The Tuck Porch

Cozy?

2012-01-16T10:05:00.000-06:00

How old?

2011-11-06T16:54:00.001-06:00

How old are kids when they don't think dad is cool anymore?

Morning Sweetness

2011-11-01T06:53:00.004-05:00

Jay goes and gets Phoebe out of her bed when she wakes up this morning, and she wanders into Trey's room. Jay comes back to bed.

(Heard from Trey's room)
Trey: "psssst... can Phoebe come in my bed and read books?"
Jay: "YES!"
pause...

Trey: "Phoebe, do you want to read Bible?"
Phoebe: "Yeah."
pause...

Trey: (whispers) "I love you, Phoebe."
Phoebe: (whispers) "I yaa ooo too."
pause...

Phoebe: (sneeezes)
Trey: (sneezes)
Phoebe: "Bess you."
Trey: "Bless you too, Phoebe."
pause...

Trey: "Want me to sing you the ABC's, Phoebe?"
Phoebe: "Uh huh."
Trey: "Okay. ABCDEFG...."
Phoebe: "BDPOV...."
Trey: "No no, Phoebe. Could you please be quiet while I finish? It's hard to do with you singing, too." "No, no, no, Phoebe! Don't take all the kleenexes out of the box!" "Oh no! Mom, Phoebe is...."

... and it was over. But so sweet while it lasted!

Oh My!

2011-10-30T22:13:00.002-05:00

Sweetness

2011-10-22T20:23:00.007-05:00

Squeaky Clean

2011-10-22T12:00:00.000-05:00

Someone decided to take a sponge bath with a diaper wipe in the dog's water dish. Yum.

Let's Go Fly A Kite...

2011-10-21T12:00:00.001-05:00

The Queen Phoe is Two!

2011-10-20T16:11:00.004-05:00

We were pretty surprised that she knew what to do with that candle...

Who do you think was more excited about presents?

Happy Birthday, baby girl!!!

What the what?

2011-05-27T11:30:00.007-05:00

Serendipitous Pneumothorax and the Birt-Hogg-Dubé Syndrome.

The only thing I know about the above is that Jay's summary and poster presentation of whatever it is brought us to Denver a few weeks ago. And it was so much fun! (Thanks to Carol and Hazen for watching the kids - wheeee!)

Sitting in on the poster presentations (for about an hour - then I went shopping) was like listening to a different language. I caught a few things here and there, and I think I'd prefer to remain blissfully ignorant. There are some wacky diseases out there!

Speaking of...

Let me tell you, Denver is a classy place. I mean, where else will you find a baby announcement on a "Gentlemen's Club" sign?

Or an enormous 40-foot bear peeking in on your conference center?

(In case you need some perspective, I'm 5'2". I know you thought I was taller, but I look short next to the bear.)

Proud of you, Jay! Now get another poster accepted so we can go to San Francisco next year!!!

Last Day Picnic

2011-05-26T19:48:00.005-05:00

Trey's last day of preschool was today, and the balmy 58° weather was perfect for a picnic at the park. (Ugh.) The kids put on a great program for the parents, though!

Phoebe tried to get in on the action:

Such wonderful teachers!

Trey with Mrs. T.:

and Miss Linda:
Trey's preschool pals (as he calls them)!

"I like children....

2011-03-28T16:42:00.005-05:00

.... fried." - W.C. Fields
(One of Grandpa Van's favorite quotes.)

Looks like I caught him. Ha!

Festival Weekend

2011-03-09T07:29:00.004-06:00

(A post from two weekends ago... which I forgot to publish!)

We all trekked to Rockford for a busy weekend...

First, the guys went to the Auburn basketball game (they won!) on Friday night. Lots of adventures there, so I hear, including a trip to Kohls for some replacement clothing.

Then Phoe and I joined them the next morning for Paleofest at Burpee Museum and some playtime at the Discovery Center:

The kiddos finally got to see Jane, the dinosaur that Nonnie discovered! Trey was a little skittish at the museum... I don't blame him - look at those teeth!

On Sunday we experienced our first ever Sock Monkey Festival at Midway Village. Sock monkeys originated in Rockford, and apparently people really get into it around here!

Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of (adult) festival goers cradling their sock monkeys, talking to them, or introducing them to other sock monkeys. (I'm serious.) But I did get one of Trey throwing mini sock monkeys in a hole while a banjo player serenaded him. Amazing.

Dance Show

2011-02-10T22:25:00.003-06:00

Preparation for bedtime. As you can tell.

A Girl After Her Poppie's Heart

2011-02-10T16:24:00.003-06:00

And full of mischief!

And shall I mention that I found her with these at 8:30 a.m.?

Gross!

Snowpocalypse

2011-02-02T05:44:00.005-06:00

Jay and I shoveled him out of the driveway at about 5ish. (I suppose last night wasn't the greatest night for me to stay up late painting our bathroom.) Praying that our little Honda Civic carries him safely to work. I made him take his sleeping bag, a small shovel, and sustenance, despite his scoffing at me.

Still, the snow is gorgeous, isn't it?

Birthday Boy

2010-12-31T07:33:00.006-06:00

My super four-year-old!!

Birthday celebration #1 (thanks a LOT for giving him this birthday gift, family.):

Birthday celebration #2 (and the cake that took me THREE hours to complete. I'll call the bakery earlier, next year.):

Birthday celebration #3 (The actual birthday. I think we'll be celebrating a little less, next year.):

Happy birthday to our silly, sweet, rockin' four-year-old! We love you so much!!

Charming

2010-11-11T17:09:00.006-06:00

Today I tried to take some photos for our Christmas card. The first shot gave me hope...

Then this...

I'm calling Sears tomorrow. (Reminds me of another recent photo shoot!)

Stinker

2010-11-04T09:27:00.004-05:00

"Trey, how do you like your new undies?"

"Good! I tooted in them. We can't take them back now, right?"

Halloween Festivities

2010-10-30T19:04:00.003-05:00

Lots of festivities this weekend. The hospital had a Halloween Party for the kiddos, and Nonnie came up to be with us for the day!

Greg Wiggle, jammin' with his guitar and sweet headset:

Nonnie, Greg, and the little flower

Trying his hand at the pinata...

Phoebe and her friend Eliah, the sweet little calf

Nonnie was asked to be the magician's assistant, and we found out that she can bend a fork with her mind. Amazing!

Jay joined us at the party!

Hope you have a fun weekend!

Birthday Girl!

2010-10-19T21:27:00.002-05:00

I can't believe we were here a year ago...

Happy First Birthday, my sweet, feisty, hilarious baby girl! We adore you!

It's Saturday!

2010-10-09T09:44:00.003-05:00

Jay and Trey went for a bike ride this morning, and left the girls to hang out at home. (We'll go with next time, when Phoebe has a helmet.) Trey was excited to go - he brought breakfast, "atorgade," and his Bible to read on the way.

I found this little one at the door, pining to go with. Next time, Phoe!
("Kilroy was here"!!)

So Phoebe is in bed now, and I was reading in the den, and heard lots of skittering on the back porch. I found this little guy in Trey's truck, peeking at me out of the back window! Couldn't grab my camera in time for a good shot. :(

Happy Saturday!!!!

Cousins!

2010-09-23T14:08:00.004-05:00

Our family was in town to celebrate Grandpa Van's 90th birthday this month, and we had such a great time with them! The cousins especially had a good time together...

Jaedyn was such a trooper pulling these two big guys!

Loving the Madison Zoo!

Sweet Lily and Phoebe

Jaedyn is wonderful with the kiddos. What a great older cousin!

Jackson is getting Leapster tips from Trey. (We loved his "Lock Up Your Daughters! T-shirt!)

More Man Crushes

2010-09-09T20:16:00.000-05:00

Francis Chan is leaving his big, fat megachurch to seek God. Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris want to know if he is criminally insane.

What's Next for Francis Chan? A Conversation with Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris from Ben Peays on Vimeo.

More Man Crush

2010-09-08T20:21:00.006-05:00

Don't want to feel like I'm cheating on my man crush, but I have another. Here's Lecrae:

Proceeds to Churches Helping Churches.

Museum Journey

2010-09-03T14:38:00.004-05:00

The Madison Children's Museum was just re-located and renovated, so we decided to check it out this week. We loved it! Lots to enjoy - a water room, art room, levers to pull, buttons to push, a shadow wall - and Trey's favorite part (Phoebe's too), a music hut.

He played the bongos most of the time, and gave the adult onlookers a laugh when he announced that he had been playing "Don't Stop Believin'!"

Happy Birthday, Bobo!

2010-08-29T20:46:00.005-05:00

You are such a blessing in our lives, and in our kids' lives. Trey adores you, and do do we. So glad you're visiting this weekend so we can celebrate together with gluten/soy/dairy-free, horribly decorated brownies! (Results of the frosting packet bursting...) We love you!

Our Little Pistol

2010-08-25T16:11:00.001-05:00

Gone Fishin'

2010-08-11T08:11:00.002-05:00

First catch!!!

Slowin' Down

2010-08-04T13:10:00.005-05:00

Moving has been hard. Packing, cleaning, good-bye-ing, moving, unpacking, re-cleaning, meeting, organizing, processing - it can add up to one big mess. Especially one big mess of a mama. I've been trying to get a hold of myself lately - which can be a bit of a feat. I don't want my kids to suffer as I'm stressing out and trying to get everything done... for months.

So as I've been reading For the Children's Sake (recommended by my friend Caron at my request for some books on schooling), I've been helped by a few passages:

"Six-year-old children are pressurized as executives. Children are being 'fitted into' a streamlined schedule designed for the parents so they can cope with their pressures... And so, overentertained, pushed, pulled, and tidied up, often the child of today has the rich creative play-response crushed out. Sometimes the only thing his dulled eyes focus on is a premature adolescence which will release him from childhood."

"Grown-ups need time if their life is to support this kind of play, The children have to matter more than the furniture (but the children don't mind at all sticking to the boundaries). This means saying no to too many time-consuming activities for adults and children."

So here we are. I'm trying not to push and pull and hurry and stress out about the moving-in process (and life in general around here). I'm hopeful for at least a bit of success, and grateful for the lesson (and for grace!). There's so much to enjoy about (and with) these little ones.

Gettin' Closer...

2010-05-23T20:52:00.006-05:00

... to the move date. Sad and excited... a little more sad than excited so far, but I know it will be great.

Two of my good friends here threw us a surprise going away party on Friday night - the first time (I think?) I cried about moving! The ruse was... Carli and Sarah decided that we'd have a little Friday evening hangout at the park with our three families, just so we could chat and let the kiddos play a bit. Little did we know.... we were almost a half an hour late for our surprise going away party! You guys are too much, thank you thank you. (We decided that the downpour made it even memorable! :) Thank goodness for shelters!)

It was SO hot yesterday (today, too), and our air conditioner decided to stop working. We were trying to pack up our upstairs in the sweltering heat, but had to take a break and make a Dairy Queen run to cool off!

Jay hooked up our bike trailer for the first time (which I got at a garage sale two years ago), and we put the kiddos in for a test ride.

The birds nest in my bike: (yeah, it's been awhile...)

This little one looooved her first taste of ice cream!

No air conditioning = sleeping in the basement!

Hope they're this happy when I'm trying to pack up this week!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-10T20:48:00.004-05:00

I decided I wanted to enjoy Mother's Day outside, so we walked along the river. It was beautiful!

There was a little Parkour:

A little daredevil riding:

A little more daredevil riding:

And then this. For the rest of the afternoon/evening. Bedtime was an hour early - none too soon. And an extra glass of wine for me.

Happy (belated) Mother's Day to all you moms!

Squeeeeee

2010-05-03T20:14:00.002-05:00

Applesauce was a little tart, Ma!

My Man Crush, pt. 2

2010-04-09T14:15:00.003-05:00

My man crush has a brain tumor. He had a seizure on Thanksgiving morning. I just wanted to share this video from shortly after his initial work-up.

He is doing well and they post weekly updates on their church's blog.
For old time's sake, here's the clip that sealed my man crush:

Treycial Expressions

2010-04-05T07:38:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T07:29:00.003-05:00

Lately...

2010-03-21T15:39:00.010-05:00

Since I haven't blogged for awhile, here is a quick update of what's been going on lately in the Tuck house:

We put our house up for sale, and it was under contract in three weeks! Good thing - prep for an open house is no fun. Especially with two kids! Carol and Hazen came to visit and worked long hours to help us get the house ready - SO grateful to them! I'm sure it would have taken us at least a month longer without them. Of course, Bobo was here for hours helping me clean, too!

While they were here, Poppie took Trey to the Children's Museum, gave him his first taste of McDonalds (we avoided it as long as we could, I guess!), and taught Trey how to shave:

Trey has become quite the drummer, since Jay bought him a "drum set" and drum sticks for Christmas. But the drum set is not the only place he drums... he drums the air, his sister, and anything else he can find:

Here's the ever-growing drum set. If I'm missing something in the kitchen, I know where to find it. I recently went downstairs to claim the top to one of my pots, and Trey exclaimed, "HEY! My cymbals!"

(The stickers have been helpful in getting through potty training.... a story in itself.)

And sweet Phoebe.... she is such a happy baby, now that the colic is over! (Whew.) Trey fed Phoebe her first rice cereal:

Peas are her favorite:

As for the kids together, Trey adores his sister... and sometimes smothers her with a little too much affection:

Usually she adores him right back, though.

Hymnody

2010-02-10T21:03:00.003-06:00

Just in case you didn't catch the lyrics ;)

Vanity and Solemnity...

2010-02-02T11:13:00.003-06:00

... a screen shot from my Twitter page.

(Troy Livesay is a missionary who lives in Haiti)

Speaking of Bobo...

2010-01-27T15:50:00.002-06:00

She crocheted blankets for my kids. Who does that?!?

Happy Kiddos

2010-01-23T22:17:00.002-06:00

The kids are always happy when Bobo is around. Thanks for the pic!

Bedtime Elf

2010-01-20T11:29:00.000-06:00

Trey isn't supposed to get out of bed after we tuck him in, but when we hear footsteps and open the door to the stairs we usually find him sitting on the steps eavesdropping. (Stinker!)

This time we opened the door to this little guy:

Kinda hard to scold when snickering...

"Trey, that was naughty. Now hold still while I take a picture."

Getting Away

2010-01-20T08:23:00.003-06:00

While Auntie Bobo was watching the kids for me so I could get out to the gym for a bit (love that girl!), Trey was taking pictures with her camera and captured these beauties!

Birthday Boy

2010-01-19T08:24:00.003-06:00

It's been over 3 weeks (sorry, Trey!), but our boy turned three! We had a great time celebrating in Galena...

Topping off a great birthday with a dip in the bathtub "pool" in Galena!

Hymn 4

2009-12-25T00:01:00.000-06:00

"Shepherds, rejoice! lift up your eyes,
And send your fears away;
News from the regions of the skies,
Salvation's born to-day.

"Jesus, the God whom angels fear,
Comes down to dwell with you;
Today he makes his entrance here,
But not as monarchs do.

"No gold nor purple swaddling bands,
Nor royal shining things;
A manger for his cradle stands,
And holds the King of kings.

"Go, shepherds, where the infant lies,
And see his humble throne;
With tears of joy in all your eyes,
Go, shepherds, kiss the Son."

Thus Gabriel sang, and straight around
The heav'nly armies throng;
They tune their harps to lofty sound,
And thus conclude the song:

"Glory to God that reigns above!
Let peace surround the earth!
Mortals shall know their Maker's love,
At their Redeemer's birth."

Lord, and shall angels have their songs,
And men no tunes to raise?
O may we lose our useless tongues
When they forget to praise.

Glory to God that reigns above,
That pities us forlorn;
We join to sing our Makers love,
For there's a Saviour born.

From The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts, p. 292

What's On YOUR Amazon Wish List?

2009-12-18T13:39:00.009-06:00

Durango Boys Beef Chew

"Only one ingredient: Bull pizzle."

Wow. Since there is only one ingredient, I'm glad that's it.

HT: 22wds

Did She Just....??

2009-12-13T21:19:00.005-06:00

"Something just dripped on me. Did she just...??"

"Yep, she did."

The dangers of transferring baby from changing table to bathtub, sans diaper.

Christmas Cookies

2009-12-11T14:45:00.004-06:00

Baking:

Frosting:

Sampling:

Pretzel dipping:

Cooing:

Rainy Day Art

2009-11-24T11:12:00.003-06:00

Yum

2009-11-23T13:26:00.005-06:00

I've been making these granola bars way too much lately, but I'm pretty sure I'll never be sick of them. Found them over at Smitten Kitchen. These are so delicious, and probably healthier than packaged granola. Not so sure how healthy it is to eat the entire batch though - I totally could.

Granola Bars

Makes 12 to 16 bars

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ (I used 1/4 cup ground flax seed)
2/3 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (good, but I used regular salt, too)
1 1/2 cup dried fruit, or a mix of dried fruit (I used chopped apricots, cranberries and blueberries - sometimes cherries, too)
OPTIONAL
1/4 cup brown sugar (I didn't use, still pretty sweet)
3 tablespoons melted butter ( I tried and it didn't stick together as well as it should - don't use butter now)
3 or 4 tablespoons peanut butter (I just tried natural chunky pb on my last batch. Not good at first, but delicious after freezing!)

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter an 8×12-inch baking dish (lacking this, I used a 9×13-inch) and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ or flax seed. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.

While the mixture is still warm, stir in the honey, vanilla and salt until the mixture is well coated, then the dried fruit. Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish andpress, press, press it in (wet fingers and/or a silicon spatula work great for this) until the mixture is packed as tightly as possible.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares — your best serrated knife is great for this.

You can store these in an airtight container at room temperature for a week or two, as you would cookies, however, I prefer to store mine in the freezer. I find that they stay the most crisp this way as all granola tends to soften at room temperature after a day or more.

Turkey Trot

2009-11-16T06:00:00.008-06:00

"Ready?"

"No. Go!"

Three Sweeties

2009-11-14T14:32:00.003-06:00

(Jay tends to title pictures as they're taken. I decided to go with this one.)

Sweetness

2009-11-11T17:13:00.002-06:00

Bethany (a.k.a Auntie Bobo) posted a picture of her and Phoebe from the other day. Love it!

Things Change

2009-11-10T16:10:00.004-06:00

Phoebe's Second Week

(Phoebe starts crying while I'm reading to Trey)

Me: "Phoebe, you need to wait for a minute, I'm reading to Trey right now."

Trey: "SHE'S CRYING! You gotta pick her up, Mama!"

Phoebe's Third Week

(Phoebe starts crying while Trey is on my lap)

Trey: "Phoebs, TREY is on Mommy's lap right now. You have to wait."

Get a Clue

2009-10-31T20:02:00.004-05:00

Meet Joe from Blues Clues:

He brought Steve trick-or-treating:

And the little giraffe that posed with them!

I Passed!

2009-10-30T10:49:00.002-05:00

She's Here!

2009-10-29T11:38:00.005-05:00

Sweet baby Phoebe Parker was born on October 19th at 1:41pm!

7lbs, 13oz and 19.5 inches long.

We are all doing great, and so glad she is here!

37 Weeks Down...

2009-09-25T13:54:00.008-05:00

... and 2 to go, since I won't be going past 39 weeks this time. (whew!)

Some things I've learned this time:

Swedish Fish are disgusting, after the craving is over. (If anyone wants an almost-full bag, let me know.)
Zofran is my friend... especially in the first trimester.
Jay is very tolerant of my cravings, especially if it's Mexican food almost weekly (sometimes more) for months on end.
Being pregnant with a girl seems to be (so far, at least) easier than with a boy. Except for the guilt that comes with the chocolate/sweets cravings. I don't remember having those with Trey. Ahhh, girls.
I do NOT want my picture taken this pregnancy. (Probably related to the results of the sweets cravings...) Nor do I want to assemble a baby scrapbook. Sorry Phoebe.
Trey is getting close to being as good at nicknames as his Uncle Andy and Dad. Phoebe is now, "Fifi," "Phoebes," "Phoe-baby," "Phoe-ba-lee," and "Baby Seeeeeeester." More come every day, and I'm sure they will get more colorful as years go by...
I should have ordered the Prenatal Support Belt MUCH earlier than week 35. It helps!
Medela will send you replacement tubing for your breast pump for free... you don't have to buy it. (Thanks for the tip, Amazon reviewers!)
Don't answer, "What do you mean?" with a quizzical look as a joke when someone asks you, "When are you due?" It's kind of a mean trick and might make someone cry.

My favorite things:

Trey sitting on my lap (um, as best as we can maneuver with my huge belly) and giggling when baby sister kicks him. "Baby kicked me! She's so silly."
When baby moves around like crazy and other people in the room take notice. A few weeks ago we had a bunch of people over for Jay's birthday, and everyone was taking part in a conversation. All of a sudden someone across the room says, "Oh my goodness, look at Katie!" and Phoebe was dancing and wiggling around so much, it just looked weird. I remember hearing, "Someone needs to get that on YouTube!"
NOT being on bedrest!
Trey was admiring a newborn baby at church today, and whispered to me, "Where'd they get the baby?" I told him that she (the mom) had the baby in her tummy, and it came out. (Best I could come up with on the fly, folks.) He looked at me with huge eyes, a huge smile, and pointed at my belly. As in, "We're going to have one of those?!?!" Loved it! (We'll see how long that lasts...)
Laughing at the "Pregnant Women are Smug" video (HT: Elissa's blog). If I laugh at it, that means I'm not a smug pregnant woman, right? (P.S. Don't answer.)
The lack of anxiety during this pregnancy. Lots of reasons I'm sure, including experience, less complications, the fantastic book I read called Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest, and all of these have to do with God's grace. I'm so grateful.

3x the Fun

2009-09-20T17:31:00.004-05:00

The Three Hazens enjoying Pumpkin Fest 2009

Happy Birthday, Sambo!

2009-09-16T06:00:00.003-05:00

And ....

Happy Birthday, Sam!!

Beautiful Duet

2009-09-13T08:05:00.002-05:00

Stickin' It To The Man (Theologically)

2009-09-12T06:00:00.006-05:00

During a "Naughty Santa" / "Yankee Swap" / Whatever-you-want-to-call-it Christmas party for the young single's group at our church, I received a Joel Osteen "Be a Better You" daily calendar. The fact that I always rag on Joel Osteen made this an ironic providence indeed.

The calendar was on the floor at the top of the stairs the other day for some reason, and as Trey and I were walking up the stairs, he pointed to it and said "Yech!".

His Momma raises him right.

Anyway, here's the Anti-Joel Osteen. I'm posting it as a birthday present... to me.

P-Fest Goodies

2009-09-06T20:08:00.006-05:00

The goods with Em's Pumpkin Festival logo are already coming out... and selling out! I went to buy these t-shirts for the whole fam the day they were advertised to come to Grimms, and they were already selling out of the adult shirts!

No worries if you haven't purchased yours yet, they are ordering a new batch that should be in by this week. There are also other goodies (including pins, hats, etc.) coming in this week at other local shops!

Chiefs Game

2009-08-30T06:44:00.003-05:00

Our first Peoria Chiefs baseball game of the season... we went with the Harvest Singles Group again this year. Every year we wonder why we don't go more often. We have such a good time!

Bronco Baby

2009-08-20T16:24:00.002-05:00

We visited Luke and Em in their adorable new house this past weekend, and had so much fun! The boys got to take a ride in Luke's fancy Bronco, which was quite an experience. Not sure the carseat in this thing was quite legal, but Trey decided he was too scared to go very far anyway!

The print on the carseat is just about perfect, don't you think?

PINK!!!

2009-08-13T20:00:00.000-05:00

Auntie Em & Uncle Luke sent Baby Sister this adorable hat! Trey decided to give it a try:

Farm Park

2009-08-12T20:04:00.004-05:00

Today we went to Fon Du Lac Farm Park with Molly, Jack & Max and Cassi, Josiah & Ezra. We had a great time - despite the heat!

Jack and Trey, just waiting to get in:

And the best part of the day: "milking" a fake cow. No kidding...

Meet Harold

2009-08-05T16:24:00.004-05:00

Harold the turtle enjoys car rides, eating Goldfish crackers, sleeping next to Trey in bed, and hiding in Trey's shirt pocket. Without the convenience of a shirt pocket Harold can ride in a back pocket of Trey's shorts, but if forgotten he may possibly be mistaken for a 'big poop' when Trey sits down.

Favorite Fridays

2009-08-02T08:38:00.006-05:00

Trey loves Fridays, since it usually means story time at the library. The extra-fun times are when Carys and Sarah are there...

Sometimes we'll stop for a treat at Eli's Coffee Shop, and we ran into lots of friends last Friday! The Wuthrich Family was there, too - such fun to hang out with them for a few minutes, meet sweet Yonas, and take advantage of some great photo ops on Eli's porch.

(This one is Trey with Yonas, Josie, and Miles Wuthrich. :) )

Adorable

2009-07-31T22:00:00.001-05:00

Bobby and Mae

2009-07-28T12:48:00.005-05:00

Meet our new duck friends... not as shy as they probably should be!

We're amused easily here in good 'ol Morton, IL.

No-nap Monday

2009-07-27T16:04:00.006-05:00

This is what happens when I tell Trey that he doesn't have to sleep, but he needs to stay in bed for a little while longer:

The whole room ends up in his bed with him.

Sweet Visits

2009-07-20T12:18:00.003-05:00

A quick visit with the Bement Family (sans Brian) - made me miss them even more!

The kids loved Jay's bedtime rendition of "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus":

July 4th Weekend

2009-07-20T12:11:00.004-05:00

Update-a-rama

2009-07-20T12:06:00.003-05:00

Starting with Jay's fellowship matching. Pulmonary/Critical Care Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin in Madison:

We're pretty bummed about it, don't you think?

Graduation!

2009-06-16T21:31:00.003-05:00

Proud of you, Jay! xo

Public Dance-Off

2009-05-20T06:28:00.002-05:00

One of my life-long dreams is to be part of a public stunt like this:

(HT: Ray Ortlund)

See also: The New York Freeze

The World's Fair and My Sister!

2009-05-14T21:44:00.006-05:00

If you've ever been to Morton, IL, you know that the Morton Pumpkin Festival in September is the big thing around here. I mean, THE big thing. Native Morton-ites call it "The World's Fair!" A few years ago, the Punkin' Chuckin' contest was even featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Big stuff, eh?

This year, most likely our last year in Morton, we will get to enjoy the Pumpkin Festival with a celebrity! The theme this year is "Christmas in the Pumpkin Patch," and the Chamber of Commerce called for entrants to design a logo for this year's festival around that theme. And my sister WON! I'm so excited - Em's logo will be everywhere - in the paper, on festival t-shirts, printed on the race shirts - everywhere! I can't wait.

So here it is, a first peek at the logo for this year's Pumpkin Festival (though the colors aren't coming through quite right on this scan):

Go Em!!!

Potty Training

2009-05-09T10:03:00.005-05:00

Jay and I were sitting at the table this morning, and Trey came out of the other room saying, "Giraffe go potty! Good boy!"

We were glad to see that giraffe didn't attempt the big-people potty today.

Resident of the Year!

2009-05-01T13:25:00.005-05:00

Last week we went to an Awards Banquet for the Med Students, and Jay was chosen by the Class of 2009 Med Students as Resident of the Year! The students chose him as the resident who "exhibited the highest combination of professional attitude, level of instruction, and constructive guidance."

What a great way to wrap up the final year of residency!! Proud of you, Jay!

Rainy Afternoon

2009-04-19T18:01:00.003-05:00

The boys ate pizza in a living room fort on this rainy, Sunday afternoon. (And I got some time to myself.) Perfect!

More Weekend Pics

2009-04-14T20:48:00.005-05:00

Frisbee, mowing, Easter egg hunt,

Checking blood pressure,

Reading!

Hey, those look cool...

Thanks Pop-o!

Happy To You

2009-04-13T15:11:00.008-05:00

My Grandma Gail, parents, Andy, Luke & Em all came to celebrate the Easter weekend (and my birthday) with us. Not to mention the extra dog and cat in the house! It was so much fun.

Trey has been singing the birthday song since last weekend when his buddy Jack had a birthday party, so we tried to get him to sing it to me. He must have thought Jack's party was more fun.

My New Man-Crush

2009-04-13T05:00:00.000-05:00

Hymn 72

2009-04-12T04:00:00.001-05:00

Bless'd morning, whose young dawning rays
Beheld our rising God
That saw him triumph o'er the dust,
And leave his dark abode!

In the cold prison of a tomb
the dead Redeemer lay,
Till the revolving skies had brought
The third, th' appointed day.

Hell and the grave unite their force
To hold our God in vain;
The sleeping Conqueror arose,
And burst their feeble chain.

To thy great name, almighty Lord
These sacred hours we pay;
And loud hosannahs shall proclaim
The triumph of the day.

Salvation and immortal praise
To our victorious King;
Let heav'n, and earth, and rocks, and seas,
With glad hosannahs ring.

from The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts

A Notable Failure

2009-04-10T05:00:00.003-05:00

He never went abroad to broaden him
and though he learned to read, he did not write
anything worth saving. Once, at a whim,
he scribbled something they hadn't got right

in the sand and erased it. Few could know
whether to credit any of the vulgar rumors
surrounding his birth in a shed. There were
whispers and a gap of thirty years.

Then more rumors trickled through the countryside
about the artisan's son turned wonderworker:
probably a charlatan - blasphemer to be sure. Wide-
eyed, some claimed he raised the dead (and healed lepers!),
before the Romans nailed him - as they nailed all such-
and the neighbors sniffed, "He didn't come to much!"

by Robert Siegel from The Waters Under the Earth

2009-04-09T13:53:00.000-05:00

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

(by Isaac Watts)

The Many Faces of Trey

2009-04-06T18:39:00.004-05:00

Well, some of them.

Happy Spring

2009-03-29T07:33:00.003-05:00

Why do I live in the midwest again?

Teacher of the Week

2009-02-27T07:51:00.005-06:00

Billy brings his high school football players to mentor 3rd grade students every week, and those 3rd graders nominated him for "Teacher of the Week."

Take a look at the article!

Congratulations, Coach Cook! :)

Another Freebie

2009-02-23T08:17:00.005-06:00

Willing to give your name, e-mail, and birthdate to Quizno's? They'll give you a free sub coupon. I just tried it... and it works! You have to use the coupon within 5 days, though.

I find this stuff at dealigg.com - lots of electronics, but sometimes I find gems like free coffee, free blankets, and free Quiznos!

And apparently, it's fashionable to be a conspicuous cheapskate these days.

Free Download of Not For Sale

2009-02-19T07:46:00.005-06:00

During the month of February, you can download the audiobook Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade and How We Can Fight It....for free.

I just downloaded the Mp3s, and it was fast and easy. Now the hard part: listening. But so important.

Listen with me?

YouTube Orchestra

2009-02-18T12:32:00.009-06:00

I just found out that YouTube and London Symphony Orchestra are creating the first collaborative online orchestra. Winners chosen from the online auditions will be invited to play New York City's Carnegie Hall in April.

Such a cool idea... Trey and I had a blast clicking through the audition videos.

I found out about this via Abraham Piper's twentytwowords.com, since he is passing the word along about his friend who is auditioning and asking people to vote... which I did!

Trey was in the room with me when I watched the video on Abraham's site, and he was entranced. Asked me to play the 'gi-o-vin' video eight times yesterday. So instead of sitting in front of the computer all day, I played Joshua Bell in the house and in the car. We'll see how long this lasts....

(I won't lie, I was daydreaming for a few minutes about having a violin prodigy on my hands....)

Deeeelicious

2009-02-12T12:00:00.000-06:00

Em and I share an Allrecipes.com account, so we can put all of the recipes we find in the same 'box.' I think she found this recipe for Chicken with Asparagus and Roasted Red Peppers, so we tried it last night, and it was so good! Probably one of my favorites in years. (Besides her Chicken and Asparagus Bundles find).

I served it with the chicken cubed and over whole wheat pasta. With only 190 calories per serving (sans the pasta), you can't beat it!

Braggin' on my sis

2009-02-11T15:25:00.005-06:00

How could I not brag on her? (grin)

Em's drawing was chosen as picture of the month by jetpens.com!

I'm not sure if it will be featured for next month or in the next few days/weeks (you'll have to let me know, Em), but I'll post when it appears on JetPens.

I'm so proud!

One down, three to go

2009-02-11T13:33:00.004-06:00

Dad, Mom, and Andy came to visit this weekend, and we had Christmas in February. Thanks for coming, guys! We had a great time.

Mom and I were looking at the kitchen with pastel green walls and partially peeling wallpaper, and I was sighing with frustration at one of the four rooms I need to get done/painted. She decided that we should try and get something done while they were here, so with her kind-hearted help, we peeled off all of the wallpaper in record time. So we went to pick a color. I wanted a bold something-or-other, and started with this:

but the cranberry red looked so darn pink to me (not as pink as in the picture, but pink enough), that I couldn't handle it. So we chose again. Mom found this gorgeous herbal garden green (to which these photos are not doing a bit of justice), and I am really happy with it. The fam had to leave on Sunday evening, but I stayed up 'till 1 a.m. and finished. Feels real good to have a non-pastel-y kitchen! Can't wait until my curtains and decor are finished...

The kitchen is a total mess, I know. But after painting for hours and hours, do you blame me? Thanks for all your help, family! Love you!

Hilarious and disgusting

2009-02-09T19:53:00.002-06:00

Have you seen the Cakewrecks blog?

I get a big kick out of heading over there once in awhile. The latest post is gross (cakes made to look like feet - ew), but some of them are really funny!

Brrrrrr

2009-02-04T07:44:00.004-06:00

It was warm enough to venture out for a jog last week. Plus, I suckered Bethany into pushing the jogging stroller, so it was quite a nice outing. Love you Bobo!

Drastic measures

2009-01-28T16:04:00.003-06:00

Sorry to interrupt the recent political climate at the Tuck porch, but I think it's time. Especially for something as important as this.

We've had a bit of trouble with Trey's double cowlick (this is not static, it really looked like this when Trey woke up)...

... so we took some drastic measures. Baby's first buzz cut:

Nationalized Healthcare

2009-01-28T00:00:00.001-06:00

This editorial at Pajamas Media had me seriously considering supporting the (seemingly inevitable) move towards nationalized health-care system.

This editorial at the same site changed my mind.

The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him. Proverbs 18:17

Thank You, Fiscally Conservative Republicans

2009-01-26T13:52:00.002-06:00

(HT: The Cato Institute)