Sunday, January 30, 2011
Frosty
My parents got a recordable "Frosty the Snowman" for Riley and Ellie for Christmas. Riley "reads" it daily and loves the last page the most as you can see by the dancing and the final response..."Love you."
Friday, January 28, 2011
8 Months
Today Ellie turned 8 months old. I am surprised how quickly it has gone. I look back at pictures of us in the hospital with her and it feels like just last week. Ellie is by far beating her brother in the weight category. She weighs 19 pounds at 8 months, whereas Riley didn't weight that till nearly a year. She loves taking laps around the kitchen in her walker. She loves watching Riley do about anything and she loves her bottle. When she sees her bottle coming she starts kicking her legs and making noises. She sleeps wonderfully, though right now she is sleeping in her car seat all the time due to an ear infection, and she plays so well by herself.
Riley is two, need I say more. :-) He is learning what boundaries are and Griff and I are learning what they are as well. We seems to figure things out after he has already crossed them and greatly upset us. Ri had his first meltdown tantrum the other day in Barnes and Noble that led me to rethink our discipline strategies and buckle down on first time obedience. Honestly though, he is a wonderful little boy. He makes us laugh so much. He loves building houses with his blocks, he loves watching Elmo on the laptop, he loves drinking milk, he loves music of any sort, and he loves playing in his crib after naps and at bedtime. He seriously waits for us to shut the door and then we hear him get up and start talking to all his "friends" that are in the crib with him. It is hilarious to listen to at night. There are some evenings he is still talking and playing when Griff and I go to bed.
This Makes Me Smile
Music is one of Riley's loves. He enjoys it on tv, even if it is just in a commercial, he loves it on the laptop, he loves when Griff plays the guitar or I sing around the house, and he loves music at church. He loves going to church on Sunday and seeing the "boom-booms" (drums) and "dee-dees" (guitars) and this little video I believe is inspired by church.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Selflessness & Love
Often this blog is filled with pictures of the kids, and the day to day happenings of life but this isn't such a post. Allow me to share just a bit of my heart and what I've been pondering lately...
My Grandma Struble, my mom's mom, was an amazing woman, she loved Jesus and she loved others. I only got to know her 27 years which was way too short but I picked up as much as I could in our time together. Recently a quilt she made has caused me to think about her life and her legacy of selflessness and love.
She was born and raised in the Ohio countryside and to this day all her family is still there. She grew up on a family farm and never went far from home except a brief fun stint in California as a single lady. By the sovereignty and goodness of God she crossed my Grandpa's path. I can't remember exactly how but they became pen pals while my Grandpa served in the war. After the war they met, he proposed, they married soon after and she made a big life changing move to Iowa. She left her family and all that she knew to follow the man she loved. She was selfless.
They were faithfully married for nearly 50 years when my Grandpa Struble became ill and needed 24 hour care. Grandma could no longer take care of him at home, but she didn't send him to the nursing home alone. She made the decision to move with the love of her life. She moved into the nursing home even when she really didn't need to be there just so they could be together. She sold off treasured possessions to make a new home with Grandpa in one small tiled room at the care center. She was selfless.
These are just two examples of the many I remember from her life. This quilt I sit wrapped up in reminds me of all of that. I have several of her quilts for which I am blessed but this one is my favorite. It isn't very fancy. It doesn't have elaborate stitching or gorgeous fabric but to me it is Grandma. The backing on the quilt is just a plain beige color, nothing fancy but it is soft and cozy. The front is covered in triangles of blue, red, yellow, green, purple, pink, basically any scraps Grandma could find. It doesn't match and there are a few places where it is torn and needs stitched up, but it is warm. And it reminds me of Grandma and the legacy of selflessness and love she left behind.
My kids will never have the chance to know her like I did. Sure, I can tell them stories and show them pictures but they will never get to hug her or feel her arthritic hand in theirs. They won't know the sound of her voice or the smell of her perfume. But, they do get to feel her love around them every time they wrap up in this cozy blanket and watch a movie or read a book. My Grandma knew Jesus, she knew Him pretty darn well, and I know she is with Him now. When I wrap this quilt around Ellie while she plays with her toys I am reminded of Grandma's selflessness and love. And when Riley crawls under it along with me to watch a movie I am reminded again of her selflessness and love.
It's funny how an old broken in quilt can remind me of such wonderful and humbling things and prompts me to think about what kind of legacy I will leave behind for my children and my children's children.
My Grandma Struble, my mom's mom, was an amazing woman, she loved Jesus and she loved others. I only got to know her 27 years which was way too short but I picked up as much as I could in our time together. Recently a quilt she made has caused me to think about her life and her legacy of selflessness and love.
She was born and raised in the Ohio countryside and to this day all her family is still there. She grew up on a family farm and never went far from home except a brief fun stint in California as a single lady. By the sovereignty and goodness of God she crossed my Grandpa's path. I can't remember exactly how but they became pen pals while my Grandpa served in the war. After the war they met, he proposed, they married soon after and she made a big life changing move to Iowa. She left her family and all that she knew to follow the man she loved. She was selfless.
They were faithfully married for nearly 50 years when my Grandpa Struble became ill and needed 24 hour care. Grandma could no longer take care of him at home, but she didn't send him to the nursing home alone. She made the decision to move with the love of her life. She moved into the nursing home even when she really didn't need to be there just so they could be together. She sold off treasured possessions to make a new home with Grandpa in one small tiled room at the care center. She was selfless.
These are just two examples of the many I remember from her life. This quilt I sit wrapped up in reminds me of all of that. I have several of her quilts for which I am blessed but this one is my favorite. It isn't very fancy. It doesn't have elaborate stitching or gorgeous fabric but to me it is Grandma. The backing on the quilt is just a plain beige color, nothing fancy but it is soft and cozy. The front is covered in triangles of blue, red, yellow, green, purple, pink, basically any scraps Grandma could find. It doesn't match and there are a few places where it is torn and needs stitched up, but it is warm. And it reminds me of Grandma and the legacy of selflessness and love she left behind.
My kids will never have the chance to know her like I did. Sure, I can tell them stories and show them pictures but they will never get to hug her or feel her arthritic hand in theirs. They won't know the sound of her voice or the smell of her perfume. But, they do get to feel her love around them every time they wrap up in this cozy blanket and watch a movie or read a book. My Grandma knew Jesus, she knew Him pretty darn well, and I know she is with Him now. When I wrap this quilt around Ellie while she plays with her toys I am reminded of Grandma's selflessness and love. And when Riley crawls under it along with me to watch a movie I am reminded again of her selflessness and love.
It's funny how an old broken in quilt can remind me of such wonderful and humbling things and prompts me to think about what kind of legacy I will leave behind for my children and my children's children.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
December 2010
Our sweet baby girl is 7 months old! She sits up on her own. She says, "ma" really loud, chews on whatever she can get in her mouth and slobbers on whatever she is wearing. She is a delight to have around. She lights up anytime you walk into the room and when you pick her up to hold her she grabs on tight like she is giving you a great big hug. I can't imagine life without our sweet Ellie Dawn.
Riley is looking through the Sunday advertisements for the best deal on power tools.
The Saturday before Christmas we opened our Christmas gifts, as a family of four. Riley loves opening up presents, which is great because Ellie has no clue what is going on.
Ellie only weights a few pounds less than Riley at this point as the picture kind of shows.
"Helping" Mommy make Christmas cookies. I discovered that it goes much better if I just give him his own lump of cookie dough. Then he makes his and I make mine and there is a little less mess and frustration.
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