Brotherly Love

The boys had matching jammies on the other night, and I couldn't help but snap a few pics as we read stories at bedtime.

Finding Time vs. Making Time

Do you have time to read this?

If you read this post, you are making time to do so.

I am no time management expert, but it is a pet peeve of mine when people make excuses like, "I'd love to do that but I don't have time" or "I know I should but I can't find the time."

We all make choices with how we spend our time. Time does not just fall into people's laps. It is not sitting there waiting to be found. Time will pass whether or not you are using it intentionally. Everyone has the same 24 hours to work with, albeit different family, work and social responsibilities to juggle.

Don't wait for things to just happen. If you would truly like to do something and it is important enough, then make the time to do it. You make the time.

2010 Goals Update

In January of this year I set forth a few goals for myself and thought it would be a good exercise for me to write out progress since there are still 10-11 weeks left in the year:

1. Spiritual: Read through the Bible in 1 year.

Update: This goal is going okay. I started the year off strong and was fairly consistent but haven't kept up as well as I would have liked. Now I'm about 55% through the Bible, but we are much farther than that through 2010. Now it's time to kick it up a notch so I can finish out this goal for the first time in my life.

2. Mental: Read at least one other book per month.

Update: I have read well more than 10 books but I've now lost count of the total. Several were during the library's summer reading program. Here are some of my favorites so far this year:

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver

The Generosity Factor by S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-a

Won by Love by Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade

Toddlerwise by Gary Ezzo

3. Physical: Work out at least 2-3 times per week for at least 60 min.

Update: For most of this year (February through June), I have not faithfully completed this goal. I guess I do get a tiny excuse since I had a baby in April. However, I am consistently exercising 3-4 days a week now, and I have been since mid-July. Hurrah for a great goal, mostly accomplished!

4. Financial: Pay off at least half of our remaining student loan balances this year.

Update: We started the year with $12,001 in student debt. We have been very diligent about paying extra on our loan balances, even in the midst of buying a house, moving, and having a baby. Any extra income goes toward our student loans. For Jason's 30th birthday in June, we were able to completely pay off the smaller of the two. At our current rate of payment, we should be in the ballpark of $6500 left at the end of 2010.....I am going to try my hardest to get all the way to $6000 since we are SO close!! And looking ahead, Jason and I are excited that we MIGHT be able to be out of student debt at the end of 2011.

Pumpkins, Festivals, and Fall Fun

Recently we went with friends from MOPS to a nearby farm for the morning to enjoy the sunshine on a hayride, visit a pumpkin patch, and more!

Noah was excited about the "tractor ride" as he called it.



Although it is currently Fall, it felt that day more like Summer due to the strong sunshine!

Noah tests the pumpkins to see how heavy they are. This one, mom?

Maybe I can pick up this one??

This little one is just right!

It's fun playing in the pumpkin patch! Maybe we can pick out a Christmas tree here too?

Isaac and Ian rest in their strollers while their Moms are busy with big brothers.

What is better to drive than a tractor that has already been driven into the ground? I couldn't peel Noah off this thing for quite some time!

Mom, I'm driving!!

Playing on stacks of hay bales with other preschoolers. Noah enjoyed climbing to the top.

Check out this pumpkin tree! Someone put a LOT of time into this!

Last Saturday we went to the Fall Festival at the hospital where Isaac was born. There were fire trucks, ambulances, LifeLine helicopters, and so much more. Here's a helicopter that we toured.

There was quite a line to get inside the helicopter.

Noah's turn to check out the inside of the helicopter. This is right before he refused to get out and made me climb in there after him and chase him to the back of the helicopter! The paramedic was chuckling the whole time. (Thanks, Paramedic. When you have kids, see if you're still laughing!)

The Fall Festival also had a variety of animals, including Noah's favorite, the llamas!

Checking out a rabbit. Noah was reprimanded by the owner for poking the rabbit's eyes. Nice job, Noah.

It's getting closer to Noah's naptime...can you tell??

Finally, he just fell asleep in his stroller as we were leaving.

The church where I attend MOPS has a Fall Festival every year also, and we enjoy going to taste the chili and let Noah jump through the bouncey houses.

Grandpa Gary showed up somehow too!

Noah and Grandpa Gary waiting for the spooky hayride to start.

Why I Like Running

Recently I was asked if I am a runner. I hesitated for a moment as I contemplated this term, but then answered, "I am now."

Five and a half months ago I gave birth to our second son. Three and a half months ago I tested the waters back into exercise as I participated in a 5K, and I was proud of myself for trying to run at times during the race. I wondered if I could run a 5K without any walking, so I persevered through a few weeks of training and ran the entire 5K! Since then I have been hooked on running. I have logged nearly 200 miles in the past three months.

Why do I like to run?

I like to run because it makes me feel alive. While I have never been much of an athlete and I am by no means a naturally competitive person, running has pushed me to challenge myself to new levels. Tracking my progress has motivated me to go farther and go faster. While I am not the fastest runner out there, I have learned that I can go my own pace and be healthy and conditioned.

The time alone is truly relaxing, though I am certainly not alone when I run. Running has provided me many hours to spend worshiping God by listening to uplifting music and in prayer as I run through God's beautiful creation. I love taking in the sights---the birds, ponds, trees, fields, flowers, sunsets, sunshine, rain, and on the list rolls.

Running is full of variety, which is another reason I like to run. The scenery, people, and weather conditions vary, but so do the runs themselves. I love starting out easy and then running intervals as fast as my legs will go. Sometimes I like to push myself and run a shorter distance at a harder speed. And I have certainly surprised myself with how much I enjoy running slow, long distances where the miles just tick off one after another.

There are other reasons I like running. It's cheap or free, it doesn't require a gym membership, I like achieving goals, and it's amazing to build endurance. I can't complain about the side effects of building muscle and losing baby weight either! :) And as a mom who takes care of others all day, it feels great knowing I am doing something good for myself.

As I train my body to run my first half marathon in just 24 days, I am confident that I will do a great job. Even if that means I just "run to finish" without concern for a finishing time. A half marathon is something I never would have dreamed that I would actually WANT to run. I know that I have inspired myself to continue to pursue health and fitness for myself and for my family, and I know that if I can run, ANYONE can too.

Weekend Project: the Kitchen Faucet

Jason spent many hours working on replacing our leaky kitchen faucet. Here are a few pics (sorry for the bad quality).

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I love the new faucet. It has the pull-down sprayer and can switch to have a spray stream. Jason and I enjoy the fact that we are making our place a little more "our own" as we do small projects like this.

Trip to Connor Prairie

Our family visited Connor Prairie during the annual free day in September. It was so much fun to get out into the sunshine and see all of the animals, old homesteads, and try to imagine life a few hundred years ago. When I saw a fireplace in every room (just to keep warm in the winter!) I decided I most definitely would have failed the pioneer life. Plus I can't imagine having to grow or raise everything that we eat. That sounds like way too much work, especially at the rate that I kill plants. Jason, on the other hand, would have made a great homesteader. He enjoyed gazing at the open fields down the hill from one of the houses and imagining a more peaceful life at a slower pace.


Isaac takes in the scenery from his vantage point in the stroller.

An old blacksmith shop, where Noah was mesmerized watching the glowing embers. I think he loved that the blacksmith got to bang iron rods to do his work!

Noah was especially happy to visit the animal barns, where he checked out the goats, cows, sheep, horses, and even baby chicks.

This is the first year that either of these two fellows visited Connor Prairie. :)

Noah "rides" the wooden horse in the animal barn.

I found this sign pretty interesting. I had heard most of these names but never knew exactly why the name was used.

We finished out the trip with a stop at the Apple Store for a fresh apple dipped in hot caramel sauce and topped with crushed peanuts. I would have posted a picture of it also, but I couldn't take one before it was devoured! :)

Video: Isaac laughing - 4 1/2 months

So cute to see the little guy laughing! Aunt Jill played peekaboo one day with Isaac, and it was so fun to see him giggle. I managed to capture a little clip of him laughing! :)

Video: Isaac after a nap

Here is a little clip of Isaac a few days ago after his nap. He's such a happy kid. Noah usually enjoys helping get Isaac up from his nap.

September...past time for an update!

It is definitely time for an update to this blog.

It is now September, and our little baby Isaac is no longer so little anymore. He is going on 5 months old now, and such a genuinely happy child. He's definitely a spitter, and between bibs, burp cloths, and multiple outfits each day, he alone creates nearly a load of laundry every couple of days. To say that having Isaac has increased our laundry is an understatement! He is growing though, because he was about 17 1/2 lbs at his 4 month checkup. The doctor said he is in the 90th percentile in height and weight.

Noah is still a helpful big brother, but at 2 1/2 he is now quickly morphing from destructive toddler to productive preschooler. I see the wheels in his little mind turning more and more all the time. He is very curious and he loves to chat about anything and everything. Noah is very obsessed with anything construction-truck related, and as a side effect I am well educated on the many aspects and functions of bulldozers, motor graders, dump trucks, backhoes, and the like!

Meanwhile I, the Mom, of course am keeping very busy between part-time work, Mops, errands, playdates, and the fun stay-at-home stuff like laundry, dishes, and the housework! Let's not forget that Isaac is still exclusively nursing, but that is not time-consuming at all. :) Adding in to the mix is training for a half-marathon in November! Thank goodness that Jason is willing to keep an eye on the boys during weeknights that I run!

Jason is the king of a balanced life. I am impressed with his ability to manage his work schedule, time with his little boys, house projects and yard work, exercise/sports, volunteering with the youth group, friends, reading boring-looking textbooks for work, and of course, spending time with his wife. :) He claims he doesn't have it all figured out, but I am thankful that he does such a good job anyways.

More specific updates and photos to come soon.