'nother one in the oven!

Well, there is a reason why Susan hasn't posted to this blog since September. She's expecting again! We were not planning for another baby just yet, and are a bit overwhelmed by the idea, but are excited nonetheless. We had fun last night kicking around some baby names and promising each other that we would come up with a name before the baby is born. (Both Sims and Lydie were named several days after they were born) Sims is enjoying pre-scheool 3 mornings per week and Lydie is enjoying the personal time with Mom and Dad that this affords her. I, (Bryce) participated in my second mountain bike race this fall. 41 miles and I was definitely feeling it! It was a blast though and fun to do with some students. http://www.epicrides.com/towm/towm.htm

A crazy beginning

We've never experienced a fall semester quite like this one. And we're only two weeks into classes! There have been two tragedies (last week a suicide, and this week a roommate stabbing) on campus that have resulted in two separate deaths, and this last weekend one of our students' cars headed to a campsite for Labor Day was struck by a F250, causing two Nav members to be helicoptered to a hospital in Phoenix. They are home recovering now, but we're all reeling from the pain of the campus, and wondering what God's doing in it all.

I was reading today in 2 Kings 6 about when the king of Aram decided to do away with the prophet Elisha. He sent a huge army to capture him, but when Elisha saw it, he was unafraid. His servant wasn't quite so unaffected. But then Elisha asked God to open his eyes and the servant suddenly saw that they were surrounded by an even more mighty army of God--actual chariots and horses of fire.

So in the midst of the violence and tragedy that we've already seen this semester, I've been praying that we would see God's mightier hand at work. That he would open our eyes to what's really happening in the spiritual realm, and help us to live in strengthened faith.

As for the kids, they're doing well. Just a week ago, I was telling Lydie something and she looked up at me with serious blue eyes and in a little plaintive voice, said "Why?"

I was shocked. She's not old enough for that word, is she? But apparently she is, because that has become one of her favorite things to say. The other day Simmy shot me a knowing grin. "Lydie's in a 'Why' stage," he informed me.

Lydia's "Why's" are only rivaled in frequency by her declaration, "I do it!" and "Self!" Apparently she realized she's almost two and should start acting like it. Little Miss Independence! But it's not unusual for her to demand, "I do it," then immediately follow with, "Help me!" Oh good. She's not completely grown up yet!

As for Simmy, he's full of energy and ideas. He loves playing with his racetrack, changing the shape of it and testing the various cars. He sleeps with pieces of the set in his bed, takes them on car rides, and even wants them along on shopping excursions. The boy is all or nothing! He also enjoys riding his bike or tricycle around the block whenever Bryce will take him.

We're looking forward to when the weather will cool down, but we've still got a while to go. In the meantime, Bryce took Simmy camping in the cooler mountains tonight, and we're hoping for an accident-free trip!

Susan

Our new team

Well, we're officially into the busy fall season.

Thursday our staff team headed to a home in the foothills where we did some planning, eating, praying, swimming, card games and scorpion slaying until we left yesterday morning. This year we have an incredible team of 10 adults and four kids. How things have grown since five years ago when we came here with three adults and a kitty!

Tomorrow our student leaders will convene at our house for a welcome back dinner, then Wednesday will be the start of long days on campus and in the dorms.

Ah, I'm tired just thinking about it!

Play Time

Bryce and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary this week. Some friends watched the kids while we got a day and a half away in Phoenix, staying at a friend's guest house. That was so special! This summer has been a time of much-needed connecting for the two of us. Somehow in the busyness of birthing two kids, welcoming seven new staff and undergoing a heart surgery--all in three years--we got a little stressed. We feel like we're heading into the fall semester in a much better place.

Yesterday we piled into the van to do some family errands. The kids' favorite part was our last stop, where we got a car track for Simmy and a pink cell phone for Lydie. New toys are a pretty rare event around here. Sims slept with pieces of his new track in his bed, and Lydia's phone was playing the same bars of "Ode to Joy" well into the night. When I went back into the kids' room to put something away, Simmy was still laying there awake. He mumbled something and when I asked him to repeat it, he said, "I'm grateful for what God provided, for my new toy," then gave a shy little grin. "God did it because he loves car sets!" Well, I don't know about his theology, but it was endearing to see his gratitude. He kept asking why we got it for him. How fun to get something just for fun!

Lydia, for the second time this week, discovered some of my high heels sitting around and decided to take them for a spin, complete with cell phone, pipe-cleaner boa and Nemo ring. She managed to stay upright in them, which is rare. We say that she is the definition of precarious: unstable and about to fall. That girl does hit the floor with regularity! It is just so fun to watch her be utterly feminine. She loves her accessories: shoes, hats, barrettes, beads... even the way she "wears" her blankie wrapped around her shoulders like a shawl is so different than her big brother. She's fast turning into a little girl. It's hard to believe that she'll be two in only two months!

This week is our last before staff meetings start the following week. We'll be doing lots of preparation, and helping various staff members move into their new homes. This fall we'll have a team of 10. All very exciting! If only we can take time to enjoy what we have, and be grateful for what God provides!

Floral Mayhem

Well, I designed flowers for my first wedding last weekend. Actually, I just did the reception. But with 30 guest tables and a head table to cover, the reception was plenty enough! All in all, it turned out well, but boy, was it a crazy process!

First of all, the bride liked some vases that were really for floating candles so the stems of the flowers didn't want to stay down. They'd float out of the water. My attempts at hot-gluing foam didn't work. The glue wouldn't stay attached to the vase, and it looked chintzy anyway through the clear glass.

So while I was praying for another idea a friend called and reminded me of this stuff that expands in water and you add to soil to keep roots moist. So we added some of those granules to the water to help keep the stems in. And it worked!

But the even bigger issue ended up being the flowers themselves. We had decided to use gerbera daisies, astromeria and lisianthus, all in shades of creamy white and soft yellow. I made a mock arrangement to see how many stems I would need of each, then ordered through a wholesale florist in town. Well, when I went to see the flowers two days before the wedding, the lisianthus looked beautiful but the astromeria and daisies were both the wrong color! When I tried to do a test arrangement, thinking maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought, the result was horrendous. The bright white of the astromeria made the creamy lisianthus look dingy and the daisies were shockly bright yellow. So much for subtle and lovely!

At that point, the florist couldn't return the flowers so we made do. She had some floral spray paint, so we painted the astromeria yellow. Then we cut a bunch of vines from our back yard for added greenery, then went to town making the arrangements without the poor gerberas that just wouldn't work no matter how hard we tried.

It was five hours of hard work on the day of the wedding with four other people helping, and as it was, we were 10 minutes late to the wedding, still in our work clothes! But Bryce brought our fancy duds and after the ceremony we changed in the church bathroom, then headed to the reception in style. It was fun to eat a good dinner together, enjoying the visual fruit of our labor. And most importantly, the bride (and her mom) were pleased.

It was quite the learning process for me. And now I'm glad it's over!

Van on vacation

Well, we got back on Sunday from a sweet vacation in central California, chilling in a cabin among the redwoods. We got lots of time hiking wooded trails along flowing creeks (Actual water in a creekbed! Novel thought for these desert dwellers!) and wearing sweatshirts to ward off the nighttime chill. It was a great change of pace—and scenery—for us all.

One highlight of the trip was our new (used) van that made the trip much more comfortable. We got a great deal on a Toyota Sienna, which allowed us to have a back seat for stretching out for much-needed naps during the 18 hours it took us to get there. Bryce thought he'd compromised his masculinity by giving into a van, but after two trips to California in as many weeks, he now says he's a believer.

For parting thoughts, here's a picture of Lydia just taken today. She's been a blast lately, trying out every new word she can. She's gone from hardly saying anything, to repeating practically everything she hears... and not just one word at a time. She repeats phrases. Quite clearly! Tonight Sims found a squished golf ball, commenting on how it was dead. Lydia looked at me. "Dead ball," she said in a sweet little voice.

We're glad to be home, glad to be enjoying life as a family, glad to have a little of the summer still left, and glad for a God who has been very good to us.

Susan

The Wedding

Well, Simeon made his star debut as "Pillow Bearer" in the wedding of Nate and Rachel Hartke (two former UofA Nav students) on June 9 up in Phoenix. He and Luke, the bride's cousin, walked down the outdoor aisle side by side with pillows in hand. No rings. Which was just as well since Luke saw a pinecone halfway down and decided to bear it as well, then Simmy promptly dropped his pillow upon reaching the front. Both boys were a big hit, with the guests as well as each other. After the wedding I asked Sims if he was scared and he was totally mystified as to why I would ask such a question. A chance to chase cats and vroom cars—in between wedding responsibilities, off course—with another 3-year-old? Why would he be scare of that?

Lydia, meanwhile, enjoyed rearranging the rose petals that were scattered just before the ceremony, and reconnecting with her favorite stuffed kitty, "Meow," who had been forgotten in Phoenix a month earlier.

Keep trying back... next post will be about our sweet new ride!

Susan

Mothers Day Fun

Yesterday Lydia and I got to celebrate Mothers Day with matching dresses I found on eBay. It was a blast! And Bryce put the biggest bow he could find on the little white sports car he bought a few weeks ago as my gift... though it didn't exactly cover the hood like the Lexus commercials.

We're grateful for the slow down as classes are done and students are heading off for their summer plans. We're trying to pull the house into a little more order. Stuff like getting carpets shampooed, servicing the AC and having the air ducts cleaned. Judi, we got your chairs cleaned and scotchguarded. They're still holding strong and looking great!

These days Lydia is very into a stuffed tabby she's named "Meow Meow." She likes to give sips of her milk to Meow, as well as any food that's on hand. Simmy, on the other hand, is enjoying a little orange Care bear that Bryce thought wasn't manly enough, so to compensate, convinced Sims to call him "Smacky." Smacky and Meow are now regulars on car trips and bedtimes. Woe to the parent who forgot to put them in bed at night because we'll hear about it in the morning!

Saturday night Sims hit his face hard against the window sill, which led to a bloody nose, split lip and quite a bit of blood on his shirt, shorts, the floor, green blankie and ice towel. He did a great job of sitting still and letting Bryce hold ice on his face until he found out that the ice would help him heal better. "But I want to show my scar to Nathan!" he said, and didn't want anymore help with getting better. Nathan is a kid at church and Sims always like comparing latest injuries. Thankfully other than a little skin off his lip, he didn't look much worse for the wear the next day.

We miss you all!

Susan

Tax relief

Hi everyone!

I just got back from a weekend trip to North Carolina where I convened with my sisters. It was great to eat and talk and laugh and eat some more. But I sure enjoyed also coming home and seeing my family again!

The kids are doing great. Simmy's face is still red, but it's a much smaller section than before. We're putting cream on it four times a day to try to reduce scarring and it's causing zero pain. We're so grateful!

Simmy's had some fun quotes over the last weeks. When I was cooking cous cous for dinner one night, he ran out in excitement and informed Bryce that we were going to have "jacuzzi." Then at the table he asked for a helping of "caboose!" He also wanted to know if he could clean his burn with a cottontail.

We finished reading Charlotte's Web and now have started on Stuart Little. Simeon is totally engaged in the story and asks insightful questions. It's fun to see him processing. When Charlotte died I got a little teary and Simmy looked up, gave me a tender look, and patted me on the arm.

Lydia is enjoying life to the max these days. She got a little pink stroller from a friend and loves cruising around with that thing. Sometimes it's carrying a doll, sometimes a bunny, sometimes her electronic abc toy. She also loves to climb up on Sims' bed or the couch with a pile of books she gathered, and sit there, flipping the pages with concentration. She and Simeon are as thick as thieves. They crack me up! Simmy talks to her like she's an adult and she answers with an emphatic "Yeah!" or "No..." like she knows exactly what he's asking. He really looks out for her, too, fetching pacifiers or blankies with thoughtful initiative. They are a delight.

We miss you all. I'm sorry to be so long since my last update!

Susan

Back from Spring Break

Well, since I last wrote, we've had the flu, traveled to San Diego, and survived a third degree burn.

Simmy and Bryce were camping March 6 when a metal hanger flipped out of the fire and hit Sims on the cheek. Unfortunately, his automatic reaction was to trap the hanger between his face and shoulder, and it took a while for Bryce, in the dark, to realize what was happening.

The third degree burn area was about 3 by 8 centimeters, and the second degree area got the bottom of his ear and extended another inch behind. He also burned the inside of his left wrist, which concerned the doctor more than the facial burn. Because it's an area that requires so much movement, the tendency is to hold it rigid, thus causing the scarring to impede mobility. So we're doing hydrotherapy--giving a morning and evening bath and afternoon sink playtime where he keeps his wrist submerged and keeps the burn moist. Now both Simmy and Lydie are hooked on their twice-daily baths!

We've had to change gauze on his face every morning and evening, which is fairly traumatic for everyone involved. Finally, we realized that we needed to divide with one person taking Lydie somewhere else because she was so upset by Simmy's screams that she needed major comforting after it was all over.

Sims has definitely gotten better over the last 10 days. He hates when we take the old tape off and clean the gunk off that has formed on his burn. But he'll stand very still without fussing while we put on the burn cream and tape the new gauze to his face. Then he smears cream on his wrist burn all by himself.

What a process this has been! Bryce came back from Spring Break and time away last night, and the house is much more full of life with him in the house. Grandma Steen has been here helping with the kids and that's been a huge load-lifter. She's been reading Charlotte's Web, among other books, to Simeon and he's loving it. Every night he asks, "Will Grandma be here when I wake up in the morning?" He's worried she'll take off without warning.

In the meanwhile, we're so thankful for what didn't happen.... that the burn was no bigger, that he received immediate help via border patrol who stopped by the campsite soon after the accident, and that the wound has stayed clear of infection, which is such a risk with deep burns. He is already healing so well. We're full of gratitude for it all.

Susan

We're with pics!

I tried to go back and add photos to past entries but I'm not quite figuring out how to do it. So we'll have to start from this point forward. This picture was from a couple weeks ago when I walked into the kids' room to find Lydia in her crib playing with toys, her feet tucked into the two smallest cups she could find. I guess she likes her feet cozy. She definitely likes her shoes. Yesterday I asked her if she could go get her shoes because we were going out, and sure enough, she came back with a matching pair. I have no idea where she found them!

She's been feeling rough the last couple days... definitely teething. But she's been super cuddly, so that's been fun. I hope she's doing better by tomorrow, though, because that's when our family leaves for five days in California. We have a student conference over the weekend, followed by staff meetings for staff in AZ and CA. Other kids will be there too, so I hope ours have fun playing with them.

As for Simeon, he got a haircut not too long ago and has been looking quite handsome. He has a "date" tonight with one of our students so Bryce and I can go out. Yesterday Krista was here when he woke up from his nap and I asked him if he wanted to say goodbye before he left. He was heartbroken when he realized she couldn't stay. "But I want a date with her!" he wailed, lip quivering. I don't know any other 3-year-old who will call women on the phone, ask for a date, and get an immediate yes! The girls are great with him, and he loves the attention. So far, he hasn't noticed (or seemed to mind) that Lydia's usually there as a chaperone.

We hope everyone is doing well!

Susan

Glad to be together

I made a last-minute trip to Phoenix with one of our staff on Friday because she had a close family friend who died. I was gone just a day, but real thankful to be able to share that time with her, then thankful to once again be with my family. Her friend was like a second mother to her, and she left behind three children -- two in college and one in high school. It's made me glad for life and for this time that I share with my own kids and husband.

Simeon is enjoying increasing independence. We haven't had to change a dirty diaper from him in months because he's going so well on the potty. But we still have to use pull-ups because he forgets and wets through his underwear. He can take off his sleepers, put on his own pants and socks, and get his arms through his shirt by himself. He loves going to the park with daddy and kicking balls.

Lydia is walking so well now. She and Simmy play together by the hour, inventing games that mystify onlookers. One recent game was both falling onto a sleeping bag that was laying in the living room. They would bonk heads as they fell, both laughing, and gingerly rubbing heads as they prepared for their next dive. Another game was Lydia standing behind Simeon and holding his middle. Then he would walk too fast for her to keep up and she would fall face-first onto the carpet. They did it over and over and thought it was hilarious.

Lydia's still eating twice (or three times) as much as Simeon most days.... until those random meals of oatmeal, or tomato soup, where Sims makes up for 3 days-worth of eating in one setting. They're sleeping fairly well in the same room. And we usually get to sleep until 7:30 in the mornings. That's glorious.

We had a workday on Saturday for the students to earn money for spring break and winter conference costs. We hired a few students of our own and finished filling the dirt into the raised flower beds. It looks great!

I've got two crying kids to deal with. More later.

Susan

Baby Frankenstein

Well, as of yesterday, Lydia's walking pretty much everywhere. Slowly. She lifts each leg with measured concentration, feet turned out, arms held ready for some imaginary ballroom partner, and manages to get to each room just as folks are leaving for the next place. Usually when she sees Sims coming toward her, she sits down as a preventative measure, as he usually ends up knocking her down. It's fun to see our baby turning into a little girl.

I've been easing off the cortizone that the doctor had me on to boost my adrenal function. I felt like it was helping, but the problem was that I was also not sleeping well. As I'm lowering the dosage, I'm getting better sleep, but I'm also more tired during the day. I have a few more days of finishing the cortizone, then am starting a new supplement that I will only have to take once a day, as compared to four times daily. We'll see how the new stuff works.

Saturday, Bryce went down to the mountains about an hour away with some of his guys and took Sims along. They had a great day of hiking and eating junk food and using all the woods as their toilet. Simmy had a blast and when he came home, wanted immediately to go back outside.

Lydia is communicating more these days. When she wants her ski hat, she pats her head. When she wants her sunglasses, she pats her eyes. When she wants her pacifier, she says, "Bah!" And then there's always the bloodcurdling shriek that lets us know that she is not okay with the present situation. She used to say "Yeah!" to any question you might ask but now likes to change it up with a "Noooh", or the more uncertain "Yoh." This morning when the staff team was here for breakfast, she pulled out a "Yoh" when we asked her something and Simmy pondered for a moment. "Did she mean yes, or no?" he asked. Good question. But he still likes to interpret what she wants, and usually his diagnosis sounds right on track. It's nice to have someone that remembers how to speak baby.

I keep meaning to post photos, so keep checking back. But for now, I'm signing off.

(Happy Birthday Kathy!)

Susan

Let it Snow!

Sunday night we were out as a family and it began to snow. Within minutes we had separate phone calls from two different neighbors making sure we had seen the miracle. The flakes were larger than ping pong balls... huge and heavy and wet. People were clicking camara phones, arching backs to catch snow in their mouths and even leaning out of drive thru windows, gazing in awe.

Naturally, Simeon wanted to know if it was snowing at home, too, and if there would be snow in his back yard. And then he started to get worried that snow was going to cover up his balls (and I counted yesterday... we're up to more than 2 dozen laying around the yard). But as we loaded stuff in the car, then Simmy really got concerned. Bryce had left Lydia under an overhang while he strapped Simmy in, but Simmy was fidgety. "You gotta hurry, dad!" he said. "Lydia's going to turn into an iceburg!"

Bryce's 35th birthday was yesterday. He awoke to find a huge gift-wrapped box on the patio that contained a new leather office chair, something he's wanted since we got married. He enjoyed the cards and calls from many of you, and ate so much dessert that afternoon that he couldn't finish his dinner. Sims decided he was too full to eat dinner, too, until Bryce suddenly found that he was getting hungrier.

Lydia had a fever over the weekend and we're guessing that she's working on more teeth. She loves to feed herself everything now and is doing a good job of keeping the bowl or plate on the tray. Yesterday when I came home after an appointment, she saw me and her face lit up. "Ma Ma!" she yelled, and started cruising around the chair she was holding onto. I held out my arms and she did her best Frankenstein impression, stumping toward me and falling into my arms just in time. When Bryce came home, it was an exact repeat. "Ma Ma!" she exclaimed and reached out her arms to him. "Um, I'm Daddy," Bryce corrected as he picked her up. "Ma Ma," she insisted with a smile. She wasn't going to let him throw her off track!

We wish you could all be enjoying it with us,

Susan

Here We Go!

We don't really have the energy for anything that isn't necessary these days, as evidenced by the piles adorning each room of our home. But these kids do grow so fast and older moms keep telling us to "write it down!"

We had a blog while Lydie was in and out of the hospital and braving the troubles of nasal gastric tubes and--oh yeah--heart surgery. But that was more out of survival, needing folks to pray, and not wanting to repeat the latest doctor opinion 27 times.

For three years now, I've meant to start a little book with the kids' witticisms and favorite habits. And then last week I thought, maybe this could be my little book. And rather than it sitting on our office bookshelf where no one else can enjoy it, this is a book that can be checked out by Grandma and Grandpa in Memphis, Nana in Virginia, Mim and Pip in Florida, and numerous aunties and uncles from Colorado to North Carolina. So why not?

My goal is to update once a week. Maybe more often, maybe a little less when we're traveling. But weekly is my plan, and if I just can't keep up with it, I'll say so. I don't expect to have hilarious anecdotes for every entry, but can at least say what we're up to as a family.

Oh, and Happy Birthday Pip!