A City Life For Me

I have learned a lot this month! I can crawl on my knees, pull up to standing, walk along furniture, eat more food with my new tooth, and sleep through the night. I love the piano and can’t wait to learn to play it myself. I melt mommy’s heart all the time with my hugs and smiles. What can you do??? Peter's best friend...Simon Mama loves cuddles I can do my sippy cup!

  {One Month} Sleeping 5-6 hours at night and fussing when not being held! Thankfully there are five little sets of hands waiting to hold him at all times! Trying very hard to hold his head up alone. {Six Weeks} Peter Tobias, or PT as we are calling him, is {six weeks} old! He’s starting to smile and wake up with happy sounds and coos instead of screaming! He’s falling into a sleep pattern and giving me about six hours of rest at a time (!), and he loves the bath like big sister Liberty. He’s definitely a spoiled youngest child with no shortage of hands begging to hold him all the time! {Two Months} This big guy is {only} two months old! He’s eating and sleeping like a champ. He likes bright, noisy toys and being entertained by his siblings. He smiles at Mommy and Daddy the most. {Three Months} Peter is three months old! Loves music and being held; is teething and drooling everywhere; can coo and “sing” and belly laugh. Lov...

On March 11, 2018 Elaine made a very important step in her spiritual growth.  It was an answer to a prayer I have been praying over the space of a couple of years.  Elaine asked to be baptized.  We had talked through baptism on several occasions, but always felt as if she didn’t understand completely, or as though her motives were wrong.  We didn’t push, but we prayed.  Elaine was in the Sunday morning service when Pastor Bickel announced an upcoming baptism.  She came to me and asked if she could be baptized.  We talked through things again and it was different this time.  Elaine called Pastor Bickel to talk to him.  He sent her a packet of information that she had to read and complete before she could be baptized.  It included a written testimony of salvation, and also several passages to look up and study to be sure that the picture and purpose of baptism was understood. Elaine completed her packet and submitted it to Pastor Bic...

I, Andrea, take thee Ben, to be my wedded husband.   As the Church is in her relationship to Christ, so will I be to you. I will joyfully give you my life, and in confidence submit myself to your leadership, as to the Lord. I will live for you - loving you, obeying you, learning from you. I will always strengthen, help, comfort, and encourage you. Therefore, Ben, throughout my life, for better, for worse... for richer, for poorer... in sickness and in health... at home or abroad... I pledge you my life, as a loving, faithful, and obedient wife,  to have and to hold from this day forward, 'til death do us part. Happy {ten} year anniversary, Ben.  I still do.  

Only a couple of months later (backdating to keep things in order) ...but the little man turned two on August 27th! Henry is thick in the "terrible twos" and testing every possible boundary!  He is the biggest copy cat that I have ever seen...he has to do everything his older siblings do!  This also means that he is a little "ahead" of where the other kids were at his age.  He climbs and runs and does stairs and plays games and rides bikes...if the bigs are doing it he wants to do it too!  Henry loves to color and he watches Bible class with the twins every day.   He isn't talking much yet, but a few words are definitely distinguishable - "Mom!", "uh-oh", and "NO!"  We're working on "help" and "please" but they are more like grunts right now!  Henry does pray for a meal sometimes.  It is always three words, and sounds something like, "sus, ank, me."  (Translation - Jesus, thanks, amen). ...

I was very excited to send off my last grade report today!  Nolan finished school a couple of weeks ago, and Elaine completed her last subject today.     Super proud of Nolan!  He’s reading very well, and he excels at math.  In fact, he’s going to do first grade math this summer so that he can bump up to second grade math!  He cried when I told him that he was on his very last math paper for the year!      Elaine is also doing well.  Excellent, actually.  She pulled straight A’s this year, with her lowest average for the year was a 95.  She is beyond bored with her reading program because she is reading at a much higher level than her age.  In reading she was supposed to read three chapter books.  The teacher said, “Have you ever read a whole chapter book before?”  Um, yes.  Dozens upon dozens.  She can whiz through a Boxcar Children book or a Mandie book in a day.  I really need to...

Couldn’t resist this one since its a face I see multiple times a day!    Nehemiah loves all things boy and sports.  He is a very fast runner and gets easily discouraged when he doesn’t win!  He always wants his hair buzzed because he doesn’t like me to comb it.  He is almost OCD about a lot of things…which makes him fairly neat and organized.  He gets dressed and makes his bed first thing upon waking up every morning.  Nehemiah loves Bill Peet books and “Are You My Mother.”  His favorite movie (along with all of my kids) is Wild Kratts, and his favorite animal is wild horse.  (But if you ask him tomorrow the answer may be different!)  Nehemiah loves tacos and anything served with sour cream.  He can usually be easily located because he is always singing.  He tends to be monochromatic but is learning to add more color to his pictures.      These two play well together, although we are already hearing “I’m tall...

Ben has always wanted to play baseball with his kids.  We’ve had a few opportunities, but not as many as he would like since we were on deputation.  This year we enrolled the kids in T-Ball.  It’s a great way to meet friends in our new neighborhood, and its also very exciting for Ben to see his kids playing in Little League!  Yesterday we had our “season opener” – aka, first practice.  The kids were all so cute in their new uniforms and tiny gloves.  Nolan is on the Cubs, and he is #1.  He is the only kid with his shirt untucked.  He made a  new friend with “V” – the only girl on his team.  Working on grounders throwing overhand…very challenging for some of these kids! Base running.  They had to learn which one was first base! Elaine is on the Mariners with other 6-7 year olds.  She is #5, and is the only girl on her team.  She’s a little disappointed about that, but managed to make a new friend anyway.  Jayde...