Ethan James, how we love ye!

Naccccccchooooo Libre...

changing right before my eyeballs...

goof ball!

Christmas 2009...

My second son, Ethan James, will turn FIFTEEN at 9:20 p.m. tonight...I was in labor for 2 days, on and off. I walked the mall, I took weird herbs, I watched movies, I cried, I thought he'd NEVER come. I also thought he was a girl (see? my hunches have never been right)

Finally, on Wednesday evening, February 14th, 1996, after Taco Bell and other fun midwife-taught techniques, while everyone was at Wednesday night prayer meeting, Ethan's labor sped up. Water broke at 9 p.m.

Midwife showed up right as that happened...after some quick pushing, Ethan, my second smallest baby of the five, came squalling into a cold Indiana winter.

I couldn't believe it was another boy...but I'm soooo very glad that I had another son so close to Will's age. Buddies for Life, and I can tell you, it's true. they scuffle and bicker but it rocks that they are support for each other.

Ethan James Young

Wednesday, February 14, 1996

7 lbs 12 ounces

20 inches.

He was almost a pound smaller than Will...I kept thrilling over how tiny he was and the midwife said that 7/12 was bigger than the average newborn. Wow...pave the way, Will (who was 8/11)

Anyways, I'm feeling very nostalgic right now...recalling this day 15 years ago...

Tonight, Ethan will be at Karate with Levi. Tomorrow night, we will have his birthday party with family.

I love you, E. You are such an awesome, upright young man of God. I love that you look like a mix of Young and a Greenhill. I hope this is a memorable and joyful birthday for you, for next year, you can get a job. Happy 15th to ya :)

Ha ha. Happy Monday everybody.

this boy...

will turn FIFTEEN in 4.5 days...

doesn't this beach scene look inviting??

I think so.

I find it so hard to grasp that Ethan James will be 15 soon. The winter that he was born, 1996, was a bleak, snowy one like the one we are in now. not to focus on this weather, of course. Ethan is our focus. ETHAN!! YOU da man...

In a side note, saw my midwife today...she showed me the proof of the good ultrasound report, which was very reassuring....my little son to be is very lively, and doing so well...kinda like all of his predecessors. Awww. I love him already.

If you could, maybe you could pray for me, as I'm very apprehensive about the birth...yeah, I know it's a long way off...but not really. less than 20 weeks...yikes. I keep having dreams that David delivers the bebe...I think he'd be good at it but then again...he's not so sure. scarred for life, he says. I'm starting some yoga to get a head start on my breathing...to make it my friend during the contraction time.

Why did I choose homebirth again? because the good so totally outweighs the painful, scary stuff.

MH had a great pep talk with me today...gave me some good hints on how to get thru the rest of winter and assured me that I am NOT alone. It really HAS been a difficult winter and on top of that, a difficult winter to be pregnant. ahhh, validation. Heard Little Jack the Bear's heart beat, had good blood pressure, and I'm not swelling yet. yah for me.

I love to eat because it really sets this guy off...he gets really punchy...can't wait to meet him.

On that note, my omelet is ready so I'm outta here...hope this finds you enjoying these (hopefully) last frigid days of February...they say a warm up is on it's way....

shoulda known

I should've known on this day, that Molly was going to be a pistol. such a sweet baby she was...and kapow! now I'm stuck with Sybil of the split personality. more below.

I just added this because these days, though difficult in their own way, were so much easier than these days now. Now I have kids from 15 to 2.5 and whew...the dynamics are intense. teaches me to choose joy in each situation and circumstance I find myself in.

Hi there. I hope you are enjoying the lovely spring days God has given us. I know we are.

I let the littles out to play this morning. I opened the windows on the school side of the house so I could hear any tomfoolery. Not even five minutes later, I hear Levi's squeaky, screeching whine....er, scream that "Molly is running in the parking lot up the hill....."

Yeah, I look out the window and there are the curly q's bopping toward Waverly Rd. She was running like the wind...not a care in this world. heck no, she was FREE! FREE AT LAST. Melanie saved the day....but that 2 yr old is fast and independent.

A great way to start out this day. I long for simpler times. Less time in the car but with soccer on the horizon, that is NOT likely to happen. Will, you really need to look forward to driving...lift my burden. :)

I'll be back when I can form a coherent thought. I'm bushed tonight...but in spite of it all, God is good and takes such good care of us. I have no complaints...so forgive if it seems as if I do. my bad.

g'night.

Ol' Blue Eyes

Love digging thru the boxes upon boxes of pictures in my possession....

THIS is another one of my favorite Ethan shots.

He was such a beautiful boy, not that the other two weren't, but his eyes just would NOT quit. I am sucked into their deep blue...

This photo goes along with the one I posted of Will last week, in a bucket.

Hope your Sunny Thursday is delightful...I know mine has been so far...adios amigos!

E's 14th Birthday Party

Peek a boo...getting ready for presents...

Ethan's birthday meal of choice was Grandma's Beef Stroganoff! MMM MMM good. we all sat around in a coma for a bit, before presents. Here we have Becky reading the info on the Liver/Kidney cleanse she is in the midst of completing. fun fun times.

Nora is just cute!

Levi and Grandpa

Ethan got a DS game and a Lego Indiana Jones game for the Wii, along with some clothing, Laser tag thing, money and a cool pocket knife. I just really like Piper's face in this pic, along with Molly's wild and crazy hair.

Molly was really excited about E's presents.

wow. someone needs some sun. Maybe our March trip should include sun and sand.

the party just wouldn't have been complete without our self portrait. I love my sister.

Handsome Birthday Boy...

Mom and Beck, pose with Mel's Panda. ok. I love these two ladies more than my luggage.

The BB chose cherry pie instead of cake. ok. cool.

How are you this fine, snow melty weekend? We are all finally on the mend, though David is currently doing the same cleanse that Beck is doing...so he's LOTS of fun. epsom salts, olive oil, lemons, weird bm's. good, good times at our house. all for a good cause.

I am not doing the cleanse but I am really psyched because I have lost 11.4 pounds to date, as well as 9.75 inches on the Jenny Craig program. I'm on a good program for diet and love my Y time, lifting weights every other day and running/walking/climbing. Battling the bulge is a challenge...so thankful for good health to be able to meet the challenge.

Other than that, just really ready for some different weather. Not to complain, just ready for some sunshine. It's been in the high 30's here, so the snow is melting away. buh bye.

David is in talks with a local company regarding the sale of his construction company...it will really help lighten his load and will allow him to focus on the patent promotion. The experience has been good, and he's ready for some support.

God is good all the time. Even in these dreary, blah days...we will focus on that. Hope you have had a wonderful weekend and that things are moving smoothly for you...whoever you are.

Whirlwind Weekend...

The February birthday brigade...Ethan won't get his birthday party till this coming weekend, due to illness (my poor momma has been super duper sick)...so we had a little impromptu party, since our good friend, Bobby, turned the big FOUR-OH the weekend before. Sandwich ring, Hawaiian bread with spinach dip, champagne, strawberries (mmm mmm good Tam), hummus and pita chips, and Valentine cupcakes rounded out the evening. You really get to know your friends with a round of Apples to Apples too...We love our fun friends! Thanks for the 2 volume set on the American Revolution you got for E!

Birthday Boy Bobby...

This was the group of kids that David and I served at the Kaleo (Invite) Broken Hearts Banquet. We thought we'd have 8 kids, but apparently E can rustle up a crowd and we had 10 kids. 16 pieces of fried chicken didn't go very far with 6 teenaged boys...

Gotcha mid-bite, Mel. sorry 'bout that...just noticed it.

It's safe to say we had the coolest table...

Phos Ontos Broken Hearts Banquet. I forgot my cam so this mobile shot will just have to be enough...We served Chinese food since the Persecuted country we chose was China. Panda Express worked for us!

Whew! glad that weekend is over. Maybe now David and I can celebrate our own Valentine's Day.

But I wouldn't have it any other way, from celebrating with the kids' fellow youth groups to celebrating Ethan, Valentine's Day is never dull. We are so thankful for Mike and Pam...they do such an excellent job ministering to middle schoolers, jr highers, high schoolers. One cannot help but want to get involved in the amazing work they do for Jesus Christ.

Up next, the kids finally were all well enough to take advantage of the powder outdoors. I sent all five kids out to play and boy, is it nice and quiet in here. nice deep breaths.

Peace!

Happy Birthday, Ethan! You're FOURTEEN....woot woot

One hour ago, our second born son, Ethan James, greeted his fourteenth year with open arms.

Can't believe this little dapper dan above is 14.

Happy Birthday, E! We are so thankful for your wisdom, thoughtfulness, love of history, love of God, dedication to this family. You are very cool...I will recall your birth memories in my mind for now...I love you, E.

I'll update this more later...we went to Will's high school Broken Heart's Banquet tonight and I'm pooped...pix on this weekend's banquets tomorrow. Happy Valentine's Day to you.

Happy Birthday Month, Beck and E...

Two of my favorite Ethan pix of allllll time. beautiful boy...

My beautiful little sister....

And so we begin...

February hits and Beck reminds us that it is the month of her birth. How could we forget, dear sister?

We can't. We won't. We don't wanna...I'm so thankful for February...for in it, God gave me YOU and my second son, Ethan...what a fine month you are, February.

So we celebrate you and we celebrate Ethan. Love you two.

Baptisms and Church services in barns...

the W's barn...it's humongous...and can't wait for the square dancin' hoe down...(the pool, not pictured here, is to the left of the tree...)

Molly was quite excited to see her fave, Courtney...could we adopt you, CS? you are adorable and my kids LOVE you! so great to see you.

David had the opportunity to baptize E and Mel...and he even got to go first...which made him nervous because he was hoping to watch a few of the other fathers so he'd know "exactly" how to word it. ha ha. if you know David, you know this lack of confidence is kinda cute. so awesome to be a part of this service today...we love our Horizon family.

Buried in the likeness of Christ's death...

raised in the likeness of His resurrection...

ok, bring her up..

after the baptism service, a few brave folks, like David here, wanted to enjoy the 82 degree pool. This one needs to work on his form. yowza!

Mel's artwork...good work, M.

Mel and E. got baptized this afternoon. awesome to see and be a part of.

Our church is currently without a building of it's "own"...so one of the co-pastors hosted today's baptism service/lunch...the in-ground pool was lovely and warm. Afterwards, yum food and the biggest hot dogs ya ever did see...I should have gotten a picture of them...

Ok, I'm sleepy but hope this finds you and yours ready for the start of this week...our week promises to be quite busy and exhilarating...Natalie, enjoy your last week as a singleton...can't wait for the upcoming wedding!! pictures galore, I'm sure...happy last day of summer to you...

Let's play catch (up)

____________________________________________

I have been meaning to get these karate pictures up on the blog for some time now! almost two weeks, to be exact!

Ethan and Melanie have really enjoyed taking karate with Brown's Karate. Shihan Sherry and her crew are amazing and it's cool because it's not into all the eastern-y aspects, which there are some good things about, but it's from a Christian perspective...and that's neat-o. :)

these pix are from the night they took their test to get their yellow belts. They didn't receive the belts that night because Shihan had forgotten them in the midst of a crazy busy day at her house. time to meditate!

I have more pix to post but I think a cat nap is in order....so until they get magically uploaded to my computer....so until then....ahhh.

Hope your Resurrection Day has been about more than ham, bunnies and chocolate. So glad to serve a Risen Savior...Amen.

Broken-Hearted banquets and Boy Birthday parties...

The K family is so cool...we had a mini V-Day party with them and in honor of E's Birthday, they had a special hat for him to wear. .. he looks like the Mad Hatter, does he not? and it also looks like he has spots on his sweater, but it's actually from my camera.

So many fun and festive Heart Day decorations! They even made a neat sign that he got to take with him...you guys are cool!

After the party with the K's, Will, Ethan, and Sarah attended the Kaleo Broken Hearts Banquet...a wild and crazy place to be...David, Melanie, Levi and I hosted Will and E's table...served them drinks, gave them their food, washed their feet, rubbed their shoulders...ok, so we didn't do the last two treats but don't think they weren't pushing for that!

Luke R. was at our table also... as well as Luciano (see E's b-day pix below), who wasn't here at this point...Allie R. and a dude named Patrick.

Here is Allie and Luke. Our family has known Allie and her family for 6 years...Allie, I hate to say this but you are so grown up!

Up next we have E's birthday party....

and all the fun gifts that were bestowed onto him...Star Wars and other funny tees, Wii remote and games, Air-Soft gun, socks, $, jeans...fun, fun stuff. fo sho

This is the awesome sign that the K's made for E...and Levi took it upon himself to put it up for me, in all my Saturday, party day busyness....didn't he do a magnificent job?

Call of Duty....a shoot 'em up Wii game...yah.

I love that Piper was right there with him, checking out his presents, helping him and very interested in what was going on.

The tasty, chilly DQ ice cream cake...'twas a tasty treat!

a sign of the times....E. you can totally play up the romantic card...it's in your favor...you are such a sweetheart of a kid. really. you are!

see? I told you he was. And there's Miss P, right by his side...P, you are a cute, funny little gal. I love the little lady you are becoming. She told Levi last night, as they played their usual husband and wife game, "I'm going to have a baby and then we'll get married"...we were all so proud. Beck, what was the other cute thing she said? I can't remember for my life....(Alzheimer's is setting in...)

Handsome fellas...watch out girls! E and his good friend of nearly 4 years, Luciano!

E with the Bean and other party animals...

~My mom always asks the kids what they want for their birthday dinner...and E. chose her infamous Beef Stroganoff...and Beck also made the infamous Creamy Crockpot Chicken...O. My. Word...they were both so good. Beck and I ate too much and almost became Bulimic so we could eat more...it wasn't right, in hind sight, to tempt ourselves with two of our favemeals...Mom, your BS (ha ha) was deeeeeeeee-lish! Beck, your Triple C was FABOO! thanks for the cake too....

Laurie, your ......... umm....house was so clean for 20 minutes. yah. that's all I had to offer. though I did make a mean pitcher of raspberry lemonade and a pot of Dunkin' Donuts coffee...

E. got some great tokens of his family members affection....thank you, everyone, for your help and love, for us and for Ethan James, teenager extraordinnaire! We love you all!

~We went to church after the party....it was our turn to clean...and there's really nothing quite like waiting until the last minute....we were there till 1 a.m. and it was actually lots of fun.

On that note.......I need to get going on the house stuff again....it just never ends, does it? I hope you've had a wonderful weekend, and that you are ready to tackle your week head on! I know I'm not!