The Johnny Show (for you, Bets!)

For at least a year now, Johnny has performed what we like to call "The Johnny Show". Typically this is a two minute long episode of making faces and posing in strange positions to get people to laugh. Well, last week while at his Grandma and Grandpa's house, he was the first one awake from a nap and decided to give me (his mommy), and Grandma a special and super long edition of the Johnny show. Captured in this video is just over two minutes of what went on for about 20 minutes. And, I promise, he was not on any drugs or anything else. He was just doing his thing...performing "The Johnny Show". Hope you are as entertained as we were!

Johnny has always been the one with the incredible sense of humor - even from a young age. He has a way of making people laugh, and it just seems to come so naturally to him. He's such a hoot! Below are a couple photos of his Johnny show faces, but they sure don't compare to that video...



Being two years old (and as stubborn as a mule - that's the expression, right?), Johnny sure does give us a hard time. To be honest, not a day goes by that I don't consider throwing him out the window. Okay, that might be a little extreme, but we do have our moments every day. But then, when the Johnny show begins, it's like all else is forgotten. He brightens up our days with his beautiful smile and amazing sense of humor. He really is a great kid who absolutely LOVES life - and who makes our lives so much more colorful. I love my Johnny Stephen :)

Caleb: Creative and Climbing

Yesterday was the first of what will be many school art shows that we attended for Caleb. We were incredibly proud of him!! It took him a very long time to decide he wanted to create actual shapes and objects when he drew or colored. He was a scribbler for so long. I almost began to wonder if he was ever going to be physically capable of drawing a person or coloring in the lines. Now, I know abstract art is beautiful, and I very much appreciate that. But, I was wondering if he had the patience in him to sit down and draw a real object. Eventually he did, and we were so proud of him! (We were proud of him before that, but...you know what I mean!) So, yesterday when we got to attend his art show - which he was SUPER proud of - we got to see a few examples of his amazing creativity, his abstract work, and his ability to draw objects and pictures. Here are a few pictures from the event...

All the kids in his class worked together to make this class quilt
These are his teachers, Miss Kreiger and Mrs. Watson - he loves them!
We've never seen him draw a scene like this - we LOVED it!
Scrap Box Art
"Beautiful Bug"

Aside from being artistically creative, he has also become quite talented in the art of climbing and jumping. Johnny's new bed is a car bed, complete with a sun roof. Both boys love climbing to the top and finding the most fun way back down. Caleb's favorite way of getting down is by jumping from the top of Johnny's car half way across the room onto his own bed, nearly cracking his head on the ceiling along the way. He literally looks like a flying squirrel when he does this. I need to get some pictures! :) Also, we have a tree outside in our front yard, and over the past year he has gotten braver and braver as he watches the bigger kids head up to the top. Yesterday was the highest he's ever climbed, and he was pretty thrilled about it. He made it up to the same height as his buddy Jameer, who is a super climber. Here are a couple pictures of them way up high...(and Johnny down a but lower)
I came home from running some errands today without the kids, and when I got inside, Jon said he had something to tell me, and proceeded to say that he was glad I hadn't been home because I would have freaked out. So, I'm wondering what happened, of course. Jon said Teddy, one of the kids from next door ran over and said, "Caleb's on the roof!" When Jon asked him if he meant on top of their little play house, Teddy said no, and pointed to the back yard. Apparently Jon got to the back and found Caleb perched - with Jameer - on top of the garage roof, throwing leaves and sticks down into the yard. He said Jameer taught him how to climb onto the wagon, scale the 6 foot fence and proceed up to the roof of the garage. Well, Jon was right, I was glad I wasn't home to see that. I'm proud of him for having the guts to do such a thing, but...oh boy!! I guess that's what having an adventurous kid is all about. Hopefully it will be a LONG TIME before I have to blog about one of the kids' first broken bones. Oh, and I don't have any pictures of him on the roof, sorry!

Picture Update

Has it seriously been over a month? Well, it's time for some sort of update. I'll just post some pictures from the past month or so, and give a small glimpse of what's been happening. Enjoy! :)

Easter was so much fun!

We spent the weekend with my parents, AND my cousin Beth and her hubby Drew. We were so glad they made the trip to visit. They're our Kenya buddies!

I had to take a 6 month picture at the end of last month. Can you tell I just rolled out of bed? And yes, it is 7:26 AM - ugh!

Silly kids...



Our dear friends, Meghan and Jeremy and their kids Brayden, Brooklyn and Brenna stopped in for a few hours on their road trip back to Boston. It was SO nice to be with them. We're pretty sure the kids had fun together.

Johnny has been getting ready for his new baby sister Lily to come along. He's so sweet!
Caleb has been wanting to pick out his clothes a lot more - especially for school. We let him. At least he's color coordinated!!
Dave, Betsy and JJ were here for a weekend visit from California. We LOVED having them back, and the boys once again enjoyed bathing together.

We're not ashamed...we LOVE kisses! :) Hannah and Mommy
Caleb kissing Hannah
Johnny kissing his girlfriend Lily
And I just had to throw this one in...I love her eyes!

Well, that's gonna do it for now. Hopefully soon I will post something of more substance. But, pictures are always nice, right? :)

As A New Day Dawns

I'm not often a "mushy-gushy" spiritual person, but I'm kind of at that point where I feel like I'm bursting at the seams with amazement about how God has just changed me. I mentioned a bit about this in a recent post, but I almost expected by now it would all be gone, that it would have dwindled away. Says a lot about me, huh? Well, it's not gone...I am still in awe, every day, of God's amazing faithfulness and I just had to say a little something about it - it's so simple!

The talk in my MOPS group a few weeks back was how to have a happy home. The woman said that as the wife and mother, we are "the heartbeat of our home". She also suggested some things that, frankly, were a bit old fashioned sounding to me but this one statement keeps coming back to me. I didn't think too much of it at the time, but as I see the days go by, I see such truth in it.

Among other things, she suggested that we be the first ones awake in our home, to set the pace and the tone for the day. (She also suggested having a hot breakfast ready each morning, but...sorry, folks, that ain't happenin'!) She also said a simple prayer that can be said when you first wake up - just to start the day with God. Now, I am NOT typically a morning person. Nearly every day I would wake up almost angry that my kids would come in at 6:30 and wake me from my precious sleep. How could they? Don't they know I need my sleep, and that I have to be with them all day? My attitude was terrible, and it set the tone for the rest of my day. I would be snappy with the kids and with Jon. I would yell at the kids unnecessarily, and take things out on them that they didn't deserve. I would look around my house and feel so overwhelmed with all that needed to be done that I would do nothing instead, which would just increase my stress for the next day. Things were not looking good, and I didn't even realize it.

The morning after my MOPS group, I decided to put that one simple suggestion into practice. I often DO wake up around 6, before the kids, but typically I try and go back to sleep, because I just feel like it must be too early to rise. That morning, however, when I woke up at 6, I took a few minutes then turned on my little lamp. I sat up in bed, and wrote just a few simple lines in my journal as a prayer to thank God for this new day, and to invite Him to be in charge of this day. For HIS will to be done in my words and thoughts and actions. It was just instantly a beautiful morning. I was still and happy and awake, and guess what? I got up and made "melt-in-your-mouth" pancakes for the family! Other mornings I will get up and shower, or spend time with whoever wakes up first. It's been truly amazing!!

And can I just say that the statement about me being the heartbeat of my home has really proven itself! EVERYONE in the house has changed! My relationship with Jon is at a high. The kids are happier and better behaved. Jon really notices a difference in my caring for the house, and now seems to almost want to help out sometimes. Things are just really good! There have been a couple of days where I didn't wake up first, or didn't spend those few moments in prayer, and I can absolutely see the difference in the day.

I feel like I could go on and on about this simple notion. I won't. But what I will do is HIGHLY recommend this simple action for those of you who aren't typically morning people. Whether you have kids or not, this could be incredibly useful. Don't let needy or whiny kids, or the annoying alarm clock set the tone of your day. YOU set it by waking up and inviting God to be in charge of your day. I literally felt like I was going insane every day - barely making it through. Now that this simple secret of partnering with God as my first action of the day has found me, my sanity has returned and everyone in my house is benefiting from it. So, give it a try and let me know what you think!

Below is one of my favorite and the most simple of Jon's songs. It's beautiful and prayerful and I want to sing it every morning...and I do many mornings. Some day when I figure it out, I can attach the song to the blog, but until then, here are the lyrics.

"As a new day dawns
I will lift my eyes to Your throne.
May this new day
Be a sacrifice pleasing to You.

May this day honor You.
May the words of my mouth honor You.
May the thoughts in my mind honor You.
May my life, now, honor You."

DELICIOUS Dessert!!!

Do you like a nice, gooey brownie? Perhaps some peanut butter? Maybe some marshmallows, and the crunch of Rice Crispies? Then this one is for you! A mom in my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group made these, and though she didn't have a recipe, she kinda mentioned what she did, so I did my best, and the result was AMAZING! It's super simple and great for any occasion!!

What you need:

1 box brownie mix (I use Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie mix)
1/2 bag of mini marshmallows
1/2 stick of butter
12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Approx. 1 cup peanut butter (no need to really measure it out - just 2 big globs)
2 cups Rice Crispies

What you do:

* Make brownies in a 13x9 pan as directed.
* With 5 minutes cooking time remaining, take out brownies and cover evenly with the marshmallows.
* Return to oven and bake another 7 minutes. (that's 7, not 5)
* In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add and melt (stir continuously) chocolate chips.
* Stir in peanut butter til blended
* Stir in Rice Crispies (will be thick and tough to stir).
* When brownies are done, top marshmallows with 6 globs of chocolate mixture, and spread over and through marshmallows. It can and will look messy - just try to make all ingredients even over the whole thing.
* Refrigerate til ready to serve. (Not necessary, but a lot yummier, I think!) I refrigerated my last batch overnight, then took them out and cut them a couple hours before serving, and they were great!

Good luck and ENJOY!! Oh, and they are fat free (haha, yeah right!)

I'm Back - with a complete life update!

How many excuses can I give for why it's been so long since I've blogged? Procrastination, sick kids, life issues...the list could go on. But, here I am. I'm back. And we've all been back - from Scotland for three weeks now. I can't believe it's been that long already! It seems like a lot has happened in those three weeks, though...

Sick kids. Oh boy! Well, all three kids came home with ear infections and conjunctivitis. They were all on anti-biotics - Caleb did well, Hannah got some nasty, 'need-a-prescription-for-this' diaper rash, and Johnny broke out in a full body rash (see picture). I guess we found our first allergy! Also, Johnny got the 24 hour stomach virus during the other sicknesses, which was terrible!! We shipped off the other two kids to Grandma's for a day and night so we could focus on helping Johnny get through it. And, he did, but not before Jon caught the bug. A few days later Caleb started complaining about headaches, neck pain and an achy body. I was convinced he had bacterial meningitis, but we stuck it out for a couple days before freaking out, then took him to the doctor who assured us it was just viral symptoms, and it's just the time of year for it all. Phew! So, aside from Hannah being on diaper rash medication, we are all healthy and well again.

Onto life issues... Well, for as long as I can remember I have struggled with self-image, self-esteem, negativity and identity problems. And while I still don't know who I am and what I'm gonna be when I grow up, God has truly freed me from some of my negativity and concerns. It had hit a pretty major low just last week, but after talking with Jon and another friend who gave some simple suggestions, and after my MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) group, and after the start of the new sermon series at New Hope (all three timed perfectly, I must add...God, was that you??), I feel a new freshness about each day. I'm feeling less overwhelmed and so much more in control of my life and my situations. I am in the process of making a list of things about myself and my life that I can change when I partner with God, knowing that 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me'. So, I'm giving life a thumbs up these days! (Thanks for hearing me out about my personal struggles in life - we're all human, right?! Oh, and that's me recording in Phil's attic studio.) So hopefully no more procrastinating and being lazy with blogging...we'll see.

Also in the latest news, Jon turned 29 yesterday. He's a bit concerned about how close to 30 that is, but, we all know he's still a young-un. (How would you spell that??) This new American citizen has a fresh outlook on life, as well, and is excited about the future. While still unemployed, he's got his application in some places, and has some ideas for down the road. We shall see where the good Lord leads...and we know that He always does lead, so that's reassuring! In the meantime, Jon's doing some work on our friend's new house, which he loves doing. He's also working on getting his CD together, which should be available sometime soon. For a sneak peek at one of the songs, check out newhopejourney.com and see what you think!

It turns out I'm already 5 months pregnant with this amazing baby #4. Boy, how time flies! It's amazing to feel our little GIRL (for those who didn't know) wiggling around and kicking me in the gut or the ribs. That is a feeling that just never gets old - I LOVE it! The babe's name is Lily or Lilly...we haven't decided if there will be one 'l' or two 'l's' in the middle yet, but at least we know the name. We're almost set on a middle name, too, but since it isn't 100% we won't share it just yet. It's amazing how I can be in love with little Lily (Lilly) already, and she's just 11 inches long and I have no idea what she's like or looks like. I guess that's one of the miracles of parenthood!

Well, while we had an AMAZING time with Jon's family in Scotland, we are happy to be home, and are pleased the weather has improved so we can be outside a lot more! HAPPY SPRING, everyone! :)

(This is a picture of Hannah with her little buddy Lily from next door.)

Home Sweet Home

'Scotland 2' just never seemed to happen...so we'll tie it all together now that we are home. We left a CD with a lot of our photo's on in Scotland, so we'll have to post some more photo's another time...

We had a GREAT time. It was wonderful to see family and old friends - some that I haven't seen for about 12 years since I left home. We visited the church that I grew up in and took a quick drive around my old neighborhood to show Ang the house we lived in till I was 17. I had forgotten how beautiful Scotland is...or possibly just never appreciated because it was all I really knew. Scotland is truly a beautiful country. This pic is of Stirling Castle.

We spent most of our time at my parents house in Saltcoats on the south-west coast of Scotland. My dad currently pastors a church there. They live in a house right on the sea with incredible views of Arran (a mountainous island) and the Firth of Clyde. They let us borrow one of their cars - if it was just me and Ang, we took the Smart Car - what a sweet car. We laughed every time we returned to the parking lot...it's small - very small.

We spent a week in Perth staying with Jaime and Phil (Sister and Bro-in-law) where we had the opportunity to record some music with Phil. Phil is an incredible musician and sound engineer and helped us to produce a sound which I am truly amazed at. Thanks Phil! Hopefully the CD will be complete in a couple of weeks after it has all been mixed and mastered. At some point it will be available to everyone if anyone is interested :) These pics are nephews David and Daniel, niece Leah, and our three.

My parents offered to look after the kids for a couple of days so that Ang and I could get away on a 'real' vacation. We found a great airline called Ryan Air who fly out of the local airport to destinations all over Europe. It was sooooo cheap to fly! We ended up choosing Spain as I have an Aunt and Uncle there who I have not seen since I left home. It was great to spend some time with them as an adult (instead of being the adolescent nephew), and they treated us to free accommodation and most of our meals. Thanks Irene! Along with our $60 round trip flights, this made for a fantastic, CHEAP, vacation. These are pics of downtown Malaga which has an incredible bull fighting arena. Spain was warm and beautiful...

It was also great to be able to celebrate Hannah's first birthday with my family, since they have always been so far away for the kids' birthdays. We had a little party for her at my parents' house, and the rest of the family made the journey to celebrate with us. It made for a wonderful last day in Scotland. Happy Birthday, Hannah!!

Truly an incredible month. Flying was difficult with three kids as I'm sure you can imagine. I think it will be a while before we do it again...as we will have four kids soon! It was a blessing in disguise to be recently out of work so that we could take a whole month to go. This is Robert the Bruce (Ang) storming Stirling Castle...

So now that we are home, life will slowly get back to 'normal'. The job search continues. Being back home in Ohio makes us realize how much we love living here. Not for Ohio (by any means), but for the friends and family that we have here. We are so happy that God placed us here, and continue to feel completely assured that this is where God wants us for now - unemployed and all...

Oh yeah, I became a U.S. citizen today. A subject for another day...

And, we find out tomorrow whether our new one is a boy or a girl - CRAZY!