Muffins

We have muffins in the house today. I returned yesterday morning from my confirmation class to find the house filled with the wonderful smell of bakery goods. Niece Sarah was here for a couple hours, so Tarren decided to involve her and Lucas in some teamwork by making muffins together. Though I wasn't there to witness it myself, the report I heard was that they worked together very well.

And the results are delicious!

Today we're hoping that Sarah can join us for a visit to the Z-O-O (we're spelling that word outloud in our home these days, because any mention of those three letters together results in instant pandamonium). Lucas enjoys seeing the animals, and we have a wonderful, free Z-O-O available to us nearby. Perhaps we'll snap and post a very photos for your future enjoyment.

School Days

Today is the first day of school - not for our children - but for the children of our church's grade school. I headed over to the classrooms this morning to greet the children. There were lots of bright and smiley faces, though I also saw some apprehension on a face or two.

The start of school means that the Prange family will be forced into a little more structured schedule as well, since I have catechism class Monday through Thursday beginning at 8:30 A.M. That means far fewer "lazy" mornings when I can kind of hang around the house and help out with children as needed. All of which leads Tarren to conclude that we need to find Lucas some additional stimulation outside the house, playing with other children. Being the oldest, he doesn't have older brothers and sisters to occupy his time, which means that Mom and Dad normally have to occupy it. Without a lot of kids around his age (other than cousin Sarah), it's hard for him to keep from being "bored," (can a two year old be bored?) and his boredom usually leads to mischief and sometimes an outright rebellious nature. So we're going to start looking into possibilities for getting him out of the house to be with other children two or three times a week. It will be interesting to see what we find.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

As I peer outside this morning the skies are once again threatening rain. We have had one rainstorm after another the past week or so. We had perhaps our most serious storm yesterday afternoon with severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings in the area. We didn't see any of that most severe weather, but we had plenty of wind and rain. Before church last night I went downstairs in the church basement to see if we were taking any water on. The water was just pouring down the stairwells that lead into the church. Thankfully we have strategically placed drains in all the appropriate places to catch the water. Our new preschool room got the worst of it, but even this was managable. Thankfully, our own basement is still dry (at least the last I checked!). I'll head down there now to make sure that such is still the case.

Tomorrow they are predicting sunshine. I'll believe it when I see it!

New Pictures

A couple pictures for your enjoyment, one with Lucas wearing his Dad's glasses.

Back from Busyness

Tarren has been wondering when I was going to post again. I told her that she could post, too, but she retorted that since my picture is on the blog I'm the one who is responsible for writing. Fair enough.

We've had a busy week. Last Friday we left for a weekend with Tarren's family at an indoor waterpark resort. It was a good weekend to be inside, since "Mother Nature" was providing us lots of rain and cold. I was a little concerned that Lucas wouldn't be that crazy about the water, but he ended up taking to it like a fish. I was also concerned that he wouldn't want to wear his new molded earplugs - and that he'd simply deposit them somewhere without our knowledge - but he managed to keep them in and even was upset when Tarren took them out for a moment (he didn't like the sound of the loud, rushing water). He had plenty of fun playing with his cousins and the other kids who were there.

Grace enjoyed the waterpark, too. Though she didn't spend much time in the water (more than her father, though!), she simply enjoyed sitting poolside on her Dad's lap. The sound of the rushing water was very soothing, and she was ripping off some "monster yawns." She even took about an hour nap on my lap, facing forward, which has been a pretty rare occurrence (she almost always falls asleep when she's facing you with her head propped up on your shoulder). We never did get our camera in from the car, so we didn't get any pictures. But Tarren's brother and sister-in-law have promised to share some with us, so once I get them I post a few of the best ones.

Since we've returned home, I've had lots of things to catch up on, especially as I get ready for a new school year with confirmation classes and Bible studies, as well as some long-range church planning. I had my first public school confirmation class last night; I have a nice group of kids for that. After a slower-paced summer, it will be good to get back into a regular swing of things.

Potty Training

Lucas has been getting plenty more attention these days with the advent of his using the potty. Tarren and I are running to that small chair with him about every other hour during the day, and he's been almost accident-free. He has reveled in it, of course, and seems to be developing on almost every front. Recently, Tarren has mentioned more than once that he's eating us out of house and home. His limbs seem to get longer by the hour, and he's putting thoughts and words together much more ably. It's amazing to watch each of these "tumblers" click into place according to God's great developmental plan.

Now if only I can teach him an appreciation for J.S Bach! Isn't that the next tumbler?

The way the Cubs are playing recently, I might encourage him to skip that discouraging tumbler and to become a Cardinals fan. But I suppose he's doomed to cheer for the losers in Blue.

Museum travels

On Sunday night we had the privilege of hosting my classmate, Steve Pagels, and his family at our home. Then yesterday morning we headed to the Museum of Science and Industry, my first visit there since about the sixth grade. Both Tarren and Lucas had been there once in the past couple years. It was a beautiful day for a morning drive down the lake shore.

Lucas served as the trail blazer most of the day, forcing the pace for the rest of the group. More than once Tarren and I said to one another that it would be nice to come to this museum without a two-year-old! We lasted until about 1:30 P.M., though Lucas was insistent that he wasn't tired. Of course, he feel asleep as soon as the car started moving. A nice day.

Summer is slowly creeping to an end. Forecasted temperatures over the next week dip considerably. We are looking forward to fall!

Deers Captured and Other Pix

Lucas and I were finally able to snap a few photos of our neighborhood deer. I'll add a couple other pictures which give you a flavor of our afternoon walks, as well as a couple of our little Miss.

Screaming Earplugs

We took Lucas to the audiologist yesterday afternoon to get some molded earplugs made for him. He graciously and enthusiastically accepted her invitation to come back to her office to do so, but I heard his screams of horror from the waiting room within minutes (I was holding Grace, who was sleeping, so Tarren went with him while the two of us waited). After about ten minutes of these cries for mercy, Tarren came out to get me. They had managed to get one of the molds made, but she was worn out from fighting with him and so asked me to serve as her tag-teammate. Lucas found out that his Dad is stronger than his Mom, and we were able to mold the other earplug within a few minutes. I felt sorry for the little guy, as he is sick and tired of doctors picking at his ears, but we'll hope that these earplugs help.

On a few happier notes, Grace did better yesterday with her additional medication and Lucas continued to make strides in his potty-training. He's also excited about going to Grandma's house today. Great-grandma Vance will be there as well.

That *Other* Day

So hopping out of bed before Mom and Dad came to get him didn't turn out to be the only "first" for Lucas yesterday. All of sudden he decided to show an interest in using the potty as well. We had certainly tried to encourage him in the past, but he never seemed to understand the concept. Yesterday he caught on and managed to get through the day with only one slight accident.

There was no walk for Lucas and me in the afternoon, as severe storms were travelling through the area at the time. Hopefully we will find a window today to get out with the stroller and the camera to "capture" some deer.

Tarren took Grace to the GI specialist yesterday morning. The doctor will be doubling Grace's current prescription for the time being but didn't seem to suggest that there was anything terribly unusual about Grace's condition.

Today we will be making a trip to the doctor for the firstborn. Our pediatrician has suggested that we get some molded earplugs made for him due to his continuing ear infections (even with tubes he has gotten them from time to time). Our family is keeping the doctors in business!

That Day

"That day" finally came today, the day Lucas figured out that he can get himself out of his bed. Up until this point, whenever he woke up, Lucas would cry out to have either his Mom or Dad get him out of bed. Last night about 1 A.M. Tarren awoke to the sound of a certain young man opening the door of his bedroom. He spent a few minutes in our bed before his mother escorted him back to his room. Then this morning at 6:03 A.M. he popped his head out of his bedroom door and, finding his parents still asleep, he lightly slammed his bedroom door shut.

Now if we could only teach him to turn on the TV and make himself his own breakfast. When that day comes, I won't be blogging at 6:30 in the morning! By then, of course, his little sister will probably be at the same point he is right now.

On another note, Lucas and I took the camera along with us yesterday on our afternoon walk, hoping that we might capture a picture of "our" deer. Nothing doing. We did spot one, but it was amongst the myriad of trees. Hopefully we'll find one out in the open soon so that we can give you idea of what we see on many afternoons.

Grace has an appointment with the GI specialist this morning. We will see what he has to say about her situation.

The Evil Reflux Monster

Grace continues to suffer from acid reflux. So far the pediatricians have put her on three different prescription medications. All of them have worked effectively for about a week, and then their long-term effectiveness seems to wear off. Tarren called the doctor today, and he has put us in touch with a GI specialist, since this latest medication would normally do the trick with most who suffer from reflux (apparently its the strongest medication available). So we'll see what the specialist has to say about her situation.

Lucas and I have been taking afternoon walks through the park pretty regularly the past few day. We normally stop off for some "swings and slides" afterwards. There are deer where we walk (very tame), and they aren't spooked even when we pass within twenty feet or so. There has been one young family of deer frequenting a particular spot on our walks recently. Lucas greets them as if they were his own.

The Very Latest Pictures

First Post

Tarren and I are sitting here watching the Cubs lose. Oh well. You can't win them all, can you? The intention of this blog is to give anyone who cares the very latest on what's going on with our family. You're welcome to check back from time-to-time to see what's going on, but we're not making any promises. The fact is, this might be the only post I ever publish because I might forget tomorrow that we even have a blog.

Tarren thinks that we should write about our children because they're more interesting than we are. I happen to disagree. I think that our lives are fabulously interesting!