I just might be a Redneck…

Brad Paisley... One of my most favorite country stars has captured my heart once more. With which song do you ask? He has so many that I love and are dear to my heart, but none so much as his new single "Camouflage." He speaks of the irresistibleness of camo to a redneck girl and I truly cannot resist! The last few times I've had to make a spur of the moment clothes buy for Ender (due to an unexpected and unplanned for blow-out crazy diaper), I will often search for camo pants or shorts. I carry a Camo purse (which doubles as a diaper bag). I made my boy a hat out of camo yarn. I can't resist!!

So does that make me a "redneck girl?" Please tell me Brad... or any one??

Motorcycles, Daffodils and Physical Therapy

I have had a lot of things running around in my old brain pan... but have not taken the time to write things out like I know that I should. ScottE and I had a stupid fight the other day and I took a bit of time to begin the process of purging my feelings and realized how much better I felt after doing so. I realize this is not always possible as I hate my handwriting and am not always near a computer. My phone is often a great resource, but it is currently out of commission because I am a duffus and updated it without thinking. I am hoping to remedy that soon.

What has been going on with me? you may or may not be asking yourself. For the most part, life has been treating us pretty well. ScottE is currently in Dallas, Texas with Papa Greg to obtain a motorcycle. So, I am here, alone as I so frequently am. Most of the time I don't mind, but over the weekend is unusual. I am coping though.

Spring is in full swing here and the world is green again. A couple of weeks ago, I was privileged to go on a motorcycle ride with ScottE and Papa Greg. We rode down to our old stomping grounds of Mount Joy. It was about a 3 hour trek and on a motorcycle, that's a really long time. It was a very enjoyable time though. Initially it was cold, but eventually it warmed up sufficiently and we got to shed some layers. It is such an incredible experience on a motorcycle. The world looks so much different and you are really able to see things much more clearly. When we went, spring was just getting started and many flowers were in bloom – including two of my absolute favorites, tulips and daffodils. They were so beautiful. I can't wait to plant some around our house!

As we were riding, I kept thinking about this time when I was in junior high. My mom spent a lot of time working on our flower beds. I couldn't say how much, but I know that she was proud of her work and would hate to see someone destroy it. I had just gotten home from school and I saw these kids picking my mom's flowers. I was furious! I ran outside, screaming, “You get back here with my mom's flowers!” I never saw where they went, but they dropped the daffodils around the corner. I picked them up and brought them into the house to be put in a vase. When my mom got home, I told her what happened because she saw the flowers in the vase. She dubbed me the “Keeper of the Daffodils.” It was an eventful day to say the least, but I was proud.

I hope that I can continue to be the “Keeper of the Daffodils” and grow some of my own someday. Perhaps one of my children will continue with the tradition and become “Keepers” themselves.

In other news, Ender is doing well. His vocabulary never ceases to amaze me. He is very much a parrot already, which means I have to be careful what I say. Not to say that I use inappropriate language, but it is amazing how words change when they are heard from the mouth of a child. It reminds me of when my oldest niece was 3 and said the word “stupid.” Not really a bad word, but definitely not appropriate for a toddler to be saying!

Today, we were sitting in the living room and I had the windows open because the weather has been so beautiful. I have a box fan on a table and the wind was coming through and spun the fan blades. Not really thinking anything of it, I hear Ender say, “Oooo! Cool!” It was so adorable and incredibly unexpected. He's growing up way to fast!

Ender's physical therapy is going well. We had his initial appointment last week and he had another appointment today. He is standing a lot more and trying to transfer from articles of furniture. He is trying to develop his balance and his therapist says that he is making great progress. For the time being, he has weekly appointments. I have exercises to do with him everyday and hopefully he will be more independent soon! He already is pretty independent, but it would be wonderful if I didn't have to carry him every time we needed to go somewhere!

Hopefully May will be a month full of creativity and wonder. The weather has been fantastic but I am hoping to really get into a groove of writing on a regular basis as well as participating in my school forums more consistently. Wish me luck! ;)

Ford Girl

I've been telling more friends and family about my blog and as a consequence have been thinking more and more about writing, at least in general. I constantly have this running monologue in my head about what I would write if I had the availability to sit down and write just then, but most of the time these things go on at the most inopportune moments – usually when I'm driving. If someone has a suggestion to remedy this issue, please, speak up! I'm dying to get these ideas on paper (or at least screen), but have no idea how to document them as they come. I don't feel that speaking them aloud is plausible because of Ender and also because my thoughts are rarely one tracked. I usually get off on some tangent and then come back around to my original track and get off again at some point. It would be really confusing to try to decipher my thoughts that way! Any suggestions though, I am very much open! ;)

So, what exactly, you might be asking has been circling my brain pan? Oddly enough, stuff about cars. As I was driving home yesterday, I kept thinking about my dream car – namely what I would be dreaming of driving if I weren't so bent on ensuring we had something for the large (or at least more than 3 children) family we've been anticipating we would have. I was thinking about cars versus SUVs and the benefits of both. Much to the chagrin of my parents, I am oddly brand loyal. I am very much a Ford girl, through and through. ;) Even in the area we live now, I would be able to use a car, so long as it had All-Wheel drive. My first choice would be a Taurus or a Fusion. If money were no object, I would still like to stay in the “Ford family” and I would get a Lincoln of the same models.

However, given our circumstances, I have planned to eventually acquire an Expedition, as my first choice anyway. I wouldn't mind a Freestyle, but they are more difficult to come by and don't have a lot of cargo room or ground clearance. Someday, I will get the car of my dreams... for the time being, though, I am grateful to have a vehicle to get me from point A to point B. Right now that vehicle is a Chevy Tahoe. Alas, my dream of being a Ford family has been temporarily dashed, but I know that one day, ScottE and I will both be driving Ford trucks!! ;)

Aside from my day dreaming of Fords, there has been a great deal of other things on my mind... namely getting Ender motivated to walk and getting back into school. As far as Ender is concerned, I have gotten him started in the process of enrolling him in Early Intervention. His coordinator came by for an initial meeting and interview on Wednesday. She asked some preliminary questions to get a base line for what programs should be provided for Ender. I will be getting more information from her soon – 2-3 weeks from Wednesday (I'm assuming).

On a very excited note, I will be going back to school on Tuesday!! I am super thrilled to be getting back into my routine and finishing my degree. My brief sabbatical has pushed back my graduation a bit, so I won't be finishing until September of 2012, but I really needed a break. Constant enrollment in a class and not having a break for the past year and a half or so was very tiring, regardless of the fact that it's “only online.” Many have given me a hard time about going to school online rather than going to a traditional school. I agree that online is a lot easier and sometimes I wish I had gone to a brick and mortar. But the thing of it is, I really wanted to be home for my children. I didn't want to have to find a babysitter or pay for daycare. I wanted to raise my children myself. I knew that if I enrolled in a traditional school, when I did have children, I would either drop out and not finish, or would go bankrupt trying to care for my children. I didn't want either. When the opportunity to go presented itself, I really put my foot down with ScottE and expressed to him how important it was for me to start now rather than waiting “until the perfect time” because I knew that would never come. There would always be something standing in the way of me and my education. It may not be the best there is and it may be “easier” than other routes, but it works for me and mine.

I am also glad that Winter is going away! We have been getting a mild sprinkling this week, but most of the snow has melted and given way to an abundance of mud. It's still pretty cold out there, but things are getting better. Today has actually been a pretty day! ;)

Life is going to get pretty hectic as I try to reestablish my routine for school and spending time with an ever increasingly active little boy. I'm sure I will find the motivation to take advantage of his nap times and get things done during the day rather than waiting until night time / the last minute to accomplish my goals for the day. Wish me luck!

A trip to Cabela's ;)

Well... I had started a blog and then got lost in it and realized that I really didn't need or want to go into all of the stuff that I did. So, instead of rewriting, I've decided to just start over. ;)

As always, I feel the need to start with the current weather. We had most of the snow melted and then we've had a surprise storm sneak up on us. The ground is once again covered in a clean blanket of white and we're expecting more snow tomorrow. It's been nice to be rid of the ice, but the ground has become squishy and slightly disgusting. Walking on it is tough and driving through it is even more difficult at times. Regardless, we are doing the best we can to survive.

Last Friday was Ender's first doctor's appointment in way too long. Everything has checked out pretty well for the most part. He's pretty much on track with his vocabulary (which increases daily!), but the doctor was a little concerned about the fact that he is still not walking. She advised that I get in touch with the “early intervention” program of PA and they would observe him and possibly implement some kind of physical therapy program. I'm not all that concerned because he has been making some great strides of late. He lets us hold his hands, but he has to pull himself up – we can't stand him up. He has been climbing up and down from the couch by himself and he is pushing up on his hands and walking around on his feet with his little bum in the air. I just know that he will be walking within the next couple of weeks! ;)

I still have to get him caught up on his shots and get some blood work done but I am so very grateful to have found a great pediatrician!

Speaking of Ender's vocabulary... he has really taken to parroting what we say. We ask him to repeat what we say when he wants something. His pronunciation isn't quite perfect yet, but he is really trying. He watches our mouths to try to figure out how we are saying the words. It's so adorable to listen to him imitate what we say. Over the course of the next few days, I'm going to try to write down all of the words he says spontaneously.

This past weekend was a lot of fun. We didn't really do anything to celebrate St. Patrick's Day because neither of us are Irish enough to justify it and we kind of view it as an excuse for people to just go out and get drunk. Not being drinkers ourselves, it just seems a little silly – at least for us... that doesn't mean we dislike the holiday or find those that celebrate it to be ridiculous or anything like that. ;) Anyway... Saturday we went to Cabela's with Mama and Papa Liggett. We went with the intention of finding some cold weather clothes, possibly a shotgun and very likely a bunch of ammo. Being the weekend, the store was pretty packed. Initially it was tough just to navigate the store. ScottE and Papa Greg were looking at the shotguns while Mama Cathy, Ender and I went looking throughout the rest of the store. The only issue that I usually have with Ender while shopping is when I stop to look at stuff... plus he was really tired because he refused to nap on our way down. I was irritated and frustrated because I couldn't really do any shopping. We decided to go to lunch and come back to the store.

After lunch we returned to Cabela's. Mama wasn't feeling up to dealing with the crowds again, so she stayed in the Jeep with Ender. I was really grateful because I was able to actually get out and enjoy myself! This is not to say that I don't enjoy spending time with my son... because I really do, but when he starts fussing every time I stop to look at something, it makes it tough to really like going shopping.

Anyway, ScottE really wanted to get a shotgun and I was all for it, but I didn't really feel like standing around waiting to get helped. The boys stayed and looked at the guns, waiting for some assistance, so I decided I wanted to roam the store a little more and see if there was anything that I just couldn't live without. There wasn't ;( so I went back to the gun counter... After a bunch of deliberation, they didn't have the one that ScottE really wanted, which is a Maverick. I reminded him that they sell it at Wal-Mart, so we decided to look at some handguns real quick and then be on our way.

I had kind of roamed the counters to see if there was anything that I really wanted to look at... there wasn't anything that really caught my eye. But ScottE was really determined to get me back into guns. I haven't really felt like shooting or even handling guns since I first got pregnant with Ender. I have a distinct feeling that will change very soon! ;)

We started looking at some of the used guns and I found one that fits my hand perfectly and I can break down with ease! It's a Smith and Wesson M&P. I was kind of hoping to get a 40mm, but ended up getting a 9mm. This one comes with a laser grip and we got it for only $599! It sells brand new for $730 and that's on sale!! Of course that is without the laser grip... I will be headed back to Cabela's to pick it up tomorrow... I'M SUPER EXCITED!!!

In other news... I'm currently sitting in a hotel room and Ender is actually napping, which is a minor miracle. It's been tough getting him to nap lately and I'm very grateful for the current reprieve.

I have a few other things that I want to get done before he wakes up, so until later... ;)

Anniversary celebration

I thought that Winter had released her icy grip from my little place in the world, but alas, I was wrong. This last weekend we got nearly as much snow as we had all winter! It's been pretty crazy and slightly overwhelming, but we've been getting a lot of help from a family here in our branch. We've been pretty much adopted by the Liggetts. It's been nice having parental and grand-parental figures here in town. Greg has been really helpful. . . watching out for me and Ender as well as taking ScottE out on tow calls.

In addition to the snow, ScottE and I celebrated 6 years of marriage this past Saturday! The Liggetts watched Ender for us and we went to dinner and a movie. We saw Beastly which was pretty good, totally predictable in the literal sense and geared toward the mostly teen crowd, but it was an enjoyable take on the classic story of Beauty and the Beast. Looking back, I kind of wish we had gone to Longhorn Steakhouse instead of the Chinese buffet we decided on, but mostly, no regrets about much. :)

In other news, Ender is standing up!! He pulls up on furniture and is not quite cruising yet, but he's standing up and is very proud of himself. I give him lots of encouragement and do what I can to get him to stand up as often as I think of it. He is also kind of walking around... he keeps his hands on the ground and sticks his little bum up in the air (which is ADORABLE!), but he's not standing up quite yet. I think I have finally found a doctor for him and he has an appointment next Friday. I am really hoping that he's walking by then! ;)

Getting back into school is still a major goal for me. I am really hoping to get my fingerprint clearance card within the next few days so that I can return to class. I was really needing a break and am very grateful to have had this recent sabbatical, but I'm looking forward to completing my degree. I can't do that if I'm not in school! ;) lol

Other than that, life is pretty normal and relatively happy. :) I didn't get to go and see ScottE this week which made both of us a little sad, but it makes this weekend that much more special. No news on the pregnancy front just yet, but I will keep everyone updated as the news transpires. ;)

Too much TV

I feel like winter is coming to an end. The snow is beginning to melt and life will soon be getting back to normal. I've been trying to get out more and not just to hotels (which I'm sitting in right now). I'm trying to spend more time with family... it's still a work in progress, but I think I'm really starting to get better about not spending all of my time at home. I'm still watching too much TV, but I'm working to stop that too.

I've looked back over my past few posts of my Gratitude and Prayer blog and it seems that I continue to need to work on the same things – patience, time management and being in the moment. I don't like to repeat myself (just as ScottE, he'll tell you). I find myself in the same arguments, fighting the same problems. I am a big procrastinator, always have been. I've been trying desperately to fix this, but am finding a serious lack of motivation. When I get up in the morning (which is not as early as it should be), I make breakfast and then sit down in front of the TV. I only plan to watch one episode of something and then set to work on the house, but that one episode turns into 3 before Ender goes down for his nap. Then I tell myself that I'll only watch one more while I wait for Ender to be fully asleep, and that one more turns into another 3. I know the only way to really solve the problem is to not turn the TV on in the first place, but I really enjoy having something to do while eating. What's a girl to do?

I have been trying to get my attitude under control. Things are better when I get to see ScottE on a regular basis, but it's a lot of work getting everything together to come and stay in a hotel for part of the week. Hanging out, waiting for ScottE to get done with work is almost like being at home doing the exact same thing; I just don't have everything that I would normally have on hand. The best part is the fact that I get to spend time with ScottE! ;)

This Saturday, ScottE and I will be celebrating 6 years of marriage. It's hard to believe that I've been married for that long! Especially looking around at the world and seeing the divorce rate going up on a constant basis, especially in those my age. This is not to say that ScottE and I haven't had our problems... because we've had more than our fair share. But with each passing day, I realize how truly lucky I am and how very grateful I am that I don't have to worry about dating, or finding someone to complete me. Because I'm already complete! I do not envy those who are trying to find that perfect someone... ScottE knows me. He knows what I like and what I don't. He knows what to say to snap me out of a bad mood. He knows how to make me laugh, make me happy. I really wouldn't want to reteach someone all of those things. New relationships are fun. They are full of giddiness and butterflies. You know what though? They are also full of uncertainty. Knowing your partner inside and out makes everyday meaningful. It may seem mundane or at times boring, but I would not change my life for the world!!

Ender is growing up... I've posted some new pictures and a video on Facebook. I hope that you all enjoy them. I'm going to be making a greater effort to take more pictures and to write more. I hope to avoid the mundane, but mundane is better than nothing. ;)

Unanswered Prayers

Why is it that I seem to want to write more when I'm sitting in a hotel room? It's not like I'm doing anything differently than I would be at home... perhaps it's because Ender is in the same room and I can't talk on the phone or really do anything else that may make noise. When at home, I usually will do the house work before sitting down to watch TV. Right now the only thing I can do is type (which makes a little noise) and watch TV because his playpen is pretty close to the sink so I can't exactly do the few dishes that need to be done... so here I am ;)

As I was driving yesterday, the song “Unanswered Prayers” by Garth Brooks came on. When I was younger, I didn't really like the saying “the man upstairs.” I found it disrespectful and rude. This is not to say that I like the saying more now than I did then, that's not the case. I guess I just better understand why people call Him that now for some reason. At any rate, I started thinking about the concept of an “unanswered prayer.” I've come to the realization that this statement is an unfair assessment of not getting what you want. Just because we didn't get what we asked for doesn't mean the prayer wasn't answered.

I equate this to my relationship with Ender or any parental relationship for that matter... just because a child asks for something, does not necessarily mean that he or she will get what they asked for – or even immediately. Right now I am trying desperately to teach Ender patience. He asks for something and expects to get it right away. I try to appease him as best I can, but sometimes I am doing something and I can't give him what he wants. His latest thing is wanting to be held while I cook. Sometimes I can hold him, but other times, I need both of my hands! He screams and cries and I do what I can to console him, but it's tough...

So how must Heavenly Father feel when we throw a fit or write a song about not getting what we want? I realize that most adults don't scream and cry just because they don't get what they want right away, but this song really strikes a chord with me. It makes me think about my attitude and how I react to things, but mostly it reminds me that Heavenly Father wants what is best for us, just like we do for our earthly children. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me. I know that he wants what is best for me and my family. I know that sometimes it takes patience and acceptance before I can get what I want and/or need. Does this knowledge make things easier? Not really, but it's a comfort to know and understand these things because someday, I will be okay with these concepts. Right now, it's nice to contemplate the theory of my acceptance. ;)

Catharsis

Well, well... it's now into February and no blog from the world the Holmans of northeast PA. A lot and yet nothing at all has changed since my last post... Thanksgiving came and went with an air of gratitude and fellowship. Our trip out to California was eventful, slightly stressful, but most importantly a lot of fun. We got to see a lot of people we (or at least ScottE) hadn't seen in some time and ScottE got to spend a lot of time working on cars which is something he greatly enjoys but has very little time to do on a regular basis.

The stressful part came when we were ready to come home... we planned to drive home, in a car that we co-signed for – the current owner is unable to make the payments and is wanting something smaller that gets better fuel mileage – but after a lot of debate was unable to give up the car because she has nothing else to drive. Completely understandable since she is a single mother and needs to work, but the problem was we bought one-way tickets in anticipation of our drive home and she had told us that we could take possession of the car because we had been making the payments for both the loan and the insurance for the past few months. Suffice it to say that we ended up flying home with the promise of delivery of our car within the next few months. We'll just have to wait and see.

I don't know if I've mentioned this at all to anyone, but in November we decided to try to sell our car. Initially I was hesitant because I really like having a car because it makes getting around for just me and Ender much easier. I wasn't ready to give that up so easily, but after much deliberation, we decided it was best for the family in the long run. About a week into 2011, the car sold!! We were kind of surprised but very grateful that the car sold so quickly and easily... we even made a bit of a profit! So we have a car loan paid off and will soon be inheriting another... c'est la vie.

In addition to selling our car, we are planning to buy a 4 wheel drive. We've been having some pretty crazy storms lately and right now we can't even get up our own driveway! It's been a little frustrating and slightly embarrassing, but we are surviving and I guess that is what really counts. ;)

Aside from all of the news about our past and future transportation, things are going relatively well. Ender's vocabulary expands with every hour and he's nearly grown a mouthful of teeth (I think he has 13 or 14 now). He's still not walking which is a bit of a concern but for the most part I'm not worried. He's freaking brilliant and grows smarter everyday. He's learning his colors – he can't yet identify other items but he has several toy balls of different colors and he knows which one is green and which one is yellow. He tries to mimic what we say and his taste buds are developing... he doesn't like hot stuff as much as he used to. He is already beginning to develop the attitude of a 2 year old and he's not even 18 months old yet!!

As it's been said, the only constant in life is change. Things have been changing in my life, some due to my own choices, others due to the choices of those in my life. For the most part, these changes have been positive. I'm really trying to take the baby steps towards making my life what I really want it to be. I know that it's going to take time to establish the habits I want and it's hard to not get caught up in the “all or nothing” mentality and then fall into bad habits. I have good days and bad, but I'm trying and that's what counts, right?

One of the biggest things that I want to work on is writing more. I forget (and I know I say this a lot!) how cathartic it is to sit down and get all of my feelings out in the open. It really doesn't matter if I actually post it to the world or not. What really matters is getting everything off my chest and in the world of a journal or a word processor.

Another thing that I'm working on is losing some weight. I have about 25ish pounds that I would like to lose. I know that so many use the new year to establish new habits, but I would like to think that I have been trying to do these new things throughout the past year and am really wanting this year to be better than the last. I'm looking for healthier recipes and an exercise program that is neither boring nor overly strenuous. I'm also cutting down on my portions and that seems to be helping at least a little. ;) and I'm open to suggestions from anyone...

School is currently on hold because of procrastination on my part. I needed to get some testing done and fingerprints taken and processed. I've gotten the testing done and the kit for the fingerprints has arrived, but I have to go to a certified technician (i.e. the police department) but I have to pay for the processing. It's been a bit of a process, but it's in the works and I'm hoping to be back to school within the month.

I don't know why it takes me so long to sit down and write an update... perhaps because sometimes it feels a bit overwhelming. I definitely will be posting some pictures soon, whether on here or Facebook, I'm not sure yet. First I need to take some pictures! ;) anyway... I'm sitting in a hotel, listening to Ender not take his nap and wondering what I'm going to do to pass the time of today. I'm sure that I'll think of something. I've missed this feeling! (and my laptop ;) )

Post 23

It's only the second day of my promise to myself and this post is going to be one of those "today was pretty much the same as every other day" posts, although not entirely. Since we are still in Lancaster, we were able to go and spend some time with a family we hadn't seen in some time. They all got a major kick out of Ender (no surprise there!) and we had some fun. It was just an afternoon visit, but there's my day! =)

Until tomorrow! ;)

Here's to 100

I am sitting in a hotel room in Lancaster, and while I should be doing my final or perhaps processing work orders, instead, I am writing a blog. Last night as I lay in bed trying to get my brain to shut up long enough for my body to relax and fall into Wonderland, I had this aspiration of reaching 100 posts on this blog by the end of the year. A relatively lofty goal, seeing as I only have 21 now. However, after some calculations, I have realized that if I post something, even if it's just a picture or video, or little blurb saying that “today was just like every other day,” it's still something and it will get me there. So, here's to 100. Wish me luck!

There were so many other things rolling through my brain last night and I really wish that I could remember at least some of them... but alas, having children kills brain cells (it's true, my best friend told me so), and I have completely forgotten everything that I wanted to write about. Perhaps the added benefit of having the ability to blog on my phone will stint this phenomenon. But until that happens, or it's a night that ScottE is out of town, this will probably be a common note in my blog. =)

Life is going well. It's been a bit of a challenge all around to have ScottE gone a lot right now, but it is a sacrifice we knew we would be making when we moved to Springville. It is nice to be able to come and see him every once in a while though; even if it means living without some of our everyday amenities (won't be happening in the snow!).

Ender is doing phenomenally well with everything these days. He's eating so many new things but it's still a little difficult to find things that he can feed himself without making too much of a mess. He eats a LOT of macaroni and cheese! Hands down his favorite thing right now, next to bananas of course. One other thing that I forgot to mention earlier is that he says “dada” for please. It's so cute! I know that it's not actually “please,” but it's a heck of a lot better than him screaming or fussing for food!

Until tomorrow... we'll see how long I can keep this up =)

Nearly 14 months

For some time now, I've been wanting to write an update on just the antics of Ender. Yet, I find myself even procrastinating something so simple! I will (yet again) be making a better effort to record his life and that of those who will be joining our family in the future! (NOTE: this is NOT an announcement of any kind, just an acknowledgment that more children will be had in the future.)

So, what has Ender been up to?

1. He is FINALLY crawling and very much in the conventional sense of the word. I wish all of you could see him. He gets so excited when we put him on the floor and he gets to move on his own.
2. He is discovering his independence. He likes to crawl into the kitchen and see what he can get into. When I have to go to the bathroom, I usually let him know that I'm leaving, go ahead and do so, calling to him the whole time. Generally, by the time I'm done, he has found me and gets all proud of himself when he does so. It's pretty cute.
3. He loves to talk to Daddy on the phone. Unfortunately moving up here to Springville keeps ScottE away from home more so than before. We knew this would happen and is a sacrifice we are making for the time being. However, Ender gets so excited when I'm on the phone. Since it's usually Daddy, I will put it on speaker so Ender can not only hear Daddy, but can talk to him as well. I posted a video on Facebook, but you can see it here: 
    
4. He is eating all kinds of foods these days! I guess you could say that he's eating true “big boy foods!” He loves bananas (is he really mine? lol), scrambled eggs, hot dogs, grapes, stroganoff, spaghetti, peas and carrots, creamed corn, lunch meat... etc. He makes a pretty big mess partly because of what he eats and the fact that he refuses to let anyone feed him anymore (as shown below), but we are loving the learning experience! =)
   

   

   
   

   
5. He has FINALLY mastered a sippie-cup. He absolutely LOVES orange juice. We try to get him to drink at least some water, but it doesn't always work out that way. At least he is finally hydrating himself. We usually water the OJ down a little so that it's not totally concentrated, but that is pretty much the only thing he will drink!
6. He has so many teeth! I know for sure that he has 4, but I also know that more are coming in because it is growing increasingly difficult to brush his teeth at night.
7. He is saying a bunch of things:

• na-nana (banana)
• na night (to go to bed)
• momma
• dada (of course)

and making all kinds of other noises! His jabbering is so cute and I can't wait until some true words come through. He also can point at things to let us know what he wants. He will crawl across the room and point, usually at his juice, and scream or try some other way to get my attention. It's so cute, but I wish the screaming would stop. He really tries to mimic the sounds we make when we talk to him. Hopefully he'll find another way to communicate soon! =)

I think that's really all of his recent antics. I am so grateful to have the family near that we do, but I wish everyone was out here! The foliage is so beautiful right now... with so many colors it's unreal. The beauty created by our Heavenly Father is unmatched!

Chaos

Well, it's been far too long since I've written anything. I always forget how much I love writing, but with the move, things have been more than a little chaotic. Things are really starting to settle down now though. We are getting back into our routine and I'm really hoping this time around will include writing for me! =)

The house is really coming together a lot faster than any other place we have lived before. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we don't have everything here with us. We put a lot of things in storage so we have been able to just have the things that we need here at the house. It has made unpacking much easier... I think once I get the empty boxes out of here, things will really start moving along again. Unfortunately for Ender, things have been piling up in his room because it's the only room with any space...

Speaking of my little man =)... he is doing really well! He's been cutting all kinds of teeth lately but has be dealing with everything quite well. He sleeps a lot which has made Mommy's life much easier. He is becoming more and more mobile. He is almost crawling in the traditional sense of the word, but he also rolls around a lot. He is growing less content with just being on the floor, at least not when Mommy is in the room. He is becoming quite the Momma's boy! He eats so much these days and has started eating big boy food! =) He loves eggs, honey nut Cheerios, yogurt and pretty much anything else he can get his hands on! I've been trying to just give him things that will be easy for him to chew but he also doesn't always chew his food. A lot of the times he just swallows things whole, which is also kind of scary, but he does pretty well with not choking (at least not often enough for me to stop feeding him).

We don't have TV anymore, but we do have a home phone and Internet, which we haven't had in a very long time! =) It's been really nice to not have to worry about having to connect to someone else's network or using the air card from ScottE's work. It's been nice not having TV, but I've been watching a lot of movies. We really need to increase our library! I've already watched several and am getting tired of watching the same ones... hint hint =)

Our trip out to California was a lot of fun... it was really nice to go back and spend time with family and friends. I was really grateful to those who drove us around or housed us or fed us.

Not that I got to experience this when we were there this last time, but one of the things I miss most about California is fog. You know, the crisp, cool, refreshing fog of the fall? The first time I experienced fog in PA, I got so excited! I looked outside and saw the mist over the land and thought, “Oh, I'm sure it's gorgeous out there!” I walked out and was sorely disappointed... it was gross and heavy. I felt disgusting just walking around. Well, this morning, I looked outside and it was beautiful. There was a mist all over the fields around our place and it was cool and crisp outside!

I love it up here! =) The only real downside is that ScottE is gone a lot with work. He has applied for another job and we are very much hoping and praying he gets it. He'll be home a lot more and only working 40 hours a week. CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT!!

Life is good =)