And so this is Christmas...

These are the words to the beginning of an old Christmas song, and so in the spirit of Christmas I began to ponder just what has our Christmas experience been this year. We had weeks of final exams, fussy baby, and a family affair of the flu, and so on. So I in my heart I have to ask the question…is this really Christmas? We are just a day or so away from all of this chaos and I have to shamefully admit that I am feeling very hopeless and not very spirited about this most important time of year in the Christian tradition. My parents have been out here now for a few days and have been a huge help with Wyatt and Addie. David and I even managed to sneak away from the kids for two hours so we could have our first date in over two months. As things begin to calm down in our household and I desperately cling to some resemblance of normalcy to return, I am reminded by the birth of our own baby just weeks ago, that this season is marked by such a joyous event…the birth of Jesus. I must confess that I am so easily swayed to lose all hope and my kingdom perspective in life when both trial or triumph come my way. And so this is Christmas…that my Savior was born and my Hope is found. May this stay fresh in my heart each day and I pray this for you too. Merry Christmas from the Juelfs.

Who's it Next?

As I sit down to drink my hot chocolate, I hear the words from David in the other room echo, "Dammit, I am going to throw up tonight!" Right now we are nearing the end of finals. That is, David is nearing the end of finals, which I suppose necessarily puts the rest of our family nearing the end of finals. As you might have read, Wyatt contracted some sort of stomach bug on Friday. So David decided to stay home to help me. Good choice, bad choice. Some decisions are for the overall good but do have their consequences. Today, David began feeling a little queezy. So our countdown began. When will David get the stomach bug and then when will I get it? How can we keep it from Addie? This seemed much easier when we were just keeping Wyatt away from Addie. Not so easy now. I suppose queezy has just taken a turn for the worse!

Holiday Tag

A friend of mine was tagged with these great holiday questions. Although I wasn’t tagged, I thought it would be fun to answer them and start my own game of tag!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate, without question.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? unwrapped, of coarse, so we could play with them immediately!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? white lights so our ornaments’ color stand out.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, but David might appreciate this tradition!

5. When do you put up your decorations? This year we bought our tree before Thanksgiving so Memaw would be able to help us decorate it. Usually, however, I like to get it right after Thanksgiving and keep it up until right after New Year’s.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Prime Rib and Scalloped Potatoes!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? opening Dad’s present on Christmas Eve.

8. When and how did you learn that Santa isn't real? I don't remember…in fact I hardly remember believing in Santa

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We always opened Dad’s Christmas gift on Christmas Eve. It was always a matching pair of pajamas for my sister and me.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? This year by myself while Memaw took Wyatt to the park in about twenty minutes flat. Addie was just a few weeks so the tree took little priority. Next year, hopefully as a family.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love it when I don’t have to go anywhere. I hate now that I have kids and need to run errands…too many fights over wearing the big winter jacket and drudging through the slush!

12. Can you ice skate? Yes, although I haven’t in many years.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I always got what I wished for...I must have been such a good little girl...so every Christmas seemed perfect.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being with our family, both immediate and extended. Now that we have children it is fun to be able to share the wonder of Christmas in the story of “baby Jesus.” Wyatt is just beginning to understand this.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Pumpkin Pie!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I look forward to starting this tradition next year…would’ve done it this year except for the craziness of having a newborn and too many things to do…When I was little my mom would take us to the local feed store to get some straw. We would begin our Advent count for the days up to Christmas by adding a piece of straw to a little manger up until Christmas Eve and then on Christmas morning we would lay Baby Jesus in the manger. I think it is a wonderful way to daily remind our children why we anticipate Christmas. Each day we are preparing for Christ’s arrival!

Mom and Allie, Tag! You're it! I know you don’t have blogs, but email your answers to a friend and tag them.

Is Someone Playing a Trick on Us?

So, last night I thought my world was crashing in on me. Addie was sleeping very little during the day becoming increasingly overtired and unable to sleep and Wyatt had had a bit of a rough day too. I was in tears telling David while we decided how we were going to get our daughter to sleep for longer than 20 minutes at a time. After quite some time we entered those late night hours where hunger sets in. What unhealthy snack would we choose for tonight? Well, we picked a moderately healthy snack this time. I had finally gotten Addie to quiet down in her crib and so I went to the kitchen to make some popcorn. I don't like microwavable popcorn, so I usually break out the kettle and make it over the stove. I proceeded to put the oil on and one kernel to wait for the pop in order to put the rest of the kernels in. However, not to my surprise but much to my dismay, Addie started crying and I left the stove to attend to her. I got distracted and returned to find the pot smoking. I lifted the lid and more smoke billowed out. So I decided to take the pot outside. I removed the lid once out there to let the smoke out and came inside. While trying to air the kitchen out, I noticed a bright light on our porch. I looked outside to find out the pot was on fire. Funny, huh? So I calmly said David, "the pot's on fire." He said, "Get the thingy magigger... you know the thing that puts out fire," while holding the baby. I said, "I don't think I know how to use it..." So I took the baby and he put the fire out.

We then stayed up for another hour or so putting Addie back to bed while leaving all the windows and doors open in our not entirely safe apartment in the ghetto. I went to bed around midnight while David continued to study for finals. We both woke up to Wyatt crying early in the morning and found him covered in the throwup from head to toe. He looked very ill to the point that we were a little worried. So, as if life couldn't get more complicated, all plans for the day scratched and David was off to the doctor with Wyatt. He has been diagnosed with some sort of stomach flu. Doctor's orders to be vigillent in keeping his germs from Addie. Not very easy when you are the only one at home to monitor the kids. So, David was unable to take his final and stayed home with me.

The evening was quite ironic as we look back. We both were pretty much having a break down about all of the things expected of us in the next few weeks and really couldn't see life getting any more complicated. I think we are beginning to see that we must rid ourselves of this expectation and the idea that we will be able to handle everything in our own human capacity. Oh, how every single day we are reminded that Christ must be our strength! Things could've been worse...We could have had a fire inside the apartment. Addie could have been hurt trying to put the fire out. Wyatt could've had somehting more serious...and yet they are not. We do have much to be thankful for!

What's Your Superpower?

So, David and I have discovered a new obsession. We have recently become quite addicted to the new TV show "Heroes." http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/ We have not been followers from the beginning. In fact, we just started to watch it last week. Episode 11 was on and it seemed kind of interesting. During one of the commercials, they said the previous episodes were available on line. So, we stopped watching Episode 11 on TV and started watching Episode 1 on the computer. I was always a little curious what "save the cheerleader, save the world" meant, but after the first episode I was thoroughly taken in. It has been less than a week and David and I are almost to Episode 11. We have come to enjoy our late night "Heroes" sessions during Addie's bouts of fussiness as we take turns bouncing her around and shushing. The show is fascinating and has prompted us to ponder what we would like our superpower to be. David is able to come up with a new superpower that he would like just about every day. For me, on the other hand, I haven't really been able to come up with one. Maybe it's because I know this world doesn't work that way and I don't have the imagination of my husband who loves role playing, fantasy books and movies like "The Lord of the Rings."Somehow, he can let himself dive in to their world for a short while which gives him quite the capacity to imagine himself with all sorts of superpowers. David thought maybe my lack of superpower desire means I am really content with myself. Let me think about that...NO! That can't be the answer as I am definitely not what I desire to be in the motherhood and wife categories. However, I still couldn't come up with a superpower. So, I remained a boring, unimaginative realist. That is until I had my moment this afternoon. I have discovered my deep down desire for a superpower. As I have daily struggled with feeling like the failure mother of the year, it came to me that so many of my problems would be solved if I got a little more sleep...so what I really need is the power to not need sleep. I could definitely save the world if I never got tired! Or, maybe just save my household. Until I am granted my superpower wish, I suppose my only hope must remain in Christ saving me and my household. This seems like a much better alternative to fake superpowers!

An Early Morning

Well, for some of you my early start is normal, but for a sleep deprived mother of a newborn I have been getting quite accustomed to waking around 8:30am as it seems Wyatt has taken a liking to sleeping in. He used to not like covers, but we finally convinced him that two "blues" (translation blankets) are better than one. So, after a few nights of blanket sleeping and a few mornings of unusually late wakeups we concluded Wyatt must be warmer and cozier with the blankets and thus sleeping in. What a beautiful discovery for a mother! It seems Addie enjoys her 5 or 6 am feeding and has been sleeping until 8:30 or so too. That is, until today! Addie woke up for her 6 am feeding and decided she wanted to belt out a little musical number of screaming for a while which proceeded to wake Wyatt, who I thought might return to sleep, but was officially awakened when Sierra (the dog) started barking at the dogs outside. This all happenning before 7am making for a very grumpy mother. As if the screaming during the day by our "miserable baby" (as the doctor described Addie) wasn't enough to make me grumpy, the very early start to our morning is definitely going to take the cake today! So, I finally got Addie back to sleep and then went in to Wyatt's room to hear him telling me, "Mommy I awake...I awake!" My reply, "Yes, son you are indeed! Are you sure you want to be awake?"

Our Little Ladybug

Tetee gave Addie this ladybug hat. Still fits despite the potential "big head." Isn't she cute in it? It lasted about one minute and I turned around after the pictures and Wyatt decided Addie no longer needed the hat. It is so nice to have a big brother that takes care of you whether you like it or not!

Gray or Blonde?

So many of you who know David know that he has these little blonde patches of hair in the front of his head that are lighter than the rest of his hair. Today, I saw them in just the right light and I suspect they may be turning gray. I told David, which most people would refrain from telling a 28 year old that they are graying; however, David wants to turn gray and looks forward to a full head of gray. Unfortunately, he told me he wanted to turn gray, but not where he was already developing a receeding hairline! So, maybe it's gray or maybe it's blonde. Only time will tell!

Talk these numbers...

We have been teaching Wyatt the Children's First Catechism which has a series of questions and answers that teach him about Scripture and God. He loves it and is doing quite well. Today at lunch we were looking at the book and Wyatt saw the question and answers on the pages. He turned to David and said, "Talk these numbers, daddy, talk these numbers!" Simple translation, "Read these letters, daddy, read these letters." Oh, how eager a two year old is to learn!! So, the next time you see Wyatt or talk to him you can ask him, "Who made you?, What else did God make?, and Why did God make you and all things?"

What kind of bean are you?

Wyatt loves to jump! Out of the blue he will just start jumping around. He loves to show his grandparents how he jumps when we video chat. So, today while I was feeding Addie, Wyatt began to jump around. I asked him, "Are you a Mexican jumping bean?" (www.beansthatjump.com) He looked at me and with intensity said, "No Mommy, I am a coffee bean!" And so this prompted my self reflection. Just how much coffee do David and I drink? It is very likely...too much. But what are two sleepless parents going to do? So until we reenter the land of eight hour sleep...we will drink our coffee and parent our very own coffee bean.

Oh, How different they can be...

It is not just that my son and daughter are just that...male and then female. They are remarkably different in every way. Their entrance to the world strikingly opposite. Wyatt came quickly and with great ease. Addie took two trips to the hospital in 24 hours, getting my water broken, and pitocin. She was very high maintenance. It is not that Wyatt was never fussy, but oh how Addie's fussiness differs. Wyatt had the usual episodes here and there. Addie however seems to be as the doctor told me yesterday..."a miserable baby." Just what any mother wants to hear. Yesterday, I had to excuse myself after 30 minutes from a baby shower when the celebration of this new life to come was rudely interrupted by yours truly screaming nonstop. And there is the messy work. Wyatt never once spit up or had diaper rash in his first year of life. Addie has blisters on her bum and projectile vomits regularly. The only thing the two have in common is their looks, their dislike of the carseat, and two parents who will love them despite their difficulties!

Her First Pink Accessory

Sleeping Beauty

Pretty in Pink

Our Trial Day

Well, we came home from the hospital on Tuesday and David took the week off from school to help out. We are unable to have family in town until this coming Monday, so I am really glad David has been around to help with our adjustments to a family of four. Things are going well. Addie came out of her cacoon last night just in time for our bed time. She pretty much decided that as long as there wasn't any milk, she didn't want to be awake. So as soon as it came she wanted milk for about four straight hours while she enjoyed the world around her. Hopefully we'll help her figure out day and night soon! We go to the doctor at 11:30 today and I think all will be well. David has resumed a trial day of studying beginning at 9:00 this morning, so I am getting a chance to attempt the role of mom of two with help just a holler away in the basement. So far so good. I got a shower. A big accomplishment I suppose. Wyatt has clothes on and I think we are ready for the doctor already. Addie had a good hour of wakefulness this morning and has been napping. She'll eat soon and then we'll be off to the doctors where Wyatt proudly will introduce Addie to Dr. Birmingham. I suppose the first hour of my trial day is actually not off to a bad start considering I was able to write this post. I hope the rest is the same way, but I am expecting some hurdles. Hopefully tonight we will post some new pictures. Until then, pray the day goes well!

Wyatt meets Addie

Wyatt went to see Addie last night at the hospital. Mom and Addie were on the bed when we came in and after a few jumps to show off, Wyatt is quite a jumper now, he said, "I want up. I want to hold Addie." Notice the big smile on the big brother. Heather and Addie come home today. I am leaving in a few minutes to pick them up from the Hospital.

Couple of Pics for the Family

Adelaide Grace is Born

Addie and mom are healthy and doing well. Addie was born Nov. 5 at 9:34pm. She is 6lbs 12oz. and 19.5in. long.

Great Grandma Adelaide

Our little Adelaide is named after Heather's grandmother on her father's side.

Did she really give birth 12 hours ago?

How beautiful is my wife? Does she look like she gave birth to our second child 12 hours ago? I might have to look into this. She might be a mutant. You know, the superhero kind with special powers. I've always suspected.

Joys of a Summer Baby

Now I know the title of this entry seems a little contradictary for all who have had a summer birth. However, after having a summer birth already and now being 38 weeks pregnant in November, I am beginning to think heat isn't such a bad thing. For starters, you don't have to wear a lot of clothes. It seems that even though it is fall, I am burning up at any given point during the day unless I go outside in which case I am then freezing! Second, in your state of hugeness those maternity sweaters and such items that can keep you warm look awful regardless of how much weight you've gained. Finally, the biggest benefit to a summer baby...flip flops. Who knew that socks and shoes would be my arch enemy. I really don't think I can reach my feet without much pain on a good day, but then on those dreaded days of afternoon heartburn bending over becomes...well, let's just say impossible!

Man's Best Friend

Wyatt loves to play with "the kids" as he calls our young neighbor friends. As fall/winter temperatures arrive and the weather is chillier, I have fallen victim to wanting to stay in my warm cozy house all day long. Fine for me, boring for a kid. So on the occasion that I can't muster up the desire to get outside, Wyatt relies solely on his best friend "dog, dog" to be his playmate. I'll open up the back porch slider and he and Sierra will play outside. Sierra lasts about as long as any good dog would put up with torturing from a two year old. However, when she's ready to come in we end up with a very lonely boy. Wyatt will follow her around the house and order her to come outside again, "dog, dog sit outside...dog, dog sit outside!" They seem to have developed quite the love-hate relationship.

Yesterday, it seems I got roped in to a trip outside in 45 degree weather. Here are a few pictures from our adventures in the leaves.

Technology for Today

It seems that our parents are becoming hip youngsters in 2006. David was able to get a laptop for school this summer thanks to a generous supporter. He bought a mac. He has been a fan for a while and had some great experiences with it at the last church where he worked. We never owned one personally but knew that we would by one for our next computer which just so happened to be this summer. We are forever greatful. The even better news is that we have somehow turned our parents on to macs as well. It certainly helps to have grandchildren to persuade them of these things too. The laptop we bought has the capability to video chat...basically meaning we see and talk to each other live on the computer. Now of coarse no one really cared to video chat with just David and me, but they sure want to see Wyatt and lest we forget Sierra too.

David's mom and Bob bought one a month or so ago. Wyatt has seemingly lost all interest in talking to Grandma and Papa, Patch or Kev on the phone. He now says he wants to talk to them on the "puter". So, the family gets to see Wyatt in action which has been a tremendous amount of fun...and of coarse, not so fun for me, as I am constantly asked by all to give a glorious pregnant profile (maybe fun at twenty weeks...not 38). So, my parents have also purchased a mac laptop, and we too are video chatting. Meemaw, Papa, Teetee, Buncle, Mama Flo, and Papa Rudy all got to chat with us this weekend. Technology doesn't come without its glitches though. We seemed to have a little trouble last night connecting with Meemaw and Papa and Teetee, but we'll get it worked out soon.

Now the best part of all, Grandma and Papa from Ohio and Meemaw and Papa in California (all paying for these fine machines)...I hate to burst your bubble but Wyatt seems only to think, ask for, or talk about his one very short interaction video chatting with Teetee (who doesn't own and hasn't payed anything torwards a computer)! Somehow, in Wyatt's eyes, Teetee can't be beat when it comes to family! At times, even I, the one who gave birth to him, can run a distant second.

We love to see and talk to you all!

Seems like Forever

We are getting a lot of practice on patience and waiting around here. The baby is due in two and a have weeks, but somehow I seem to think she is coming earlier. Wyatt was born 14 days early, so it seems that I have convinced myself that she can't be born on or after her due date. Probably a bad idea to think so positively, but what is one to do in these last days? I have now been dialated to 3cm for ten days and am 50% effaced. Conditions really don't get a tremendous amount more primed for a baby to be born...but just not ours! Each day I wake up I seem to get more things done in preparation for her arrival. Of coarse, the general prep is done. If she came today, we have our plan for Wyatt and all the baby stuff together. I even have a bag pretty well packed this time. The neighbors are waiting for our call to take Wyatt and his bag is packed too. We are all ready. Everyone but the main attraction apparently.

I've been telling myself as I accomplish a task that I thought I'd get around to after the baby was born that God just must have been giving me this one extra day to make things even less stressful than they could be. But how much laundry can be done? How many times do the sheets need washing?

And, the question David really wants answered is how many more desserts will he be forced to exercise self control in before this baby pops out. The poor man can only take so much. I know it sounds wierd for a man to not want dessert but I have tortured him too much over the years. I'm the baker and he's the eater. By the time I'm done baking, I don't want to eat. But David hates turning away anything sweet and hot out of the oven.

I am at the point where I can't find many other things to prepare before she comes. So I suppose I need to just sit back and wait. And all who know me know that this is probably the hardest thing for me to do. As a young child, I couldn't wait to eat our new food from the grocery store until we got home. I had to try something in the car on the way home. To this day as an adult, I still have to try something on the way home. Patience is not my virtue. I suppose God decided that after 28 years of impatience, it is time for me to learn!

Happy Halloween!

This is Wyatt's third Halloween. It's hard to believe. The first one I vividly recall the onesie t-shirt with a pumpkin on it that he pooped through. It was a doozy! Last year Wyatt a dressed as a monkey to attend his neighbors party. We barely made it through the door and he pooped, so I had to take the whole costume off to change his diaper and try all over again! This year, thankfully, no poop. We had a very bad nap day, so we went trick or treating at 5pm. Wyatt once again was a monkey this year. He has entered his shy stage with strangers, so he wouldn't even say trick or treat. However, we did manage to get a thank you to all of our fun friends who passed out candy. We were home and in bed by 7pm. At least Wyatt was. I am on my way to try running a marathon or something to get the baby out of me!

Welcome Back!

We are sorry that our Fall 2006 update is coming to you midway through the semester, but I guess that is how things go. We are once again really enjoying our time here at Covenant and continue to experience God's grace and mercy in our lives in many new ways.

Our summer was busy but quite an experience. From week long power outages to traveling to California for six weeks...we really didn't have much down time. I took a new job this summer. As much as the coffee shop was a wonderful place to work and meet a variety of people to engage with, I decided a job that allowed me to be home in the evenings with Heather and Wyatt was the best fit. I work on campus in the Development Department working on donor relations. The job is a great fit and will hopefully be the best suited for when the baby comes. I really only worked a few weeks this summer before I was headed off to California for my internship with Harbor Presbyterian Church.

My experience at Harbor was invaluable. I was given the chance to basically follow really great leaders of a church planting movement and listen to their vision, learn from their wisdom, and offer and extra support and help when needed. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the summer except for the few weeks I had to spend apart from my family. If you would like to see more about Harbor Presbyterian Church, check out their website at www.harborpc.org.

This semester I am taking some great classes and continue to grow from the great wisdom and knowledge of the professors here. I already feel like I am swimming in a pool of things to do that won't be finished by the time our daughter is born, so keep me in your prayers. She is due November 21st and I hope that I will be able to finish a lot of work before then.

Heather is doing well and anxiously awaiting the birth of our little girl. She is hoping for a Wyatt-like arrival (two weeks early)! Keep her in your prayers as she recovers from a fall down the basement stairs. Nothing happened to the baby, but she has a sprained ankle as a result. These last few weeks of pregnancy with a sprained ankle have been rough.

On a lighter note, a great friend of mine from Covenant and I will be traveling to Chicago this coming weekend to run the Chicago Marathon. We have been training since last spring and are very eager to enjoy the race!

Be sure to scroll down to read some of our more recent fall experiences. There are some fun pics of Wyatt from the summer and the fall. We will surely be updating you withing the next month or so when the baby comes! Until then, thank you again for your prayers and continued support during this great journey. We want it, we need it, and we are so grateful for it!

God Bless,

David

The Poopsmith

(an old potty picture)

Today Wyatt said he wanted to poop in the potty. His usual morning poop hadn't taken place yet, so I thought what the heck let's give it a try (we've been practicing for quite some time). Wyatt sat on the potty for over thirty minutes while watching a video and eating a fruit leather from Trader Joe's. He really was trying...we even heard the gas to prove it, but still nothing! He kept standing up looking to see if he made "plop plops" but nothing ever appeared. Eventually, however, he stood up and we saw YELLOW! Wyatt did it...well, not the poop, but he pee peed in the potty for the first time! He was so excited that he did it, so he picked up the bowl and carried it to the potty and dumped and flushed. It was an exciting day. About thirty minutes after the diaper was put on, Wyatt finally pooped...little pebbles. The poor guy. We picked the worst poop to experiment on. The little guy just couldn't get it out!

CLICK BELOW FOR SOME ADDED AUDIO ENTERTAINMENT...Wyatt's choice!

http://www.overtherhine.com/music/mp3rarity/Poopsmith.mp3

Big Boy Bed!

Earlier this summer we posted a picture of the big boy bed when we brought it into Wyatt's room. It has been in there for months now, and we've just been waiting for the perfect time to introduce it to him. After all of the summer travels and returning back to St. Louis I decided that this past weekend would be the best time to transition. And by transition...I do mean basically...kick Wyatt out of the crib to make room for the baby. So, on Friday night, David took Wyatt outside and I moved the crib into the baby's room and set it up for her. We basically took the approach that Wyatt wasn't allowed to get out of the bed and he'd have to ask for us to come and let him get out of the bed. We expected we'd have some disciplining to do, but our expectations were quite wrong. I had never thought that Wyatt would cry about the big boy bed. I just thought he'd try to sneak out and we'd have to spank him. Well, when we put him down Friday night he said he wanted to sleep in the baby's room because his crib was in there and when we put him in the big bed...he went bolistic. He was so upset! My heart sank and I had know idea what to do. David of course asked a very Davidlike question..."Have you read anything about this?" My response, "yes, but about three months ago...i have spent more time talking to other moms." So, we bunkered down and sang "You are my Sunshine" about fifteen times until he settled down a bit. David laid on the edge of the bed and I rubbed his back while we sang. We told him he had to stay in his bed, we loved him, and walked out the door. He cried about one minute and never got out and slept the whole night through. The picture above is from the morning after we woke up.

Naptime...a little different. On Saturday, we put him down and he cried a little and then started playing in his bed. He hadn't go out...yet. David was studying in his office and I was lying in bed when all of a sudden I hearn a loud pitter patter of feet. I told David and he ran upstairs and while he was en route I heard a quick paced pitter patter once again. David opened the door and Wyatt was trying to climb back in bed looking over his shoulder with a look of fear when daddy walked in. David said, "Don't you get out of that bed!" And our little boy melted in his daddy's arms because he had messed up. David said goodnight and closed the door, and Wyatt hasn't climbed out since then!

He loves to sleep in the big boy bed at night, but naps are another story right now. He just has a harder time falling asleep in a different bed when it is daylight. He's not climbing out and for that we are very thankful!!!! I am sure he'll grow into a more solid nap in the big bed soon enough.

Until then, David and I feel like our first baby is truly not a baby any more. I really felt like crying that first night, but I am so proud of our little man!

(Picture to come...we are having technical difficulty.)

Eckart's Farm

On Sunday, Wyatt was still suffering the effects of cough and runny nose, so we kept him out of the nursery at church. Thankfully, his demeanor hasn't really changed. So, we went apple picking at Eckart's Farm about 30 minutes out into the country. We saw goats and cows and other fun animals. Wyatt even attempted to feed them by hand. We took a tractor out to the apple orchard and had a great time picking Green Delicious, Jonathan's, and Sun Crisp apples. I think on Tuesday we'll make our apple pie. After
that, we hopped on the tractor and rode to the pumpkin patch where we picked a great pumpkin. I took Wyatt to Wal-mart the day before and tried to get a pumpkin but they didn't have any, so I made it up to him by taking him to the patch. He was very excited! We took the tractor back to pay for our apples and Wyatt enjoyed a nice snooze on the way home.

Towers

Wyatt discovered the novelty of building towers last Christmas when he was given a set of blocks that Pop from Tennessee made him. Since then, his towers have evolved from three or four block stacks to some rather intricate castle like structures. He will sit for 45 minutes by himself just to keep working on a tower...and of course the inevitable happens...the tower falls and he just starts all over again.

Schools Back!

Well, to our add to our excitement and a little bit of stress, the fall semester has begun. David is busily putting together his carpooling schedule which has turned out to be a little more like finding rides to and from school with little contribution on his part given our one car state of mind. Thankfully, there are wonderful people around willing to help out. He has also been working on a study guide for a book that one of his professors teaches from. He turned it in just a few days ago. Classes have been underway for about a week now and I think he really is happy with his schedule and classes.

On a family note, we have been overtaken by poison ivy. A few weeks ago, David retrieved a ball from the woods with Wyatt and contracted poison ivy. Probably a week later Wyatt developed a very peculiar skin rash that we thought might have been a bacterial infection. It turns out (several trips to the doctor later) that Wyatt is quite allergic to poison ivy. As young kids there bodies respond kind of differently. He hasn't itched at all...but pretty much looked like a leapor for weeks now. I think we've managed to get back on the road to recovery however. Keep us in your prayers...especially our health. I am working three days a week in the log cabin at Covenant with Wyatt which means high exposure to germs from young kids! We will certainly enjoy all of the play time...but I think I will be really ready to just be at home once the baby arrives.

Hopefully, this weekend we'll get some pictures from the summer and some current gulf drive pictures on the blog with an update from dad! The picture above is pre - leprosy stage on August 20, 2006...Wyatt's second birthday!

Home Again Home Again Trolly La Trolly La

We have finally arrived back in St. Louis. As Grandma would say, Home Again Home Again Trolly La Trolly La! We made it home last Monday, August 14th. We had a week of catching up to do with laundry and restocking the fridge after we lost most of our food from the week without power. But sometimes I actually enjoy those things so it really was an enjoyable week settling back into our routine and being home. Although, I think we are trapped in California time. Wyatt seems to prefer waking between nine and ten in the morning!

This weekend we had Wyatt's second 2nd Birthday celebration. No, that wasn't a typo. It seems that with family all over the country we are always doing several birthday celebrations. We had one with my family in California a few weeks ago and this weekend on Wyatt's real birthday we had some cupcakes and burgers with a neighbor. Next weekend we are having Wyatt's birthday party with neighborhood friends and Grandma and Grandpa from Ohio will be in town. Pictures from California and the party will be posted soon.

Alas, David is fininshing up with his final preparations for his Hebrew exam to be taken at the end of this week. He is excited about the start of his second year at Covenant and quite remeniscent of the great six weeks he spent in California learning under the care of Harbor Presbyterian Church in San Diego. His internship was time well spent and very fruitful for his growth and development in the ministry. He looks forward to sharing more as soon as he's finished with his Hebrew exam...we are all counting the days until that is over (Thursday afternoon)!

On a final note, our daughter seems to be growing and doing quite well in the womb! I go to the doctor tomorrow and continue to be anxious for her arrival. My hope is that she will be a little early, but I suppose I shouldn't get my hopes up too much!

We certainly appreciate the prayers many of you expressed on our behalf throughout the summer. We are blessed to have the support of each of you.

California or Bust!

Well...the title might need to read California has been a bust (for Wyatt at least)! We arrived last week and Wyatt had a few days to really enjoy his family out here. Until Saturday. He had three days of fun, then four days of fever, one day of the emergency room, and now the throw up and diahrrea have turned to congestion and cough. Diagnosis...nothing...after blood drawn and a chest ex-ray, Wyatt doesn't have anything treatable with antibiotics. If the fever persists through the weekend, lucky us, the emergency room again! Mommy's diagnosis...one really cranky kid and way too many family members with opinions on what to do!

We hope to have a small celebration this Saturday for Wyatt's 2nd birthday, but who knows if we are still going to be able to have that. Pray for Wyatt's health...please...and mom's sanity. Sick children on vacation make for a really cranky pregnant mom.

Apart from the above, David and I have had a great chance to see family and friends and connect with both old and new faces out here in Southern California. We hope are last week and a half will be filled with much more of that.

St. Louis Heat!

We officially haven't posted in a while for good reason...it's this little thing called electricity...computers sort of run on it and we didn't have it for almost a week. The storms that blew through St. Louis downed power lines and left us without power for almost a week. We lost a lot of our food and weathered the heat with no air conditioning. It was just a little uncomfortable for a while but by the end it was pretty annoying...not to mention the food loss and having to eat out. My mom, Wyatt, and I left for California leaving behind Sierra to hold the fort down without electricity. Thankfully we have wonderful neighbors caring for her. The latest report was that she went three days without eating or drinking (probably doggy depression) but on the third day when our neighbor became more concerned she decided life was once again worth living and began to eat and drink. We'll be home soon to see her!

Potty Days of Summer

Wyatt has developed a new fascination with the big boy potty. He has been asking me daily if he can sit on the potty without his diaper. I have gladly jumped at the "practice training"! Unfortunately, I think he is teasing me into thinking I may have a chance at my August goal for potty training. Anyway, here are some picks of our favorite read while sitting on the potty.

California Bound

Our summer travels began yesterday with David leaving for California. He arrived last night and has already eaten at In-and-Out Burger and sat in the jacuzzi...such is the life. His intership starts on Wednesday. He is really excited to be out there. Please pray that this intership will be a great experience and that he continues to study Hebrew this summer. He has an exam in August for Hebrew which is pretty critical!

Wyatt and I will join David in just a few weeks in late July. We miss him already and can't wait to be there too.

Mom's Week Alone

Well, last week David took Wyatt on a roadtrip to Ohio, and I got to spend a few days to myself. Of coarse I didn't really take them to relax like I should have. Instead I did the list of things I can never quite do because I don't have time or they are too difficult to do with Wyatt around. Here are some pictures of Wyatt's new room and the new baby's room. Both still need a little work. I have all the picture frames hung without any pictures. I am going to put some pictures in Wyatt's room of our trips to the beach in California this summer. The other room will have black and whites (sepia tone...sort of brownish) of puppies playing.

I tried to do both rooms in one day which left me exhausted and recovering for the next few. Meanwhile David and Wyatt had a great time at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I was really impressed with David's willingness to drive eight hours with a two year old in the car. I don't think you could catch me doing that alone. They seemed to have a great time.