update 9/24/09

I am such a slacker. It is so hard to update this now that i am working full time. Here is a quick update.
Our lives are changing soon. We are moving back to VA at the end of OCT. I interviewed for 2 jobs at Lewis Gale in Salem and got offered both jobs, so i accepted the medical ICU job and am set to start Nov 9. We are buying a townhouse in Christiansburg and are set to close on Oct 30, so happy birthday to me!! Dave will continue to be a stay at home dad for now while building relationships with new folks while we continue to seek God in his will for us to plant a church. We are planning n taking this super slow for now to see where God is going with this and see how he wants this to look. We are stoked to move 'home' and be close to family again. I ask that you pray for us as this is a stressful time trying to get everything together and pack and move. Jeremiah just started Kindergarten here so will have to transition to a new school mid year, which may present a challenge. Pray for that please. We really feel at ease about this move and feel it is all in Gods plan. It is so funny how when things are meant to be, they just happen pretty smoothly. This has been one of those situations so far. Pray it continues like this.
That was a super quick synopsis of our lives right now, but at least it was enough to where you know what is happening and why i am so slack on the blogging.

its been so long...

Wow, it has been so long since i posted. I am such a slacker. Well, not really. I am working full time now which is a lot of time sleeping and away from home and so when I am here, it is hard to justify spending the time to blog. Life has been so awesome this summer. We have been doing a lot together as a family. We up and took a trip to NC 2 weeks ago and had a fantastic time. We are going back for the 4th. I cant wait b/c my friend Chris and Jerry are coming to visit us there too. We are also going to Texas in a few weeks to visit Mackenzie and Kaylee. We borrowed our friends Kings Island passes last week and again today and had such a great time. The boys are such a great age for the water park. We have been to the aquarium. Dave has been taking the boys to the pool almost everyday. They are loving this time with Dad. We go back tomorrow for allergy testing so I am praying hard that things have improved and that we are allergic to less. More info to come after testing....

check out fyrefly

check out our friends new website. We are under portfolio, then family and kids. He did a little photo shoot for us last week. I really liked the results. I cant wait to see them all.
http://fyrefly.com

our date with Ray

Saturday night Dave and I had a fun date night to the celestial and to see Ray LaMontagne in concert with some friends. We had an amazing time. Dave had a big fat medium rare new york strip with lobster potatoes and a glass of pinot with orange cheesecake with gingersnap crust for sdessert. I had grilled swordfish with a maple glaze and heavenly mashed sweet potatoes with brussel sprouts. It was really good and pricey($115 with tip). The concert was really good. The girl opening had a nice voice. Her name was Jessica Mayfield. She was 19 years old. I liked her voice but her stuff all sounded the same to me. The Ray came out. He did a lot of his songs. He played about 90 minutes. It was fun. We had a blast. Korina kept the boys and they did great.

our view from the celestial
i always have to get a pic
the girls after dinner
Ray- the lighting was hard to get good pics
and again

Our double stuffed sandwich hug

Jeremiah and Thomas love when we double stuff sandwich hug them!!

Nana and Granny Nana

more pics from Atlanta with Granny Nana

camping pics

We recently went camping. It was fun. Our original camp site that we reserved was being occupied when we showed up so we had to find another site. (luckily that snagged us another 2 free nights later for our inconvenience). It was so nice during the day but Thomas couldnt handle the cold so we left about 1030(Carolina game half time) to head home to sleep. We came back and helped pack up Sunday am and went for a walk on the beach. J loved exploring and thomas loved the sand.

J loves his daddys tools
Thomas sitting for 1/2 second
Family photo hiking
Teaching the boys to cut wood
Our cabin in the woods

ATL

more pics from our trip to atlanta at the GA aquarium. Good times with nana and pop.

easter pics from Atlanta

we went to atlanta for easter. We had a great time with some of Daves cousins and their kids. Jeremiah had a great time getting to know his new cousins. Nana celebrated her 83rd birthday and enjoyed having everyone there with her. Here are a few pics of us!

more kaylee pics

Sweet sleeping Kaylee Grace

kaylee

sweet baby kaylee is looking more and more like her daddy and not her aunty like i had hoped.
she is doing well and getting spoiled daily by her grandparents, who are still in TX.

Sweet Baby K

Kenzie and Kaylee are home from the hospital and doing well. She said the dogs could care less about Kaylee. Kaylee is getting spoiled by Gail and Steve all this week and Dana and John will be coming this weekend. Mom will go next week and dad the next and they make up for lost time. We are hoping to go in July and can not wait to see and spoil her.

Welcome Kaylee

My niece, Kaylee Grace Roop has decided to grace us with her presence. Mackenzie thought her water had broken on Saturday and went into the hospital, where they decided to keep her. After hours of waiting and little progress, the doctors decided to perform a C-section on Mackenzie.
She weighed in at 6 pounds 15 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. Mama and baby are both doing great. Kenzie said Kaylee is nursing like a champ and she is doing well considering having had major surgery. Since this was earlier than we expected, only Adam and Brian got to be there with Kenzie and Travis. Gail and Steve, Travis' parents came down today and are with her now. Mom will go next week once she gets home and Travis' parents leave. I'll post new pics as i get them.
Your Ohio cousins can't wait to meet you Kaylee!

the boys

Lately, I am particularly loving being a mom. My boys are at such great ages. Jeremiah is 5 now and he is so independent, yet he still sits close to me and loves to sleep with Dave or me and on our floor, just near us. He is so dang funny. He is so smart. He impresses me daily with the things he has learned. We have these learning cards that are Kindergarden age. They have different things like sounds/letters/time/sequence of events, etc. He is so good at them, he can pretty mcuh do them all except time and money, which we are working on. He loves to get a good job or you are so smart, he says rather modestly, "i know". He loves to read his Bible at night and pray and he always thanks God for the Holy Spirit living in us and for his family and then he prays "help me stay away from the Devil". It is so sweet. Last week he didnt feel good and he kept praying God please make my tummy better, over and over and then he fell asleep. When he woke up, he felt better and he shouted, "mom, he answered me, im all better". He is so good to Thomas. He helps him up and down off the furniture and his bed. He shares so well with him and he loves to hug on him and teach him new things.
Thomas is into everything. He is 16 months now and he runs all over the house. He loves to aggrivate his brother by grabbing what he is playing with and running. He is starting to learn words, so far, he says mama, dada, J, nightnight, baba, nana, & doggie. He loves his little doggie and has to have it to sleep. He is a fit pitcher though. He likes his way, and if you tell him no, man, he doesn't like that. He points a lot and grunts for things he wants, like crackers or snacks up in the cabinets. He loves to sit with you on the couch and will crawl up with me, Dave or Jeremiah and just sit there. His favorite thing to do is find a corner or small space and fit into it. He is so funny. He blows kisses now, too. He is a really good sleeper and sleeps from 7pm to 8 am, and then takes a nap for 2-3 hours.
He loves his big brother and watches him do everything and tries to mimic him already.
I originally thought 4 years apart may be too much but now I realize God knew what he was doing and this is perfect timing. I am really happy with my life right now and LOVE my boys like crazy!!!

aother funny christian joke

How many Christians does it take to change a light bulb?

Charismatic: Only one. Hands already in the air.

Pentecostals: Ten. One to change the bulb and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.

Presbyterians: None. Lights will go off and on at predestined times.

Roman Catholic: None. Candles only.

Baptists: At least 15. One to change the light bulb and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad.

Episcopalians: Three. One to call the electrician, one to mix the drinks and one to talk about how much better the old bulb was.

Mormons: Five. One man to change the bulb and four wives to tell him how to do it.

Unitarians: We choose not to make a statement either in favor of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that light bulbs work for you, that is fine. You are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your light bulb for the next Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions including incandescent, fluorescent, three-way, long-life and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.

Methodists: Undetermined. Whether your light bulb is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved. You can be a light bulb, turnip bulb or tulip bulb. A church-wide lighting service is planned for Sunday. Bring a bulb of your choice and a covered dish.

Nazarene: Six. One woman to replace the bulb while five men review the church lighting policy.

Lutherans: None. Lutherans don’t believe in change.

Amish: What’s a light bulb?

*Mega (any denom) Christian Church: Theres a light bulb out?

*House church(non-denom): We should all change it, who’s going first?

funny story

i found this on a blog today and thought it was funny and worth sharing.

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day.

The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room. He decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, he sent the email.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband’s funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack. The widow decided to check her email expecting messages from family and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The widow’s son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor passed out. He looked at the computer which read:

To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I’ve Arrived
Date: March 2, 2009

I know you’re surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I’ve just arrived and have been checked in. I’ve seen that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then!!!!

Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. Sure is freaking hot down here!!!!

Man, what a week...

My poor husband has gotten a crash course in being a stay at home dad. Last week, Jeremiah's ear started really hurting him. It was, of course, on my day to work, so after a day of crying and a fever, Dave took him to the doctor's office. He had an ear infection and swimmers ear so he got Augmentin and antibiotic ear drops. The antibiotic is really nasty and chalky. He isn't a fan, but we do have to take it twice a day for 10 days. He takes it like a pro and chases it with sprite. It is feeling much better.
This week Thomas had a fever for a few days so after a night of having to give him medicine every couple hours to keep his fever down, Dave decided to take him to the doctor too. He also had an ear infection and is taking Amoxicillin. He is on day 2 of his antibiotic now and feeling much better.
Dave did a great job of getting the appointments, getting the kids to them, filling the prescriptions and giving the boys their medicine all while letting me sleep so I could work. I am so lucky to have such a great husband.
Tomorrow it is supposed to be 68 degrees here. I can not wait. We will put hats on these infected ears and head to the park for the day. Yay!!!

my sweet boys-feb 2009

i just wanted to share my latest picture of my sweet boys.

my crazy hubby

Dave is camping this weekend. He went with a bunch of guys from church. It was supposed to be in the 30s today and teens tonight and even snow tomorrow. He is crazy but he says he has the gear and will be fine so I dont worry about him. i know he needs some alone/guy time. He has been so great with the boys lately and with letting me sleep when I need to so it is the least I can do. I hope he has fun and doesnt freeze too bad!
He is such a great dad. I am so blessed to have someone who realizes how precious this time is in the boys lives and makes so much effort to make the most of it. He has so much fun playing with them. Here are a few pics of him and the boys.

Its really sucky

The other week we had some winter weather so J didn't have school and Dave didn't have work. Dave gets stir crazy after a day of being inside so we decided to rearrange our living room and bedroom. We have a pretty small apartment but we manage to rearrange it at least every 3-4 months. The boys found the vacuum to be quite entertaining. Jeremiah, who loves the movie ELF, started quoting it. He would use to attachment on the vacuum and put it to his cheek or arm and say "its really sucky". It was really funny. Thomas wanted to play along but wasn't so thrilled with having his cheek sucked up in a vacuum. Here are a few pics of our good time!

my New Reality

So this was my first week of full time. I worked Tuesday, Wednesday and Thurday nights 7pm-7am. I took a little nap on Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday slept from about 9-3:30, and Thursday from 9-4, and Friday from 9-2. It worked out really well. I felt well rested and wasn't grumpy. Dave did a fantastic job of keeping the boys either out of the house or quiet for me. He also did a great job of housekeeping. He is actually a better housekeeper than I am. I am so thankful for him.
We went for a family swim on Friday afternoon at the gym. The pool is so warm (93degrees to be exact). Dave then swam his 20 laps and I walked 2.5 miles. I forgot that I get shin splints, it had been so long since I worked out, but my shins were absolutely killing me. I walked my first mile and then this 75+ year old man said "come on, speed up and talk to me, Im bored". So i walked and chatted another mile with him and discussed life. It was good and the time went by fast. I couldn't think about the fact that my shins were killing me b/c he was talking and walking fast non-stop.
The boys really like the childcare too, unless it is close to bedtime and they get a tad grumpy.
We are doing our 2nd hydrospin class on Monday night. We both could barely feel our legs as we got out of the water. We relaxed a little in the hot tub before we got the kids from childcare.

5K here i come...

Dave and I joined the gym this weekend. It is a really nice gym and the selling point to me was that it has great childcare where food is NOT allowed! Yay!!! This was pretty much going to make or break the decision for me. I did like it and the no food thing solidified it. It is so hard with allergy kids to feel safe about leaving them, even if you are only a few feet away.
We are going for our first spin class tonight and the boys for their first childcare experience there.
I also made myself a resolution that in 3 months I want to run a 5K, in 6 months a 10K, and in Sept/Oct I want to run a half marathon. I know i can do it, if i just set my mind to it.
I want to do it to prove to myself I can, but also to lose weight. I am hoping by the half marathon to have lost 30 pounds, so we will see how that goes.
I have my 10 year reunion this year which is my main motivation.

I have this picture of me in 1997 that I keep looking at to keep me motivated. Im not sure I can get that skinny again, but I want to fit in my jeans better and be able to wear more clothes that I can not right now. I am not dead set on 30 pounds or on a certain size, just feeling better and looking better in my clothes.
Here goes nothing! Keep me accountable guys! I really want this! Today is Feb 2nd and I am starting towards my 5K goal!