like flies.

people are dropping like flies around here!

Jared woke up sick this morning. 

Brennan and I returned from running our errands around lunch time, and found Jared's car in the driveway.

People may think that it is easy to go to work and power through a cough and runny nose.

Once you put that cough and runny nose behind a mask, it gets gross pretty quickly.

He had gotten a few cases finished this morning and then had to call it quits.

Brennan had woken up around 3 am and needed to snuggle. I brought him into our room and after he fell asleep (around 4:30) I put him in his pack and play that is still in our room. He woke up happier than he has in days and acted like he didn't even need to go to the doctor! I took him anyway because I know that he has something that is going to need a good kick in the pants medicine.

It was a good thing I took him. By the time of his appointment, his fever was back. He was happy as ever and flirting with our Swedish doc.

She asked me if he had any change in bowel movements...at that precise time he filled his diaper so she could see for herself! hahaha.

She confirmed what I already knew. Slight ear infection coupled with a chest infection. Antibiotics were headed our way.

When we got home, he wanted to play for a little bit.

Then he decided that he absolutely did not want to play. He needed extra hold me time and I won't turn that down. We settled in and watched Baby Einstein. Baby Einstein makes everything better.

So here is to my two sick boys and hoping I don't get it again!

disdain.

Brennan slept alone in his room again last night. I figure that he probably sleeps better in there than he does in our room...but man...I miss him!

When we get him to sleep, we put him to bed in his room and then sometimes move him into our room before we go to bed. It was warmer in his room last night than it was in ours so I left him there. Around 6 this morning, I could hear him up so I gladly went to get him!

Today we went grocery shopping as a trial run for how he would feel for our tea/coffee date later in the afternoon. He did great there but was still coughing and sneezing. I'm taking him back to the doctor tomorrow so they can re-evaluate now that it's progressed a little bit.

I got home from the store and Jared's birthday present came by the courier. I put it in the living room intending to move it later. I knew I had to hurry and put the groceries away because we had to leave in a little bit. For some unknown reason, I decided that I MUST clean out and organize the pantry before I put anything away.

Here I am sitting in the kitchen floor with Brennan. As soon as I pull something out, he has it rolling around in the floor. Picture chaos. Fun chaos.

I looked at the time and we had to go! I couldn't be late and make a bad first (second actually) impression. I wasn't bothered by the mess I was leaving, because I figured I would have time to clean it up once I got back.

I snuggled Brennan in the stroller with our gift of chocolate chip caramel slice and took off down the street. We went to see our friend Morrie. I asked her how to spell her name and she said you spell it Marie but you pronounce it like Morrie. This was good considering the fact that I called her that.

She told me not to take Brennan out of the pushchair (stroller) because he looked comfy but to just bring it in. I asked if she was sure, but I did what she said. I had cleaned the wheels so it wasn't really that big of a deal but I typically leave it outside out of respect.

We sat and talked for a long time. She got out some old school toys for Brennan to play with. 

We are talking a wooden abacus here people!!! 

There were lots of cool stories that she had to share.

We talked about her husband and her daughters, travels and grandchildren.

About an hour into our visit, she got up to make some tea.

She set the table with the most beautiful embroidered tea cloth. I complimented it and she said that one of her bridesmaids had single stitch embroidered it for her in 1952. She set a feast of cookies and muffins before us and put our tea into perfect china cups with two matching plates. I felt very high class and so welcomed!

The door bell rang and it was her grandson, daughter and son-in-law.

I introduced myself.

Good feeling gone.

Her daughter eyed me up. I think she was certain that I was some sort of con and that I had rented Brennan for a few hours to make a good story.

She said 'Oh, so you must be the girl that walks up and down the street.'

I smiled sheepishly.

I thought it may be inappropriate to crack a streetwalker joke at that moment.

She looked into the living room and said, 'and that must be YOUR pushchair...inside.'

I explained that her mom didn't want me to leave it outside.

She explained to me that her son was leaving for England in a few hours and he needed to spend some time with his grandmother before he left.

As much as I tried to excuse myself and head home, Marie wouldn't have it.

An air of disdain for me, the stranger, was hanging in the air but Marie was quickly trying to wash it away with china cups and tea cakes.

We sat at the table and got to know each other. I even garnered a hint of a smile! Brennan's charms weren't even melting this lady though. I knew it was time for me to depart!

I excused myself with overflowing thanks for the time they shared with me. Marie made sure to walk us to the door and asked me to come back again soon. She was delighted to get to know us even better and looked forward to more visits.

I walked home thanking the Lord all the way. He just gave me THREE more people to get to know!

All I have to do is convince them that I am not a con artist. That should be easy, right? :)

When I got home...Jared's car was in the drive.

AH!!! Remember how I left the house? A SHAMBLE!

By the time I got in and got Brennan laid down for his nap, I realized that Jared had not only seen the disruption of the kitchen, he had discovered his birthday present in the middle of the living room as well!

The look on his face was priceless. When he got home:

he saw the kitchen + my car in the driveway+ Brennan and I were gone= someone must have broken in.

so naturally, he laid down to take a nap. haha.

He knew it wasn't a break in but couldn't believe the house looked like that.

If only he knew that the house looks like that EVERYDAY until about 45 minutes before he comes home.

I feel extremely blessed today and very, very thankful.

Brennan is camped out in his room for another night.

I moved him because I felt he would sleep better and he went right back to booty in the air position! Here's hoping that we all sleep well.

Goodnight!

mandarin.

Little one was so miserable today. He's got a runny nose. a cough, little fever and teeth coming in.

We skyped with Grammie J and Saba to see if that would make him feel better and it did! He slept all but 4 hours today.

He tried mandarin oranges for the first time today at dinner and tore them up! I used to love them as a kid too so I am sure he gets it from me. :) After he ate dinner, he felt like playing so we let him jump while we finished eating. It was so good to see him happy again! He is such a happy kid and never cries or complains. I can't stand it when he is upset because he doesn't feel good.

Pardon the nakedness, he had covered himself in oranges previous to this shot.

Tomorrow, we are going to Morrie's house for the first time. I hope Brennan's feeling better so that we can go. If he isn't, I am still going to drop some sweets by her house and reschedule. Keep that in your prayers!

At the end of this month, my dear friend Erin and her husband are moving over to start working with the Porirua mission work here! I cannot express to you how amazing she is. I am sure you will hear a lot about her in the near future! 15 days!

peepshow.

Surely there are days in every woman's life where they are walking down a busy street and their diaper bag catches the bottom of their dress. This causes a 'rising' action and they accidentally flash pantyhose and undies to traffic.

 

I can say today was my day.

and it took me about 2 full blocks before I realized the draft was more severe than previously thought.

I laughed hysterically at myself for about 3 more blocks.

oh well...at least I have a cute kid. (a little fuzzy, but cute.)

two for one.

Yesterday was such a busy day and night that when I got home a little before midnight, I hit the highlight with the picture of my baby boy swinging for the first time!

We had a few things that we needed to get done in town yesterday morning. I needed to order some new glasses which I am quite excited about. They won't be for everyday wear, just a back up pair. It will give me a chance to rest my eyes from my contacts though. Since it was an absolutely gorgeous day, we hung out the laundry and walked to the Plaza.

On the way there, a nice man talked to us as we passed. He was telling me that he had two ten month old twins. I kept walking and then thought I could turn around and ask him if he would like to bring his twins to our baby Bible class.

I turned around and realized that he had gone into the public restroom by the park. Did I wait for him to come out of the bathroom? Absolutely. haha.

Turns out he is interested in church. He gave me his wife's number so that I could call her and invite her. She has a lot of trouble seeing so he said he could drop her off or we could pick her up. Hopefully, within the next week, we can get a meeting set up! I obviously won't go by myself to meet her...I am optimistically cautious. :)

We spent some time swinging at the park and Brennan loved it. In case you didn't see it yesterday...

Isn't he adorable?!

On the way home that afternoon, we stopped by Morrie's house to see if we could come by next week for a cup of tea. We have stopped in a few times but she wasn't home. This time, she was! We are getting together next Tuesday (only day she had free), and she seemed very excited about it! I know that I am.

 Brennan fell asleep in the stroller as he normally does. He's holding his smartphone teether that I got from my friend Carolyn's shop. Isn't it cute?!

He slept for a while in the stroller after we got home and woke up just in time to skype with my dad. I am so lucky to have a dad like him. Brennan just smiles and laughs. I think he can feel the love even through skype.

Jared got home and said that there was a work get together for a friend of ours who is moving on to a different opportunity. We hadn't seen her in a while so we headed over to hang out for a little bit. I had marriage class at 7:30 so we didn't get to stay a very long time.

One of our youth group kids is staying with us this weekend. He, Brennan and Jared dropped me off at class and had a boy's night.

Our class was great and we stayed for a while afterward chatting. We laughed and laughed as we do.

Like I said I got home around midnight. Brennan had a fever when I checked on him before bed. None of us slept too well. Jared actually got up for a few hours and worked on some things because he couldn't go back to sleep. We got up early this morning and went into the practice do some work for a friend. She watched Brennan while I got some dental work done as well. This was the first time that it wasn't just a cleaning. There is nothing like letting your husband inject you in the gums. :)

Brennan and I took a much needed nap this afternoon. We spent the evening just hanging out and getting things ready for church tomorrow.

Brennan has had a fever of and on all day but seems to feel better now. Feel free to keep him in your prayers!!

He's been asleep awhile...and I am going to join him! Good night!

it's a bird...

Superman took flight today.

 

That is all. :)

treasure.

arrrgh...me maties...I found the treasure!!

Brennan and mommy played pirates today.

I took this picture this morning and thought about how much I treasure this little man.

I talked with my best friend today! It was a much needed and long overdue conversation. With Brennan napping across the dateline and her chasing around two with one on the way...it gets a little crazy. We pick up right where we left off and it really makes my heart full to talk to her. We never have to talk about anything important but we usually do. She is the kind of person that doesn't boast at how good of a Christian she is...she shows you. She is one of the hardest working, creative and compassionate moms I know.

With her and my sister-in-laws by my side...I would say I have any other lady beat in the lifetime friend department.

Today, we talked about some of our friends who have recently had babies. There are some who went through quite a bit to deliver, some that delivered flawlessly and some who have had many struggles with babies being born way too early. It made me think even more about how much I treasure every moment with Brennan. Even when I am struggling to talk on skype with friends because he needs something, I wouldn't change a thing. Some people would give anything to be interrupted by their babies one more time.

I treasure the snuggles and hugs, the good morning smiles and bath time giggles. The moments when we play outside and the shrieks of delight heard by every neighbor. I even treasure the moments that I trip over toys or change a diaper...again.

I thought about Matthew 6:19-21.

¹⁹ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

²⁰ But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Lucky for me, I can lay up treasures in Heaven by treasuring my little man. I may not be able to give him material things all the time, but I can give him a knowledge of my Savior. God gave him a soul and it is my job to get it back to God. Each time I speak to him about God, sing him church songs, read him Bible stories, share with him in God's creation...I truly believe I am building treasures. I am building what will one day become a strong Christian man who hopefully will give his life to building treasures for God.

I could lose my house, my car, my clothes, my food and even my life...but the treasures I invest in my soul and the souls of others are being stored up in Heaven and can't be taken away!

reset.

Brennan and I haven't been sleeping extremely well for the past few days. We both have a cough and ear aches. We took him to the doctor on Sunday and so he is working through it the best he can. He actually doesn't wake at night, it is just harder for him to breathe and he coughs quite a bit. You can imagine when he coughs, I wake up to make sure he is okay.

Last night, I woke up every hour.

This morning, it makes sense that I was tired.

It wasn't just Brennan though, I dreamed about Planet of the Apes, snowmen and Horizons bible camp. I have no idea where any of these ideas came from but I felt like I could not turn off my brain.

Today I was in a sort of rough mood. Shorter temper than other days. I spent part of the morning outside

and part of the morning cleaning. Then, we had an appointment with Brennan's PAFT instructor in the afternoon. Brennan had a nap and woke while she was here. After our meeting, we went to the grocery store. We usually do that in the morning but our timing was a bit off.

Brennan was not happy to be in the grocery store. He didn't cry or scream, he just growled a lot. haha. I hurried through and got home. He fell asleep in the car so I laid him down again. I didn't think he slept long enough in the first place. Without a solid sleep last night, I knew he would need more today.

I say all that to say this...

All day, I had felt a little overwhelmed for no apparent reason.

My short fuse was being felt by Brennan, I am sure. Even though I didn't get mad at him or anything, he senses tension easily.

I could not figure out what was wrong, other than being tired.

I walked in the office to print something and got my answer.

Sitting on the table and staring at me from last night was my Bible.

I had forgotten to study!!!

I normally study while  eat breakfast but I was feeding Brennan as I was eating this morning.

I knew something was off with me.

A few months ago, I literally could have gone months without opening my Bible outside of services. It was good to know that not studying could effect my mood so heavily. I say 'good' because I could do something about it!

Brennan was asleep, so I sat down and studied for a while.

I had groceries that needed to be put away and dinner that needed to be cooked.

More than any of that, I needed to hang out with God for a little bit.

You know what?

That little amount of time I spent with God, completely reset my attitude.

I was back on top by the time Jared got home and we had a good meal and fun family time.

If there are days where you can't figure out what is bothering you, take it to God and He will provide the reset you need!

shark!

Pretty sure I got nothing done today.

I blame Shark Week.

I can watch it online here and so I spent the better part of my day watching to see if there is or is not enough evidence to conclude the existence of a Megalodon.

I didn't even get my phone charged so the only picture I have of Brennan from today is on Jared's phone.

I did get my haircut, have dinner with my in-laws and leave church early because Brennan was WAY overtired and not happy.

But as far as productiveness...I fed it to the sharks.

pahhhhty poopa

every paahhhty has a poopa, that's why we invited you...George Banks...that's you! I used to LOVE singing this song in a dutch accent and imitating pretty much anything that Martin Short does on Father of the Bride part 2.

This house is down the street from ours and every time I see it, I tell Jared it looks like the house from Father of the Bride! I can see a slight resemblance.

I have looked from afar and told Jared that I would LOVE a house like that someday...when we have enough extra to pay someone to clean it. (Therefore, we will never purchase this house because I am too stingy). It's really close to the road on a busy street and looks like it has almost no land with it. I walk by it often and think about how much I love it. Well the other day, I was doing my weekly real estate snoop and guess what is on the market?! 

 THIS HOUSE!!! (click here to see pictures) It has an enormous English garden in the back and is absolutely to die for gorgeous! It also says price by negotiation which means I would have to sell both kidneys.

Oh well. Actually, the more property I look at-the happier I am right where we live.

 Our day was pretty run of the mill which was so nice. We managed to squeeze in some tub toy play time in before dinner. Those eyes....

tugboat.

I remember the day.

Talent show...1995.

My friend Katie and I had decided to participate in the Crossville Elementary talent show.

Unfortunately for me, we decided not to practice beforehand.

Sweaty palmed, I grabbed the mic and took my place center stage.

 I wish I could tell you that the light shone and the crowd cheered as I sang a rousing rendition of 'Colors of the Wind' or better yet 'I will always love you' by Whitney Houston.

Oh no no...

The song we chose was P-I-A-N-O. It's to the tune of B-I-N-G-O.

She was going to play piano and I was going to sing.

The piano began and so did I.

What were the lyrics you may ask?

I don't know.

I have mentally blocked it out and even the internet seems to want to forget that moment because I can't find the lyrics.

All I remember is the chorus.

'P-I-A-N-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo!' I howled.

'P-I-A-N-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo!'

'P-I-A-N-OOOOOOOOOO and Johnny played pianoooooooooooo!!!!!'

I came to the full realization that the nervous breathing added to the fact that I sounded like a tugboat coming into harbor.

The look on people's faces told me they were begging for me to mercifully scratch my nails down a chalkboard instead of continuing with another verse.

and that was the day.

The day I vowed that I would never sing in front of more than one person by myself.

For the last 18 years, I would hum quietly in the car when others would sing or sing so crazy and over the top that people would know that couldn't be my "real" voice. I chose to play air guitar instead of trying to really hit that note in Freebird.

I only broke my rule a few times.

In college, my roomates and I snuck up onto the roof of our dorm to sing.

I know that is technically against the rules, but we did it to sing church songs...so that evens out right?

When I met Jared, I didn't like singing in the car with him. I just knew that if he found out how I REALLY sounded...he wouldn't like me so much. I love Bohemian Rhapsody...no one sings that song in their real voice.

One day a few months after we got married, he told me what a beautiful voice he thought I had. He said that he liked that I didn't try to sing over everyone and have a solo. I thought..."Oh I love to sing solo...so low you can't hear me!"

He said that he thought my voice may be meant for a microphone...(I quickly corrected him and shared the above story with tugboat sound effects). But I thanked him for his compliment.

When I had Brennan, I was afraid that my voice may not be that soothing to him so I didn't sing a lot when I first had him. One particular day, I was talking to my best friend Allison on Skype. Her little girl was telling me what songs they sing before they go to bed. She reminded me of a song I loved in college called "He's Sweet I Know". That night as I was putting Brennan to bed, I started slowly singing it to him. I would stop every few words and see if he was crying. He wasn't. In fact, he smiled. He smiles every time I even start that song.

Today, I conquered one of my greatest fears and broke my promise I made all those years ago.

I sang by myself in front of more than one person.

I taught my first baby class.

You know what?

When class was over, they had smiles on their faces!

They were patting the Bible with reckless abandon!

They were enjoying my singing and learning about God!

I am so relieved that they won't need therapy after attending my Bible class today. I am so thankful that God loves my voice no matter what and that He has given me an opportunity to overcome my own fears in teaching others about Him.

It may be a small fear to you...but it's a huge victory for me!

and if you see Brennan patting the Bible, you will probably hear me singing the song right along with him!

rush artist.

5 km walk started off our day today. Brennan stayed bundled up as normal but I really should have put something over my ears! We walked with a group of ladies that is raising money for breast cancer. I met two ladies today and had really good conversations. They both mentioned that they are searching for well-being in their mind, body and soul but they feel they are lacking in the soul part. It just so happens I know a God for the job! It was cool to meet so many friendly women. They walk every Saturday so I will get to see them a lot. I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for connections in that group!

I felt like I was rushing all morning. I was running around trying to get things ready for our friends who are staying the weekend and I had made plans with the girls this afternoon. We decided to go out for coffee instead of the high tea. We did do some spying though and after seeing the set up, we decided coffee at Cafe Cuba was going to be way more fun! I don't know if they could have handled all of the laughter in a proper high tea.

Lance and Kristen came to spend the night and work on some things for our new church website. Here is a picture of the 'meeting of the minds.' Kent, Jared and Lance all simultaneously working on the website!

 We had my aunt Jody's famous lasagna for dinner. Kristen brought AMAZING rolls...the likes of which will never leave my house alive. Lance's baptism birthday was yesterday so we had a little cake in honor of that. Kent brought Tim Tams...we were covered in the dessert section!

Kristen and I got a really good chance to talk and I really enjoyed that. She is really great. I wish we lived closer but I am so glad that New Zealand brought us together! 

This is a picture of Brennan I took tonight that makes him look like he is a sumo wrestler.

 Look at that sweet little grin...man he is cool.

I don't often mention the things that Jared does for me. Today; he let me sleep in, unloaded the dishwasher, watched Brennan while I went to coffee and fed Brennan his dinner. I know I don't deserve to be with a man of his quality, but I sure am glad I am!

sold out.

Brennan is one exhausted little dude. He has been cuddled up beside me snoring since we got home from cleaning the church building with the youth group!

He has had a big day today. He tried avocado for the first time with his toast at lunch. He LOVED it!

You can't even really see the avocado in his hand, but isn't he handsome?!

We got to talk to Grammie J and Saba for a little bit at lunch. When I went to open his mouth to show them his teeth, he burped right in my face! We laughed for a while about that!

Tonight we had lemon herb chicken and roasted veggies (parsnips, kumara and oca) I took a picture of them because I doubt many have seen an oca. Not okra...lol. Oca is a New Zealand yam. 

Some tange in size from the length of a finger to even shorter. Brennan's bottle cap is in the background to give you a size reference. They are pretty tasty and I was excited to cook with them. I definitely know what to do different next time, let's put it that way! ;)

My event tomorrow with the girls was going to be a high tea with Alice Arndell who is a judge on a baking competition show here. Unfortunately, they have been sold out for a month and we just found out today. We will still go out for coffee and maybe even wear our tea gloves and hats! :)

We spent the evening with the youth group cleaning at the church building. They are absolutely awesome. They are so much fun to be around and they work hard too. Our pews are actually shiny!! Haha!

I am very thankful that Brennan will be influenced by them.

I am also very thankful it is bedtime!

We have a full day tomorrow and dear friends coming to spend the night tomorrow night!

budget buster

I need a budget envelope for 'crazy secondhand outfits I can't seem to live without.' It never fails that the instant I walk into a secondhand store, some sort of atrocious outfit asks me to take it home!

This morning, I was planning to go vintage shopping for a special event I am going to with some friends on Saturday. I needed a very specific outfit. Something suitable for the occasion. I had mentioned to the girls that I was going to be shopping around 10. I forgot that Jared went into work late today, so when Hannah and her sister Michelle came over around 10 to see if I was still going to go...I was unprepared.

Unprepared as in...still in my robe with bedhead.

By the afternoon, I was presentable and they were gracious enough to meet me at a second hand store in town. I found several things I loved (which I purchased) and nothing to wear to the event. I came home and found a few dresses that will work for the event...should have looked in my closet in the first place.

We came home and Brennan and I spent about 45 minutes watching videos of babies laughing on youtube. He absolutely loses it with laughter when some of them come on.

We were on youtube to watch some of the funny commercials recommended to me by my brother. I love when he sends me messages about stuff like that and then we laugh about it together over the phone. It makes the distance shrink a little.

Ladies class was tonight and since Jared was practicing his sermon, we didn't have a date night. We had one on Tuesday instead so I wasn't too sad. I love spending time with fantastic ladies and looking into God's word. Rachael O. gave a great lesson on competition focusing on Rachel and Leah. I just got home and got the boy tucked in...I am exhausted!

This is the only picture I got of Brennan today. He is wearing his 'S is for spaceship shirt from his friend Evan!

 

Love this kid! Goodnight!