[overheard] no. 4

I must start writing things down more. I know there have been three or four moments this week when I collapsed in giggles at what came out of Aaron's mouth, but darned if I can remember most of it now that I'm sitting at my computer to get it recorded. Here's a little taste of his hilarity.

Before lunch, the prayer went like this:
Aaron:"Dear God, 
Thank you for food,
and our bodies,
and Rosie,and Anderson,and James and Eli
and all our blessings.
Amen."
Mom: "Is James a blessing in your life?"
Aaron: "Yes, he's a gentleman!"

A new favorite expression: Holy Moly Cow!!!

And from the pool this afternoon: "Susannah is getting baptized again!"

Happy Birthday, America!

Our town's July 4th parade is becoming an annual tradition for our family, and it's fun to look back at photos of years gone by and see how small the kids were. Look at these pics of Aaron and Jacob on their very first Fourth...

It's so unbelievable that Susannah is now this age, celebrating her first Fourth. Time is flying!!

This year we joined a few other families from our church and hiked to the parade route together. We found a great (shady!) spot, and the kiddos collected tons of candy. I'll probably post a few photos later on, but will share this one with you today:

Our weekend is full of cookouts and fireworks and celebrations with friends. Hope yours is, too. Happy Independence Day!

Summer's half over already???

Hello, July! The holiday weekend has always seemed like the unofficial half-way point of the summer, and I just can't believe it's here already. I kind of feel like our summer is just getting started! Every summer, I talk about making a list of things I want to do before the warm weather disappears, and a day at the beach is always near the top of that list. Whether it's the shore of Lake Michigan, the beach at Crystal Lake, or one of our long treks north to Cedar Campus, there's something about spending some time on the sand that makes it really feel like summer.

Here's a look at two of our beachy moments from the past:

credits:

Drift Away  by Graham Like The Cracker and By Becca

Gold Rimmed Alpha by Trixie Scraps

credits:

Drift Away by Graham Like The Cracker and By Becca

Stash Staples Solids paper pack 1 by Britt-ish Designs

And just so I stop talking about it and actually write it down somewhere, here's my summer activity wish-list:

• a day trip to Lake Geneva (we found a really fantastic beach last year - can't wait to go back!)
• a few trips to the zoo (must make good use of the membership we purchased)
• a day on the Lake Michigan shore. We wanted to do this last summer and never got around to it, so it's a carryover from last year's wish-list.
• a trip to Portage Park pool (Mike's old neighborhood pool)
• a neighborhood fest or two, complete with ice-cream cones and pony rides.

What makes it feel like summer for your family? I'd love to hear about some of the fun things you have planned for the second half of the season.

Just a peek into our lives...

Two short videos that capture so well what's happening at our house right now. First, a moment from the dinner table:



This just makes me melt! Aaron is the best big brother I could have hoped for, and he has such a genuine love for his sister. I love that he's so excited by her success - and I'm praying that this kind of enthusiastic mutual  encouragement gets woven into the fabric of their friendship for a lifetime. (I also love that he wears a firefighter hat at the dinner table. What fun to be two!)

And here's a little clip I caught of Susannah's new mobility. Again, starring the red hat. :-)



Lookout world, she's on the move!

Goodnight, Sleep Tight

Getting up in the middle of the night is just a way of life these days. Whether it's for a midnight feeding or to soothe a toddler after a bad dream, someone is always waking me up. So it was a bit of a shock when I woke up yesterday morning and realized I hadn't heard from either child since bedtime the night before. Even more shocking was that it was 9am! (update: the shock continues... today's wake-up time was 10:15, when I went in to get both kids up. They would probably have kept right on sleeping without the mommy wake-up. CRAZY!!)

Ironically, I had just finished a scrapbook page about Susannah's sleep habits.

credits:
Ticket To Dreamland by Wyld Web Designs
template by Emily Powers

So maybe there's hope that I'll make inroads on my sleep deficit. Goodnight, all!

From the archives: Happy Birthday Emma!

Emma has always had a special place in my heart. Remember this blog post about her sixth birthday?

She and her family joined us this past weekend at Susannah's baptism, and it was fun to watch this little girl turn into a lady. Amidst all the business of the afternoon, I did get a few moments to chat with her, and it's clear that she's moving full speed ahead into a more grown up version of herself. It made me feel kind of old, to be honest! With images of baby Emma floating fuzzily through my head, I decided to reminisce a bit and dig up some old photos of her. Of course, then I had to make a scrapbook page!

credits: 

All For One templates by Britt-ish Designs

Another Candle on the Cake by Graham Like The Cracker and Michelle Batton

It won't be long before my own little girl is smashing birthday cake in her face, which means that she'll turn into a big girl like Emma before I even know it. Thanks, Emma, for being a special girl, and for being a special part of our family. :-)

From generation to generation...

June 18, Father's Day 1978 - My baptism day.

and June 20, Father's Day 2010 - Susannah's day to be marked with baptismal water.

What a special moment to see God's faithfulness from generation to generation. My mom, dad, and sister (who are pictured above circa 1978) plus many other family and friends sat in the front rows of our church, joining our covenant church family, and promising with Mike and I to raise Susannah in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 

Taking our baptismal vows.

Aaron and Mike pour water into the baptismal font. This pitcher was a wedding gift to Mike and me.

Pastor Dave marks her with the water of our identity, 

and prays that God would use all things in her life to bring her to know and love him.

The choir sang a special hymn while Rose walked Susannah through the congregation. So many commented after the service about how well she handled all of this - not a single tear or whimper.

The Porter family.

And the Sharps.

Grandpa Lloyd looks happy, but not so sure about Susannah. It was way past nap time!

Then we headed home, praying the rain would hold off so we could enjoy lunch on our new deck.

Aaron and one of his best buddies, Jacob.

No party is complete without a cake from Costco. :-)

We made a lot of special keepsakes to remember the day. This photo has the words "We do, God helping us," which was our answer to the baptismal questions, around the border. As a way of affirming their promise to partner with us in raising Susannah, each person present at her baptism was encouraged to sign this photo. It's hanging in our dining room now, and is a wonderful reminder that we're not on this parenting journey alone.

There were so many special details that went into this event, and it all came together even better than I could have imagined. The banner that stood behind the baptismal font was a special project I created as a gift to the church, and I'm excited to see it again and again with each baby welcomed into our covenant family. It couldn't have come to life without the help of Rebecca (my sewing tech support) and LeAnn, who came to my rescue on Friday night when I needed help with the finishing details. And Susannah's dress was expertly crafted by "Oma" Ligtenberg - Rebecca's mom. Because they live in California, they weren't able to join us, but each time I received a compliment on that beautiful gown, I felt a little hug from them. And without a lot of help from my sister, mom and two nieces, who did everything from dusting and vacuuming the house to preparing sandwiches and assembling name tags, I could have never gotten it all done. I love that it was such a community event!

Finally, I wanted to share the video of Sunday's service. It runs about 10 minutes, and you may have to turn the volume up to hear everything that is said. But I know Susannah is loved by many, and lots of you don't live nearby. So consider this your front row seat. :-)