Milestones and More

Wow, life has been so exciting in our home!
There have been many new developments in our lives recently.

Here's what happened in August...
(I know its September but hang with me,
I think you'll find its worth the read)

Micaiah : Every day new words come out of his mouth! He attempts to ride his tricycle but his legs aren't quite long enough to reach the peddles. He finally got his two upper "fang" teeth (still waiting for the bottom ones) AND at 22 months old, he weighed in at 20 pounds 7 ounces!!!! YEAH! We knew he could do it. He's over twenty pounds now, but still in the zero percentile so we still have to watch his weight. He likes to jump A LOT.
Here's one of his many new funny faces he makes.

Anna : What can I say about Anna?! She is just getting so big. Her latest milestones are: brushing her own hair, swinging herself by pumping her legs, crossing the monkey bars on her own, treading water, writing her name, and drawing people. She is really looking forward to riding her bike and going to the pumpkin patch this fall. Oh, and she got her first 'slap' bracelet--yes, those slap bracelet things that bend when you slap them on your wrist. (they were a big hit when I was in middle school...yes, it kinda made me think I'm old but at least I don't feel it YET) She likes wearing the slap bracelet and calls it her 'watch'.
Here she is being a monkey.

Brian : I am so happy for Brian because he is studying to become a certified personal trainer. This is something that he has wanted to do since high school. He really enjoys learning all these long medical terms that make no sense AND he is just so excited to help and encourage others to have a healthy and active lifestyle.
He studies a lot when he isn't working and his goal is to be certified by Jan 2011.
Of course, I think its going to be rather nice to have my own personal trainer too. ;)

Mama Rich : So, maybe I am a bit of a simpleton. Its funny how the littlest things bring me such great joy! Like reading the Little House on the Prairie book series to my daughter. I bet you didn't see that one coming. :) Yes, I used to read these as a child and I still enjoy reading them. The added bonus is that they are real life, wholesome, family-oriented stories that are bursting with history and fun. The books are so interesting to read about a different kind of culture and way of life. I am looking forward to blogging more about our homeschooling journey. In my own personal reading time, I've been reading Amy Carmichael's biography written by Elizabeth Elliot titled, "A Chance to Die." It is a book that I borrowed from a friend and I am so glad that I did. I hope to blog about the book more later too. For the second part of our fifth wedding anniversary celebration, Brian took me to Worlds of Fun to ride roller coasters together! It has been five years since I've ridden one. It was scary at first, but I really enjoyed surrendering to the fun of it all. Well, something new that is going on for me is that I've decided to become a certified zumba instructor. I'll be certified in October and looking forward to instructing classes. I'm very excited!!! If you're wondering what zumba is, its a low impact cardio workout that is based on a variety of dance steps that makes it fun to work out. It is so much fun!
I'll share more about that later too.

So that pretty much sums up August for us.
This summer was so refreshing and as we head into fall,
we are looking forward to all that God is going to do.
We will miss the swimming pools and the long hot days as they are replaced with cooler nights with jeans and hoodies. Yet this change in season is but a reminder of the seasons yet to come.

"Be strong and courageous.
Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed,
for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

"For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope.
For who hopes for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."
(Romans 8:24-25)

(PHEW!)
September here we come!!!

If You Say Go

This song has been an encouragement to me for years.
The movie clips from The End of the Spear are a provoking reminder of the power of forgiveness.
When I came across this, I had to share it.

Grandma's visit

I figure that its better late than never!
Especially when it comes to blogging, so....
About a month ago, Brian's mom (aka "Grandma") came out for a visit.

So we all went to the airport to pick her up. Micaiah and Anna were so excited to find out why we came to this strange place with people carrying and pulling bags. (side note: for some reason Anna is convinced that she is going to live in China one day so going to the airport opened up a lot of conversation and questions)

Grandma visited for four days and we took her around town and did a lot of fun stuff.
One of the days, we spent at the Liberty Memorial and
the National World War I Museum.

And Anna was so excited to take Grandma to eat at Fritz's.
Its a train themed fast food joint that has electric powered trains that deliver your food to your table. You have to see it to believe it. Its very cool. We took Grandpa (my dad) and Grandma Ruth to eat at the Crown Center location the last time they came out for a visit.
This time we took Grandma to the newest/closest one in Shawnee, right down the street.

We had a great time hanging out with Grandma. Thanks for visiting. We love you!!!

Starting the year off right

Well, where to start?

The past few weeks have been busy indeed!

Wow--just thinking about it all reminds me of how blessed I am!

How amazing is the grace of God.

This summer, I started a new tradition called "Mama and Anna dates." Once a month, we plan a time and pick something fun to do together--just the two of us. She always looks forward to our dates and it has become an important part of our relationship. It has also been an opportunity to prepare and encourage her for the years to come. We've had some really great times and I know we're both glad that we started this new tradition.

Right now for many, its the start of a new season, a new chapter.
Its the start of a new academic year!

I am very excited!!! This year is going to be great. Anna is really looking forward to homeschooling. Of course, mostly its because she really enjoys playing with her brother and she really wants to learn to read.

When we sat down to start our homeschooling session this morning, Anna said to me with a big smile on her face, "I really like my teacher."
She looked at me and I asked her, "Well, who is your teacher?"
She giggled and responded, "You are Mama!!!! You are my teacher and I will learn from you."

In the moment when she said that, my heart was filled with such peace and delight.
I looked at her smiling up at me.
This is just a glimpse of the joy of motherhood.

Check out Angie's blog post about homeschooling.
Hope you all had a refreshing summer...and a great start to the academic year.

My Two Little Monkeys

My Two Little Monkeys
(a poem for my kids)

My two little monkeys like to wiggle and giggle, climb and swing.
They are very good at all those things.

What, you ask, do you feed your monkeys?
I tell you, they eat everything even veggies!

These two little monkeys make a lot of noise
And know how to get out all the toys.

And when it comes to dolls and dresses,
You'll find the other one is naked while making messes.

When its naptime, I know to look
For at least one of them reading a book.

There's one that likes to lead in everything
With the other following under her wing.

The two of them love to play together
Which makes it great that they're brother and sister.

Their favorite thing right now to do
Is play with Thomas the choo-choo.

Its quite a sight to see them play
With Papa at the end of the day.

My two little monkeys, as you can see
Are the cutest little climbers--to me!

~With Love, Mama Rich