We started potty training today! Not my favorite chore, but the initial challenge is kind of fun. So far Monkey has learned to go potty, and Jonas has had 2 successes and 1 dirty mess. It is nice to have a warm house-we cranked up the heat for the scantily clad people.
Jonas' new cute thing is when you wake up, be it in the morning or just from a nap, he asks cheerfully, "Did you have a good nap? I'm so glad!"
Last night after Jason made a fire, Caedmon said, "Mom is a girl, so she can't make big fires. She makes tiny fires." And it's true. I am lucky to get a tiny fire going.
When we were coming back from Kansas, driving all night, we stopped for gas. Of course we wanted Caedmon to go potty while we were stopped, but he dramatically put his hands behind his head, propped up his feet, and said, "I really just need some rest right now!"
Another of my favorite tactics of Caedmon's to get Jonas to do what he wants goes like this: he asks Jonas to do a chore. When Jonas ignores him, he says, "Jonas, can you say 'yeah'?!" Often, he does say yeah! These kids keep me giggling.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
We're all together again!
This week was one of the best and most memorable weeks! We visited Kansas and spent the week enjoying ALL my siblings, parents, niece, and nephew! I am sooo grateful for my wonderful family and we have such a ball being together! It was especially fun to meet Baby Ruth, who doesn't say much but is so expressive and good at looking cute! My sister Martie got engaged to Rusty, so we enjoyed wedding dress shopping and celebrating together as sisters! Wedding will be sometime in May-another excuse to go back to Kansas! My mom and sister Sarah cooked us such yummy food, and we played lots of board games. Puerto Rico was the new favorite. This was my kind of vacation!
The cousins passed around a nasty cold complete with eye infection, fever, and a relentless cough and congestion at night. But, I praise God that we didn't have any serious respiratory issues with Jonas! We are all on the mend.
These are just some homemade donuts that I had to take a picture of-they were soooo good!!!
Caedmon in the snow.
Jonas and Ruth looking at the dog out the window.
Jonas and John.
Sweet Ruth at the mall.
I posted a lot more pictures on facebook. Unfortunately when we took the Samuelson group picture, my camera was not used. So I will have to wait for siblings to post it and steal it. What a great time we had though, and it was sad to think of how many years it might be before we're all together again.
The cousins passed around a nasty cold complete with eye infection, fever, and a relentless cough and congestion at night. But, I praise God that we didn't have any serious respiratory issues with Jonas! We are all on the mend.
These are just some homemade donuts that I had to take a picture of-they were soooo good!!!
Caedmon in the snow.
Jonas and Ruth looking at the dog out the window.
Jonas and John.
Sweet Ruth at the mall.
I posted a lot more pictures on facebook. Unfortunately when we took the Samuelson group picture, my camera was not used. So I will have to wait for siblings to post it and steal it. What a great time we had though, and it was sad to think of how many years it might be before we're all together again.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Kids these days!
Caedmon cracks me up! Today when Jason came home from work after bombarding him with the usual hugs, he said, "Dad, we ate cookies today!!!" Dad said, "You DID?! What did they taste like?" Caedmon, "Sugar." Yep.
After we put the kids to bed tonight I heard Caedmon saying all sorts of "vocabulary" words for Jonas to copy. "Jonas, can you say 'truck'?" "Truck." "Jonas, can you say blanket?" "Bwanky." "Jonas, can you say suitcase?" "Suitcase." The funny part is Jonas is talking in paragraphs. Yet he still knows who's alpha male in the room and will submit-most of the time. I am waiting to hear, "Jonas, can you bow down to me?"
Jonas pulled a funny one this week too. He was too quiet, so I investigated. I found him cowering in our closet behind clothes, with his shirt pulled up, wiping Jason's deodorant all over his belly. He smelled great all day and didn't get anything but a laugh!
After we put the kids to bed tonight I heard Caedmon saying all sorts of "vocabulary" words for Jonas to copy. "Jonas, can you say 'truck'?" "Truck." "Jonas, can you say blanket?" "Bwanky." "Jonas, can you say suitcase?" "Suitcase." The funny part is Jonas is talking in paragraphs. Yet he still knows who's alpha male in the room and will submit-most of the time. I am waiting to hear, "Jonas, can you bow down to me?"
Jonas pulled a funny one this week too. He was too quiet, so I investigated. I found him cowering in our closet behind clothes, with his shirt pulled up, wiping Jason's deodorant all over his belly. He smelled great all day and didn't get anything but a laugh!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!
Caedmon got a really cool animal book for Christmas, featuring dangerous venom, bites, weird facts, and strangest behavior. It is fabulous! I have learned a lot!
#1. I don't think I will swim ever again!
-Cookie Cutter sharks grab onto prey with their lips and form tight suctions. Then they dig their immense teeth into the animal, twist their bodies like a cookie cutter in dough. They have even left bite marks on submarines.
-Viperfish are designed to kill in total darkness, slamming into pray and stabbing it with fangs. Upon impact, the hinged fangs tilt inward, pulling the prey inside the mouth and forcing it down the viperfish's expandable throat!
-Box jellyfish kill humans in less than 5 minutes. Their sting is so painful that victims usually go into shock from the pain and end up drowning before they can reach help.
-Great white sharks can smell a drop of blood 3 miles away. They strike from behind and wait patiently for the victim to bleed to death.
#2 Man's strength seems very small compared to animals, much less the God who created these animals!
-Hippos have 2-foot-long canine teeth and weigh 7,000 lbs!
-Komodo dragons are 300 pounds and one bite causes a slow and painful death of infection due to more than 50 different strains of bacteria in their mouths.
-Aardvarks have chisel-shaped claws, stronger than a pickax. They frequently claw lions to death.
-Great horned owls have 10 times more crushing power in their talons than a man has in his hands.
-Peregrin Falcons zoom in at 250 mph to grab prey.
-Cheetahs can reach 68 mph in 3 seconds.
-A single breath from a blue whale could blow up 2,000 balloons!
-Elephants eat 450 pounds of food daily.
-Venom the size of a few grains of salt from a poison dart frog can kill a human. The victim can't stop salivating, then goes into convulsions, and finally, suffers heart failure.
-Reticulated pythons can unhinge their jaws and swallow a deer headfirst and whole! That would be cool to see!
-Blue-ringed octopus can kill 25 people with a single dose of venom. Victims become blind within seconds, lose the ability to swallow and speak, then become completely paralyzed. The victim is fully aware that all this is going on.
#3 Some weird, hopefully useless information
-Lobsters can shoot their urine 5 feet to chase rivals away. They urinate continuously so they need 2 bladders, which are in their heads!
-Elephant seals will sleep so deeply that humans can walk up and sit down on one without waking it up.
-Cheetahs purr, like house cats. They can't roar. Other big cats-lions, tigers, and leopards roar, but they can't purr.
#4 Our days were numbered before time, so we shouldn't sit around worrying about death. It is amazing to ponder the creativity of our God just in the creatures he has made. What an imagination!
#1. I don't think I will swim ever again!
-Cookie Cutter sharks grab onto prey with their lips and form tight suctions. Then they dig their immense teeth into the animal, twist their bodies like a cookie cutter in dough. They have even left bite marks on submarines.
-Viperfish are designed to kill in total darkness, slamming into pray and stabbing it with fangs. Upon impact, the hinged fangs tilt inward, pulling the prey inside the mouth and forcing it down the viperfish's expandable throat!
-Box jellyfish kill humans in less than 5 minutes. Their sting is so painful that victims usually go into shock from the pain and end up drowning before they can reach help.
-Great white sharks can smell a drop of blood 3 miles away. They strike from behind and wait patiently for the victim to bleed to death.
#2 Man's strength seems very small compared to animals, much less the God who created these animals!
-Hippos have 2-foot-long canine teeth and weigh 7,000 lbs!
-Komodo dragons are 300 pounds and one bite causes a slow and painful death of infection due to more than 50 different strains of bacteria in their mouths.
-Aardvarks have chisel-shaped claws, stronger than a pickax. They frequently claw lions to death.
-Great horned owls have 10 times more crushing power in their talons than a man has in his hands.
-Peregrin Falcons zoom in at 250 mph to grab prey.
-Cheetahs can reach 68 mph in 3 seconds.
-A single breath from a blue whale could blow up 2,000 balloons!
-Elephants eat 450 pounds of food daily.
-Venom the size of a few grains of salt from a poison dart frog can kill a human. The victim can't stop salivating, then goes into convulsions, and finally, suffers heart failure.
-Reticulated pythons can unhinge their jaws and swallow a deer headfirst and whole! That would be cool to see!
-Blue-ringed octopus can kill 25 people with a single dose of venom. Victims become blind within seconds, lose the ability to swallow and speak, then become completely paralyzed. The victim is fully aware that all this is going on.
#3 Some weird, hopefully useless information
-Lobsters can shoot their urine 5 feet to chase rivals away. They urinate continuously so they need 2 bladders, which are in their heads!
-Elephant seals will sleep so deeply that humans can walk up and sit down on one without waking it up.
-Cheetahs purr, like house cats. They can't roar. Other big cats-lions, tigers, and leopards roar, but they can't purr.
#4 Our days were numbered before time, so we shouldn't sit around worrying about death. It is amazing to ponder the creativity of our God just in the creatures he has made. What an imagination!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Living for Heaven
It is one of those days for counting your blessings. The blessing of an ordinary day. Today I was stunned with news that my friends in Uganda just lost their baby girl. She was 3 months old and newly adopted to their family and she got ill and died. Today is also the day my friends in Oregon are having their induction for their 2nd little girl.
Birth and death. Someone is always rejoicing in God, others are being held in the midst of unimaginable pain. "But we know that all things work out for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose." -Romans 8:28
It is hard to accept sometimes. But these glimpses of our mortality are so healthy for us, to not grow complacent in our thoughts, actions, and prayers.
I am thankful for a quiet day to listen to my favorite worship music. Music that in these situations evokes such joy and raw grief, all drawing me closer to God. For the first time today I got to explain death to Caedmon; that our prayers for Baby Jerusalem were answered, Jesus is holding her and she is healthy and filled with joy.
From Hillsong's "You Hold Me Now"
On that day when I see all that you have for me,
When I see you face to face, there surrounded by your grace,
All my fears swept away in the light of your embrace.
Where your love is all I need, and forever I am free
No weeping! No hurt or pain,
No suffering,
You hold me now, you hold me now
No darkness, No sick or lame
No hiding!
You hold me now, you hold me now!
Birth and death. Someone is always rejoicing in God, others are being held in the midst of unimaginable pain. "But we know that all things work out for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose." -Romans 8:28
It is hard to accept sometimes. But these glimpses of our mortality are so healthy for us, to not grow complacent in our thoughts, actions, and prayers.
I am thankful for a quiet day to listen to my favorite worship music. Music that in these situations evokes such joy and raw grief, all drawing me closer to God. For the first time today I got to explain death to Caedmon; that our prayers for Baby Jerusalem were answered, Jesus is holding her and she is healthy and filled with joy.
From Hillsong's "You Hold Me Now"
On that day when I see all that you have for me,
When I see you face to face, there surrounded by your grace,
All my fears swept away in the light of your embrace.
Where your love is all I need, and forever I am free
No weeping! No hurt or pain,
No suffering,
You hold me now, you hold me now
No darkness, No sick or lame
No hiding!
You hold me now, you hold me now!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Catching Up
I have not written for a long time so instead of being overwhelmed I just posted pictures that captured some of our happenings. I will post more pics of family Christmas on facebook. We did fingerpainting, trying to make pictures for people. Of course Jonas thought the paint was delicious.
Jonas was sick and stayed home w/ Dad, but Caedmon and I got to go to a live nativity at a church we have our eye on. They did it right! These are the soldiers guarding Bethlehem that first Christmas. They baked fresh Bethlehem bread, and had sheep, donkeys, a camel, and sheep pens! There was even a market place and an Inn. Caedmon loved it and was so excited to find Baby Jesus! Ok, maybe he was even more excited about the camel.
Decorating.
They painted their own sparkly stars to hang above the manger.
We managed to squeeze in our sleepover under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve Eve. Jonas coughed until he threw up and Caedmon wet the bed so we changed all the bedding before morning. Still, sleeping as a cozy family next to the cackling fire and Christmas lights was magical!!!!
New outfits from Betty, and homemade hats that match vests from Ant Sarah. This is another baking adventure, here we were making Jesus cupcakes.
I meant to post the picture at the top here, but we had some difficulties. The snow picture is outside Jason's folks' house. What a wonderful family Christmas we had there! Everyone was reunited and we made more special memories, including Brent giving us a huge fireworks display, the annual brush bonfire, and sledding. Jodie lent me her snowshoes and my highlight was exploring the vast woods by myself in that winter wonderland! We also enjoyed great eats of course! It was a very memorable Christmas!!! Thank you, Jesus, for giving us this joy and celebration!
Jonas was sick and stayed home w/ Dad, but Caedmon and I got to go to a live nativity at a church we have our eye on. They did it right! These are the soldiers guarding Bethlehem that first Christmas. They baked fresh Bethlehem bread, and had sheep, donkeys, a camel, and sheep pens! There was even a market place and an Inn. Caedmon loved it and was so excited to find Baby Jesus! Ok, maybe he was even more excited about the camel.
Decorating.
They painted their own sparkly stars to hang above the manger.
We managed to squeeze in our sleepover under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve Eve. Jonas coughed until he threw up and Caedmon wet the bed so we changed all the bedding before morning. Still, sleeping as a cozy family next to the cackling fire and Christmas lights was magical!!!!
New outfits from Betty, and homemade hats that match vests from Ant Sarah. This is another baking adventure, here we were making Jesus cupcakes.
I meant to post the picture at the top here, but we had some difficulties. The snow picture is outside Jason's folks' house. What a wonderful family Christmas we had there! Everyone was reunited and we made more special memories, including Brent giving us a huge fireworks display, the annual brush bonfire, and sledding. Jodie lent me her snowshoes and my highlight was exploring the vast woods by myself in that winter wonderland! We also enjoyed great eats of course! It was a very memorable Christmas!!! Thank you, Jesus, for giving us this joy and celebration!
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