25 Things For Summer

Now that I'm into the second trimester, and know that an energy boost is somewhere around the corner, my mind is starting to compile a list of things I want to accomplish before I'm as big as a barn and can't move.

This probably won't be entirely achieved during the summer--I'll be pleased if I get half of it done!

1. Paint the living/dining room
2. --our bedroom
3. --the nursery
4. --the kitchen
5. --the hallways
6. Finish organizing the basement
7. Can peaches and pears for this next year
8. Help my mom harvest & freeze sweet corn
9. Make accent curtains for our bedroom
10. Finish decorating/wall accents in all the bedrooms
11. Find some new dinner recipes
12. Start on a scrapbook for my collection of Guatemala/Honduras Missions Trip pictures from twelve years ago!!!
13. Get a good family photo taken
14. Visit my grandparents more often
15. Read Anna Karenina
16. See a really good movie
17. Take a big load of our old/unneeded things to Goodwill/the consignment shop
18. Organize/declutter the to-be nursery room closet
19. Help Pete set up a new "study" area
20. Get back into an exercise routine
21. Take Natalia to the pool
22. Host at least one dinner party
23. Organize my computer files
24. Scan old pictures and save on a disk
25. Go on at least one day trip (D.C., Philly, NYC)

Well, we'll see how all of this pans out.

I must admit I was sorely tempted to put something on my list that I have already accomplished!!! But I was a good girl. :o)

What are you hoping to accomplish these next few months?

More Funnies

When Natalia was first learning to talk, I began regularly saying "Please" and "Thank you" anytime we exchanged something...her morning cup of milk, a toy, etc. Then, at some point I must have hiccupped or burped and when I did I briefly put my hand against my chest and said, "Excuse me!" Well, wouldn't you know that now, whenever ANYONE makes ANY KIND of bodily noise, she says (with her hand thumping her chest) "'Cuse me!"

The really funny thing is that when we're in the car and we happen to cross one of those rumble strips, and the car makes that "bbbbrrrrrrrddddd" sound--she says, "Cuse me!" :o)

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A few other funny (mis)pronunciations of Natalia's:

lallaberry = library
yooking = looking
moyns / moys = her Polglish combination of "mine/my" and "moje" in the possessive form
(This started out as mines /mys; which in the mind of a toddler makes perfect sense! You add an "s" to her and our to make it possessive! And the Polish word "moje" sounds like "MOY-EH")

It's Been 8 Years!!!

Something happened today that I never thought would happen--I woke up this morning, remembering that it was Tuesday...but beyond that? Nothing.



So set in my mind is it that our anniversary lands on the weekend we're camping with my dad's side of the family, that it COMPLETELY slipped my mind that TODAY is the day. Oh my word. I had to laugh out loud this morning when Pete gave me a sweet kiss and said, "Happy Anniversary, honey". My blank look followed by confusion probably was the last reaction he expected, but we laughed and it seems once again that my pregnancy hormones (absentmindedness) took the fall! That's twice within the last few days that I had a brain lapse over something pretty significant, like leaving his house and car keys behind while I went out-of-state for the day! But I digress...


Now, dinner plans are in the works, as we always end up celebrating our anniversary earlier or later than the actual day. I'm thinking the Symposium in Centerville--that's one of our absolute favorites. The food and service are out of this world!


And we did have a nice relaxing day together. This morning we joined the masses at ROOT's Market, and enjoyed some pastries as we shopped for plums, lettuce, smoked sausage, free range eggs, homemade bread, and fresh roasted peanuts. Not bad for $20.


We had a leisurely lunch while Natalia napped and read our chapters together from Harvey's book (see earlier post) for Care Group tomorrow night. It was nice getting some uninterrupted discussion time with one another--that doesn't happen often. :o)



This afternoon we set up the tent in Natalia's room--our early introduction to sleeping in her own tent since the big campout is coming up. We'll try it out for the first time tonight. (Her naps have been much more regular since last Sunday, for which we are ALL benefitting from and thankful! We'll see if it's too big of a distraction come naptime tomorrow!)


I thought I'd post some pictures of "the event". Pete got in the tent with her and I couldn't resist taking a shot of the two pair of feet sticking out! Natalia is so excited to try out her new sleeping bag.

Pics Are Back

Hurray!

I can finally post pictures again. So here is a photo recap of the last 3 weeks.

First, a shot of our girl in her "Sunday's finest", to steal my friend Lynn's label. Loved the crossed legs!

Secondly, the big girl bed "morning after" rabbit's nest of tissues.

She looks so proud of herself, doesn't she?

The room after the emptying.

The rear 2 bedrooms of this house have really wide windows--would have to order custom blinds and I can't/won't justify the cost for that--so I bought these white panels from Walmart and splurged in $20 of fancy buttons from JoAnn's. Natalia LOVED picking them out with me! Here's the end result.

Finally, today Pete was able to start framing out storage shelves for the basement. Natalia of course wanted to be part of every little detail. So we camped out on the back deck to watch him cut the boards to size. I couldn't help but pull out the camera.

Funny posture so she can see out between the cracks.

Animal cracker stuffed cheeks like a squirrel. I'm told her daddy did this too.

I simply love her little piggie-tails--and it gets all of her thick long hair up out of her face in this hot weather.

Pete must have mentioned that she should have a hat on. So she went to the closet, and put on this! Oh my word--I don't know how she could stand to keep it on as long as she insisted! Thick hot fleece with ear flaps no less! I had a heat stroke just looking at her.

Lyrical License

I've been meaning to post one of Natalia's recent funnies.

Many of you may be familiar with a song we sing at church. I don't recall if it's true title is this or not, but I call it "Oh Happy Day".

The chorus goes like this:

"Oh happy day
Happy day
You washed my sins away

Oh happy day
Happy day
Forever I am changed"

Natalia's version?

"Oh happy day
Happy day
I wash dishes"
(and repeat)

All I can say is--that WILL be a happy day!! :-P

Cravings

Strange things are happening...

I tell ya, pregnancy is a marvelous and PUZZLING phenomenon!

Those who know me well, and know my extreme adversion to pretty much all seafood, know how much I dislike fish. The smell of fish, the taste of fish, even the thought of fish will turn me green most days. Not today.

I craved...and I mean CRAVED a fish sandwich.

Mind you it was fried and topped with cheese and tartar sauce...it was wonderful. :-P

Other recent cravings haven't been so wierd. Steak! (must need more protein) Salad! (I know I always need more veggies) and Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream (who doesn't need that???) Those complex carbs I practically lived on during the first two months hold little appeal now. Really! How can crackers and toast compare to steak? You tell me.

More Books

My last book recommendation fit into the recreational category. The two I want to share with you today are specifically geared towards parenting and marriage--marriage at any stage of life.


The first was lent to me by a friend but I am quickly realizing I want my own copy. There are so many post-it tabs sticking out of it's pages, it resembles a filing cabinet drawer. It is entitled "Don't Make Me Count to Three!--A Mom's Look At Heart-Oriented Discipline" by Ginger Plowman.

Now, if you've never read "Shepherding A Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp, I'd highly advise doing that first, as his heart-oriented approach towards discipline forms the backbone of Plowman's book. BUT, I think you'd get the same general idea from her work as well. I just personally feel you'd benefit by reading Tripp's book in it's entirety in order to truly understand his premise.

My only complaint regarding SACH is that there was little referencing the stage I currently find myself in--the 2-3 year old stage. The main thing emphasized was focusing on obedience, and I get that...there are just times I wish I had some specific, practical, simplified phrases, scriptures, etc. nearby as a resource. It's hard to know what parts of my discipline my child is truly grasping at this young age when she can't articulate her feelings with words.

That's where "Don't Make Me Count to Three" comes in. Now, again it's geared towards children a few years older than Natalia--those that can articulate their feelings and answer the simple probing questions she suggests. But, she provides (as a template--not a hard and fast rule) possible questions to ask your child to help them evaluate their heart and their sinful response, as well as numerous scriptures to help them "put off" and "put on". She covers behaviors such as: aggravating/picking on others, bad friendships, blame-shifting/making excuses, bragging/conceit, complaining, anger, and disrespect. (I especially appreciated her inclusion of specific, situation-based scripture.)

I'll still have to attempt to simplify them further and discern what Natalia might be able to grasp. If any of you have any practical, specific advice on how to approach this age group, please speak up.

Anyway, I'd highly recommend Plowman's book as I found it so very helpful and practical--with a capital P. I think it will be particularly helpful in the next few years.

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The other book I want to highlight is one our church is studying in our care groups this summer. It's entitled, "When Sinner's Say I Do--Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage" by Dave Harvey.

Now my immediate thought when I saw the title was that it was one of those premarital counseling/newlywed-geared books...and as I began to read it, it certainly would be beneficial to that group. BUT, and I can't emphasize this any more, Harvey's premise (as the title states very clearly) can transform your relationship at ANY stage of marriage. The power and message of the gospel is not limited to the new believer and therefore unimportant to those that have their act together. (That last phrase truly is not biblical when you think about it!) It is also meant to focus and provide hope to the believer THROUGHOUT his journey.

The author starts out with the gospel boiled down to this simple but profound element: I am, by nature, a sinner--who without the grace of God and His salvation deserve God's wrath and hell. Because God is perfectly holy and just as well as loving and merciful means that there is hope for those who place faith in Christ. Does that make a believer perfect...by no means! It requires that we live ever-mindful of our desperate need for His grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to live in a manner that honors God and showcases His mercy.

Paul, in 1 Timothy 1:15, states without false humility or needless deprication, "...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." For Paul to be saying this, one of the most "spiritually-put-together" leaders of the early church--it seems backward in our present day and age, doesn't it? BUT, if we take the time to understand where Paul is coming from, and the essence of the gospel, it makes perfect sense.

Which of the following phrases might describe best how you view yourself in light of sin?
*Innocent till proven guilty
*Worse than some, better than others
*Good days/bad days
*I'm doing the best I can
*I'm the worst of sinners

How does this view affect your approach to your marriage? How does it affect your approach to God?

The title of Chapter 2 in Harvey's book is entitled, "Waking Up With the Worst of Sinners". How transforming would it be to consider ourselves as the worst of sinners, and let the mercy and grace of God catapult us towards bettering our marriage relationship with an attitude of TRUE humility, rooted in the gospel?

Ch-Ch-Changes

Well, sorry to those who wanted to see pictures of the big girl's room...I made some drastic changes yesterday after (yet again) she didn't nap. Sparse would be a good word. Empty. A big purple, pink, and white void...except for a bed.

I decided there were too many distractions with all the furniture and stuff she decided were potential toys. The only things remaining are what she had in her crib, a blanket and her favorite stuffed animals. Oh, and today we're trying a baby gate at her door. The confined space of her crib has just been enlarged to her room.

Eventually we'll moved the other things back in...hopefully before December (tongue-in-cheek).

Please Lord, let this work. Please soften her heart and help her to obey. Thank you for your grace and for giving me the strength to do what you've called me to today--to seek to train my daughter in self-control and obedience. I am in desperate need of You...and I know You are the Faithful One.

My Little Songbird

Natalia loves to sing. Whether it's her version of the ABC's (which is pretty accurate, for the most part), "Dinkle Dinkle Little Tar", or "Fee Bind Mice"--she often serenades us or treats us to a recital of "Go Dog Go" (her favorite book).

Today my heart was encouraged by the little ditty she was singing over and over. It's a children's song I learned as a girl in Sunday School.

"My God is so big,
So strong and so mighty,
There's nothing my God cannot do."
(For you!)

Such words of faith...

Book Recommendation

I just finished reading "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See.

I've never read a book like this...and I admit that prior to reading it, I knew essentially nothing about Chinese culture. I learned so much as I watched Lily and Snow Flower go through the rites of girlhood, becoming "old sames", and how that most sacred relationship among women was developed and tried as they matured and changed. I gained a deeper understanding of the intricacies of the social levels in Chinese culture and how difficult it was to improve that standing. So much depended upon the form and smallness of a girl's "golden lilies" (bound feet), family heritage and livelihood.

I found this book a wonderful, though sad, portrait of two girls seeking to better their position in society; sustained and grown by their sacred sisterhood as they reached womanhood.

I'd highly recommend this well-written novel--so good I read it in two days.

1 Out Of 10

Thanks for all of the comments on my last post regarding Natalia's transition to her big girl bed. It was nice to know that alot of what we have been trying has worked (eventually) for all of you. That gives us hope.

I think this has been such a challenge for us because we have been blessed with a really good sleeper up until this point. Perhaps Natalia's sleep needs are lessening, but I doubt that's the main reason she's only SLEPT in her room once since the change. I suspect that the removal of those crib rails has granted her freedom she's found very desirable...and her busy little self is finding it hard to practice self-control.

I have to keep reminding myself of the redemptive quality in her strong determination--for she will need that in life! We don't desire to break her of this, just channel it into obedience. This will truly serve her well in the end. Lord, help us be faithful...

We have had some success. She has been obedient and quietly looked at books or played with her stuffed animals for up to 1 1/2 hours without too much intervention a few days. But that still makes for a very tired child (and mama) since there was no shut-eye involved, so we're still not where we need to be. However, I am so thankful Pete has been around a bit during lunchtime this past week so we could tagteam.

I appreciated Briana's relayed advice from Laurie to camp out in the hallway during those "intense" days of reinforcement. Get comfortable. How true! After a day or two of heading downstairs and hearing her coming out of her room a minute later, I realized I needed to lay down my agenda for the next hour (or so) so that my heart was focused on loving, self-controlled discipline...not housework or a nap.

We usually shut her door at nighttime, so I admit that I didn't even think about using a baby gate. Not sure if downstairs noise would play a big part or not. She tends to get distracted VERY EASILY. And laying down with her has been problematic for the most part. We never brought her into bed with us even as a baby, and she is so used to sleeping by herself that if anyone else is in the room, that means it's playtime to her. Thus the poking of the face, stroking hair, and asking, "Mama, are you seeping?!" amidst much wiggling.

This has made for some interesting vacation experiences as you can imagine! We're considering putting her in her own little tent next to ours at the end of June when my Dad's extended family goes camping. Hopefully we'll be better adjusted to the big bed concept by then and can do a trial run in the tent here at home beforehand.

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On another note, we're now considering finding out the baby's gender. Not completely decided that I want to know, but Pete is pretty certain. It does appeal to my practical side. I'd certainly be hitting the garage sales this summer if I knew it was a boy.

We'll keep you all updated.

Fresh Fruit Pie

This is a tried and true easy recipe that I grew up on. In fact, in my family, we often justified out hearty consumption of these pies as "FRUIT", not dessert. :-) We usually use fresh strawberries or peaches.

Combine:
3 Tbsp. INSTANT clear gel
1/2 c. granulated white sugar

Add:
1/2 c. water
Mix quickly.

Gently fold in 2-3 c. chopped fresh fruit.
Spread into pre-baked pie crust.
Can be topped with Cool Whip.

***I can find the Instant Clear Gel pretty readily in this area. Look where repackaged bulk food or canning supplies are sold. Let me know if you'd like me to get some for you. It's usually no more than $2 for a 1/2 lb. bag.

Oh The Insanity...

My absense from the blogging world has been largely due to our "brilliant" idea to set up someone's Big Girl bed last Wednesday. Let me tell you, it's been an adventure and test of endurance for all of us. One of us has been persevering in her determination to never take a nap again...the rest of us are calling on the Lord for the strength and wisdom to set reasonable boundaries and bring discipline consistently and with loving self-control. I admit my heart has been crying out, "How long, oh Lord?" :-)

Nighttime has been going much better than naptime...we just have a very tired and cranky little one by late afternoon and this mama is missing her powernaps. We're surviving though.

There have been some funny moments in all of this. The first morning after sleeping in the Big Girl bed I walked in to find her tissue box in the bed with her, and what looked like a rabbit's nest of tissues packed all around her pillow area. Again, I have a picture, but it'll have to wait.

Other ways she's occupied herself during "naptime": emptying her drawers, organizing her books into piles, and trying to dress her babydoll in whatever's in the hamper.

At this point we want to train her to stay in her room for at least 1- 1 1/2 hours; whether she stays in bed or not isn't as much the issue for us. (Her normal nap usually lasts from 2-3 hours, so we feel this is reasonable.) Just so she takes some time to "rest" by herself. We're hoping that eventually she'll give in and actually take that much-needed nap.

Any big bed transition stories out there you want to share? Tips, suggestions? Encouragement for a woman who at moments feels she belongs in a padded room? ;-P

Random News

I've been gradually transitioning back into "normal" mode, and my appetite is expanding as is my baby bump. They say popping out early with the second one is quite common. I find myself craving things--most are similar to what I craved when pregnant the last time...barbequed chicken, potatoes, fresh fruit, ice cream.

Most recently I found myself fixated on Mexican food...the kind you get in a family run place--you know, the authentic, non-spicy stuff. I miss one particular restaurant of this caliber that we had in MD--La Tolteca...ummm, my mouth is watering at the thought of their freshly-made chips and peppery cream dip and salsa. That and a virgin margarita...

OK, I gotta' remember that there's more to life than food. Next subject.

My doctor's appointment last Wednesday went well. Pete and I got to hear the baby's heartbeat again. He's starting to think he wants to know the baby's gender. I'm still in the "want to be surprised" camp...though if he is certain about finding out, I don't know if I'll make it 6 more months with him knowing and I don't. Especially when I could find out in an instant of weakness! :-)

For practical reasons, it'd be nice knowing if I should start looking for deals on boy clothes now. If it's a girl we're basically set--with her big sister's birthday mere days/hours away, I think we'll be able to find something that fits! But, we went with all neutral stuff for the first 3 months anyway the last time so will it really matter?

Natalia's response to what she wants has been "a sister", no matter how many times Pete asks the question. LOL

We're still keeping our boy name from before. Adam Lukas (or Daniel ...) Again, something Polish and English for the first name, regardless of gender.

If it's a girl we're tossing around Katherine, Olivia, or Anna. Middle names are still completely up in the air. The only one I've even remotely come up with is Elise.

Any suggestions?

Lastly, I've been wanting to post some pictures, but alas, my computer is still under transition. Most importantly my hubby is finishing school this week. Can anyone say YAHOO!?

Now I know this can be a touchy subject for all of you non-teachers out there--but trust me, 12 months of work happens in 9 months (for most teachers!) and when June rolls around we are singing praises in this household! There will be at least 2 masters classes he'll complete this summer, and hopefully find some part-time work as well. In the meantime I've got a honey-do list...as you can imagine. I'm sure Pete is experiencing SOME fear and trembling at the thought of all that is on it, but I am hoping my increase in energy and appetite this past week is a good indication I will be a bit more useful in the near weeks and will actually be able to help!

Second trimester here I come!