Hard to Wake Up

Josiah was sleeping so good when I woke him up this afternoon. He had the hardest time waking up. It took 3 stuffed animals, his pacifier, puppy dog eyes, and an hour of being held and cuddled. He was ready to play hard this evening.

We Beat the Heat!

Joel and Brandi came to our house for the weekend and one of our plans was to go to the beach. Meghan had scouted out a new-to-us beach on the river and we decided to try it out. It couldn't have been more perfect for a 100+ degree day. There were 3 other families on the beach and we chose a spot where our blanket was in the shade. In fact a section of water was in the shade. To get to this beach there is a trail through woods that come right to the sand. We were surrounded by trees and driftwood. The driftwood was a natural boundary so the children weren't tempted to run. We had a great time!

Aliza kept busy swimming and playing Mermaid with Uncle Joel.

When it was almost time to leave Josiah was ready to go out in the water with Daddy.

Love.Him.

This piece of driftwood became Josiah's car. He even put his seat belt on when he sat down.

Surviving the Heat

It's hot. No, it's hotter than hot. It's been in the 90's for weeks. This weekend we are breaking the 100 degree mark with the heat index nearing 110. This has to be one of the hottest summers I remember. So here's how we are beating the heat or at least surviving the heat.

Making applesauce with crab apples.

Eating a 2nd breakfast while standing in the sprinkler.

Trying to play some sports in the shade. It lasted less than 5 minutes. And then...

Josiah climbed up on my lap. And then....

Aliza climbed on my lap. They just sat with no intention of going anywhere. If my children are sitting still outside it is hot. It is so hot that we better go inside. With too little hot bodies on my beginning-to-bulge tummy it was definitely time to go inside. And do nothing. Because it is really just too hot to move.

Josiah's Heaven on Earth

We visited some dear friends tonight. Mr. Dick and Miss Dottie. Josiah spotted the tractors as we drove up the lane. Aliza was happy playing inside with dolls and entertaining Dottie with stories and conversation. It took Josiah about 10 minutes to start begging to go "outside". Jeremy brought him in after some time and Josiah just cried and cried. I took him back out and I'm sure glad I did. There is just nothing better than watching your child completely in their element and enjoying the moment to the absolute fullest. Josiah talked nonstop. He climbed up and down every tractor. He imagined that the tractors were moving and planting fields. When Aliza came out he showed her the tractors. He climbed and down without fear. His sister was scared. It was fun to see him be top dog and run the show. =)



I lured him back to the house with this car. He loved it. Aliza did too. When it was time to say good-bye, he told Mommy and Daddy bye. He was ready to stay with Miss Dottie.

Family

Looking at "pictures" of our baby. Aliza is really into this pregnancy and couldn't wait to see pictures. Josiah, on the other hand, was very put out that he had to come inside for a family moment.

I love it when Aliza gets so excited that she gives me a huge hug. She proceeded to lay on the couch and kick her legs and then laughed so hard that she cried. She'll be my helper this time around. I wish I had the video going because after she collected herself she said, "Oh! I have to tell Tootie (imaginary friend)" and she went running to the toy room and had a conversation. I guess it is logical to want to share great news with your best friend!

On Our 9th Anniversary...

....My true love gave to me, A car big enough for our growing family!
We knew we needed a minivan by November. We knew that some day one more thing was going to need repair on Jeremy's car. That one more thing happened and we started looking seriously for a Honda Odyssey. With Jeremy's car retiring with 315,000 miles on it and my 2001 Accord having 157,o00 and going strong we knew that a Honda was what we wanted. We shopped on various internet sources to find out what the price ranges were for Odysseys and figured we could afford a 2001-2004 and that would come with 100,000+ miles on it.

Last weekend we came across a local dealership listing a 2000 Odyssey with 66,000 miles on it. They listed only the Kelly Blue Book price (lower than we thought possible!) on the site. We went to that dealer on Monday and did a test drive. The condition of the car was amazing. Not only are the upholstery and floors spotless, the engine and belts look practically brand new. Of all things, Aliza was heart broken that there was not a cassette player. She has fallen in love with some old children's story cassettes. She threw a fit the entire test drive.

Tuesday some financing options were looked into. Financing an old car is a very difficult task. Even if it is in great condition. Jeremy went back in to talk about price. He checked the internet again and they had taken down the Blue Book price and put in their price. Of course higher than the Blue Book price. We were a little miffed. Maybe they forget they were dealing with a computer guy that would pick up on these things? We forgot about it while we enjoyed celebrating our anniversary.

Today we planned to spend the day just being together. That ended up including a visit to 2 banks. We ended up with some not-so-generous financing options. Such as 11.9% interest! Ummm......no! I was ready to cry because this van seemed like the perfect provision for our need and something we could afford without overextending ourselves. It seemed like we were not being rewarded for being responsible. Anyway, about the time we walked out of the the 2nd bank Jeremy's phone rang. The dealership got a quote from our first choice bank for 3.74%!!! An hour later we signed papers.

When we got to the dealership our salesman said that no one in the office had ever heard of this bank offering such a low interest rate for any car let alone such an old one. He also said that seeing a car as old as ours with such low mileage and in such excellent condition was unheard of. He complimented us on making a responsible purchase given that Jeremy's owns a business etc. etc. We've been praying about purchasing a minivan given that it is truly a need at this point in time regardless of what the economy is doing to small businesses. Finding this car and getting the interest rate we got truly confirms to us that the Lord provided for our need.

Jeremy played 9 holes of golf while I rode along (I made a few cheering blunders. lol). That was our originally planned anniversary date. Then picked up the children in the van. We made sure that we put a portable cassette player by Aliza's seat. When she saw that she could listen to Jungle Jams she was pleased as punch. Josiah loved being able to see out the window. When we got home he said, "Keep riding."

Skinny Dippin'

Hello 20 weeks! I'm glad you are here. I can't believe I am halfway through this pregnancy. Here's hoping the next 20 weeks will be as great as the first 20! wishful thinking....

Parade

Our community has a small 4th of July parade. We sit at one of our neighbors houses and get a front row seat. This was the first year that Aliza and Josiah could really enjoy it. It was HOT. It has been hot here for weeks now and the forecast remains in the 90-100 degree range.

Waiting for the parade to start!

Sirens! The fire engine drivers smiled at us. They were so respectful and didn't blow their sirens in front of us.

The John Deere tractor drew many exclamations from our crowd!

Their loot!

Birthday Sweetness

I'm not sure why I even tried to blow my own birthday candles!

As soon as Aliza found out my birthday party was that evening she ran to her crayons and coloring books and colored a picture for me. All the while telling me that this was my birthday present and how much I was "very going to love it." As I was trying to get everyone's shoes on and sippy cups full, she insists that she needs me to wrap it in paper. She settled for a gift bag. Before it could go in the bag she needed to write her name. So cute. She very proudly carried her gift into Grandma's house and laid it with the other presents. When it was time for gifts she was the first one by my side with her present. Of course I "very loved it!!!" My first birthday gift from my daughter.

Of course she got a hug.....that she expected (she told me I would give her a hug after I opened it!)

The Best of Days

It was a perfect day for picking blueberries again. Aliza, Caleb and Josiah were great pickers.

This picture almost takes my breath away. It is so sweet.

They are all three buddies. I never lived close to my cousins so it is special to me to watch these "cousin bonds" develop. With so many more little ones here and coming these moments will continue for some time. =)