jeneva all gussied up

She is going to be SEVEN years old this week and she starts first grade on Monday. She is growing up way too fast. *sniff*

vegetarian

Tonight at the dinner table:

Jeneva: "Just so you all know, I'm gonna be a vegetarian. I just don't like to eat animals that were, you know, running around and being alive and stuff. Except deer. I'll be a vegetarian that only eats deer meat."

Jude: "I LIKE to eat animals. I like giraffes......and dogs......."

summer 2010. words, not pictures.

I'm in denial that it's mid-August already. Just yesterday it was the fourth of July. Right? And the day before that it was the last day of school. Surely.

All of those cliche's about time flying kind of annoy me, but they're way true.

Now summer isn't REALLY over. There's plenty (hopefully) of hot weather to come for swimming and watermelon (I've only taken a liking to watermelon in the past couple of years), but mid-August always reminds me of the beginning of the Cross Country season.....takes me back to my High School and College days. The beginning of the CC season means school is just around the corner and summer is gone.

I'm glad my CC days are over. Loved em then. But now, the desire to run and sweat and compete and be nervous just isn't there.

I'm not even teaching anymore, so really the seasons should sort of blend together and I shouldn't get this awful dread of it being the end of summer. But I do. Fall and school starting (for Jeneva) and everything is all good....I'm just going to miss all of those beautiful lakes and pools and night time walks in shorts and flip flops.

Okay, Tiffany, it's NOT over yet. Don't get all depressed about it already. Just enjoy what's left of it.

But for the sake of the memory.....I'll recap all our summer entailed. I suppose the kids will look back on this in 10 years and appreciate the recall.

**our cool off hot spots included: Lake Johanna, Cedar Lake, Bryant Lake, Wirth Lake, the Splash Pad, and the neighborhood kiddie pool.

**six weeks of tennis lessons at our neighborhood park for Jeneva. Every day for 6 weeks! That's a long time!

**our family vacation was a camping trip to the Baptist Grounds in Green Lake, Wisconsin. Much fun....MUCH work.

**a week long trip to Grandma and Grandpa's farm while Papa was gone for the Guard.

**we took a few *field trips* to local nature centers and went on lots of bike rides and played with friends.

**two different trips were taken to Iowa in June and July for funerals. My Grandma Stutzman died in June and then my cousin Jason unexpectedly died in a motorcycle crash in July. Both were very sad, but both were a hopeful reminder of the HOPE that we have in Jesus and the PROMISE of eternal life in HIM.

I love summer. It doesn't last long in Minnesota, so I better stop blogging and get out and enjoy it before it's gone...

when it's hot, we do this...

the kids

what's happening?

Hollering at a squirrel?
Perhaps.

Spying on the neighbors?
Quite likely.

Watching the garbage truck?
A weekly occurance.

Climbing on the furniture because sometimes mom allows it?
Probably.

HCA friends

Teaching. I miss it. Glad though I'm not doing it at this phase of my life. Thankful for the super fantastic people I worked with. Here's a few of them at a gathering last week. Happy to still be in contact with many of them. If I ever enter the workforce again someday I would handpick all of these wonderful people in a heartbeat.

fireworks are scary!

Fireworks didn't go so good tonight. Jude was a bit freaked out. He held his teddy bear and covered his eyes and screamed through it all. We left early. Jeneva ended up in tears too. Not because she was scared but because we were leaving. *sigh* She was a trooper though. She ended up saying "At least we got to see some of them. Poor Jude." She is a glass-is-half-full kind of girl.

today's chuckles

**jeneva**
She took her two very tight french braids out of her hair tonight while sitting in church. She has big hair anyway, let alone when they have been in french braids for 24 hours. She turned into a big puff ball.


**jude**
While at a store today, he asked the cashier "how's your day going?" The boy's a charmer I tell ya!


**josie**
Her new thing when she's going to bed is to stick her butt way up in the air. It's like she's doing Yoga (down dog) for babies. It's cute. You can hear her sucking on her nuk while she's doing it.

josie

eight months on 6.20.10

so i can remember and so my kids will know

I want to record some memories of her and I want to tell my kids these things too.

I was thankful I was able to attend Grandma Stutzman's funeral. I didn't realize the impact it would have on me upon going to it.

The service on Wednesday helped open my eyes to my rich heritage. I believe I have spent my entire life taking my upbringing for granted. I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but alas, it's probably healthy to admit such crises.

I had prayed in the new year asking God to open my eyes in the year to come of my blessings and feel more thankful. My ungratefulness and apathy and general "blah" in life was beginning to scare me. He helped to answer it on Wednesday. I went to Grandma's funeral, sad for the loss.....and came away feeling immensely grateful to MY GOD for placing me in just the right family with all just the right people and incredibly thankful for the legacy of her faith.

How was I specifically impacted?

My eyes were opened to the realness of heaven. She's there. Every sorrow and hurt and pain is gone. Forever. As my Grandma Roth said at the service "I miss her, but wouldn't wish her back." This is so true. Grandma longed for heaven for so long after many griefs and losses has finally gained it. I learned that through her sorrows, her Bible was well worn and her faith didn't waiver. That is a testimony and an example to me. I want to be like that.

My eyes were opened to the love of my family. I love all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins and though the miles are wide and the times together aren't as often as before, we have a good connection. I always feel the love after a gathering. Love and support in an extended family IS a gift.

My eyes were opened to some memories of her. I lived next to Grandma in my growing up years. My memories are fuzzy because of the time that has passed since then, but I nonetheless, have some very vivid ones from years ago. I remember running down the road to their house to show off my very first perm. Grandma just chuckled and Grandpa made a comment about me sticking my finger in a light socket. I also remember Grandma having a slumber party for me and Nicki and Jenessa. She made us cupcakes and gave us grief when we were pooped out by 9:00 and wanted to go to bed. A more recent memory is seeing her at Church carrying around 9 month old Jeneva. She was showing her off to all of her friends. Of course Jeneva was pretty big at 9 months and there was little tiny Grandma...

My eyes were opened to the foundation she laid for me in my faith. I never really talked to Grandma about faith or the Bible or Christianity, but as I think about it....wow. I am privileged enough to have been raised by parents who believe in JESUS. The foundation started with her and Grandpa. They passed it on to my dad who in turn passed it on to his kids. I want to thank her for that. I thank God for that. Of all the ways I could have been raised, I have a family that BELIEVES. Why can a person spend their whole life "knowing" that, but not be completely hit with the reality of it until....now?! I guess it's better to realize it later than not at all.

A hymn that I keep thinking of is "How Firm a Foundation." I don't know if she knew this song or not, but it's reminding me of my heritage right now as I write this:

How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord
is laid for your faith in His excellent Word
What more can He say than to you He hath said
to you who for refuge to Jesus hath fled?

Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed,
for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
the rivers of woe shall not thee overflow
For I will be with thee thy troubles to bless,
and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

The soul that on Jesus still leans for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake!

Love you, Grandma. I'm happy you're with Jesus. As Jeneva said today: "I am glad she's in heaven, but I wish she could come back for just a little bit and tell us what Jesus looks like." I wish Jeneva would have been at the service, but we've been talking about her a lot these past couple of days and it's been good.

my favorite picture. happy grandma. happy jude.

all of the first cousins.

my six

These are the 2nd and 3rd graders (all six of them!) that I spent April and May with.

now....about that apple

She won't be eating apples for awhile now. Steve pulled out her top tooth (her 3rd one) the other night. The following day she lost the neighboring top tooth at school. When I was young I would freak out about my teeth coming loose or getting pulled out. Not Jeneva. I love that about her, yet it baffles me. She said it was loose so she asked the lunch lady at school to pull it. Oh yes she did! The lunch lady used a napkin and pulled er right out. Jeneva then got the infamous little tooth-necklace-carrying-case to keep her beloved tooth in until night time when it went under her pillow. This time the tooth fairy did NOT forget. The tooth fairy is too embarrassed to admit how many times she failed to arrive when her FIRST tooth came out. Now Jeneva is much too practical to actually believe in the tooth fairy, but we still pretend anyway, and Ms. Fairy does her very best to show up at just the right time.

josie at 4 months

Megan took these back in February. Josie is still just as cute (at 7 months)!

summertime do. before and after.

shag

clean cut

i love what jude has said recently...

~ "Jeneva, can I take a baff wiff you?"

~ "I mell moke."

~ "Can I have my vime-dim?"

~ "I want to play wiff my football game."

~ "Having?" (he says this from the other room when he hears me opening something he thinks might be a tasty treat).

~ "I want to see Kanowitz at nursery."

~ "I like to play wiff girls."

~ "Sure, I'd love to go to Trader Joe's mom. That'd be fun!"

~ (while pointing to an older woman with gray hair) "Look! A grandma!"

~ "I like having bangs."

~ "I like to play with Cae-bub and Harmony." (funny how those two don't even go together)

~ "Is this Noah's shirt or Seth's shirt?" (i've found that by telling him who's shirt he is wearing that day gets him excited about getting dressed. love the hand-me-downs.)

~ "Yay! We're having broccoli? I love broccoli!"

~ "I like your singing." (a nursery worker called to tell us that Jude told her that after singing during sunday school.)

thoughs on this mother's day 2010

I am thankful today for my pretty much amazing mom. I love her and wish I could spend it with her today. *sigh*

Steve came home from work this morning (after working the overnight shift) and made a yummy breakfast of pancakes and omelets. The kids gave me some lovely gifts...including some pink aloe vera socks! Seriously! Very cool!

Josie was ALL giggles this morning and we got some of it on camera (Our new camera! I'll post sometime).

I was so happy to get to see some friends have their babies dedicated at church today. Phoebe, who was born the day before Josie, and Philippe and Patricia who are home from Haiti this year for Mother's Day! So happy for them.

I am also thinking today of my friends who so desperately want to be mothers or have lost children or who have recently lost their own mother's. I know a day like today can be bittersweet for many....or maybe just plain bitter.

I am happy that today my dad and all of his brothers and sisters get to be together with their mom.

I am fighting a terrible headache today. Ugh. It started this morning when I was at church and once it starts they are always hard to combat. All I want to do is curl up in bed and take a nap, but I can't because Steve is sleeping due to working overnight. If only all of my children would take naps at the same time. Jude is the only predictable nap taker. He takes a 3 hour nap every single day in the afternoon. It's awesome. Now if only he could teach Josie his ways!

I am so grateful for the honor of being a mom. I have been entrusted to three precious children and wouldn't trade being their mom for anything else the world offers.

God works in such amazing ways. In January any joys in mothering that I previously had were sapped out of me. I was feeling defeated day after day and oh so weary. I prayed for something, anything to help me feel renewed.

He answered two prayers in one. Amazing. A full time job for two months?! That's not what I asked for....but it's been a direct answer to prayer and has been a perfect fit for me. The financial help has been a real blessing. Also, I've been uprooted from the day to day and planted somewhere else for a short while. The change of scenery has been rejuevinating. I'm gaining perspective and a renewed passion and energy for being at home raising up my three little munchkins. I can't wait until the end of May when I am done at work. I can't wait to be at home with my kids again...all day. I didn't feel that way in January...or February...or March...but now in May, I do.

Josie is now finally asleep. Now I think I will have a chance to hopefully crawl under the covers for awhile and try to get rid of this obnoxious headache. Then I think some grilled steaks are in order for dinner tonight!

Happy Mother's Day!

we've stooped to new levels on who/what to blame for disobeying...

After being *gently* scolded in the car yesterday for disobedience there was an apology and then silence for a moment....followed by:



"Mom, I think I know what made me disobey. I had a WHOLE donut at school today and I think eating that donut is what made me disobey you."



"oh?"



"Yes, you know how donuts have SO much sugar in them? Well, after eating a whole donut it kind of made me crazy. Ya know, you always tell me that sugar makes us crazy. Well, I think it made me crazy. If I hadn't eaten so much sugar I wouldn't have disobeyed you."



Other than the whole "taking responsibility for your own actions" speech I was speechless. I'm still chuckling.

bracelets in progress...

Here's a pic of some bracelets....in progress. These are all of the ones we have going on right now. Picture was taken at Amy's house. Pretty?! Which ones do you like?

life today

My children are definitely stop-and-smell-and-pick-and-admire-the-flowers kind of kids. I believe I've trained them to be like that....though I am not naturally like that. I realized on our walk this evening (70 degrees, still, pre-thunderstorm, amazing) that it's good for me. Good for me that THEY are like that. I am prone to rushing. I need to enjoy and observe more.

I'm working full time. Temporarily. Two months. It's a good gig and I'm thankful for it. Halfway through. I don't dread going to work, but I look forward to the end of my commitment and being at home again. The extra money is helpful and the change of scenery is rejuvinating.

Josie is teething.

I have allergies, but not as bad as they were last year when I was pregnant.

Jude never forgets to take his "vime dims" in the morning (vitamins).

Jeneva loves life. As usual.

I'm realizing every day that the things I love about Steve now, I didn't even realize about him when we got married. Thank you, God.

I am finally going to order a new camera online tonight! Hopefully I'll be posting pictures again soon.

I plan to blog more frequently again. The kids are growing up so fast and I want to record stuff so I don't forget!

Time to do dishes, tidy up, switch out the laundry, decide what to make for supper tomorrow night, figure out what kind of 4 dozen hors d'vours I should make for Tuesday morning MOMS tea, take some more benadryl, read and hopefully watch the thunderstorm roll in.

Good night.

random family update 6

1. Jeneva is in love with math. Yes, the subject at school called Math. I LOVE that she loves math. I hate math. Well, I hatED math. Who knows, maybe given the opportunity to try it again, I'd like it. I have an open mind.

2. I'm wondering where all of the government stimulus money is going. We know that it is NOT going to fix the potholes (sinkholes rather) in this city.

3. When I go rescue Jude from his daily nap (from 1:00-3 or 4) his socks are OFF of his feet and ON his hands. Quirky kid.

4. I really like writing my children's names. Strange I'll admit. But there's something about the written name. I like the way they look hand written.

5. Jeneva decorated some beautiful Valentines for family and friends. We haven't yet sent them. I procrastinate and forget.

6. I think that Trader Joe's is the most wonderful place to grocery shop (if you go in the morning). I always leave with a free sample of coffee, a smile on my face and a spring in my step (even if it's subzero) and children carrying balloons and suckers. It really can't get much better. Also, they pack one grocery bag very tightly unlike Super Target where they give you a separate bag per item. Don't they know we are all trying to save the planet!?

7. Jeneva brings Jude downstairs every morning. This means that she gets him out of his crib. I don't know how she does it, but they both come down unbruised.

8. I am obsessed with checking out books and DVD's from the library. I request which ones I want online and the library people collect them all for me. It's so easy and so fun! (It also makes me feel just a teeny bit better about all of the taxes I have to pay.) All I have to do is go pick them up. I check out random movies or documentaries as well as Bob the Builder for Jude, Angelina Ballerina for Jeneva, and the Backyardigans for both of them. And the books, OH the books! Perusing through the library to try and find kid's books worthwhile is no fun. But selecting them ahead of time from my mental list of favorite authors or with a little help from some online lists, it's rare to get a doozie anymore. I LOVE reading children's books to the kids.

9. Josie rolled over for the first time yesterday. Too bad she was on the couch when it happened. I'm thankful for the rug beneath the couch.

10. My post-partem hair loss has begun. I fear we will need to call a plumber sometime soon.

11. Jude's latest add-on word to each sentence is "actually." For example: "I want to play trucks....actually." or "Jeneva is at school....actually."

12. Jeneva told me this morning before taking her to school that learning Chinese is hard. I can't argue with that. I can only imagine. She really likes school and we have been pleased with all she is learning thus far. We also have made some good family friends there.

13. My favorite meal I've made lately is this: Whole Wheat Pita's (from TJ's of course) stuffed with rotisserie chicken, spinach, sliced avocado, sliced tomato, hummus and topped with yogurt dressing (plain yogurt, sr. cream, cilantro, lemon juice combined). It was a refreshing break from my winter-comfort-food rut.

14. Steve and Jeneva rescued a 5 foot icecicle that was hanging from our front window outside. It now is adorning the top of the snow mound in our front yard. Quite spectacular. :)

15. The other day Jeneva said to Steve: "Jesus sent me a letter in my heart today. It said I would get to go to Heaven." enough said.

16. God has given us much to be thankful for. And that we are.

jude's 2nd birthday on november 1

Jude's birthday was just a few days after Josie was born. He arrived on his great grandma Josie Dykstra's birthday. And now he has a little sister who inherited that very name!

Grandpa Dykstra and Grandpa and Grandma Stutzman came to help celebrate along with Uncle Mike and Aunt Megan. We started our morning off with a trek to Stillwater for our final chance to scope out our favorite apple orchard before it would close for the season. They may as well have already shut their gates. We got there to find the hayrides parked and the petting zoo empty. The wine shop was open and they had a few caramel apples left for sale...not much to excite a two year old.

Two apple orchard's later we found the perfect place. The most commercialized one in Stillwater. The one I have always thought looked obnoxious and far from the quaint picturesque apple orchards us Minnesotan's all envision. Well, for the sake of the two year old, we stayed and had a most enjoyable time. There was a hayride AND a petting zoo. Oh, and there was our nice warm toasty van for my mom and I and baby Josie to reside in while the others galavanted around in the cold.

Looking a bit wind blown. It wasn't exactly a nice November day.

We've begun a cake decorating tradition with Jude. Last year Michael deocrated Jude's cake. This year it was Steve. We decided to go with an "interactive" cake with toppings he could reuse and play with! I decided that instead of feeling like I'm a bad mom because I do not enjoy creating beautiful elaborate cakes for my children's birthday's, I would delegate the honors to other family members. Less stress for me = happier children.

The happy party-goers....minus the photographer.

So I officially have a two year old son. I always tell Steve that if I could be guaranteed boys as sweet as Jude, I'd take 10 more. We just love him to pieces! We are blessed, indeed.

josie's arrival

Josie is 6 weeks and we've fallen head over heels. I still can't believe she's here! I felt as if I would be pregnant forever. I am certainly enjoying being the smaller me!

Here's how it all went...

On the evening of October 19 I began to feel slightly uncomfortable contractions. We were having dinner and I told Steve that this definitely could be it. I didn't really believe though that it would be because our due date was Oct. 22 and I was sure I would go late....certainly not early.

We went about our evening routine of dinner, family devotions, bedtime, etc. We even went for a little drive. After putting the kids to bed around 8:00, they lessened a little bit, but by 10:30 when Steve and I went to bed, they became increasingly uncomfortable and I was unable to sleep. They were still 15 minutes apart, so I knew that I had time and they weren't overly painful yet.

Steve went to bed and I stayed up. I called our friend, Erin, who lives just a few blocks away and told her that tonight could be the night and to keep her phone by her bed. She was planning to come and sleep at our house with the kids while we went to the hospital. at about 11:30, I called my midwife. She told us she would meet us at the hospital. I called Erin again and she was at our place in about 3 minutes. She's good!

We only live 2 miles from the hospital, so we arrived and checked in shortly after midnight. My totally awesome midwife, Amy, arrived soon after we did. I labored for a few hours in the hot tub which was amazing! I had decided that since I had a great labor coach, I would try and go without the epidural. Had Steve and Amy not been there to convince me otherwise, there were several points during the night that I could easily have changed my mind. I knew how totally awesome having an epidural felt and almost called for the anestesiologist several times.

At 5:00, Amy broke my water at 5:00. Josie Grace was born at 5:33am with a perfectly shaped head (unlike the other two kids) and the right amount of fingers (remember, Jude had a couple of extra digits!)

We adore her. We are thankful. The name Josie means "He will enlarge or make great" I think the name Grace speaks for itself.

We named her Josie because we love the name. It is also the name of Steve's Grandma. If she were alive today, she would be over 100 years old! The "J" theme is not intentional. You can read about Jeneva and Jude's names here.

Welcome, Josie Grace!
We welcomed her into our family on October 20, 2009
5:33 a.m.
7 lbs. 4 oz.

I will post more recent photos and the birth story later...

for the grandparents

I blame everything these days on my lack of brain power due to pregnancy. I've had several blog post ideas swirling in my head for months, but can't seem to muster up the motivation to actually sit down and produce them. So, generically, here are some pictures of the kids/family spanning the past several months. In no particular order and without an abundance of creativity.

Getting sand in the shoes, the socks, the hair, the diaper.....the usual. It's alright. I like to vacuum.

A lazy morning at Lake Harriet.


Farm animals and Dinosaurs (or as Jude says: "o-sores") are Jude's current passion. He knows the sound of about every known species.

A family walk by the river after picking Jeneva up at school. Why did it have to get cold so fast? The weather on that particular day was Minnesota perfection!

Untitled. Maybe, just cute?

I couldn't resist this one. Jeneva and her bud Jack just chillin' at a local coffee shop. Note: Hot Cocoa...not coffee.

Oh what a fun day at the waterpark with some friends! Jeneva and Ava had a blast roaring down the slides! Had I not been 8 months pregnant at the time, I would have gladly joined them!

An impromptu 7 month pregnancy shot of me. I have some more recent ones coming. Stay tuned! I'm huge!

"Perspective"

Hanging out one morning by the stone arch bridge. I miss summer already!

Jude loves the water too!

Just a little walk off the diving board.

Getting ready for the big half mile race at Webber Park! It's fun to run with friends!

Just because I think that pictures of young children lined up on a couch is adorable!

Dinner with friends!

My handsome boy sporting a hat. I love hats on kids. That's one good thing about the cooler temps!

Not quite tall enough to pedal the pedals, but scooting it around works just as good for now.