Rasing Godly Tomatoes

It's here! I highly recommend this book!

Click on the link below to view the back cover and table of contents.

http://www.raisinggodlytomatoes.com/order.asp

More photos

"I love helping Mommy bake pies."
This is the mess that happens when Mommy has "help" baking pies.
But this is the end result. William would have liked to have a whole one to himself.

Encourage Your Husband

I just came across this challenge and thougt I should share it. Just ignore this if you are a man and let your wife surprise you this month.
http://www.reviveourhearts.com/downloads/index.php?id=9471

How to Wear a Tiny Baby

So, you want to carry your baby hands free? Here's how! I'm using a 5 yard x about 22in. guaze material for this wrap.

Okay, This is going to be confusing, because I couldn't upload all the photos at once and ended up with things a little out of order. Many thanks to baby Marcus (3wks old), who left his mother's warm arms to let me use him for the demo.

These are directions for using a wrap for a front carry with an infant. Please scroll down and find #1.

#6. It should look something like this. Make sure it's not too tight. You need room for baby.

#7 Pull both ends around to the back again.
#8 Tie
#9 Baby will sit on the X on your chest. Bigger babies will have one leg out either side. Tiny babies can tuck their feet up in. Put a tiny baby in one side at a time and spread wrap over baby's back.
#10 For added support, you can pull the waist band up over baby. The shoulder straps can be pulled over baby's head for support.

#1 Put center of wrap at your waist.

#2 Cross wrap in the back.

#3 Try to keep as flat as possible while pulling each end up over your shoulders.

#4 Cross at your chest.

#5 Put the ends through the waistband. Scroll back up to the top for continued directions.

Photo Sharing Time

Here are a few of the pictures from our visit with Oma, Opa, Aunt Heidi, and Nathaniel. We all went out and picked a bunch of our apples! I've been busy making sauce, dried apple rings, and William and I want to make a pie today. Mmmmmmm! Come on over and have a slice! We'd love to have you.

Dress to impress!

So, how important is it to dress well? Do you abide by the old advice of, "You will act how you dress"? Public schools once held dress codes for this reason and most workplaces currently have some sort of dress code in place.
Consider the 14 year old from Cleveland, OH who just shot and injured four others before killing himself. Classmates described his style of dress as "Goethe"; black, skulls, trench coats. The question is, are you what you wear, or is it the other way around: what you wear shows who you are? Perhaps the answer is a little bit of both. Either way, our way of dressing certainly puts our values on display for the world to see.
If you think you don't need to worry about dress until your children are in middle school, think again. "Hip" parents are working hard to make sure their babies are also "hip." This article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21108690/ caught my attention today and got me thinking. These parents are working hard to make sure their children are getting a message, but are they getting the message their parents think they are? Rather than learning to be "hip", I wouldn't be surprised if these kids learn that their parents' fun takes priority and that the latest fashions are more important than kindness, self-control, etc....
Of course I'm not saying to dress your kids in rags, but please, let them be children and preserve their innocence. Don't dress your 2 year old like a little tart, she might become one.

He Can Read!

This is especially for grandparents and other relatives living far away!

Rab ran at a cat.

He Found His Legs!

While we were at the Opera on Sunday, Mom and Dad had fun teaching Brian how to use his legs. Yes, he's walking. He's still very wobbly, but can walk all the way across a room and sometimes turn corners.
Last night William said, "Mommy, I don't want Brian to get bigger. I want him to stay a baby." Brian is growing up quickly now and the baby stage is passing. He feeds himself with a spoon now. Now if only he would learn to sleep like a big boy!
I'll post a video of the walking as soon as I get one.

Opera this weekend

Curt is in the chorus for the Magic Flute in Harrisburg this weekend. Come if you can!!! He says it's a good one and loves the music. We all just miss him here since he's had so many practices and he's tired too.
Oma and Opa will be here tomorrow! I got Brian saying "Opa," but "Oma" sounded the same. We'll work on it more this week.

Another William Conversation

I have a friend coming with her two little girls to visit tomorrow. I've been talking to William about it and suggesting what we should do with our guests. At bed tonight I added, "Isn't Lydia a good friend?" mostly prompting him to think that she's nice.
"NO!"
I was surprised since I know they play well together. "Why not?"
William was credulous, "She's a girl," laughing as he answered.
So, tell me, where do little boys get ideas like this? Certainly not from his parents! He doesn't watch TV or any videos that would deal with issues like that.
OH, I know! God has given him a natural knowledge that there is a big difference between boys and girls. Funny how my three year old knows this, but most adults don't.

Quotes to share

Educate people without religion and you make them but clever devils.
Author: Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley

In large states public education will always be mediocre, for the same reason that in large kitchens the cooking is usually bad.
Author: Friedrich Nietzsche

To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.
Author: Theodore Roosevelt

Silly Boys

Welcome

I've decided that xanga isn't quite as nice as blogger, so I've moved. No more ads for you to view while you read!!! It's late, so I'll keep it short.
William loves to have us tell him stories as we put him to bed at night.
"Mommy, want to tell me a story?"
"Sure."
"About Jesus?"
I have had to refresh my memory a few times, so I could have some new ones to tell. (A little ashamed to admit that.)
Then, "I want Daddy to tell me a story about Kahula and Quacky and Joey the Frog and Tommy the Tortoise."
Curt is carrying on the tradition of his father's style of story telling.
Since Curt has been at opera practice every night this week, I've been doing some creative story telling with the above mentioned characters. Of course there is a lot of suspense and the main characters are often being chased and in grave danger, but escape in amazing ways at the last moment. William was looking a bit worried as I told the story the other night. I asked him if it was scary.
"Yes."
"Is it too scary."
"Does Daddy tell scary stories?"
"Yes"
"Is it too scary."
"Yes"
"Should we stop telling Kahula and Quacky stories?"
"NO," emphatically.
"Do you like it scary?"
"Yes," with a little smile.
I think we all enjoy a little drama at times, and especially the kind we know always turns out fine in the end. It's the real life drama that scares us badly. We forget that it will turn out right in the end.