Wanting God to Check Out the Room

So, the other day David was in the tent with Wyatt and of course being two Wyatt was acting selfish and not wanting Daddy to touch any toys. So, David told him that everything given to him is really God's stuff and he has given it to us to enjoy. Wyatt naturally responded, "No, it's mine!" And the conversation continued.

Shortly after our pastor came to visit us to discuss Addie's coming baptism. Wyatt knew we were talking about God and a few minutes later he was whispering to me that he wanted God to see his toys in his room. I told him God gave him his toys and that he sees him playing all the time, but he was very persistant that God come to his room.

Then it clicked. I said, "Do you mean Pastor George?" He said yes. So, Pastor George took a trip to the tent in Wyatt's room. Thanks Pastor George!

Please Pray

One of our friends here at Covenant has just learned that their daughter, Amelia, has been diagnosed with leukemia. She is four months old. Steve and Jen Allen are finishing their last semester at Covenant Seminary and preparing to move to Tennessee after graduation. Amelia was born just a few days before Addie and has recently been sick with a series of viruses and has just not seemed to recover from them. She had her blood tested last night where it was discovered that she had an abnormally high white blood cell count. She has had some treatments to exchange her blood in order to lower the white cell count and also has had chemotherapy this morning. Steve and Jen are waiting for the results of her bone marrow biopsy which will determine the type of leukemia Amelia has. There are several types and some of them have higher rates of being treatable even to the point of full recovery. Please be praying with us for their family and for healing in little Amelia. Steve and Jen need prayer for strength as they wait on the test results and wisdom as they work with doctors on the right course of treatment for her.

Our Spring Warm Up

Spring is slowly starting to appear and this week we have had several warm days. We have spent them outside of course trying to make the most of our outside toys while we can! Unfortunately, we were unable to get to the zoo this week. We're saving that for when Meemaw and Papa are here! Can't wait to see you.

Times are changing...

This title has many meanings for me today.

First, this is my late shot out at our spring forward time change. In my former days before children this was the most dreaded of days where in fact we lost sleep and spent the next two weeks recovering. I believe I may have posted something back in the fall about how I once loved the "fall back" time change and children completely changed that! While the adult population lost an hour of sleep this past weekend, we actually kept the status quo. Our children continued to sleep in to their normal hour which in fact was one hour later Sunday morning. While that day nothing changed, Monday and Tuesday have been different! We have actually been able to catch a few extra zzzz's in the morning while the kiddos are adjusting.

On a heavier note, both exciting and sad, our neigborhood is changing. And while I have anticipated this time for over a year now, I don't think I am prepared for it. One of my closest friends moves this semester in May. They have taken a call to Colorado at St. Patrick's Presbyterian Church. This is fabulous news, but also sad as we are still hear in St. Louis for yet another year. Our other close friends that live adjacent to our apartment have bought a house where they will probably be moving to before the semester is over. I know we only have one year remaining, but it is so sad for me to think of spending it here in a completely different manner than we have enjoyed so much over the last two years. I know God is faithful to provide us with what we need, so I pray he will protect me from loneliness and provide new meaningful relationships.

Finally, little Addie is changing...constantly! She is now four months old and a true delight to be around (except of course in the middle of the night!) She is rolling around, smiling and interacting with us, and showing huge interest in her newly discovered voice! She has experimented with rice cereal and seems to like it too. We are loving her new stages and look forward to her many more changes to come in the next year!

While Daddy was out...

My little thumb suckers!


Who doesn't love chocolate popscicles?



Daddy's old t-shirt...much loved!


More hair accessories!

David took a trip to Chicago this week for ministry purposes and I flew solo parenting our two youngsters for the week. We survived, even had a little fun while managing being apart from our daddy. Let me first just give a special kudos to single parents on how they manage because I frankly need the daddy of our house around and am not sure I would know how to survive without one! And for every household that has a baby, there is one sure thing about solo parenting...bedtime is a bitch! Just how does one bathe and clothe a two year old when the four month old is screaming unless she is held? I tried a number of ways but don't think I have it figured out yet. My only solution is to just let the poor four month old cry because it will only be for a short while but a two year old tantrum is much more difficult to recover from!

Addie Grace turns four months, and so...

Here is our little darling at four months. Dare I say there is a trace of her mother in the first picture??? She seems for the most part to have passed through the colic phase and seems to be overall enjoying life a lot. She loves Wyatt and any attention he is willing to give her. She is quite vocal (did anyone think she wouldn't be???) We are really enjoying and loving this precious gift of life!

And so, no we are not having another one right now. The "and so" is our funny new Wyattism. The other day while talking Wyatt started connecting ideas together with the words and so. It is quite funny to listen to. He will babble on and on and on and then take a long pause and say "and so" and then just continue in on another rant about any number of things!

For example, he told David on the phone tonight..." I play with Jack and Jeb. I make long train. Jeb took my train...and so, I got spanking." And so, mommy seems to think he left out the most important turn of events in the string where he through a fit when his friend messed up his train which led to the spanking, but it is quite funny to see him connect all these ideas together!

Gymnastics

So Wyatt liked gymnastics until the teacher asked him to do stuff. Then, he got very nervous and ran away! He stayed as far away from everyone as possible until the very end when the bubbles and stickers came out! He loved those! In the end Wyatt warmed up to Miss Angela and I think things will be even more excited next week. Or, so I hope!

Bowling

Thanks to Papa Rudy and Mama Flo, we've gone indoor bowling. We bought Wyatt this cute wooden bowling set with the money you sent. Wyatt loves to bowl down our hallway while Addie enjoys the entertainment. Thanks for giving us some good wintertime fun.

Playtime!

Well, the weather turned a bit cooler, so once again we are stuck inside. Addie decided she wanted to pretend she was a girrafe, and Wyatt wanted to pretend that "he was in a mess." Papa bought Wyatt a book called "James in a Mess" for Christmas, where James the red train got messy. So now, one of our favorite games to play is "something is in a mess." Thanks Papa!

We've Defrosted

So, it has been considerably cold over the last month keeping us all cooped up inside. We've managed to exhaust all of the exhilirating indoor activities that two year olds can do and mommies can supervise. Finally, as of yesterday our cold spell has taken a hike and been replaced by fifty degree weather. Thank you Jesus! We just spent three blessed hours outside running around. I can't wait for the Spring. I may not have survived this winter without a quick warm up. The rest of the week looks promising as well. Hopefully, we can get pictures up of our outdoor adventures later on.

A Fashion Show

So, it seems that Sunday's regular blog feature is Addie in her church outfits. Since I tend to be quite lazy during the week and I don't put her in clothes too often, Sunday has become our "dress Addie" day! Today she is sporting an outfit from Grammo in Ohio. She looked very sweet. Thanks Grammo.

Happy 60th Wedding Anniversary, Papa Rudy and Mama Flo!

Hope you all have a wonderful celebration. You are a great example to all of us of how to love one another in our marriages! Since we can't be with you, here are a few photos of the family in St. Louis.

What does this say about me?

So, I never bought a baby swing for Wyatt. He survived without one, but for some reason I thought Addie might like it considering her obsession with any form of movement. So, I found a portable swing that I thought we could use and it looked so comfortable that I wanted to hop in too. We gave it a try and she seems to like it. She'll swing around for thirty or forty-five minutes which gives me a little rest. So, what does this say about me? Am I just a succer for a baby toy? If the swing craze turns into something else, then we'll know I'm an easy sell.

Cupid Struck

Happy Valentine's Day to all! Since we are still in baby jail, David and won't be going anywhere for Valentine's. The other night I told him maybe we could order P.F. Chang's to go and eat it at home after the kids go to sleep since he was talking about taking me out to eat. Well, he looked rather disappointed with me as he said that was his latest plan and once again I had thwarted his surprise. After much consideration, we both concluded that this is a huge compliment to him in that he really knows my desires well. I couldn't have come up with a better idea and he knows me so well that he wanted to surprise me with the very thing I was thinking of! Happy Valentine's Day to all and Happy Valentine's Day to you, David. I loved our first Valentine's, but our tenth will be even better, and I look forward to many more!

Sick in St. Louis

We all have fallen victim to our first cold of 2007. So, this weekend we stayed home for the most part. We took one outing to Costco on Saturday night and ate hot dogs and churros for dinner. Sounds a little gross, but we actually really were looking forward to our Costco/dinner adventure! It was great and Addie was in full cooperation mode. She was an angel. I even asked her who took her and replaced her with a different baby! On Sunday, we stayed home from church so as not to contaminate the nursery. Wyatt enjoyed the morning playing with his gator, and later on we even got to play outside. We had a heat wave of 38 degrees. Perfect time to catch some rays and play!

What the men can be found doing...

Someone sent David a subscription to Men's Journal for Christmas...we didn't know who until just last night! Thanks Popee! So, the men have been enjoying a little bathroom literature.

The Beginning and the End of the Thomas Slippers

Memaw has spent the last two months looking for Thomas slippers to give Wyatt. Sometime before Christmas he asked for them, so she has been on a mission to locate them. It has taken two months to find them, but finally she bought them and mailed them. Wyatt received the package with great excitement. Then, we put the slippers on...and quickly took them off only now to be used as a toy and never to be worn as a slipper again!

Happy Three Month Birthday to Addie!

Here's what I am up to...
smiling a lot!
gooing and ahhing for an audience!
playing with my brother!
taking good naps!
sleeping for 7 to 9 hours at night!
eating five times a day (maybe her favorite thing)!
posing for the camera!
lounging in my bath for some quiet relaxation after my brother goes to sleep...ahhh, peace at last!

What I am no longer up to...
thirty minute naps!
screaming late at night!
projectile vomitting!
hours of endless fussing!

Things my family is forever grateful for...
all of the above!

We love you Addie Grace!

Pizza Chef in the Making

The Juelfs' household has over the last few months grown into the habbit of pizzamaking. We make our dough and freeze it, so when we need a meal on the go that only takes a few minutes...pizza it is! I always have sauce, mozzarella, and throw just about any veggie, meat or other fun topping on the pizza. Wyatt thoroughly loves helping with the pizza too. It has turned into our once a weekend meal and our "mommy is too tired to cook" meal when the going gets rough. Thanks to memaw and papa for the pizza stone!

Six quirky things...

I have been tagged. Hilary tagged me with "six quirky things" so here is my reply. Enjoy my wierdness!

1. I vacuum our living areas (kitchen and family room) about four times a day. We have a dog, as most people know, and she is a shedder. Her hair is everywhere and I prefer it not be. So, to make my life easier and to not constantly feel dirty, I have a little cordless floor sweeper that I just whip out a few times a day and do a quick sweep of the floors. I know it sounds a little neurotic, but considering most of my day is spent on the floor, it makes me feel a lot better!

2. As if my obsession with vacuuming doesn’t speak volumes, here is yet another confession. I am a very particular person. Not about all things, but most. I like everything in its proper place (which sometimes involves a junk drawer or junk pile). It also just so happens that I have passed my quirky particularity to my son. One night while walking out of his room before bed, I saw that his closet door was open and I was about to reach over and shut it. Before I even got my hand out, Wyatt said, “mommy, shut the door please.” This morning Wyatt pulled out his underwear to put it on and shut the dresser drawer. Some underwear were sticking out and he opened the door again to shove them back in and shut the drawer again. Poor kid…he’s got all the quirkiness of his parents.

3. I have to shower in the morning. If I don’t take a shower in the a.m., I have a miserable day. It never fails. Whenever I try to just get going without a shower, it never fails that I am grumpy midday.

4. I have a very heightened sense of smell even when I am not pregnant. I smell everything! As most pregnant people will attest to, things just smell weird and different when pregnant. For me, I can smell things a mile away. I also have a surefire way of knowing I am pregnant before any test will tell. David actually has a scent when I am pregnant that I cannot stand to be around. He doesn’t really smell, but the way my nose sees it (or should I say smells it) he does. No one else would pick up this scent. We just call it my pregnancy scent!

5. I rarely can sit through a movie. It never fails that when we rent a movie I fall asleep. It is not out of disinterest, but I just can’t seem to stay awake!

6. I love animals. I am overwhelmed with sadness when I see a lost animal or an animal that died. For a brief moment I want to adopt any homeless animal we come by. It might seem odd considering my vacuuming dilema. Perhaps it stems from my secret desire to be a zoologist or oceanagrapher.

So, now my turn to tag. David...you're it. Look for my hubbie's oddities coming soon!

Addie's Twelve Weeks Old

Here are just a few snapshots of Addie taken today while Wyatt was napping. She is twelve weeks old and officially growing into her three month old clothes. So, now to add to the cute leopard onesie from Aunt Janet...her first skirt. What do you think of the whole outfit? She had a pink bow on for church, but somehow we left that out of the photos. I think that Addie has a striking resemblance to her daddy in the first two pictures. Anyone else agree?

Premature Excitement

Well, I think it may be time to let you in on a secret. I've been holding back for days now out of premature excitement potentially turning to unmet expectations. As we all know how one feels when expectations aren't met leaving that overwhelming feeling of frustration and failure, you will quickly understand my hesitation in sharing!

So, here it is. I think we may have reached a breakthrough week with Addie. She slept for seven consecutive hours at night without feeding this week. She has now been sleeping a total of twelve hours at night from 7:30 to 7:30 (with a few feedings) for two weeks, and significant daytime sleep changes have happened! Yeah.

I pray my talking about this doesn't change anything. It is not as if I am a superstitious person at all, but boy it seems like just when I talk about anything regarding Addie...she proves me wrong!

So, to prove my confidence I will elaborate. This week Addie has settled into a four nap a day schedule. She eats about every three hours and takes naps from around one hour to two and half hours each (not without fussing in the middle of course...but any length beyond twenty minutes is progress!) It even seems the vaccuum may be running less in our house, specifically in Addie's room! I'm sure the neighbors next door rejoice in that celebration.

With all these changes come an even happier baby. And as always, a happier baby produces a much happier family!

Now, on a final note, when any of you hear me get disappointed any time soon...tell me to take a step back and relax. One thing I've learned about parenting is that for every two steps forward come about three steps back, and this is all part of the process. It is okay to have the three steps back and my world shouldn't fall apart!

and so we start again...

It seems the semester is starting up again. My lack of enthusiasm comes from the fact that today David is just now turning in his last assignment from the Fall Semester. With Addie's birth he got an extention which was awesome! However, it meant that pretty much tomorrow is our one day of "true break" between semesters. Even though that is a bit frustrating, I am looking forward to the start of class again for a number of reasons.

One, David is always so pleased with the things he is learning here at Covenant and I look forward to yet another renewed sense of excitement that comes with the start of each semester. Not that the end of a semester isn't exciting, but the stress that comes with it is not so exciting.

Two, predictability. With the start of each new semester comes a new schedule that for the most part offers some stability and predictability for our family.

Three, the log cabin! Finally, this semester Wyatt will attend the log cabin for Mom's Morning Out and I won't be working at it! I look forward to his chance to play with his friends without me and my chance to stay at home for some down time!

We will keep you posted on this semester's progress and look forward to all the joys this new year will bring! Keep us in your prayers.

New Pictures

Iknow it seems odd to have pictures of pictures on the blog, but I just wanted to show mom the new pics around the house.