Further Up and Further In

Zachary Sayings

2010-12-07T09:31:00.002-06:00

These first 2 make my heart sing as I watch Zachary begin to grow up after we hit rock bottom with obedience this summer.

12/4/10
Dane: Zachary please turn off the light (for bedtime)
Z: Dad!...(about to make a fantastic argument)...I guess I should.

12/5/10
Stacey: Zachary, did you wash your hands?
Z: Yes.
Stacey: Are you telling me the truth?
Z: Mom, you can trust my word.

This one is for Dane.

12/6/10
Dada (my dad): Who was the first president of the United States of America?
Z: Jonathan Edwards

Kingdom Toys

2010-11-24T09:49:00.001-06:00

I thought you all might appreciate this exchange…

The Background
I’ve been trying to give Zachary a bigger Kingdom worldview. This concept came out of a talk by my pastor’s wife, Karen Hodge. The point being that there is more to life than “his” little world and certainly than “his” toys. So one way we’ve been discussing this is by calling our toys “Kingdom toys”. The only 2 things we will take with us after we die are the Word of the Lord and the souls of men. So everything, including our toys, are here to be used by everyone for these purposes. They are simply tools to further the Kingdom. They will get played with, broken, lost, stolen…and that’s fine. They’re Kingdom toys.

The Conversation
(Zachary pulls out my old gameboy and turns it on.)

Me: Zachary please put away my toy.

Zachary: Mom, this is a Kingdom toy!

Hugging

2010-11-23T19:40:00.003-06:00

I've told Zachary that when he was born I declared that he would be "the most kissed baby in the whole world" - and the kisses haven't stopped yet. So he told me recently that Nathan was going to be "the most hugged baby in the whole world" - which may become a reality since it seems like every time I turn around Zachary is hugging on Nathan.

To Blog or Not to Blog?

2010-11-23T13:24:00.005-06:00

Yes, I am starting up my blog again. Is that allowed?

Why am I doing this?

Well, I find Facebook to be deficient. At first, I stopped blogging because the time required for this blog was overwhelming. (Can anyone relate?) I'm not a writer, so I was using this blog mostly as a place to collect pictures and videos of Zachary for family and friends. I realized that I could do that on Facebook with much more efficiency. However, I was barely even keeping up with that. (Ok, I've been awful about it!) Well, I had promised myself that I would not touch my blog unless I could at least keep up with the photos on Facebook. It took a while, but Mission Accomplished. I thought that with this new achievement Facebook would be sufficient, but then the question came . . . Where do I post longer thoughts about what I'm learning and stories about what the kids are up to? The Status Update just didn't seem like the right place for that sort of thing.

So...I have decided to blog.

A Day at the Parks

2009-03-06T21:30:00.000-06:00

Park #1: Kiddie Park for ages 2-5

Park #2: Kid Park ages 5-12

There were mostly middle school kids there, but that didn't stop Zachary and Daddy from climbing to the top of the rocket ship! "Whee!!"

Zachary's turn...Yikes!

He could pretty much do everything there.

Swinging in the sunset
Oh Daddy, you're so silly.

(Yes, he still likes to wear the noodle necklace.)

The Blister

2009-03-02T20:23:00.001-06:00

Zachary was wearing a necklace made of uncooked Ziti noodles that he made in Sunday School when he wiped out head first on the ground. When he got up there was a crushed noodle under where his mouth had landed. Zachary only cries if the pain is really bad. He cried. So I knew something was coming. Sure enough later in the day I noticed this blood blister on his lip. Poor guy.

Watching Sunday Afternoon Basketball with Daddy

2009-03-01T20:19:00.001-06:00

I'm "Mean" About It

2009-02-23T19:22:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to get Zachary to express his emotions with words instead of violence. So today Zachary tried to say, "I'm mad about it" and well...

I was so tickled that he kept saying it this way over and over. Of course trying to reproduce a scenario is never quite the same - not to mention the moment they stop performing on command. But at least my new camera takes MUCH better video quality!

Washing Dishes

2009-02-23T15:19:00.002-06:00

Funny Faces

2009-02-16T22:53:00.001-06:00

New Camera

2009-02-16T19:28:00.002-06:00

Today I got my new camera! I'm so excited. I love all the new features...as you'll see.

Don't worry. He's safe.

Daddy's so awesome!

Tickle Time

2009-01-30T19:19:00.000-06:00

Surprise!

2009-01-25T19:04:00.004-06:00

Sunday I turned the big 3-0.

It all started Wednesday night after Growth Group when Nikki pulled out this incredible chocolate peanut butter cake covered with peanut butter cups that she made for my birthday. Wow! The peanut butter icing was AMAZING!!

Then Saturday night...

Thinking that we were just there to drop off Zachary so Dane and I could go to dinner...

This is my surprise face when I walked into a house full of friends to help me celebrate my 30th birthday. Krista, my sister-in-law (on the left), threw this party for me and totally pulled off the surprise!

Wow, that's a lot of candles!

Thank you Krista for throwing this party for me and thank you to everyone for coming! With the money I received I was able to get a new camera!! I love it! Thank you all so much.

Baby Shower Cupcakes

2009-01-24T12:57:00.000-06:00

Cheryl, one of the PhD wives, is having a boy and I am in charge of cupcakes for the shower. After enlisting the artistic help of Melissa and Jenn, these sports balls actually turned out to be easy and adorable.

Genesis 1:1

2009-01-22T21:31:00.002-06:00

This is Zachary practicing our family verse of the week.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

Lovin' the Library

2009-01-19T16:44:00.000-06:00

It has been so cold (-18 on Jan 16!) that we've been finding creative ways to spend our time indoors. We've been enjoying the section of our library where you can check out puzzles. These are Zachary's lastest accomplishments and he's very proud! You gotta love fun and educational!!

Snow Snow Snow

2009-01-10T15:14:00.001-06:00

It just keeps coming - I love it!

We've gotten over 14 inches in the last 5 days!

Big Boy Bed

2009-01-05T14:51:00.000-06:00

The change was necessary.

Zachary had been jumping out of the crib!

Temporary fix.

I got this bedrail from Freecycle. Victory dance for the arrival of the big boy bed!

It's here and Zachary is doing really well staying in bed...so far

The BEST Children's Bible!

2009-01-01T13:19:00.006-06:00

Recently we were having dinner with the Haugens when Zachary came out of their son's room with this Bible. As I randomly flipped to a story at the beginning called The Terrible Lie I quickly realized what a gem I was holding. Not only did the Bible tell of the Fall (as many Children's Bibles don't seem to include), but as the subtitle states "Every story whispers his name." EVERY story points you to Jesus. This is a Bible where GOD is the hero and it tells the wonderful true story of how He comes to rescue us!

Here's just a sample of what I read that night:

Adam and Eve lived happily together in their beautiful new home. And everything was perfect - for a while.

Until the day when everything went wrong.

God had a horrible enemy. His name was Satan. Satan had once been the most beautiful angel, but he didn't want to be just an angel - he wanted to be God. He grew proud and evil and full of hate, and God had to send him out of heaven. Satan was seething with anger and looking for a way to hurt God. He wanted to stop God's plan, stop this love story, right there. So he disguised himself as a snake and waited in the garden.

Now, God had given Adam and Eve only one rule: "Don't eat the fruit on that tree," God told them. "Because if you do, you'll think you know everything. You'll stop trusting me. And then death and sadness and tears will come."

(You see, God knew if they ate the fruit, they would think they didn't need him. And they would try to make themselves happy without him. But God knew there was no such thing as happiness without him, and life without him wouldn't be life at all.)...

You'll have to get this fantastic book and see for yourself how God's heart breaks when his children believe the terrible lie and eat the fruit and how he sends them from the garden because he loves them too much to let them live forever in their sin hiding from him and...well, here's the end of the story...

And though they would forget him, and run from him, deep in their hearts, God's children would miss him always, and long for him - lost children yearning for their home.

Before they left the garden, God whispered a promise to Adam and Eve: "It will not always be so! I will come to rescue you! And when I do, I'm going to do battle against the snake. I'll get rid of the sin and the dark and the sadness you let in here. I'm coming back for you!"

And he would. One day, God himself would come.

This book has been endorsed and influenced by Tim Keller's teaching. It is, as Keller says, not just for kids. I am learning tons as I read through this with Zachary. The Bible I had before this one is totally moralistic and actually tells kids to be like David - implying that if you just try hard enough and be "good" then you're ok. Isn't that the exact opposite of the gospel?? I'm not ok. I can't try hard enough. Christ had to come to do what I can't - save myself. I'm so grateful to have found this book now while Zachary is young and can grow up hearing how the entire Bible is one big love story of God rescuing his children.

I encourage you to buy a copy here (or 3 to get free shipping and give 2 away!)

Zachary's 2008 Quotables

2008-12-31T12:58:00.005-06:00

"Monny" for Mommy

"In here? Nooooo..." (one of his first expressions he picked up while mimicking us when we were looking for something)

"I do!"

"My turn"

"Only Zachary"

"Eggo waffle not yummy, it's tasty!"

Are you all done with your eggs Zachary?..."Plenty more in there"

"hmm..." (inspired by Uncle John)

"I'm fine."

"Sorry for hitting Mommy" (we hear this one a lot)

"Oh, okay"

"So how you doing Daddy?" "How bout you?" "Fantastic!"

"Old Mac Donald..." (over and over at loud volumes)

"I see your eyeballs!"

Can we go to the gym Daddy?

2008-12-30T19:46:00.001-06:00

Prayer

2008-12-30T08:28:00.003-06:00

Christmas Story

2008-12-26T18:40:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T21:58:00.000-06:00

Dancing on Christmas

2008-12-25T17:46:00.004-06:00

I love my family

2008-12-24T16:15:00.000-06:00

Mayme, Bapa, Uncle Gavin and Aunt Esther

2008-12-20T21:19:00.000-06:00

With 2 grandkids in the same town it didn't take much convincing for Mayme and Bapa to drive up from Tennessee to visit for a few days before Christmas. Gav and Esther graciously agreed to come as well from St. Louis. Zachary was spoiled yet again to have such concentrated love and attention from his relatives.

It's a bit blurry, but here we are.

Scavenger hunt for Mom and Dad's present

The next clue is in the basement... Cousins
Bye Bye Uncle Gav

They all left early Christmas Eve morning to drive back to Tennessee. It was a short visit, but we're so glad they came!

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

2008-12-17T21:12:00.001-06:00

Dane's sweater - Goodwill $5 with flashing necklace from our awesome neighbors

Stacey's sweater - free store with ornaments and flashing earrings from neighbors

Zachary's sweater - actually a cute one, but it was the only Christmas sweater we had

Grammy and Dada

2008-12-06T19:22:00.001-06:00

My parents came to visit from Dec 6 to Dec 17. It was so great to see them and for them to see Zachary, as that hadn't happened since the summer. It was fun to watch Zachary and my dad bond while snuggling, playing non-stop sports, shoveling a path through the snow for the mailman and having dance parties.

My mom found her own ways to win Zachary's heart - like making him some homemade play dough that entertained them for hours.

While my mom was here we made our traditional family favorite - Dada Bread

It's an oatmeal molasses bread that my grandfather "Dada" loved.

Zachary got to introduce my parents to the Red Robin

Here Z is saying, "Look Red Robin football!"

My mom and I took Zachary to a new library event where the Lincoln Marsh hosts a story time and craft once a month. Zachary took his usual spot at story time - right next to the teacher.

Zachary made an owl puppet

(with Mommy's help)

My parents got to see Zachary play at the gym

(a usual occurrence for this boy and his Daddy)

Then we went to a Wheaton men's basketball game.

Zachary had fun cheering them on!

Loving the Sesame Street Clubhouse my parents brought from when I was a little girl.

Mommy's little helper

"Baby Jesus"

(who was only seen momentarily when we were setting up this nativity until making His grand debut on Christmas morning)

Enjoying some story time with Elmo in his crib

Celebrating Christmas in Wheaton

2008-12-04T19:03:00.002-06:00

In 7 years this is the first Christmas that we have not traveled to visit family. We were so delighted when we heard from both sets of grandparents that they would come to see us! With great joy we set up a tree in the big window and and prepared our home for Christmas.

Window into Wheaton

2008-12-01T08:24:00.001-06:00

Just another day in the life of Zachary

2008-11-29T21:25:00.001-06:00

Reading a book to himselfPlaying with his trains and trucks
Daddy's home...quick! Hide under the table!!

Soup and Bread at Aunt Krista and Uncle John's

Off to Cosley Zoo for the Christmas music and lights display
Storks lit up while the ducks huddle together at their feet

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T19:11:00.001-06:00

After an amazing meal at John and Krista's (Dane's sister who lives around the corner from us!) along with John's brother and his family, we all went for a walk through Wheaton's campus.

What happens when the camera is left within reach of a 2 year old...

2008-11-23T21:06:00.001-06:00

Cowboy Z

2008-11-19T19:51:00.001-06:00

Toy Testing

2008-11-17T19:52:00.000-06:00

Zachary got to do some toy testing for Thomas the Tank Engine products today. Basically that meant that he got to go play with trial products that weren't in the stores yet and tell them what he liked about the toys. He had never seen Thomas before so this was quite a treat. He even got paid...in toys!! They took us to a wall of all the Thomas toys and told Zachary that he could pick out anything he wanted to take home. Well, he was too busy still playing so (not knowing anything about Thomas myself) I picked out the dump trucks because they had parts that move and hey, if you lose one you still have another one right? :)

Happy 30th Birthday Daddy!

2008-11-16T19:44:00.001-06:00

Dane's birthday request: Fondue
We love you Daddy!!

2 Toots

2008-11-07T19:09:00.001-06:00

Tonight was all about trains! First we went to a new restaurant that just opened in Glen Ellyn for dinner with our neighbor Sherry. I've been looking forward to taking Zachary to 2 Toots since I first heard about it. It is located right next to the tracks and inside the restaurant your food is brought to you on an electric train! Zachary LOVED it!

Next we were off to visit Bob (Sherry's husband) at his train club. I've never met anyone more into electric trains than Bob. They have an elaborate display of replicated train stations and cities. Tonight was an open house so they were running the trains on the tracks. Zachary loved watching the trains go back and forth between the 2 main rooms. We got to tour Bob's latest replication project which took up an entire room!

While Mom's Away...The Boys Will Play!

2008-11-07T18:39:00.006-06:00

Where was Mom?? I hopped on a train this morning and met my old college roommates downtown Chicago for our 5 year reunion (2 years late).

My College Roommates: Marianne, Kelly and Sarah

That was our junior year and now here we are 9 years later...

We hadn't all been together in 4 years! There had been 2 weddings, 3 kids, and at least 1 dog since then. It was so great to be together again. The day after we graduated from Wheaton we each wrote out predictions of where we would be in 5 years (2006). We not only made predictions for ourselves, but for each other as well. We finally got to read the letters for the first time with each other today. You could tell what we were passionate about then, but the letters didn't come close to the ways God had shaped our lives. After reading the letters we made predictions for 3 years from now, which will be our 10 year reunion (2011). There are a lot of changes coming up for the 4 of us so it will be fun to see what God surprises us with by then! These are awesome girls that I'm so glad to have as dear friends.

It's always an interesting thing leaving your guys alone for the day. I always wonder what they will do while I'm gone. I was thrilled when I returned home and Dane told me that he had a video to show me...

Fall

2008-11-05T09:32:00.001-06:00

We're enjoying fall while it's here. It was over 70 degrees today for the third day in a row. I took these pics of Zachary just before we walked to Library time with our friends Robin and Lilly.

How to get creative when you don't have a bat...

2008-11-01T19:56:00.000-05:00

Halloween

2008-10-31T21:23:00.000-05:00

We took Zachary trick-or-treating downtown Wheaton this afternoon as the stores opened their doors to pass out candy to the kids. Zachary dressed up as a "Choo Choo Man" thanks to the hand-me-down outfit from our neighbor who wore this costume last year. Zachary loves the outfit, but he does prefer to wear the hat backwards. After our fill of candy we took Zachary to Adams Park for a few pictures, where Zachary was sorely disappointed to find out that not all "parks" have playgrounds. He did enjoy throwing his new ball that one store handed out.

Then we were off for a quick stop to see cousin Lizzie, the bunny.

Next we hurried home to join up with the other kids in the neighborhood for a photo shoot. Well, we snapped a few pictures anyway. The boys were having way too much fun in their costumes!

I love this one of Dean and Will (last year's engineer) peeking out from behind the tree!

Zoe the zebra

The highlight of the evening was our last stop. We didn't get Zachary out to trick-or-treat around our neighborhood until after it was dark. Our neighbors around the corner had glow sticks! They gave one to Zachary and after lots of fun with the other kids we brought it home, turned off the lights and had a blast watching the glow stick running around the house!!

What Bring a Doggie?

2008-10-27T12:59:00.002-05:00

This is my favorite!!!

Pumpkin Party

2008-10-25T17:15:00.003-05:00

This is how the afternoon started. As usual Zachary staring at all the people taking it in.

That all changed when he spotted the balls! My little guy was out in the field with the BIG guys kicking the football and playing with the best of them. He was having a blast.

I spent the entire time carving our "family" pumpkin. It was a city skyline, but after the first day I brought it home a squirrel ripped out one of the buildings and ate it. Dane preferred to spend his afternoon playing basketball with the guys. It's always fun for me when others get a glimpse of what a great player he is.

(Ours is the one on the left. Sadly you cannot see the detail I carved with such care.)

Lunch Laughter

2008-10-25T12:16:00.003-05:00

(I edited out the high pitch squeals between giggles)

Mackenzie Penny Anne

2008-10-23T23:53:00.003-05:00

Mackenzie was born today to my beloved friend, Tricia.

I thank God for this precious life!

Dining with Mr. Sillies

2008-10-21T09:50:00.000-05:00

I forgot to post this for Oct 15. I just love this boy!

The Surprise of a Lifetime!!!

2008-10-20T22:06:00.001-05:00

Dane had been telling me for a few months that he was planning a surprise for me, but not to get my hopes up because it wasn't a big deal and that it was not going to be ready for a while. So I put it out of my mind (well, almost).

Thursday, Oct 16

At 6:30am Dane woke me up with these words, "Good morning sweetheart. Today is the day of your surprise."

A smile came over my face and (clearly not fully alert enough to realize what was coming) I thought "Well, this is going to have to be quick because I have Bible Study in a few hours."

Then he told me to put on some comfortable shoes and be ready to go in 10 minutes! I quickly jumped in the shower and then realized that my blow dryer, brush, makeup, clothes...everything was missing. [I realise that to some people this kind of surprise would be most unwelcome - no control, no hints, total trust - but, I love surprises so I never asked for details to be made known in advance.]

Surprise # 1: At about 7am, the doorbell rang and I opened the door to find Dane's mother, JANI (who I had just dropped off at the airport only days before following the True Woman conference!) holding a balloon as a wise Mayme does to ease the transition for my 2 year old son as he watched his parents leave in the car.

Surprise # 2: At this point I'm thinking that we must be driving to WI for a night in a cabin or something. The Dane snapped me out of that delusion when he asked me what was the best way to O'Hare AIRPORT!

Surprise # 3: We parked in economy parking and as we were waiting to catch the train to the airport Dane casually mentioned that we would be getting off at terminal 5. When we got on the train I looked up at the system map and saw that terminal 5 was the INTERNATIONAL terminal! (Please keep in mind that this is a complete surprise and I still don't know how long we'll be gone.)

Surprise # 4: Now I'm getting a little nervous as we pass the Korean airlines. I'm just following Dane (screaming on the inside with excitement) as he leads us up to the airline Mexicana. "We're going to MEXICO?!!!" I scream.

Surprise # 5: Dane tries to contain my awe as we have now attracted quite a crowd of onlookers as they realize what Dane is doing for me. He slips the lady our itinerary and she confirms, "You're going to Cancun?" "We're going to CANCUN?!!!" I scream again.

And 3 hours and 15 minutes later...we were in Cancun.

Surprise # 6: When we got to the Grand Solaris (our hotel) Dane asked the young guy checking us in if breakfast was included or if the hotel provided any meals. The guy looked at us like we were from Mars. He simply responded, "Sir, this is an ALL INCLUSIVE hotel." What??!! We have no categories for this kind of luxury. All we want to eat and drink 24 hours a day?? Finally I surprise for Dane too (apparently he did not realize this when he booked our hotel in a package deal from Travelocity).

Surprise # 7: As if it could not get any better...Dane got the BEST ROOM in the hotel!

We were greeted with towel swans and real rose petals all over our bed. There was a private jacuzzi on our balcony, the mini fridge was restocked daily, room service was complimentary and here is our ocean view!

Our first night we went to a private event featuring a PreHispanic dinner (including file mignon) and re-enactments of the tribal dances and rituals of the culture. It was at this dinner that we met our first friends of the trip, Dave and Jane. They were from British Columbia and we greatly enjoyed getting to interact with them throughout our stay.

Friday, Oct 17

Cancun is like a rectangle surrounding a lagoon with the bottom leg being a huge strip of hotels (much like Daytona). At the bottom right corner is the downtown Cancun for tourists. Today we ventured out of hotel to check it out. We hopped on the bus for 6.50 pesos each and ended up at the Flea Market. I LOVED the market, but Dane really disliked it. Bargaining and haggling is right up my ally (remember my love for garage sales?) and so I felt no pressure from the 150+ booth owners yelling to us with the same signature call, "Okay, my turn guys!"

Saturday, Oct 18

Since Dane had a food budget we no longer needed, we were able to go on an excursion. We both knew just what we wanted to do: SNORKELING! Through Aqua World we went on their Jungle Tour, which meant that we would drive a wave runner through the lagoon out into the ocean and snorkel for 45 minutes at the coral reef.

Sunday, Oct 19

Today we took full advantage of the hotel pools, activities, and the ocean. Dane took turns braving the waves (which were huge as we were in the beginning of hurricane season) and lounging in the sun by the pool. I had fun being carefree (read child free) and joined a water volleyball game. My team was awesome and I even had the game winning hit!

The losers had to roll in the sand like "Kentucky Fried Chicken"

(as our ref in the orange shorts called it).

Our last 2 nights we ate at the "fancy" restaurant, Marco Polo. Tonight Dane ate frog legs, sushi, and duck. I had file mignon.

Monday, Oct 20

5 days and 4 nights later...how could we go home now?? What an incredible surprise that I'm sure will never be topped and no, Dane doesn't even have to try. And what a tremendous blessing to be gone for this long and not even have to think about Zachary as I knew he was having far more fun with Mayme than if I were there! THANK YOU MAYME!!!

We said goodbye to Mexico refreshed and recharged to finish 2008 well. It was priceless to be able to get away with my sweet husband and experience the love of our youth again. Thank you. Thank you, my darling Dane. You are precious to me beyond description. I love you.

True Woman 08

2008-10-11T23:50:00.001-05:00

This weekend I had the privilege of attending this conference that turned out to be the beginning of a counter-cultural movement! We explored what the Bible says is a beautiful woman vs. what our culture is telling us. The kinds of questions I ask today and lies I have swallowed as truth were not even an issue for women just 40 years ago. Mary Kassian said it well when she quoted an advertisement proclaiming, "We've come a long way baby!" At the conference I signed a document called the True Woman Manifesto declaring that I want to live against the flow of culture and stand for what the Bible teaches is beautiful.

I attended the conference with my mother-in-law, Jani. We were in the second row on the first night to hear John Piper speak on true womanhood opening with the line, "wimpy theology makes wimpy women!" It was awesome to be there. God moved among us as over 6,000 women showed up to see what He would do!

Here is a link to the conference schedule where you can hear for yourself what we were so blessed to be a part of.

In the wake of this conference I have been left with new questions of what it means to live as a True Woman. I have been helped by the resource Nancy Lee DeMoss sends out via email called the True Woman Make-over. In addition to this I am taking a class at Wheaton College. As a student's wife I found out that I can audit classes for free and so I'm taking advantage of this! I chose Carla Waterman's class called Women in the Kingdom. Tonight (10/30) will be our second class and I can already tell that I'm going to be greatly helped through Carla's wise teaching.

May the Lord not let me rest in a season of contentment, but continue to flame my thirst for Him until I am completely satisfied in his presence!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Christ), for they shall be satisfied. - Matthew 5:6

Finally

2008-10-04T13:27:00.000-05:00

I've been babysitting to save up enough money to buy Zachary a train set and table. I got the train table (practically new) for $30 off Craigslist. I had been watching for just the right one for months. And the trains arrived last night! It was so much fun to watch Zachary enjoy this surprise when he woke up this morning.

My little conductor

Saying Goodbye

2008-09-27T23:03:00.001-05:00

Today the Melting Pot where Dane took me on our first date, the night of our engagement, and for our 7th anniversary closed its doors for the last time. In honor of their closing they rolled the prices on their Signature Selection (our favorite meal) back to its original price when they opened in 1993. I was able to find someone to watch Zachary, someone else from Craigslist forwarded to me the email with the coupon the day before we went, and they squeezed us in for a reservation after telling me they were full! We were so blessed to get away on this much needed date.

Wheaton Fire Department Station 1

2008-09-27T13:19:00.000-05:00

Today the Wheaton Fire Department celebrated 125 years by opening their doors to the community. I was on my way to Target when my neighbor Katy invited us to go see the fire trucks with her son Charlie. Little did we know what fun was in store!

Firemen Zachary and Charlie

Riding on TOP of the firetruck around the block with the sirens blaring!

We got to explore several kinds of firetrucks
We got to peek into their closet!

Driving the Ranger

Then we got to see a real helicopter! Pilot ZacharyOne happy passenger A day he will not soon forget!

Welcome Brooke Elizabeth!!

2008-09-16T12:46:00.002-05:00

Did you catch that she was 10 lbs 4 oz?!! WOW. And she was only 2 days past her due date. My sister is a champ! Baby Brooke joins sister Nicole (5 yrs), brother Tommy (2 yrs) and 2 very happy grandparents.

Kelly

2008-09-06T19:48:00.000-05:00

This weekend I was able to connect with Kelly, my roommate from college. We lived together all 4 years at Wheaton and so it was great to see each other again! After spending a few days together we decided to check out the Flugtag Event happening downtown Chicago at the "beach" (I'm from New England, so it makes me cringe to call it that!). But alas, we could not find parking anywhere close so we went to Navy Pier and it ended up being the perfect spot for our little 2 year old!

Zachary was a little intimidated by the spontaneous fountain RETREAT!!!

"Look Monny, I went in there!"

I love living so close to Chicago

An Awesome Privilege

2008-09-01T11:00:00.001-05:00

This past Labor Day weekend Dane had the opportunity be a part of Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church's holiday services. Pastor Colin Smith preached on the 3 Kinds of Men, an essay by C. S. Lewis, that he discovered while reading Dane's book. He constructed his sermon by first looking at Lewis' essay, then looking at the 3 kinds of men in the Bible, and he ended each sermon by interviewing Dane about his book! Here is a link to watch the sermon from Saturday night. I was able to go on Sunday and it was such a treat to see God at work using Dane to help people recover the joy of their salvation!

To say Zachary is growing just doesn't do it justice

2008-08-30T17:27:00.000-05:00

For comparison, here are Zachary's stats at 18 months:Weight: 24 lbs (30%) Length: 32 in (54%)

And now here are Zachary's 2 year check up stats from today:Weight: 30 lbs (74%) Length: 36 in (88%)

Zachary's doctor actually remeasured him to make sure he had really grown 4 inches in the last 6 months. We have to go back for a 2 1/2 year check up to make sure Zachary isn't growing abnormally. My diagnosis is that he's finally catching up from a year of slower growth. Remember how he used to be in the 90+ percentiles in all categories??

What's better than a day at the park with Daddy?

2008-08-25T18:32:00.004-05:00

Seldom do I see Zachary laugh as hard as he did while Dane was chasing him around the park!

I can't believe my baby can do that by himself
In motion...

Best Buds

"Dizzy"

2008-08-25T18:18:00.001-05:00

Dane and Zachary love to pretend that they are dizzy

Zachary and Zoe

2008-08-24T21:17:00.000-05:00

Regression

2008-08-24T21:14:00.000-05:00

New Skill: catching the ball

2008-08-23T21:21:00.004-05:00

Family Fun - Part II

2008-08-23T15:33:00.004-05:00

After a week without his cousins, Zachary was very happy to have Kate and Will return from MI. And this time Uncle Gavin and Aunt Esther came to visit too! Much more family fun was had with all 3 brothers and their families under 1 roof!

Loving on Lizzie My Gym had an open house so Zachary and Kate got to play there for free

Zachary's favorite was the giant pit of balls
Then of course we had to let Uncle Gavin and Aunt Esther experience the Red Robin fun before they left

Red Robin

2008-08-17T15:16:00.001-05:00

We had been told that Red Robin was a great place to take kids and so we finally tried it out. Zachary was greeted by a giant red robin at the door and whenever he saw the robin enter the room throughout our visit he would yell HI and wave trying to get the robin's attention. Too cute! He got his own burger, mandarin oranges and milk. And he even got to pick out whatever color balloon he wanted to take home. Needless to say, Zachary loved it!

Funny Faces

2008-08-14T19:14:00.001-05:00

What to do when a toddler turns two...

2008-08-13T21:24:00.001-05:00

Wake him up to the tune of "Happy Birthday..." Hang balloons
Play with presents!

...like this basketball hoop from Aunt Sonya

... and this bike from Monny and Daddy

(this is the perfect age where a $5 bike brand new in the box at a garage sale works just fine!)

Invite friends over to play

(but only a few if your son is an introvert like mine) Make mini cupcakes with blue frostingand take a picture of the blue lips
take a picture of the kids

(notice who's kid won't stay in the picture?)
take a family picture while there's another photographer around
quiet play after a long napand end the day by reading with Daddy
It was a fun day and we will ALL sleep well tonight!

Please click here for more pics of our big 2 year old!

Roller Skating

2008-08-10T21:40:00.008-05:00

Zachary got invited to his first roller skating birthday party - it was for one of my friends turning 30! Most of the other kids stayed in the center of the rink and quickly gave up their skates, but not Zachary. He plodded along the sides of the rink the whole time and by the end he was a pro!

Not too sure about this...

getting the hang of it safe with Daddy
the little man in action

Family Fun

2008-08-09T11:53:00.000-05:00

This week we've had Dane's family in town to meet Lizzie, Zachary's cousin who lives just around the corner from us. He has had so much fun with his cousins Kate and Will who are visiting from Canada! It is such a treat for him to have other kids to play with.

Mayme and Bapa with all 4 grandkids

Saying goodbye to Mayme
Bye Bye!

One of the highlights of the visit was watching Kate and Zachary repeatedly hug each other to the ground!

Garage Sale Time

2008-08-02T15:44:00.002-05:00

Zachary had fun playing with the kids at his water table as their moms shopped at our garage sale this weekend. This was the first garage sale that I've run by myself and I was very happy with the outcome. I even made a profit on an Elmo costume that I had bought last fall. You can't beat that!

First Visit to the Dentist

2008-07-31T14:30:00.001-05:00

I'm pleased to report that Zachary has 16 teeth. Yes, that's about as productive as the appointment was...at least Zachary got a new toothbrush! Actually for anyone who's attempted the dentist with a child under 2 you have probably experienced the same phenomenon that I did. As they were trying to clean his teeth Zachary was not exactly cooperating so I spent most of the visit lying on the chair with him trying to take advantage of the mimicking phase he's in.

Just for Laughs

2008-07-30T13:11:00.004-05:00

'Spontaneous' Musical Performed in Mall Food Court

Miss Merle

2008-07-29T17:16:00.004-05:00

Our sweet neighbor, Miss Merle, had to leave her home today due to a house fire. The smoke filled our street along with the fire trucks. She is the only 101 year old that I know of who still mows her own grass! I had the opportunity to meet her this morning and offer my apologies and a hug. How I wish that I could have done more.

Fireman Zachary to the Rescue

What I witnessed today was a testimony to the church. Without family to care for her, Merle's church stepped up. A woman named Linda was busy making phone calls and arranging details when I got there. I overheard a woman who worked for the city ask Linda if Merle had any family and Linda replied, "The church is her family." I left wanting to help more, but knowing that Merle was in good hands.

It is a rare thing to hold a woman of that age who has just witnessed her earthly possessions vanish as she cries gently on your shoulder. I didn't get to speak with her long, but from the hope that I gleaned in her I have a feeling that even if our paths don't cross again in this life - I'll be seeing Merle again.

You know your child understands the naughty corner when...

2008-07-29T17:08:00.002-05:00

...you overhear him sending his camel to the naughty corner for hitting him.

It's Our 7th Anniversary!

2008-07-28T22:52:00.002-05:00

What fun it is to live back in Wheaton, where we first met. When we went out tonight (thanks to Dane's mom, who happened to be in town, watching Z for us) it felt like we were back in college. After we got to see Dark Knight (the new batman movie) Dane took me out for dinner at The Melting Pot. It's a fondue restaurant that holds great significance for us. It's where Dane took me on our first date and again on our engagement night. Also, it brought us back to our trip to Switzerland 2 summers ago where we had authentic Swiss fondue. I'm so grateful to have had these 7 years with Dane. I still can't believe that I get to be his wife!

Daddy's Home!!

2008-07-24T16:40:00.001-05:00

Zachary is SO glad to have his Daddy back after they were apart for Dane's 3 week class at Notre Dame. We welcomed Daddy home with dinner at the park. Zachary is not letting Dane go anywhere without him again!

Welcome Sweet Lizzie

2008-07-17T22:57:00.001-05:00

Karis Elizabeth
“Lizzie”
July 17, 2008 10:57pm
6 lbs 6 oz 19 3/4 in

Zachary is so happy that his new cousin has arrived! What fun they will have growing up just around the corner from each other...literally. We are so glad you're here, Lizzie! You are dearly loved.

Happy to be Home

2008-07-16T21:58:00.000-05:00

Zachary's newest hiding place

Happy 60th Grammy

2008-07-15T20:52:00.000-05:00

We said goodbye to Dane at the airport on July 4 as he traveled to Notre Dame to begin a 3 week course. So Zachary and I flew to CT to spend 11 days with my family to celebrate my mother's 60th birthday on July 7. How did we celebrate?

My mom, sister and I treated ourselves to Mani Pedis!

(It was only my second pedicure - 1st was a present for my wedding day - and can I just say wow!)

We also had a birthday dinner at Chowder Pot (one of our family favorites!)

My dad and I had fun assembling this awesome porch swing that my sister got my mom for her birthday.

Zachary had so much fun with his cousins Nicole and Tommy

So did Monny...

The stand off

That's better

Zachary found quite an outlet for his love of basketball in the Pop-A-Shot!
...and in a hoop he could reach

Fun on the carousel

Watching fireworks with cousins and friends
1st Smore

First Sparkler
Tired from his favorite activity: jumping on the bed
Farewell Dinner at Rainforest Cafe

One month to go!

2008-07-13T15:26:00.001-05:00

Zachary is almost 2!! We truly delight in him. We've been saying since day one that he is SO precious...and we haven't stopped. He is such a joy. I just want to hug and kiss him all the time! We are so grateful for our little miracle.

Please click here for some pics of our dear 23 month old.

Go see Mayme and Bapa?

2008-06-23T22:07:00.002-05:00

We left this day for TN to visit Dane's parents for 11 days. Zachary LOVED flying on the "pane".

Just when we thought date nights were a thing of the past...
We didn't go see Hulk, but I just had to get my picture taken with him. Zachary enjoyed playing with Sophie

(he went from complete fright to commanding her to sit by the end)

Happy 4th of July
Bye Bye Bapa and Mame
See you soon!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T14:12:00.000-05:00

From giving baths...

8/23/06

To changing diapers...

9/10/06

To going on walks...

To taking naps...

To feeding bottles...

10/7/06

To doctor's appointments...

12/11/06

You love Zachary so well!

You are a wonderful father, Dane.

22 Months Today

2008-06-13T20:42:00.000-05:00

Zachary is loving life in Wheaton. He is practicing his increasing vocabulary at the zoos, the parks, the grocery store, the library, and . . . well, pretty much everywhere. Some of his favorite new words are NO!, Monny (for Mommy), outside, walk, and more (he’s a really good eater).

Please visit this link to see more pictures of Zachary from this month.

"Sumo Wrestler Casting Spells"

2008-06-08T11:15:00.002-05:00

Back to Cosley Zoo with Grammy

2008-06-06T16:06:00.001-05:00

This picture was taken right before the horse came over to visit Zachary...

The horse proceeded to sneeze repeatedly on Zachary and my mother, leaving Z traumatized for the rest of the outing.

I'm surprised we got him this close to the cow Where's the REST of the duck?!!
Look Mom, something besides scary animals...let's go!
Ahhh...this is the life
Hey Grammy, we're in the train car!!
"Hi"

Too Much Fun in the Dressing Room

2008-06-05T15:56:00.000-05:00

At the park with Grammy

2008-06-04T21:40:00.000-05:00

Catching up on Zachary

2008-06-04T12:25:00.002-05:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted. My mother has been in town, so while I have not been posting pictures we are having a blast taking them!!

Here are some of my favorites so far...

Reading at the Library

Zachary LOVES going on walks
Stopping to hug a tree
He's finally learned how to say "sorry"
Playing with his new garage

(This only cost me $2 at a garage sale because the owner didn't want it anymore now that they have an 8-story garage!)

Goodnight Moon
Goodnight Zachary
Whenever we go on a walk Zachary stops to pick up the sticks on the sidewalk and then he throws them into the yards. Apparently he likes the sidewalks to be clean! Zachary and his Monny (as he calls me)
Reading to his new friends Elmo and Cookie Monster

Master Garagesaler...well, self-proclaimed anyway

2008-05-24T21:04:00.001-05:00

I'm so proud of my finds today. Keep in mind that I only spent $1.00! Here's what I got:

2 in 1 Walker

This is the one toy that I would recommend to any mom! We borrowed this from a friend in St. Louis as we did with pretty much everything because we thought this next season of life would find us overseas. We are so grateful that God led us to Wheaton instead! However, we had to return this toy when we moved away and I've been debating on whether to buy one. I probably would have paid up to $20 for this toy. Here's the best part...

I got it for FREE on the side of the road and it works perfectly!

A Dr. Seuss book

Disney's Dumbo video

Little Princess video (with Shirley Temple)

This was a sentimental purchase for if God blesses us with a little girl one day.

And I'm most proud of this find:

Terry Toots book

Zachary already LOVES it! He is all boy!!

Out with the Old and In with the New

2008-05-24T20:36:00.000-05:00

We are so grateful to our dear friend in St. Louis who gave us this crib that her, now grown, kids had slept in. Sadly, it broke beyond repair this morning. I took this picture after the initial break. We tried to prop it up while Z took his morning nap, but after 2 minutes we heard a loud crash and I exclaimed to Dane the obvious, "He just fell out of the crib!"

Well, there were wood and plastic pieces everywhere! Zachary was fine and within a few minutes he was snuggled up on the mattress laid on the floor. I'm not sure how long that lasted, but it couldn't have been for long due to the amount of mess I found in his room when he came to let me know that he could get out of his room without my help. Fortunately, I was able to borrow a crib from a friend -- and she was already planning a trip to Wheaton today!

Zachary is now safe and happy in his new bed.

Thanks Jess!

What's up with the trucks?

2008-05-22T16:15:00.004-05:00

That is what our neighbors keep asking. Why? Well, it all started Wednesday morning...

At 7:30am I was walking out the door to finally get my IL drivers license at the DMV when Dane yelled up, "Our basement is flooding!!!"

The standing water was over our ankles!
Zachary was delighted with the new splash park in his basement
So, how does one fix a problem like this? I will tell you.

Step 1: pump the water outside Step 2: if the plumber digs 100 feet out from your house and is unable to unclog your sewer pipes (because they are filled with tree roots!)...

Step 3: call in THE DIGGER

What a lovely hole the digger can make Step 4: send in "the team"
(they do not pay these guys enough!)

Step 5: cut the pipe with a really big saw and then...
...break it apart with a hammer
Zachary LOVES the digger
Step 6: install sewer cleanout
Step 7: wait for the inspector to approve the job

Step 8: fill in the hole

So now we have a lovely dirt pile in our front yard. We are waiting for the next big rain to help the dirt settle back into the ground. In the meantime we are watering our dirt pile to help out the process. It all seems a bit strange.

Scuba

2008-05-19T21:36:00.005-05:00

My dear friend Scuba (as we affectionately call her) came to visit this weekend. We lived together in college for essentially 3 years. It was a big deal because I had not met her new husband, Matt, yet (I was very sick the day of her wedding and could not attend) and she had not met Zachary! It had been about 4 years since we had seen each other so it was a sweet reunion.

This girl is a true gem, I miss her so much!

Of course we had to visit Chili's! He smiles on command now ...well, at least sometimes (when he isn't chewing!) mmm....
He's already a gamer

We finally had a good excuse to visit Wheaton's Wade Center and see the wardrobe that inspired C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia!

Thanks to Matt - handyman extraordinaire! - our lawnmower is working again.

And so we said goodbye to our meadow...

I'm Officially a City Girl!

2008-05-14T17:12:00.008-05:00

NEW VIDEOS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!!

Now that's some serious parking skills!

(And yes, that's my car)

Fun day at the Lincoln Park Zoo Watching the polar bears with Aunt KristaDoes anyone else hear the theme to Jaws playing?

2008-05-14T17:00:00.000-05:00

Our Favorite Exhibit

Zachary went from scared...

to LOVING it!!!

2008-05-14T16:54:00.000-05:00

Now that Zachary can run, it seems that his new favorite past time is running away from me. He's so curious and loves to explore, but he has no clue where I am and doesn't seem to care much.

Mr. 21 Months

2008-05-13T16:57:00.010-05:00

Well, it finally happened...Zachary has learned how to say no! It started out being really cute, but now it's his automatic response. Dane and I were searching the house for something, checking every room and letting each other know where it wasn't. Then I heard Zachary's small voice saying, "In here?...no!" (with an inflection at the end of no). It was so darling. We still laugh endearingly when he says it.

Today we visited some friends with a playscape. Zachary only had to see how to get up to the big slide once before he began his slide marathon!

Please visit this link to see more pictures of Zachary from this month.

Loving It!

2008-05-13T14:43:00.000-05:00

Zachary is loving his new mega blocks fire truck!

Thanks Carla!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T09:31:00.002-05:00

I love you Mom!!

Her children rise up and call her blessed

Proverbs 31:28

MyKaelah's 1st Birthday

2008-05-10T21:05:00.002-05:00

MyKaelah's mother, Leslie, and I have been friends since the 6th grade! Today was very surreal as I attended her daughter's 1st birthday party. What fun it is to see our little ones play together!

Zachary got to help MyKaelah open some of her presents.

They were especially excited about this toy!

Touch A Truck Day

2008-05-09T20:12:00.003-05:00

We had so much fun today! Thanks to a great tip by my new friend Gretchen, Zachary and I got to go to this fantastic FREE event. The kids were able to touch, feel and climb through vehicles of all shapes and sizes.

The Road Sweeper

The School Bus
The Cement Mixer
The Ambulance
Our little criminal!
Talking to the fireman
Is this thing going to take off with me still on it??
The Big Event...The Crane!!!

The Trolley

The Digger

I own this Bulldozer!!

Brookfield Zoo

2008-05-06T19:24:00.000-05:00

Zachary is finally old enough to appreciate the animals at the zoo. It was so much fun to watch him see the animals he knows from his books come to life!

Checking out the fountain with his friend EilyLook how close I am to the bear!

Yes, that's a fang!

(Please mom...it's so embarrassing when you scream and run away. It's only a nice cuddly bear!)

A Daily Occurrence

2008-05-05T19:20:00.001-05:00

Zachary loves to talk with his Aunt Sonya on the webcam each morning!