Mommy with three boys

This past week, Janelle, Ben, and I welcomed the fourth member to our family. Samuel Liam arrived on Wednesday afternoon after about ten minutes of pushing. Janelle was such a star during the labor and delivery. For Janelle, the second child was much easier than the first. She was showed, had eaten, and dressed within about two hours after Liam was born.
Many of the nurses were surprised at how quickly she settled into her room. (It was like she was on holiday or some retreat. As you will see in some of the pictures with her laying in her bed on her cell phone.)
Ben has taken on the 'big brother' role very well. When Liam cries he runs over to him searching for Liam's nuk (dummy for our friends in England). After finding the silencer, he cautiously puts it in Liam's mouth. Ben will also sit with me and help me feed Liam by putting the bottle in his mouth and holding it there. As for me, I am enjoying being the proud father of two boys and the husband of a lovely wife. This next week we plan on just relaxing and getting to know one another before the business of school and work set in.
Thank you to all of you who have been praying and checking in on us. We look forward to sharing our new family member with you and your family.

Crazy how fast kids grow

This is Ben a year ago and then currently.

12 more days, but who's counting...

I'm realizing I have been quite out of touch with our blog. Dave's written the last few entries, and it's been ages since I've written. This is partly due to the fact that our newest family member is about to arrive soon. Actually it could be any day now, but we'll see. Ben was a couple weeks late, and this one could be as well. I went to the DR this morning and all is well. The heartbeat is strong, and there were no concerns from the DR or myself. So, it's now all a waiting game.

In the meantime we/I have been "nesting," although it feels a lot more like DIY than nesting. For those of you who never had the privilege of visiting our bathroom (loo), you didn't miss much. To describe it is quite challenging, but there was an overwhelming sense of pink, and I mean pepto bismol pink. All four walls and the entire ceiling were painted this "lovely" color. We did not have a shower, just a tub, and our sink was a "lovely" cream and gold glittery swirly design, with gold door pulls. The previous owners had even painted the back of the original wooden doors pink. It made me sick, literally. Well, now it is no longer pink, but blue and white, which is much brighter and fresher. We did remove all the plastic, pink tiles which lined our walls and didn't even match the wall's pepto bismol color. Instead we put up white wainscoating and painted the remainder of the walls blue. We now have a fully functioning shower, complete with a lovely curved shower rod, which makes it all roomy. I'll have to take some photos and post them. Too bad I don't think I have any before shots, for the full effect. So the bathroom is basically done. There are a few minor things to do, but no remaining LARGE projects.

On top of that, we have also been redecorating our kitchen, which is quite retro, but I don't know if you can call it retro when it's all the original 1950s decor. The linoleum is an undescribable design with oranges, olive greens, mustard yellows and cream colors throughout it's cubic patterns. The original stove is in great condition, but still that 1950s golden color. So, now we have painted our previously mustard yellow walls and ceiling a more oatmeally color with a quail egg color to trim out the rest of the room. The flooring and stove still remain the same, for now, but aren't quite such the centerpieces of the room that they once were. It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do! It's also amazing how simply painting the ceiling a different color than the walls can dramatically change the feel of a room.

Besides that, we've just been doing the odd jobs around the house, replacing light switch covers where there hadn't been any for a while, washing the house with a powerwasher, clearing out the basement from yet more of the previous owners "collections", and replacing blinds/curtains. All in all we've been busy here.

Ben is growing like a weed and each day I see him I still can't fully grasp the fact that he's not my baby anymore, but my/our little boy. He really has such a growing personality at the moment. For those of you who don't know, we have been teaching him basic sign language, and I am floored by how well he can communicate with us, even though he only verbally says about 2 words, dog and hot. I've often wondered if teaching him sign has held him back verbally, but the benefits have been so great, plus I know he'll speak understandable words when he's ready. He's such a great kid. I am cherishing every moment with him recently, as I know that at any time they may be our last moments as purely mommy and Benny. So, this past weekend we rode over to Sewickley for our final mommy/Benny date. The Ultimate Pastry Shop was where we chose to pick our breakfast and the scones were lovely - raisin, peach, and cinammon. Then we headed over to Starbucks for a drink to accompany our scones, and finally we ended with a big, long walk through Sewickley, stopping to see the farmer's market and the lovely houses. Plus I was hoping gravity might kick in and start labor, but no such thing.

We'll keep you posted on our newest arrival when he gets here, but for now keep praying all goes well and that little guy comes on his own accord. Thanks.

Will anyone of these guys win the 107 Open?

107 US Open vs. Ezekiel

This past winter my friend and I had full intensions to volunteer for the US Open which is being held only 20 miles from us in Oakmont. It was our plan to take a week long Old Testament course on Ezekiel and then do our PGA duty and help with the Open. Unfortunately when the June term was announced they scheduled our class during the same week as the Open, so we saw our excitement slowly fade away.
On Monday during our lunch break my friend and I were talking about going after class to check out the merchandise tent. During our conversation someone overheard us and offered us tickets for the following day. We were both overjoyed but realized that we could not leave until late in the day after class, but it was better than nothing. Thanks to our professor who graciously allowed us to leave early to catch more of the practice round. Hope you enjoy some of the pictures.

No School, No Work = Vacation

This past week Janelle, Ben, and I took a week to not do anything except hang out with one another as well as some friends and family. I have just finished my spring term and along with that, the Starbucks where I work was closed for the past week for remodeling therefore allowing us to take some vacation time. So we decided that we would travel to the local attractions and check them out, so we went to the zoo, children's museum, parks, petting zoo, and a baseball game.

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy.

Snow days

Snow days are a funny thing. I can remember being a child, listening to the radio from under my covers, and praying our school would be one of those named for cancellations, or at the very least, a 2 hour delay. I remember the joy, the elation, of the handful of times when our school truly was listed. Yet some poor children across this nation and across this globe will never get to experience this joy, as we've realized in our travels. Sheffield had never heard of building snow days into a school calendar, and I remember the day Bev, Sue, and I walked to Fulwood from Walkley in the snow because the cars couldn't travel on the roads, yet still no snow days. Then there was Glendale, where snow had rarely, if ever been seen. There we had heat warnings, where the kids weren't allowed outside for recess if the heat index was too high. And...Charleston, by far, was the most comical. Half and inch of snow, which melted instantly when the sun rose, shut down the entire city and school district.

Now however, I realize I am moving into a new experience with snow days, or we will be over the next few years. Before we know it Ben will be in school and we will be on the flip side of snow days. This time we'll listen to the radio and be praying that his school will not be mentioned in the cancellations. But, there's still time before those days begin. Wednesday was a 2 hour delay for our local school district, while the school 4 miles down the road was cancelled. (How does that work???) Well, that meant our friends the McDonalds had girls at home in need of something to do. So, we bundled up Ben, loaded up Ben, and headed over to the local park, where we went sled riding. (Ben's first sled riding experience)

Ben wasn't too sure what to make of the whole snow deal at first, but once he got his hands into it and went down the hill a couple times, he decided he loved it. (I think he loved Hannah Grace and Ellie pulling him around on his sled the most.)

We loved the snowsuit and sled that he received for Christmas. After sledding, we did what typically seems to happen in households around here, we headed inside for some hot cocoa. Mmmm.

Today, we no longer have any snow, as it's in the 50s and it's all melted away, which I couldn't be happier about. I have spring fever worse than I've ever had it before, even though I'm born and bread in this area. Well, Ben's up now, so I better sign off, but not before I finish posting the photos. Enjoy!!!

Water, Water Everywhere

on Saturday mommy, daddy, and I went to the Y for my first swimming lesson. i had sooo much fun. there were lots of other kids my age, even another Ben, and we were all singing songs and playing games in the water. i like to put my face in the water, but i haven't figured out how to blow bubbles yet like mommy. maybe next time. my favorite part of the class was when we were given rubber duckies. my teacher said we were supposed to toss them and then swim after them. it was so much fun. i also really enjoyed jumping into the pool. the water was really warm and the pool area was so warm daddy's camera got all foggy when he tried to take photos of me and mommy. my teacher also let us go under her "waterfall" which was just a big watering can. some of the kids cried and didn't like it at all. then we had some free time to play with our parents. i'm looking forward to our next swim class. after class, mommy, daddy, and i went to Eat 'N Park for a family breakfast. i love to eat. they gave me sausages, eggs, toast, bananas, marmalade, and some hashbrowns. i also had my first taste of chocolate milk. yummmmmy. when we got home i took a long nap, then woke up and played some before mommy and i went to church. after church we went to see daddy at starbucks and have some dinner with him before i went to bed. it was a good day. i'll see if mommy will post some photos of us swimming.

...And then there were 3

...boys that is. Today we had our 20 week sonogram and discovered we are having another boy. Hurrah!!! I guess I will truly be outnumbered, and as the technician noted... I will NEVER get the remote control again. It's time to get out that baby name book. Hopefully someday we'll be able to use the girl's name we picked a while back. However, now we have 19 weeks to figure out what we'll call our new little one. Feel free to post your suggestions. All is well with our newest little guy.

Speaking of little guys, Ben is walking everywhere now. He's still cruising and crawling, but he LOVES to walk. Thankfully the weather is warming up, and we'll soon be able to take him out for a real walk, but for now the length of the room and the house keeps him satisfied.

Saturday Ben and I begin our first mommy & me swim class at our local Y. It runs for about 7 weeks, and I am really looking forward to it. Ben loves to be in the water, whether it's for a bath, a shower, or a swim. I'm hoping this will boost his confidence so he's ready for the pool this summer.

Dave continues to make coffee and write papers. I swear it's only one REALLY BIG paper that just never gets finished. He keeps telling me I'm wrong, but I think it's just a convenient way to get out of the house for a while.

Here's a photo of "Toad in the Hole," which I made one evening for Travis, Dave, and Ben, as we were craving a British meal. Thank you Naked Chef.

Benjamin's Makeover (Before & After)

What a difference!!!!

Birthday Boys

This past weekend we gathered our family for a celebration in honor of both my boys. It was quite the event as Ben experienced cake, on his own, and opened his presents. He's such a clean, tidy little boy that he never did dig right into his cake, but rather he ate the coconut trim for a while and then very carefully picked at the cake with just two fingers. At one point he even made sure he ate the crumbs out of his bib pocket before moving on to his next piece of cake. The messiest point came when he decided to squish all the crumbs and icing around on his tray with both hands. He seemed to enjoy himself, which was why the cake was made.

Now that he is a year old we were finally "allowed" to cut his hair. This was quite an event as Dave and I tried to be careful not to butcher our son's do. We did learn that giving him Cheerios, while cutting, makes the process go soooo much smoother, but Ben seems to roll with the punches and was very patient with us, thankfully.

Hope you enjoy the photos!!!

November to December 2006

It's hard to believe 2006 has come and gone already. It's also hard to believe that this time last year, we were settling into our new house, enjoying our first holidays in Pittsburgh, getting ready for Dave's first semester at Trinity, and expecting the arrival of Benjamin, as well as cheering on the Steelers to their 5th superbowl.

Since November we have again celebrated the holidays with family near home, with the added bonus of seeing life through Ben's eyes. Thanksgiving was a true feast for our little guy. He tried every food that was put before him, and enjoyed it all. He also fought through his first fever and saw his first snowfall of the season.

December meant the end of another semester for Dave, which was good because we started to forget what he looked like. However, after finals he was home a lot so we were able to go for more family outings. Our favorite outing was going out for Chinese and then to the children's museum with the McDonalds. Ben loves playing with Hannah Grace and Ellie. He also truly enjoyed playing in Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and the floor devoted solely to nursery children.

Ben's first Christmas was also quite fun. We spent a lot of time with all our family and Ben met and played with a lot of people. By our 5th Christmas celebration, Ben seemed to get the hang of tearing open presents, yet he seems to like tissue paper and gift bags more. I guess tissue just makes a lot more noise than paper. We were overwhelmed and blessed with the amount of presents we all received, for which we are very thankful. Ben did receive a sled for Christmas, and as of yet, we have not been able to use that present since the temps here have been in the high 50s for most of the month. Yeah global warming.

We are now getting geared up for the new semester at Trinity and for a couple birthdays here in a few weeks. I'll try to post some updated photos as well.

A bit of Nostalgia

This McDonald's commercial takes me back to when I was very little.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOOGvMSSMAE

Photos from a visit to Pittsburgh

Baby it’s cold outside

This week Pittsburgh saw its first snow flurries. For us, nothing accumulated, but it was exciting/surreal to see it this early on in October. Time to get out those hats and mittens that Ben will be able to fit into this year.

Currently Ben in sleeping, which frees up the time to type. Most of his days are spent cruising around our house. He has moved on from crawling, when near any piece of furniture. He now stands himself up and walks along our couch, fireplace, chairs, beds, rockers, you name it, he’s tried it, yes even the bin (garbage can). He loves people and especially other children, which is good since we are on campus a lot with all the other families. It also helps when we serve at Alpha. Our small group is helping out at St. Philip’s for a little while with their Alpha program and Ben seems to love all the attention from the older children there. They are all sooo good with him, and I’m sure he loves all the snuggles he gets from the adults. Yesterday it was precious to see the other toddlers “looking after him” and making sure he had some toys to share as well. Very sweet.

Reading Week has just ended here at Trinity and that allowed us a different routine than what we normally live. It also allowed Dave to get in his training for shift supervisor at Starbucks. His store has such a great group of people that work really well together. Saturday a lot of us went bowling together, and Dave and I enjoyed our time with them. I especially enjoyed getting to actually chat with his co-workers and bond with them more than my usual, which goes something like, “Grande vanilla latte, please.”

The whole atmosphere at this particular Starbucks is quite different to the others I’ve been accustomed to. I know Starbucks works towards having their stores be the “third place,” but the other stores I’ve frequented never had what this one has. Here everyone knows your name, and not just mine, since I’m a spouse of a co-worker. They know their regulars. They know their drinks. They even name some of the drinks after their regulars. Maybe this is common at a lot of other stores, but not the ones I’ve been to. Maybe it helps that this Starbucks has been in its community for over a decade. I don’t know. I do know that after spending time there, a lot of time there, and observing people that this truly is their 3rd place.

Autumn Arrives

Autumn has clearly arrived in full force here in western PA. However, due to the fact that we had a "dry" summer, the leaves seem to be turning from green straight to brown. Yet some trees are turning their golden yellows, oranges, and reds. I guess we better find/buy a rake.

Classes have been in full swing for about a month and today was a quiet day for all students. Dave's doing very well with his classes and manages to balance home life with work and school. Ben and I have been changing our routines around the house so often that I don't know if it's even worth trying to write a weekly schedule. He's growing and changing sooo much.

Ben now has 2 teeth, the 2nd one just broke thru this morning. He crawls with ease and was quite entertaining yesterday. He began to crawl in a circuit around our living room four times, making sure to stop at every station, everytime. Looking back, today has been quite full... 2nd tooth and he managed to climb all our stairs, with ease. (Being a new mom, I guess I assumed that the stairs would take at least 2 tries, but no, Ben managed to crawl over to them and figure it out on his first go.)

I have been keeping myself quite busy these days. Of course there's always home stuff that needs to be done. On top of that I go to chapel every Wednesday, while Ben enjoys playing with Ellie and others at the nursery. Then we go to coffee/doughnut hour on campus to meet up with the other seminarians and their families. Sometimes I get the privilege of attending Dean's hour as well, without Ben. Thursdays I meet up with some friends in the AM, then head off to a mom's group, followed by family lunch on campus. In the PM, I watch a friend's daughter (6mo.) while she attends class. Then Ben and I head off to the farmer's market. Fridays and Saturdays are generally family days and date nights, depending on when Sbucks needs Dave. Church is Saturday nite and that frees Sunday up for a lie in, finally. Then Monday/Tuesday is back to running errands, cooking batches of food for Ben, laundry, chores...and ends in the evening with TGIT. All in all it's a full week.

We did receive an email, with a fun and addictive game, from a neighbor. I'll put the link here so you can enjoy it as well. Hope it works. And hope I don't wait so long again to update this blog.

just curious

Thought I'd look up some local images and this is what I came across today. Interesting. Crazy to think they launched that on the Ohio River.

Going Mobile

August has been a great month. Weatherwise we left the hot, sticky July days and life began to cool off again. There's a distinct change in the sunshine these days that reminds me that September and fall are just around the corner. This year I love that feeling more than ever. Usually the joy of knowing my favorite season is on its way is tainted slightly by the fact that school is once again starting (as only teachers can understand, for it's a different feeling than starting a year as a student). This year however, no new class, no new school, no new staff, no bulletin boards, no inservice days...nothing...for me that is.

Dave starts round 2 of his time on Trinity's campus, and I think both of us are much better prepared for this semester than the last. This time things are a lot more familiar, and I for one am having a much easier time of getting around. Speaking of getting around...Ben has become mobile. Look out mom and dad!!! We love watching his newfound skill of crawling. I would call it more of a leapfrog inchworm kinda crawling, but it's still effective. The first thing he went for??? the remote control. Guess he's his father's son. He (Ben) also loves crawling towards shoelaces, food, momma, daddy, and cell phones currently. As if that weren't enough, he's also started pulling himself up to a standing position, going from sitting to crawling, rolling over into a sitting stance, and I'm sure a few other things. Life here is definitely changing, and I assume neither Dave or I truly understand just what we're in for now that our child can independently move, but just like with everything else, we seem to adapt with the season we're in.

Baby Ben

DSC00057 (2)
Originally uploaded by janelleanddave.

In honor of Steelers season 2006 beginning, here's a photo of Ben, only 3 days old, getting ready to watch the finish of the 2005 season.

GREEK is OVER!!!!

Monday was Dave's final in Greek, which took 3 1/2 hours, and now it's done. Although there were many tears(yeah right) we found time to celebrate the end of summer languages with Mike, Heather, and the girls. G&Ts were very nice and very cold on a very HOT day here in humidity city. However, with the rain we received, it has turned today into a gorgeous 85. Thank the Lord for breaks in the weather and breaks in terms. Now we have some time to catch up with friends and little "jobs" that we've been putting off for this week and next.

Benjamin continues to grow and change. He turned six months old last week and can sit very well on his own for good periods of time. Ben's still working on crawling, but is so close that we can tell he's frustrated. (He keeps reaching for toys and just about the time he nearly touches them, he flops back on his belly.) Ben continues to try new foods and loves everything so far.

Steeler fever has hit in Pittsburgh, which we started to notice at the Pirates game, when during the rain delay, everyone began chanting, "Here we go Steelers. Here we go." Training camp at St. Vincent's has been underway, and hopefully we'll get a chance to visit there as well, now that our schedule's more flexible. I guess they'll also be changing the Steeler's song this year. I mean we can no longer sing..."this is the year we'll get that one for the thumb."

It will be nice to see the Steelers playing in Glendale's new stadium, as we watched it being built from afar for so long. Once again Dave's will face off against various friends and family members with his NFL fantasy team, The Wanderers. And now we're both facing off against fellow seminarians and family with our fantasy football teams (soccer). It should be good fun.