Weekend Activities

This past weekend we spent Saturday morning looking at homes and apartments. Let’s just say it wasn’t very productive, promising, or even very enjoyable. I think we finished feeling more stressed about finding a place to live than when we started. It just amazes me how much people can charge for rent out here. If you want a nice place that actually has some room you’ll pay for it. We actually did see one place that was nice sized (1100 sq ft) with a small yard & driveway/garage. Only problem was that the previous tenant smoked like a chimney & the entire house is completely infiltrated with the smell. It’s 1300 a month plus utilities anyway. So after a few hours of non-productive searching we figured it was time for a break to do something fun and we headed downtown for a little sight-seeing and some activities. After we stopped for some lunch we headed down to one of the children’s museums center city. The walk down there was great, Jacob is absolutely enthralled with all the huge sky scrapers. Both boys seemed to enjoy the general frenzied excitement and activity of the city. (Good thing! They have 3 more years of it!) They were a little disappointed when I wouldn’t let them chase the pigeons into the road, but were happy about everything else. We took them to the “Please Touch” Museum downtown; a cool little museum built just for kids. It’s got lots of different activities, toys, and stations for kids to play with. They can run around doing whatever & as a parent it’s a nice break from having to worry about them being loud, running around etc. It wasn’t quite a nice as the one we went to in Omaha, Nebraska; but still pretty fun for the kids! Some of their favorite places were the blocks table, the train table, the water station with boats, the huge subway train that they can pretend to drive, and the cars display. It was a little busy; I think lots of people are looking for something fun to do that is kid-friendly on a Saturday afternoon. But we had a fun time going as a family. I think Jeff got a bigger kick out of some of the toys than the boys did! When we finally headed home around 4, both Jacob & Caleb were totally exhausted. The 8 block walk back definitely seemed a little longer than our walk down to the museum. (Jeff gets free parking at his hospital, so we generally park there and walk to where we want to go) Anyway, it was a fun way to spend the afternoon & a much needed outing for the boys. I was just disappointed that I forgot our camera.

Sunday we headed over to New Jersey for church & to look around a bit more. We’re still debating whether to try and buy a house or not, but figured we’d take the time to look around before we completely settled for a while. It was a nice Sunday, and on our way back there was a massive storm that dumped a couple inches of water in just minutes! It made the traffic on the freeway just painful. There was one place where the water was pooling on the road; it was about 2-2.5 feet deep and all the cars were just crawling through it. There were a few cars that had gotten stuck, so everyone was being cautious and it made for a pretty big traffic jam. I was grateful to be in an SUV! Anyway, we made it home finally and enjoyed a nice afternoon together.

Our New Place

I've had a few people wondering about our home here in Havertown, Pennsylvania; so I thought I'd post a few shots of what it looks like. We're just subletting it until the end of August. It's a nice little twin townhouse just outside the city with 3 bedrooms 1.5 baths, three levels including a finished basement that makes for a perfect playroom for the boys. We also have a small yard which is great for playing in the pool and chasing lightning bugs & rabbits! It's been nice to be here, but I am looking forward to being more settled in a long-term place. We're just subletting from some people who went on vacation for a few months, the home was furnished too, which makes it nice for not having to find couches, tables, etc; but also has some drawbacks such as extra things around. All in all, it's been a pretty good place & we've enjoyed being here.

Oh What Fun It Is

I've officially hit the 3rd Trimester. I'm now 27 weeks along in the pregnancy. There's a fun little site called "Baby Gaga" where you can sign up to receive e-mailed weekly updates about what's happening during that particular week. It's been kind of fun, it usually tells you what's happening with the baby and mother, includes little info tidbits & stories, and always includes a weekly comic. This week's comic was great, and just hit me funny.

I'm really not one to get real emotional over silly things; but every now and then something will hit me just right that will just make me cry/laugh/get upset, or all the above at the same time etc. They're usually silly little things and I'll wonder why in the world I'm reacting so strongly. Then I remember, duh, I'm pregnant! Good thing my husband is understanding too! I pretty much enjoy the pregnancy, but there are definitely things that I look forward to once it's over; like being a little more emotionally stable and not having quite the roller coaster of emotions! I'm sure many of you women out there can relate!

July Happenings

Caleb got his first bee sting. I felt bad for him, but he was kind of asking for it. We have a little pool that the boys like to play in. That afternoon they were playing in the water, then they’d get out and run around, get back in the pool, etc. Jacob decided he wanted to lay on his towel for a little while, and Caleb decided he wanted to chase bees. He would run over to where they were and try to step on them. I stopped him and tried to explain that the bees would sting him if he stepped on them. I told him they would “bite” him and he would get an owie. (He understands how biting hurts!) Well, he just thought it was too fun to chase the bees and so the next one he went after got him. He got stung right on the foot. Luckily it was just a honey bee that only stings once, and I got the stinger out quickly, but he was pretty sad. He’s tough though and didn’t cry much. I think he’s finally learned his lesson & I don’t image he’ll go chasing after too many more bees.

Jacob has gotten into a funny stage. For the past 6 months or so, he's been very specific that he only wants me to do his hair with water. No hairspray, no gel, no nothing... only water. I would try to coax him to let me use other things because his hair is so thick it just doesn't stay done, but he was set. Well for some reason, the past couple weeks he's gone completely the opposite way. He thinks it makes him look handsome like Daddy. He's still specific about how he wants things done, but it's more like, "I want gel, then water, then hairspray." And lately, he's gotten into doing it all himself which would be fine except that he'll get this huge glob of gel & rub it right into the middle of his head. And then he'll spray it with hairspray about 10 times. It's kind of gross, but so funny. On Sunday morning when we were getting ready for church, Jacob did his hair while I was finishing getting Caleb dressed. Lets just say that he had some of the stiffest hair I've ever seen! I'm going to have to hide the gel & hairspray from now on.

I’ve hit the 6 ½ month mark. (Well, almost 27 weeks along) I’ve found this pregnancy to be very similar to my others. I usually stay small for a long time, then I’ll hit a growth spurt, (or the baby hits a growth spurt) between 24 & 27 weeks. Then I go from looking a little pokey around the middle to being pretty obviously pregnant. Not huge, but just a cute round tummy that sticks straight out like a ball under my shirt. This baby has been an active little guy & I imagine he’ll take after his brothers and be a busy little boy. It’s been fun for Jacob & Caleb so see and feel him move and kick. They think it’s pretty funny. Jacob is convinced that he’s going to be the best big brother ever & has already informed me that he’s going to “Take his baby brother trick-or-treating, and share his candy, and break up the ‘chokey’ candies so the baby doesn’t choke on them.” (Jacob has asked me when the baby will be born & I’ve told him it will be around Halloween) Anyway, we’ve been enjoying talking with Jacob & Caleb about the new baby, discussing possible names, etc. Now I’m just waiting to get to see the doctor when Jeff’s insurance finally kicks in.

We’ve spent a good amount of time in New Jersey lately. The real estate market in Philadelphia has really gone up even in the past year. We were really hoping to find a nice place with a yard, but in our price range there isn’t much available. Even to rent a semi-nice house will run you about $1300 plus utilities, we have found a couple apartment complexes that are only $1150 plus utilities. We might just find a place to rent for the 3 years we’ll be here, but Jeff wanted to be open to other possibilities as well, so we’ve spent a little time looking around in New Jersey. The homes are cheaper, and there is actually room for a nice-sized yard. (A must-have with 3 boys!) We don’t know for sure what we’re doing, but we’re keeping options open. I love the idea of being in a nice area with a nice house & yard, but I love being in Philadelphia in a familiar place that I’ve grown to love, with many great friends around. I guess we’ll see what happens and where the Lord directs us.

Jacob & Caleb have been enjoying the wildlife here in Philadelphia. Almost every morning or evening there will be rabbits that will come into our yard or the neighbors yard & eat the grass. The boys love to look out the windows and watch them. I especially love how Caleb calls them “Abbits” Jacob also gets excited about the lightening bugs and loves to catch them whenever he can.

Caleb's favorite song lately has been, "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam" He'll go around the house singing it all day with an emphasis on the "Sunbeam" part. He was even singing it at the grocery store the other day. It's so cute, I love to hear his sweet little voice singing.

As far as things happening with our family; I had a cousin get married this past week. I wish I could have been there! Congratulations to Shawnee & Austin Jenkins! My grandparents will be celebrating their 50^th anniversary coming up this next week. And Jeff’s mom is just finishing surgery for appendicitis, so hopefully she’s doing well!

Family Reflections

With all the changes that have been going on, we've been thinking of family a lot. Although we love being back East with many wonderful friends and good memories, it's hard not to miss our families that are now so far away. Jacob and Caleb are constantly asking about Grandmas & Grandpas, which direction their homes are in, and talking about all the fun things they remember. I've set up our computer to play slideshows of our pictures as the screen saver & both boys absolutely love it! They'll sit and just watch the computer screen forever. I must admit that I enjoy it as well; even though sometimes it occupies my time for longer than it should! We were fortunate enough to have family pictures done with both families before we left, so we have some current pictures of our immediate families that we can enjoy while they're far away. Not quite the same, but we'll take what we can! We love you all!

Happy 4th Of July!

We had a great 4th of July here in Philly, even though it was a bit on the cold and rainy side. Jeff had the day off which was a bonus. In the morning we took the boys to the park to play. They're so funny, when we get to the park, they're a lot more excited about chasing all the birds and rabbits they happen to see than the actual playground. They had a great time though. Afterwards we picked up a Philly favorite, Rita's Water Ice. Actually we got gelati's, and they were delicious! I've been craving one of those for a while now!

We enjoyed the day at home until around 5 when we took off to go downtown. We stopped for some cheesesteaks for dinner & headed into center city. It's sure nice now that Jeff is a resident at the hospital because he gets free parking in the garage. Always an added bonus! We walked down to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and caught the rest of the parade, it was neat but a little disappointing due to the fact that the parade was televised so it would stop every 5 minutes for a 10 minute delay. That's okay except when you're staring at the 'tour bus' section for 10 minutes!

After the parade we walked around just looking at everything that was going on with booths, prizes, food, games, etc. We found a nice little place along the parkway, near a baseball field where we were planning on watching the fireworks from. The boys entertained themselves by chasing and catching fireflies. Jacob had a nice little collection by the time he was done, we had a clear bottle that he could put them in and he thought that was just about the coolest thing ever. Originally we had planned to just sit out and wait until 10:30 for the fireworks. Unfortunately the weather had other plans. It had rained on and off throughout the day, but the real storm was just beginning. It was about 8:00 when we got to the field, and by 8:30 it had really started to rain, we're not talking nice little spring showers, I'm talking a complete soak-you-in-2-minutes downpour complete with gusting winds, and of course thunder & lightening. After hiding out under the trees for 30 minutes, we decided it just wasn't worth it and headed back to the car. Kind of disappointing, since the fireworks here are absolutely amazing, but with 2 kids and almost 2 more hours to wait in the rain (it rained hard all night), we decided to head & just pick up a treat on the way home. Then they boys went to bed and Jeff & I stayed up to watch a movie.

Even with the events turning out the way they did, we had a pretty fun 4th of July. The boys were great sports through everything and didn't complain once in the rain. More than anything it was just fun to be together. So although it wasn't the 4th of July I had hoped for, it turned out pretty good!

Here's a shot of what the fireworks looked like last year!