We're having a......

BOY! Yes, it's official! Marc will not be the lone male in the house anymore (not including Simon of course). We were a bit shocked, maybe because this pregnancy feels pretty much the same as the first time around with Lydia. But we are very excited to welcome our new son/brother into our family!

Official Walker!

We have been waiting a LONG time(at least it feels like it!) to see our dear daughter use her feet to get around, rather than her hands and knees, or most recently, just her knees. Lydia had taken a few steps here and there, for the last month, but as of this past Saturday, she is officially walking! We are so proud of her!

Little Tiger...ROAR!

We did not get many pics of our little tiger, and unfortunately none with her smiling, BUT we did get a few. We did go trick or treating with some friends, but not for very long. The week before though, Marc's work had invited all the families in (kids in costume) to his work, and they had games, a magic show, food and fun. This is Lydia in a room full of balloons. She was a little overwhelmed, but this picture does show her entire costume. I don't think she's very keen on dressing up in costume.

Visit to Berlin, WI

Growing up I got to see my grandparents all the time, but now that I'm older, I don't get to see them quite as often, although still a few times a year. This past week, Lydia, my mom, and I, made the trip to Berlin, WI where they live. It was a a short, 3 hour visit, but was so nice to see them, and have Lydia spend some time with them as well.

My grandpa recently celebrated his 87th birthday, and they will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary this Monday, August 10th!!! Their marriage is a great model of what lifelong love and committment should be.


Lydia with my grandpa:



Lydia enjoying the lawn "toys":





Ed and Dorothy (Grandma and Grandpa) on their wedding day, August 10th, 1944:




Almost 65 years later!!:



Happy Anniversary! We love you!

Alabama Trip

Over the 4th of July, we made the trek down to Gulf Shores, AL with some of Marc's family. We stayed at a beach home, that was right on the beach. It was pretty nice! A little too warm for my liking but we had a good time anyway! It was a long drive down (16 hours!) It got long at times, and thanks to stuffed animals, books, and DVD's we survived!!! This pic was taken in the first few hours of the trip (Lydia is holding "Kitty").


Here was our view from the beach home.



Lydia spent a good amount of her free time relaxing in her kiddie pool on the porch.



We toured Fort Morgan (2 miles from where we stayed).



Rode on a ferry...... It was windy!



Visited an aquarium that had only animals (sea creatures) from the Gulf of Mexico.



Went to a fun restaurant called Lambert's, where they throw hot rolls at you!



And this picture was taken on our last full day there. I love this one. It's just plain cute!

Because I'm lame...

And can't figure out how to add a slideshow, here's a link to Lydia's 1 year photos until I learn (or someone teaches me...hint hint) how to do so!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=95485&id=517780063&l=1abf2a9f72

Marathon and celebrations

Marc and I have spent the last 3 months training for a half marathon. Usually we enjoy it, but life has been rather full, so we were looking forward to being DONE with the training and the race. We finally got to put our hard work to the test, when we ran in the Wisconsin Marathon (also known as "cheesiest" marathon). The race was in Kenohsa along Lake Michigan. With 50 degree weather, the sunshine, and a view of the lake for the majority of the run, we couldn't have asked for better conditions. Marc ended up getting his best time (under 2:06, and I came close, a minute after him). Here we are with our medals. Look closely..... they are shaped like cheese. Hehehehe.... Only in Wisconsin. After the race, we drove up to Milwaukee, to help my sister move some stuff. Allyson, if you're reading this, congrats on the house! And then we ventured up to my parent's, where Lydia was, and chilled out and rested for a little. Then around dinnertime, we had a little celebration for Lydia's birthday. She didn't like the cake as much as we thought she would. She enjoyed mushing it around in her hands, until she discovered it tasted ever so yummy. It was a lot of fun! I still can't believe that next week we will officially have a 1 year old!!!


Here's a video of Lydia tasting her first piece of cake.



And a family pic on my parent's porch on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Rockin' out to Elmo

We noticed a few weeks ago, how Lydia will rock when there's music on, especially the music that comes from her Elmo radio... Right before shooting this, she was crying hysterically because we were trying to suction the snot out of her nose. So that made this video even funnier, that she so quickly went from upset to very happy!

25 Random Things About Me

Since I took the time to put this together I thought I'd post it on our blog. It's also on Facebook, but I know not everyone who checks the blog has facebook, so enjoy! If Marc puts a list together, we'll post his too, and maybe, if I get creative enough, there will be one for Lydia (most likely a shortened version!).

25 Random Things About Me

1) My name is actually Kathryn, but no one calls me that, except my parents when they’re upset with me. And now that I’m grown up and out of the house, that doesn’t happen very often!
2) Growing up, I never envisioned being a mom, but now that I am one, I can not imagine not being one. It’s such a blessing and so fun!
3) I was a Music Education major in college, but then changed to Elementary Education because I knew I’d want to teach other subjects besides just music.
4) I taught 4th grade for two years, and enjoyed it. I learned a lot about kids, and patience (and parents!)!
5) I am book smart, but not street or “common sense” smart. Although I’ve gotten MUCH better. (to give an example, I got straight A’s in school, but was also voted “most gullible”)
6) I am more introverted than extroverted and prefer smaller groups.
7) I am better expressing myself in written form than in verbal form.
8) I like to write but don’t do it much anymore. But I do often journal my thoughts.
9) I cry or tear up a few times each week. When I’m pregnant, it’s more like daily.
10) I’m a sensitive person, which I’ve come to learn is a good and bad thing. Growing up, I would’ve told you it was a curse. Thankfully God’s helped me become less sensitive about things I shouldn’t be so sensitive about!
11) I’m reading through the Bible this year and am really excited about it! Maybe I’ll feel differently when I get to Leviticus……
12) My husband and I are very different. I think we complement each other, although sometimes our differences don’t bring out the best in us(right now I’m hearing the intro to Jon and Kate plus 8 in my head….). But he is my best friend!
13) I love candy, especially skittles, sweethearts, smarties, and PB m&m’s. I ate way too many smarties when I was pregnant.
14) I run, but don’t always enjoy it. For me it’s a quick way to burn calories and stay in shape. I ran a marathon in 2002 and did better than I thought I would. I couldn’t walk for 3 days after.
15) Marc was my longest dating relationship ever, and it wasn’t that long (6 months, not including engagement).
16) I love to ice-skate, and as a kid, went all the time at the local park. I miss it!
17) I worried about childbirth the last 7 weeks of my pregnancy (after they told my baby was going to be a “football player”) and then I had one of the easiest labor and deliveries I know of! And Lydia was only 8 lb 3 oz.
18) I’ve never eaten potato salad or pasta salad, and have no plans to.
19) I sold books door to door in Reading, PA the summer of 2002. They were “educational reference materials”. I made some good money, and met some great people, but will never do anything like that again. It’s so not me. I have no patience with telemarketers and solicitors because of that experience!
20) I did my student teaching in South Korea, and loved every minute of it. It was one of the best experiences of my life.
21) I am too hard on myself, and thus too hard on others. I need to experience more of God’s grace in my life and give that grace to others as well.
22) I have major dental issues. I’ve had more root canals than I want to admit, and even had to have a tooth extracted this past December. It was SO painful.
23) I like to camp, but am terrified of thunderstorms when sleeping in a tent. Terrified.
24) Celine Dion used to be my favorite artist. For my 18th birthday I got tickets to see her in concert, and was so excited I cried! LOL.
25) I hardly ever cooked anything (besides pre-made cookies and mac n cheese) until I was out of college. And now I love to cook! It helps that I’m cooking for one of the most non-picky eaters!

Out with the old, in with the new!

I thought of this great idea for a blog entry, about 2 weeks ago, and just haven't gotten around to it until now. But, I figured better late, than never, right?

As many of you know, we experienced basement flooding on September 13th of last year. It was quite awful. We had 3 feet of water in our basement. We were sick about it, but counted our blessings, realizing that in the grand scheme of things, this wasn't a big deal. God was faithful to us in so many ways during this whole process, and each day Marc and I got to see all the ways He was providing for us(from people coming to help out to us having an endorsement in our insurance that helped cover the damage!) and we were blessed by that. It was about a 3 month process of getting the basement back together Starting with ripping everything out, drying it all out, and then starting from scratch!

In the midst of it all (flood cleanup, and basement repair), I was also having MANY dental issues. We're talking a trip to the dentist a week! I was on painkillers off and on, had a few root canals, and finally in December had a tooth extracted, due to a cracked root (for those of you not familiar with dental stuff, a cracked root is REALLY bad, and the tooth has to get taken out, otherwise the pain won't go away). To put it simply, it was a crazy fall.

So how do these things tie together, teeth and basement??? Well...out with the old(basement and bad tooth - both not by choice!) and in with the new (our basement was finished on Jan. 1 - thanks to my parents for coming to help!, AND Lydia got her first teeth on Dec. 30.! Let's pray her teeth are better than mommy's!) Not to mention this all happened as 2008 turned to 2009. Out with the old year, in with the new one!

So anyway, we are happy to be in 2009, for it means the dental insurance has rebooted, the basement is done, and we once again get a chance to start over. And as I ponder all of this, I can not help but think about God, and how He gives us a chance to start afresh, in Christ. Here are some verses that came to my mind.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

And also that his mercies are new each day.

Lamentations 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

God bless you in 2009!