favorite pics

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from December!





"Dad, check out this zebra!" A son and his father bonding. One day it will be over a new tool or gun that mom doesn't 'get'.

"I'm pretty much a big kid now. This is the perfect view for staring at anyone within a 7 foot radius until they give me attention." Note: His KU shirt is on under his coat.

"Need nourishment NOW." Lawrence's favorite part of gifts was eating the paper. I think he was stuffing his cheeks for later. He has at least a 3 month supply built up!

""I pretty much rule this zoo. I can't do much once I get up here because I have to hold on for dear life. But those animals don't have a chance."

Every child needs a picture that makes him say "Seriously Mom, you let them do that to me?!" To which I will respond "Yes Dear, somebody had to take the picture".

happy claps

Lawrence started clapping! Oh, the little things are so much fun! He doesn’t exactly know why he claps. He claps for toys and for mama and for Jayhawks. Sometimes he inadvertently claps for yucky things like green beans and Wildcats. But we’ll get him trained soon enough :)

the giggles

I ended up with the giggles the other night while I was nursing Lawrence and putting him to bed. Corey walked into the room to help with our bedtime, which was usual. I caught a glimpse of him and to myself I thought “wow, my husband looks so young”. Something about his look reminded me of when he was just my friend’s older brother and a young teenager. I would stay the night at her house and anticipate the moment he would walk in and say 'hi' to me. Then my heart would race, I would turn bright red, and squeak a little ‘hi’ back to him. That's where the conversation stopped. And that mental image gave me the giggles! Silently of course, because quiet time is also part of our bedtime routine (which is something I have to remind Corey of often). In my head I’m going – maybe it’s that sweatshirt…or maybe it’s his unfixed hair that makes him look so young…hmmm… giggles. At this point Corey knows that he is being watched and he says quietly “yes dear, I shaved”. OH, YOU SHAVED!!! I was just thinking about how young and spry you looked but I couldn’t figure out why! So then we both had the giggles. Quiet giggles of course, because it's bedtime. He was pretty disappointed that he told me his little secret and wondered how long it would have taken for me to figure it out. It’s hard to say! But my husband has his baby face back. Pretty impressive at 32!

Perspective

I received this letter thru an email. I thought it was an interesting perspective on remembering Jesus not only during this season but throughout the entire year.






Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival...although I do appreciate being remembered anytime. How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that, let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town you live in doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, just get rid of a couple of Santa's and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that, there wouldn't be a need for such a scene on the town square because there would be so many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a Holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can & may remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching... explaining who I am in relation to you & what each of our tasks were. If you have forgot that one, look up John 15: 1-8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth, here is my wish list. Choose something from it.

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing President Obama complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past... and forgive them.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile it could make the difference. Also, you might consider supporting the local Hot-Line: they talk with people like that every day.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary, especially one who takes My love & Good News to those who have never heard My name. You may already know someone like that.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals & whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them (and I suspect you don't) buy some food & a few gifts & give them to the Marines, Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me & they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

P.S. Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me & do whatI have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above & get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love.... and remember... I LOVE YOU...

THANKS

Well it's the week of Thanksgiving and there are just certain things you come to expect. Kids make turkeys out of hand prints and write Thanksgiving papers. Moms make mashed potatoes and write 'I'm So Thankful' blogs.



Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of year and now with the little man around, it's got me thinking more about how I want it to look for him. I don't want it to simply be a day to drive to get somewhere on time, spend lots of time in the kitchen, do some hunting, watch some football, eat too much so you can talk about how full you are and then eat leftovers 2 hours later... I want to be able to verbalize as a family what we feel in our hearts. So I will risk writing the cliche Thanksgiving blog for the chance to express what's really going on in there.



~I give THANKS for my family who knows me and loves me both with and without my makeup on -- physically and figuratively.



~I give THANKS for my friends who lift me up each day with their words, smiles, and kindness.



~I give THANKS for the humble reminder that life is not about me. I no longer sleep, eat, poo, sleep, workout, or sleep on my own timeline.



~I give THANKS that I know and love the Lord. I desire to know him deeper. And he loves me without my makeup also :)



~I give THANKS for a compassionate and serving heart.



~I give THANKS for a husband that strives to be a better man daily.



~I give THANKS for a little life that reminds me that nurture and love and time are way more important then my to do list and a clean house.





I hope that everyone has a truely blessed Thanksgiving! Take time to reflect and give THANKS while you are scurying to Grandma's house with the best mashed potatoes ever in tote!

Fun Fall Pics

We have been LOVING this wonderful fall weather. We have been going on walks pretty much everyday to take in the sunshine. I don't know what we'll do when winter comes and we have to be holed up inside.

Here are some pictures we have taken of fun fall activities. Like checking out the leaves...and checking out cereal...and visiting the pumpkin patch with Nanna...and public humiliation as a penguin...

...all I can say is 'poor kid'. His older cousin dressed up as a rough and tough football player. Lawrence was a penguin. I will be paying for years and years of therapy for that one ;)

Piano

This video is posted especially for Lynn. To give you some history -- When my three year old niece showed up at my door to attend my baby shower she stated 'I brought my own piano and phone'. Hmmm, I thought to myself; but quickly humored her. She's three - just go with it. She told me this several times during the day and I never did catch on. Once it was time to open gifts, I realized she was a big girl going to a baby shower, so she brought her own gifts for my baby! A piano and a phone!!!

Lynn - Baby Lawrence LOVES his new piano and he wanted to play it for you :) Love you and miss you!

Day at the Zoo

We were able to make our first trip to the zoo last week and enjoy this wonderful weather. I realize that this is a less than revolutionary event, considering every mom I know has a zoo pass and goes frequently. We went with some new friends that we met at our story time class. It was fun to be wandering the zoo with a train of strollers. But I’m pretty sure that I enjoyed our time more than Lawrence. Seriously, could my baby look any less impressed with the ginormous giraffe he has been gawking at? Doesn't he realize that this is a scrapbook moment?! He was just glad to get his 30 minute power nap in.

I had to share the picture because it made me laugh. I posted a few other random ones also, while I’m at it.

Can I just say that I feel fabulous today? It's my blog, so why not. I have a cute, new shirt on, a fresh new hair cut, my jeans are a getting baggy, and I'm off to have lunch with a friend! This is going to be a great sunshiny day :)

So True

This is a devotion that I read recently. So true it is.

I 'm Not Good as New

22 Sep 2010Glynnis Whitwer "He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them." John 12:40 (NIV)

Years ago, I decided to save money and learn how to cut men's hair. With four males in my home, I figured electric clippers were a good investment. They were. After a few "oops" and "uh-ohs," I got the hang of it and have been cutting their hair ever since.

Recently, after finishing a trim, I dropped the clippers on the floor, knocking the blades from the holder. A quick examination revealed a very small piece of plastic had been chipped away. But the blades seemed to fit on fine, so I cleaned up the mess, brushed the clippers, and stored them in their box. Good as new, I thought.

Time for the next haircut arrived, and I retrieved the clippers from their box. I put the cape around my son's shoulders, snapped on the correct guide and proceeded to turn on the clippers. However, instead of hearing the normal electric purr, we heard a metallic grating. Apparently, that broken piece of plastic was actually important. Without it, the clippers didn't work right.

As I considered that incident, I realized many of us are like those clippers. At one time we have fallen emotionally. We've been hurt, betrayed, left out, overlooked. We carry scars from past relationships, jobs and bad choices. Most of us have been trained to pick ourselves back up and move on. We've been conditioned to put on a smile and pretend we aren't broken. The problem is most things that are broken don't fix themselves, and they don't work right until they are.

In the month between haircuts, that piece of plastic never jumped back on the clippers. Likewise, a leaking faucet doesn't just stop leaking one day. Buttons don't sew themselves back on. In every instance where something is broken, I've had to attend to it with care.

Sadly, I see many people walking around broken, pretending they are okay. Instead of acknowledging hurt and seeking healing from the One who can give it, they ignore it. Instead of seeking professional help when needed, they bury the pain, and hope it's deep enough to not bother them again. But the pain never really heals. It always pops up. And it affects current relationships and commitments when it does.

The truth is, none of us is as good as new. We are ALL broken in some way. We all have hurts we've buried and tried to move past. But that brokenness doesn't completely heal by itself. Thankfully, there is good news if you feel broken.We serve a God who loves healing and wholeness. He knows it's painful to deal with past hurts. But He's willing to help. While we will never be "good as new" until heaven, we can be emotionally healed here on earth. Maybe we need to pick up our broken pieces, carry them in tender hands and present them to Jesus.

It may not be easy, and it will probably take time. But emotional healing is possible. After all, the One who conquered death, can certainly mend our brokenness.

Dear Lord, only You really know the depths of my pain and desperation. I've tried to hide it, even from You at times, but I won't any longer. Today I openly admit my pain and hurt, and ask You to heal me. Please give me wisdom to know other steps I need to take. Thank You for what You are going to do in me and through me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Big .33333333

Our little man is already four months old. He has changed so much in such a short amount of time. I set out to take some pictures to document this milestone, which turned out to be quite a task. It seems that once that little red light is in his face it is awfully hard to crack a smile. We did manage to get a few accidental smiles. He is now rolling over both ways. His world is about to grow exponentially in the next few months! We saw the doc for his check up and he is 15 pounds 9 ounces and 25.25 inches long. A far cry from his 7 pounds and 19 inches. We have also been able to get some good laughs – mama is pretty funny, for now. I love his innocence. I also love it when he sleeps 7 ½ hours like last night :) I’ll take more of those!

Pics from Chicago

Two and Counting

Corey and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary this week!!!!! We enjoyed an adult dinner out at a quaint Italian restaurant called Luciano’s (I totally recommend it by the way). My friend Nicole was so sweet to come and hang out with Lawrence. I feel like I should comment on how fast the years have gone and that I can’t believe we’re already on number 3. Well, it has gone fast. But it feels like a lot longer than 2 years. You’re probably saying “ouch, Abby, doesn’t Corey read this?”, but I mean it in the most positive and respectful way (and before you get too mad at me – Corey does agree). SO MUCH has happened in two short years.

We have honeymooned in Costa Rica, skied in Colorado, canoed in West Virginia, celebrated in Kansas City, snow shoed in Grand Lake CO, danced in Chicago, shopped in Osage Beach MO, played in Marion IL… I can’t wait to see what we’re up to next! We have lived without common amenities in our own home, put everything back together in a working order, and then moved into the basement to start again. We hosted our first family holiday dinner (that’s a big deal for a youngest child!). We have made some great friends through our couple’s bible study. We have experienced the joy of pregnancy and childbirth. And we have shared our love with our little man for almost four months! Not to mention the countless laughs, dinners together, chats, dreams for the future, reminiscing of the fun times we’ve experienced…

The Lord has built a wonderful life for us to appreciate. Here's to the upcoming 222 years. Or however many we’re given :)


Engaged on Pikes Peak





Dinner in Costa Rica














Church in Denver


Hiking 14ers

Zucchini Overload

One of my new favorite things to do is to go to the Farmers Market in Andover. Each Wednesday Lawrence and I venture out in the 100+ degree heat to check out the fresh produce, pastries, salsas, jams, and pastas. Corey and I have hopes of having our own garden next year; but with the arrival of the little man, we didn’t have the time to commit to it this year. So instead we enjoy the crop from our neighbors while we strategize our own planting for next season.

In case you have ended up with an abundance of zucchini in your own garden, I thought you might enjoy these new recipes that I have tried recently. They passed Corey’s inspection; although he is a pretty easy judge. And I thought they were pretty good myself!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3 t ground cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
½ t baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup canola oil
3 t vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini1
½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 can (8 oz) unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained (I vetoed this ingredient)

In a large bowl, combine the flower, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the remaining ingredients.

Transfer to two greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350* for 60 – 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Be sure to adjust cooking times if your pan is a slightly different size. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire rack.


Southwest Zucchini Boats

4 medium zucchini
1 lb. ground beet
¾ cup salsa
¼ cup dry bread crumbs
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
1 t chili powder
½ t ground cumin
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, dividedSour cream, optional

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; cut a thin slice from the bottom of each with a sharp knife to allow zucchini to sit flat. Scoop out pulp, leaving ¼ inch shells.

Place shells in an ungreased microwave safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Remove from the heat; stir in the salsa, bread crumbs, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and ½ cup cheese. Spoon into zucchini shells.

Microwave, uncovered, on high for 4 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Microwave 3-4 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and zucchini are tender. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Shi-Town

Although Shiloh is a dear friend of mine – this blog is not a shout out to her :) Sorry Shi!

Our family headed to Chicago last week for my cousins wedding. It was great to spend some time with my parents, sister and her fam, and aunt and uncle. And it was our first vacation as a family of three (Copper got demoted). I have only spent about 4 hours in Chicago previously (remember our night out, Jamie?!)-- so I loved seeing a practically new city. The wedding was outside on Lake Michigan which was fabulous and the reception was a grand event at the historic Palmer House hotel. I would say the highlights were my parents hittin’ the dance floor and me getting poo down my nice dress. It wasn’t my poo. I guess that’s what I get for wearing a dry clean only dress with a 2 month old. I may or may not learn my lesson. Other highlights were the 5 course meal and dancing with my 3 year old niece (with our shoes off of course).

We enjoyed some classic Chicago cuisine while there. Valois Cafeteria was wonderful food in Hyde Park. Supposedly one of President Obama’s favs. And you can’t leave Chi-Town without some Chicago style pizza – although we almost did due to the wait. Giordanos had fabulous pizza – thick crust, lots of cheese, and the sauce was on top! We were also able to tour the University of Chicago campus, take an architectural boat tour of the city, and meet up with some friends of Corey’s for breakfast. We really made the most of our time! I appreciated the fact that we could get so many places on foot. I also appreciated the fact that my husband has an internal navigation system in his head that got us everywhere that we couldn’t reach on foot. Oh yeah, we were also extras in the upcoming movie Transformers 3. They were taping the movie while we were there and had roads shut down. We saw the set and explosions from the 4th floor of the parking garage in Trump Tower. I imagine that’s sort of like being an extra.

The train was the way to travel with a little one. The “sleeper” cars allowed for some privacy and a way to lie down horizontally. Not much sleep for me though. But it was an efficient 12 hours since we did not have to stop for feedings and dirty diapers. We had 3 meals on the train. It was kinda cool because you made a reservation and went to dinner just like you would at a stationary restaurant. The food was edible; what you would expect when they start out with a mobile disadvantage. And the “sleeping” came a lot easier after a very busy four days in the city.

Here are a few pictures. I’ll post more once I get them from my mom.

Our "Dining" Car

Our "Sleeping" Car - they are bunk beds. You can see the strap on top that kept Corey from rolling out!

Our beds could also be made into 2 seats

The night wasn't complete without getting to hold Baby Lawrence "all by myself". Lynn owns 2 dolls - both of which are named Baby Lawrence! He is so loved.

Lawrence waiting patiently for his pizza! More patiently than the rest of us!

Cruising the rails with Grandpa John!

We were really packing it from both ends!

Plum Pickins

The state of Kansas is well known for its Sandhill Plums. Okay, maybe the only people who know about the plums are Kansans or those related to a Kansan. So I guess that wouldn’t really make them ‘well known’ by anyone other than us. The point being that there are these plums that are unique to the hills of Kansas. They grow on thorny bushes in the ditches or in fields and are super tart to taste. Now that my out-of-stater’s are up to speed…

I remember my grandmother having Sand Plum Jelly on the farm. My grandfather told me that she made it every year that there were plums. I don’t really like jelly and can’t distinctly remember ever tasting Sand Plum Jelly before, but I decided that this would be a wonderful opportunity to make jelly for the first time! My mother-in-law and mother and myself (none of which were avid jelly producers) got together and made some jelly last week. I have to say it was a lot of work, but with 3 of us it was manageable. Tacy (mother-in-law) did the hardest part of picking the plums ahead of time. We had 3 gallons to work with and no idea how much juice this would make. We washed them and got rid of the bad plums. Then boiled them to extract the beautiful pinkish reddish juice. Of course it was over 100 degrees that day and soooo hot in the kitchen. After that we used a nifty metal “seeder” (I don’t really know the technical name) that they used back in the day. This allowed us to squeeze every ounce of juice and pulp out of the plums and leave the seeds and skins inside the metal cone. Then there was the discussion of how much sugar to add. Side note – if you are a jelly lover, then there is a reason that the serving size is 1 tablespoon. We used 11 POUNDS of sugar! After sampling the juice (I thought there was no way that it could really be tart enough to need that much sugar) we determined that it really needed that much sugar. So we cooked up the juice, sugar, and pectin – and poured our jars of jelly. For not really knowing what we were doing or if it was going to be any good, we sort of went all out. We ended up with 39 jars of jelly! Since the going rate is $5 a jar, I figure we can sell them 2 for 1 since it is our rookie batch. We will collect some feedback and jack the price up next year based on "overwhelming popularity".

A Special Introduction

Lawrence was able to meet his sweet cousin on his one month birthday. It was such a special few days. My sister and her family were passing thru Pratt on their way to their new home in Illinois. We got to spend a few days with them and they got to cuddle with Lawrence. Lynn turned 3 and we helped her celebrate her birthday. She was SO good with the baby and was so much help in taking care of him. Auntie Abby has been trumped and is no longer the popular choice. I suppose I can live with that!