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.

Stroller Sisters...well more like brothers.

We had a neighborhood BBQ this weekend for the fourth of July. Some little girls were there with their baby dolls and strollers. It didn't take long for Wyatt and our neighbor Jeb to find the strollers and show their motherly instincts. They were pretty cute. The boys pushed the baby dolls for a half hour all around the party.

The Score Is In...

Boys 1: Girls 1

She has her moms legs. All of the ultrasound measurements matched the due date, but her legs showed a due date of a week and a half early...translation-long legs!

Wyatt's First Movie

We took Wyatt to see the movie CARS today. We really had no expectations as far as how long he might actually last in the theatre but we thought it would be fun no matter what. After about 20 minutes of previews, Daddy and Mommy wanted the movie to start more than Wyatt. He actually didn't care at all and was simply enjoying the experience, but we knew he probably couldn't last two hours worth. He really loved the first part of the movie which had a pretty intense racing scene. He was truly precious sitting on Dad's lap eating popcorn and drinking milk. About thirty or forty minutes in to the movie itself he got down and was dancing with some of the music in the movie. He then took the empty popcorn bag and pulled the entire thing over his head and started walking up and down the isle. It was completely entertaining. We officially made it through about half of the show and then enjoyed a little stroll around the mall. It was a great day. Thanks to the strict rules with regard to bringing cameras into theatres, we only took a few pictures outside the theatre. I wish you all could have enjoyed the popcorn bag mummy as much as us!

I got a Cookie!

Yesterday, I took Wyatt to the grocery store. Our newest grocery store habit is to get a free cookie from the bakery ladies. I give Wyatt a bite, and I eat the rest. So, I was in the mood for a Snickerdoodle and proceeded to pick one out of the bin. When I gave Wyatt a bite, he started pointing to the cookies going "This...This!" I thought maybe he had finally wised up to wanting his very own whole cookie, but that wasn't it! It turns out he didn't quite feel like a snickerdoodle. He wanted an m&m cookie. So I thought it is his cookie...so I let him have the one with m&m's. He proceeded to lick the m&m coating down to the chocolate right off the top of the entire cookie. He never even ate the cookie. He just licked the chocolate! I thought about washing him before we got in the car as to preserve the state of the "1995 Saturn" (ha, ha, ha) but his face was so cute and messy I had to get a picture of him. The whole drive home, Wyatt kept saying, "I got Cookie, I got Cookie!"

More Blog Posting

If you haven't noticed...we are updating the blog much more frequently! Hooray! We moved the computer out of the basement and upstairs which has made doing anything online much more accessible to me! Now I can check email, post on the blog, etc. during the day while Wyatt is playing in his room or out on our porch. Hopefully, this will connect us with all of our friends and family even more as I intend to keep new photos and more Juelfs' news on the blog regularly. Don't forget to check out our prayer request section in the lower right hand column! We hope you enjoy some of the new pictures we've added. I am making a new summertime vow to not be the mom whose child is yelling while standing still over a pool of water, "let me out of this camera!" I will use my pictures from the digital camera!

Our New Living Arrangement

No...We aren't moving! We will hopefully live in the same apartment the entire three years that we are here at Covenant Seminary. Actually, we just made some adjustments to our current situation. We have a full basement (not completely finished or anything) that allows for us to use more space than just our two bedrooms upstairs. So, David and I moved our bedroom to the dark dungeon below. We painted a space and moved our bed and closet all to the basement in anticipation of baby #2. It is a little early to need to make new accamodations for a baby that won't arrive until November; however, we thought a change of climate would be nice. Our basement is literally 10 degrees cooler than the upstairs, so as the heat begins to rear its head we thought the move would benefit us sooner rather than later. Our first night was wonderful! It was really dark and cool. Other than the four times I climbed the stairs to go to the bathroom...it was great!

Wyatt's room has seen some changes as well. We decided to bring in the toddler bed we found for him so he is able to get used to it. I don't think we'll make him sleep in it until August or September, but he sure thinks its interesting. Today he wanted to let Sierra climb on it, which is quite surprising because he gets very jealous if we ever let her on the couch. He seems to like the new changes and is even playing more and more in his room. Hopefully, mommy will be up to painting his room this summer.

A Choo Choo!

Well, Wyatt has officially entered the two year old little boy stage...translation- tantrums and addiction to Thomas the Train. While Wyatt remains a dedicated Matchbox Car enthusiast adding to his collection regularly on our weekly visits to Schnuck's (the grocery store), he has recently grown quite fond of his Thomas the Train set saying, "A Choo Choo, A Choo Choo!" It helps to have a train that passes by our back door on a daily basis. Every time he hears the roar of the engine, he goes running to the back door, along with Sierra, to watch the trains pass by.