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!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
It's Been Too Long
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:
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:
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
A Message for Anna, Maria and Joel
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:
Thursday, February 19, 2009
A February Post
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!
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!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
New Pix and Vid
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Prange post-Christmas report
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).
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!
Friday, December 19, 2008
A Christmas Gospel Sermon Gem
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.
“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.
Friday, November 21, 2008
For Your Viewing Pleasure
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:
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:
Monday, November 17, 2008
A couple of surprises today
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! =)
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! =)
Sunday, October 5, 2008
School
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!
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!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
How 'bout some pictures and video?
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!
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:
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
A Funny Lucas Story
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.
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.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Summer Busyness
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!
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!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
T-ball
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.
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.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
A First Birthday
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.)
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.)
Saturday, May 3, 2008
The Evil Reflux Monster Update
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! =)
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! =)
Friday, April 25, 2008
Recent Pictures
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...
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...
Friday, April 11, 2008
We're Back
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
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
Monday, March 3, 2008
Jazz and Paper Lover
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).
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).
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