Eating....

Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the lives of your children. Lamentations 2:19 b-c

A friend of mine, Angie S., once told me that children take a lot of prayers. She told me this several years ago -- before I had a child or was even pregnant.

When she told me that, I thought to myself, "Well yeah, they take a lot of prayers. That's obvious." Well, I don't think I fully realized that until I had a child of my own.

I realize that Luke is only 10 months old, and the praying has only just begun. Yes, there is a lot to pray about for a 10-month old, but I know that, as he gets older, I will realize even more to pray about for Luke.

For the most part, Luke has NOT been really difficult. He's a GREAT sleeper. Generally speaking, he's fairly happy (except for this past week). We think he's just oh so cute! I could go on and on.

One thing we've struggled with Luke, however, since birth is his eating. I had planned on exclusively breastfeeding for his first year. It started out that way. When he was 3 1/2 weeks old, however, we found out that he was not feeding correctly. Therefore, his weight gain was slow (at that time, he hadn't yet gotten back to his birth weight).

I was back and forth and back and forth and back and forth (get the picture) from the hospital, working with two very patient lactation consultants. My mom worked many hours with me. She has a friend who is a breastfeeding "guru," and this friend offered advice as well.

Finally, when Luke was six weeks old, the lactation consultants all pretty much told me, "We've told you and taught you all we know. If you want this to continue, you'll need to see a speech therapist."

(This was all based on Luke having an inefficient suck for breastfeeding).

I was SOOOOOOO exhausted at that point. I was tired of breastfeeding AND pumping each feeding. I did call the dr. for a referral for a speech therapist. He was out that week, and I just happened to get a hold of a very unhelpful substitute nurse. So, that didn't work out at that point in time.

To make a long story already too long for this post, I did end up, with Marc's full support, quitting breastfeeding.

So, we switched to full-time.....



Yep, formula....Not something we planned on for our bank account. Luke was a pretty good spitter-upper. We tried the generic formula, but then, we had some nice vomiting. So, we stuck to the non-generic, and he did much better. Nope -- no break for the bank account.

At first, I was EXTREMELY disappointed in myself for stopping the breastfeeding. I struggled because a) we had some infertility that we did find out was my body b) I miscarried my first pregnancy c) I ended up in an unplanned C-Section d) I quit breastfeeding.

I thought to myself, can my body and mind just not do this whole child thing?

As time went on, my disappointment began to wane. When Luke hit somewhere around 6-7 months (you know, when their personalities start to come out), I REALLY began to enjoy him (not that I didn't before, but his personality was the clencher). At that point, I began to realize that it really doesn't matter how these children come into the world. I'm no less a woman and Luke is no less a wonderful little boy because he came out via C-Section and didn't breastfeed properly.

The important thing I've realized and learned is that Luke is a TRUE gift from God. He is God's. Marc and I are merely the caretakers, stewards, or managers of Luke.

We PRAY daily that we raising him up to be a man of God.

Now, back to eating....

Since Luke has started on solids, we've run into another problem -- a very sensitive gag reflex.

It all started with him gagging and vomiting on some food that I had grinded with a specific baby food grinder. The texture is a bit different. Luke didn't much care for the texture.

So, once again not in my plans, I purchased a lot of babyfood in jars. He does fine with all of that, fortunately.

When I started Cheerios, graham crackers, goldfish crackers, etc., with Luke. He once again did just FINE. Then, I gave him a few pieces of cheese, some whole peas, etc. Luke gagged and ultimately vomited -- thanks once again to the texture.

We've continued on with baby food (he does just fine), Cheerios, etc.

I think we're FINALLY getting somewhere -- at 10 months.

Today, I gave him this....



Yep, a generic "Nutri-Grain" bar along with some yogurt (which he has LOVED for several months now). The cereal bar was a complete HIT! He loved it. He didn't once gag. We just had a nice mess on our hands. Can you tell from these photos?





I feel like we're getting somewhere now. Luke does also like (and does well without gagging) toast, all cereals, and chicken nuggets.

So, my whole point to this long post is that parenting does take a lot of prayers, and Marc and I've only just begun. Probably, in several months, this whole gagging and eating thing will seem like only a distant memory. Then, we'll have something else to pray about. I remember when I was at my six week check-up after Luke was born, the nurse practitioner said to me, "You know, it's always something with each child. Right now, it may be difficulty in breastfeeding. In several months, it'll be something else. In 30 years, it'll be something else." Boy, is she right on that one?

Yeah! It's the New Oven....

So, several weeks ago, I mentioned in a blog post that Luke and I had taken a trip to Inman, KS (about an hour or so away) to purchase a new oven.

Well, last week, Kevin, the carpenter we hired to install the new oven, was finally available.

Here's a photo of our old oven...We think it's from the 1970s. Today, ovens are bigger. That's why we needed a carpenter to make a little bit of room for the new oven.



Our microwave sits on a shelf right above the oven. So, once again, here's an old photo -- complete with the microwave.



And...Voila!!!! Our new oven....



Isn't it just lovely? You'd think I was as excited as a kid in a candy store.

And, here's our new oven with the microwave (I know, I know...I'm probably more excited than the rest of you).



Now, I have a confession to make. In the little over five years we've owned this house, I have NOT ONCE cleaned our old oven. Nope, not once. Plus, the people who lived here before us left it uncleaned. My reasoning for not cleaning it was that a) we'd eventually get a new one because I've never liked this one AND b) The oven, though it appears dirty really isn't unsanitary because of the heat. Most of the bacteria that causes the common food borne illnesses is killed off at 165 degrees F. (Yes, I'm food safety certified). Also, this old oven was NOT self-cleaning.

So, why clean until we get a new one? Right?

I've now humbled myself now because I am posting a photo of the inside of our dirty old oven.



I have now vowed to keep our new oven clean. Here's a photo of our new CLEAN oven. And yes, this one is self-cleaning (though I've had other people tell me that self-cleaning is a bit scary and stinky).



The evening after the new oven was installed I baked "Tortilla Roll-Ups." I even put a cookie sheet underneath them because sometimes they're known to "bubble over" in the oven. Gotta keep the new oven clean!



Now, we're saving for a new cooktop. We have once priced out. We know what we want. Kevin, the carpenter, already said he has the ability to do that.

Savings account, here we are.

A Day To Myself....

This is a bit delayed, but this past Christmas, Marc gave me a certificate for a "day to myself." In other words, I could have a day where I could go and do what I wanted while Marc stayed home all day with Luke.

Because our schedules have consistently been busy, my day to myself finally happened yesterday (Saturday). For my day, I chose to spend it mostly shopping. I hadn't purchased any new clothes for myself for quite awhile, so I took advantage of some decent sales. Plus, I managed to squeeze in a couple of other activities, including lunch with a friend I don't see often enough.

**BEWARE!!! This will be a long post; however, there are many photos (albeit, boring photos). I just decided to document my day with photos.

Right before I left, Marc had me "redeem" my certificate -- and for those of you who know Marc, you should know that Marc truly would have me hand the certificate to him for redemption.



I left the house around 9:20 in the morning. That way, I did see Luke in the morning -- definitely his best time of the day. First, I, very quickly, swung by a garage sale close to our home. They were selling MANY baby things -- JACKPOT! I managed to pick up a few sweatshirts for next winter for Luke.

Stop #2: A place to pick up a quick and unhealthy breakfast. You locals know about this.



Stop #3: I drove about 25 minutes north of home to visit the cemetery where three of my grandparents are buried (I still have one grandparent left). My Grandpa Becker (my mom's dad) served in World War II. I'm SO VERY thankful for his service as I'm thankful for all of the men and women who have served in the armed forces for our country. We have SO MANY freedoms in the USA because of them. This weekend (Memorial Day Weekend) was created to honor those who have given their lives for our country.

The "American Legion," as they do each year, has put a flag beside his tombstone.



Also, my Grandpa Koehn (my dad's dad) just passed away this past January. The tombstone just arrived in time for this weekend. So, this was the first time I'd seen it. I hope none of you think it's too weird that I put a photo of his tombstone on this blog.



Stop #4: On my way to Wichita (where I spent the remainder of my day), I stopped by this coffee shop. Again, those of you who are local know where this cute little coffee shop is.



I'm not really into coffee, but I am very much into tea -- especially iced tea. This coffee shop has a very good "Mango Iced Tea" that I HIGHLY recommend.

Stop #5: I delivered some frozen meals I had made to a friend of mine, Whitni, from years ago. I don't see her real often anymore. She has a little boy, Noah, who turned two in January. Then, in February, she delivered two healthy twin girls named Bailey and Kennedy. Do you think her and her husband, Chris, have their hands full? I didn't stay long at their house. When I got there, Chris was busy with something in the house. Noah was playing. One of the twins was sleeping, and Whitni
was trying to nurse the other one. So, I didn't stay long, and I was unable to get any photos. I hope the meals are O.K., Whitni!!!!

Stop #6: Kohl's -- I've decided that Kohl's is one of those places where some days, you can find what you want. Other days, you can't. Fortunately, yesterday was one of those days where I found a few things, decently priced, that fit :) Marc had received a gift card for Kohl's at work. He let me use it. Thanks Marc!



Stop #7: Petsmart -- Our dog, Clyde, needed a new water "thingy" for outside. So, I ran that quick little errand.



Stop #8: I met my very good friend, Lori, at "Louie's." "Louie's" is a newer restaurant on the east side of Wichita (21st and Webb for those of you who know Wichita). My mom had given me a gift card for "Louie's" for my birthday, so I'm honored Lori could join me for lunch. I've known Lori since elementary school. We used to go to the same baby-sitter. I was also honored that Lori was in our wedding. Lori now lives in another state, though she is looking for a job around here. So hopefully, that will happen sometime soon. Then, I can see her more often, and Luke will grow up knowing her :)

Here's what the outside of "Louie's" looks like -- in case you're wondering.



And, just for fun, here's a photo of Lori. I told Lori I wanted a photo of her for my blog. She said, "Sarah, you've now become one of those crazy ladies with the camera." I love you too, Lori!!!!!!



Stop #9: Yep, I went to "Hobby Lobby." I went there on a mission. If I wouldn't have, I would've spent all day there and spent way too much money. I needed something for something I'm making. I won't share that item because I'm making it for somebody who I know reads this blog.

I ended up finding this as well --



I'm talking specifically about the wooden "freedom." It's now on our mantle in our family room. "Hobby Lobby" had an AWESOME selection of Memorial Day/4th of July items. I need to start collecting some things for our home. There is SO MUCH anti-USA sentiment anymore. We really want to teach Luke that the USA is really not as bad as the media portrays it. We have so many individual liberties and freedoms that sometimes I'm afraid we will lose if we don't stand up for the way in which this country was founded. One of the BIGGEST freedoms we have is that we can worship our God freely. We don't have to be hiding in a basement to worship God. We don't live in fear of persecution for being Christians.

Marc and I pray that Luke and any future children we have do understand that.

Stop #10: Goodwill -- I like to second-hand shop. But, like Kohl's (in my opinion), you have to be there on the right day. Yesterday, I was pretty much 0 for 7 for me. I tried on seven items, and NONE of them fit right. However, I did find three shirts for Luke for next winter. So, it was worth the trip.

I do have to add one thing about my "Goodwill" trip. Awhile back, my friend Andrea and I were Goodwill shopping on the east side of Wichita. We ran into a very helpful woman who told us that the Goodwill on Maize Rd (west side of town) was "the bomb." So, this time, I drove clear out west to try this one out. I will say it was newer, nicer, and bigger. It was more organized. But, I think it just wasn't my day. Perhaps another time, Andrea????



Stop #11: Starbuck's -- need I say more? Remember from earlier, I don't much care for coffee. But, here's what I do like at Starbuck's -- Grande Passion shaken iced tea -- unsweetened.

I only took one photo, but I actually stopped at two Starbuck's throughout the day for the same thing. So, that's a total of three iced teas in one day from coffee shops.

Fortunately, I had my Starbuck's gift card from my mother -- she gave it to me for Mother's Day.



Stop #12: Old Navy -- Now, I'm not much for Old Navy as I think customers always leave the place a mess. I think customers leave the place such a mess that employees have a hard time keeping it organized and cleaned up. PLUS, I'm short. Old Navy's things tend to always be too long on me. BUT, they were having a $1 flip flop sale. Unfortunately, I didn't find any I liked well enough to even pay $1 for. But, I did actually find two cute tops for myself that for once weren't too long. This is the one place all day that was PACKED with people.



Stop #13: TARGET -- the ultimate favorite of mine. You know, it's the place that all of us here in this town we live in wish we had here. However, I think it's good we don't have here in town for two reasons. A) We'd be there all of the time and spend too much money. AND B) We wouldn't appreciate it as much. So, I'm glad we don't have one within 20 miles. Because then, I APPRECIATE it.

I did get some new clothes here -- a couple of skirts, a couple pairs of shorts, a shirt for Luke, etc.



Stop #14: Payless Shoe Source -- I LOVE shoes that are affordable. Yes, I did buy a couple. However, there was one salesperson that was a BIT TOO AMBITIOUS for my tastes in this store.



Stop #15: Towne West Square -- I'm actually more of a "Towne East Square" person (those of you around Wichita know what I'm talking about), but since I was on the west side of town, I thought, "This is fine."



I actually only went here to go to Zale's to have my wedding ring inspected and cleaned as part of the lifetime warranty. However, once I was there, I walked around a bit. Then, I did some impulse buying at....



Nope, I don't think I'm modeling anything I bought there. But, I did find some nice things, ON SALE!

Finally, I was thinking that 15 stops was ENOUGH! But boy, I did have a nice time.

I was asked a couple of times at church this morning if I minded spending most of the day by myself. My answer was, "Oh no, not at all." I've never minded spending time by myself. I think it's just my personality. My mom said I always did stuff by myself when I was a child. I don't really think I'm a loner. I have a lot of wonderful friends that I LOVE spending time with. I think I just have an independent streak. I lived alone for around 6 years before I met and married Marc. I had a job for a whopping 10 YEARS where I traveled 70-80 nights a year, mostly by myself. I had many hotel nights by myself. So, I'm used to entertaining myself.

In a nutshell, I told Marc that I would love to have a day or two like this each year. He thought that could be arranged!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, I got home to these two wonderful guys I live with. Apparently, they had a very nice day together. Marc did mention, however, that he thought Luke was missing me. Marc said that when he went to get Luke from his crib after a nap, Luke was really looking around for me. Then, this morning, he didn't make it in the nursery during church. He was fine once he was in my arms. So, I don't know if Luke is just going through a phase or if he's not feeling right. I just know that today (Sunday), he was a bit more attached to me.



The three of us went on a walk after I got home. After Luke went to bed, Marc suggested that I "needed" some "Ben & Jerry's." (Really, he just wanted some himself). Well, I didn't dispute, so Marc went to the store and picked up our favorite.



For my last thing of the evening, I went for a walk -- by myself.

THANKS MARC for the wonderful day to myself! I love you bunches.

The End!!!!

Ten Months....

Today, believe it or not, Luke is ten months old. Yep, he's been living outside of my body, breathing oxygen on his own, for 10 months now. Here's the "monthly" photo of him in our chair.

But first, a recap. Here's Luke at two months....



Luke at four months....Boy, what a chunk he was!



And, at six months....



At eight months....



And, posing for us all just this morning, Luke, at 10 months....



**Just two days ago, we noticed another tooth had popped through on the bottom. So, that now makes 7 teeth for Luke. There was no extra fussiness with this tooth (yeah!), but there was some diarrhea (yuck!) -- at least we think that's why that happened.

**Luke is a little "delayed" (for lack of a better term) on crawling. He's not doing it yet, though we know he COULD if he chose to. He rolls everywhere. He gets up on all fours and "rocks," and he's been doing that for two months. He goes from a sitting position to a crawling position very well and very quickly. Oh, how he so could do it. He's just content rolling, I guess. I found out just the other night that I didn't walk until 15 months. My mom couldn't remember exactly when I started crawling (she was going to look that up), but my guess is that it was delayed as well. So, perhaps Luke is taking a bit after me on this whole thing. If he takes after me on the brains, he'll be oh so very smart (Ha Ha).

**He's still really liking his swimming lessons! I, as his mother, actually did put him under water earlier this week. Though it was hard to do, I'm glad I did. I do very much want him to like the water and not be afraid of it.

Baked Beans....

I know that, at some point awhile back, I did post a recipe for my baked beans. BUT, I did not include photos. I do not remember exactly when that was, and I didn't take the time to find it.

So, I'm posting again, AND I'm including photos. Understand that my recipe is not a specific recipe for baked beans that I found. It's my own recipe. Remember, I'm a "dumper" when it comes to cooking. I don't measure much out. So, these ingredient amounts are estimated, and they will probably be different than what I last posted.

I don't want to "toot my own horn" or anything, but I typically do get quite a few compliments on my baked beans. I made them this past weekend for our Community Life Group (we met at our home for dinner and a Bible Study this past Sunday evening), and they were a hit with Marc's grilled burgers.

Sarah's Baked Beans

5 cans Pork and Beans
Pepper
2 tsp. minced garlic (I typically do not use fresh)
1/3 C. Molasses
1/3 C. Brown Sugar
1/4 C. Ketchup
2 Tbsp. Mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
5 Strips Bacon
1 C. Chopped Onion

So first, my usual collage of ingredients....



Next, chop the onion (if you haven't already) AND the bacon. **NOTE: The bacon does need to be cut BEFORE cooking. It will be better in the beans (at least in our opinion in this household).



Then, brown the bacon and onion together.



While the bacon and onion are browning, open the cans of pork and beans. Drain each of them. Pick out the pieces of pork that are easy to see. Pour each can into a large bowl. Then, add the molasses. It's a bit difficult to see in this photo because it soaks into the beans. Also, at this time, add the pepper and garlic (remember -- we're pepper people).



Then, add the brown sugar.



Now, add your ketchup and mustard. You're not burning the bacon and onion in this process, are you? Remember to watch the stove.



Then, add the....worcestershire sauce.



Lastly, add the browned bacon and onion.



Stir together all ingredients.



At this point, you can put these beans into a sprayed 9 X 13 baking dish, and cover it with aluminum foil. Bake for 60-90 minutes on 350 degrees. OR, you can do what I do. I put these beans in the refrigerator overnight. Then, I put them in the crockpot for 3-5 hours the next day. MUCH BETTER!





Then, after your guests arrive, they can eat them all up -- just like our guests did the other night.



For your reference -- 8 adults cleaned out these beans. That's about how many this recipe yields. Adjust as needed.

The other thing is (and you might have noticed this in the last photo) that baked beans aren't exactly fun to clean up. I soaked this crockpot overnight for MUCH easier cleaning in the morning.

One other tip I have is one I didn't demonstrate when I made these beans. If you're going to use the crockpot (remember -- highly recommended), mix the beans in the crockpot if you have a crockpot with a removeable pot. Cover in the refrigerator. Then, you can "dirty" one less mixing bowl. I'm not sure why I didn't do that. Usually, I'm all over less dishes.

Zoo and Tree Removal....

Since last September, seven other ladies and I have been meeting on Thursday mornings. You may have already seen this photo on a few other blogs, but here it is again.



Sarah W. and Debby have been leading the six of us "Young Mom" ladies in a Beth Moore study on Daniel. It's been an AWESOME study, and I have personally thoroughly enjoyed getting together with these women each week.

This group reminds me of these verses....

"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." Titus 2:3-5

Well, you may have already seen Debby's blog (see "The Graber's" link on this blog). But, I'll add a few more photos.

This past Thursday, our group took our children to the zoo. Unfortunately, Jill couldn't make it since Sophia was sick. We had a good time, nonetheless, but we did miss you and Sophia, Jill.

The zoo was SOOOOOO crowded. There were MANY "end of the school year" field trips.

Here's my photo of the entrance. It's not quite up close enough, but you can see the long line of people, waiting to get in.



We did get in with less trouble and time than what I thought. Actually, it was indeed organized chaos at the entrance. I won't complain. The zoo employees did the best that they could.

Since most of the children are fairly young, we all had strollers. Here's a photo of Ollie and Makenzie, looking at what I believe was a peacock right at the entrance.



First, we saw the giraffes. I honestly can say I've never seen giraffes up this close. (I'm sure, Candice, you're getting to see things like this up close a little more often in South Africa).



Little Ellie and her mom, Rachel, (and brother Tripp) also joined us for the day. Here's a photo of Ellie, feeding some ducks or geese of some sort.



Here are some animal photos, just for fun.

The black bear....



The rhinoceros....



And, the lazy gorilla....(not sure who the kid is in the photo -- it's not Ollie).



Here is a good photo of Tami and her little sweet girl, Ella.



Hannah's Nana (Debby) bought her some popcorn. This photo was actually taken by Debby, but it's so cute, I thought I'd share. It's one of Hannah, eating her popcorn with sunglasses. Hannah was the smart one who remembered sunglasses.



Little Lily slept through most of our zoo tour. However, at the end, she did wake up, and she did want a bottle.



And, what about our little Luker? He did very well throughout the entire morning. He never did fall asleep in the stroller. There was too much going on. But, here are a cute couple of shots I took of him -- in the stroller with his toys attached.





Afterwards, a few of us went to McDonald's to eat. Luke still remained awake and in a good mood. Here are some photos of Luke and me. Debby took these photos, and I LOVE them -- as Luke's mom.





Thanks ladies for a great time! We'll have to do it again sometime.

*****

Then today (Saturday), Marc cut down a tree.

We have (or had) this HUGE cedar tree, right at the end of our driveway. I've always disliked that tree there. It blocks the view to back out of our driveway safely (even though we have very little traffic on our little cul-de-sac). In the January, 2005, ice storm, the tree DROOPED SO LOW on a car we had parked there (it was my company vehicle). I could go on and on -- I just didn't like that tree there.

I wasn't able to get a "before" shot as admittedly, I was taking a nap when Marc started this project.

It took about two hours. Two of our fabulous neighbors, Willis and Phil, joined in on the fun. Thanks guys!

But, here's a photo of Marc, revving up the chain saw. And yes, you'll notice in this photo that Marc is wearing safety glasses. I'm so thankful that Marc is safety minded. I don't think you can see them in this photo, but he also wears earplugs. The chain saw is loud, and I would prefer that his hearing is protected when possible.



Here's a photo of Marc using the chain saw.



Some of the tree will be used for firewood next winter (BTW -- it did SMELL WONDERFUL when it was first cut down -- the cedar).



For the rest of the tree -- Marc did already call the city for a "large pick-up." They're supposed to come by and pick up the branches this coming Monday. I sure hope they do because it's a mess in our yard right now. I'll keep you posted on whether or not the city does the pick-up.





What did I do during this time? Well, as I previously mentioned, when this project began, I was taking a much needed nap. Then, I did a bit of kitchen clean-up work. After Luke got up from his nap, he and I made a big grocery store trip. Luke then ate his supper. Lastly, he and I went to Subway to Marc and me some dinner. Marc felt he "deserved" a foot-long sub after his hard day working (He did also run 15 miles this morning with our friend Seth).