Veterans' Day....

Today is Veterans' Day. Today is one of those days that, as a child and even partway into adulthood, I didn't realize (or care to learn) the significance of.

Now, I realize it's a day to honor those who have served in the military for our country. It is because of these men and women that we have the freedoms we have. I really don't think your "politics" matter when it comes to this day. Even if you don't always agree with our country's military actions, we, here in the USA, do have many freedoms that others around the world don't have.

Here are the names of some men Marc, Luke, and I honor on this day....We realize there are more, but here's a start. We typically try to get Veterans' Day cards for them; however, we couldn't find any this year.

--Alvin Friesen (Marc's Dad) -- Served in the Korean War
--Jerry Sheffler (former coworker of Marc's) -- Served in the Vietnam War
--Jeremy Rupprecht (husband of one of Sarah's former coworkers) -- Served in Iraq just last year
--Mel Gray -- A soldier Marc and Sarah supported in Iraq -- Mel also served in the first Gulf War in the early 90s. Mel and his family live in Kansas City.

The list could go on and on, but we want to take the time to thank those who have served for our country.

Today is also the day that my late grandfather, Lewie Becker, would have turned 92! He passed away at age 85. He too was a veteran. He served in World War II. As a child, I always thought of this day as his birthday! He used to always say "that the flags are flying today because it's my birthday."

I miss my grandfather a lot! I know that he thought war was ugly. During World War II, he was involved in combat, and I know that he did not talk details about the war. He, however, did talk about guys he was in the military with. He talked about places in Europe he saw during the war. I could always tell that World War II shaped a lot of who he was.

Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away before I met Marc. I really wish he could meet Marc and now, I would like him to meet Luke. They'll just have to meet in heaven someday!

Again, Happy Veterans' Day! Take the time to honor those who have served our country!

Tummy Time....

Everybody knows that "Tummy Time" is important for young babies. It helps with muscle development for both holding the had up as well as eventually rolling over.

Most parents have told us that their babies hated tummy time. Well, we could put Luke in that category. That is until recently.

While he still doesn't thoroughly enjoy it (he's not yet rolling over though we figure he's getting closer to that point), he is getting to where he doesn't scream. We can actually leave him on his tummy for some time now.

In this photo, you can even see a smile.

I figured I better document that one.

Baked Beans

This blog post has no photos, but it's worth reading -- I promise!

Last Friday evening, our Sunday School class had a fall party. It was really a lot of fun, and we really had a perfect fall evening (very little wind and cool temperatures).

We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and had chili. We all had a big shed to hang out in at a couple's (from our church) farm. There were, of course, also plenty of sweets.

Since most couples in this Sunday School class now have young children, there was plenty of room for the kids to run around.

Luke was an excellent baby that evening! He hung out in his stroller and then hung out on me (his mother) in a Snugli carrier. He didn't even get too grouchy -- which he usually does in the evening.

Anyways, I made my baked beans. People are always asking me for the recipe. It's really nothing special, but it is my own creation. I don't mind sharing, so here it goes...Keep in mind that I really don't have specific amounts for anything (I just dump ingredients in), so these are merely estimations.

Sarah's Baked Beans

5 Cans Pork and Beans (generic kind works great) -- drained (I remove the pork pieces)
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1/3 C Molasses
5 strips bacon, cut up in pieces and sauteed
1 C onion, minced and sauteed with bacon
Black Pepper, to taste (I use a lot of pepper -- you can see it well in the finished product)
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1/4 C Ketchup
2 Tbsp. Yellow Mustard
2 tsp. Worchestershire Sauce

Mix all ingredients together in crock pot. Cook on high for four hours or on low for 8 hours.

**As a side note, these beans are GREAT if you mix them all up and let them sit in the refrigerator overnight before putting them in the crock pot! That's typically what I do -- if I'm on the ball. I had done that for the Sunday School party.

Enjoy!

Ah, Exercise....

Most of you know that, in our household, we like to exercise -- especially Marc. Marc's exercising consists of running an "insane" (for lack of a better word) amount of miles and doing taekwondo. My (Sarah) exercise, right now anyways, is walking, though I will get back into running eventually. At this point in time, Luke's exercise consists of lying on the floor and kicking his legs and moving his arms around. He also enjoys sitting back in an infant seat, batting at the toys that are hanging down.

We've been questioned how we manage to work in exercise with a new baby. Well, many couples do work exercise into their daily routine. Here's how it works in our household -- at least right now with only one child. It'll change someday again, I'm sure.

Marc gets the morning, and I get the evening. If Marc doesn't get up in the morning, most likely then, he will miss his running opportunity. Likewise, if I don't use my time wisely in the evening, then I miss my opportunity.

Last Saturday, we had quite a bit going on. So, we tried something different. Marc took one of our vehicles into the dealership for some routine maintenance. He merely went there in his running clothes and ran 10 miles (yep, 10) while the car was being serviced.

I, on the other hand, was at home with Luke.

So, here's how my morning went.

We have a monitor with a camera. So, I got Luke down for his morning nap. I took the monitor with me into our "servants' quarters." (For those of you who don't know about our "servants' quarters," it's where our servants live -- just kidding).

Here's a photo of the camera monitor showing Luke asleep soundly in his crib.


We belong to "Netflix," so I had a movie in our DVD player which is in front of....

The treadmill....

Now, we have this most wonderful treadmill that only got used occasionally before Luke. Now, it gets used a little bit more (which I have to say it was purchased for really bad weather and when we have little kids around). So, while I would have much rather been outside, this worked fine -- the monitor, a movie, and the treadmill.

Unfortunately, Luke did NOT take a good nap that morning like he usually does. So, I only walked 2.89 miles -- my goal was to walk at least 4 miles.

Oh well -- that's part of having a baby (or older kids) around.

The Texas Longhorns....

Those of you who know Marc well know that he is a HUGE Texas Longhorns Fan. Nope, he didn't go to school there. He is a fan, though.

When I was pregnant with Luke (early pregnancy even), Marc started looking online for some TX Longhorns paraphernalia. Unfortunately, there wasn't too much to buy for newborns and small babies.

Marc was in luck, however! When my mom and I were up in Omaha back in May, we were in some fabric stores (trying to find good "car" material for Luke's bed sheets). In one store, we found some TX Longhorn material. My mom decided that she would make a little outfit for Luke. She even made it 3-month size so that Luke could wear it during football season.

Since it's been so nice here over the last several days, we've been able to have Luke in the outfit -- even out of the house.

Here's Luke in his new outfit....

The really funny thing is that this photo was taken a day after TX lost to TX Tech in a bit of an upset. Luke is demonstrating (by wearing the outfit) that he is not just a fair-weather fan. He's loyal to them all of the time!

So, it's O.K. Ollie if your dad "forces" you into being a Cubs fan. Luke's a TX Longhorn fan -- whether he wants to be or not :)

Congratulations....from the President....

When I was finally getting around to sending out birth announcements for Luke's birth, Marc had me mail one to the White House. I was thinking, "What are they going to do with it?" But, Marc insisted.

Well, sure enough, not too much later (a matter of a few weeks), Luke received a "Welcome" from George and Laura.

So, the White House (at least with the current administration) really does send "Congratulations" out for new birth announcements!

This will definitely be put into Luke's baby book!

Ah....Fall!

For me, fall is the BEST time of year. Even here in Kansas, the fall colors are tremendous. A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity (through my job with International Dairy Queen) to spend the week of Halloween down in the Missouri Ozarks! That was one of the best drives I've ever experienced.

Anyways, last night, all three of us went for a nice walk -- well, Luke was in the stroller seeing how he can't exactly walk yet. I took the camera along to take some photos of the colorful trees. These pictures don't exactly show the true perfection of the color, but you get the point.

I'm sure some scientists would be able to explain it to me perfectly just what causes the color. Quite frankly, I don't know that I care how it happens. I just enjoy looking at God's creative coloring.