh must have learned a thing or two, because I was genuinely surprised! My friends Elissa and April did their part to keep me guessing, and everything was wonderful. Josh decided to throw a cooking party since I love to cook, and all of our friends brought food to share. Everything was really tasty! I'm so grateful for the friends that God has blessed us with here! It was so much fun.

If you knew Josh in college, you knew that he had a tendency to power-trip. That whole vice-president of the student body was a handy outlet for power-tripping. (I too was a member of student government- this was before we were actually dating- and there were many meetings full of I-like-you tension.) Anyway, this party saw a resurrection of Josh's power-tripping past in his borrowing of a megaphone for ordering our guests around. He also inducted Howie into the ways of talking into a megaphone, which is below for your viewing enjoyment.

Yesterday Howie and I took a trip to the Galleria in search of some winter shoes for me, which we didn't end up finding, but we had a good time anyway. I started out pushing him in his stroller, and after a while he wanted to walk so I turned him loose. We walked around, ate a pretzel (which he loves), and then stumbled upon Build a Bear Workshop. I am personally not fond of this store, but when Howie saw it, he stopped in his tracks, almost getting plowed over by 2 business men who weren't looking down to see if any toddlers were in the way, and crossed traffic with reckless abandon to get into that store. He stopped in wonder in front of a huge display of already built teddy bears and other stuffed animals. Then he started doing this happy feet dance he does when he's really excited- stepping back and forth. He looked over all of the animals (pronouncing them all "dogs" since he can say that word) and then turned around to find a display of smaller stuffed animals. There were these little dogs that he really seemed to like, and he kept picking a few up at a time. This was OK but then I realized how close he was standing to the door. Sure enough, in his toddler mind he thought those toys were there for him to take, and he made a break for the doorway with a dog in hand. I was so glad that there weren't those things that buzz when you walk through with something you haven't paid for, because Howie would have been caught red-handed. He quite reluctantly put the dog back, and we went on our way.

I love Tom Ashbrook's show On Point on NPR. I was recently on the show's website for some reason and saw a picture of Tom- he definitely didn't look like what I thought he would from what he sounds like. Anyway, I love his show because he always brings up interesting topics. The other week he had Stuart Pimm on his show, a professor from Duke who is a specialist in bringing species of animals back from the brink of extinction. His organization is called Saving Species and their website is www.savingspecies.org. Every time Howie and I go to the zoo I am amazed at how many of the animals are endangered, at least at some level. But it makes sense as you think about what how much the face of our planet has changed over the last several hundred years with all sorts of development and building... animals just don't have as much room to roam anymore with so many changes. It was fascinating to hear how this organization tries to buy up land and rebuild animal habitats. As I was thinking about the huge diversity of animal life, I was amazed again at God's creativity in creating such a beautiful world that we live in. I am reminded of that from time to time as Howie pulls out his animal books (and calls most things dogs)- it's fun to see something like an ostrich and think about how it displays God's creativity as a creator. I think that's why I was happy to hear that this dude is working to preserve diversity in the animal world, because animals give us a rich reminder of how God has made a beautiful world for us to live in.

I put Howie in his crib for a nap before starting this post and he's still horsing around, so I better go see what he needs. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!