Some pictures for your viewing pleasure

Hey, this is fun!!

He's just tall enough to see out the window

Howie had a great visit with his Nana and Bible Bill last week!

Nana set up an Easter egg hunt for Howie

Howie thinks that Josh is a jungle gym

Showing blueberry pancakes some love

One of his favorite all-time activities... lining up matchbox cars

Announcing... Bowie

I realized that we had never made a blog announcement of the fact that we are expecting another little Desch on August 30th! Bowie (which is only this baby's temporary name until birth, don't worry) is officially 20 weeks old and weighs 14 oz- we got to see him/her for the first time this morning in an ultrasound. Those things are so hard to make out, but once the ultrasound lady told me I was looking at a foot or a hand, I could piece the little body together. All seems to be well! I've included some pictures for your viewing enjoyment (all helpfully labeled by the friendly ultrasound lady) and even a movie of Bowie's teeny heart beating! I was so impressed with the technology at the hospital- we were sent home with a CD of pics and even this movie of our little one! Bowie already seems to be one active baby, and we can't wait to meet him/her late this summer!

"Howie, do you want a baby brother or sister?" "Umm, no thanks."

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!