Life In Arcadia

Go Redeemer Rams!

2011-12-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

Sydney started cheering for Redeemer this fall. It's for all 3rd-5th grade girls who want to participate and she's had a great time so far. She cheered at the school's first basketball game last week, and here is a video. I love the "knock you out" cheer!

It's been good for Sydney to have time with girls, especially some older girls. I think it gives her a break from living in boy world here at home. She initially was interested in cheering because, "I like to jump, yell, and wave my arms around...so cheerleading is the thing for me!" But it's going a lot deeper than that as she learns to trust and encourage her teammates. I'm excited to watch her throughout the season as she continues to learn and grow.

Halloween

2011-10-31T16:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Sydney dressed as a die, Ethan as Obi Wan Kenobi, Reid as a Transformer, and Jake as the cow that all of our children have worn for Halloween as babies. We had a good time going from house to house in our small neighborhood!

We dyed a karate ghi to make Ethan's jacket.

This costume was a find for Reid at a neighborhood yard sale. He loves to dress up!

Our #1 and #4 in b&w costumes

Sydney & I had a blast putting together this costume in our driveway this afternoon.

A transformer pushing a baby cow!

Our pumpkin looked awesome shining in the dark once the sun went down.

I Found My Toes

2011-07-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

Jake found his toes today! In the midst of taking a video of him making this great discovery, a fight broke out between Reid and Ethan. You rarely capture something like this on video, so have a look at what typical life is like in the Chandler home. Ethan wanted to speak at the end, but my card ran out of memory, so it cuts off prematurely.

Beach Trip & First Food for Jake!

2011-07-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a week at the beach. After the year we've had, it was so nice to get away. Life was so different a year ago. We had recently found out I was pregnant, I was beginning to feel pretty sick from the pregnancy, we were incredibly busy getting ready to open the practice, and I was preparing for another year of homeschooling. It's been a wild year of change, a too fast pace of life, and a year of experiencing God's mercy time after time after time. His plans were different than our plans, but infinitely better! On our beach trip, we talked about ways to slow our pace of life and set better boundaries with our time and energy. Busyness is self-imposed and does not come without consequence to our bodies. We need to respect the limits that God has given us as human beings and work within those limits.

Sydney has some relaxing time at the beach reading a new Ramona book

At the water park

Reid did not care to go down any water slides, but he owned this boat! ("I'm on a boat, y'all!")

These were the monster water slides that Jeff, Sydney & Ethan went down...I was happy to stay with Reid on the boat!

Playing in the sand...the Mountans joined us for a few days at the beach...what a treat! Reid was pretty scared of the ocean, so he stayed in the sand every day.

Jake ate his first solid food today- a beautiful, bright orange, pastured egg yolk. I always know my babies are ready for solids when they start waking up in the night to eat, which Jake has done the past couple of nights. He actually ate more yolk than we expected him to, and he seemed to like it! See, he's even licking it off his fingers! :-) We've discovered that our kids' first food tends to be their favorites, so we try to choose that first food wisely!

Happy Birthday Sydney!

2011-06-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

Sydney turned 8 yesterday! We gave her her present first thing in the morning: a new bike! Thanks to Grandma & Gran who helped us buy this for Sydney. She rode it around the neighborhood in her nightgown.
She got to pick her breakfast: French toast with raspberries and powdered sugar.

After we dropped Ethan at wrestling camp, we came home and baked her cake. Then we went for a swim with a friend, picked up Ethan, and came home to get ready for party guests to arrive. She had 3 friends over from school for a party complete with pizza, a movie, presents and cake. Her friend Ella got to spend the night. All of the girls were eager to get their pjs on even before dinner, though, so here they are all ready for a sleepover!

This morning we picked blackberries- at least $60 if we had bought them in the store!

Here's Jake this morning!

We spent 2 weeks in VA for Sydney, Ethan & Reid to have private swim lessons- bday gifts from Grammy & Papa, and it's amazing what they can do in the water now! We were able to join our community pool this year, and Jeff & I have had fun taking the kids and playing with them in the water. Ethan just finished up a week of wresting camp, and his coach said he was "fabulous!" Jake can roll both ways and love to "talk" and smile. Our new PT sat for her boards yesterday, and should be ready to start next week- thank you Lord!!!

Last Day of School

2011-05-27T05:25:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of school. This school year has flown by, and when I reflect on it, I am overwhelmed by the changes our family has been through, but I am also overwhelmed by the tender love and care of our Heavenly Father through all of this. Sydney & Ethan are sad that school is over, and I am too, as it brings closure (though it is temporary) to one of the best gifts God has given us this year.

I took this picture this morning. Ethan will be recognized at chapel this morning for perfect attendance. Sydney wore this dress the first day of school, and wanted to bookend the year wearing the same!

Here's Jake!! I took this picture yesterday at Ethan's end of the year party. Jake has been full of smiles and laughter these past couple of weeks. He loves to "talk" to us. At his well baby exam a few weeks ago, his pediatrician diagnosed him as anemic (she said his lips were a little pale and his hemoglobin did turn out to be low), so I started taking an iron supplement which I think has helped us both. I've had more energy since taking the iron.

On Wednesday, Ethan's class had a Kindergarten Showcase. The kids decorated the tables with flowers they picked from the garden, we did an art project together (Ethan drew me and I drew him), he picked out a book for me to read to him in a special spot in his classroom, he served me snack, gave me a present (a Museum Notebook- a collection of his work from the year, like replicas of Van Gogh's work!), and we planted a cherry tomato plant to take home!

This is from the Shakespeare Festival in May. The 6th graders performed Julius Ceasar, but all the grades had some special part in the evening. The Kindergarten class collected entrance fees- "A pence to enter!"

The 1st and 2nd grade girls danced in the Maypole Dance. It was lovely! And it was a perfect evening for an outdoor dance. Sydney is in the pink and gold dress (thanks Ruthie!)

Reid at the Festival, sporting a new shield and sword from the Mountans.

The Mountans were with us for the weekend of the Festival. Saturday morning the kids made lemonade and iced tea to sell in the neighborhood, and did fairly well considering we live in a small neighborhood! Saturday night we went to our family's favorite restaurant, River Birch Lodge. We got to eat outside, and here are all the kids after dinner.

Ethan joined our church the next day. He had been taking communion since last spring when he professed faith in Jesus, but had not yet taken his membership vows. Here he is with Luke (in his K class also) and Ben who also joined Redeemer that day.

8 Weeks

2011-04-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

Jake Martin is 8 Weeks Old!

It's been quite a busy week! Last Saturday, we celebrated Ethan's birthday at the Lego Store in Concord with 2 of his friends. The kids had an amazing time! Sunday was Easter and we had Jeff's parents and my mom with us. Tuesday was Ethan's actual birthday- how is he already 6? He had outgrown his bike, so he got this new one.

Sydney on Easter Sunday

The boys...Sydney said our family has a rose and three thorns.

Jake has been smiling quite a bit. He gave Sydney a whole bunch of smiles several days ago, and he was full of smiles for Jeff this evening.

I discovered another thing I love about being dairy free- ice cream made with coconut milk. It is so amazing! I bought a container of the chocolate kind and had it after dinner tonight. I would eat this instead of dairy ice cream any day. The coconut flavor is delicious too, but I have really been missing chocolate since giving up dairy for sweet Jake. The coconut hazelnut creamer is fabulous in coffee too. :-)

7 Weeks

2011-04-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

Jake on Thursday, 7 weeks old, in his new "baby sitter." It's really called that! We returned the swing in favor of this more portable bouncer. He really likes it! Wednesday was a big day for us, as I returned to work and he went to my dear friend Jen's house with Reid. He did just fine, and so did I. :-) I was really not looking forward to it (and it's just one day a week, but still a big change for me because I've always been home full time with all of our kids up till now), but it was really nice to be back at the clinic. I have been working from home in small pockets of time, and it really felt great to have a day at the clinic to focus just on work.

Sydney has been making newspapers for our family and some neighbors. Here are a couple:
This one is complete with a joke and a birth announcement. The part about Jake says he has the smallest, sharpest nails. :-)

This one has her advice column"Answer Elyse," in it. She has a box set up in the kitchen for us to put our life problem questions in. I wrote one about feeling bad that I couldn't eat dairy, and made a point that I couldn't have cream cheese & jelly sandwiches because she likes them so much. (The part she mentions about ketchup is because around this time of year, her allergies make her break out when she eats tomatoes, strawberries, citrus). Ethan put a problem in her box that he needed gum and someone to work in his store that he has set up in his room.

Ethan's Wresting Tournament

2011-04-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

Ethan participated in his first wrestling tournament this past Saturday at Parkland High School. He wrestled 5 matches. He won his first match, and lost 4, one of which went into overtime. He worked so hard, and our family is so proud of him! He and Jeff began going to our local wrestling club about a 6 weeks ago. Below is the video of the match he won.

Shaking hands after a match

Jeff and Ethan after the last match
We celebrated with lunch out afterwards. As Jeff told Ethan, the best part of wrestling is getting to eat a big meal after!

6 Weeks

2011-04-15T05:28:00.000-07:00

Jake Martin is 6 weeks old!

I didn't update my blog in the middle of last night as I have been doing because...Jake slept through the night!!! It was his 3rd night sleeping through, and 3 nights in a row usually seals the deal. :-) I consider 8 hours of sleep as sleeping through the night because that allows a full night's sleep for me.
Below are pictures from the past week.

Here is Sydney this morning. She's sporting new Keens from Grandpa & Grandma Z. All the kids got new shoes and were super excited!

Ethan made his own Zhu Zhu pet using a remote control car and his camouflage bear named Ethan:

And here is Reid this morning. He has blueberries on his face from breakfast! He keeps us laughing with all the different ways he likes to dress himself up.

Sydney and her little twin in her bed last night. All the kids beg for Jake to sleep with them in bed.

This is Reid at Redeemer School's poetry recital last Friday.

Ethan's class at the Poetry Recital- Who Has Seen The Wind? by Christina Rosetti

The 2nd graders recited poetry by Emily Dickinson, and Sydney helped give an intro. It's pretty hard to hear, but I thought her grandparents would at least enjoy seeing her and the rest of the 2nd graders.

"Hope" is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—

I've heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of Me.

5 Weeks: Smiles, Coos & Dairy Free

2011-04-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

Week five of Jake Martin's precious life have brought little coos, 2 real smiles for Mommy, and a check-up at the pediatrician. He weighed 9lbs,13oz (50th %ile) and measured 22" (50th %ile). He checked out great, except Dr.Hunsinger noticed his belly looked bloated. Because of that and since he still has congestion from birth (due to C-section), she recommended I go dairy free. She also had me start him on probiotics and gripewater. He's a lot less gassy, but still has some congestion. I thought a dairy free diet would be a lot harder than it actually is; I'm sooooo thankful for coconut creamer for my coffee! Sleep is going well; he did a 7.5 hour stretch last night/this morning. Enjoy this week's pictures!

On our way to church last Sunday

All ready for Tuesday morning Bible study in a cute shirt from Nadine&Daniel

Jake reminds us so much of Sydney when she was a baby.

Sweet times

Reid dressed himself like this...accessorized with the lunch box and all! He says he's in the army when he wears this raincoat.

I asked Ethan to rock Jake's carseat when he was crying and I was packing lunches. Check out the rope; Ethan said he made "an electric machine!"

4 Weeks

2011-03-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

Have 4 weeks really passed since sweet Jake was born? How I wish I could just freeze time right now. It's going by way too fast for all of my children. We've been on spring break this week. It's been a week of staying at home, but our home has been filled with friends each day. What a gift! It's been a delight to just be at home with all the kids for the week, especially since we've had visits (and most of the time, meals too!) to look forward to.

All warm and cozy after his breakfast

This week, Jake began to coo. His little "ahhhh" and "oooohhh" sounds are so sweet! He's eating and sleeping well, getting up once in the night to eat and going back to sleep. Last night I fed him at 9:30pm, and he slept till 3am! Getting a full night's sleep (for me) is (hopefully) just a few weeks away.

lEthan, Jake, Reid & Sydney

After school once a week for 6 weeks, Sydney & Ethan have been going to Mad Science. This term they are learning about outer space in a program designed by NASA. Last week, they made bouncy balls and then turned them into comets!
Sydney said something really beautiful a few days ago when it was so windy. "Mommy, the wind is God's cape. He's walking all around everywhere, and His glorious cape is the blowing of the wind."

The boys' hands...Ethan's on the bottom, then Reid's, then Jake's

Reid takes so much pride in being a big brother. Jake's umbilical cord stump finally fell off, and Reid said, "Oh, now he has a big brother belly button."

Another funny from Reid was a few nights ago. We were looking at his newborn pictures, and he noticed he was crying in them. Jeff asked him why he was crying in the pictures to which Reid replied, "I was cryin' because you cut off my cord!"

Jake's "bedroom" for now is in our living room.

After dinner tonight, all ready for bed

On a different topic, have you watched Food, Inc. yet? How about Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price? Both are available on Netflix instant. What struck me as one common thread between these two documentaries is how both the food industry and Wal-Mart prey upon and exploit the poor and the weak. While I've never enjoyed going to Wal-Mart (and will not shop there at all now), and for several years have only purchased local grass fed beef, pastured eggs, etc., I have made these decisions for the benefit of my family. After watching these films, I see how the choices we make do not just impact our families, but our communities and our nation.

Jake is alerting me that it is time for him to eat, so I'm signing off for now... he must have known his mother was about to get on her soap box! :-)

Three Weeks

2011-03-24T06:07:00.000-07:00

Sydney & Ethan enjoy feeding Jake a bottle last Saturday morning.

Ethan tilling the land to plant wildflowers

Jake in his Sweet Peace swing from Gran

One of the best things about this swing is that the seat comes out and Jake's carseat can snap in!
Reid was in the army today in his raincoat!

3 weeks old today!

Ethan's & Reid's bunk bed was a Christmas gift from Grammy & Papa. They just got new comforters and Curious George sheets with birthday money. Thanks Grandma, Gran, and Grandpa & Grandma Z!

Ethan just started wrestling with a local team. It's been awesome to watch Jeff practice with him. Here he is with his new wrestling shoes. He was so concerned with keeping his eyes open for the photo that he couldn't smile!

Sydney poses in a new dress. Yesterday, she celebrated her 3/4 birthday at school since she has a summer birthday. More importantly, it was also a spiritual birthday for her, as she was born again 4 years ago yesterday. She shared the story with her class about how at age 3 3/4 while we were waiting in the service station for our oil in the van to be changed, she prayed to ask Jesus into her heart. One thing I love about her story is that her desire to be born again was unprompted by me, it was only the work of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

2 Weeks

2011-03-17T17:50:00.001-07:00

Two weeks have passed since God brought our little Jake Martin into the world. As I sit here with him for our middle of the night nursing date (thus typing with one hand), I am reflecting on how precious he is. If the Lord had not surprised us with this baby, we never would have had a 4th child. It makes me wonder what sort of special purpose the Lord has for this little guy's life.

He found his thumb! But he hasn't had access to it since this shot because I covered his hands due to him scratching his face.

How the older kids love their baby!

Reud turned 3 on Sunday!

Today Reid picked me this bouquet of flowers today. These are indeed precious days with young kids!

What Not To Say To A Woman Who's Just Had a Baby

2011-03-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

I still look pregnant...still in maternity clothes...and I'm okay with that for now. In the waiting room at the pediatrician's office Wednesday, a woman was asking me about Jake. She then said, "Wow...you have a 6 day old and you are already pregnant again?"

Bebe Jake

2011-03-10T18:20:00.000-08:00

Today Jake Martin is 1 week old, but it feels like he has always been here. Sydney, Ethan & Reid are so in love with their new baby brother. Reid relishes his role as "big brother," and the joy of his day is being asked to help me with diaper changes. Jeff's mom is with us for the week, which has been really helpful as I recover from the surgery and take care of Jake. Here are some snapshots from our week at home.

Little monkey in his new car seat from Grandpa & Grandma Z.

Jeff had all 4 kids on him after dinner tonight!

Starting to take naps in his crib in the boys' room

Reid looks so huge next to Jake!

Reid reading Little Black Sambo to Jake

Sydney, Our Psalmist

2011-03-08T05:59:00.000-08:00

Last Friday at school chapel, the second graders presented psalms they had written. Jake & I were still in the hospital, but Jeff and his parents got to go. Ethan got to sit in Jeff's lap for chapel, which was a huge treat for him! They told me Sydney did a great job, but yesterday she brought her psalm home for me to read. Besides scripture itself, this is the most beautiful psalm I have ever read, and my heart swells knowing it came from a little girl I am blessed to call my own.

Everything Praises Jesus
by Sydney Chandler

We see birds chirping praises to him.
We see bees making honey to praise him.
We see the moon reflecting light from the sun to praise him.
We see flowers showing colors to praise him.
We see the ocean swirling, churning water splashing praises to him.
We see fish swimming and eating praises to him.
All creation doing what they are made to do to praise him!!

Jeff's Car Accident

2010-12-19T14:51:00.000-08:00

From Jeff:
I want to share with you something that happened to me Friday morning. I was driving over to a friend’s house for a weekly prayer meeting. It was about 6AM and I was driving on Silas Creek Pkwy when I saw the flash of an SUV sliding toward me. The SUV was traveling in the opposite direction and hit a sheet of black ice, forcing it to spin across a median and into my lane. I didn’t know what to do but scream and hold on. The car hit me pretty hard, pinning the door up next to my thigh. They had to cut the door off to get me out and I received further medical care at Wake Forest Medical Center to include 6 stitches in my forehead and 6 staples in the side of my head. Later that day we went over to the wreckers to get my belongings out of my car. We drove by the car twice and didn’t even recognize it as ours. I had no idea it was that bad.

This was the most frightening experience I have ever had. And the thought of it all and the fact that God spared my life brings me to tears. It reminds me of how temporal this life is and that every day is a gift from God. I am doing much better today with the help of medication. Please pray for a quick recovery and that we would all treasure this life that God has so graciously given to us. You are all deeply loved by a heavenly Father who is caring for your needs, whether you realize it or not. Now I can relate to King David’s words in Psalm 139:5-6.

“You hem me in-behind and before;

You have laid your hand on me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.”

May God bless you,

Jeff

Mashed Potatoes

2010-12-14T05:54:00.000-08:00

Last night, Reid helped me make mashed potatoes. This morning, while I had my back turned, he decided to make some of his own.

And here's a short video:

Thanksgiving Feasts

2010-11-23T12:54:00.000-08:00

Today, Ethan's class dressed as Native Americans and had a feast with the first graders who were dressed as Pilgrims.
Sydney's class had a tribal counsel (Native American peace treaty) and then a feast afterward. Reid got to be involved in both. He has no idea he's not really part of the classes! He just jumps in, grabs a plate, and helps himself to his food!
Also in Sydney's class, they read the Native American version of Psalm 23 before eating. You may read it below the pictures; it's amazing!

K Class marching into the cafeteria beating their drums.

Here's Ethan! His headdress says "Hunting Deer" for his Indian name.

The first graders read a poem to the kindergarteners.

Eating the feast!

Reid felt right at home and helped himself to some food too.

Me & my boys (all 3!)

Sydney's feast was combined with the other 2nd grade class. Here they are doing sign language to a Native American poem. They made their costumes in class, and Mrs. Creech painted their faces.

Sydney & Julianne reading the Native American 23rd Psalm (see below).

My girl!

And Reid joins another feast!

This is right outside Sydney's classroom! Those are gardens in the background.

Mrs. Creech had another teepee set up outside that the kids could go in.

This picture is in the mall parking lot,where we went after school. We made Ethan's shirt at home by ironing on some coloring sheets he made at school.

Backs of their outfits

The GREAT FATHER above a SHEPHERD CHIEF is.
I am His and with Him I want not.
He throws out to me a rope and the name of the rope is love
and He draws me to where the grass is green and the water is not dangerous,
and I eat and lie down and am satisfied.
Sometimes my heart is very weak and falls down
but He lifts me up again draws me into a good road.
His name is WONDERFUL .
Sometimes, it may be very soon, it may be a long long time,
He will draw me into a valley.
It is dark there, but I'll be afraid not,
for it is between those mountains that the SHEPHERD CHIEF will meet me
and the hunger that I have in my heart all through life will be satisfied.
Sometimes he makes the love rope into a whip,
but afterwards He gives me a staff to lean upon.
He spreads a table before me with all kinds of foods.
He puts His hand upon my head and all the " tired " is gone.
My cup he fills till it runs over.
What I tell is true. I lie not.
These roads that are "away ahead" will stay with me
through this life and after;
and afterwards I will go to live in the Big Teepee
and sit down with the SHEPHERD CHIEF forever.

Ardmore 5K

2010-10-18T05:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the Ardmore 5K that our church puts on to feed the hungry. 100% of the proceeds go to the Food Bank of Northwest NC. We raised $18,000, which equates to 126,000 meals for the hungry! Below are some pics of my family that a friend of ours took.

Ethan, Isaiah (our neighbor), & Sydney

Getting ready for the 1 mile Fun Run

Ethan coming in to the finish line!

Reid at the finish. (Reid is sitting with me right now, and when he saw this picture, he said, "He say, 'You won!'")

Close up of Reid and his bear

Marshmallows!

2010-10-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

My mom came to stay with the kids while Jeff & I went to Boone on Saturday for ASU's homecoming. Friday night we grilled out and roasted marshmallows. I love the way Reid says "marshmallows!" so I took a video of him saying it. This one is for the grandparents!

I was shopping at Costco last week with Reid. As we passed by samples, he asked if it had wheat or if it was gluten-free. "That wheat, Mama? Is it gluten-free?" It was the very first time he showed any awareness of what he could and could not eat.

Also, Sydney said "y'all" for the first time last week! It was so cute, and so unexpected!

And Ethan got 2 stitches on his forehead today from a run in with a gate at the park today. Thankfully, our friend Beth was there. She's a PA-C Dermatologist who called the dr. she works with who got us right in for the stitches. (Beth did Ethan's last set of stitches.) She and 2 other friends at the park stayed with Sydney, Reid, and our neighbor Isaiah who was with us (I had school pick up today.) Thank you Lord for friends who cheerfully help us in our time of need!

Baby Chandler 4 Is a Boy!

2010-10-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

Here he is! We were totally surprised to hear we are having a boy...Jeff, Sydney, & I were really expecting a girl. He kept opening his mouth in the ultrasound, and Ethan was convinced he was trying to talk to him. Everything in the scan looked healthy, and we're looking at a Feb 27 due date.

First Day of School

2010-10-04T06:04:00.000-07:00

Sydney & Ethan's first day of school was August 24. Here are some pictures from that morning.

Sydney and her new friend Kaylee in their classroom

Sydney, Mrs. Creech, and Jonathan; she has an amazing classroom!

Reid makes himself at home in Ethan's classroom

Ethan was really excited about having his own folder with his name on it (he has a hard time keeping his eyes open for pics!) He was also super excited about the box his teacher had for him with sharp pencils!

Ethan and our neighbor, Isaiah, are in Kindergarten together this year.

Reid in play mode

Ethan got to take Curious George home from school for one night, and he took him for a ride on his motorcycle.

New Pictures

2010-10-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

We've been really busy with the clinic, but I so wanted to post some kid pics! School is going really well for them. They love it, and I love Redeemer School's unique approach to learning. It's half day up through second grade, so being done by noon has been a perfect transition out of homeschooling.

I got to do something really amazing yesterday! My best friend from middle & high school, Leena, is an independent film maker, and her first full length film, Raspberry Magic, was showing in Cary, so my mom & I got to go! It was such a unique experience to see someone you've known most of your life do something so big, and it was so well done.

A few recent pictures...

Sydney, Reid, & Ethan this morning. The Star of the Week for Ethan's class gets to take Curious George (the class pet) home for the weekend. Parents take pictures and write a letter from CG's perspective to the class telling about his weekend with the student. So here's CG waiting to be picked up for school by our neighbor. While we wait, we've been reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Also taken this morning...sporting new clothes from Grammy & Papa and new shoes from Grandma Z.
Our church puts on the Ardmore 5K to raise money for food for the NC Food Bank. Sydney, Ethan, & Reid went out collecting food from neighbors on Saturday and we so excited about how much they collected!
Sydney is a lover of autumn, like me. She was thrilled the first day it was cool enough to wear long sleeves and long pants (more clothes from G&P) and a new pair of fall shoes from Grandma Z.

Chandler PT is Open!

2010-09-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

An email I just sent out is below to give an update on life.

Dear Friends,

The last time I sent a mass email about the clinic and our life, I asked for prayer regarding insurance credentialing, potential legal action from Jeff's former employer, and transition as Sydney & Ethan were starting school. It seems likes months to me since I sent that email, or maybe even a year; I can't believe it was only 2 weeks ago. Jeff & I have never worked harder or longer than we have in the past few weeks. It has been busy and tiring, but so very satisfying and exhilarating.

Credentialing Update:

Once we found out on August 18 that our business consultant had dropped the ball on getting us credentialed with the insurance carriers, my full time roll in our business immediately became getting us set up with the insurance companies. We were very unsure what would happen with only 12 days until we opened and the credentialing process normally taking 90 days.

Thanks to our wonderful billing specialist who walked me through all the steps, Jeff's parents who came to stay with us for a week to take care of our kids, cooking, grocery shopping, clinic set up, and house while I worked, your prayers, and God's loving mercy toward us, we were able to get set up with the most important insurance companies. Most of the companies that we have sent in all of our forms, but are not officially set up with yet will do some retroactive billing, so we are able to see patients.

Legal Action:

After I sent our last email, we did get a very nasty letter from Jeff's former employer's attorney in Kentucky. It was so over-the-top nasty, and the claims they made against him were so outrageously lacking in merit that it was not difficult to keep from getting too focused on it. We did have our attorney respond to the letter in a completely opposite tone from the one sent to us, and so far we have not heard anything. This is absolutely not the way we would ever want to handle conflict. Jeff has been so open and honest with Jeff H. (former employer), and we would much rather sit down with him and talk, but that doesn't seem to be an option right now.

I ask you for continued prayer on this. Pray for Jeff H.'s heart to be softened, for him to know fullness that comes from Christ, for him not to try to fill his own emptiness by pursuing innocent people. Please pray for a quick end to the legal pursuit. We are not deterred by it, but it has cost us money, and we'd rather not spend more money on this. We do recognize, though, that all we have belongs to God, and He will always take care of us.

Clinic Update:

We opened Chandler Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab last Monday, August 30! Last week was a good week, and Jeff has 11 patients scheduled for today! People are finding us and seeking out treatment from Jeff, and we are thankful.

We do need to find trustworthy CPA right away that will get us set up to handle our finances properly. This is an area that neither of us have experience in, and after what happened with the man who failed to do our credentialing (even though we have personally reconciled with him), we have chosen to not use him as our CPA. Please pray for us to find someone immediately.

School:

Sydney & Ethan love their school, and Reid is doing well with others taking care of him while I work. I am so thankful for this. I often think about how God took care of my kids' education before I even knew I'd need so much help.

Personal Growth:

For me, it's funny to think how different my life was 3 weeks ago. My biggest concerns were the pregnancy and feeling like a failure for not continuing to homeschool. But then came the credentialing news, and oh, how my focus has changed! This has forced me to let go of things that I have held so tightly to in the (recent) past and has helped me to joyfully live in the moment, knowing that God is merciful, loving, and that the Holy Spirit is my guide.

I think for much of my life I have seen God as a task-master that I need to please by doing the “right” thing and as one who should tip the scales in my favor because I do the “right” thing (or what I think is the “right” thing). Jeff & I have seen God do some amazing things and come through for us with this credentialing in ways I wouldn't have imagined. We have been prayed over and have received much needed help. I have felt the love and care of God in such ways that I can't even wrap words around. His word has been my bread, His promises never failing, His care for me and my family indescribable.

This clinic is definitely the product of a community effort, something we could not have accomplished on our own. From people pitching in with childcare, helping us set up the clinic, and supporting us with prayer and encouraging words, this has truly been a team project. We continue to need prayer and support and are so grateful to have so many people on this journey with us.

The Solid Rock by Edward Mote (1834)

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
- Refrain:
  On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
  All other ground is sinking sand,
  All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Life Disrupted

2010-08-11T17:18:00.001-07:00

Warning! Long post...all text!

For those of you that know me well, you know that I like things under control. I like a safe, comfortable, predictable life. God has taken my ideas about what my life should look like and tossed them out the window.

The first disruption to my life was finding out at the end of June that I am pregnant with our fourth child. My first response was complete shock, wondering how this happened. We have always gotten pregnant exactly when we planned, and we have never had an unplanned pregnancy. My second response was to trust God. That, however, did not last long. It turned to despair once the pregnancy sickness began. I have never been so sick with a pregnancy as I have been this time. The nausea, etc. was relentless, and all of a sudden I couldn't do for myself or my family what I am accustomed to doing. I was totally dependent on Jeff and the kids to care for me. And they rose to the occasion beautifully, but I hated losing my independence. Even Reid would get a bowl and pretend to throw up in it, and then pass it to Sydney & Ethan to see if they needed it too. But in the midst of all that, I was mad at myself for getting pregnant, cold toward God for allowing this to happen now when we are on the heels of opening our physical therapy practice and there are things I must do to help prepare for this venture, and generally disturbed and depressed by the whole change in my life.

The second disruption was several weeks ago when I was talking with Jeff about being unsure if homeschooling was the best option for Ethan right now, given the time I need to put into the business, a new baby coming in Feb, and Ethan's particular personality. Like me, he thrives on being around people, and when we get "cabin fever" we get pretty down and feel depleted. By nature, he and I are extroverts, feeling most energized while being around people. With a preschooler that naps in the afternoon, living further out from town, and needing to do school in the morning, it just takes a whole lot of extra effort, planning, and intentionality to get out. I've always had that tension of feeling like I need to be at home schooling in the morning, and at home for Reid's nap in the afternoon. As we talked, we decided to pursue Redeemer School (our church school) as a potential option because it is half day for K-2 and a Charlotte Mason school.

The truth is, I've always wanted to send my kids to Redeemer School. I love the Charlotte Mason method, and it resonates deeply within Jeff's and my souls. The thought of sending them should have excited me, and to a degree it did, but I also felt like such a loser, a total failure for possibly giving up homeschooling. I never said I wanted to home school forever, but I still felt pretty worthless about looking to put them in school.

Ethan had his kindergarten assessment on Aug 2, which went fine, and we had our parent interview the same day. On Thursday of that week, Jeff & I went for my first doctor appointment, where we got to hear the baby's heartbeat. I still wasn't excited about the pregnancy. Friday my mom came in to help with the kids for the weekend so Jeff and I could work. We were in serious need of help, and the kids had a blast with their Grandma. Saturday I made the mistake of looking at a lovely woman's blog about her love for living a quiet life at home, homeschooling, and serving her family. Oh, how the guilt piled on...

And on Sunday I had my third disruption. It was a sermon from a guest preacher on interruptions (Luke 8:40-56 about Jairus' dying daughter, the bleeding woman who interrupted Jesus on His way to heal her, the time He took to listen to her whole story, Jairus' daughter dying, and Jesus bringing her back to life). I cried through the last half of the sermon as I realized that the bleeding woman wasn't fully healed until she realized she was known and loved, that she was made to be seen and not hidden. And that Jairus learns he is made to depend on Jesus, that his weakness was not a failure, but a moment for God's movement. My strategies (control, doing the "right" thing) have no capacity to do for me what I think they will. But it all hit home when Howie said that my greatest offense is to think so low of the love of God that I would believe His favorable response depends on me. God treats me as His Son deserves, not as how I deserve. What Jesus says about me is true, not what I say about myself.

My situation dependent perspective of myself comes from emptiness- I need to do the right thing to feel full and worthy. But in reality, the Trinity is full, and that fullness overflows to me. God says that He delights in me, He rejoices over me with singing, I am His beloved. His love makes me beautiful, lovely, worthy, and valuable.

Monday was Sydney's 2nd grade assessment and also the day I found out we received the maximum amount of financial assistance possible for both the kids to go to Redeemer School. Wow! It's a really humbling feeling to know that someone else is paying a big chunk of my kids' tuition...real people in my community who generously gave because they want others to be able to go to this school. It's a whole lot different than being excited about a tax refund. After that, I had to go have an ultrasound (because I'll be 35 before the baby is born). And I was really happy to see my baby on the screen moving around. It's the first time I have felt happiness over this pregnancy.

I'm still having a hard time letting go of Sydney as the first day of school is fast approaching. But she is so excited about going to Redeemer School!!! As I was putting away her math book and handwriting yesterday I told her I would really miss home schooling her, and what she said gave me great comfort. "Mommy, I think it will be like art camp was. I'll be having so much fun that I will forget to miss you. When you leave me with a babysitter and go out with Daddy, aren't you having so much fun that you forget to miss me? And think of all the fun you will have with Reid!" And she's right...it's just so hard to say goodbye to your first when you've been with her every day for 7 years, even if it is just half day school.

Our family went to our church's prayer meeting early this morning to receive prayer for the new business (I will post more about this later) and the other upcoming changes- me working part time, the pregnancy, and school for the kids. It was so rich and sweet to have our brothers and sisters surround us and hold us up before the throne of grace. Sydney said, "Mommy, people have been so generous to us lately...Redeemer School giving us money for Ethan and me to go there and the church praying for us...how can we ever thank them?" Our weakness is not a failure, but a moment for God's movement.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
-Psalm 23:6

Easy Bake Disappointment

2010-07-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

Well, Ethan managed to save up his money for the desired Easy Bake Oven, so we went to Toys R Us today to buy it. It ended up being a disappointment to him. The pans are so small, and it took about 1.5 hours to make 4 little gluten free chocolate cakes! He thought the whole oven would be the size of a play kitchen, so for it to be small, and for the pans to be so tiny was a big let down. He said he wants to return it. I think he's just happier baking in the real kitchen.

It reminds me of a let down I had as a kid. I was a huge Annie fan (remember her and Miss Hanagan?). My mom one night called me down to see her with such excitement in her voice- she had found an Annie section in the big Sears catalog!!!! There was never a 2nd grader more excited than I was! When we opened to the page it was supposed to be on, it wasn't Annie at all...it was Arnie... Arnold Palmer, the golfer, had a line of clothing for Sears.

I have to say this was a let down for me too. I always wanted an Easy Bake Oven as a kid, but I never had one, so I was almost as excited as Ethan was about this. Now he has a wad of money and he's not sure what he wants when he returns the oven. I think when I take him back to Toys R Us, I will take him by himself, because I know it will take him a long time to figure out how to burn that money!

New Haircut & 2 Entreprenuers

2010-07-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

Last week, Reid got a new haircut. Jeff wanted him to get his hair buzzed for the last few months, so I finally consented...I'm sure his head is a lot cooler with all this summer heat, but I do miss his hair!!
Chillin' with B on the rocking chair...
Sydney & Reid playing on Ethan's bed...
Sydney is saving up her money for an American Girl doll. As expensive as they are, she has a way to go, but we did find we can get one a bit cheaper on ebay. Ethan is saving his money for an Easy Bake Oven. (He loves to cook, and I bet one day he'll have his own cooking show called Gluten Free Eatin' With Ethan!) Although they earn money each day for chores, they have been looking for ways to earn more. So they both set up shops in their rooms.

Sydney set up her own jewelery shop- see how she set all her handiwork on her lamp for display? She made Christmas ornaments out of colored paper clips and beads, which is what is hanging off the flowers on the lamp. I love the look on her face...she looks so proud of herself and excited about her creations. She was more than thrilled when I bought some of her wares.
,
She was especially excited about how her lamp looked turned on with the handmade jewelery on it.
Ethan's store was a bit more ecclectic. He was selling a collection of Playmobils, jibitts, a Gideon's Bible, and a homemade lepprechaun trap (the playmobil island with an Egyptian oar sticking out of it which was attached to a pen by a green string.)

He wanted $20 for the Gideon's Bible.

Garden, Swim Lessons, and a Birthday

2010-07-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of a huge zucchini from our garden!

For Sydney's 7th birthday, she had 2 of her friends sleep over. Sidney, Sydney & Aliza had Papa John's pizza, learned finger knitting, watched a movie, ate yummy bakery treats, and played shadow games before crashing on Sydney's bedroom floor. Jeff & the boys went out to dinner and Toy Story 3.

So then we were in VA on Sydney's actual birthday, so she had another party at Grammy & Papa's house with cousins Riley & Liam and dear friends Alexa, Emmaline & Harrison.
Our blackberry bushes went nuts this year!!!
2 weeks of swim lessons in VA with the Morgan Swim School produced 2 very confident swimmers! Here they are with Miss Sarah.

Here is an excerpt from an email I sent to the swim school:

Sydney (age 7) went from being convinced she would drown in the water (unless she had on a life vest or could stand in the shallow end) to jumping in and swimming (with rocket hands) to the other end of the pool. Ethan (age 5) was so cautious of the water, and as it turned out, jumping into the pool ended up being his most favorite part of swim lessons!!

The best part, though, was on the last day of class, after Miss Sarah worked with the 3 of us in the water and she & I were talking, Sydney and Ethan were playing ring-around-the-rosies in the pool and going under water at the end!!! They were having so much fun doing this!!! My kids have never wanted to go under water, and here they were so happy about going under at the end!

Coming from out of state added an extra cost to my family- both financially, and in the amount of energy expended, but wow! This was so worth it!

I so appreciate how Sarah handled Sydney & Ethan. She expected them to listen, just as we do at home. She was never deterred by their behavior when they were afraid, and because she did not allow their fear to control the lesson, they learned a tremendous amount and gained a vast amount of confidence in the water.

TV Dinners

2010-06-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

Today, Ethan finished up his reading lessons from Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons. For his reward, he wanted a TV dinner. My kids have never had these, but they have heard me tell them a story about them. When I was in 4th grade, I spent the night at a friend's house, and for dinner her mom took us to the grocery store to pick out our own TV dinners. I didn't know what a TV dinner was. I remember looking at the boxes and asking what that white square was (it was mashed potatoes!)
Since hearing that story, my kids have been curious about TV dinners. So we trekked out to Whole Foods after the boys had their hair cuts and picked out some gluten free TV dinners! To complete the whole concept of TV dinners, we watched TV- Little House on The Prairie!
In Reid Land, he is talking up a storm! He picked up a penny tonight (Ethan's money for fly swatting- flies have a one penny bounty in our house!) and said, "I need money too!"

Cowboy Cantina & Homemade Roller Skates

2010-06-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, I went upstairs, and this is what I saw... Sydney said it was The Cowboy Cantina. All I have to say is she is a pretty good shot, thanks to lessons Ethan has given her!

And later in the day, Ethan decided to make his own roller skates! He rubberbanded his shoes to toy train blocks and skated around and busted! What a fun, creative boy!

More to come over the weekend!

Gold Medal Day

2010-05-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

One Less Tooth!

2010-05-10T18:47:00.001-07:00

Sydney lost her fourth tooth last night! She walked around with that tooth hanging by a thread for 2 days before it made it's final departure! On Sunday at church, she kept pushing it out of her mouth and closing her lips around it so she would look like a bunny rabbit! She even did this to Hunter when we went up to take communion!!!

Our Little Bunny on Mother's Day

Look how loose it was!

And she is now one tooth less!

Ethan's 2 Birthdays

2010-05-07T04:28:00.000-07:00

Ethan had his 5th birthday party in April!! It was an army theme, and Col. Chandler (Jeff's dad) and Grammy made that party rock! The games, the cake, the decor...it was all fabulous. I'm very lucky to have such wonderful party planners...really all I did was send out the evite and order the BBQ for lunch!

Ethan received a BB gun for his gift from us, which he totally did not expect because we kept telling him he had to be 10 to get one. Jeff set it up just like the scene in A Christmas Story when Ralphie gets his BB gun. Jeff even wore his "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" shirt for the occasion. Below is a video of Ethan opening his gift.

Ethan's second birthday happened this past Tuesday night, May 4 (Uncle Jason's bday!) as he was born again, this time into the family of God. Being in a believing family, he has been exposed to the love of Christ, the doctrines of sin, repentance, forgiveness, and grace since birth, and we have all had many conversations about what it means to be a true believer in Jesus. How we come to Him totally unworthy because of our sin, and exchange our sin for His righteousness...His perfect righteousness that we could never begin to dream of earning or deserving...just becoming righteous and accepted by the Father through our simple belief in Jesus as our Savior...accepting our position as children of the King!

Ethan began asking Jeff about taking communion while Jeff was reading the Bible to E & Sydney Tuesday night. We have many times talked about how communion is for those who fully trust Jesus, and that we wait to take it until we really do believe that Jesus is our only hope, otherwise we encourage hypocrisy, and have our hearts hardened toward it. And while in the past he has said he believed in Jesus, there was something different about Tuesday night. We sensed he had a genuine understanding of his sin, his need for a Savior, his inadequacy to ever be good enough, his knowing that the love of God was not dependent on Ethan's behavior, but rather on what Jesus has done for Ethan. So we had the joy and privilege of praying to our Father with our son in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness and giving thanks for Ethan's faith.

The below verse was quoted at Ethan's baptism when he was 3 months old. How cool to see God's covenant at work in him!

Acts 2:38-39Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Freed To Live!

2010-04-06T08:16:00.000-07:00

It's April 6 and we have the slip n slide out! The warmth of the sun and the new life of spring is coinciding with some new life and light inside of me. We have lived in NC for 3.5 years now. For the first year or so I was pretty happy living here. I was meeting lots of people, and even though I was not forming deep friendships right away, I wasn't expecting to, as I figured it would take about a year to feel settled in a new place.

Sydney on the Slip N Slide

About 2 years ago, I began to feel discontent with where we live, like it was too far out and causing me to be isolated. Last winter, I really began to feel the effects of isolation and loneliness and started to open up to Jeff about how I was feeling. He had lots of good ideas for ways to combat those feelings, and ways for me to form deeper friendships, but I think I was so stuck in an attitude of self-pity that I just wasn't even listening.

This past fall/winter, we did decide to put the house up for sale to move into Winston, and for lots of good reasons. We have a strong desire to have community where we live, to not just sleep and eat in Arcadia and do all of life in Winston. So in order to be closer to Jeff's work, friends in town, church, and activities for kids that living in town offers, we put the house on the market in January.

Reid shoots his "gun!"

I have seen God work miraculously in selling homes before, such as our last house in VA, so I knew that we would live where He intended, and each day, I would remind myself that "today God has me living here in Arcadia. This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." But I think my mind was still so stuck on things being better once we just moved into town. I know it effected my attitude toward the kids, Jeff, and my general perspective on life. My idolatry of living in town and my living each day in survival mode really robbed me of the joy of living.

In February I went to our church's women's retreat. The theme was "Delight Your Soul In The Richest of Fare!" And there I saw how I don't look to Jesus for life, joy, fullness, satisfaction, and perfect peace, the things He offers so freely. I look to my circumstances and what will make me happy. The problem with me is that I change my mind so often that I go back and forth on what will make me happy. And what a sad way to live life, just thinking of what will make me happy.

Ethan plays near his bamboo tent. The rocks underneath is the "bed" he made for Sydney to sleep on in their tent.

A couple of weeks after the retreat I met with a woman at my church gifted in counseling and walking through issues with others. In such a gentle way, Wendy helped me to draw out some unhealthy thought and relational patterns I had developed over the years. The Holy Spirit was working in me to show me self-protective strategies I had come to embrace, keeping people at a distance to not really know me (which is rooted in fear- they might not like me if they really know me!) My self-protective ways had become so ingrained in me to the point of it being like me putting on metal so I wouldn't let others in. She asked me how I would describe myself, and I didn't have an answer for her. It was so disturbing to me that I didn't know how to describe myself (beyond the superficial, of course), and it was a real eye opener.

Through this conversation and conversations with some friends of ours (which Jeff somehow got me to really open up with this set of friends and make myself vulnerable) and the work of the Holy Spirit drawing me closer to My Father (I had become so that my relationship with Him was dry and more about what I knew in my mind and less about a real closeness with Him), I saw that the primary cause of my isolation and loneliness was not living 20 minutes from town, but was instead me keeping people at an arm's length, thus isolating myself. Once I was stripped of this, my only legitimate reason for needing to move was being closer to Whole Foods and a few other places. (You can laugh here, it's meant to be funny!) A couple of weeks ago, I pulled down the for sale signs.

Other contributing factors included newly developing friendships with neighbors, and once again seeing how wonderful it is to live where we do! Where else can we have these gardens, nature walks at the farm next door, loads of room for the kids to run and ride bikes, connect with nature in our own backyard, etc.? My heart delights to stay here!

Farmer Tilley tilled up his land today.

Much more importantly than where we are living are the things the Spirit has been at work with me on.
*Take off the metal! Let people in to know me, be real, make myself vulnerable.
*I am indestructible! Risk doesn't seem so scary when I remember that I am in Christ and can't be destroyed.
*Live life as a journey, not a checklist. Looking at my life as just what needs to be done is death. The Spirit gives life!!
*God's sovereignty is not some lofty idea. It's real and impacts every minute of my day.

Virtual Christmas For Gran

2009-12-19T10:37:00.000-08:00

We were supposed to go to Raleigh today to celebrate Christmas with my mom, grandma, aunt and uncle, and Andrew & Angie and I was going to see my high school best friend Leena visiting from CA for her baby shower. The snow we got is beautiful, but kept us from our trip, which was a huge disappointment!!! The below video is for Gran to see Sydney and Ethan opening their Christmas presents from her.

My Birthday

2009-12-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

My birthday was Friday. See the half eaten ice cream cake? Jeff brought it home around 3pm, and I could not wait till after dinner to eat it! So, Sydney, Ethan & I each had a piece while Reid napped.

Here's a close up of the cake. We were missing our 4 candle, so I decided to be 33 again. I should have picked 26, though! :-) Sydney decorated the cake with one of her LPS toys.

Good to the last drop!

Sydney & Ethan made me bookmarks for my birthday!

Grandma & Reid at church Sunday night.

Evening in December

2009-12-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

On Sunday night, Sydney and Ethan sang with the Praise Kids Choir at our church's annual Evening in December. Enjoy the show!

This Swirl Is Just Not Working Out!

2009-12-11T06:06:00.000-08:00

This morning, Sydney & Ethan decided to fix Reid's hair before breakfast. He has this swirl in the back (it looks like a hurricane- we call it "Cat 5"), and Sydney was unable to control it. She said, "This swirl is just not working out!"

In the photo above, Sydney was saying, "We have to push his bangs back to make his head look bigger."

Above: Reading in bed

Jeff & his dad cut down trees in his parents' yard the day after Thanksgiving. Here are Ethan & Reid with Papa and Jeff's chainsaw.

Jeff & I took Sydney & Ethan to The Nutcracker at the Steven's Center on Monday. It was awesome! We took them out to lunch downtown afterward. It was a really nice day, maybe we'll make it an annual tradition. This picture was taken at Jeff's clinic.

Ethan and Reid

2009-11-19T04:42:00.000-08:00

I heard the cutest conversation between Ethan and Reid. A few mornings ago, Reid was crying at 5:30am. I went up to check on him, and he was fine, so I put him back to bed. I stood in the hallway with the light on and heard this:

Reid: Mama goin'?
Ethan: Yeah, boss, she's going to rest just like you are going to rest.

R: Mama goin'?
E: She's going to bed, but she'll be back to get you in the morning.

R: Dada goin'?
E: He's in bed, too, boss, just like you.

R: Dada goin'?
E: In the morning, he'll go to work.

R: Dada goin'?
E: It's a place we can't go. They have candy there that we can't eat.

Then I turned off the hall light.

R: Mama goin'?
E: Yeah, boss, she turned off the light so we could go to sleep. But do you see that little dot of light? If you have to go potty, you can follow that dot straight to the door.

E: Let's talk, boss. Why do Mommy and Daddy get to go on trips and we have to stay with Grammy and Papa?
Silence
E: I don't know. Maybe one day we can go on a trip, boss.

Silence

E: Hey, boss. Did you ever want to ride a horse? I went to a horse farm once (he was 2.5 yrs old), but I was too afraid to ride the horse. But now I really want to.

Mel: No more talking...good night!
E: Good night!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T19:34:00.000-07:00

For Halloween, the theme was Narnia. Sydney was Queen Lucy, Ethan was King Edmund, and Reid was Aslan. Thanks to the Garretts and the Gentles for lending out costumes to us!

Great-Grandma Barto's 95th Birthday Party

2009-10-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Tennessee for my great-grandmother's 95th birthday party! There were 60 people there from all over the country- California, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Maryland, North Carolina, and Florida.

5 Generations of Women: Millie Barto, Marie DiGiovanni, Pamela Wentworth-Tyler, Melanie Chandler, Sydney Chandler

Millie Silverthorne Barto has 8 children: my grandmother, my 6 great-aunts, and my 1 great-uncle. While I lived in NY, I grew up with this family, but many I had not seen in over 2o years!! It was amazing to see my family that I had not seen in over half my life, to see cousins I had played with as a child, and to see the youngest family members (that I met for the first time on Saturday) playing with my own children. It was an experience so deeply amazing, I have a hard time putting words around it. Sydney and Ethan were thrilled to meet cousins they didn't even know they had! It made me miss living near family, and made me sad for my kids as I realized they are missing out on these rich extended family relationships.

Grandma Barto blowing out her 95 candles (with a little help from Raven and Mason!)

Our trip home was detoured as there was a big rock slide on I-40 outside of Asheville, which will take several months to clean up. We ended up stopping off in Elizabethton, TN, where Jeff lived from age 4 to 4th grade. Here we are in front of his old house. We drove through Boone to get home, and with the nice weather, the whole drive was bliss (minus Sydney getting carsick!)

More Stitches and More

2009-10-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

A few updates from the homefront...

Here are Sydney & Ethan in their Old Testament outfits eating a lunch of lentils & rice with flatbread (corn chips!) and dates for dessert. We are studying Ancient Times in history. This week we studied Abraham and Joseph, hence the Genesis clothes and food! We also have a chicken we are in the process of mummifying from our study of Ancient Egypt.
Ethan and his second, yes second, set of stitches. Last Tuesday we were at a friend's home when Ethan scored this injury. Thankfully, a friend of ours from church was there within 5 minutes, and had us meet her at her office to stitch him up. Since this is his second set within one month, he felt like an old pro. He laid there still and silent the whole time, holding his piece of gum from Otis...the promise of good things to come when "my surgery is over!"

With our friends at the Baa Moo Farm, where the kids got to do and see all kinds of fun things, like milking a cow!

Dates on the cob...a Sydney invention.

Reid at Old Salem. Twice a year Old Salem has Homeschool Days; it was fantastic!

Copying scripture with a quill pen in books the kids made.

Walking over the bridge on our way home.

Reid lasted till about 2pm, but finally gave in to a nap.

Beach Trip

2009-09-21T04:31:00.000-07:00

We went to Atlantic Beach the first week of September. We had a wonderful time! It's the first time our immediate family has taken a vacation that was just us since Ethan was 5 months old! Here are a few pictures. I have more to write about, just not much time right now!

Tobacco, Sleeping Boys, and Party Hats

2009-08-31T18:18:00.000-07:00

The farm next to us has begun harvesting their tobacco:

Reid never falls asleep in the car, but he was so tired the other day, that he not only fell asleep in the car, he stayed asleep while we watched Sen. Kennedy's funeral on TV.

Ethan likes to fall asleep during his rest time. I walked in to check on him, and from his door it looked like he was reading. He fell asleep reading about Ancient Egypt. I thought this was so cute!

Jeff removed Ethan's stitches on Sunday. Sydney was so excited that she made us all party hats that say: I'm glad your stitches are out.

Cute pics of Reid from this morning playing Sydney's harmonica while holding Ethan's lamb and wearing my party hat!

This one is priceless!

Baby Steps

2009-08-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

He finally did it!!!!!!!! At 17 months and 12 days, Reid took his first independent steps! Whew!

Weekend in VA

2009-08-24T10:43:00.001-07:00

Our family spent this past weekend in VA. It was an extra special time because Jeff & I got to have an adults only weekend with our dear friends Mark & Trish!! Sydney, Ethan & Reid spent the weekend with Jeff's parents, and Harrison, Alexa & Emmaline went with Trish's folks.
It was so nice to have a weekend with our friends, and our kids had a blast with Grammy & Papa. Here are some pics from our weekend- you can see my new Locks of Love hair. Eight inches is a lot of hair!!

As much fun as we all had, the weekend had a bad ending for Ethan. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and had a run in with our skeet thrower as we were packing up the car. He ended up needing 7 stitches. He was super brave throughout the whole thing, but the worst part of it was having the numbing medicine injected, which I know does sting and burn. Papa bought him a strawberry ice cream afterward, and he was happy about having to take grape Tylenol yesterday and today. Jeff will take the stitches out at the end of this week.

And Ethan is never too hurt to play with Reid!

Locks of Love

2009-08-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Sydney & I each gave 8 inches of our hair to Locks of Love. It takes 10 people to donate to make just 1 wig! Our hair turned out a bit shorter than we had expected, but every time we look at our short hair, we are reminded of the many girls in the world who have lost their natural hair and cannot grow their own. We are happy to be a very small part of blessing these girls and their families through the Locks of Love program.

Ethan started fall soccer this week. He'll practice 2 nights a week and have games on Saturdays.

Reid & Sydney

2009-08-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

This morning after getting dressed and washed, all Reid wanted to do was play with his sister. It brings such gladness to my heart to see my children playing together.

Ethan's Rest Time

2009-08-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

While Reid naps in the afternoon, Sydney and Ethan have rest times in their rooms. Sometimes Ethan falls asleep, sometimes he stays awake and plays. Since we stripped beds yesterday and the sheets were not back on his yet, here's how he ended up taking a nap. He was listening to Aesop's Fables on his CD player, and playing with his Playmobil Roman Arena set. He curled himself up in his comforter, made a pile of war equipment, and went to sleep.

End of Week Presentation & Celebration

2009-08-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

One thing I want to do is instill confidence in my children with public speaking. I also want to celebrate their hard work and accomplishments in our home school. So at the end of each week, I have the children present one or two things they have learned or memorized to the family. After our presentation, we celebrate with a special dessert. Today it was milkshakes!

My mom is here today, so she was able to join the audience. Ethan presented the three sounds he learned this week and a portion of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Sydney presented the whole of the aforementioned scripture as well as the poem Caterpillar by Christina G. Rosetti.

Reid was napping while we had our presentations, but he did enjoy a banana when he awoke!

Skunks

2009-08-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

This week in science, we are learning about skunks per Sydney's request. We were reading a great book about them today, and when we got to the part where a fox decides not to attack the skunk after he remembers his last encounter with a skunk, Ethan said, "Mommy, it's a good thing those skunks have that spray thing going on!"

Reid!

2009-08-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

I wanted to put in a picture of Reid since my last 2 updates were all about Sydney & Ethan. He has 8 teeth, says about 10 words, and will walk holding 1 hand. His balance while walking has really improved over the last few weeks, so I expect it won't be much longer before he's walking on his own. He loves to play outside, ride on his giraffe scooter, and vroom cars around (his word for car or truck is "go-go!").
Unfortunately, we are pretty sure he is gluten intolerant like Jeff, Ethan, and Jeff's mom. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. And since oats are highly susceptible to cross-contamination from wheat, we can only buy certified gluten free oats. His symptoms have been exactly the same as Ethan's at this age. The good news is that he was born into a family that is already used to living gluten free!

Gymnastics

2009-08-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was Sydney's first day of gymnastics class. She had a great time, her teacher was super friendly and helpful, and they even sent home a sheet with the positions they learned so we can practice this week! It was really nice to be able to watch her class, something I was not able to do when she took dance last year. Here's a picture of her practicing her straddle.

First Day of School

2009-08-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

Today was our first day of school! Sydney started 1st grade, and Ethan began K4. We had a great day, but I'm not sure who is more tired- Ethan or me! Below are some pictures.

In other news, Sydney lost her second tooth over the weekend! She was excited that the Tooth Fairy knew she was at Grammy & Papa's house!

Sydney led our Pledge of Allegiance today.

Ready to Learn!

Here is our curriculum list for this year:
Ethan:
Reading/Handwriting: Teach Your Child to Read In 100 Easy Lessons
Pre-K Skills: Kindergarten Readiness Book
Athletics: Fall Soccer

Sydney:
Phonics and Spelling: Orton-Spalding Method
Grammar: First Language Lessons
Math: Math U See (Alpha)
Writing: Writing With Ease
History/Geography: The Story of The World, Volume 1
Science: Animals, Human Body, Plants
Athletics: Gymnastics

Both:
Bible: Devotions, Community Bible Study, Scripture Memory, Children's Catechism Memory
Art: Artistic Pursuits (to be started later)
Physical Education: PE Class after Bible Study
French: Le Francais Facille (to be started later)

Smith Mountain Lake

2009-06-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a week at Smith Mtn. Lake, VA with Jeff's side of the family. Jeff's dad taught Ethan to knee board. Here's a video of him in the open waters! I'll get some more pictures up soon.

End of Year Ceremony & Celebration

2009-04-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

Last night, Sydney had her end of year ceremony and celebration for Classical Conversations. (Even though CC is over for the year, we will continue our homeschool.) For 6 weeks this past semester, the students studied American artists. Each of those 6 weeks, they would learn about a different artist, and then do a piece of artwork in that style. Last night, each of the students in her class brought in a piece of artwork they did this year to present. Sydney chose her painting she did after learning about Georgia O'Keeffe. There is a video below of her presentation. It's difficult to hear, so below it you can read her monologue.

All of the CC students in our Foundations program (K4-6th grade) reciting John 1:1-12

Sydney: My name is Sydney Chandler, and I painted this the week we learned about Georgia O'Keeffe. Georgia O'Keeffe is mostly known for painting oversized flowers and was inspired by nature.

Leaving the stage with her painting, certificate of completion, and her own copy of the Declaration of Independence. (We studied American history this year.)

Ethan and Olivia Beth

Oliva Beth and Sydney

Sydney with Mrs. Jordan, our CC Director

Sydney with Mrs. Vaughn, her beloved tutor

The Queen and Her Servant

2009-03-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

Sydney & Ethan spend quite a bit of time playing outside, and it is always so much fun to see the fun things they come up with to do. Like most all kids their ages, they have vivid imaginations, and they rarely just play on the swing set; they will turn even that into some kind of journey they are taking. They are always making up games or scenarios.

One thing they did last week is pictured below. Sydney was the queen on her throne (a stack of plastic outdoors chairs), and her footstool was a wooden crate that we will use to collect our veggies from the garden. Ethan was the servant who had to keep her cool by using a piece of bamboo to turn the fan. In the third picture you can see a plant stand, and he had all kinds of string tied on it. This was the cookstove where he prepared her meals.

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Reid's Frist Birthday!

2009-03-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

Reid turned one on March 13! The first two pictures are from his actual birthday, and the last three are from his party. He had a great day seeing his family, eating carrot cake, and playing with wrapping paper!
He weighs 22 lbs, and is in the 50th percentile for his length. He says "ball", and playing ball is his favorite thing to do. In fact, the other day he and I were rolling the tennis ball back and forth to each other when he figured out how to bounce it so it would land in my lap every time. I think we may have a future ball player! :-)

What Jeff Does for Fun

2009-02-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

I took this video of Jeff in Nov 2008. This is how country boys have fun. All the neighborhood kids came running into our backyard after this!

Valentine's and Birthdays

2009-02-22T18:02:00.000-08:00

This is how Reid falls asleep- fingers in the mouth, arm over the eyes.

Sydney in art class at Classical School

North Davidson High School Wrestling onesie from Jason, Elizabeth & Riley

Baking Jeff a carrot cake for his birthday...Sydney wanted her hair to look like an alien that day!
Licking the beaters!

Happy Birthday to Daddy!

Ethan had a look of guilt on his face the next day. I then discovered he had sneaked into the carrot cake when I was upstairs with Reid!

Riley & Sydney at dinner to celebrate Mom & Dad C's and Jeff's birthdays in Greensboro

Ethan models all of Papa's Old Dude gear. Dad C turned 60!

Nadine holding Reid (can you see him saying, "Ooooo"?) and E-ma Dorner holding Nate (Daniel & Nadine's new baby).

I wanted to post some recent pictures and give some updates on the kids since it's been a little too long! I can't believe Reid is getting ready to turn 1! He has 3.5 teeth (2 on bottom and 1.5 on top) which is really cute, and 2 more on the way. Last Saturday he stood up for the first time. He loves to say "uh-oh" before he drops an object. He's so nice to give us fair warning! :-) I still think he is just the sweetest baby, always happy to go with the flow...something I envy about 3rd born kids!

Ethan and Sydney just continue to make us laugh with the funny things they do and say. They are the best of friends. I used to be so much better about writing down their funnies, but I haven't been so good about it for the past 11.5 months. I will get better about this so I can post, but here's something funny Sydney said yesterday as she was contrasting city people and country people. "In the city, men wear black top hats and women wear fancy dresses to weddings." She then noticed a hole in her sock and asked me to patch it. When I told her that I don't patch socks, she said, "Country people don't waste their money on buying socks. They patch and sew them. When all the thread is gone and the socks are old and dirty, then they get new ones."

Jeff recently asked Ethan what he wanted to be when he grows up. Ethan said, "A fireman, a policeman, and a dugger." Jeff asked, "What's a dugger?" Ethan replied, "Someone who dug something."

Ethan and Sydney are really into Man Vs. Wild on Discovery Channel. We are planning a MVW party for Ethan's 4th birthday. Jeff worked on setting up a ropes course this weekend. Also, he and Ethan went to the NC Wrestling Tournament this weekend, which they both loved. Sydney, Reid, & I got to go to the mall to go clothes shopping. Fun!

Joyful Reunion

2009-02-12T17:29:00.001-08:00

This is so sweet!

The BIG Snow!

2009-01-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

We've been busy since we started back to school, MOPS, and dance lessons. Here are a few recent pictures from home.

The big snow! Wow! Look at all that! It's no wonder the whole Piedmont Triad Area had to close down.

Ethan & Sydney were totally excited about the snow. They were out playing in at at 7am. I found them putting wood in the fireplace. This is really funny because it's a gas fireplace that we've never used.

Baby Davy Crockett

Sydney & Ethan thought it would be fun to join Reid in his playpen. He surely enjoyed the company!

Reid is now 10 months old (Jan 13). He's pulling up on his knees, has 2 teeth, loves to play with his big brother & sister, and always smiles for the camera!

Christmas

2008-12-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, our dear friends and family! Below are some pictures from our Christmas. It has been a while since I've posted, so here are some quick updates.
Reid is crawling, cutting his first tooth, and using his pincer grasp to pick up and eat everything small! We have all hardwood floors on our main level, so the front of his clothes looks like I've been dry mopping with them most of the time! :-)
Ethan is having a blast with his remote control cars, his new Civil War Musket, train table, and electric ride-on motorcycle (from Grandpa Z of course!)
Sydney is into her Littlest Pet Shop bobbleheads and her new PBK doll named Anna (see below). She is doing a fantastic job with her reading and looking forward to starting dance class in January.
Jeff had a wonderful week off from work, and we were all sad to say goodbye to him this morning. He is enjoying his new MP3 player (as am I!) as we have joined the rest of the world in giving up our "cd mix tapes" (to quote Michael from The Office.)
Melanie now enjoys cleaning house and running since getting my MP3 player since that's my time to listen to my tunes! There is nothing more boring than running on the treadmill while staring at our school room. I have enjoyed vacation from school with the kids and visiting with our friends and family.
Enjoy the pictures!

Sydney with best girlfriends Alexa & Emmaline at Christmas Eve Service.

Ethan dressed in his "Armor of God"

Ethan and his Civil War Musket from Old Salem, NC.

The always happy Baby Reid!

J&E in their "Big Guy" and "Little Guy" hats

Sydney was sooo excited to get Anna from Grammy & Papa!

Our Christmas Babies

A Week of Firsts...

2008-11-18T12:14:00.000-08:00

Within one week, Reid had his first haircut, said "mama" to me for the first time, and caught his first cold (and he was a little trooper through it!) Here are pics from his haircut.

Getting ready... nice cape on Jeff! :-)

Getting clipped around the ears and neck...

What a big boy!Look at that kissable neck!

Sydney, Riley & Ethan all got to watch Baby Reid get his hair cut.

Halloween

2008-11-18T12:02:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a blast this year! Sydney dressed as Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Ethan was a pirate, and Reid was a baby cow. All 3 have used this cow costume for Halloween.

Jeff's parents were with us as we took the kids trick-or-treating in our small neighborhood. It was a great time to chat with neighbors and let the kids enjoy themselves.

The next day we had a baby shower for Jeff's cousin, Daniel, and his wife, Nadine, who is due with their first baby in the beginning of December. They are expecting a boy, who they will name Nate. They live fairly close, so he and Reid can be playmates!

Then on Sunday, the kids and I went back to VA with Grammy & Papa, where we had a week filled with seeing friends and family. And I got a week off of cooking and cleaning! Wow! Thanks Mom & Dad Chandler! Jeff joined us on Thursday, and we got to spend a day with our dear friends the Mountans, and Jeff & I even had a date night! We saw Fireproof, which was a fantastic movie.

Reid also got his first haircut in VA! I'll put pics in a separate post!

The Girl I Used To Be

2008-11-18T11:59:00.000-08:00

I just received this in an email. It brought tears to my eyes, and I wanted to share it here:

THE GIRL I USED TO BE

She came tonight as I sat alone
The girl I used to be.
And she gazed at me with her earnest eye
And questioned reproachfully:

Have you forgotten the many plans
And hopes I had for you?
The great career, the splendid fame,
All the wonderful things to do?

Where is the mansion of stately height
With all its gardens rare?
The silken robes that I dreamed for you
And the jewels in your hair?

And as she spoke, I was very sad,
For I wanted her pleased with me,
This slender girl from the shadowy past,
The girl that I used to be.

So gently rising, I took her hand
And guided her up the stairs
Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay,
Innocent, sweet, and fair.

And I told her that these are my only gems,
And precious they are to me;
That silken robes is my motherhood
Of costly simplicity.

And my mansion of stately height is love,
And the only career I know
Is serving each day in these sheltered walls
For the dear ones who come and go

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,
She smiled through her tears at me.
And I saw the woman that I am now
Pleased the girl I used to be.

- Author unknown

Double Double Toil and Trouble

2008-10-31T06:12:00.000-07:00

Here are Sydney & Ethan reciting a portion of Shakespear's Macbeth. It may be a little difficult to understand, but I thought the grandparents would like it!

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble. Fillet of a fenny snake, In the caldron boil and bake; Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,— For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble. Cool it with a baboon's blood, Then the charm is firm and good.

Look Who's Sitting Up!

2008-10-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

Reid is sitting up without support for extended periods of time now! Yay Baby Reid! He can push up on to all fours (I saw him rocking on all fours on the carpet in his room today), but because our house has hardwoods, he usually just slips down to his belly!

Ethan asked for some cheese for a snack this morning. I was gone no more than 5 minutes, and when I came back he had created this cheese and raisin "sample tray." He was saying, "Samples for sale! Fifty cents a sample!"

We think Sydney & Reid really look alike! She is a terrific big sister!

Davy Crockett With a Chainsaw

2008-10-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

We went to our friend's house for bruch after church yesterday, and they have 2 boys, so Ethan had an awesome time! He loved this chainsaw so much they let him borrow it. Thanks Tripp & Jen! The coon skin hat is Ethan's gift from Jeff when he went to Texas and visited a gigantic bass pro shop on his trip. We recently studied Davy Crockett, and he likes to put on the hat and pretend that's who he is.

For Sydney, Love is Spelled T-i-m-e (A follow up to my previous post)

2008-10-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

When Jeff and I were in premarital counseling, our pastor had us write down 3 times in our lives we felt loved. Jeff's included things like his grandpa taking him to play golf when he was a boy, my examples focused on events like when my grandma would take me clothes shopping. From this list, our pastor talked to us about our love languages, meaning we had to show each other love in the "language" we understood. For Jeff, it was quality time, for me it was gifts. Well, the whole gift giving (or receiving) thing never really panned out for me, and I think my love language has since changed to something more like "acts of service" (go figure, being a busy mom!). But this concept of love languages has resurfaced again with our kids, specifically Sydney.

Gary Chapman wrote a book called The Five Love Languages, and if I remember correctly, they are:
Quality Time
Acts of Service
Gift Giving
Physical Touch
Words of Affirmation

The transition for me from 2 to 3 kids was not nearly as difficult as from 1 to 2, especially since Reid is such an easy baby. But once we started homeschooling, I began to feel spread really thin. Being a task-oriented person, it can be pretty frustrating feeling like I just can't get everything done that needs to be done. Jeff is helping me with time management, which really has been helpful so that I don't feel overly stretched. But the whole "test" Sydney gave me really made me want to probe deeper into her heart and find out where that was coming from.

What it boils down to is that Sydney's love language is quality time. She's given more than enough evidence that this is the case, but when I took her to McD's last week for hot fudge sundaes on a mother-daughter date, I asked her how she felt loved. Without hesitation, she replied, "When you spend time with me." And homeschool time doesn't count! :-) She needs one on one quality time with Jeff and/or me- dates, time reading together, playing dolls, hanging out in her room, etc.

Now that I know this, and want her to always feel loved, I can better structure my day to make sure a top priority is giving Sydney quality time. It may be just 15 minutes of alone time doing something she enjoys, but it's so awesome to watch her "love tank" fill up.

A Test of Love

2008-10-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

Sydney dressed as a Pilgrim. She put this on for several days straight when we were studying the Pilgrims.

Yesterday, we were getting ready to meet some friends at the park. I told the kids to put on their shoes. Here's my conversation with Sydney:

Sydney: Mommy, do you know where my sneakers are?

Melanie: No, where did you leave them last night?

S: I don't know, I'll go check upstairs.

S: (After checking upstairs) They weren't there.

M: Maybe you left them outside. Did you check on the deck?

S: (Coming back inside) Well, I found them on the deck. But I knew where they were the whole time. That was just a test to see if you loved me.

M: Well, did I pass the test?

S: No. If you loved me, you would have known where my shoes were.

What??? My child was judging my love for her by whether or not I knew where her sneakers were? On one level, as an adult, you can laugh at that because it's so ridiculous. As her parent, I didn't think it was too funny because of underlying implications. But it really got me thinking about the passage in Matthew 4 where Jesus is tempted by Satan.

Matthew 4: 5-7:

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

How many times have I judged God when things were not going my way? The thought pattern is something like, "If God really, really cared, He surely wouldn't let this happen." Or, "Okay, either He loves me but just isn't completely sovereign, or He is sovereign but just doesn't care." Either way, I set up my own silly standards just like Sydney did, and if God doesn't pass my test, then His love just isn't true. Instead, I need to remember His faithful promises in His true word about His everlasting covenental love for me, not because I (or any of us) have earned His love but because He is love and He keeps His promises and He is good- all the time. And He is all that while being completely sovereign.

Thinking about this makes me really want to worship God for the mighty and loving Father He is. Instead of judging His love and faithfulness to me when things don't go my way, I need to confess to Him my desire to have things go my way all of the time. I need to remember that when I am tempted to think that way, it incriminates me and exposes my desire to be first. I must turn from that way of thinking and run back to my all powerful, all loving God who desires relationship with me. That's called living in faith and freedom instead of fear.

1 John 4:18a "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment."

So, back to Sydney. I guess the saying is true that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! I'm sure any faults our kids have are learned from Jeff & me, but as we live life together in love and fellowship with one another and the Father, my greatest aspiration for them is that they will know the undying power of His unconditional love and faithfulness to His people.

Look Mommy, A Whale!

2008-10-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

Ethan Teaching Reid to Hold His Bottle

Driving down a country road a couple of weeks ago, Ethan & I had the following conversation in the car:
Ethan: Look Mommy! A whale!
Melanie: A whale?
E: No, Mommy, not a whale, a whale.
M: Are you thinking about a whale in the ocean?
E: No, Mommy, not a whale, a whale. I just saw a whale outside!
M: Aren't you silly! Whales live in the ocean. Maybe you saw a horse?
E: No, Mommy. It was a whale! Like what Ma & Pa get their water from. (We like Little House!)

He was trying to say well! I guess living in Davidson County has had an effect on him!

Thy Mercy My God

2008-10-12T19:02:00.001-07:00

As if I didn't write enough about baptism in my previous post, there was something extra special about that Sunday that I really wanted to share. My favorite musical group is Indelible Grace, who takes ancient hymns and sets them to new music. One of my absolute favorite songs they do is Thy Mercy My God. Click here to listen to a sound clip. Just click on the song title to hear it.

On my way to the hospital to have Reid, Jeff & I listened to this song, and I kept it in my head during labor (click here to read that amazing story!). Although we sing Indelible Grace at our church often, we have never sung this particular song when I've been there. Would you believe this is the song we sang right before Reid was baptized?! How awesome it was to sing this with my faith community and reflect on God's tender mercies just before the sign of God's merciful covenant was applied to my sweet baby.
Here are the lyrics:

Thy mercy my God is the theme of my song
The joy of my heart and the boast of my tongue
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last
Hath won my affection and bound my soul fast

Without Thy sweet mercy I could not live here
Sin would reduce me to utter despair
But through Thy free goodness my spirits revive
And He that first made me still keeps me alive

Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart
Dissolved by thy goodness I fall to the ground
And weep to the praise of the mercy I've found

Great Father of mercies! Thy goodness I own
And the covenant love of Thy crucified Son
All praise to the Spirit whose whisper divine
Seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine!

Reid's Baptism

2008-10-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, October 5, Reid Wallace was baptized. Our family and dear friends gathered around us for this special event, and we are so thankful for all who were able to come. The ceremony was beautiful and we had brunch at our home afterwards. It was really special to have Mark help with the baptism and pray for Reid and our family.

This is a long post, but I really wanted to write about why we baptize our infants. I realize that there are different beliefs among Christians about baptism, and I wanted to explain our viewpoint from scripture for anyone who wondered why we do this.

Coming from a Southern Baptist church in high school and college, I always believed it was wrong to baptize infants. I thought people either did infant baptisms because they believed it would cleanse the child of their original sin and give him/her a clean slate (which some people do believe) or that it was just a formality, like a baby dedication but with water. After coming into a Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) church in 1999, I learned that neither of my assumptions were true in the reformed faith.

For my friends reading this who are not Christians, we believe the Bible teaches that due to Adam’s disobedience in the garden, all people are born into sin because he represented the whole human race. We sin because we are sinners, we don’t sin and then consequently become sinners. Because of God’s great mercy, he sent Jesus, the “second Adam” (see Romans 5) to pay the price for our sin and redeem all those who put their faith in Him. Jesus did what Adam did not. He lived a sinless life, suffered, and died the painful and shameful death of the cross to satisfy God’s justice. Because Jesus represented His chosen race, those who believe in Him by faith alone can be completely forgiven of our sins and be in relationship with God. That is why on my profile I state that I am a sinner made righteous by the work of Christ. I am righteous in God’s sight, but ONLY by the work of Christ, not by anything I have done.

In the book of Genesis, God makes a covenant with Abram and the Bible says that Abram believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6). The sign of the covenant is circumcision, and Abram is told to apply the sign to every male among him. From that point forward, male babies were to be circumcised on the 8th day of life (Gen 17:12), even though they had not professed faith in God. The outward sign was to set them apart as part of God’s people, the covenant family.

You can follow God’s covenants with His people from Genesis to Revelation, and it really is a beautiful story. God constantly keeps His promises even when His people are unfaithful to Him. Ultimately, Jesus ushers in a new covenant of grace, which is the high point in the story of God and His people. However, it is always by believing God that people are reconciled to God, even before the death and resurrection of Christ.

The way that this relates to infant baptism is that children were always part of the covenant family. The outward sign of circumcision was always applied to infants. In the New Testament, the sign of the covenant is baptism. Since so many of the early Christians were Jews, they would have been accustomed to applying the sign of the covenant to their infants, and we believe that if they were not supposed to do that with baptism, there would be instruction in one of the epistles to not do it, but there is not. Furthermore, Jesus welcomes the little children to come to Him and puts His hands on them and blesses them (Mark 10:14-16). Acts 2:38-39 says, “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off- for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Jeff, Sydney, and I have received that promise and have put our faith in Christ. The faith we have is a gift from Him. As a baby, Reid does not have the capacity to put his faith in Christ, but we believe the promise is for him since he is our child. The baptism is an outward sign, and we look to Christ with hope and expect to see the inward fulfillment of the outward sign when Reid is older. The baptism marked Reid as part of our covenant family, our church community, and is all about God’s promise to His people. Although in the ceremony we did promise to raise Reid (and Sydney & Ethan at their baptisms) in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, the baptism is more about God’s promise to Reid and us, and less about our promises to God. We don’t believe the baptism saves him in the sense that from this point forward he is cleansed of his sinful nature, but we do believe it calls him out for salvation later.

One last thing that I personally love about infant baptism is that it really illustrates how believers have come to Christ, like helpless babies. Faith in Jesus is never something we can muster up, it comes as a free gift from him. We do not have the capacity to work our way to God, His amazing love does the work for us. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

The kids got changed and went out to play as soon as we got home!

Jeff''s mom made amazing desserts!

Precious Baby Reid! His middle name is Wallace, after Jeff's grandfather, Alvin Wallace, who is holding him in the photo, and his mother, Annie Wallace.

Myrtle Beach

2008-09-29T12:30:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics from our trip to Myrtle Beach. We went Sept 14-18 with Jeff's parents, missed both storms and had beautiful weather! It's a great time to go because there are no crowds, it's not too hot, and the hotel rates are so much more reasonable. You run a huge risk, though, because that is hurricane season. We had a great time, and the kids LOVED the ocean! It was their first time at the beach in 3 years.

Sydney had a blast collecting shells each day.
She loved getting splashed by the waves! Reid (our dream baby!) took his long naps on the beach each day.
Being silly!
We took the kids to an amusement park for the first time, and boy did they have FUN!
Ethan & Papa

Ethan loved boogie boarding!
So excited to be at the beach!
Sweet Baby Reid
Enjoying the view
Reid turned 6 months old at the beach.

First Day of School

2008-09-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

Sydney's first day of school was 2 weeks ago, and we all had a great morning! We go every Monday morning to supplement our homeschool. Here she is with her new backpack.

The Chandler Crew!

I love that our whole family can be so active in our homeschool and our classical school. Ethan really enjoys being in Sydney's classroom even though he has to sit on the sidelines and just watch and listen. Consequently, he is learning quite a bit! I have spent some time in the nursery with Reid when he's not napping, but some of the other moms with young kids and I will rotate nursery shifts so we can each spend as much time as possible in our children's classrooms.

Below are Sydney and her good friend Abigail. Believe it or not, Sydney is several months older than Abigail! Sydney is in the 10th percentile for height, and Abigail is tall for her age, so they almost look a year apart!

The photo below is Sydney's class. There are 8 students total, but only 4 are pictured here.

Every week the students have to do presentations, which is just like show and tell at this age. Like her mom, she enjoys speaking in front of groups.

After class time, all the families eat lunch together, which has been a great way to get to know other moms homeschooling classically. (Our Monday morning Foundations program is for elementary aged students, but Classical Conversations goes all the up through high school.) The kids love to play after eating and we come home ready for naps! :-)

Ethan's Soccer Team

2008-09-03T04:42:00.000-07:00

Last night was Ethan's first soccer practice. After watching Sydney's team practice twice in the past week, he was so ready to get out there and play! He had a great time, but I think if all the kids learned anything last night, it was how to stand in line! Below is a picture of him and some of his teammates lined up to kick the ball into the net. Passing the ball to another teammate. Coach Patrick is behind Ethan.
Ethan had to stop the ball when it came to him, so he was really prepared!
Cheesin' for the camera

Yesterday was also our first day of MOPS. It meets at a church really close to our house. It was great, and it was so awesome to meet moms who live near me. For the past 2 years, I have really struggled with where to find community- at my church, where I feel the need to have close community, but also where it has been difficult because of living further away than most everyone else; or where I live, which, until I found MOPS and we started soccer, I had fewer avenues to meet other moms with young kids. We have other kids in our neighborhoods, but I am the only SAHM, so there is little community here during the day. We have made good friends in Winston, and I am so thankful for them, but I think I've been looking for the close community of friends that I had in Midlothian, not to mention missing our family in VA.

Everyone at MOPS was really nice, and it's so well organized. We have meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, which includes programs for the kids (birth to age 5), and on the second and fourth Tuesdays are organized playdates at various parks and field trips. It was funny because at church, people usually have no idea where our little town is, even though it's just 25 minutes away. But at MOPS yesterday, noone knew where Redeemer was! I almost felt like I have two separate lives. Hopefully soon, Arcadia will start to feel more like home.

Soccer Star Sydney!

2008-08-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Sydney's first soccer practice. She's one of two girls on a team of 7 kids. She had a great time, as you will see in the pictures. She took off with the ball during drills and had a blast playing with the other kids. The field was just minutes from our house, and it was nice to have something close to us for a change! Her first game will be next Saturday, and Ethan's first practice/game is this upcoming Tuesday night.

The Team With Coach Doug
Learning to stop the ball
Water Break!
Learning to block the goal
Goalie Playing a practice game

Sydney's School Uniform

2008-08-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

Sydney came downstairs in this outfit one morning last week and announced she was dressed in her school uniform! The polo and vest are Ethan's, but they do look pretty cute on her! If she were attending public school, today would be her first day of kindergarden. Wow...it's really hard to imagine what this day would be like if we had sent her to school.

Today has just been a normal day in our house. A lot of people are asking when we are starting school and what we'll be doing. I've been teaching Sydney to read all summer, and she's doing a good job. Teaching reading is pretty easy with a good program, and I'm really proud of her progress. We started math two weeks ago and handwriting last week.

On September 8, we'll begin Classical Conversations. Sydney will be in a class of 8 other kindergardeners and will receive instruction from a tutor in the areas of science, history, art, music, Latin, and some grammar. I will reinforce those subjects throughout the following week and continue to do all of her instruction in reading, math, and writing. I will get to take part in class with her, and Ethan and Reid will be there with us too. I'm so excited about our whole family taking part in this!

Grammy & Papa came this weekend and outfitted the kids with some clothes for fall and their soccer gear. Here are S&E excited about their new cozy jammies! They also treated us to dinner at Bonefish Grill- yum!

Tyson Chicken Scandal

2008-08-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

If you've ever bought meat or dairy that claims to be hormone/antibiotic free because you care about what you put into your body, you need to read this post on my dear friend Trish's blog. Companies will do anything for a buck!

Me In A Wheelchair

2008-08-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

I received an email from my Great-Aunt Trish with the following message and video:

A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?'

The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes. '
They went on to complete the marathon together.

Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through the race together.

One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.' To which, his father said 'Yes.'

For those who don't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer)ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180 .2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island .

Father and son went on to complete the race together.

Watch their video below...

As I watched this video, it really hit me that I am that son in the wheelchair. He did nothing to complete the race...nothing of his own strength enabled him to complete an ironman. It was all about his father. It was all his father's strength, love, and committment that brought them across that finish line. So many times I resort to living life out of my own strength. I look to my own goodness or righteousness, forgetting that the righteousness and goodness I do have comes from being clothed in Christ. I will win the race, not in my own self, but with my strong, caring, loving, perfect Heavenly Father pushing my wheelchair.

Boone!

2008-07-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

We went to Boone, my favorite place on earth, on Sunday after early church since they were calling for thunderstorms on Saturday. You never know what you're going to get up there! As they say in Boone, if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes! But we wanted to be on the safe side, so we waited, and we had a gorgeous day on Sunday.

We first went to Price Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway where we ate a picnic lunch and played in the stream, which was refreshingly cold! Then we went to downtown Blowing Rock for ice cream at Kilwin's, which we ate in the park across the street. We played for a while in the park, and then bought the kids a little treat at the Mast Store. It was such a great day!

Every time we go up there, I end up wishing we had moved there instead of Winston. But I console myself with the fact that I would go absolutely nuts during the long winters and am so very thankful that we live close enough now that we can do a day trip. And I figure, if all 3 kids go to ASU, that gives us 9 consecutive years of having a child there, which surely would justify a mountain house, right? :-)

Below are pictures of the kids loving their ice cream treats and climbing on a tree at the park.

Above is Sydney's flower garden and below that is a picture of our vegetable garden. We got a super sweet & juicy watermelon from it this weekend! I'm also going to can our tomatoes. I've been really intimidated about the whole canning process since I've never done it before, but thankfully a veteran canner from our small group is going to come over and do it with me!

Applesaucer

2008-07-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Reid in the exersaucer. Ethan thinks it's called an "applesaucer!" It's one of those words you don't correct because it's so cute that he calls it that!"Hey, you tawkin' ta me?"

Reid started on his first solid food last week, which has been a fun new thing to do. He's doing great, and he's now getting more in his tummy than on his bib!First food

Sydney was so happy when I found some of my old Cabbage Patch Kid dolls and this Annie doll in our attic. The past few days have all been about Annie's life in the orphanage. I remember loving Annie so much that I wanted to actually be an orphan myself! My parents found me one night singing "Maybe" next to my bedroom window! That one still makes me laugh...

We are heading up to Boone in the morning just for the day. Next time I post I'll have a new picture of Ethan too.

Reid is 4 Months Old!

2008-07-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

Reid turned 4 months old today. He is the sweetest baby! He is full of smiles and loves to coo and laugh. Here's an updated picture of our littlest cutie taken today.

Yesterday, Saturday, Ethan went without a nap. Jeff went out to mow in the early evening. Ethan's not allowed to ride on the Deere while Jeff is mowing because it's too dangerous with the blades out, but he loves to watch Jeff mow. When Jeff is done mowing, he always takes Ethan for a ride. So yesterday, Ethan was sitting on the deck stairs watching Jeff while I was fixing dinner. I checked on him every so often, and he was just sitting there every time I looked at him. After Jeff finished mowing, which takes about 45 minutes, he told me to come outside and look at my son. Here's what we saw:

Fast Asleep!

Overall, the garden has been great. This is our second year, and each year we learn things that we want to do differently next year. Right now, we are dealing with leaf blight on almost all of our 15 tomato plants. We found a solution online, and worked on it (Jeff & Ethan did anyway!) on Saturday, so hopefully they will all be fine. Unrelated to the leaf blight, though, we got a rather large tomato out of our garden. It's so unnaturally large and odd shaped, that we did not eat it, but check out this picture of it. Jeff's hand is next to it so you have an idea of it's size.

Tomato on Steroids

Lastly, and this should have gone in my redneck post, Sydney planned and directed a wedding for her and Ethan to get married. The wedding took place right after baths one night last week. She wore her pajamas with her cream colored satin robe that my grandmother made me when I was a little girl. Ethan wore his pajamas with jeans pulled over them and a tie he wore to Jeff's cousin's wedding last fall. Jeff doubled as the pastor and ring bearer and I was the flower girl. Reid just nursed.

The Happy Couple

The Sort of Happy Couple

The Kiss
The Honeymoon's Over Before it Began!

You Know You Live In The Country When...

2008-07-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

You Know You Live In The Country When...
*Your kids know #3 is Dale Earnhardt
*You have to wash your children's feet before you can let them in the bathtub
*You mention something about a camoflauge life vest and your girly 5 year old exclaims, "Oh, pretty!"

Raw Tomato Sauce Recipe

2008-07-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

With all the tomatoes we have growing in our garden, we are eating tomatoes every day! Even if you don't grow your own, there's always an abundance of fresh tomatoes at roadside stands or farmer's markets during the summer that taste so much better than what you can buy in the store. Here is one of our favorite recipes for fresh tomatoes that I got from The American Vegetarian Cookbook.

3 large beefsteak or 8 plum tomatoes, diced (I always use more!)
1 large garlic clove, minced (We like garlic, so I use 2 or 3 cloves.)
1/4 cup chopped basil, or 2 tsp dried
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt (real sea salt is best)
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Allow to sit for 30min-1 hour if possible.

I serve this over brown rice pasta made by Tinkyada Joy, available at Whole Foods and in the pasta aisle at many grocery stores. We also like to add feta cheese or grilled chicken and we always have a nice green salad with it.

Enjoy!

Smith Mountain Lake, VA

2008-07-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

We had a fun family vacation at Smith Mountain Lake, Va last week. Jeff's parents rented a beautiful house right on the lake, complete with a beach area. Jason (Jeff's brother), Elizabeth, & Riley were there with us too. Sydney, Riley & Ethan had a blast together! Sydney gained tremendous confidence in the water, and by the end of the week wanted to jump off the boat and swim by herself (with a lifevest). Ethan loved being in the water too. While we were there, we celebrated Sydney's 5th birthday. Here are some pictures.

Sydney's Hawaiian Coconut Cake

Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay...

Reid & Papa
Ethan Driving Papa's Boat
Sydney On Her Own!

Sydney wanted a Hawaiian party, and she wanted pancakes for breakfast.

Uncle Jason mixed up the pina coladas!
Jeff & the kids had fun fishing.
Papa was pulling S&E on the rope- a prelude to tubing.
Making cream cheese & olive sandwiches

On Sydney's birthday, I reflected a lot on the past 5 years with her. I remember a few days before she was born, I took off work on a Friday since I was scheduled for an induction the following Monday. I went to Barnes & Noble with my friend Trish for coffee that moring. Her then 4.5 year old son, Harrision, sat and looked at books while we chatted. I remember thinking, "Wow, this stay at home mom thing is really the life!" I think back now about how I didn't know a thing about what I was getting into, but how being a mom really is "the life." Not a life of luxury and ease and hanging out at coffee shops, but so amazingly wonderful. Children are so absolutely precious, and our time with them short. I am so thankful for the privledge of having Sydney, Ethan & Reid, and I try to cherish each day with them knowing I won't ever get that time back.

Portraits & Father's Day

2008-06-18T11:41:00.001-07:00

I took the kids to have their portraits done on Friday. Here are some of my favorites.

Okay, I know I'm his mom, and so I'm biased, but Reid is the cutest baby!!!!!

Sweet Sydney

Handsome Ethan

We had a very special Father's Day weekend. We spent Saturday at Hanging Rock State Park where we took a hike to a beautiful waterfall, ate a picnic lunch, and swam in the lake. The kids loved the water! Sydney, especially, has so much more confidence this year than she did last year. On Sunday, we went to church, had brunch, and ribs for dinner. The ribs were a big deal, since we only get enough for one meal with our 1/4 cow order that we do every 6 months!

I interviewed Sydney & Ethan about Jeff and gave him a copy of the interview for Father's Day. Here is an excerpt:

What does Daddy do?
Sydney: He works, he’s off today, and sometimes he comes home before our naps.
Ethan: He rides on the John Deere with me and plants the garden. He works in an office. He probably plants a garden in his office.

What can you tell me about Daddy?
Sydney: He likes us and he hugs and kisses us at bedtime. He’s fun to play with.
Ethan: I can’t talk right now. I’m coloring. I won’t speak.

What would you like to tell Daddy on Father’s Day?
Sydney: That I love him very, very, very, very much
Ethan: We’re going to eat waffles.

What would be a good gift for Daddy on Father’s Day?
Sydney: Give him his own truck set and his first motorcycle.
Ethan: Well, Santa has to give him a present. Not me.

The Gray People

2008-06-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

*Sydney & Ethan were watching a movie and the scene went to black & white. Ethan turned off the tv, and I asked why. Sydney said, "Oh, Ethan thought it was over because the gray people came on."

*The other day, Sydney referred to the back of her knee as her "leg pit!"

*We went fishing at Lake Thom-A-Lex over Memorial Day weekend. The kids both caught a few fish. One time, though, Ethan reeled in his line thinking he had caught a fish, but he hadn't and his bait was still on. He looked at his line and said, "Oh! I caught a worm!"

*At dinner, we wait to eat till everyone has sat down, has been served, and we thank God for our food. The other night, Ethan was especially hungry and didn't want to wait. We asked him to wait till we prayed, and he said, "Well, I'm durvin murvin (starvin' marvin), so I guess I better eat."

New pics are on our website: http://www.chandlerfamily.biz/.

I'll Just Skin Him

2008-06-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

Today, Sydney was playing with Reid. I said to her, "Would you like to hold him? Babies like skin to skin contact." Sydney replied, "No, you can hold him, and I'll just skin him." Then she rubbed his arm.

I Tried To Crack An Egg...

2008-05-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

Jeff and Sydney were talking about her dance class she'll be doing in June, and he also mentioned that she'd get to do soccer in the fall. Here's their conversation about soccer.

Jeff: You get to play soccer outside on a field with other kids.
Sydney: Well, I only like to play soccer in my backyard.
J: But it's fun to play on a team. You get to make friends, learn how to win and lose, but it's not really about winning or losing. It's about trying hard.
S: Well, I tried once to crack and egg, and it got all over my hands, so I'm not doing that again.
J: This summer, we'll have to watch the Olympics together. It has all kinds of sports- baseball, soccer, wrestling, track & field...
S: Well, I want to play the running game. Whoever crosses the finish line first would get to have whatever they wanted at The Dollar Tree... for free.

Reid is 10 Weeks Old!

2008-05-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

Wow...has it really been 10 weeks since sweet little Reid made his grand entrance into the world? He is just the best little baby! He is reaching for everything; he even pulled a toy off his play mat (look out Ethan!), he coos so sweetly and has the cutest little smile. We are all completely enamored with this baby boy (as if you couldn't tell!) Here's a picture of him from a couple of weeks ago. Yes, I have more recent ones, but I just love this one because he is smiling. He weighed in at 11 lbs on Tuesday.

Last night, Ethan gave me a ride on the John Deere. The big JD that Jeff uses to mow the lawn. He sat on my lap with my arms around his waist, my foot was on the gas, and he did the rest. He drove me around the front yard, alongside the garden, around the blueberry bushes, circled around the jungle gym, then up and down the main road of our neighborhood. He's a fantastic driver for a 3 year old, but it was a little scary at times because I was allowing him to be in total control. Mom & Dad- now I know how you felt when I was learning to drive!

Here, Ethan shows off a worm he found when we were tilling our garden area.

Both Sydney & Ethan love spending a good chunk of their days outside. They love riding their bikes, swinging, checking out the garden, etc. One of Sydney's most favorite things to do, though, is picking wildflowers. She says she is going out to the meadow (the furthest part of our backyard where the wildflowers grow) to pick flowers. She asked Jeff if she could have her own flower garden, and of course Daddy said yes. Jeff talked to one of his patients who is a master gardener, and she planned a whole flower garden perfect for a little girl, complete with trellises and a shepherd's hook. I'll post pictures as they start to grow, but for now here's one of our little sweetheart with a freshly collected bouquet from "the meadow."

Sydney & Ethan's Recent Funnies

2008-05-21T12:22:00.000-07:00

Ethan and Sydney keep us laughing with what they say and do. Some of the things they say are just too funny not to share. Here are a few of their recent comments.

E: Mommy, can you help me get my jammie shirt on?
M: Sure.
E: I can't get it on cause I got this big ol' head!

Jeff was on his way out the door to go to work this morning. I told the kids to thank him for going to work.
Sydney: Thank you for going to work Daddy!
Ethan: Daddy! Thank you for paying money for us!

E: Sydney was scared, so I had to calm her down.
M: How did you do that?
E: With a rattle. (pause) You use a rattle to calm a baby.
M: Sydney's a big girl. What do you use to calm a big girl?
E: A big rattle.

I was explaining the primaries to Sydney. She said, "Oh, so it sounds like a game. Like if there was a football game and Davidson County beat Clemson."

The kids sometimes call Reid "Rudy." Sydney said Rudy is short for Reid. I told her that it is actually short for Rudolph. Later that day when Reid was napping, she said, "Rudolph is asleep in his crib."

Sydney drew Ethan a birthday card with a picture of 2 kids and a toy between them. She sweetly said, "Ethan, I know you like to grab, so I drew a picture of you grabbing a toy from me."

Sydney: Reid is the cutest little seed in the garden.

Life In Arcadia

Go Redeemer Rams!

Halloween

I Found My Toes

Beach Trip & First Food for Jake!

Happy Birthday Sydney!

Last Day of School

8 Weeks

7 Weeks

Ethan's Wresting Tournament

6 Weeks

5 Weeks: Smiles, Coos & Dairy Free

4 Weeks

Three Weeks

2 Weeks

What Not To Say To A Woman Who's Just Had a Baby

Bebe Jake

Sydney, Our Psalmist

Jeff's Car Accident

Mashed Potatoes

Thanksgiving Feasts

Ardmore 5K

Marshmallows!

Baby Chandler 4 Is a Boy!

First Day of School

New Pictures

Chandler PT is Open!

Life Disrupted

Easy Bake Disappointment

New Haircut & 2 Entreprenuers

Garden, Swim Lessons, and a Birthday

TV Dinners

Cowboy Cantina & Homemade Roller Skates

Gold Medal Day

One Less Tooth!

Ethan's 2 Birthdays

Acts 2:38-39Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Freed To Live!

Virtual Christmas For Gran

My Birthday

Evening in December

This Swirl Is Just Not Working Out!

Ethan and Reid

Happy Halloween!

Great-Grandma Barto's 95th Birthday Party

More Stitches and More

Beach Trip

Tobacco, Sleeping Boys, and Party Hats

Baby Steps

Weekend in VA

Locks of Love

Reid & Sydney

Ethan's Rest Time

End of Week Presentation & Celebration

Skunks

Reid!

Gymnastics

First Day of School

Smith Mountain Lake

End of Year Ceremony & Celebration

The Queen and Her Servant

Reid's Frist Birthday!

What Jeff Does for Fun

Valentine's and Birthdays

Joyful Reunion

The BIG Snow!

Christmas

A Week of Firsts...

Halloween

The Girl I Used To Be

Double Double Toil and Trouble

Look Who's Sitting Up!

Davy Crockett With a Chainsaw

For Sydney, Love is Spelled T-i-m-e (A follow up to my previous post)

A Test of Love

Look Mommy, A Whale!

Thy Mercy My God

Reid's Baptism

Myrtle Beach

First Day of School

Acts 2:38-39Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."