June Adventures!

June 2 thru 4 ~ This weekend I visited an old high school friend of mine, Mandi (Benson) Birnbaum! She lives in a small, but growing, Chicago suburb called Yorkville. This was such a good trip...not only did I get to have fun with a great girlfriend, but I also got to spend some needed time on my own for a bit. Craig stayed home with the girls - his parents also visited which was nice. I spent my afternoons with Mandi...we just did very low-key things like shopping, enjoying meals, and catching up with one another. It is so wonderful to talk with someone who knows just enough about your past and just enough about your present...that way there is both reminiscing and current topics being shared. It's hard to explain, but it was great!

I left for Yorkville early morning June 2 - it took about 3 1/2 hours to get there. It was pleasurable just being in the car for a long drive...just me, my thoughts, and the radio. Mandi gave me the tour of her condo when I arrived. Then she drove me over to her workplace so I could see where she and husband, Gary, spend their days making a living. They work as managers for a specialty toys/educational materials store called Toy Town in Batavia, Illinois. Gary was working so I was able to meet him briefly. Of course I couldn't leave the store without purchasing at least one toy for each of my girls! Next we had lunch at a popular Chicago hotdog place called Portillo's. Then we did some shopping at a mall in Geneva - we spent the majority of our time at Yankee Candle sniffing just about every candle scent available, and leaving with a few as well. After our afternoon out on the town we settled in at Mandi's house for awhile. She had run across this hilarious video of her 15th birthday party...me, Mandi, Erin Duffy, Jenna Olsen, and Robyn Loftin at her parents' house...hyped up on sugar and being the ultimate silly teenage girls! It was hysterical! So we laughed watching that until our cheeks hurt and also brought out the yearbooks. We talked about so many different things over the weekend - old memories, where our old friends are now, how we met our husbands, how our parents are doing, how our lives are going, what we are looking forward to for the future (working, babies, etc). That night we ate dinner at one of Mandi's favorite pizza places in Oswego called Giordano's.

My evenings were spent by myself in a hotel room in Oswego - another small suburb like ten minutes from Mandi's place. I had a really nice room with a large bed and a jacuzzi. Mandi had offered the spare bedroom at her house...but she understood that I don't get the chance to be alone often, so I was going to make the most of the opportunity! Both evenings in the hotel room I kept pretty much the same routine - get some snacks and drinks from the vending machine down the hall, spend some time in the jacuzzi, put on my pajamas, have my snacks and some tv, then read for a few hours before going to sleep. Then in the mornings I'd take my time getting up, read for awhile more, then get ready for the day. It was all very simple, but it was everything I wanted!

June 3 - Had lunch with Mandi at a local, authentic, Mexican place called Burrito Loco in Naperville. Excellent food and conversation! Then we went to a large mall that I believe was in Aurora. Walked around there and talked forever. They had a Gloria Jeans coffee so we had to make a stop there. We then went back to Mandi's house for awhile. She showed me her wedding album and we talked about our husbands and our families for quite awhile. We had dinner at Culvers and then drove around for awhile before she dropped me back off at the hotel. Time went by fast! We had the guy behind the hotel desk take a picture of us together before we said our goodbyes. If I don't meet up with her in Bloomington soon, I am hoping to either get out to see her again or have her come out and see me in Iowa sometime in the near future. My second night in the hotel room was just as relaxing as the first night, but I was also beginning to miss Craig and the girls.

I read and finished a really excellent book while on my trip...it has been a long time since I last completed an entire book...I highly recommend this book though. It is called Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God by Mary E. DeMuth. Many people have given good reviews on this book, so I've been anxious to read it. I am far from being any good at summarizing a book, but I want to remember a bit of it. Basically this book is broken up into 60 chapters which are only two or three pages in length. So it is really easy to read and can even be read as a daily devotional one chapter at a time. It is also easy to read because the author is just so real and honest. I think I'll just list a few things I came away with after reading this book.

- And my favorite quote is when the author is talking about her young daughter singing a song using the wrong lyrics. Again, it reminds me of my children. "I learn more about the joy of Jesus when Julia sings...no matter that her lyrics are different - she dances like David with all her might, with brown eyes turned heavenward." When I read that quote, I smile as I picture Natalie in my head...the countless times I catch her singing loudly and joyfully...her red hair flying as she twirls endlessly in circles without a care in the world! And my sweet Kate...she has absolutely the biggest smile and the widest, most sparkling eyes I've ever seen!

June 5 ~ Nat had an appointment with Dr. Miller today. We wanted to get her toe checked out, and the only way to get a referral was to see her pediatrician first. Nattie's second toe on her right foot kind of curls under...so like her toenail on that foot basically faces outward instead of upward. Craig believes he noticed it a little when she was born, but I don't remember when I first noticed. But we do know that it seems to become more and more obvious as she gets older. We don't care too much what it looks like, but are more concerned with whether or not it will affect her balance or walking/running abilities in the future. We try not to make a big deal out of it in front of Natalie, but we also don't want to ignore the issue either...especially when it will be plainly obvious to her that some doctors are staring at her toe :) So I just told her that the doctor was going to take a look at her toe and that it wasn't going to hurt - I showed her which toe and how it looks a little different from the others, but that it was no big deal. We affectionately call it her "curly toe" and she thinks it is silly and she giggles. So anyway...Dr. Miller looked at it and had her walk a bit on it. She didn't think it looked too severe (she has seen much worse), but thought it was enough to at least see a specialist.

In the evening I drove over to the church to meet with some moms. Jill Lashmit is trying to put together a babysitting co-op, so she thought it would be nice if some of us who were interested could get together for a discussion. Basically, there has been an on-going babysitting cooperative in the area since 1989. Through the years it has gone through many leaders and members. At times the group has fizzled out and been left alone, but then picked up again at a later date. There is a whole binder of information and paperwork that has been tweaked and fine-tuned over the years...it seems like a really nice, well thought out system. As of right now the group is at a standstill with no active members at this time, so Jill was able to get the paperwork. The co-op is run on a point scale...for example, you gain points for taking care of a member's child and you get points deducted when a member watches your child...this way it is all pretty equal. We have a few ladies interested, but have decided that we won't officially start the group until we have at least maybe ten or more interested members.

June 6 ~ I started a Wednesday morning Bible study today. It is being held over at Barb Willhoit's home for approximately the next eleven weeks. There are quite a few women doing the study - at least ten of us I'd say. We are doing a Beth Moore study titled Jesus the One and Only. I have never done a Beth Moore study, but have always wanted to...I've heard they are very good, but also very detailed (lots of flipping back and forth through the pages of the scripture). We are all meeting on the main level of Barbara's house, while the children are being taken care of down in her finished lower level. She has two teenage girls watching the kids - they have lots of toys and a television down there. Natalie was downstairs today while I kept Katie with me upstairs. Nat had a wonderful time with Barb's kids - especially, Eliza, who is about her same age. Katelyn was super squirmy upstairs with me. I think I will attempt to leave her downstairs next week. Today was a bit awkward for me for two reasons: first being that it was so hard to concentrate and participate while taking care of Katie...second being that I was the youngest one of the group, so I felt a little out of place. But ya know what? It is actually a positive thing to be in a group with women of different ages. So I am totally going to embrace that fact. I am sure that this Bible study is going to be a total blessing in my life!

June 8 ~ Tonight was the Fun Days parade in North Liberty. It is great to be able to just walk right up the street and be right on the parade route. We pulled Natalie in the wagon and pushed Katie in the umbrella stroller. Right before the parade started we were interviewed by our local newspaper, The Press Citizen. They asked us how old the girls were and how long we had been coming to see the parade. And Craig told the guy that his favorite part of Fun Days was watching our kids have fun on the rides. Our little interview was in the paper the following day, so that was kind of neat. Nat and Kate had a fabulous time at the parade! Natalie wasn't as timid as past years - she stood right up by the curb and scooped up tons of candy that was thrown in her direction. Someone was also throwing strands of beads which both girls enjoyed. After the parade we walked down to the carnival area. Nat played in the jumping tent and rode on many rides. Daddy and Mommy even took turns riding with her on the spinning strawberry ride. Kate was very content just riding along in the stroller with her beads. We returned home after picking up several bags of cotton candy.

June 11 ~ Tonight was Natalie's last soccer game with team Galaxy. It sure was a hot evening, too...so Nat wasn't too thrilled to be out on the field in the heat. Despite the weather, it was a nice game...so I thought until the very end. One of the moms from the other team approached us after the game to speak her mind. "Us" meaning our coaches, the parents, and our children were all being preached at basically. This mom wanted to say how it was pretty bad how our team had to ruin everything for the kids by being so competitive, etc and how the kids are only there to have fun and it's just a game - blah, blah, blah. We all kind of just stood there in shock with our mouths dropped open...especially me, because I had no idea where this was coming from...I mainly just stay off on the sidelines and watch the game since I have to tend to Katie and all. Well, I guess this team we played (both the coach and parents) were mad because we used a goalie on our team. I guess they thought the kids were too young for a goalie, that the goalie could get hurt by fast flying balls, that it made it all too competitive, etc. I can say for certain that in no way was our team trying to be competitive...we just simply had a goalie because we had been teaching the kids that position since day one. I mean...goalie is a soccer position like any other position so why not have one? As far as getting hurt by balls...seriously, most 3-4 year olds can't kick a ball hard enough to hurt someone anyway. And as far as being competitive because of having a goalie position...isn't any other position just as "competitive"?...kids are running around trying to gain control of the ball...why play at all if this is a person's way of thinking? Geesh - I really didn't think I'd be dealing with this stuff already with my kids' sports teams...people need to get over it and get a grip.

June 12 ~ Today was the first official day of swimming (and other water activites) at our house! While the girls were napping I filled the kiddie pool and set up the sprinkler. Natalie had a blast cooling off in our backyard. Katelyn wasn't sure what to think of it all...she did end up splashing a little near the end and was excited about the water toys, but she did not enjoy being out in the heat. Surprisingly, our dog Bailey seemed to have the most fun out of everyone! In past summers, he didn't care to play in the water. This summer he is lovin' in! He had all four paws in the pool just dunking his head in and out of the water looking for his ball. Our other dog, Brigit, could have cared less (her usual attitude) and found a spot in the shade. I will say, it was quite the ordeal trying to get both girls in their suits, apply sunblock, keep Kate in a good mood, then take off suits, dry off, get dressed, etc. Whew! And that is just sticking around the house...we still have to venture out to the public pool this summer...

June 13 ~ Had my second Wednesday at Bible study this morning. I was only able to get through about half of my book work for that this past week...people weren't joking when they said that Beth Moore studies were indepth! But these same people were also right on target when they claimed that her studies were also very informative, enjoyable, and passionate. I am learning so much! Today was a good day...I left both girls downstairs with the caregivers and they did extremely well. I am no longer the youngest woman in the group - Jennifer Tymkiw joined us - she is a couple years younger than me and she has a son, Jackson, who is about ten months old. During discussion time I've mostly taken on more of a listening/observing role. Many of the ladies have a lot to add and there are quite a few ladies who have pretty dominant personalities...not saying that is a bad thing...I like listening to them talk and am getting a lot out of it!

June 14 ~ Natalie had her toe appointment with the specialist this morning. We saw a very nice podiatrist named Jill Scholz over at Town Square Family Foot Care in Coralville. She said that Nat's "curly toe" is a very common thing. She said it doesn't look too bad right now. There is question whether or not it will bother her in the future (possibly by teen years), but we are catching it early and she may never need any kind of surgery or anything along those lines. She suggested that we just manually extend her toe out to a more "normal" position - just maybe once a day for five or ten repetitions. She thinks this may loosen it up to a point that it will never be a problem. She assured us that as long as she isn't having any pain or developing infected sores that it was probably fine. She also said it shouldn't affect her balance or anything of that sort.

June 17 ~ We arrived at church early this morning for Father's Day! Before service started, a short slideshow played on the big screens featuring photos of children with their fathers. I wanted to make sure we were there early so Craig could see the picture they showed of him with Katelyn. I had also emailed a picture of him with Natalie, but that one didn't make it into the slideshow...it didn't occur to me at the time that the church probably received way too many photos to be able to use them all (we attend a large church). So ideally, I should have just emailed them one photo of Craig with both daughters. Oh well, it was still really touching to see :) The picture I sent was one of Craig holding Katelyn high up in the air - they are looking at each other with huge smiles. The other one I had sent was one of Natalie at soccer with Craig bent down to her level to give her some directions. Kate was extra squirmy and talkative during the service...I think we are about ready to go ahead and put her in the nursery during church. I believe we started dropping Nat off at nursery around nine months of age - about the time she could sit up pretty well on her own.

Craig requested we just have lunch at home on Father's Day. I don't think he wanted to spend the time and money at a restaurant this year...we are trying to watch our budget a little more lately and it gets so, so crowded at all the brunch/lunch places on special days. So I made lunch and we all just kind of relaxed. We watched the girls swim in the pool and Daddy filled the sand table. Later in the day, Craig decided to try and get his motorcycle working and fired up. If my memory is correct, I don't think he rode it at all last year. I gave Craig his Father's Day gift - a framed photo collage containing pictures of Craig with Katelyn. I gave Craig a similar type of collage that had pictures of him and Natalie on his first Father's Day following Nat's birth, so I wanted to continue that tradition.

June 19 ~ Today was a full day! The girls and I attended storytime at Barnes and Noble in the morning. It has been a very long time since we last did that...in fact, this was Katelyn's first time there. Ms.Beth no longer leads storytime, so it wasn't quite the same...but still an entertaining time. After storytime we played in the play area. Natalie was quick to find someone close to her age to run around with. Kate sat on the carpet near me and happily played with some toys before downing a bottle. After play area time we strolled over to the store in the mall that sells abandoned kitties that need a home. The whole display window in the front is filled with cats and kittens. One frisky cat caught sight of the light bouncing off of my watch and was chasing it all over the place. Nat thought this was so cool. Soon there were like six cats scurrying after this ball of light! After visiting the kitties, we walked down to the foodcourt for lunch at Chick-fil-A (one of Nattie's new favorite places).

From there we walked back to the van and headed down the street for Katelyn's six month doctor appointment. Craig met us there at the office. Katelyn is growing big and doing really well! She now weighs 19 pounds 13 ounces, is 27 inches tall, and her head is measuring at 17.5 inches. That puts her at 97% for weight, 90% for height, and 92% for head. It sounds like Kate is right where she should be with all the milestones. I asked the doctor about her cradle cap issue - Katie has had a lot of scaly dry skin on her head pretty much since birth. I've tried everything to get it off - baby oil, olive oil, dandruff shampoo, special brushes. It always comes back after a couple days. Dr. Miller said that it wouldn't do any harm to just let it be right now...I think I was initially concerned because I believe that back in the day people thought that cradle cap was something that you had to get rid of right away or you'd end up with some kind of scalp infection. I also asked about Katelyn's birthmarks. She has a caramel colored splotch on the right side of her forehead and another one starting to show up on the right side of her cheek. They are called "cafe-au-lait" spots...I had read about them on the internet and Dr. Miller confirmed that they are. Miller said that these birthmarks usually show up sometime after birth (which they did) and will most likely never go away. They may darken or lighten during certain times of the year because of exposure to the sun. But she said they are usually nothing to worry about unless maybe you have a dozen or more on your body - if that was the case it would be suggested to have them looked at by a specialist to rule out different diseases or disorders that could be lurking within the body. I actually think they are kind of cute! Katelyn received four shots once again and did not appreciate it whatsoever! But soon she was settled down and falling asleep in the carseat. Craig returned to work and us gals returned home to rest.

Dr. Miller also talked for awhile about how Natalie might be starting to feel some jealousy and annoyance toward Katelyn now that Kate is starting to get more mobile. This is so true right now! There have been a few issues with sharing and with Katie doing the typical annoying baby things that make Natalie upset...like pulling Nat's hair or slobbering on her toy or babbling too loud during Nat's favorite tv show. And there has also been a little regression with Nattie. Such as Natalie wanting to be held frequently, wanting to try the babyfood, wanting to play with infant toys, and the desire to try on some of Katelyn's outfits even though they are clearly too small for a three year old. We totally understand this is all very normal and natural behavior for Natalie to be displaying. It's really interesting to watch how this all works now with two young children. They do share many tender and sweet moments together. And when it really comes down to it, they love each other so much...you can see it and it just melts my heart.

Natalie: I honestly think that sometime during the past few weeks she has turned into a teenager! The girl is stubborn, stubborn, stubborn...but I love her! She sighs, puts her little hands on her hips, and rolls her eyes. We've been working on steering away from this type of behavior. Still really into pretend play...loves to name her dolls and stuffed animals and "pack" her purses and bags for her next adventure (I suppose). She loves being outside. We are getting a swingset soon, so I am real excited about that! She talks non-stop...many times we have to remind her to have a little quiet time here and there. Still a huge love for books and singing - I am so pleased. She particularly likes books revolving around caterpillars and butterflies such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Charlie the Caterpillar, and The Easter Butterfly. Her favorite shows are Veggie Tales, Clifford, Arthur, and Curious George. She now sits in a big girl booster seat in the van and loves it! She has become more aware of other people and their differences. For example - the other day she saw a man with long hair pulled back in a pony tail. She pointed it out to me and said she had never seen a boy with long hair. I simply told her that there are some boys who like to have long hair. And then recently, we were at a store where the cashier was a larger sized woman - Nat asked me what the lady was having. And I knew what she was asking - she was implying that the lady was pregnant and she was curious to know if the baby was going to be a girl or boy. Fortunately, Nat asked quietly and the lady was walking away when she asked...so I don't think she heard.

Katelyn: Katie is just moving right along through all the usual baby milestones and such! She sleeps all the time in her crib now - she was in the bassinet in our room for a long while. Partially because she enjoyed it so much (Nat was not as into it as a baby), partially because I was a little lazy transitioning her to the crib (let's be honest here), and partially because only God truly knows for sure if we'll ever have a tiny one in the bassinet for a third time...Craig and I would love to have another. She is sleeping maybe 8-10 hours per night and maybe only wakes up once...usually because she lost her pacifier or has somehow managed to wedge her little body into a position that she doesn't like. Kate is scooting all over on her back, rolling, and sitting up for short periods of time. She appears to be understanding words such as Katelyn (and it's variations), MaMa, Daddy, Natalie, dog, milk, diaper, and toy. When she is being fed she also understands "more"...she'll respond with either a grunt, opening her mouth wide, or by moving wildly toward the spoon. We are also working on understanding "no pull" when she reaches for hair and "no spit" when she playfully spatters food from her mouth! She still enjoys chewing and sucking on her fingers...once in awhile she'll get a thumb in there and it is adorable. She is quite demanding and persistent...growling, whining, sometimes making herself cough and gag until she has your complete attention...and she does not let up until she has accomplished her goal. But she is a happy, smiley, giggly baby most times - don't get me wrong. She's been grabbing her toes and playing with them a bunch. She does an excellent job reaching for toys and passing them from one hand to the other. She hates being in one spot for more than five minutes! She loves balls and babydolls - just stares at them and plays with them so intently. Also has a fetish for remote controls. She thinks the duck cover we have over the bathtub faucet is just hilarious!

Craig & Jen : We have been so busy with just everyday life lately! Craig has work every day, golf league on Wed nights, Bible study on Wed afternoons. I have the girls every day, choir on Wed nights, Bible study on Wed mornings. We are just trying to balance our daily schedules between work, home, the kids, our marriage, and time for ourselves. To my surprise, I have been feeling just very content and thankful and at peace...just taking each day (and sometimes each moment) as it comes and trying to enjoy what I have. Overall things are going really well around here and we don't have much to complain about...or at least we shouldn't be complaining!

June 24 ~ Katelyn is slowly developing a sort of schedule, which is nice. She'll usually go to bed sometime between 7pm and 8pm and then get up between 6am and 7am. Natalie isn't awake until at least 8am, so that gives me some individual time with Kate. This morning we played "dress up"...I put a silly hat and scarf on her and we had a little photo shoot :) You never fully grasp how difficult it is to find time to spend alone with each child until you actually have two young children in your family. Sometimes the mommy guilt sets in, but I do the best I can. Sometimes I'll sneak a few extra minutes alone with Natalie while Katelyn is down for a nap or maybe I'll read an extra story to Nat at bedtime. With Katie...she doesn't enjoy rocking in the rocking chair like Natalie used to at her age...she just likes to be placed in the crib right away. Sometimes that is a blessing, but at other times I kind of miss rocking a baby. Maybe she'll enjoy it later down the road...or maybe not...she could very well just be totally different compared to her big sister. Katie accomplished many "firsts" today. It was her first morning in the church nursery - she's been in there in the evening a few times while I've been at choir rehearsal, but never with all the other little babies. She did well - they even have a baby ball pit set up in there now...just a small inflatable swimming pool with some plastic balls! It was her first time riding in the big carseat as opposed to the infant seat. And she also got to ride sitting up in a shopping cart today at Walmart.

June 25 ~ Today the girls and I met up with Heather Brezinski and her kids at Morrison Park in Coralville. We didn't stay too long, as Heather had an appointment to go to and it was just so hot outside. Natalie and Gabriel (Gabers) were able to play for a bit, while Katelyn and Madison had fun on the swings and babbling at one another. Heather, Paul, and the kids will be moving to Texas in a few weeks. After nap, Natalie played in the pool and sprinkler. We've been doing that a couple times per week now. Still need to get up the courage to venture over to the public pool this year with the two little ones...

June 28 ~ I decided to take the kids on a short road trip to Cedar Rapids today. We spent the afternoon at Bever Park. I was really quite impressed with it - very clean, lots of trees, great stuff to do there. We started there at Old MacDonald's Farm, which is just a quaint petting zoo with an assortment of animals. Actually, they suggest not petting the animals so I guess it's not technically a petting zoo. Anyway... they had mostly farm type animals such as ducks, chickens, donkeys, sheep, pigs, goats, and cows. But they also had a prairie dog exhibit which was really neat. There was a big red barn and a really nice bridge walkway over the duck pond. From there we headed over to the park area. Nat changed into her bathing suit to play in this huge water sprayer they had...kind of reminded me of someone opening up a fire hydrant and allowing the water to just shoot out everywhere while you splash around on the concrete. Kate got her feet wet a little bit, but otherwise was content just observing. The last thing we did was play on the playground equipment. Awesome playground set-up! Nattie tried out everything while Katelyn took some turns on the bucket swings - she just giggled and giggled. There were these rocks for the children to climb on - Natalie scurried all the way up to the top of one and she was so proud of herself. There was also a beautiful flower garden plot where we smelled the flowers and took some pretty photos. It was truly a fun day!

The girls and I came home and got ready for Daddy's little birthday evening celebration. We hung some balloons from the light fixture above the kitchen table and also found a couple of those party blowers I had stuck away from some other event. We wrapped Daddy's presents and made my Aunt Becky's famous banana/vanilla wafer pudding (per Craig's request). At one point Natalie said "Those balloons are huge!". I told her that I had no idea that she knew the word "huge", to which she replied "Mom, it means big!". How old is she?? Then before Craig came home she kept saying "This is going to be an amazing birthday!" with such enthusiasm. Daddy came home, and after dinner he opened his gifts and we all had some yummy pudding.

June 30 ~ I attended deaconess orientation over at the church this morning. We began the meeting in the atrium - praying, getting to know one another, discussing deaconess duties/responsibilities. Then we moved into the kitchen to prepare communion for the weekend services. Help for communion prep and clean up is in high demand considering we have a large congregation. So right now, my first and main duty as a deaconess is to help with communion when possible. They only do it once per month...which I am glad to help when I am not busy with choir on those weekends. They usually prepare everything early Saturday morning, so that part should not be a problem for me. So today we learned how to fill the cups, plate the bread, and clean the silver trays. We also learned where everything is stored in the kitchen and how to use the large and small cofffee machines. I loved how Terry kept stressing to us how important these duties really are...how it may seem like "just making coffee" or "just pouring juice" or "just cleaning a kitchen", but how it is really a blessing to so many people.

Natalie spent her morning and early afternoon at Vacation Bible School! Prince of Peace Lutheran Church (where she just finished attending preschool) had invited all their preschoolers to come join VBS with them, so we thought it would be a nice opportunity. It was held just this one day from 8:30am-1pm with the theme being "Let's Go Fishin'!" I wasn't able to take Nat to the church because of my meeting, so Grandma Essington and Daddy were happy to do it instead. I did get to pick her up though. Natalie had a super time hearing stories, singing songs, doing crafts, playing games, and meeting new friends her age. Snack and lunch were also provided, so that was really nice.