Cali

So this last week was fun. My best friend's husband called a couple weeks ago and offered me the opportunity to fly into LA to surprise Kim for her 28th birthday. I arranged childcare and jumped on the chance to go to California and spend time with my best friend of 20 years now. (We were 8 years old when we met and officially declared our BFF status). I took Isaac with me and we made the long journey to Cali. Isaac did pretty well on the flights. He's a pretty happy baby and as long as you hold him all the time he doesn't have much to complain about. But I will admit that after the almost 5 hour flight from Chicago to LAX my arms were pretty sore and I was getting pretty cranky with my 20 pound lap baby. But he was pretty sweet and cuddly and performed with a big smile and belly laugh right on cue whenever onlookers would admire him and try to talk and play with him. So I arrived in LA safe and sound, much to my delight since I am terrified of flying because I am sure I will become another statistic in the next airborn terrorist attack. Adam picked me up at the airport and we drove to their apartment near Santa Monica. When we got to the apartment, Adam opened the door and asked Kim to come help him carry in groceries (His rouse for picking me up at the airport). Kim's reaction was classic. Kim got and up and when the door opened and she saw me she screeched, "What the hell??!!!" And then she cried with shock (and excitement at seeing my beautiful face... or so I like to tell myself. lol). It's actually kind of stressful to be somebody's surprise birthday gift. It dawned on me in the airplane to LA that I might not be what Kim wants for her birthday. What if what she really wanted was a new outfit or a day at the spa? I suddenly felt as though I should have prepared a comedy routine or a song or something entertaining to up my value as a birthday gift. Oh well, I hope she wasn't disappointed. =) We had a nice weekend. Another good friend from high school happened to be in LA also. So I got catch up with Joachim as well. We went to Santa Monica Pier and the mall where I got some great sale items for the kids, and then Pinkberry. Pinkberry is my new favorite frozen yogurt place ever and I wish they would expand to the mid west. The 6 hours in flight is almost worth it just to get Pinkberry again. Kim's daughter, Violet, was adorable and sweet and it was so fun getting to know her a little better. She was wonderful with Isaac and I think it was good practice for her to have some fun time with a little baby just in case a new sibling popped into the future sometime. I left LA on Tuesday morning and got back into Columbus late Tuesday night. Yesterday I drove to Sidney to get Seth and Lilah. We spent the afternoon with Sarah and the Newman cousins and then we spent the evening with my good friend Beka and her little girls. Beka and I had a slumber party and hot tubbed with her girls and our other friend from high school, Benj. Now I am recouping from the past week and am getting ready to head home once and for all. I am missing Josh and I'm sure the kids are ready to see daddy as well. Thanks Adam and Kim for a wonderful week!

Good weekend

So this last weekend Josh was home. Our plan was to relax, enjoy the beautiful weather, and maybe get some stuff done around the house. But Saturday morning I was perusing craigslist for rental houses in Michigan and came across a very promising post. We called the landlord and got more information and deicided that this house might be a GREAT option for us. The price was right and the house was big and in a nice area. Please understand that these 3 criteria rarely go together. A big house in a nice neighborhood is NEVER in our price range. This house is older and is a little outdated, so the landlord is renting it for a steal. We knew the house would go fast. So, we set an appointment to see the house on Sunday and loaded our crew into the van to make the trek to Michigan. She had already had 21 calls on the property and it had only been posted for the morning. We got in to see the house on Sunday and it would be perfect for our family. The landlord seems to have favor on us and has agreed to rent the house to us. We're just waiting for her lawyer to draw up the contract and will hopefully have it signed by the end of the week. yay! HUGE relief for us as that was a major issue stressing us out. We were preparing to live in a tiny apartment and all share a room up in Michigan. As long as the whole deal goes through... God is really blessing us with a home that totally meets our needs and many of our wants. What a blessing!

So we drove up to Detroit with the kids on Saturday afternoon and stayed in a hotel. I hadn't realized until we started the trip that my kids really haven't stayed in a hotel since they've been old enough to remember. They were so excited. When we got there, Seth said "Is this our new neighborhood?" When we got to the pool, he said "Will our new house have a pool in the living room too?" We were sorry to break it to him that we will never be wealthy enough to have a pool in our living room. The kids just ran around the hotel squealing with delight about having 2 beds in our room, having a bathtub in our room and having a closet made of mirrors in our room. I found this to be funny since we actually have a closet made of mirrors in our house. But whatever. At one point Lilah just jumped on the bed squeaking in her sweet little voice, "I'm so excited! I'm so excited!" over and over again. It was pretty funny and I'm glad the kids found it to be such and exciting adventure. Seth slept in a bed with Josh and Lilah slept with me and you would have thought they were both just the prince and princess of their little world, they felt so special getting to sleep in big beds with just mommy and just daddy. We went swimming and ordered pizza and watched cartoons until we fell asleep. It was a fun family night. The next day Seth said, "Mommy, thank you so much for taking me to a hotel. It was so much fun. Why is the hotel so far away?" He really thought we had driven 4 hours each way just to stay at the Ramada. But really, it was a pretty cheap way to do something special that the kids found so exciting because we got a great deal on the room on hotwire. We couldn't hardly eat dinner out for less and the kids thought they were royalty. =) And then to top it off, we swung by my brother's house on our way home on Sunday night to have dinner and playtime with the Newman cousins and my parents. The kids were in heaven! Good weekend!

Betty Homemaker

So anyone who knows me knows that I am not what you would call a "Betty Homemaker." This post is about as close to it as I'll ever get. I mean I keep my house pretty clean, but that's more driven by my OCD tendencies than any desire to maintain a perfect home. I cook occasionally, but I'm not great at it and I don't even care in the slightest that I'm not a great cook. I digress. I made my own baby food yesterday for Isaac. Don't get me wrong, I did not do this because I am a wonderful, loving mother who only wants the best for my beautiful baby's little tummy and nourishment. I did it because it's cheap. period. That's it. And we don't have much money. So I made the baby food and so far Isaac very much liked the peas. It's actually really easy. I just microwaved frozen vegetables for 5 minutes until they were tender and then pureed them in a blender with a little water. Then I spooned the pureed food into ice cube trays, covered the trays with aluminum foil and froze it. Tomorrow I will empty the ice cube trays into freezer bags to store the cubes for easier use. About 2 cubes makes a good feeding. You just microwave the cubes in a little dish for about 30 seconds per cube (approximately, maybe a little less). I did do a whole sweet potatoe that wasn't frozen. That had to be baked to get it soft so I could peel it and puree it. But the whole process for all 3 veggies that I made (green beans, peas, and sweet potatoes) only took about 20 minutes. I'll also do some squash soon, carrots, and some fruit. I often just mash up a ripe banana for Isaac and he loves that. Baby food can be expensive, and this seriously saves TONS of money.

Also, I found these edamame packets at the store the other day. They come in individual little bags of fresh, organic soy beans. And they have Dora on the bag, so my kids love them! =) Just thought I'd share for any parents looking for an easy, fun, and on the go way to get kids to eat veggies. You can buy a big bag that contains like 8 individual packets.

Happy Easter!

We had a great Easter sunday with family. We started the day off at church and then came home for naps and Easter dinner. The kids took naps so that the Easter bunny could hop over to our house during naptime. When they woke up they found their easter baskets and went on an easter egge hunt. Just the usual stuff. But it was fun nonetheless because this year both of the big kids could get really into it. It's fun to see them so excited. We had Easter dinner and just spent time relaxing and playing with my parents and Josh's mom. As our kids are getting a little older it is becoming increasingly important to us that they understand the real meaning behind some of these holidays like Aaster and Christmas. I never want us to get so caught up in the Easter bunny and Santa that we just kind of blow by the power of these days and what they mean for us as followers of Christ. However, Seth and Lilah are still young and I am finding it challenging to explain the concepts behind Easter in an effective and age-appropriate way. I mean, if you really think about, the story of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection and is kind of gruesome. How do you tell a 4 year old that Jesus died on the cross, had nails driven through his feet and wrists, was stabbed in the side, had a crown of thorns crushed into his skull, and was beat with a leather whip made of bone and metal until his flesh was hanging from his bones? The whole mental picture is pretty horrifying.

(Sidenote: I sent Seth to his room for a resting time yesterday and told him to turn on the TV to watch cartoons. I checked on him a few minutes later. The channel had somehow gotten changed from noggin to an extremely graphic reenactment of the crucifixion. Seth was just sitting on the bed with his eyes wide open and his mouth hanging open.)

And then to explain that He did it all for us, because He loves us, and that he made the sacrifice for our sins? Not the easiest concept. Obviously, the incredible part of the story is Jesus' resurrection from the dead and that He has provided salvation for us and a way to have a personal and intimate relationship with God for all eternity. It's amazing. And it's crucial that my kids understand how extraordinary the story is and what it means for us. But it's a challenge to bring it down to their level. So, I found this teaching tool called the Resurrection Eggs. Each plastic egg contains an object that tells a part of the story of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. The final egg is empty to signify the empty tomb. The kids loved it and I think we will do it every year. Right now the story is being kept pretty simple (and non-graphic), but we will explain it more and more every year as their understanding grows. I love Easter because it is a great reminder that we serve a mighty and victorious God who loves us so much that He is willing to come down to the human level in every way, even to death, so that we can come to Him intimately until the end of time.

Perhaps a first love?

So I think I've mentioned before that Seth has a little friend named Brenna who he loves to play with. He's really grown pretty attached to her and they really do have a lot of fun together. Well Brenna gave Seth a picture of the two of them together for his birthday last week. Seth LOVES the picture and I caught him telling Lilah the other day that he was putting it up high on his shelf so that she couldn't reach it and hurt it because it was special. So, today Seth was taking a nap and Josh peeked in to check on him. This is what he found. I'm starting to really get concerned about moving because I think Seth is really getting attached to Brenna. We've always kind of joked about her being his little crush, even though they're really just best little friends. But I'm starting to think she really is his first little, 4 year old love. I'm dreading moving and breaking his little 4 year old heart.

sweet kids

So today my kids reminded me that they actually do have sweet little spirits, even if they do like to attack each other on occasion. This morning I was telling the kids that we were going to go to the gym. Lilah said that she didn't want to. So I asked her why. She said, "I scared, I have to stay home." So Seth said, "It's ok Lilah sweetie. I'll be with you the whole time in the play area. You don't have to be scared." To which Lilah responded, "Thanks Na (her name for Seth), your my prince!" Followed by precious brother sister hug. End scene. Seriously? Could they be any cuter? Then this afternoon, Seth was playing and talking with Isaac while I folded laundry. Seth had to go to the bathroom. After Seth got situated on the toilet, Isaac started crying. So then I hear Seth yelling from the bathroom, "It's ok baby Isaac. I'm alright! I'm just pooping! Don't worry!" The kids were cute today. And Josh got home at like 5:30pm! What a day!