Chestnut Ridge Park

While Lynette and Tim were here we went to Chestnut Ridge Park to barbeque our dinner, drive Phil's remote control truck, play on the playground and just be outside for a while. In the end, Elijah (and many of us) all wanted to wade into the lake. We couldn't resist. It couldn't just stop at wading for Elijah though, and we felt like you have to let a little boy be his little boy self all the way at times like this. :) So, this is how things ended up...

Lynette and Tim Carry Us Through!

Just a few days after Caleb was born, Mary's mom, Lynette, arrived to help us keep our heads above water. She stayed here for 12 days! Tim, Mary's step-dad, arrived that following weekend and stayed for a week! We were totally spoiled by them. They treated us to good food, naps, and lots of chances to just be together. We had a hard time seeing them go, and can't wait for them to come back at a time when our lives are under control so we can treat them to the kind of visit they deserve! We were so excited, too, that Caleb had the chance so soon to meet his namesake -- his Grandpa Tim. We love you guys!

Our Excuses! :)

Well, I first must make a clarification. It was actually me (Phillip) that promised to have this blog updated within 24 hours. Believe me, I tried. :) I could name many reasons why I didn't succeed, but since pictures are worth 1000 words, I thought I would show you just ONE of the excuses we had.

You need to notice the proportions here. Notice the height of the mattress, and then the back of the couch, and then the top of this amazing pile of clean laundry. You should also know that there was another load in the dryer at the time too!

Ok, if the picture doesn't do justice, let's try a movie (and if anyone knows how to turn a movie within a post, let me know! I'll fix this once I figure out how.)

Well, besides our laundry issue, we also felt inspired by a great opportunity: Namely, our would-have-been neighbors and good friends the Bowens decided to have a little "garage sale" before moving, and we bought a LOT of furniture from them. We really feel blessed though, because one of the big things these purchases did was allow us to make our room a place where I (Phillip) can study a little better so that I can be home more often (or at least more productive when I AM at home). We bought two bookshelves, a study table, study chair and more. And since we had to transfer things between bookshelves, we then decided to go through all of that... Now, about 2/3 of a garbage can is full of all of my undergraduate papers, assignments and more. The rest is a lot more organized too.

Here's the finished product!

Yep, that's our room sweet room, complete with Caleb sleeping in the corner there. Oh, and you can't forget our little gaurdians -- Raymond (the monkey, from SLC) and McBean (the dog, from Six Flags in CA)
So, after one last late night push last night to get our house back in order (which seems to be needed all too often) and our new things all in place, we are now ready to update you on our wonderful last six weeks or so! I'm sure you've all been anxiously waiting, so let's get started (but this time with no promises on how long it will take us to get through it all - it's been pretty amazing!)

Phillip

GET READY FOR SOME INTENSE UPDATING!!!

Hey Everyone!
We're sorry that we are so slow in keeping you updated here! This post is a public commitment to show off, within the next 24 hours, what we've been up to for the last month. Prepare to be overwhelmed... :)

ABC tagged....

A = ADVOCATE FOR: Girl's Nights Out
B = BEST FEATURE: Baby toe...you should see it!
C = COULDN'T DO WITHOUT: My hubby.
D = DREAMS AND DESIRES: Be as healthy as I can be...this isn't my strongest area!
E = ESSENTIAL ITEM: PJ bottoms.
F= FAVORITE PAST TIME: Shopping.
G = GOOD AT: Spending money (see above) and making charts and lists.
H = HAVE NEVER TRIED: to bungee jump or sky dive.
I = IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS: Pay off student loans, Pay cash for a house, go on a 2nd honeymoon, save the rest . . .(dito on Jami's...great list!)
J = JUNKIE FOR: Chocolatey gooey sweets of all shapes and sizes.
K = KINDRED SPIRIT: My sister Melissa.
L = LITTLE KNOWN FACT: Inside I'm a sleek, strong, running machine!
M = MEMORABLE MOMENT: The births of our two boys!
N = NEVER AGAIN WILL I: give birth normally...C-sections from here on out!
O = OCCASIONAL INDULGENCE: Lately, clothes.
Q = QUOTE: "Be careful what you think about, you'll get it."- my dad.
R = REASON TO SMILE: AC
S = SORRY ABOUT: Not giving more to Phil at this crazy time!
T = TAG SOME FRIENDS: Melissa, Brittany, and Melinda
U = UNINTERESTED IN: Baseball
V = VERY SCARED OF: Phil dying!
W = WORST HABIT: eating too much.
X = X MARKS MY IDEAL VACATION SPOT: Hawaii...Maui to be specific!
Y = YESTERYEAR DECADE OF CHOICE: 1950's
Z = ZODIAC SIGN: Sagittarius

PS...there was nothing for the letter 'P', so here's a 'PS' :)