Noah's Summer Haircut

It was PAST due time for a haircut for this little 3 year old. The last time he got a haircut, I just trimmed around the ears and in the back. The top was getting too long, so I figured it was time for a summer short haircut.

Noah still hates haircuts, which makes them nearly impossible. I usually park him in front of the laptop with JellyTelly.com shows (Bible story mini-videos made by the Veggie Tales people).

Indy Air Show

In mid-May, Jason, Grandpa Gary, Noah and Isaac all headed over to the Indianapolis Air Show. It was fairly good weather though a bit cloudy out.

Jason said that Noah covered his ears and complained that the airplanes and jets were too loud. Poor kid!

Apparently nap time was in order for both Noah and Grandpa Gary!

Noah and Isaac both enjoyed eating ice cream bars.

Memorial Day

For Memorial Day, we celebrated by grilling out at the splash park that is one mile from our house. It was mostly for the kiddos, but we all enjoyed relaxing in the pavilion as well. I am so thankful for such a great family.

House Project: Garage Bike Lift

We are still working on our garage. There are shelves to be purchased and hung and items to be organized. Jason's goal is always to be able to park both cars in our regular-size 2 car garage (no bump out). That's tough with all the bikes and kids toys. So last weekend, Jason worked on this project for several hours to hang our bikes from the ceiling above his car. (And of course, if Daddy is working with tools, Noah has to get in on the action too.)

Happy 0th Birthday, Baby Joshua!

Joshua Paul Kinkead was born on Friday, May 27 at 11:32 am. He is 21.75 inches and 8 lbs 8oz. Everyone is healthy and doing well! This is the first nephew born since I have had our boys. It's so amazing to hold a teeny, tiny baby. Can't wait to hold him some more soon!

glasses

For anyone who read my post about Lost & Found....my glasses showed up a few days ago!

500 Festival Mini Marathon

Half marathon #2 - Done!

Running the 500 Festival Mini Marathon was a very different experience than my first half marathon last fall. First, this half marathon was much, much larger with a crowd of around 35,000 participants. The first mile or two felt like wall to wall people, and I had to run on the sidewalks to have enough space to find my own pace. There were points that people got so bunched up to round a corner they almost had to come to a complete stop. Second, due to the fact that the race hit at this time in our rainy spring this year, I didn't really train for speed and build up the weekly mileage. My longest run was 9 miles, and it wasn't really a continuous 9 miles. Last time I ran 10-15 mile runs at least three or four times before the half marathon. Third, probably because I didn't really train well enough, I had some heart/chest pain during the race. Especially after miles 8 or 9, I had to slow my pace nearly a minute per mile to continue running. I finished with a time of 2:09, nearly the same time as the half marathon I ran in the fall.

At any rate, this race was fun in a lot of ways too. Jason had never run a race this distance, and it was neat to train with him weekly for our long runs. (Granted, he finished the actual race nearly 20 minutes faster than me!) It was also fun to share this experience with Paul and Melody!



Noah enjoyed the fruit popsicles at the Purdue tent at the post race party.

Melody and Jason ran their first half marathons.

Paul and I ran our second half marathons.

My Grandparents

I visited my grandparents recently. I love these folks so much!

What a great example to me and my family of true commitment and a lasting marriage. My grandpa married my grandma in 1948.......63 years ago! Through the good and bad times, the ups and downs of life, they remained committed to one another. They vowed to love one another for the rest of their lives and have so honored their vows. What an amazing legacy of selfless love they leave for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren!

I am blessed to be one of their 18 grandchildren. I hope and pray that I too can leave a similar legacy of commitment for my children and grandchildren.

Isaac's Room

Here's a few pictures of Isaac's room. This little boy had been sleeping in a pack and play for his first year of life. He was excited to upgrade to a real crib!

I have never been one to do a nursery theme since that gets expensive really quickly. But I do like that the colors in his room are generally the same: greens and blues.

Everything in his room was either given to us (the pottery barn rug, the glider chair, wall hanging, airplane shelf, swing, rocking horse, toys, etc) or purchased for a deep discount on Craigslist or Goodwill. We feel very blessed!

Getting ready for bed, the boys love to hang out in Isaac's room and rock on the rocking chair.

Lost and Found

Having small children changes life. Oh, in our pre-parenting days we knew this in theory, but until we live day in and day out with small children we don't realize just how much life changes.

One realization hit me lately. I can be as organized and detailed about my home as possible, but things will probably go missing with a toddler around. My particular small child loves to lose things. Other people's things. Particularly, my things. To name a few in recent weeks, he has lost the dustpan, my car keys, library card and my glasses. I am also blaming him for the missing arm of my breadmaker.

No matter how organized and tidy I keep my own things, it is becoming a common theme that Noah loses my things.

BUT. The good news is that they usually turn up.

The dustpan is a great example. I know they are inexpensive and easily replaced, but I had just bought a new one recently to replace one that had broken. So I figured it would turn up. I proceeded to sweep the floor with the broom and then use the dustbuster to vacuum up the pile of crumbs. Kind of annoying, but a workable solution. I looked everywhere I could think of and complained quite a bit. Two weeks later (while searching for my car keys that Noah lost), I found the dustpan between the wall and the furnace. I rejoiced!

It was an irony that taught me a little life lesson about God.

God knows where everything is. Seriously, he does. Nothing is hidden from his sight. Sometimes we complain that, in our controlling lives, we cannot find what is missing... when God is just waiting for us to trust him. In his timing, it will be found. But waiting and trusting aren't easy.

So, God, I trust you. And, anytime you want to show me where Noah put my glasses would be great!