Life on Rural Street

2009-12-10T06:51:00.003-08:00

Well, we're not on Rural street anymore. And I've had a hard time keeping up with this blog due to some sign-in issues and this being a really old account (I started this a bit before Téah was even a thought!) So to symbolize our move from Rural street and our life now I've started a new blog at life around here. I hope you'll join me there! More content to come soon at the new location.

If you're someone who would greatly miss this blog and it's memories (*ahem* grandmas, aunts, grandads... um, ME!) don't worry. This blog isn't going anywhere but new posts will be at the new location! See you there.

2009-07-18T17:40:00.002-07:00

It has been a long time since I updated and for that, I apologize. But life gets in the way sometimes. I'm sure you understand. Add to that an "out-of-commission" laptop and well, you get it. (long story short: laptops and toddlers are not a great combination)

We have an agreement on our house. Meaning an offer has been put on it and we accepted it (after a bit of negotiation) and now we're working out the details of the inspection report, etc. Hopefully everything still goes through - there's a lot to work out that makes me nervous. To add a bit more stress to the situation, we still don't know where we're going to move. We've seen several houses, but are not excited about any of them. I realize I am behaving in a pretty spoiled manner - but I'm finding it hard to love any other house when I have been so spoiled by living in this big, beautiful house. Yes, it's a pain a lot of the times and yes, it's a ton of work. But it has character and a yard. Two things we're finding a lot of homes around here sorely lack. But we'll land somewhere!

The kids are great. Micah is a chatterbox and Téah is the chatterbox who taught the chatterbox. Meaning they both talk nonstop! They also fight a decent amount (sibling rivalry starts young). But they really do play together a lot and enjoy each others' company. Which I love seeing. Téah spent the night at her Grandma's house this past thursday night and Friday morning when Micah woke up the first thing he wanted to do was go find "Béah." He always wants to share everything with her too - it's pretty cute.

Summer has been a bit unusually cool, but still fun nonetheless. In June we all went to Virginia to stay in some cabins right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. They were the kind with beds, a kitchenette and then a common bathhouse for many different cabin-residents to share. My brother, Richard, and his wife, Priscilla and their lovely children, Gideon, Elliotte and Eden, joined us. We had such a nice time with them! The vacation itself was wonderful (and much needed!) and the time with family (who we simply don't see enough) was also wonderful. The kids all played together so well. John and I both agreed that vacation was more relaxing when they were all there with us because the kids all occupied each other and the adults could just hang out and talk.

August should prove to be busy. John will be in Mexico the 2nd - 9th. Téah's 4th (how did THAT happen?!) birthday is the 10th and as of now we'll have the closing on this house the 24th. And of course there's a lot of packing and house-hunting still to take place!

Oh and for the dog fans. The dogs are also great. Often times obnoxious, yes. But they really do add a lot of joy to our lives. Emma is as crazy as ever and Tiny is as goofy as ever. Even though they are a lot of work I will say I love having two dogs is fun. They actually really enjoy each others' company (yep, just like the kids!) and they successfully wear each other out, which is fabulous at the end of the day!

2009-04-15T19:05:00.005-07:00

These pictures, in progression, totally cracked me up after I took them. Goofy dogs.

Even though today was kind of cruddy (and yesterday...) we have been able to have some nice time outside lately. Hooray for spring! It's nice to enjoy our yard before it is no longer ours.

Where did my baby boy go?

Téah is getting better and better and riding her trike.

I know this picture will gross some of you out, but it's funny to me. Micah is obsessed with Emma. He totally loves her and goes up to her begging her to kiss her all the time and he returns the favor giving her kisses and hugs. On that same idea - Téah has taken to sleeping in Emma's bed at night. I'm not kidding! around 3 or 4am every night, Téah brings a blanket and sometimes a pillow and curls up on Emma's dog bed and spends the rest of the night with Emma. It's pretty funny!

A goofy picture of Téah in the sun. This was in the living room and the sun was pouring in the front window.

And a picture of me and Téah. (yes, taken by me. It's the only way I get pictures of myself with the kids!)

2009-03-24T13:29:00.003-07:00

So we are selling our house. Almost anyone who would read this already knows this bit of information, but I am most definitely still processing it. John has poured his heart and soul into this house for the last almost 3 years and I have worked extremely hard to decorate my children's rooms, cook meals, and make this house a home for our family. We have amazing friends right in the neighborhood, down the street and literally in our backyard. We have a yard that I never could have dreamed of having within the city. But the big problem? All of this was a gift. An amazing gift that we were blessed with for almost 3 years. This was Téah's first house and Micah's only home. And we were blessed to be able to raise them here for the time we have. We have had a garden that I dreamed of having. And we were blessed to share the fruits of our garden with our friends and family. God placed us here for a reason and I'm pretty sure he's teaching us a difficult lesson through all of this. It's not about what we PHYSICALLY HAVE. It's just not. And it's not more important than God's long term plan for us. We have learned a lot through all of this and I know it's not over. A wise friend and sister (thanks, Priscilla!) told me, "Sometimes the way He does that shaping is by telling us "no" to the things our hearts are holding so tightly to." So true.

On another note, my kids are so much fun right now. Admittedly we are struggling a bit with a sassy 3 year old girl, but she cracks me up daily. The things that come out her mouth are absolutely hilarious. And she remembers things that happened so long ago! Her memory is so much better than mine! Micah is crazy. He's 18 months old in two days and giving us a run for our money. He is the happiest little boy and just loves everyone. His favorite phrases are "yeah!" and "nuh-uh" (substitutes for "yes" and "no") He also loves to make animal noises. My favorite being the chicken (bach, bach, bach...) and the chick (cheep, cheep) and ask him to show you his "fishy face" next time you see him. Hilarious.

And yes, the dogs are fine. Emma ran away recently. Short story: Emma finds a way out of the gate, I almost find her, I jump in the car with a stranger (!) in an effort to catch her. Emma gets hit by a car in front of me and runs off again. John and Tiny walk miles outside looking (it was about 5 degrees outside). The next morning, still no Emma. We place a lost and found ad on Craigslist, get a hit. Finally find her the next day after receiving help from strangers and a local vet's office. She is now fine and as anxious and nervous as ever. (read: barky) Tiny is fine and goofy.

Here are a few pictures for you:

This is what happens when I think Téah's napping but she's actually upstairs quietly in my makeup bag. (yes, that's mascara and lipstick)

Here's a couple of the kiddos getting along and being cute.

2009-01-28T19:21:00.003-08:00

We're in a tough spot. Some of it is due to poor decisions on our part. Some of it is due to circumstances we could not have foreseen. Some of it is just bad luck. (Or lack thereof.)

Micah's lead level did not go down as far as we had hoped it would. It is currently under the "safe" level. But the more I research on my own and read studies about lead exposure the more I am convinced there really is no "safe" level. Somewhere, somehow he is still being exposed to lead in our house. Which also means Téah is being exposed to it. Of course, as parents, John and my immediate reaction is to say, "let's get our kids away from any possible exposure!"

However, it is a bit more complicated than that.

We are completely invested in this house. Heart, body, mind, soul. Completely invested. John (and many family members and friends) have spent hours putting their time, effort and love into this house. I honestly cannot even begin to list the things that have been done since we bought this house back in May of 2006. I know from the outsiders perspective this should not matter. Our childrens' health should be more important than any of that. And it is. Please believe me on this point. But it is hard to give up a dream and something you have put blood, sweat and tears into for almost 3 years.

There's also the financial side of the situation. We did not buy this house with the intent of selling it to make money. We didn't even buy it with the intent to make back what we put into it. We bought it with the intent to make it a home for our family and friends to enjoy and feel welcomed. However with selling comes the question, "Can we make the money back that we have put into it?" The answer is more than likely, "no." Not in today's market. Possibly not ever. So how can we possibly afford to move out, find a SAFE, lead-free house and try to sell this one. We can't figure out a way to make it work.

So now we're thinking about trying to rent it out. We'll see where that goes. And please know that we have no idea where this is going to lead. By reading this you have been subjected to my thinking out loud.

Please, please, please. If you own a home built before 1978 and you have young children or are currently pregnant, spend the money and have the lead-testing done. DO NOT mess around with lead. Just don't.

2009-01-28T08:03:00.002-08:00

Just to continue the updates. Here are some pictures.

Micah likes to try on Téah's crown and "princess dresses." We call him Prince Mikey.

Téah tried on my new boots. They come to my knees - they come to her hip!

I believe this was after a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin breakfast.

Téah and her cousin, Gideon. (my brother, Richard's oldest).

There are no words for this.

2009-01-27T13:40:00.005-08:00

It has been a long time since my last post and for that, I'm sorry. I often think about blogging then find something else to do (and mind you, it's probably NOT more important. I'm just good at wasting time.) Since my last post (in no particular order)

1. We went to Cincy and saw TWO Over the Rhine Concerts. It was amazing. We also had a great time hanging out with Jill and Jeremy! Téah loved it and keeps asking when we're going back to "jilly's house."

2. John threw me a surprise party for my birthday! I will admit I knew about it ahead of time, but it was John's fault. He told the three year old about it and expected me not to find out! It was a lot of fun. And yes, I'm now 30.

3. Christmas, of course. Some present were finished in time, some were not and will be completed for other holidays. Next year I will plan ahead a little better.

4. I went to TN and NC with the kids, my parents and Gavin (my nephew). John kept things together here in Pittsburgh. We had a ton of fun visiting with my brother, Richard, his wonderful wife, Priscilla and their three kids (Gideon, Elliotte and Eden.) Téah had sooooo much fun playing with all of her cousins and I learned that Micah is a pretty good little traveler.

5. Micah has been dealing with asthma on and off for a couple of months. It's no fun for anyone. He's now on a daily inhaled medicine (via nebulizer) and we're getting better at finding ways to help him "keep his mask on."

6. We got Micah's lastest lead level back and it is NOT as low as we had hoped. We are no seriously considering selling our house and moving. I would ask that you remember us in your prayers with this decision. We're really in a tough spot.

7. We got another dog! (yes, we're officially crazy!) Emma now has a doggy brother named Tiny. Tiny is a 130 lb. Great Dane who is a big baby and loves to be loved and is great with the kids and with Emma (who we love, but honestly she is a bit of a spastic dog!) There are pictures below.

That's all for now! I'll post again soon this time. I promise. (ok, I hope).

2008-12-09T18:25:00.002-08:00

I'm sure a lot of you have seen the video for Advent Conspiracy or have at least heard about it. If you haven't, check it out. (click on the link). John and I made a conscious decision last year to try and not go "overboard" with Christmas for our kids. They each get 3 gifts. (ok and I add in one for Christmas Eve that is "bedtime focused") Well this year we wanted to take it a step further so we decided that we would both make one of their gifts and only buy one gift for each of them. Since they can't get online yet and read here I feel confident that I am safe telling you what they are getting for Christmas.

Téah:
1. small table with 2 chairs (made by John)
2. dress up clothes (made by me)
3. Sleeping Beauty DVD (the thing she has voiced that she would really like to have!)

Micah:
1. toy box for his room (made by John)
2. Quilt with matching pillow (made by me)
3. some not-yet-decided wooden toy (I refuse to buy more plastic toys!)

It may not look like much, but they're 3 and 14 months. What else could they need? I'm pretty excited to give them both things that we have worked on for them and that they will have for years to come. And I will admit this: Micah's quilt was supposed to be a birthday present, but I didn't finish it in time!)

In addition to this we decided along with our families to cut down giving all-around. For my side of the family we are only buying gifts for the kids. And we exchanged names so each kid gets one gift. For John's side of the family we are cutting back to one gift each and trying to make those as much as possible. I can't say what I'm making Jill (John's sister) and Alli (John's Mom) because they both read here - but I think they're going to like it! John has something up his sleeve for his Dad and Brother-in-Law, Jeremy. But he hasn't shared with me yet what it will be!

For each other this year, John and I are going to see Over the Rhine in Cincinnati, OH Dec. 19th & 20th. The annual Christmas show they do every year is 2 nights this year with the first night being a reunion of sorts with their former guitar player and drummer. We are incredibly excited! The best part is we're going to hang out with John's sister, Jill and her husband, Jeremy. They live in Cincy and are being extremely kind and generous and are allowing the four of us to crash at their place for the weekend.

It's a great Advent and it's going to be a great Christmas.

2008-11-05T12:25:00.008-08:00

Here's a Halloween Synopsis:

John and Téah begin by sketching a face on the pumpkin.

Micah wanted to taste the pumpkin. So we let him.

And he liked it!

Precision is key when carving a pumpkin.

The finished product!

Téah posing with her pumpkin.

Meet Téah the Butterfly and Micah the Puppy.

All ready to go trick-or-treating. Ok, at least the 3 year old was.

"this is where I'll put my candy!"

Micah was less than impressed with his costume.

2008-10-29T11:29:00.002-07:00

I know we all long for more hours in the day at times. Although there are days when I long for LESS hours in the day and more restful ones at night, but we all know how that goes. Lately I find myself longing for more productive hours in the day. I made a list Monday night. It had everything I hoped to accomplish on Tuesday. I knew it was a lofty list and I had set the bar high, but I had no idea I would only cross two things off of it initially. In the end I added two things to the list just so I could cross them off and feel better about my day. I expect a lot of myself and others. I know this about myself. I want things done and I want to do them MY way and quickly. So a list was perfect. But it wasn't really.

This morning that list was still sitting on the kitchen counter. It's still sitting there now and nothing else has been crossed off. But as I looked at it this morning bemoaning all the thing I did NOT get done I had to remind myself (not so gently either) that there was a lot that was NOT on that list that I did accomplish. There are things in life that don't belong on lists that are bigger accomplishments than say vacuuming the steps or doing umpteen loads of laundry. Things like spending time with my children and watching them dance to an old Swing Kids soundtrack. Things like sitting on the couch debriefing the day with my husband. Things like trying to stay sane. Seriously.

In the winter months I get extremely stir-crazy and easily annoyed. Moody, if you will. And when it starts snowing in October it feels as if Winter has set in already. But it still can't be about crossing things off lists. And if it is then all I will do is continue to be annoyed by my children needing my attention because then it means I'm not accomplishing anything. But I know that's not true. Because if I don't give my all to them now and forget about the lists then I will never have the chance again.

I just think we need to have more dance parties in this house. Especially to swing music.

2008-10-10T19:51:00.003-07:00

Did you ever have one of "those weeks"? I just did!

Sunday: Téah comes down with a nasty cold. When Téah has a cold the world stops. Well, her world does. "My nose is stuuuufffyyy...." (imagine that with the best 3 year old whine ever.)
Monday: Cold continues. Micah falls with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. This is not good. He almost bit his tongue off. I am not exaggerating. It was bad. Lots and lots of blood and swelling.
Monday night: Micah is up a good portion of the night due to pain in his mouth. Combine that with the fact that he can't nurse with a swollen, gashed tongue and you have a very inconsolable little boy.
Tuesday: Téah's cold turns into a nasty cough. John catches cold. Micah catches cold and continues with painful mouth.
Tuesday night: Still no sleep.
Wednesday, Thurday & Friday: much of the same.

Oh AND our washing machine is broken. That just kind of tops it all off, doesn't it?

I will cease whining now and say that today was a gorgeous day and I'm excited to have a fun day biking with the family on Sunday.

2008-09-28T19:50:00.005-07:00

Micah turned ONE on Friday! (Sept. 26th). I can't even begin to understand where this past year has gone. It went so fast. Micah is the most easy-going, lovable, playful, sweet little boy you could ever imagine. I can't really believe that he is headed straight for toddler-hood now. And boy is he ever! This kid is crazy and a ton of fun!

We had a party for him on his birthday and had a lot of fun with friends and family. Here are some pictures of the birthday boy from his big day.

Being cute earlier in the day:

This is Micah's new "ooh!" face. He does this whenever he thinks something is interesting or he really wants it. I think at this point it was the camera!

Opening a gift:

This is what seems to happen whenever I try to take Micah's picture anymore.

"Here, you can have this hat. I don't need it."

Micah liked playing in his cake. Once he tasted it, he was done with it though.

2008-09-13T07:16:00.002-07:00

Living in a big old house with a particularly large yard within city limits is fun. I love having our garden, being outside with the kids, having a dog and room for her to run. I love the high ceilings and spaciousness of the rooms. I love the woodwork and charm of the house. What don't I love? lead.

When we first moved into this house in 2006 we knew lead could be an issue for Téah. Unfortunately we had no idea how big of an issue it would end up being. For reference: anything over a level of 10 is considered lead poisoning. However, the goal is to have a level of 0, of course. And more and more research is coming out showing that any level can have ill-effects both now and later on in adolescence and adulthood. Lovely, right?

Téah's level initially went up when we moved in back in May of 2006. So we decided to make one room "safe" for her since she was learning to crawl and generally be a lot more mobile. We opted for the family room. All 3 of us slept, ate, watched tv, hung out, etc. in that room. We had no working kitchen at the time and only minimal bathroom facilities for awhile. It was an interesting time! Téah did learn to crawl in this room - I kept it mopped and cleaned and regularly wet-dusted the rest of the room so it would be safe for her. I also made sure she was eating iron, calcium and vitamin C-rich foods to help with the amount of lead absorption in her body. So we went back for a follow-up lead check. Imagine our surprise when it went UP. A considerable amount! We were a bit flabbergasted and understandably very upset. No parent wants to be responsible for any ill-effects on their child now or later on in life. So we immediately moved out of the house, started bunking in John's parents' basement (they were extremely gracious and hospitable!) in hopes we could discover the sources of lead and be done with it. John found a professional lead inspector, paid a pretty penny and had a full day of lead testing done at the house. It was intense. We discovered it was all over the place - much more than we had anticipated. The worst part was the absolute highest level of lead in the house was on the floor of the family room. That's right, the floor Téah learned to crawl on. I honestly thought I might throw up when I heard that bit of news. So we had carpet installed, we sealed, primed, painted trim, painted the outside of the house... etc. It was A LOT of work and John did A LOT of it! When we were feeling ok about the state of things we moved back in the house. This was in January of 2007. About the time I found out I was pregnant with Micah.

We had Téah's lead tested a few times in there and it continually came down. Although never ALL the way down to zero which means she is still exposed to it regularly.

fast forward to this July:

Micah went in for his 9 month appt. and I, with his pediatrician's advice, opted to have his lead level tested now rather than wait for the normal 1 year checkup when most parents have this tested. Thank goodness we tested it early! Micah's initial reading came back at 19! Then with a full blood draw it came back at 15.8. Way too high. Obviously something was going on. John and I were pretty sure that it was from some work being done on the back porch that had stirred up more dust than normal. We also know that the front porch ceiling is an issue (working on that). We have since come to find out that the lead level in our water is pretty high. Filtered water only around these parts, thank you. Micah's level was tested this week and it has come down to 11. So it is on its way down - but honestly, not enough for me. I want both of my children to be completely lead free. And I don't know if that will ever happen living in this house.

I am struggling with enjoying my house now. I am tired of the constant worry. Tired of the constant dusting and mopping and washing of hands. I am tired of the endless projects that are never finished. I also know that this is a time period and hopefully one day I'll look back on it and everything will be fine. But it is a very frustrating time for us right now. I never wanted to sacrifice my children's health for a house. And although know ultimately this is not the case it is hard.

So it comes to this: I have a love/hate relationship with my house. And if Micah's level is not down a considerable amount more at his next check John and I have seriously talked about selling this house. And I can't even begin to tell you how much I DON'T want to do that.

The lesson to take away? Lead is nothing to mess with. If you are moving into an old house and have young children, pay the money (yes, it's expensive) and have a thorough lead inspection down. Our children are well worth the investment.

2008-08-28T19:52:00.004-07:00

Note: This is the third post I have done tonight. I was feeling the need for some updates. So make sure you read all the way down!

Here is a general picture update from the last couple of months.

We've been going to John's parents' cabin a lot lately. Which is fun. Emma and Téah especially love it. Here's Emma chillin' in the big yard up there.

John, Téah and the German Shepherds in the creek.

Téah in the kitchen of the cabin. It must have been humid. Her hair is very curly here!

John and Téah on John's 31st (!) birthday.

Micah loves Emma's bowls. I have scraped dog food out of his mouth several times and if there is no food in her bowl he just plays in her water. The funny thing is it freaks Emma out and she runs away if she sees him crawling toward her bowls.

Téah with some summer corn on the cob. Some days she loves it, other days she won't touch it!

Look who can stand on his own!

Size comparison of the two kiddos as of August 2008. I have a 3 year old and an almost-one-year old. CRAZY!

2008-08-28T19:37:00.005-07:00

Now for a report on Téah's birthday. All Téah would say she wanted for her birthday was a pink carousel horse. We really don't know where she got this idea from, but it was funny. She agreed to getting a day at Idlewild where she could ride the carousel instead. I also got her a pink carousel horse shirt to wear. Both grandmas and Gavin were able to come with us. It was a fun day! Here are some pictures from the day:

The first "ride" of the day. I love how John is doing all the work while Téah and Gavin ride along.

Raggedy Anne and Andy. (oops I mean Téah and Gavin!)

Téah deciding where she would like to go for her 4th birthday!

Téah on her carousel horse!

Micah was quite the trooper for his sister's birthday.

Téah and Gavin in a car.

Me & Téah posing for a pic. (well, at least I was)

Téah loved all the "kid rides" as she called them.

Her day at Idlewild wore her out. She was asleep within 5 minutes on the way home.

After falling asleep like this we headed to church where it was the monthly dinner night. Much to Téah's surprise everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her when we walked up. The problem was she was still half asleep and burst into tears when everyone started singing. I felt very bad for her although it was pretty funny too :)

The next weekend Téah had a birthday party where we invited her friends and family to a cookout at our house. Here are a few pictures from that fun night.

Kids playing with bubbles.

Gavin pulling all three girls around. This was pretty funny!

Téah and Zaida.

Micah loved hanging out by the kiddie pool playing in the water. He did actually fall in head first at one point though!

And that concludes Téah's birthday report. She had a great 3rd birthday celebration!!

2008-08-28T19:28:00.006-07:00

Ok, here is a long overdue garden update. And it's not even completely up-do-date! But here's what I have. Tomatoes are coming in although a little slower than normal. It's cold and not really tomato weather. Which is a bit disappointing. But we're getting some, nonetheless!

Here we have the tomato and pepper beds. There is a tomatillo plant and an eggplant in there too. The tomatoes are at the top of those tall stakes now!

And here are two pictures of the wildflower garden at it's best. It's not reached the point of needing to be mowed down for the year. It got pummeled one too many times in rainstorms!

Here are some pictures of the fruits of our labor!

And a picture of some of my canning this year. Lots of jam! It's yummy! We sold some at local farmer's markets which was fun. So far this year I've made: Strawberry, Strawberry Rhubarb (Allie made this!), Blueberry, Black Raspberry, Hot Pepper, Mulberry and Tomato. I still hope to make some peach and/or red raspberry. We'll be eating good this winter!

2008-08-10T19:50:00.005-07:00

Happy Birthday, Téah Jane!

Today my beautiful daughter turned 3 years old. I have no idea how she got to be 3 years old. It went so fast. She's a beautiful, fun, quick-witted, spunky 3 year old girl who I love more than I ever could have imagined I would. Here are two pictures from each year of her life so far.

Newborn:

8 Months:

1st Birthday:

about 18 months - learning to run!

2 yr. pic. - if you know Téah this picture captures her personality perfectly:

Learning to be a good little mommy:

2008-07-07T18:53:00.003-07:00

A few new pictures:

Téah and Micah in their "beach shirts" as Téah calls them:

Micah is officially mobile. He is BIG trouble!

My pretty girl:

Cute boy:

I figured out the panoramic settings on my camera. Here are two pictures showing the front and side of our house and yard. The side shot is from the back corner of the front yard.

2008-06-22T06:43:00.003-07:00

The best kitty in the whole world, Esperanza, usually called Zaza, died yesterday. She had been sick for a few months with cancer, but she had been fighting very hard. She was only 8 years old and we are going to miss her very much. And when I say the best kitty in the whole world I'm not exaggerating. Zaza was about the sweetest cat you could ever meet. Here's a picture of her. She is in Téah's baby bouncer seat - she was trying to say that she would not be replaced when Téah was born.

2008-06-18T15:03:00.009-07:00

Here are some Vacation pictures as promised. (better late than never, right?)

This is our first night at the beach. Téah liked the sand. Big shells were not her cup of tea. Instead she preferred the little pebbles and lots and lots of sand.

Micah, on the other hand, thought the big shells were great. As long as he could eat them.

Here is how Micah spent most of his time at the beach:

John and Téah dug a big hole and Micah and Téah got it in. FYI, this picture was taken about 30 seconds before Téah put a handful of sand in Micah's face.

Téah in a tree at the Elizabethan Gardens.

Téah, her Aunt Jill and her Grandma

Téah, the cool kid

Everyone (minus the camera woman) walking on the beach one evening.

Mr. Micah swimming

John and Téah flying a kite at Jockey's Ridge.

Micah on John's back at Jockey's Ridge:

John's feelings toward the end of vacation with two little kids...

Our family unit the last night of vacation.

Everyone for one picture (using the timer). Téah decided she did not want to participate.

Me, Téah and Micah in the van on the way home. (yes they were strapped in their carseats when the vehicle was in motion!)

2008-06-09T12:16:00.014-07:00

I know you've all been anxiously waiting for this. It's time for a Garden Update! The weather is finally warm (ok, HOT) and things are actually growing. We had kind of a crappy, cold spring and seemed like we were really far behind for awhile. But things are catching up now. Here we go:

Here's all the raised beds viewed from the back:

Large Square Bed, (lettuce in the front, swiss chard and radishes in the back)

The "new" Bed (directly behind the large square bed) The big leaves are the broccoli, there are carrots in there too.

Small Square Bed (cabbage, notice that something is eating holes in the leaves!)

The Strawberry Bed and the beautiful strawberries!

Téah and "her" strawberries (or at least that's what she says)

She says they're yummy!

The two long beds (with tomatoes and peppers that are still catching up)

Raspberry Bed

View of all the beds from the front

View of the entire house (pretty hanging baskets!)

The peach tree has filled in:

It even has little peaches

and a ladybug too

Left Front of the house:

Right Front:

the roses are all blooming!

And the wildflower garden is filling in too.

I'll try to post sometime this week with some pictures from vacation too.

2008-05-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

We love to be outside! Hooray for spring!

2008-04-29T12:49:00.002-07:00

He's trying! We're going to the beach in a month. Téah learned to crawl at the beach and I think it will be really funny if Micah does too.

2008-04-24T11:33:00.016-07:00

I've decided to start documenting our garden and the progress it makes throughout the spring and summer on this blog. So if you are totally bored with that kind of stuff you can surf on over to another blog now. Hopefully though you will enjoy seeing everything grow from week to week just like I do! So here we go.

First off, the basic "front of the house" shot. Notice what happens when you don't use fertilizer or chemicals on your lawn. Suddenly you own a field of dandelions. Yikes.

The front steps covered in seedlings. (some for the Open Door/Open Hand Ministries garden project, some for some friends and some are ours - the porch is COVERED in these trays right now)

To the right of the front steps:

To the left of the front steps:

And 2 pictures of the side of the house. This is where the rosebushes and peony are.

All the beds from the front:

Raspberries:

The 2 Long Beds (pretty much empty right now, but they will have tomatoes, peppers and probably some potatoes)

Strawberries:

Small Square Bed (cabbage, radish and a longely oregano)

Large Square Bed (lettuce, swiss chard and other greens)

And the "new" bed (for this year anyway!) (only broccoli for now, will probably have zuc, canteloupe and maybe some carrots)

All the beds from the back: (Téah's sandbox is in the bottom of the picture)

And this year our new project is a wildflower garden in the backyard and a small patio beside it. As of now, the fence is up (temporary for now) and the seeds are in and starting to sprout. Here are "in progress" pictures:

And I just thought this was funny. A viola from last year reseeded itself in a small crack in the sidewalk and it's gorgeous. So I'm leaving it there!

2008-04-23T19:46:00.002-07:00

10 things I love about each of my amazing kids

Téah Jane

1. Her "particularness" about the way things have to be. (just right!)
2. How smart she is! (and I'm not just saying that...)
3. When she sings "bye-lo baby" to her little brother.
4. Her imagination.
5. The way she labels things. (ex: hardback books are "hard books", soft cover books are "magazine books")
6. That she loves to read! (by herself or with Mom or Dad)
7. How much she loves to eat fruit.
8. Her gorgeous blond hair and perfect skin
9. Her absolute LOVE of the color pink.
10. The way she grabs my neck hugs it SO tight and says "I love you, Mommy."

Micah Alexander

1. How he's long and skinny everywhere except his "thunder thighs"
2. How he grabs his toes any chance he gets and literally chews on them
3. The little arms that reach for me when I offer to pick him up
4. That something as simple as a spoon can occupy him for 10 minutes
5. His fabulous laugh
6. The biggest eyes any baby has ever had
7. The way he bounces up and down when you let him stand
8. How much he loves his momma!
9. The little noise he makes when he smiles really big
10. That he really knows who his family is already and loves us in his own way,

2008-03-26T19:10:00.005-07:00

She love me! She really loves me!

on another note she'll make a great mommy someday...

Micah looks mighty cute in his hat, don't you think?

This was post-bath. Her hair doesn't always look this nice.

I'm sitting, I'm sitting!! Look at me!

2008-02-22T06:48:00.004-08:00

A new Micah video for your enjoyment.

And introducing Princess Téah. (hint: look at her shoes)

And a few pictures:

2008-01-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

"Silent Night"
according to Téah

Silent Night, Holy the spirit
All is calm, All is white
Round ya birgin, mother and bild
Holy infant so tender and wild
Sleeeeep in heaven the peace
sleep in heaven or peace

2007-12-27T11:31:00.000-08:00

You are all in trouble. My new camera can take video clips.

2007-12-26T19:37:00.001-08:00

oh dear.

1. Micah is rolling. About a month earlier than his sister did. So far it's still few and far between. But the mobility is coming. I can feel it.

2. Téah is sleeping in a "big girl" bed for the first time tonight. Note: this means she will not be contained when she wakes up in the morning!

I am in so much trouble.

2007-12-24T12:33:00.000-08:00

A few new pictures taken with my NEW camera!! (Have I mentioned I have the best mom-in-law and husband in the world?!)

2007-11-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

We got our Christmas Tree!

Téah said it was a good one...

This is how Micah enjoyed his first Christmas Tree Adventure.

And "Woodsman John" cut it down!

And the finished product!

2007-11-14T19:15:00.001-08:00

I wasn't very nice to my daughter today. She wasn't very nice to me either. However, Téah is 2 and I am 28. I should know better.

I'm not sure if it's the weather, or the time change still affecting her (us) or the fact that she is still adjusting to a new little brother. It really could be any number of things. All I know is my 2 year old daughter was very "two" today. (and Sunday and Monday and Tuesday...) But Today I wasn't very nice. I raised my voice, nagged and threatened more than I like to. Téah spent more time on her time out step thinking about the way she was acting than I like her to. I don't like to raise my voice, nag or threaten my daughter. In fact, I hate doing it. But I did it. And I hate that I did it.

When I was putting Téah to bed tonight I called her over and said to her, "Téah, I love you very much. You didn't behave the way you know you are supposed to behave today. And you know what? Mommy didn't behave the way I'm supposed to either. I'm sorry, Téah. I love you. Let's both act better tomorrow, ok?" She gave me a hug and said, "ok."

It's very humbling to apologize to your two year old for the way you behaved.

I am convinced tomorrow will be better. But today I was not a very good mommy. And Téah definitely deserved that apology.

2007-11-14T07:58:00.000-08:00

John, Téah, Micah and I went to the Chihuly exhibit at Phipps Conservatory a few weeks ago. This is a glass exhibit that is designed by the artist Dale Chihuly. It is really neat. Here are a few pictures from our trip there.

2007-11-13T10:05:00.000-08:00

I finally got a picture of Micah's smile. It's not the greatest because it was on John's camera phone, but oh well! He's 7 weeks old tomorrow already. crazy!

2007-11-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

Téah = puking, stuffy nose, fever, overall yuckiness

John = cold symptoms, tired, overall yuckiness

Micah = desparately needs to sleep, generally not his normal laid-back self (not sure what's up with this...)

All these add up to:

Me = exhausted
House = FILTHY

2007-10-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of new pictures:
The "Steeler Kids" and Mr. Micah sleeping on his Dad.

2007-10-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

This is my family. The morning after Micah was born. Téah woke up to a baby brother! I know, I know. I have a beautiful family!

2007-09-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

No. There is no baby boy yet. Téah came so early that I feel like he is taking forever. But I haven't even reached my due date yet, so it's no big deal. Although I will not lie. I am impatient and I am feeling like he may never come at this point. Mostly, I'm just anxious to move on to the next phase. (But am I really ready for another newborn?! ACK!)

2007-08-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

Isn't she cute?

Here are a few of Téah's 2 year pictures.

2007-08-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Téah!!

Happy birthday to my little, big girl, Téah Jane. I can't believe you're two and you're are going to be a big sister soon! I love you more every day and your Dad and I are the luckiest people in the world to be your parents. I hope you have a great party tonight with your "tig and pooh" cake!!

We love you, Téah Jane, big TWO year old!

2007-07-03T17:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some vacation pictures for the folks at home who are interested in that sort of thing. I don't feel like fighting with blogger right now, so they aren't going to be captioned. But you should know:

1. Téah was not a fan of swimming in the pool OR the ocean. Hence the playing with the hose.
2. Yes, she really did leave her sunglasses and hat on at the beach. But if you ask her, the sunglasses are called her "eyes."
3. We had lovely weather all week long. We were very fortunate.
4. Emma came with us. It wasn't the original plan, but she was a very good car-traveler. Téah, on the other hand, puked all over her carseat 10 minutes into the trip home. The smell of dog + puke in a closed car is not pleasant.
5. Emma really isn't as sad as she looks in that picture. I just thought it was a funny picture and probably captured her feelings on riding in the car next to Téah for 12 hours. (Téah would probably tell you the feeling was mutual)

Ok, now you should be caught up. Enjoy!

2007-05-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

So. I have been very VERY bad about taking pictures lately. (It might have something to do with dog-chewed camera cord, or the fact that I can't find all the batteries PLUS the charger. Excuses, excuses) But for the folks out of town who are just dying to see pictures. Here are some taken by John's Momma (Téah's Grandma, my mother-in-law). Basically you could probably just call her Allie and she'd be happy :)

2007-05-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

So. Téah was sick for almost the entire past week. Some kind of stomach bug. She had the lovely normal symptoms one would expect plus a complete lack of appetite. I was actually getting a little concerned because I was pretty sure she was losing weight and she's not a big girl to begin with. Today though she was making up for the rest of week. She ate everything she missed over the past week.

We'll start with breakfast -
Chocolate milk (i'm a horrible mother) two pancakes dipped in maple syrup and a pickle. yes, a pickle.

morning snack:
juice, water, part of my chocolate bar, pretzels

lunch:
an apple, slice of cheese, more pretzels, cheddar bunnies, juice, water

afternoon snack:
crackers, mandarin oranges, more apple, more pretzels

dinner:
spaghetti with tomato sauce, applesauce, strawberries, cornbread, a couple mandarin oranges, a few bites of a brownie

post-dinner snack:
cheddar bunnies, cheerios, pretzels, water

And on the way upstairs to bed tonight she told me she wanted "more lunch."

2007-05-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

For all of those watching and waiting for news...

We had our ultrasound on Tuesday morning and found out that Téah will be welcoming a little brother! We are really excited. As of now Baby Boy Creasy has no name. Don't worry, we'll get to it.

2007-04-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

Updates:

1. Téah has been asking to "poop on the potty." So far she only likes to sit on her potty fully clothed though. We're taking the slow route apparently. She IS only 20 months old though, I'm not sweating it! SO not worth it.

2. Baby C2 is starting to make him or herself known. Movement and such. I have another midwife appointment tomorrow where I hope to hear the heartbeat again. We also have our ultrasound on May 1st. I'm so glad that is soon! (I'm a worrier like that)

3. Téah now takes 3 hour naps for her Ann-momma (my mom) but still only hour if we're lucky for me. Go figure. I did get a 2 1/2 hour nap ONCE. She's napping now. We're at 45 minutes. I seriously consider anything past an hour a huge success.

4. Téah also talks a TON. It's crazy how many words and sentences this kid has! I need to get some on video and post it here or something. I know I can do it through you tube. I just have to take the time to actually do all of that!

5. Vacation is the last full week of June. We are headed to the beach with John's side of the family and we are ALL very excited. Miss Emma will be headed more than likely to a local kennel. I feel bad about that, I would definitely prefer someone come stay with her, but so far we are striking out on that front. She's a very good dog, but she is still a puppy! She shows me that daily. If not hourly some days.

6. Today is free cone day at Ben & Jerry's. We are headed to Squirrel Hill for an ice cream cone after Téah's nap. And no I don't care if it IS in the 30's outside!! It's Springtime and I'm determined to act like it.

2007-03-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

This is horrible. I logged into blogger (yes FINALLY) and it told me that the next time I log in I HAVE to switch to the new version of Blogger. Do you know how long I have held out? I don't want the new version, I like my old version just fine thankyouverymuch.

I'm just a little resistant to change, can ya tell?

So apparently i didn't blog for an entire month. yowza. Sorry about that. I'm sure my faithful readers (all 2 of you!) were very sad and missed my bloggin very much. So onto other things.

Since I last blogged:
1, We have had carpet installed in the parlor/family room, removed wallpaper border with the help of friends and family and painted the walls. (a beautiful shade of blue!)
2. Téah and I came to a mutual decision that she would be done nursing. (I know you wanted to know that...)
and...
3. We found out that there will be another addition to our family sometime in September or early October. (and it won't be another puppy...)

So there's some news. Aren't you glad you came back to read now?

And now I'm going to bed. Well I'm "going to bed" anyway. Lost is on in about 20 minutes and I need to be upstairs in bed to watch it so I can go to sleep the second it's over!

Also, can someone please explain daylight savings time to Téah?

2007-01-11T08:43:00.000-08:00

Blogger hates me. I'm convinced of it. I've been trying to get this post up for days and I can't get it right even using html. So I'm going to post these house pictures through links. I know you hate having to click on every link, but you'll just have to deal with it for now. I'm going to get a house site up using my mac account at some point but for now this what you get. Here we go.

All the work credit goes to John, his Dad and our friends with some help from Randy, our contractor, of course. I will be honest and say I did a lot of watching the kiddo. I did help when I could. But seriously - my husband is awesome and has worked SO HARD on this.

Here are a pictures of the entryway. I don't have any before pictures of this area. In this area John put in new hardwood flooring and we had new carpeting installed up the stairs and in the upstairs hallway. The wallpaper will remain for the time being (we have major plaster repair when we take it down). There used to be RED (BRIGHT RED)carpet all through here and up the stairs. It was hideous.

This is standing in our front doorway looking into the kitchen and up the stairs:
Entryway After 1

Same view, just over a bit.
Entryway After 2

And here is the opposite view, standing in the kitchen looking to the front door.
Entryway After 3

Now if your standing in the entryway looking up the stairs and you go to the
left. You come to our Living Room/Dining Room area. Here's the before picture of that:
Living Room/Dining Room Before

We still have a lot to do in this room. (paint everything, replace or rip down wallpaper in the dining room and paint all the wood trim. (that trim is not actually unfinished, it's a horrible faux wood finish that is probably lead based.) Butwith the help of friends all the green carept was ripped up it was NASTY), the floors sanded the floors and refinished. They are liveable for now but we're starting the process of painting them.

Here's the "midway" pics.

Standing in the Living Room looking into the Dining Room:
Lving Room/Dining Room Midway 1

The opposite view, standing in the Dining Room looking into the Living Room:
Living Room/Dining Room Midway 2

You could see into the kitchen from the entryway pictures and it is also directly off the Dining Room. This is a room where the biggest transformation probably took place. Here are before pictures.

Standing in the back doorway looking at the stove wall (the entryway would be on your leftish here:
Kitchen Before 1

Standing in the sink area (back window) the entryway is that doorway on your very right of the picture:
Kitchen Before 2

Now the after! I won't give you the list of what was done in this room beause there is NOTHING that is the same. I will tell you what remains to be done in each picture.

Standing in the entryway looking into the kitchen (for perspective, the backdoor is in the back right corner and the sink is straight ahead) It looks complete in this picture!
Kitchen After 1

Standing a little to the right of where I was before so you can see more of the back corner. In this picture you can see where the tile backsplash will go (on that whole wall under the hood) and we still have to get the doors in that back corner cabinet.
Kitchen After 2

Standing in the back door looking back toward the entryway. You can see where the backsplash has to go again.
Kitchen After 3

If you go to the right from the entryway you go into the Parlor/Family Room. But that room is still a major work in progress and we're having carpeting installed in there in the next few weeks. I'll show pictures of that later.

Upstairs is the bathroom. I think I showed these pictures before, but just in case.

Bathroom Before
Bathroom After

Then here are pictures of Téah's room. I don't have any before pictures. But imagine a dull green color with falling down plaster. Her room was completely replastered, carpeting ripped up, flooring refinished, chair rail installed, room painted, fan hung, etc.

Standing in her doorway looking to the right:
Téah’s Room After 1

Standing in her doorway looking to the left:
Téah’s Room After 2

Standing in front of the window in the previous pictures looking at her doorway.
Téah’s Room After 3

Standing by her crib looking across the room:
Téah’s Room After 4

And last but not least the Master Bedroom! Here are before pictures. (the gentleman in the pictures is the previous owner)
Master Bedroom Before 1
Master Bedroom Before 2

We still have to hang pictures, get a bedskirt and some other finishing touches, but here are the basic after pictures.

Standing in our doorway:
Master Bedroom After 1
Master Bedroom After 2

Looking toward the door (opposite view of above pictures)
Master Bedroom After 3

Ok, if you made it this far. I commend you!! John and our friend Chris have done a lot of work on the outside of the house too, painting and such. But it still has a way to go, so I'll wait on those. Our housemate, Abraham, also redid his room. But
I don't have updated pictures and he's not really done.

A big thank you to our friends, neighbors and family. We COULD NOT have done this much work in this amount of time without you.

2007-01-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

We're in the house (pictures to come soon, I promise!)

I think I'm a horrible reader. Horrible in the sense of "not doing what I should." I am currently reading The Kite Runner and I cannot get past what the main character has done and/or not done. So I'm stalled. I can't bring myself to pick the book back up and read the rest of it because I have a very strong dislike of this character and don't want to read the story from his point of view anymore. I need some new books to read. I lost 3 books when we moved back in May. They were library books. I haven't visited the library since. This is very bad. I can't find them and I need to just suck it up and go pay them so I can borrow books again!

Although I do love to buy books. I just don't have an bottomless wallet that I can use toward that obsession.

2006-12-12T12:07:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we put her in a cage to punish her when she's been very bad. (kidding! That's Emma's crate and Téah thinks it's fun to play in it)

This morning Téah, Allie (John's mom) and I went to Ikea to order this gas cooktop. (in white). We had one given to us, but it's no longer functional. (long story for another time). The ikea one was the best deal we could find for the picky consumer (me). They are made by Whirlpool and I only found good reviews after some short research. So hopefully we'll be happy with our purchase.

Téah decided to try out her new favorite game while we were in Ikea. Oh, actually TWO new favorite games. The first is she begs me to pick her up, which I do. She then wraps her little arms around my neck and headbutts me in the chin. But it doesn't end there. Next she takes her little hands places them on my cheeks and forces me to look at her while giving me a very serious look. All this so she can give me a huge kiss. It's pretty funny. Ask either grandma or her dad - they've all seen this trick in person.

The other trick is not nearly as fun. Téah is into temper tantrums. We're in the line at Ikea paying for the cooktop when she saw something she wanted and proceeded to scream. When Allie tried to pick her up and remove her from the situation she went into "I have no shoulders or arms pose" meaning it VERY hard to pick her up. So we left her on the floor to scream. We were actually laughing at her if I'm telling the truth as were the 4 or 5 people in line behind us. Once Téah saw the temper tantrum wasn't getting her what she wanted she quit and walked off. This is not the first time this has happened nor will it be the last I'm sure. But it is actually funny in retrospect.

On the Christmas gift front I have about half of my items purchase and half to go. However, that second half has to wait until after Friday (payday for John). sigh. Things are tight this year. But that is ok!

2006-11-20T13:05:00.000-08:00

Sometime soon I'll actually write something again. In the meantime, here are some recent pictures to hold you over.

2006-11-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

Her ears are up!! first pic is from about 3 weeks ago (10 weeks old) 2nd is from tonight (13 weeks old).

2006-11-02T07:44:00.000-08:00

Here's Téah the Ladybug. (Don't worry, we didn't use her to get candy, she just helped pass out the candy at her Grandma and Grandad Creasy's house.)

The full look, but she HATED that hat!

More chocolate please... (she was allowed ONE tiny piece as a bribe!)

2006-10-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

Updated my profile pic. Here's a bigger version:

2006-10-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

This is from BJ’s blog:
As a community, the Open Door is seeking to develop simple weekly missional practices, rhythms or postures that we think help orient and center us to live in the way of Jesus.

There is more information there on the other practices too. (Just wanted you to know since I'm writing about Eating today...)

Last night we talked about Eating as a practice. I shouldn’t say “talked” really. We took communion together, ate dinner together as a community and discussed a passage of scripture.

On a side note I really wanted to enjoy the meal and discussion with everyone more than I did. Téah didn’t have a good nap yesterday and was in breakdown mode. I love the Open Door’s worship gatherings, but I will fully admit that I don’t like when we meet. Téah needs to go to bed around 7pm at night or she just loses everything I love about her. And by the time we get rolling with our worship gatherings on Sunday nights she’s ready for bed. It’s very tough for me to keep her entertained and somewhat engaged with simple things like the music when she’s so tired. Most people that I know of though, love the timing of our gathering. So, for that, I am very grateful and will tough it out until Téah gets a bit older. Side note over.

Back to eating.

Eating is a hard practice for me. Not because I don’t like to eat, because I do. (Trust me on this one.) I have often used meals as a “getaway.” At work when I’m tired of dealing with people I go take a walk and eat lunch by myself. I really don’t mind going out to eat by myself. (Yep, I’m one of those people.) I like to host people and I very much enjoy cooking for others. But living in small apartments for the past few years has made that difficult. So the other purpose of meals for me is family time. I go out to eat with my family to catch up and talk. We go over to John’s parents’ house to do the same thing a lot. (Ok, right now we walk upstairs… but that is another side note.)

All of this to say I am being challenged with this new practice of Eating. In our discussion last night we talked about how Scripture was challenging us to invite the poor and the homeless to eat with us. Somehow my personal alone time and my family time don’t fit with that model. I am not saying that I have to give those up. My alone time is very important to my sanity as is my family time. However, I am realizing that I need to be willing to step out of these ways of eating and eat with others more often. One step at a time. But I think it is very important that I start trying to do this.

I also don’t think this practice is “abnormal” as it sounds initially. Think of Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, even the 4th of July. They often revolve around the meal!

Last side note: Some of this will be easier when I have a kitchen.

2006-09-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

Introducing the newest member of the Creasy family!! (Hint: she's on the right)

Here's another picture of her. She is an 8 week old German Shepherd and her name is Emma.

2006-09-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

Téah Jane is so much fun lately. She has a bunch of words and "talks" constantly. (and screams) Her new favorite phrase is "hi Téah!" I think she says it because everyone says it to her. She says it over and over and over and over. It's pretty funny. She also loves to feed the doggies at her Grandma and Grandad Creasy's house her crackers. She toddles over to the pantry and begs for a cracker then promptly walks over to a dog and gives it to them. At least she's into sharing!

Here's a picture of her from Sunday. My pretty girl.

2006-09-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

We're in soooo much trouble...

click here!

See what I mean??

2006-09-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

The only cheerleader the Steelers need. (nevermind the fact that they're losing in the 4th quarter right now...)

2006-08-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from the birthday celebrations. Yep, celebrationS (plural). Téah had a mini-picnic/party with just her Dad and I. Those are the pictures with only a diaper and chocolate cake. The others in the blue dress and vanilla cake are from her party on Saturday. Téah had a wonderful time at her party Saturday. She has a lot of people who love her very much and like to party!

Onto the pictures...

2006-08-10T04:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Téah Jane! I love you!

(here's a sampling of Téah's first year, (in order it goes 1 day old, 2 months old, 4 months old, 5 months old, 7 months old, 11 months old and 1 year)

2006-08-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

What's in a name?

What were the names in your house? Did you have the classic "mom and dad" or did you hold on to your younger years for awhile and stick with "mommy and daddy"? I grew up in Tennessee. We had "momma" and then just "dad." But you do have to imagine "momma" said with a perfect southern accent. John has the perfect way of calling his mom, he always has. It's said very low and almost mournful. "Mo-o-ohm." His sister, Jill, has always used "mommy." It's very matter-of-fact. In fact if I answer the phone at their house when she calls she says "You're not my mommy."

I'm hoping Téah goes with "momma" for awhile. Even if we do live in Pittsburgh now.

When we were little my parents tried to get us to call our grandparents "grandma and grandpa." It didn't fly. They ended up being "mamaw and papaw." And this had an absolutely impeccable southern accent. We have the video footage to prove it. My Dad is determined that his grandkids will call him Grandad. Nothing else. I told him he's a fuddy-duddy. Currently he's "an-dada" to Gavin. My mom is "an-momma". How can you not love that? Sorry Dad, Grandad is boring!

2006-08-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

To my husband:

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways -

1. You have been working non-stop on our new/old house for the past 2 1/2 months.
2. You listen to me complain about the work not being done fast enough when you're working as hard as you can.
3. You are an amazing father to our little girl.
4. You are a kind, gentle person and you help me to be a little more gentle at times.
5. You are an amazing musician.
6. You put up with me. Enough said.

2006-07-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

Not one to be outdone, Gavin proves to Kenzie that even if she gives great sloppy kisses he gives the better hugs.

2006-07-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

On Mondays and Thursdays Téah stays with her Grandmas. On Mondays she stays with her Grandma Mann and on Thursdays she stays with her Grandma Creasy. But her favorite reason for visiting them is to see Gavin and Kenzie. I think they are her two best friends.

Here is a picture of Téah with one of her best friends.

2006-06-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

She didn't get her flexibility from me...

2006-06-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

It's our last day at the beach. Boo. But we had a great week. It was so much fun to see my brother, Richard, his wife, Priscilla and my nephew, Gideon. They also have another child, a little girl, on the way. She's due to arrive sometime in August. This was only the third time I've been able to spend time with Gideon. Since they live a good bit away from us, we don't get to see all of them near as much as we'd like to. We did manage to get a few pictures of the 3 cousins together though.

From left to right: Gideon, Gavin, Téah

And Téah finally grew into her first pair of pink shoes! This is for SL!

2006-05-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

So we're moving and I'm in packing hell. And Téah has a fever and I don't why. I think she's teething... the joys of being a new mom.

She's 9 months old though! She has been outside of my stomach longer than she was in my stomach. That's just crazy.

We close on the house this Wednesday (5/17). The "big" move is that afternoon and the next day. We walked through the house and I completely overwhelmed myself with all the work that has to be done. *sigh* One project at a time... It really is a lovely house. I'm still excited, don't worry.

We leave for vacation in less than a month. The best part of that is I get to see R,P,G & now E too. Wa-freaking-hoo!!!! :)

So there you have it - my big update. I was sensing a need to update since it had been awhile since I last posted.

What's that? You'd like a picture too? um, ok. Here's Téah enjoying the nice weather! (this was obviously NOT from today for anyone who lives in the 'burgh)

2006-04-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of Téah in her Easter outift for the out-of-towners. She wasn't very cooperative for pictures by the time I got around to taking them, so these are the two best.

2006-04-13T06:15:00.000-07:00

Téah wants to type. So here she goes:

./ghvv vbffvdcv vbn g v fdrdxxx cwstrddddddddde

Ok, I had to cut her off. I think she likes d's and v's. Oh also the space bar.

2006-04-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

I'm so sporadic with this blogging thing. Sorry.

I'm very tired this morning. Téah thought it would be fun to be awake from 1:30am to 3am. No actually, her mom had Indian Food for dinner and I think the spices didn't do a whole lot for Téah. I could hear her stomach rumbling and gurgling. One more food to mark off the list of allowed foods for the time being.

I had a mini-breakdown last night. Luckily John was a fantastic husband (as always) and basically listened to me whine for a bit. I find myself very frustrated with trying to balance work and mom-hood and wife-hood. I don't think I'm very good at it, actually. I'm trying though and it helps that I have a patient husband and that I only have to work part-time. I don't know how mom's who work full-time do it. I think I would have gone insane by now. When I'm at work I just want to be at home with my little girl. When I'm at home I start thinking about things at work I have to do and how much is going on there and if I'll ever make it through the next few weeks! I need to learn how to be fully "present" wherever I am currently. If that is at home, be present there with Téah and/or John. If that is at work - then be present there. This is all easier said than done though. I would also like to find a job that I enjoy a little more. I love the people I work with. That has nothing to do with it. I just get bored and feel like a very "little" person most of the time at work. One of my biggest whines to John last night was that I'm very jealous of the fact that he has always had a job he loves and is now completing his M.Div for this work. I'm very happy for him but I'm very jealous at the same time. It's a weird feeling. I'm working through that though and feeling better about it. Because my main "job" is to be a good wife and mother. And being a good wife means supporting John in his work and I really enjoy seeing him in his "work." He is so good! And being a mom is the best job ever. It really is. I just love spending time with my little girl!

Sorry for the blabbing this morning!

2006-04-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

Only my brother could pull this off. Silly Richard. But I'm glad he's ok!!

2006-04-01T05:37:00.000-08:00

I was told by more than one person in the last couple of days that I really need to post a new entry. So here I go.

It appears as if John, Téah and I will be moving soon. Probably the end of April (Happy April Fool's Day - but this ain't no joke!) Although it could be pushed into the beginning of May. I'm pretty excited about moving into our own house (you can read about it on some backentries at John's blog link to the right) But I'm not very excited about packing. blah blah. Packing is no fun. I think I almost packed Téah today! Good thing she likes to squawk like a baby teradactyl and got my attention before I taped the box up.

Téah is getting bigger and bigger. I can't believe she's almost 8 months old. It's just crazy. She is the goofiest baby ever. Evidenced by the picture I'm going to post for you in a second. She does new things everyday that make me laugh. I just love her!

John got his Ordination Exam results. He passed 3 out of 4. That's pretty good! Those exams are tough so I'm pretty proud of him. He'll retake the 4th one in August and do fine, I'm sure. He is graduating from Seminary this May. I think we're both pretty excited about that. Seminary has been a good experience for him, but I think he's ready to move on now. So as you can see our Spring is going to be busy! Moving, graduating, oh my!

As promised here is the crazy Téah Jane picture. Enjoy!

2006-03-07T20:50:00.000-08:00

The extremes of Téah Jane.

2006-03-01T17:49:00.000-08:00

This is for BJ. Presenting Téah Jr.! (if you don't get it - you need to watch Nascar!)

2006-02-27T12:18:00.000-08:00

For SL!

Lyssa takes a trip
Where do you want to go? I'll go West. It will be a road trip to check out the Rockies, Yellowstone, etc.
Movies to watch to prepare: Camping movie favorites: The Parent Trap (the original only please)some National Geographic to brush up on Wolves, then maybe scare myself a little with The Blair Witch Project
People to talk to: John (he has to come of course and he has been out there before) both of our dads for help with trip planning, AAA for various triptiks
Things to find out about: no languages to learn, but need to possibly make camping reservations ahead of time. need to find out where campsites are and cost to stay there.
Things to take with: tent, husband and daughter (plus paraphenalia that goes along with said travel companions), good snacks, iPod, backpacks (day and overnight) plenty of baby wipes for any possible mishaps
Songs for Splendid Travel: the first 3 tracks on Over the Rhine's Drunkard's Prayer album. This is the only way to keep Teah somewhat happy in the car!
Other things to consider: gas prices, times of year that parks are open. Should the trip be taken in the summer or will it be to crowded??

2006-02-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

I just put Téah to bed for the third time. Right after Christmas she went from a cold to a stomach virus to another cold. That last cold has still not lost it's grip on her and she keeps waking herself up coughing. It is really getting to be rather annoying. On a happier note she has almost mastered sitting up by herself without any extra support. She totally makes me laugh because she looks so stinking proud of herself when she does it. Oh and in daycare she is now the baby who "never cries." How the heck did that happen? She's 6 months old!! how did THAT happen?! Next week she has her 6 month checkup and I think she might up to a massive 13 1/2 lbs or so.

John had jury duty today. He took the bus in to town and went shopping at the downtown Kaufmann's on his lunch break. He did say he got a lot of reading done while he sat around waiting for his name to be called, so that is good. I have never had jury duty. I don't know if I want to, honestly. I know it's my "civic duty" but I just don't want to. I'm probably going to get my "juror questionairre" now.

The Olympics are on right now. Specifically, women's ice skating is on right now. Yes, I'm one of "those girls." I love to watch the Olympic Ice Skaing. Fun stuff. I want to know how they do that. I will pick up a mic and sing but do not ask me to enter an ice rink on ice skates. No way.

Ok, I'm done with the rambling post. I think I just felt like typing as I watch Ice Skating and listen to the monitor and wait for Té to wake up again. Ok, mission accomplished. She literally woke up the second I typed that sentence. Bye.

2006-02-21T15:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my mostest favoritest little sister :) I love you, LB Macaroni!

2006-02-12T18:38:00.000-08:00

Warning: Téah Jane bites!

2006-02-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

What are you doing tonight? Here is what you should be doing: Coming to Club Cafe to see TSE play our last show with our drummer, Ian White. He is moving to California and I'm very sad about that and no, I won't want to talk about it. Details of the show are below!

Who: TSE and you!
What: TSE's last show with Ian!
When: TONIGHT! (2/9/06) @ 7pm
Where: Club Cafe (12th St. on the Southside)
Why: Because it's fun and you like to support local music

2006-02-01T20:12:00.000-08:00

Pittsburgh has officially lost it. John and I have been watching the 11 o'clock news for 15 minutes and have yet to see ONE story about anything except the Steelers. I kid you not. I thought they would at least give me the weather forecast for tomorrow but what do I see? The weather forecast for Detroit. For tomorrow. Not for Sunday.

Is the Superbowl over yet?

2006-02-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

Admit it. You just wish you were that flexible!!

So in the past three weeks Téah has gone from a nasty cold to a nasty stomach virus to another nasty cold. Blech. I think she's finally at the tail end of this cold. Her mood is finally improving, thank goodness! Now she just has a super runny nose and an icky cough. And poor Gavin has also picked up this cold. He told me today, "I don't like being sick." Join the club, G!

John had his ordination exams last weekend with the exception of his BIblical exegesis exam which is due by 9am tomorrow morning. (Although he has already turned it in - Go John!) He told me today that he feels like he didn't even have a weekend because he was so caught up working on those exams. I'm so glad he's done with those. They are no fun, even for the wife.

On one last note: Go Steelers! :)

2006-01-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

This just in:

A baby with a stomach virus is no fun.

2006-01-12T17:29:00.000-08:00

Téah's New Look

2006-01-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

5 months old!!

It's very hard for me to believe that Téah Jane is 5 months old today. If you include her time in the womb, she's 14 months old. (and it should be included if you ask me - but in our world she is 5 months old) It is crazy either way you think about it.

We've been working hard on her schedule lately. Téah is not a great sleeper. She never really has been. People talk about when their children were newborns and they slept all the time - but I don't remember Téah ever sleeping all the time even when she was a week or so old. In talking with opediatriciancan (who I think is the greatest! - thanks Woodworths for the recommendation) and reading a couple of books and some reputable websites John and I came to realize that part of Téah's problem is that she is not getting enough sleep which leads to bad napping which leads to not getting enough sleep which leads to... you see where this is going. It's totally cyclical! So John and I have been learning how to have her on somewhat of a schedule. I don't mean every minute of our day is planned out or anything. What I do mean is that we try to be home by 7 or 7:30pm on most nights (or at least I do - John often has meetings at night and this isn't possible for him) to get her in bed no later than 8pm. I tried to be somewhat regular about this before, but lately I've been really strict about it. I figure once she's regular about a bedtime for awhile then a night or two off the schedule won't mess her up. But right now I'm not taking any chances! Next battle... naptimes. Anyone ever have a kid who never napped more than 45 minutes at a time?

Boy this parenting stuff is hard work! (I hear you experienced parents saying, "I told you so..." You don't have to rub it in!)

2006-01-04T13:55:00.002-08:00

I imagine Téah jane saying, "pffft! Silly mommy!!" in this picture. Fitting, don't you think?

A new year, a new post. Téah Jane's grandma gave her this Elmo book that makes noise as a Christmas gift. The Elmo sound sounds like a monkey. Actually John just said, "I think Elmo is a monkey. No, Elmo is a chimp. That's right, a chimpanzee, Téah." Téah just looked at him and went on her way in her excersaucer. I don't think Elmo is a chimp or a monkey though. I'm not sure what he is - but he's some kind of red furry thing that Gavin fell in love with when he was a little older than Téah. We'll see if Téah likes him as much. John first introduced Gavin to Elmo through www.sesamestreet.com. And for a while Gavin thought the computer was Elmo. It was funny. Then the "el" sound transferred to other words. The moon became "el moon," etc. I can't wait to see what Téah says that I'll remember like that.

Téah also received a stuffed puppy from her Uncle Richard, Aunt Priscilla and cousin Gideon. She likes to chew on it. Of course it helps that while she in the excersaucer I place it at mouth level. That and the fact that she likes to chew on anything these days. The drool is also out of control. It's simply amazing.

Sorry for the rambling post. I was feeling bad that I hadn't posted in so long. Hopefully this entertained someone. :)

2005-12-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

This is Téah's first Christmas! Not that she'll remember it or anything... but she'll have pictures!

This morning was our morning to sleep in. That is, it would have been our morning to sleep in, except we have a baby now. Sleeping in is overrated anyway. I'm trying to convince myself that I believe that. Téah woke up at 7:30am sharp. That actually isn't so bad. John told me he wanted to sleep in and asked if I could take her out into the living room and let him sleep a little bit. I obliged seeing as he had Téah all by himself yesterday and he took me to a late movie last night. (we saw Harry Potter!) So he was due a big favor. Téah and I decided that while John slept we would make him breakfast in bed. Ok, so Téah watched and cheered me on and I cooked. I made him blueberry muffins, scrambled eggs and coffee. Not a huge fancy breakfast, but still nicer than a bowl of cold cereal. I had to consult John on the coffee though. He is the coffee maker around here and I honestly had no idea about how many scoops of coffee to put in! (sad, I know). He was pleasantly surprised with his breakfast. I hope it gave him a good start to the Christmas weekend.

I'm off to get ready for a Christmas Eve's Eve service at FPC. Tomorrow there are two services there (we're helping out with the music). The day will be spent with my parents, nephew, sister and brother-in-law. Christmas Day will be spent with John's side of the family. fun stuff!! (richard, priscilla and gideon - I wish you were here!)

Merry Christmas!!

2005-12-19T11:44:00.000-08:00

This past weekend John, Téah and I took a road trip to Cincinnati. Our reasons for going were twofold. One: we wanted to visit John's sister, Jill, and her husband, Jeremy. Two: Over the Rhine had their annual Christmas Concert and John and I wanted to go. We have always wanted to go to this concert - but have never been able to work it out. Now that Jill & Jeremy live there we had an excuse to go plus we had free babysitters! We had a great trip (even though it took a wee bit longer traveling with a four month old!) Over the Rhine was fabulous (as always) and Téah was able to see her Aunt Jill & Uncle Jeremy. Jill had a Christmas gift for Téah and she couldn't wait until Christmas to give it to her. It was the beautiful outfit you see Téah in here (picture above). Pretty cute, huh?

BTW - Richard, there was no tail on her tigger outfit. We felt that might be a bit "over the top".

2005-12-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

John had a busy day and forgot the camera to get pictures of Téah in her acting debut. But I managed to snap a picture anyway. For your viewing pleasure, may I present Téah the Tiger.

2005-12-13T07:13:00.000-08:00

There were tigers in the stable, right?

Téah has her first acting role this Thursday. Every year all the kids from the daycare do a little Christmas program in the Seminary chapel. They even give the babies a role which I find hilarious. Téah unfortunately did not win the role of Baby Jesus. (I think there was concern that she would make him look bad since she would probably cry the whole time) She will be one of the animals in the stable. John has decided she can wear her Halloween outfit for this occasion. She was Tigger for Halloween. So I guess John has decided there were tigers manger-side.

2005-12-12T08:27:00.000-08:00

Monday Morning Wonderings:

1. When will I get to do laundry? our clothing supply is running low.
2. When will I put away the laundry from two weeks ago?
3. When will I clean my apartment for our house gathering wednesday?
4. When will I go to the grocery store to buy the food to make the dinner for the house gathering wednesday?
5. When will Teah master rolling from her tummy to her back. (Back to tummy has been mastered for a few days, but now she makes herself mad by flipping to her tummy all the time)

2005-12-05T07:14:00.000-08:00

And God bless us everyone...

My mom says Téah looks like she's praying in this picture. I guess I tend to agree. But she's so dang cute!

My birthday was this past weekend. I am 27 years old now. John is NOT 27, although he keeps telling people he is. I have reminded him three times this past week that he is 28 years old and has been since July. Maybe it's a mental block against aging.

When John picked up Téah from daycare last Thursday they told him, "She was actually good today!" I'm not really sure what that meant. But when he got there she was asleep on a blanket in the middle of the floor with screaming kids running all around her. Some friends of ours have a little girl, Esme, who is three days younger than Téah. Apparently Esme and Téah are completely opposites in their dispositions. BJ had lunch with Esme's dad, Chad, and Esme sat in her carseat for the entire hour lunch. I can tell you with absolute certainty that Téah would NEVER do that. She likes to be doing things all the time. The other comment from the daycare workers was "Téah was like Esme today!" What can I say, my kid likes to be active! And apparently being in one room at daycare all day does not constitute active to her. (kind of sounds like her Dad - never sit still!)

2005-11-28T11:55:00.000-08:00

My head is very heavy, but I am very strong.

2005-11-22T20:50:00.000-08:00

"ReCreate"

You tell me what you see
And I'll tell you what I could be
It's hard to go back
To recreate the past
And find out who you are

recreate
find out
discover
start over
go back
and show me
show me

What is this skin I'm living in?
What is the lie I'm using to get by?
I'm trying to save face
I'm trying to keep pace
I'm feeling pulled in

recreate
find out
discover
start over
go back
and show me
show me

I'm trying to keep it all in line
I'm trying to pretend I'm fine
When will it all be shown?
Can I learn I'm not alone?
I'm looking for that goal I'll miss

recreate
find out
discover
start over
go back
and show me
show me

2005-11-15T12:26:00.000-08:00

Téah Jane has a beautiful smile, don't ya think?

I am extremely blessed to only have to work 2 1/2 days a week. This allows to have most days at home with Té. This Thursday & Friday TSE has two shows. We have one each night, which means I have to leave her with someone since John and I are both in the band. Thursday we've worked it out with a friend of my mom's to watch her and Gavin, which is very nice. And Friday she'll be staying with John's mom. I'm grateful for the "adult time" but I'm wondering if it will ever get any easier to leave her. I have no reason to worry - she will be in very capable hands both nights. And cognitively I fully understand this. I'm just trying to get my worrywart emotional part to catch up with this line of thinking.

On another note - Thanksgiving is coming! I'm SO excited! My brother, Richard and his wife, Priscilla and son, Gideon (my absolutely adorable nephew!) are coming up. There are going to be a ton of people there. Although we will be missing Jill (John's sister) and her husband Jeremy. They are spending the holiday with his family in Cincy. Although that means we get them for Christmas :) I'm glad John and my familes all celebrate Thanksgiving together. It's really nice. For Christmas this year John and I decided not to visit both families on the same day. Even though they live extremely close to each other (and to us) it can make for a very hectic couple of days - we would go to both families on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day - it was tiring! (but fun) This year we'll go be with my family on Christmas Eve and John's family on Christmas Day. I think this will be much easier on Téah which means it will be easier on her parents!

Last note - John has a new nickname for Téah. He calls her Tater Tot. I find this pretty amusing.

2005-11-04T10:54:00.000-08:00

I am and forever will be John's wife and Téah's mommy first in my life. They come before any other person in my life. However I have been missing my time with someone else lately. A little over three years ago, Gavin, my nephew, was born. I was at his birth and helped to coach his mom, my sister, through her labor. (Although looking back I was a lousy coach!) I fell in love with this little guy immediately. Gavin (or G as my family often calls him) will always hold a very special place in part and I think we are probably closer than most Aunts/Nephews are. Lately though, I've felt as if I've been not paying quite enough attention to my G. When John and I visit he likes to show off for us and I can't help but notice that he's quite a bit more "showy" now than he was before Téah was born.

Last night, we had band practice at my parent's house (where G lives). My mom was helping me out by watching Téah for me - unfortunately Té had a rough day and was in a pretty rotten mood. I heard her screaming upstairs and knew that my mom needed to get Gavin ready for bed too. So I went upstairs to relieve her for a bit and bring Té downstairs with me since we were going to play some softer songs. I was about to head downstairs and I look down and there is Gavin looking at me. He said in his little voice, "Will you come watch Thomas with me, Lilla?" I felt horrible. I wanted to watch Thomas with Gavin more than anything - but knew that I had to practice with the band so I had to tell him not right then.

I know that G knows I love him. But I think that I need to spend some time with just him soon. Everytime I go over I end up feeding Téah half the time and not being able to play with him. So I think that I will plan a time for my mom to watch Téah for a bit so me and G can do something fun just the two of us. I miss my G!!

Side funny note: (I nurse Téah under a blanket when he's around and he recently got a blanket, covered his head and informed his Grandma that he "was Téah and he was eating".)

2005-10-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

I'm going to see U2 tomorrow night!!!!

That is all. (no, I'm not excited at all. not me)

2005-10-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

I just can't help it. I love taking pictures of her and posting them. Sorry! Téah surprised John & me tonight. She finished eating and was just letting me hold her. She was completely still, but very wide awake. After holding her for about 20 minutes with no further developments toward sleep I decided to experiment and put her in her bed wide awake (pacifier firmly planted in mouth though!) I thought for sure she'd be screaming within minutes (that is usely the way it works) However, she was quiet and after being checked on by both her mom and dad multiple times (I think we were afraid something was wrong!) she actuallyl went to sleep. On her own. Amazing.

Maybe the cold she and I have both had has caught up with her. I think we will both sleep in tomorrow morning. We need it! It's been a long week!

2005-10-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, Tony Jones along with BJ and some other folks from the CCOled a discussion on Emergent, Postmodernism, etc. Following the Open Door's worship gathering. My guess is that there were about 50 people in attendance. From what I could tell the discussion was really good and a great learning time for a lot of people. I say "from what I could tell" because I didn't really hear much of it. This Sunday I had one of my first lessons of what it means to really be a mom.

Téah had been super cranky all day and pretty l clingy too. (even more than a normal 2 month old is clingy) I now know that she had a cold because she has since passed it on to me, but that is beside the point. Anyway. I had been at the Union Project most of the day practicing music to help John lead in worship. By the time 8pm rolled around Téah had just had enough. I tried feeding her, changing her, pacing with her while trying to listen in on the conversation. But she was having none of it. John offered to help me get out of there by carrying some of our paraphanelia and letting me take the car. If I'm being honest here (which I am) I was pretty annoyed. I really wanted to stay and hear what people had to say and learn more if I could. But Téah had other ideas. We got home, I put her on her changing table to get her ready for bed and the super crabby girl flashed me the biggest smile ever. I guess she just wanted to be at home and away from so many people. And to continue the honesty - I forgot about my annoyance with having to leave very quickly after that smile.

Note to self: being a mommy take MANY sacrifices (this is only one of many more to come I know) but it only takes one smile to make it totally worth it.

2005-10-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

Me & Téah Jane