A Huge Blessing... A Second Car!

Hebrews 13:5-6
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

This year our family has strived to live frugally to say the least. We are determined to live under our means of one income, being careful stewards of the resources that God has blessed us with. In a culture of immediate gratification, many times we do find it difficult to be patient. To save. To wait. To save. To wait....to slowly save for something over many months. Sometimes it is hard in our human desires to see others live lives of luxury, and twinges of envy creep into our hearts. But then we stop and realize just how blessed we are. We are so very thankful for what God has done. We have wonderful family, food, clothing, a roof over our heads, and healthy bodies. The rest is just "stuff."

All of that is to say, among many other frugal decisions, we spent the last year using one vehicle as we patiently saved for a second one and searched for a good deal. Though a second vehicle is not entirely necessary since Jason does use a motorcycle, as the cold weather nears and I am picking up more work hours at the gym, it is becoming increasingly difficult to share one car.

And this week we were surprised and thrilled to be able to purchase that second vehicle. Though it is far from new and certainly has seen a share of miles, it is everything Jason was looking for and more. (Including the fact that it is a stick shift and gets 36 miles to the gallon!)

We praise God for His faithfulness to us! And we are encouraged to continue striving to be good stewards with God's resources.

Why You Shouldn't Feed Ravioli to a Toddler

Noah looked like this after eating ravioli for lunch the other day....

Swimming!

We went swimming last weekend at the pool in Cicero with my family. The local pool there has a baby pool and a regular pool, but we mostly played in the baby pool. We determined that it is time to get some arm floaties for Noah!



Jason and Noah in the big pool!

My sister Christine with our nephew Benjamin.

Noah enjoying the cold water on a very hot day.

Everyone was so tired afterward, we all went home and slept!

Fun at the State Fair

We picked up Jason early from work and went to the State Fair on Wednesday. We had picked up a few papers on Monday with free tickets for the fair entrance. Here Noah was reading the fair program to decide what we should do first.



We went to Little Hands on the Farm, where little kids can experience the whole process of farming. Noah got to wear a little apron and get a basket to collect things through the process. First he got to take some corn and soybeans to put in his basket and feed the animals.

Then he planted some seeds in the garden and collected some fully grown (fake) vegetables.

Noah got to ride a mini tractor around the farm. All of the kids were given these green hats too!

"Shearing" the sheep....really just brushing his fake coat.... After he did this, he got to collect a piece of real wool to put in his basket. We skipped the station for milking the cows because there was such a long line!

Putting all of his leftovers back in the bins at the end. He got to collect a fake dollar and go shopping in the store. At the store he bought a string cheese with his dollar! =) It was definitely fun for us and him.

In a different exhibit, Noah played with toys in the corn.

Here he is with second cousin Kirsten, whose family we ran into at the fair. (In the background you can see Jason sitting and talking to his cousin Stephanie.)

Having fun in the play area at the same exhibit.

What would the fair be without a share of fried food? Jason insisted on the barbecue chips or whatever they were.

Noah and I shared a frozen custard from the Dairy Barn (which also refilled his sippy cup of milk for free!) Noah definitely enjoyed the ice cream!!

We ended the night by listening to a bit of the Jeremy Camp concert going on in the grandstand.

Video: Playing in Puddles

I wanted to post this video of Noah splashing and playing in the puddles last night. During a scattered shower, I took Noah out to the garage to watch it rain. He ran right out into the rain fully clothed and eventually we stripped his clothing and let him run around in his diaper. As the rain let up, he discovered the puddles!

17 months old

Noah is 17 months old today. He now weighs an even 27 pounds, and I have started making him walk more often since he is so heavy (and such a good walker!). The doctor had said at his last checkup that he is in the 90% percentile for height and 60% for weight. Sounds like tall and skinny like daddy! Noah is entirely in 2T and 24 month clothing (which he seems to try to destroy rather quickly by staining them...good thing Shout is so awesome!)



Noah loves reading books every day, and he calls every animal a "dog." He is talking a little more now, and he definitely understands more too. Noah understands conversation like, "Go get your shoes" and "Where is your milk?" He will help pick up his food off the floor if I ask him to help me, and he loves pushing the laundry basket to wash the clothes. During the day if I ask him "Where's Daddy?" he runs to the window looking for Jason on the motorcycle. He also points to many parts of his face/body when we ask him to find them. He just started saying "please" using baby sign language, and I hope to teach him "thank you" and "more" in the next week or so. Jason and I both feel like Noah is a learning "sponge" right now....just soaking up new words and information.

Favorite foods are hot dogs, balogna, chicken nuggets, cheese slices, pasta, bananas, tomatoes, strawberries, grapes, watermelon, apples, cereal bars, french fries (uh-oh), ice cream (double uh-oh). He won't have much to do with some vegetables, but we are working on that.

Happy 5 Years to us

Jason and I enjoyed celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary yesterday on August 7. We have shared many memories in our five years of marriage... among which include:

traveling to 6 countries

living in 5 houses/apartments

moving to 4 cities

changing 3 jobs

claiming residency in 2 countries

and having 1 baby boy

I love you Jason Wayne! You are my best friend and soul mate. You are one of a kind, and I am so glad God brought our lives together! We have shared so much together already, and I look forward to seeing what else God has in store for us in the future.

Just Like Daddy

Jason often enjoys reading the newspaper.

And since Noah is a little copycat now, here is what we get.

Too cute!

A Day at the Zoo

On Saturday we took a day trip to the Indy Zoo. It was pretty crowded due to the day of the week, but nevertheless we were able to see almost all of the zoo. We ate lunch outside the front gate, and Noah proceeded to fall asleep in his stroller as soon as we entered the zoo! You can see him sleeping here.

It was a hot afternoon, but we still got some good views of various animals such as this giraffe.

Noah typically takes a two hour afternoon nap, and that day was no different. He missed seeing all of the forest animals as well as the plains animals. (So much for all of that time beforehand showing him pictures of wild animals in his picture books.) He did wake up in time to see the snakes and lizards in the desert biome.

Jason really enjoyed seeing the rhinocerous splash in the mud. These animals are so much larger in person than in a picture!

Finally, Noah is awake. We watched the walrus swimming in the water, and Noah really liked that. We proceeded on to the oceans to see the fish. There was a new addition of a "touch a shark" area where kids can actually pet the small sharks swimming by. Noah had to be pried away from the shark tank. Soon we had to pry him away from the penguins. (I love watching the penguins too, Noah!)

Noah gets to ride on Grandpa Gary's shoulders.

Noah got to pet several different farm animals in the petting zoo. He called every one of them "dog" too. (One of these days he'll catch on that not all animals are dogs.)

We finished the afternoon at the splash park in the zoo. Noah squealed with delight as the cool water sprayed him from various tubes and gadgets. I was pleasantly surprised to see his bravery at going into / near the water. The last time we visited a splash park, he wanted nothing to do with it. Of course, when you pair a running child wearing crocs with wet concrete, inevitably a fall will happen. Grandpa Gary soon fixed the teary eyed Noah and bloody lip with a nice, cold ice cream cone.

It was definitely a fun time had by all.

Melody & Andrew 7.18.09

The Wedding of Melody & Andrew

July 18, 2009

The happy couple

This is what I get when I ask my nephews to smile for a picture.

My older sister Jill and me

My immediate family... all 19 of us...

Noah got all dressed up for the wedding too!

My sister-in-law Ellen

Where is the bride?

Pretty purple dresses for the bridesmaids

Outdoor pictures have the best lighting!

Noah playing in the bubbles

First dance as husband and wife

Luke & Jason, brothers in law

All of the Rosenberger girls at the reception...

What a beautiful and happy day for Melody and Andrew! This is the last of the family weddings for a while, after having three within 12 months. We are so happy that our family is so huge. The fun never ends!

Summer Fun: 4-H Fair, Swimming & Random

We had lots of fun checking out the animals in the 4-H fairgrounds. Noah enjoyed the rabbits, chicks, and goats... but he was definitely scared of the pigs and a little scared of the horses too.



Katy did teach him how to say "horse" while they were looking at the horses.

He loved trying to reach in to pet the goats. It's cute how he squats down to get on their eye level.

Hanging out. Katy, Me, Ellen, and Melody...ironically only of which Ellen has the actual Rosenberger name...

Katy and Noah at the swimming pool in West Lafayette. Noah loved the slide and the water, and he did a good job keeping his jacket on.

Ellen and Noah.... why does it look like he is pushing out of this hug?

The Nica-style motorcycle...everyone on board and no helmets! The only thing missing is a tiny baby. Of course, in actuality Jason did take only me around the block for my first ride on the bike but we both had helmets on.