Oh, there was also a message on our machine saying I have a spot as a low soprano in the church worship choir!  I am so excited to start singing again!

 

Feb 2 ~ Today was Pamper Me Day at Hearts In Touch!  Some local businesses came out to give us moms mini massages, hair styling, hand treatments, etc.  There was also coffee and hot chocolate provided by The Java House.  Before our pampering, we listened to one of the ladies speak about her struggles with low self-esteem and letting go of past baggage in her life.  Many of us could relate to so much of what she had to say.  After the pampering time we were able to pick up our kids from the nursery and lunch was provided for everyone.

             Tonight was choir rehearsal.  We all received our seating arrangements and folder with about six songs that we need to know within the next few weeks.  I had a really great time, but am a little nervous about memorizing all those lyrics!

 

Feb 3 ~ Today was "Jenny Day" once again!  The days I babysit are called "Jenny Day" by Josh and Graham...their babysitter before me was also named Jenny, so it works!  Today was a really smooth day.  I think it helped that we all got out of the house for a bit.  I had to load all the kids into the van and take the boys to their  45 minute gymnastics class at The Gym Nest. 

 

Feb 6 ~ Tonight we stayed in and watched the Super Bowl on tv while eating Asian takeout food.  Craig's back was bothering him, Natalie was having alot of teething pain, and I was just feeling generally worn out.  It was a long night of Natalie waking up on and off.

 

Feb 7 ~ Today our Hearts In Touch small group met at Janna Dumanovsky's home to make table decorations for the next HIT meeting.  The decision was to attempt to make small houses with icing, graham crackers, and valentine candy.  It sure was fun and messy!  Heather Pentico also came by to take pictures and get some information to use in the next newsletter.  During prayer requests it was devastating to hear that one of our ladies recently had a miscarriage.  Before we knew it, we were all in a circle sharing our stories of miscarriage and infertility struggles.  We were probably talking, crying, hugging, and praying together for at least a good hour.  It was very theraputic and obviously something most of us really needed...it ultimately made our small group even closer and touched us to know that God brought us together that day for something bigger than just making table decorations!

          Craig had an appointment with Dr. Maxson today.  Craig noticed a bump near the bottom of his tailbone a few months ago.  Well, it rapidly started increasing in size (I'd say somewhere between golf ball and baseball sized) and by the last weekend it was painful for him.  The doctor says he has what is called a pilonidal cyst.  It sounds like the only option is that he'll need to have it surgically removed.  Craig will go in next week for a surgery consultation.  From what we've researched, it will probably be a pretty painful surgery and he may be home from work for a little while.  For now they are just having him take an antibiotic and pain killlers. 

 

Feb 8 ~ Poor Natalie has a cold and was up all night last night.  I was scheduled to babysit today, but had to call Tricia and tell her we couldn't make it.  I was also going to take Nat to playgroup last night, but she was just so tired and cranky....and so was I for that matter.  Hopefully our whole family will start feeling a little better during the next few days :)

 

Feb 10 ~ Today I babysat for the boys, then brought Natalie by her daddy's workplace for a little surprise visit!  It had been quite awhile since she'd been over there.  We only stuck around for a little bit, but she had a great time running through the hallways!

 

Feb 12 ~ Worship choir sang tonight at the church for an event to raise awareness and funds for the IC Hope ministry.  The purpose of IC Hope is basically to provide different types of outreach to the Iowa City community, whether it be emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc.  Our choir sang 3 gospel-style songs...I had forgotten how much fun singing with a group could be. 

 

Feb 13 ~ I was up bright and early to sing in the three morning services at church today!  Got to church by 7am and stayed till almost 1pm...whew...good thing we don't have to do that every Sunday!  Now I know why the gals wear slippers in between service times...standing on those risers all morning kills your feet!  We sang the 3 songs from the previous night, plus 3 additional songs.  Craig came for the last service, so we were able to sit together for the message.  I got to talk with a few of the choir gals during our down times, so that was really nice.

 

Feb 14 ~ Happy Valentine's Day!  I put together a little Valentine's bag for Craig that included a small box of chocolates, a Kenny Chesney CD, and a little bag of mixed nuts w/ a note I attached that read "I am NUTS about you"....cheesy, I know!  Natalie did a little bit of coloring the other day and I made her beautiful artwork into Valentine's for the grandparents and for daddy!  Hopefully they received them in the mail. Natalie received a couple Valentine's Day board books, a Sesame Street DVD, and her own little pink radio earlier last month from us so we decided to just give her a card today and resist the urge to further spoil her for a little while! Craig came home with some of my favorite chocolate treats and a cute card. Then all three of us jumped in the van and had dinner at Carlos O'Kelly's. 

 

Feb 15 ~ Natalie and I headed over to babysit the boys today.  She loves watching them play and tries to imitate many of their actions!  The kids seemed very tired and cranky today.  I offered to take them out for ice-cream, but they turned it down...I couldn't believe my ears...what kid turns down ice-cream?  The boys kept picking on each other most of the day, so it was a difficult time.  The Van Roekels just got a new Westie Terrier puppy named Gracie over the weekend.  Natalie didn't know what to think of such a small dog (2-3 pounds right now) at first, but before too long she was all excited about petting her. 

             Craig had the surgery consultation today for his pilonidal cyst.  I guess the inflammation has pretty much gone down for now and the doctor thinks he should just hold off on surgery at this point.  Some people have no recurrence of the problem, so that would be great if that ends up being the case.

 

Feb 16 ~ Hearts in Touch group was really great again today!  It was our group's turn to get there early to decorate the tables. It was also Amy's birthday today, so we gave her a card and some gift certificates to The Java House.  The topic was "Keeping Your Heart at Home", and the speaker talked about how she gave up her career in medicine to stay home with her children.  What really spoke to me the most was when she talked about how no other caregiver could ever take the place of a child's mother.  That basically no matter how "high-quality" an outside childcare option may seem, those other people caring for the child can never fully relate to him/her the way mom can....they may have too many other children to tend to, they don't usually know your child intimately, and they can't read that child's individual "signals" for stimulation, rest, cuddling, etc.  In fact, babysitting Josh & Graham gives me even more proof of that...yes, I will care for them the best I can while I am with them during the day...but when it comes down to it, I don't have a strong emotional attachment to them because I am not their mother...so because of that, there is something lacking for them.  And I don't mean to sound harsh toward working mothers...there are genuinely situations where a mother has to work to survive.  After the session, our small group had a huge opportunity to share our recent ups and downs with each other once again.  I am so glad that we are all feeling really comfortable and can trust each other with our feelings!  Some of the topics discussed were feelings of daily exhaustion, pressures and expectations that others may put upon us, and the feelings of failure we many times experience while trying to achieve "perfection".  Of course, no mom (or person) is perfect and we always need to remind ourselves of that!  I basically left today's meeting feeling renewed and even more confident about our decision for me to stay home with Nattie. Even though some days may tend to feel mundane and tedious...I feel that my place at home is very important and that nothing could be better for our family! :)

          Craig left for a short business trip to Austin, Texas this morning.  He was excited to be taking the trip...he doesn't get to do it very often.  From what he explained to me, he gets to observe employees in Austin using some software programs he created.  It shouldn't be too hectic of a trip for him, so I hope he gets to fully enjoy relaxing during his evenings there...he deserves some time alone as much as I do! 

          Natalie took her first "big girl" bath tonight!  She was getting too long for the little inflatable tub we've been placing in the regular bathtub.  She didn't know what to think of all the extra space she had...but soon started to enjoy it.  She is getting really daring splashing during bath time...she now soaks me on a regular basis!  She is such a water baby!  Other Natalie news: She is doing alot of imitating now.  She'll try to repeat many words I say...some of them are "car", "fish", "bird", "hot", etc.  She usually won't say these completely on her own though.  She does alot of little Natalie dances and is trying to do some hand movements to the song "Pat-A-Cake"...she is getting really good at the "roll it" part! She attempts to brush her teeth and hair on her own, we are slowly working on using a fork and spoon, she now uses a plate at meal time without throwing it on the floor, and sometimes she tries to help clean up her toys.  She is going through a frustrating phase of pulling hair, biting while giving kisses, and hitting.  Fortunately it is usually only me that she does these things to and not other children.  I know she isn't trying to hurt me - I just get the impression that she thinks behaving this way is along the same lines as hugging and doesn't understand that these are not affectionate actions.  I've heard alot of women lately saying that their kids of the same age are going through the same phase, so I am assuming it will pass at some time or another.  Natalie is also mastering the art of tantrums...hates everything from bedtime to changing her diaper.  But even through this stage of her life, we are still very blessed and ecstatic to say that she is generally a well-behaved girl, a curious and smart girl, and a happy girl! 

 

Feb 18 ~ Mom & Dad Essington came out tonight to spend the weekend with us. They also brought out their old Chevy Lumina.  Craig's parents recently purchased a van and offered to let us take the Lumina off their hands.  Let's just say that our garage and driveway space is filling up fast, but it will be great having the extra car!  Craig also came back from his business trip to Austin. Natalie and I were super excited to see both daddy and the grandparents!  Craig seemed to have a good time during his trip...got alot of work done, saw a few sites, and had some nice dinners.

 

Feb 19 ~ Today we went out to finally get some new curtains for the two living areas of the house. Now we just have to completely install them...that's another story...haha!  Craig's parents were so awesome treating us to both curtains and ice-cream! 

              Craig and I spent an evening in Cedar Rapids while Natalie stayed with grandma and grandpa.  We attended a business party for Pearson at the Clarion Hotel and then went out to see the movie "Hitch".  It was a relaxing and enjoyable night!

 

Feb 20 ~ After church we all had brunch at the Sheraton.  This time they had the chocolate fountain out and it was yummy!  Later in the afternoon, poor Nattie fell on a toy and split her lip open.  She has split it before, but this one was pretty bad. After some freaking out by mommy, some Tylenol, and some ice-cream she was feeling a little better.  One of Natalie's newest passions is fish. Grandma bought a cool screensaver for the computer that looks like a real tropical aquarium.  So now Nat has been saying "ish" for fish!

 

Feb 21 ~ Nat and I met up with Laura and Madelyn at the mall for playgroup.  We all had some dinner and spent time at the play area.  Natalie crawled up onto one of the play structures all by herself!  Before we all said goodbye we took a ride on the carousel.  Natalie had a great time riding her horse and exclaiming "wow!" the whole time.

 

Feb 22 ~ Natalie's lip wasn't looking too great today and started bleeding again.  I called the pediatrician's nurse and she reassured me that it would probably be fine if I just let it be.  She said just to call back if it looks like signs of infection.  Thank God for the nurse...I think I call there every other month or so with a concern...haha!

            

Feb 24 ~ Babysitting is going well for the most part...as well as it can be with two 5 yr olds and a 16 month-old!  I think Nat has a little crush on Josh :)...she runs around now saying his name all the time (sometimes it's "Josh" and other times just "osh")  I am glad it has been a little warmer lately so the boys can have some playtime outside.

 

Feb 26 ~ Today was officially "Mom's Day Out" for me!!  Craig spent the morning and afternoon with Natalie while I so gratefully got to do whatever my heart desired!  I woke up early and attended the annual women's conference at Parkview.  This year the speaker was Nora Allison and the topic being "Women of Wisdom".  She spoke about how our source of wisdom is through God's Word and how we should always be seeking the Lord and putting that wisdom into practice each day.  She also spoke about our value to God and our value to others in this world.  One of my favorite things she said was "The more you listen for the Holy Spirit, the louder you will start to hear it".  I sat with Ashley Williamson during the conference and also ran into my OBGYN, Mia Clevenger, while there.  I don't know a whole lot about my doctor's beliefs or lifestyle, but it really excited me to know that she was at a Christian conference :)  I thought the conference was really great...the speaker was down to earth, the message was useful, and the praise music was uplifting. 

          After the conference, Ashley and I went to Olive Garden for lunch and dessert.  It was really nice to take our time without the kids to enjoy a meal and talk.  We were able to delve deep into some wonderful conversation and I'm happy to feel I know her even more now. 

          After lunch I went to downtown Iowa City to Zenders Spa to use the gift certificate my mother-in-law had given me for my birthday.  Let me tell you, I loved every single minute of it!  I enjoyed a 30 minute body massage and 30 minute facial treatment.  I wasn't sure what to expect with the facial since I'd never had one before...it was completely awesome!  I really can't say much more about it other than I'd do it every week if I had the funds available...haha!  I'm thinking I may have to make an appointment for Craig sometime, because I know he'd like it too. 

           I was orginally going to do a little window shopping downtown after the spa, but was so relaxed that I just decided to head home.  I learned that Craig and Nattie had a good day eating lunch at Culvers and running some errands at the mall!