The News from MG

Two Days in a Row!

2009-06-27T08:58:00.004-05:00

Yes, we're posting for a second straight day because we couldn't resist sharing the following video with you. Lucas and Grace are singing a song that Lucas learned in Vacation Bible Camp last week. Grace is doing her best to keep up. Notice especially the grins she gives to the camera, thinking that she's having her picture taken!

It's Been Too Long

2009-06-26T08:18:00.013-05:00

Sorry, gang! At least, I should say sorry to those who look at this blog at all regularly. Obviously, we've been a little delinquent in giving you any juicy morsels at all. It isn't for a lack of things happening! Just the opposite, as usual: busy lives.

Tarren has been busy with school and starting a new job as a nurse's assistant at a nearby hospital (where Grace was born). A couple days ago she found out that she was accepted to a Nursing Masters program at a prestigious medical university in the area which would require a full-time committment over the next couple years (and then another full-time committment to pay for it!). She also has the option of taking it more slowly at a nearby community college, where she would earn an associates degree with the idea of pursuing further education. We'll see what her ultimate decision is.

Our church sanctuary is currently undergoing a partial renovation (lighting, ceiling, sound and video), which has relegated us to worshipping in the church basement the last several weeks. Summertime affords us a little more flexibility with our space since school is out and the building sits unused for most of these weeks. We're looking forward to getting back into our newly-minted worship space.

We spent a week in the Denver area with my sister and her family at the end of May to attend my godson's confirmation. I had the privilege of preaching for that, as well, so it was a little bit of a working vacation. We had an opportunity to visit Rocky Mountain National Park, among other things. I'll add a few pictures of that wonderful experience:

Happy Birthday, Tarren!

2009-04-09T11:37:00.003-05:00

A Message for Anna, Maria and Joel

2009-02-20T07:27:00.004-06:00

Lucas wanted to send a video message to his cousins, with whom he spent a few days over Christmas. He really misses them, and he hopes that he might get an email from them. Here's what he has to say:

A February Post

2009-02-19T10:24:00.005-06:00

We had better post something during this month of February to give our starving audience - small as it may be! - a little morsel of our daily existence.

We had hoped that maybe winter was coming to an end, as we enjoyed near-record temperatures last week. However, the Old Man is back today with blustery wind, and the prospect of heavy snow looms bleakly on the horizon. I thought I may get to retire the snowblower for the season, but it looks like I'll need to rekindle it on Saturday morning. At least that's fun!

Otherwise we've managed to weather the winter rather well without an excessive number of trips to the doctor's office. Perhaps the reason for the lagging economy has something to do with the fact that we haven't been spending as much money on doctors and prescriptions lately! I could see how this might seize up the credit markets!

Tarren continues to be busy with school. It's a loaded schedule for her when she includes her other responsibilities, but - she admits - she likes staying busy. I stay busy, too!

Not too much to report on the kids, other than that they remain a source of joy.

Here's a video that we thought you'd enjoy, not an uncommon occurence in our household, with Grace "reading" outloud for everyone to hear. (Lucas also pipes in with his kazoo!) I couldn't allow her to notice me, otherwise she'd stop, so I wasn't able to get as close as I would have liked. Still, you'll get the picture!

New Pix and Vid

2009-01-24T09:00:00.011-06:00

The very latest visuals from the Prange household, including a shot of Grace's daily high-car "gymnastics."

A video of our future virtuoso (could be sold for millions some day!):

Our busy, self-entertaining, low-maintenance child:

The Prange post-Christmas report

2009-01-19T12:34:00.006-06:00

I know this is a little late, but we just actually had our last Christmas gathering on Saturday at Pete's aunt's house in Milwaukee. We got together with his cousins who live in the area. It was fun to see them and their kids. We always laugh a lot at Aunt Mary's house. I had my first exposure to tator tot casserole. I was a little apprehensive, but it was actually really good. We even brought home some of the left-overs.

Our actual Christmas Eve and Day were spent at our own home, with my family coming to celebrate with us. Lucas participated in his first Christmas eve program and did a great job. He knew most of the words to the songs he was supposed to sing. They had to learn 17 verses of various songs (way too much for preschoolers if you ask me). He stood up front very nicely with his hands in his pockets and was just cute as a button! Lucas also participated in a program with his preschool class (the one on Christmas eve was part of Sunday School). The preschool program was done in the church basement, was very short, but was also very cute. I'll post a picture below.

After church on Christmas Eve, we had one of Lucas' friends over to exchange gifts. It got a little chaotic with the little girls' parents, her grandparents, plus all 14 of my family members in our living room, but the kids had a lot of fun. After the friend's family left, all of the children were put to bed, and the adults attended the candlelight service (minus grandpa, who stayed home with the sleeping kiddos). The service was beautiful and relaxing. We all retired to bed quickly after it was over. One huge benefit to being attached to the church is that there is no travel time involved, and we don't have to bundle up to brave the frigid conditions!

Speaking of frigid conditions, this winter has thus far been brutally cold and snowy. We had a very white Christmas, and last week's temps were well below zero. Brrrrr...

On to Christmas Day....we started the day with letting the kids open some of their gifts, to tide them over until we had time to open more. Then it was time to get ready for church. Grace had such a pretty dress that I had found for her. When I tried to get it on her Christmas morning, she started crying and saying, "Jammies....jammies" (her word for pajamas). She had not been feeling well, and daddy couldn't bare to force her out of her "jammies". We relented, and Grace wore fuzzy pajamas to worship our newborn King. Choir sang, Lucas behaved, and all was well. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, eating, and opening more gifts. Pete's Aunt Mary joined us later in the afternoon. Dad, Mom, and Kelly's family went home that evening, and Mary stayed a few extra days. We had a lot of fun playing games (especially Lucas who was spoiled by Aunt Mer's willingness to play all day long).

Pete and I celebrated our 5th anniversary on the 27th with a very nice dinner out. Aunt Mary babysat...and even got to change a diaper! Thank you! We left for Michigan on Sunday afternoon to visit Pete's brother's family. They have three teenagers and had just purchased a Wii for Christmas. Lucas spent the entire trip playing games with his cousins who were very gracious. Pete, Grace, and I got to do a lot of relaxing, and I got to do some shopping (that's just about a perfect vacation for everyone). We stayed until Wednesday morning, then drove back in time for New Year's Eve worship.

All in all, a wonderful holiday season! Back to school tomorrow!

A Christmas Gospel Sermon Gem

2008-12-19T20:09:00.005-06:00

I wanted to pass along a portion of this sermon gem I recently discovered on the announcement of the Christmas angel.

“Unto to you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord!” - Luke 2:11

To whom is this joyful news to be proclaimed? To those who are faint-hearted and feel the burden of their sins, like the shepherds to whom the angels first proclaimed this message, letting the lords in Jerusalem, who do not accept it, go on sleeping.

The angel’s announcement makes clear that we are not only to believe that God has become a human being – a baby! – but also that this little one is the Lord of angels and the Savior of all people. Anyone can understand the words as they stand on the page, but so many do not believe them or perceive the great and eternal joy that is most certainly ours in this Child alone! To simply acknowledge the birth of Jesus as an historical fact is not yet Christian faith. To place your trust in this Savior-Child alone for all things good, both now and in eternity: this is truly the Christian faith, namely, faith in Christ!

This is our teaching, which we preach in order that we may understand what the angel is aiming at with his words. Yes, Mary gave birth to the child, took him to her breast and nursed him, and the Father in heaven has his Son lying in the manger and the mother’s lap. But why did God do all this? Why does Mary guard the child as a mother should? Our warped reason answers: This happens that we might make Mary our idol, that honor may be paid to the mother. Mary becomes all this without her knowledge or consent, and all the songs and glory and honor are addressed to the mother. And yet the angel’s words do not proclaim the honor of the mother, for the angel says, “I bring you good news of great joy, for unto you the Savior is born today.”

I am to place my trust in this Child and in his birth and to forget the mother, as far as this is possible, although her part is certainly acknowledged since with every birth there must be a mother. Nevertheless, we dare not put our faith in the mother but only in the fact that the Child was born. And the angel desired that we should see nothing but the Child who is born, just as the angels themselves – as though they were blind! – saw nothing but the Child born of the virgin and desired that all created things should be nothing compared to this Child; indeed, that we should desire nothing – whether it be harps, gold, goods, honor, power, etc. – more than the message of this angel. For even if I receive the costliest and best thing in all the world, it still does not have the name “Savior.” …

When I die I will see nothing but black darkness, and yet this light – “unto you is born this day a Savior” – remains in my eyes and fills all heaven and earth. The Savior alone will and can help me when all others have forsaken me. So great is the light that declares this Child as my Savior that I can say: “Mary, you did not bear this child for yourself alone. The child is not yours; you did not bear him for yourself alone, for you call your Son "my Savior" (Luke 1:47), confessing your need for one. No, you have born him also for me, even though you are his mother, even though you held him in your arms and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and picked him up and laid him down. But I have a greater honor than your honor as his mother. For your honor pertains only to your giving birth to this Child’s body. But my honor is this: I know and trust that Jesus is my eternal Treasure. I know of no one – neither human being nor angel – who can help me except this Child whom you, O Mary, hold in your arms.”

If I set up any savior except this Child, no matter who or what it is or is called, then Jesus is not my Savior. But the angel says that Jesus alone is my Savior. And if this is true – and it is the truth – then let everything else go.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

2008-11-21T11:48:00.022-06:00

It's been quite a while since we offered you any new pictures or video of the children. How could we be so remiss? Hey, as I promised you with my first blog: we weren't making any promises here!

But if it's new pix and vid that you want, here endeth the quest:

Grace enjoys our recent family pasttime, playing Yahtzee! When someone rolls a Yahtzee! she will stand on her chair with arms outstretched over her head and cry out, "Yah-hee!" In this video she's just keeping score for her mother.

Grace and her cousin Nathan at our front door, apparently awaiting some long-anticipated guest, but mostly interested in seeing how far they can open the front door without getting caught!

Grace "groans," bringing joy and laughter.

And then a variety of pictures, including Hallowe'en:

A couple of surprises today

2008-11-17T17:48:00.002-06:00

The first surprise of the day came this morning when I took Lucas to the doctor. He has been coughing for about 2 weeks now, and running a fever since Friday. When he woke up this morning the fever was gone, and I could not get him to reproduce his cough. I figured he was probably better and debated not taking him to the doctor. Since Pete had already taken the morning off to stay with Grace, I figured it wouldn't do any harm to have Lucas checked out, just to be on the safe side. When we got to the office he ran to the toys and started playing. I felt like an idiot being at the "sick child" hour (no appointment needed, first thing in the morning) with a child who was actively playing with the toys. After being taken to the room, the doctor came in to examine him, and while listening to his lungs said right away that he has pneumonia deep in his lungs. Surprise! Well, I was glad that I had decided to go! He's now on antibiotics with orders to rest (he's not very good at the resting part). When he runs around he starts wheezing and coughing. Poor guy! What a trooper though!

Our second surprise of the day came from Grace. She has decided that she wants to use the potty. This has been a nice surprise for us. She's only 17 months old, so, if all goes well, we could save A LOT of money on diapers! =)

School

2008-10-05T11:40:00.005-05:00

I'll just jot a few lines in the few minutes I have before Grace wakes up from her nap.

For those of you who may not know, I've recently returned to school. Pete and I have been talking for a while now about the possiblity of me going back to school for a nursing degree, and we finally decided now is the time. I had been looking into several different programs in the area when a church member mentioned that her granddaughter was part of a fast-track nursing program at Loyola University. Since all of the other programs were going to take at least three years and would have me repeating several classes that I had taken for my first degree, I decided to look into the program that this lady mentioned. Low and behold...Loyola offers an Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing program to people like me who already have a Bachelor's degree in another field. Loyola is very easy to get to from our house. I would just have to take the "el" which has a station about 3 miles from our house, and there is a stop called "Loyola" which lets off right at the university.

After further investigation it seemed this program was a perfect fit. The application deadline is November 15 for the program that begins May of 2009. If I get accepted (no small task considering they average 500-700 applications a year and only take 95 students) the whole program would take 12.5 months, and I would graduate in June of 2010 with a Bachelor of Nursing degree. The only "catch" is that I need to fulfill 4 courses, which I had not previously taken, before the May program would begin. So, after figuring all this information out in July, I immediately set out to our local community college to try to get the prerequisite courses started this semester. By the grace of God I was able to get into all three classes that I needed at times that would work with everyone's schedules (some of the classes had been full, but I was checking everyday to see if someone would drop out...I could go on, but the point is, it was stressful and I feel blessed that it all worked out).

Anyway, I am enrolled in Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, and Chemistry (I've had chemistry before but have to retake it because of a technicality). Next semester I will have to take Anatomy and Physiology II and Organic Chemistry. Becca watches the kids on Tuesday and Thursday mornings while I'm in school, and Pete has them Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings. We say all the time that this just could not have worked out any better...the kids and their parents are adjusting very well. So far I've gotten straight "A"'s, with even a 100% on my first Anatomy test and a 99% on a Chemistry test. Like I said...it just couldn't be going any better than it is.

So, there you have it. Now we'll just pray that I get accepted to Loyola. I'll find out in December. We'll let you all know when we know!

How 'bout some pictures and video?

2008-08-24T13:50:00.014-05:00

It's been quite a while since we gave you a chance to see the children. First, I'll offer you a precious video of Lucas and Grace sharing a popsicle. I'll follow it up with some recent still photos.

The one with Lucas wearing a woman's hat is worth the story. We went to Target last night, and I spotted the hat on the dollar rack. I told him to put it on to show his mother. He liked it so much that he decided to continue wearing it throughout the store. We ended up buying it for him, since he considers it a magician's hat. When we were in the toy aisle, looking at Thomas trains, a little girl was wedging her way in to get a look herself. Her dad scolded her, "You can't push that little girl," at which point I had to explain that it was my son wearing a woman's hat. At that moment he was also carrying a pink water bottle of some sort. Hopefully he doesn't develop any kind of identity problem!

Enjoy the following:

A Funny Lucas Story

2008-08-13T19:46:00.005-05:00

I thought this one was blog-worthy.

Last night we were having trouble getting Lucas to finish his dinner (as usual). After coaxing him through every bite, Pete and I both decided to leave the table and let him finish on his own. A few minutes later he came out into the living room carrying his empty plate to show me. I said, "Good job, buddy! You finished your dinner!" to which he very nonchalantly replied, "All in a day's work." He's really got a funny personality! There was something else he said today that made us laugh, too. I can't remember what it was, and Pete's not here for me to ask. When I figure it out I'll post it.

Before too long we'll have funny Grace stories to tell as well. For now the cutest things she says are book, more, no, and yeah. Not finding the humor? We'll work on it. She is finally walking, though. Yay, Grace! It's very cute to see her toddling around.

Summer Busyness

2008-07-17T14:07:00.003-05:00

This is Tarren writing. I always feel funny being the one to post since this is technically Pete's blog, so we will soon be changing our blog to include two moderators. We just haven't gotten around to it yet. As I write I have a little girl standing beside my chair yelling at me to replenish her goldfish crackers about every 15 seconds, so if thoughts are random or incomplete please forgive me...that is one reason we don't write very frequently...there is always a child vying for our attention.

With prompting from one of our faithful readers, I decided it was time to give the mid-summer update. T-ball has been going very well and is nearing its end. Lucas has been a model student. He's always the first to run after a batted ball, even if it's on the opposite side of the field from his position. It has gotten to the point where some of the other children cry that Lucas always gets the ball. The coaches have tried to tell him he has to stay at his position. On the one hand I understand that will be important as he gets older, but at this age I don't want to discourage his enthusiasm. The fact of the matter is if the other kids would be paying attention and get in gear as soon as the ball is hit, Lucas wouldn't stand a chance, but most of the time they have no clue where the ball is until the coaches yell at them to go get it. Batting has not proven to be much trouble either, but they bat off a tee so I guess that's not much a testament of skill. He just REALLY enjoys playing.

Lucas' other summer activity has been swimming lessons. There was a two week stretch where he went everyday with his cousin, Sarah. At first he was not thrilled about being in the pool. The instructors were very patient with him, and by the last day he was able to complete almost all of the skills. He can enter and exit the pool alone, kick on the wall, swim assisted, float on front and back while assisted, and blow bubbles. Not bad for a 3-year-old. We took the kids to mom's hotel (or show and tell, as Lucas calls it) the other night, and he swam all around the pool with floaties on his arms. Before swim lessons he wouldn't even leave the steps of the pool, so I'd say the lessons were worth it. There were a couple of days when Lucas had to attend both swim and baseball...we had a very tired boy those evenings. It's been good for him to be busy,though.

Our other busyness has included our "staycation". Many of you may have heard this term. Instead of spending money on gas to go on vacation, some people are choosing to stay home instead. We are those people. We decided to spend our money going to visit some of Chicago's attractions that we wouldn't normally go to. It makes perfect sense to vacation in Chicago...lots of people choose it as their destination. We live here and have never seen many of the sites (plus this way we could still sleep in our own beds, a real benefit with small children).

So, our staycation began on Friday with a trip to Navy Pier. We saw a chinese circus called Cirque Shanghai that was very good. The people were extremely talented, and it held the kids attention for almost the whole 75 minutes. After the show we ate at a restaurant called Riva, rode the ferris wheel, and took a boat tour around the pier. The ferris wheel was quite scary with our children (they weren't scared...we were). The gaps beneath the doors of the cars were big enough for Grace to fall through! We told her that even if she screamed bloody murder she was going to sit on Daddy's lap...she complied. I held on tight to Lucas, and we all made it down in one piece. The boat tour was kind of tough with the kids as well, but once they settled in it was a nice ride. All in all a great day! On Saturday, my mom came to watch the kids so Pete and I could go to the Museum of Science and Industry. It was nice to be able to spend time looking at the exhibits, and we had a great time. That afternoon we attended a Christmas in July party at the home of one of our members...very enjoyable, and then that night once the kids were in bed we headed down to Navy Pier again to see a French group (Transe Express) that performs a musical show while suspended very high in the air. It was an amazing show! They had instruments (big drum sets) up in the air with them and people flipping around trapeze bars. There is a website that shows the show. If you "google" Transe Express I'm sure you could find it if you're interested. It's definitely worth it. Anyway, after the show we got some ice cream and watched the fireworks off the pier. Pete didn't enjoy the loud music that accompanied the fireworks, but I didn't mind. We got home at around 1:00 am. Oh, don't worry we didn't leave the children home alone...Greg and Amy Lyon were here so that Greg could preach for Pete the next day. Greg stayed with the kids, and Amy joined us. Thanks again Greg!

So, that brings us to Sunday of staycation. We got up at our normal time since our children had not gone to bed any later than normal. We were very tired but went to church in Lake Zurich. From there we went on to the Illinois Train Museum. We took a long train ride and watched a few trains go by but then decided we wanted to go home. I wasn't feeling very well and the kids were getting ready for naps. Monday, we went miniature golfing with Duane's family and our neighbors. Lucas thoroughly enjoyed that! Tuesday we went to Milwaukee to babysit cousin Aaron while Kelly took Alex for some doctor's visits. That evening we went to Mom's hotel where Lucas did his swimming. Wednesday I took Lucas and Sarah to our children's museum where they had a great time pretending to be vets, librarians, daycare workers, Potbelly sandwich workers, and grocery shoppers. That concluded staycation!

After not feeling well for several days (both of my ears were hurting, and the pain was radiating over my right eye and down my neck) I decided to go see the doctor. He told me I was having a TMJ episode. He asked if I was under stress. I guess the toddler still screaming at me from beside my chair as I write this would qualify as stress, yes! With that said...my update is complete and I'm going to take some Aleve!

T-ball

2008-06-10T09:15:00.002-05:00

Yesterday marked a milestone for Lucas. He had his first t-ball practice. We've been telling him for months now that he was going to start playing baseball. He's been a little apprehensive and when probed about it has said, "But I don't know how to catch the ball." We've been telling him that the coaches would be there to teach him how to play. The real reason for his anxiety became apparent when he said, "So you'll watch me on T.V.?" We then realized that he thought he was going to play baseball with the Chicago Cubs (Daddy's favorite team). No wonder he was scared! Talk about performance anxiety! So, he was very happy yesterday to find out that he was playing with other children, most of whom were smaller and less coordinated than he. Lucas did a great job of running the bases, fielding, throwing, and batting. They will start playing mini-games in a couple of weeks. That should be interesting!

On another note...Grace had an endoscopy done on May 30. The biopsies all came back normal with no inflammation. Since then we have felt comfortable with being a little more persistent with feeding her solid foods, since we know she's not in pain. She now eats just about everything except fruit...go figure, a child who prefers broccoli over bananas. We're very happy that she seems to be turning the corner, and we hope we can soon try to get her off the reflux medicine as well.

A First Birthday

2008-05-22T05:33:00.006-05:00

A year ago today we received a very real and tangible gift of Grace. She's grown quite a bit in the past 366 days. We have grown, too ... attached to her, that is. We thank our Lord Jesus for a happy and healthy first year.

Here's a video that takes us down memory lane: Lucas meeting his sister one year ago today.

Here are brother and sister pictured just recently (Grace, by the way, has begun to stand on her own for about ten to fifteen seconds at a time. She'll be walking soon.)

The Evil Reflux Monster Update

2008-05-03T20:06:00.005-05:00

As those of you who have been reading our blog from the beginning know, Grace has gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. She has been on medication for this since she was 4 weeks old. She has always been on the highest possible dose and sometimes doesn't even respond to that. Because treatment doesn't seem to be working for her as it does for other children with GERD, her GI doctor, thinking food allergies could be the culprit, referred us to an allergist. Testing revealed that she does indeed have some food allergies (milk, peas, nuts, and barley).

As we've been trying to make the transition to solid foods, we've noticed that Grace has a hard time eating anything with any texture to it at all. She'll basically only eat liquified food. She'll attempt to put pieces of food in her mouth but then gags and pulls them out before swallowing. On the latest trip to her allergist (last week) the doctor suggested she may have a condition called eosinophilic esophagitis. This is an inflammation of the esophagis caused by allergies (and also probably by the acid that has been refluxing since she was born), and it would make her feel as if she has something always caught in her throat which would in turn make her not want to swallow anything "chunky". The only way to find out if she has this condition is to do a procedure called an endoscopy in which they would stick a tube down her throat and take a biopsy. The doctor didn't want to put her through that, but he recommended starting her on an inhaled steroid anyway, the same kind used for patients with asthma. It is supposed to reduce the inflammation. Two days after that appointment I received a call from the allergist's nurse saying that the allergist had talked to Grace's GI doctor, and the GI doctor was not in favor of the steroid and to discontinue using it. But it seemed to be helping already! She was actually starting to swallow food! But I followed doctor's orders...and sure enough she's back to pulling wet, mushy food out of her mouth. So today I talked to the GI doctor who said she is not in favor of having kids on these steroids without doing an endoscopy, and she's not in favor of "scoping" kids under one. But it was helping! She still wants us to wait and see how things go... very frustrating, to say the least, when doctor's disagree on treatment...but, I trust this doctor and value her opinion. So, for now, we'll continue the liquid diet!

On another note, here's a cute Grace story. As we were returning from a somewhat long drive today (for most of which Grace was pretty fussy) and pulled onto our street, a little voice from the back said "Duh" which is Grace's word for done. Pete looked at me with a sentimental smile and said, "Now we can never move away from this house." It's incredible that she recognizes home before we even reach the house. She's becoming such a little person! =)

Recent Pictures

2008-04-25T14:43:00.004-05:00

The first few pics are from our Atlanta trip... Grace with her Great Grandma Pat.

The weather was perfect for the park.

Grace's first time on a swing. She loved it!

Lucas and cousin Nathan at a bonfire with the next-door neighbors.

The kids hanging out around the house...

We're Back

2008-04-11T18:18:00.003-05:00

After a long break, your favorite Morton Grove family is back!

Over the past month much has happened in the Prange family. First was Lent and then Easter (busy times for the working man in the house). The Monday after Easter we left on a 13-hour drive to Atlanta to visit my family. The trip down was pretty rough for Grace as learning to walk and being confined to a car seat don't mix very well. So, we made a lot of stops! Lucas did great on the other hand which made it a little easier for us. Once we arrived, our vacation really began with home-cooked meals and lots of time visiting as the highlights. It was very nice to spend an extended time with the Atlanta family! Pete and I also went to the Georgia Aquarium one day while Grandma Pat watched Lucas for us. At the end of the week Pete and Lucas drove home, leaving Grace and me for a few days more of vacation. It was really nice to have "just the girls." Grace is a lot more outgoing without her brother to act as entertainment. I think Grandma would have kept her! Since I wasn't willing to adopt her out, though, we flew home on Tuesday. The flight home was a lot easier than the drive down (Grace made fast friends with the 17-year-old boy sitting next to us).

It was a nice trip, but it's also nice to be home! We're finally back in the routine, and we've even had a few days of nice weather to enjoy. Lucas is getting some practice helping Dad with the grill, and the outside toys are getting their first use of the year. We're loving it!

Pictures are coming soon!

Tarren

Jazz and Paper Lover

2008-03-03T15:26:00.003-06:00

Besides Mommy, Daddy, Lucas and food, there are two things that Grace seems to love more than anything else: music and paper. She enjoys hopping into Dad's lap while he's sitting at his office computer and listening to music. She especially likes it when he manipulates her arms wildly, as though she was directing the orchestra or ensemble.

The other great love is paper. Whenever she can get her hands on it, it goes in her mouth.

Here's a short video that proves her love for both (for those who can't hear the music in the background, she "bopping" to Dave Brubeck jazz).

Because It's February 29

2008-02-29T19:11:00.004-06:00

How often do you get to blog on February 29? My next opportunity is when I'm 39 years old (if I make it that long!) so I better grab my chance while I have it.

My sister Beth and nephew Nathan arrived yesterday afternoon by train. Lucas has enjoyed having the "other Nathan" around (he has two cousins named Nathan). While the younger (and closer) Nathan is still his "little buddy," Lucas is excited to have a bigger boy around. Lots of laughing and jumping around. I've mentioned the past couple days - more than once - that the Apache Indians have the same word for "boy" and "lightning" (perhaps that's an urban legend). Anyway, if it is indeed true, the perceptiveness of that connection has been unmistakable in our household over the last 24 hours. Not much inactivity!

Don't believe me? Check out this video!

Lucas Music Videos

2008-02-27T12:53:00.005-06:00

We haven't been able to capture any of Lucas' spontaneous singing on video, but you can rest assured that he likes to sing. He's becoming even less camera shy, as he realizes the fringe benefit of seeing himself on the family blog. Hopefully we're not preparing him for a future in Hollywood in front of the camera!

Here are a couple of his singing treasures from the past two days.

In the Bleak Midwinter

2008-02-23T18:45:00.007-06:00

Winter continues to hold us in its cold clutches, though it was actually a tad warmer today. Many places not too distant have experienced an all-time record snowfall in the past months. We probably haven't had it quite that bad, but we have had a steady succession of storms and cold. We will be happy to smell the thawing earth in the weeks ahead, a happy portent of the coming summer breezes and days in the warm sun.

Even in these still-dark days our children provide light to our lives. Lucas' verbal skills continue to improve and increase on a weekly basis. Grace is able to scoot across the floor with ever-increasing agility and speed. Lucas had a passing fancy helping his Mom and Dad play Yahtzee; he still enjoys assisting during rousing games of Battleship. Grace had a fussy period for a couple weeks. We were uncertain of the origin (teeth? ear infection?). Finally Tarren began to wonder if perhaps she was hungry. We began to increase her caloric intake, and it has seemed to do the trick. She's once again the smiley, cheerful chirper to whom we had grown accustomed.

I'll add a couple pictures, just in case you forgot what they looked like! I'll also insert a short video for your viewing pleasure.

Those Stairs

2008-02-04T13:23:00.000-06:00

Now that Grace is crawling, she's finding new places to explore. One of her favorites routes is to come around the corner from the living room into our home office. She's like a little train, as she "blows her whistle" (hooting and hollering) announcing her impending arrival. Her favorite hang out, however, is the landing of the staircase that leads upstairs. She will crawl over to it, pull herself up and spend several minutes listening to her little voice echoing up the stairs.

Though she's not as noisy as she can be, here's a video of little Grace exploring her favorites digs.

Back to Frigidity

2008-01-30T16:34:00.001-06:00

After spending nearly a week and a half on vacation in relative sunniness and warmth, we have returned to breathing arctic air. We were greeted by temperatures in the teens and wind chills in the below-zero category. But we do have sun! The drive was relatively uneventful, besides the day of driving in rain (sometimes quite hard) yesterday, and my spilling coffee on our portable DVD player, which seemed to render one of our two screens unusable. We'll see what happens after it "dries" out, but I'm not hopeful.

We had a wonderful time visiting family and friends. The highlight of the trip was seeing all three of Tarren's living grandparents. Naturally, they all had the opportunity to reacquaint themselves with their great-grandchildren, which was nice. It was a busy set of days without much down time. The biggest drawback was having children sleeping next to us nearly every night, due to Grace's unwillingness to sleep in a pack-n-play. It will be nice to have her and Lucas in their own beds tonight; we won't mind being in ours either.

Perhaps I will get a chance to post a few additional pictures in the coming days, but I thought I'd share a couple right now (one with some of the children I've had the privilege of baptizing in the past 3+ years and another with Tarren and her godchild Hanna).

Checking In

2008-01-18T16:13:00.000-06:00

It's my understanding that, even though I have been quite delinquent in posting anything new, there are still some people who check this blog out from time to time. Perhaps more feedback from "viewers" would encourage me to blog more often (do you see how I managed to blame YOU for the lack of news on this page recently?).

Just a few updates before I add a lovely video of the kids ... Grace saw a allergist yesterday, and it was determined that she's allergic to peas and nuts and probably to dairy products as well. Tarren will be eliminating all dairy and soy from her diet over the next couple weeks to see if there is marked improvement both with Grace's reflux and chronic congestion. Both the doctor and nurses wanted to keep her after the appointment; she wins them over pretty easily with her quiet charm. She's also begun to crawl in the past couple days, so we need to be a little more vigilant about what we leave lying around now. I suspect that she's going to be a quiet mischief maker (unlike Lucas, whom you can hear coming from a mile away).

Lucas continues to be the doting big brother (you'll notice his fondness for Grace on the video). We've registered him for two days of preschool beginning in the fall; we're pretty sure that he'll enjoy that and benefit from it.

It's cold today, with the prospect of even colder temps tomorrow (highs in the single digits!). It's about time to go someplace warm for a few days!

Here's that video:

Christmas Preparations

2007-12-20T21:20:00.000-06:00

As is normally the case with parish pastors, the last several weeks have been extremely busy as we travel through the season of Advent and prepare for our celebration of Christmas. Besides my normal pastoral duties, I've had Wednesday evening services added to my already busy schedule. Add in an unusually snowy December (and my snow-shoveling duties), and my schedule has been really quite busy. So here I am after a nearly one month hiatus getting back to the family blog.

I can report that in the past week and a half Grace has managed to begin sitting very regularly and steadily (I'll drop in a picture at the end of this post to illustrate). She's offering more and more chatter almost by the day, and we're beginning to wonder if she'll be as noisy as Lucas is, who talks constantly! She's also beginning to exhibit pretty routine separation anxiety from Mom and Dad. She'll even cry for us when Lucas is still in the room with her, which is unusual since Lucas tends to be her number one form of entertainment. Her mother and I continue to be of the opinion that she's the most lovely baby we've ever seen, but perhaps we're biased.

Lucas is ready for Christmas to come, though not in an overly-eager way. He has spent several weeks dreaming about the different Thomas the Tank Engine toys that he may receive as gifts. Dad has been scouring Ebay for a couple months finding some ridiculous deals on a whole host of items. He should be pleased, if not somewhat overwhelmed. He won't be getting the things I've purchased all at once. One thing that has perhaps kept Lucas from becoming impatient as he waits for Christmas is that we haven't really put any gifts under the tree yet. Without that visual reminder/temptation, it doesn't seem quite as imminent.

We wish everyone a very blessed Christmas. For those on our Christmas letter list, you should be receiving your letter and picture from us soon.

Jesus Loves Lucas

2007-11-26T21:32:00.000-06:00

Update on Lucas

2007-11-26T08:42:00.001-06:00

I realize that it's been a few weeks since I last blogged. It's not because there hasn't been anything happening; just the opposite. A busy few weeks for me personally and family-wise. So I thought I'd jot down a few lines while my confirmation kids take their quiz on the Ninth and Tenth Commandments.

Lucas has been eagerly awaiting the time when the leaves would begin to fall and snow to fly. The reason for this is quite simple: his father has been reminding him that Christmas won't come until the leaves fall off the trees and the snow begins to make its annual appearance. Both events have transpired in the past few weeks. We held onto our leaves longer than normal, it seems. A late fall provided for that, no doubt. But when they began to fall, they fell quickly. The church provides for a lawn service, for which I am truly thankful. The men worked for more than three hours this past week cleaning up our front and back yards (which aren't large), and they had all the necessary power tools to do so. If I had done the job they did myself, it would have taken me at least twice as long. Then on Thanksgiving Eve we had our first real snowfall. I didn't really think that we would see any accumulation based on what the weather folks were saying, but as it turned out we did have a sprinkling of snow that stuck. When I threw up the curtains in Lucas' room on Thursday morning, he got a glimpse of our newly-whitened neighborhood and declared that it was now time for Christmas. Naturally, I had to break the news to him that he would need to wait, but that Christmas was getting closer. I always try to use any mention of Christmas by Lucas to remind him about the Christ Mass. He seems to be catching on.

Lucas' anticipation of Christmas, however, has more to do with his looking forward to receiving additional pieces for his wooden train set. His favorite pasttime remains looking at Thomas the Tank Engine items on "Dada's computer." He pulls out his "train map" (little flyers that come with each engine) or his "train book" (the larger catalog) and works his way through requesting to see on my computer just about everything he finds in those. His memory is pretty impressive, and the fact that many of the engines are numbered has also helped him in identifying his numbers. When a cousin, whose not familiar with all the different engines, was calling each of them "Thomas," Lucas quickly corrected, "That's not Thomas; that's Diesel 10," etc. His father and he have become quite the "experts."

Besides his memory, one other thing that impresses us about Lucas is the relative ease with which he expresses remorse. He's a pretty sensitive kid, so when he says, "I'm sorry," it's pretty clear that he really means it. We don't usually have to ask him to express his sorrow about things. What's even more interesting, however, is how quickly he says, "You're forgiven." For instance, when he's been playing on the floor before, I've accidentally swiped him with my shoe as I stepped over him like a klutz. I'll say, "I'm sorry, Bub," and he'll say, quite non-chalantly, "That's O.K., Dada. You're forgiven." I haven't been around enough three-years-old to know whether or not they usually understand the concept of expressing forgiveness so readily, but we're happy to see that he's catching on.

Lucas had lots of fun playing with his cousins over the Thanksgiving weekend. He actually had the opportunity to play with cousins Sarah and Nathan for an extended period on four straight days. He and four-year-old Sarah finally have begun to mesh in their play together, as Lucas has seemed to catch up with her on a imagination level. The past two evenings were spent "going to school" and "making meals" in our downstairs playroom. While there is still the occasional fight over this or that item, those fights have begun to take place much less frequently. It's obvious how much Lucas has begun to enjoy this play time because when it comes to an end he has an emotional meltdown (though he recovers quickly).

That's a little update on Lucas. An update on Grace is coming soon!

Standard Time & Costume Critique

2007-11-05T06:41:00.000-06:00

It was nice to "fall back" into standard time the other night. The only drawback these days is that children can't figure out the difference, of course. Lucas was asking to have someone get him at 5:30 A.M. this morning. I broke the news to him that it wasn't time to get up yet. He took it like a champ and kept quiet for another half hour or so (though I'm sure he didn't fall back to sleep). Grace, on the other hand, is still sleeping at this point (my suspicion is that she's going to be the type of girl that we have trouble getting out of bed when she's a teenager). Our two children continue to be a study in contrasts.

When one of the members of my Wednesday night Bible study arrived this past week on the evening of October 31, he gave me some instant feedback on Lucas' Hallowe'en costume: "Lucas was really cute." Judge for yourself. (He's Buzz Lightyear for the "Toy Story Uninitiated")

Reformation Trick-or-Treating

2007-10-31T07:29:00.000-05:00

As a Lutheran pastor especially, I always stress that today is first and foremost a celebration of the Church's Reformation, marking the anniversary of Martin Luther's nailing his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg (October 31, 1517). Naturally, the world knows this day as Hallowe'en or All Hallows' Eve, the evening before All Saints' Day (November 1), when it was thought that the souls of the dead would return to this world and haunt the living (Jack o' Lanterns were put on the doorstep to spook these spirits away). Luther's posting of his Theses was calculated since he knew that the next morning a large gathering would assemble at the church for the All Saints' Day Mass, though these Theses (points designed to provoke debate) were written in Latin and not meant for the common German people. Within weeks, however, Luther's document was translated into the language of the people and circulated throughout Germany and eventually all Europe. The Lutheran Reformation had begun.

With that short history lesson, I will also report that Lucas will be gathering candy this evening masquerading as Buzz Lightyear. Grace will go along for the ride, dressed in a blaze orange outfit with a little black cat on it. Best of all, we'll have some candy in the house!

Perhaps we'll shoot a few pictures and post them in time.

Settling Back In

2007-10-17T21:44:00.000-05:00

Our family is settling back in after ten days of vacation. We had the pleasure of spending several days with family and friends in remote places, but we also got the chance to unwind over the past couple days at home. We loved every minute of it. Most of all it gave Tarren and me an opportunity to get away from our very busy every-day lives and to spend some quality family time together. We are refreshed and ready to go.

We had the chance to do plenty of driving and saw some beautiful places in our beautiful country. Many places we visited were beginning to take on the colors of autumn. Surprisingly many of the trees in our hometown remain perfectly green. The weather has been mild, so I suppose that's the leading factor in keeping the trees looking summerlike. We hope to see the dazzling reds, yellows and oranges soon!

An update on the children ... Lucas is perfectly potty-trained. He has been accident free for at least a couple weeks and continues to do very well. His logorrhea can be wearing on the nerves (it's a relief to our ears when he finally hits the hay), but his imagination is endless and his boyish enthusiasm fills our family life with joy. Currently his favorite pasttime is to look at Thomas trains on Dad's computer. During vacation he got his first chance to experience bowling; it was a hit (see pictures below).

Grace simply adores her brother. It's funny to listen to her squeal as she is being carried upstairs, watching Lucas climb the stairs right in front of her. For some reason she gets a real kick out of that. Right now she's suffering from a slight cold, but she's obviously developing both physically and mentally right on schedule. Every day she's becoming more nimble in her ability to grab things and manipulate them the way she wants. And her grip is made of steel!

Here's a few shots from our vacation:

Where have you been?

2007-10-03T07:04:00.000-05:00

Perhaps some check this blog from time to time, and you've been wondering outloud: Why haven't they blogged? Actually, my wife asks me this question about every other day. I've told her repeatedly that she's can blog herself, but she demurs. So the simple answer as to why you haven't seen anything new on this blog recently is this: I've been a busy man. Conferences, meetings to prepare for, meetings to attend, with pastoral work in between; a visit from my sister Beth; a birthday for Lucas; and two sick kids.

I won't bore you with details about the professional aspects of my life over the past several weeks, but I will expand on Beth's visit and Lucas' birthday. My sister came last Tuesday on the train and was able to be here for Lucas' birthday. We took Lucas to Toys 'r Us so that he could pick out a birthday gift from his aunt Beth. He chose a Thomas the Train set that ended up not being built very well. Tarren returned it the other day, and Lucas picked out a couple wooden Thomas trains instead. Beth's visit was short, but we enjoyed the time we had to spend with her.

Lucas officially turned three. We had a small party the weekend before with Tarren's family; a nice, cool afternoon. Naturally, Lucas got many more presents than he needed or deserved (can someone who is leaving their "terrible two" year behind really deserve anything?). He's at the point where he appreciates the gift he just opened for about a nanosecond, and then he wants to open another one. Once he has all of his unwrapped gifts in front of him he's able to be a discerning judge as to which is his favorite, though I can't honestly tell you what judgment he's made. As of this moment he seems to enjoy the wooden Thomas trains that he picked out last week best. Actually, the gift he asks most about is the Toby train that Tarren and I purchased for him for Christmas when we were at Toys 'r Us. (For the uninitiated, Toby is one of the engines from Thomas and Friends). They had a nice sale, so we decided to buy a few. He wonders daily when he's going to get Toby, and we tell him that he needs to wait until Christmas. So, of course, now he wonders daily whether today is Christmas. He's beginning to make more and more of those types of logical connections these days, and his Mom and Dad are noticing. He's growing up to be a nice, three-year-old boy!

After the birthday festivities came to an end, both of our children received one last "gift," an upper respiratory virus. Grace was running a fever around 102 and had a dry cough. One day she slept for about 18 of the 24 hours, which was a little cause of concern, especially for Momma. But once again, we noticed a difference between our two children. When Lucas is sick, we often have trouble getting him to sleep. When she's sick (granted, this was her first real bout with illness), she sleeps. And even though she was sick, she was quite liberal with smiles.

Lucas got it next, and he developed croup. He sounded pretty bad for a few days, but now he's almost entirely cleared up. One thing that was surprising to me was that the doctor didn't prescribe any antibiotics. I'm not complaining about that, but we've become so used to running to Walgreens in this family that I expected yet another trip. But both children have overcome without any prescription assistance, which is just fine by us!

So there's the update. I'll add a couple pictures since it's so easy to do.

Doctor's Orders

2007-09-19T08:34:00.000-05:00

I was gone the last couple days to a pastoral conference, but while I was away Tarren took Lucas to the doctor. He had been quite crabby for the past week or so. Crabbiness is not terribly uncharacteristic for this almost three-year-old boy, but the level of his crabbiness was uncharacteristic. We wondered if it could be allergies or an ear infection or both.

Here was our logic: In the past a rise in crabbiness had often indicated that he was suffering from an ear infection, so we wondered if maybe sinus congestion from allerigies had led to an ear infection, which in turn would lead to his crabbiness. Tarren had been giving him Claritin from time to time.

Anyway, Sunday was the kicker for my wife. Lucas was especially uncooperative in church and later at the church picnic, so we decided it was time to go to the doctor.

The doctor indicated that his ears were clear and that he may be suffering from some minor allergies, but he strongly suggested that we stop giving him Claritin, as they can lead to behavioral problems.

Then, interestingly, he proceeded to give Lucas a short lecture about listening to his Mom and Dad. Lucas cowered but didn't cry. He wondered what we did when he misbehaves. Tarren told him that we put him in timeout. How long? For three minutes. Not long enough, said the doctor. Put him in his room and make him stay there for thirty minutes.

Tarren's conclusion: I really like this doctor!

Sunday School? No Problem

2007-09-11T10:18:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Lucas had another first: his first time in Sunday School. He was excited about going, especially since he knew the other children that would be there (though cousin Sarah wasn't there due to illness). He was the youngest one in the class; not actually three just yet with a birthday coming up in the couple weeks. But his teachers reported that he did well. He wasn't at first interested in sitting with the class as they went through their lesson, but eventually he joined them. Several times throughout the class he commented that it was "time to go see Momma now," but he never became upset when told that she would be coming in a little while to pick him up. All in all it was a successful endeavor, and of course we relish the fact that he is beginning his formal education in the truth about our Savior Jesus and the salvation he provides. We pray that he will continue to gladly hear and learn the Word!

Just look at this smile of anticipation and joy before Momma dropped him off for class! You may notice that he's standing in front of his father's bookshelf (Lucas' Great-Grandpa Prange actually bought this bookshelf to hold his pastoral books). Now this bookshelf holds, among other things, several multi-colored volumes of Luther's Works (Lucas' Grandpa Prange actually bought these back in the day and gave them to me when he retired). It will interesting to see whether or not Lucas ever has any interest in having me hand any of these things down to him some day.

Other Pictures

2007-09-07T11:53:00.001-05:00

Here are a few other pictures for your enjoyment, the first three of which are from our visit to the Z-O-O last week.

Motherly Concern

2007-09-07T11:37:00.000-05:00

Tarren is worried that those of you who look at our blog will be so enamored with the video of Grace that you'll fail to notice my blog entitled "A Father's Love." So after you watch the video below, make sure to scroll down further and read my other entry from today!

"Punka" Video

2007-09-07T08:17:00.000-05:00

Here's a video of Baby Grace, or "Punka" as I call her (short for "Pumpkin Pie"). If you can view the video, make sure to have the sound up on your computer, so you can hear the sounds she's making these days! You'll notice that she's also rolling over, though Momma has to give her a little help in this particular video.

A Father's Love

2007-09-07T07:38:00.000-05:00

Lucas made his first purchase last night at Barnes and Noble. We had gone there after dinner so that he could play with the Thomas and Friends trainset that they have set up in the children's department. Naturally, they also have their display of Thomas trains for sale right next to the trainset. When there was no Thomas engine available for play, Lucas noticed with excitement that there was a Thomas available in the box. His father played the part of the ogre by telling him that we couldn't take Thomas out of the box because we would have to pay for him first. Besides, he already had a Thomas engine at home.

Within a few minutes it was time for us to leave, but before heading out of the store I decided to stop off for some Starbucks. As I was putting some half-n-half into my coffee, Lucas noticed a penny on the floor. He picked it up and ran to me with a bright smile: "Look, Daddy, now we can play (sic) for Thomas." Tarren and I looked at one another, realizing that his penny wouldn't cut it, but reluctant to undercut the sheer joy of his "good fortune."

We went back downstairs to where the trains were, and he selected an engine by the name of Salty. We escalated back upstairs to the cash register, Lucas proudly plunking his prodigous penny on the countertop with profound pleasure. When papa provided his "two cents worth," Lucas was the proud owner of a new Salty engine, and he had a nickel's worth of change to spare! What a deal!

On the other hand, when one considers what our heavenly Father has graciously given us, there is no comparison. Besides freely giving us everything we need for this life (all things, from the food we eat to the air we breathe to the life we live), he also graciously bestows his greatest gifts of forgiveness from all sin and eternal life, purchased and won solely by the precious blood of his only Son. All these things he gives us, though we stand before him completely penniless, empty-handed, spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and destitute. "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4,5).

I became twelve bucks poorer to purchase a train for my son which will give him hours of joy and happiness. Christ Jesus surrendered all riches for you and me (2 Corinthians 8:9) to purchase and win for us an eternity of bliss and freedom from sin and death.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! ... This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins: (1 John 3:1; 4:10).

A picture of Lucas and his new engine Salty:

Muffins

2007-08-31T07:06:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-27T10:02:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-24T07:06:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-23T11:15:00.001-05:00

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

Back from Busyness

2007-08-23T06:39:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-16T06:44:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-14T07:47:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-11T16:37:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-10T06:36:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-09T07:37:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-08T06:37:00.000-05:00

"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

2007-08-07T14:19:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-06T08:33:00.001-05:00

First Post

2007-08-05T21:28:00.001-05:00

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!