Back Online

Just got wireless service in our new house yesterday so I can resume my blogging ventures. We're getting settled in here in Southern Ohio...enjoying the much warmer weather too (it's flirting with 60 today!) I met another stay at home mom with a little girl only a month older than Betsy that lives just a few doors down which is cool. Got to meet some of Linford and Karin's friends at a lovely party last night. It's great to start meeting some people and getting some recommendations on places to go and things to see.

Found a kennel for Gideon for the holidays...we had forgotten about it until yesterday and most kennels are full. This one sounds like a great place, but is nearly an hour away. But at this point, beggars can't be choosers!!

Here are a few pics of Betsy at her new house. She likes it!


Drawing on the big pieces of packing paper that we have in abundance now!


I love to draw and drink juice.


Playing on the deck in the snowstorm...it all melted within a few hours!

Merry Christmas from our Snowbunny!

We're Movin' On Up

Well, on down, to Ohio...
Movers came today. Man, two guys can sure do a lot of packing in one full day...praise the Lord that the company is paying to have professionals move us. It would have taken me a month to do what they did today!
The house will be empty on Monday, we head down to Indiana Tuesday to stay with Mom and Dad and o n to Cincinnati on Wednesday to close and our stuff comes Thursday. Next week at this time, Lord willing, we'll be spending our first Friday evening at our new home! Crazy.

Ok, wrap me up, I'm in my box and ready to go.


Helping...


Time to tape up the boxes...


Boxes, boxes everywhere...even one to play in courtesy of the nice mover guys!

Sorry, Mommy

Betsy was coloring with her Color Wonder markers tonight while I was fixing supper. I had mentioned to Grandma and Grandpa over Thanksgiving that she was finally old enough to color with those without biting all the tips off like she did the first time I bought her a set.

Then tonight...

"Sorry, Mommy," she calls from the dining room table where she's coloring.

"Why are you sorry?" I ask as I walk in there.

"Sorry, Mommy. I ate the markers." She proceeds to hold up two markers...with the tips bit off.

"Why did you do that, honey? They don't taste good, do they?"

She smiles at me and says, "Maybe you put them away."

Way to recognize when you don't have self-control, Bets. ;)

Potty Humor

Last night in the bathtub Betsy had a rather lengthy gas passing that created a lovely fountain of bubbles. Her eyes got wide and she giggled and declared, "I made bubbles with my toots!"

Bodily functions...the joke that never gets old. ;)

Hey, Jealousy

Tonight while we were eating supper Betsy said, "Mommy hold Baby Jake," evidently thinking about our Sunday visit to Joel and Wendy's.

"Yes, Mommy held baby Jake."

"That was bad."

Oh-oh. Someone is really having some jealously issues.

We talked about it and she went on to say something about Jake crying so I think that was part of the problem too. She doesn't quite know what to do with a crying infant...

Hope she gets over this before we decide to add a sibling!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Gideon Puppyhead

Gideon is six years old today....here's a retrospective...



Happy Birthday, Buddy!


Gideon's first weekend at his new home...such a cutie.

Betsyisms

Here are some random Betsyism that's I've been meaning to write down for awhile:

The other day we were watching some kids play soccer in the park and Betsy said, "Those kids playing Oscar!" Soccer, oscar...pretty close!

Tonight she pressed a circle into her playdough and showed it to me in amazement. Then she said, "I love circles" and held it to her face and hugged it with her eyes closed. Then she handed it to me and said, "For Mommy! A beautiful present." Talk about melting your heart!

She was asking for "nimps" the other day and I finally figured out that she meant "mints," which she can say, but I guess the sounds get a little mixed up in her brain sometimes.

She pulled a Kleenex out of the box the other day and shredded it (a habit she gets from the Detweilers--they have a paper tearing thing for some reason). Then she stuffed all the pieces back into the box and said quietly, "Good night, boogers."

Everytime the commercial for Animal Planet's Wild 100 comes on Betsy has to do this funny dance...she is quite the dancer these days!

I'm sure there are many more I'm forgetting...she talks all the time and I wish I just had a tape recorder with me every waking moment (or even at night...she slept with me one night while I was at Mom and Dad's and she talks quite big in her sleep as well!)

Yesterday we visited with my brother and his wife and Baby Jake for a few hours and after getting over her initial jealousy that Mommy and Daddy were holding someone else she had a very cute bonding moment with her new cousin. I was holding him and she sat on my lap facing him and they touched each other's hands. Jake smiled at her so big and she kept hugging him over and over. So cute.

Just now she put her hands in the front of her diaper and said, "I have to go potty." That's a first. We haven't started trying to potty train yet since we're moving, but I think she's going to be ready when we start.

That's all for Betsyisms for now! :)

Ah...to be a kid again...

and to see this huge pile of leaves in our yard as big fun instead of a big job! :)

After playing out in the cold fall air a girl just wants to get into her pjs and cuddle with her kitty...

After living in the garage for 9 days or so while we were gone, Phoebe was happy to be mauled by a toddler. Anything for some love!

I'm old...

I spent last weekend at my alma mater, Grace College, in Winona Lake, IN, running around campus with my best buddies from back in the day (Jodi and Juli). Unlike 10 years ago we were not talking about boys or classes...mostly we were just trying to corral the 5 children we were dragging along with us! Oh how things change.


We spent the week before the reunion weekend at Mom and Dad's house. Here's Betsy cuddling with Grandma and Grandpa.


Betsy walking down the path to my old dorm and dining hall...surreal!



Betsy checking out all the letters on the rock...I bet if you scraped all the paint off it would be about half this size since it's been painted on for a long, long time!


Betsy in front of my old home, Alpha Hall, holding an "orange" (it was a walnut but she insisted that it was an orange).



Enjoying a swing in the beautiful fall sun. What used to be the slums of Winona Lake when I was in school is now a beautiful artist's village with pottery and woodworking shops, little cafes and coffeehouses. I would have gotten a lot less studying done if this would have been around when I was there!


Our combined gang posing on a sculpture down by the lake. Isaac and Eli Dodd (Jodi's boys), Beau and Tyler Eckel (Juli's boys) and the lone gal, my Betsy.

Betsy and Eli reading some books together. We found a bookshelf full of kids' books in the hallway of the Education/Art building.



Cookies and milk after swimming at the hotel (the staff at the Holiday Inn Express in Warsaw was great ...stay there if you're going to Warsaw!)

Betsy chatting with Eli and Isaac's Grandma Rose who joined us for her 40th reunion!

Posing for Aunt Jodi


Beau, Juli and Tyler

Cuddling

Betsy settling in for the night with some raisins, Pink Kitty and Thomas on her new portable DVD player (but she's not spoiled or anything...) ;)

Beautiful Butterfly Bonnet

Myron's kind new co-workers blessed Betsy with this adorable hat last time we were in Ohio. She rediscovered it tonight and happily posed for a few pictures wearing her butterfly bonnet. :)

Fall Fun

Here's a few more pictures...I'm trying to keep up a little better with posting new pics so it doesn't take an hour to do it when I finally get around to it!


Betsy serving dinner in the diner car of her new pop-up train. Daddy found it for her at a garage sale!


All aboard!


Popping her head out of the roof for some al fresco dining.


I'm having fun...can you tell!!


Cute picture...if she was looking at me instead of the horses going by.


A little better...


The joy of autumn!


What a sweet smile

Family hayride

I love the orchard!

Cuddles

Enjoying kettle corn with Daddy and our new huge pumpkin.

This was yummy kettle corn...she's been talking about it ever since!

Checking out the world with my "in-auk-u-lers"