Mother/Daughter Date

So much of my time is put into Joshua and his needs that I don't get much time to just enjoy Rebekah and hang out with her. Many times Rebekah's actions indicate some level of jealousy, although she also adores her little brother very much. I decided it was time to have a date with my daughter and to give her some undivided attention.

Yesterday ToysRUs was having a Thomas & Friends playdate, so Darrin kept Joshua at home while I took Rebekah out for the day. We arrived ToysRUs in time to hear a story then Rebekah spent quite a bit of time playing with the train table and Thomas & Friends engines. She was so patient as she waited for other children to move their trains out of her way. In fact, she was so patient that I even encouraged her just to walk around a child because he was not moving anywhere.

One little boy who was playing was grabbing engines from other children, including Rebekah, and although the mom continued to harp on him then force the stolen toys out of his hands and made threats to leave the store and go home, she would give the child multiple chances, distract him to another area of the Thomas section or even the store, but never followed through on her threats. No wonder he pitched so many fits!

Rebekah played with the train table for a good while then decided to color a Thomas & Friends coloring sheet. Finally we decided to walk around the store a bit then head out for lunch. Don't you know who was leaving in the parking lot when we were? That mom and her boy! They were at ToysRUs long before we were, and the little boy was still throwing fits in the parking lot. I know I've failed as a mom many times and have learned through experience that you have to be consistent with your kids. I was so proud of Rebekah and her behavior at TRU. She was so polite, and she really had a nice time.

After leaving the Thomas playdate we headed over to Chick-fil-A for lunch. I had to keep encouraging Rebekah to eat because after one chicken nugget she told me she was finished and wanted to play on the indoor playground. After she ate she spent quite a while playing, climbing, and sliding. Rebekah looked tired after playing for about an hour, but she wanted to continue our day out together. We then headed over to the mall where we did some shopping and finally to Wal-Mart to do my weekly grocery shopping. After all that we returned home. I asked her before bed what her favorite thing of the day that we did was. Was it the Thomas playdate? Or was it Chick-fil-A? No, it was Wal-Mart!

Wedding Music

Here are the 3 songs that were sung during the ceremony. I had hoped to share the pre-ceremony music as well for those of you who enjoy string music, but it did not upload properly, but I hope you enjoy these songs. The sound quality isn't very great, but you get the idea.

This first song was sung by my sister Carrie and a college friend Josh. It is called "Father, We Commit to You".



After the vows I surprised Darrin by singing "I Will Be Here".



While Darrin and I took communion and lit the unity candle Carrie sang "How Beautiful".

Seven Years Ago

Today marks the anniversary Darrin and I were married seven years ago. It's hard to believe it has been seven years already!

Please excuse the quality of these pics. I was unable to scan them to our computer, so I took pictures of pictures in our album.








I've been having fun going back and watching the video of our wedding as well. In fact, Rebekah has enjoyed it too. One of the most memorable moments in our wedding was when I sang "I Will Be Here" to Darrin. He had no clue I was going to sing to him. It was really special. My sister Carrie also sang in the wedding in addition to being my maid of honor. We had a lot of music in our wedding. Surprise, surprise! A string quintet played much of the pre-ceremony music, and one of my friends, Ann Katherine, played the piano. Another college friend, Josh, sang a duet with Carrie and also played the piano during part of the reception. All the music was so beautiful!

I'm in the process of getting some video online of the pre-ceremony music as well as the ceremony itself. Once it is up I will share.

Happy Anniversary, my love! I'm so happy to be sharing my life with you! You are a wonderful husband and father, and I'm so proud to be your wife! I hope we have many, many more years together.

Anniversary Getaway

Darrin and I just got back from celebrating our anniversary. Monday, June 23 marks seven years since we were wed. Darrin is heading out Monday morning on business to Phoenix, so we celebrated a little early this year. Last night we went to our favorite B&B Whitestone Inn. It is located in Kingston, TN, about an hour and a half from our house, but not too far from Knoxville either. This was our 8th time visiting the Inn and our 5th time in the Hummingbird Suite.

Whitestone is Christian owned and the name is based on the Scripture from Revelation 2:17, "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth." Paul and Jean Cowell are the owners. While we have never met Jean, Paul has been such a gracious host. In the past he took care of some problems we experienced, and he made sure that did not happen again. He always remembers us when we visit and makes a point to speak to each of his guests. Paul and Jean have a special ministry to pastors, ministers, and missionaries in that he discounts their rooms when they stay during the week. Being a pastor himself he gives sermons on Sunday mornings in the chapel there on the grounds and does weddings as well.

Upon arrival Friday afternoon we checked in and were greeted with homemade cookies, then I received a one-hour full body massage from Donna. It was so relaxing! What a great way to kick off the weekend! Darrin unloaded our luggage into the room while I got my massage. The massage therapy room was located just off from the entertainment lounge in the basement of the farmhouse, and the Humminbird Suite was off to the side from the lounge as well, and as I entered the door of our suite soft music filled the room and I found a bouquet of roses from Darrin on the chest of drawers!

From our room we had a beautiful view of the grounds, Watts Bar Lake, a small pond, the Lion and the Lamb building, and the chapel. Everything was just gorgeous!

After a shower we enjoyed a delicious and elegant 4-course gourmet dinner while overlooking the grounds from all the windows on the back of the farmhouse. For entertainment we listened to music played by a guitar and violin duo. It was lovely. For dinner we started with a flaky pastry with brie cheese inside and a strawberry sauce around it as an appetizer. Next was a spring mix salad then bread sticks flavored with garlic and other seasonings. The main dish was a choice of chicken, tuna, or steak. Darrin and I had the steak, called tournedos. It was topped with some sort of cheese I had never heard of. The sides were seasoned carrots and some sort of fried patty of a potato mixture that was delicious. For dessert Darrin had the Whitestone pie and I had chocolate cheesecake. Everything was so yummy! It was so nice to have an hour and a half or so to enjoy a delicious meal and to not be interrupted by a 3-year-old who wants to talk to us non-stop or to deal with a 16-month-old who needs us to meet his every need.

After dinner Darrin and I took a little walk on the grounds in the cool air. Yes, it was actually cool! I guess since it's in the mountains some it's cooler than at home, plus it had drizzled just a little while we ate dinner. It was really nice for a walk yesterday evening. We then returned to our room for the night.

This morning it was cloudy, but it was very pleasant out. And you know what? I didn't have anyone pulling on me for attention while I got ready. Darrin and I woke up so refreshed. The only negative thing was that I had the urge to nurse Joshua because I felt so full. Other than that I could have stayed at Whitestone all day! We enjoyed a delicious spread for breakfast - scrambled eggs (some with ham and cheese and some plain), waffles, bacon, ham, biscuits and gravy, and there was also cereal, muffins, and pastries.

After nearly 24 hours away from home Darrin and I felt ready to come back home to see the kids. Rebekah was so ecstatic to see us, and Joshua woke from a nap when we arrived home. Thank goodness he nursed right away! The kids have been hanging on us both this afternoon. They missed us and we did them, but it was so nice to have a kid-free night away to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary.

Father's Day Weekend

Recently my Grandma was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and Louis Body Dimentia. She has her bad days and her good days, and some days she is more coherent than others. I have been wanting to visit while she is able to recognize me and enjoy our family, and we finally got to go on Saturday.

I was not exactly sure what I would find when I saw Grandma. My parents had been filling me in on what to expect, but it's still hard to really know until you are there. Pleasantly, Grandma looked better than I was expecting. She was laying on the couch when we arrived. She needs assistance transitioning from one seat to another and to get in and out of bed, and she is unable to walk, so she uses a wheelchair to get around.

Grandma was quite coherent during our visit, so we were able to have good conversation with her, and she was able to enjoy the children. Rebekah sat in Grandma's lap for several minutes, which is nearly unheard of for her. She is not one to sit still for long unless she is tired, but Rebekah seemed to understand that Grandma needed her, and she cooperated for a few pics.

Rebekah found Grandpa's hat and immediately put it on. She is such a hat fanatic!


I managed to get Joshua interested in standing next to Grandpa, and he sat in Grandpa's lap briefly while playing with a car.



Rebekah asked my dad for a ride in Grandma's wheelchair.


On Sunday we spent Father's Day morning at church then we picked up ribs from Sticky Fingers and took it home to eat. Joshua always falls asleep on the way home from church, so we felt it would be best not to eat out for lunch. We gave Darrin his gifts, and he spent the late afternoon figuring out how to play his new bass fishing game for the Wii. We had a nice restful Sunday afternoon as a family.

And finally, here are a couple cute pics of the kids from last week.

Some Funnies, Not-So-Funnies, and In Betweens

Life has been busy around the Church household. Rebekah is loving preschool and getting used to a new group of kids this summer. She is one of the youngest in her class. Most of the children are either four years old or will be turning four this summer. Since Rebekah's birthday isn't until October 1 she is a few months younger than many of the kids. There is one other boy whose birthday isn't until December, so at least she isn't the very youngest. It has been interesting to see, however, how they have grouped the children in the class. Rebekah's best friend is Brock, a boy from her class from last spring. Rebekah was a life saver to Brock on the first day of summer preschool because he didn't know anyone in their new class either, and I believe that Rebekah felt more comfortable having another child in her class whom she knows. Last week Brock was out all week, probably due to vacation, so Rebekah was forced to play with some other children, and she seems to be doing really well.

Joshua is doing really well with his PT. He can stand from a seated position (as if he's sitting in a chair) without holding on, but his confidence is lacking. I can have him sit on my leg facing in between my legs with his feet tucked under my other leg, and he can stand up without extra support. I don't believe he realizes what he is doing because his mind is toward reaching for bubbles. He just lacks the confidence. Hopefully he'll feel more comfortable with practice.

Here's a funny little story about the kids. This week I was looking through the cereal aisle for something different to feed Joshua as a snack. He gets bored with plain Cheerios, and the Yogurt Bursted Cheerios caught my eye. Well, the ratio of yogurt Cheerios to plain Cheerios is something like 1:10. The yogurt Cheerios are pale pink, but both the kids go after them like they are going out of style. I gave Rebekah a bowl of the cereal, and she still had most of her Cheerios left (all plain) before asking for more pink ones. Joshua had eaten most of his Cheerios, so I poured a few more on his high chair tray. He immediately dove after the pink ones. It was so funny! After they were gone he started fussing at me. He wanted more pink Cheerios like Rebekah!

Now for another story, although this one isn't so funny. Well, I guess if you have a warped sense of humor you might think it's funny. Today I was nursing Joshua down for a nap and when I came out of his room I found Rebekah in the bathroom with the door closed. She had pooped in her panties, removed her shorts and panties, sat on the toilet and got poop all over the front of the toilet seat, and used the rest of the toilet paper as well as the remainder of her flushable wet wipes and put them all in the toilet. Part of me was not happy about the mess and the fact that I was going to have to clean it up and remove half of what was in the toilet in order to flush it. It would surely clog from all the wipes in there. On the other hand, I was proud that Rebekah made the effort to try to clean up herself after an accident. My question is this: Why is it that she has the sense enough to try to clean up herself following an accident, but she doesn't try to go to the potty before she has the accident???

I've started Rebekah's 4th year slideshow! Yes, her birthday is not for 3 1/2 more months, but I heard a song the other day that sparked me into looking into music for her next slideshow. I've selected most of the music and have chosen and placed the pictures for the first year into the slideshow. Boy, would this first portion be a great Father's Day gift! I'm using "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman, and I've gathered pictures of Rebekah dressed as Cinderella as well as pictures of Rebekah dancing with Darrin. Oh, it's going to be such a tear jerker! I nearly start crying just working on it!

By the way, if you haven't seen Rebekah's and Joshua's previous slideshows you can check them out in the sidebar to the right. Enjoy!

One Hot Summer Family Fun Day

For Darrin's birthday last fall I had given him a one-day fishing license for him and myself as well as a fishing rod for Rebekah. I had anticipated us going fishing as a family, but the day the license was to be used ended up being too cold, so Darrin offered to take a rain check.

Yesterday Tennessee had a free fishing day, and a license wasn't required, so we took the opportunity to head to the pond on our church property and go fishing in the morning. We didn't get out there until after 10:00, and it was already getting quite warm out. Still we had a nice time. Rebekah was more interested in reeling in the line than waiting for a fish to bite. Soon after Darrin got the line out there, Rebekah would wait just a little while before she started reeling it in.

Poor Darrin didn't get to spend much time fishing. He was busy helping Rebekah and me with our lines so much, although I didn't do much fishing myself. I had not gone fishing since I was a girl with my Daddy and Grandpa, and I don't do worms, so Darrin had to take care of all of that for me and give me a few pointers. Rebekah and I did get a bite each on our lines, but we never caught anything.

The sun got pretty hot after a while, so we didn't stay out for long. Here are a few pictures from our morning at the pond.

Daddy helps Rebekah get started


Rebekah fishes for the first time


Right down Darrin's alley


Aww! How sweet! Joshua even enjoys fishing with Daddy.


Mommy even takes a turn. (You can see our new church building in the background.)


After lunch and a nap for Joshua we went to a birthday party for one of Rebekah's playgroup friends. Kimberly turned 2 on Friday, and her parents gave her an outdoor party complete with a swimming pool, baby pools, a water slide, and other outdoor toys. The kids had a blast! Rebekah had more fun on the water slide. She did have a scary moment in the pool because her feet slipped out from under her when she climbed in and she fell under the water, but she was okay. It didn't keep her from trying the pool again later, and I was really proud of her for not letting it scare her from using the pool again.

Rebekah sliding down the water slide



Joshua plays in the baby pool


Rebekah enjoys the big kid pool. This pool is really nice! It's not too deep for the preschoolers, but big enough for adults.


Joshua loved it when I slid him down the toddler slide into the kiddie pool. He wanted to do this over and over again.



Kimberly, Mommy Petra, and big sister Pia all blow out the candles.


Happy 2nd Birthday, Kimberly!


What a fun party! We had a great time! After such a big day we were exhausted, but we had an enjoyable family day.

Sorting Things Out

Joshua is starting to figure out the shape puzzle and shape sorter. He got the circle and triangle on the puzzle yesterday and today he got the circle on the shape sorter. I think the shape sorter is harder because it is 3-dimensional, so the shape has to be in the right position. It's so cute when he gets it and I say, "Yay!" because he's so proud of himself and shouts, "Yay!" also.

Putting the circle in the puzzle


Rebekah wanted her picture made too.

Morphing Fun

I found this site through Dawn Meehan's blog. If you have never read her blog you ought to. She is mom to 6 children and is a hilarious writer! Here is a story about how she has become so popular. She has been compared to Erma Bombeck in her writing style.

So, without further ado, here I am morphed into different forms.

Older Adult

Afro-Caribean


East Asian


West Asian


Masculine


Apeman


Mondigliani


Botticelli


Mucha


Manga Cartoon

Minor Milestones

Joshua's naps are changing. He has been transitioned from two naps to one, and it generally falls right in the middle of the day. This makes PT days hard because he gets only about 30 minutes of a nap after lunch in the car on the way to PT, and once he gets frustrated it is hard to get him back to playing and working again. His limit is about 45 minutes of PT and then we have to stop.

Rebekah just started summer preschool yesterday, so we moved Joshua's PT to Tuesday mornings after I drop Rebekah off at preschool. This is working so much better! Joshua is still pretty fresh, so when he does get frustrated he will come back to playing and working again.

At one point he wanted to comfort nurse, so Mrs. Amanda took him out of the room for a little walk in the hall. She got him calmed down by taking him into the OT (Occupational Therapy) room with a large mirror. I stayed out of the room while Amanda worked with him. He did really great for her while I stayed out of sight, but fussed when he saw me, so I kept my distance and watched when he couldn't see me. I returned for the last few minutes of his session so she could show me what he can do and what to work on this week. Joshua took a couple steps while she held his waist! Also, she had him play with bubbles and got him to hold onto a bench with one hand and completely turn his body to reach for the bubbles behind him. I have been so amazed at all the little milestones and steps that a child must reach between the major milestones. I never knew there was so much involved until Joshua started PT, but with each minor milestone I celebrate. And on top of that, he spent nearly a whole hour in PT. I'm so proud of Joshua's progress! Now I just need to get his little push/ride-on car out of the basement again.