Adorable

Bobby and Mae

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

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

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

Update-a-rama

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!

Proud of you, Jay! xo

Public Dance-Off

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!

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

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!

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

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

Frisbee, mowing, Easter egg hunt,

Checking blood pressure,

Reading!

Hey, those look cool...

Thanks Pop-o!

Happy To You

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

Hymn 72

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

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

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

Well, some of them. 

Happy Spring

Why do I live in the midwest again?