Questions Answered

After lunch:
Elijah: "I'll be here playing with Baby Have!"
Me: "OK. Thank you Elijah. That's a good plan. I'll be in here sweeping."
E: {running into the kitchen} "Thank you Momma! That is a really big help!!"

I mean, I'll take all the encouragement I can get~:-)

In other news, we're having a baby! And a housewarming party! You're all invited!

To answer some commonly asked questions:

- Baby #3, Little Peanut, is due September 24th, 2010.

- {To keep you from having to do the math, because I know your brow is furrowed right now} Haven will be just a few days shy of 18 months old, if Baby #3 arrives on time.

- Things that make me nauseous these days include breath/bodies which ooze the smell of garlic, watching Haven eat (only some days), oily hair, oily anything, food, and intense wall heaters. That said, I am not complaining about my nausea this time around, because IT IS SO MUCH BETTER than when I was pregnant with Haven and couldn't even open the refrigerator. Now I open it just long enough to grab a frozen pizza and pop it in the oven~:-) (What?)

- Our house is unpacked, but pictures are not hung. So, when you ask "How is the house coming?" and I have no coherent answer for you, it's because I have no idea what you mean by this question. Right now I'm just happy to have a working septic tank and a bucket under my leaky sink~;-)

- Getting your septic tank worked on is quite pricey. Also, it is not covered by your one-year Homeowner's Warranty - just in case you still believe that covers anything.

- Someday, I'll blog more. I'll also cook again.

Drop in and see our new house, our growing children, my growing belly, and our leaky sink. I'll be happy to see you!!!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

E: Quick! Quick Haven! The bad guys coming! Quick! Get in the catacombs!

H: {staring at Elijah through her little rocking chair, not moving}

E: Haven, these are the catacombs.

~ Thanks to Grampa's endless reading of The Storykeepers.
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And, yesterday:

E: {Goes into room. Closes door. Silence.}

L: What is he doing?

E: Momma! Daddy! I can't get out! I go pee-pee in my pants!

L: {searching for pee-pee, rag in hand} Where did you go potty Elijah?

E: In the catacombs, Momma.

Silly Momma. Where else would he go potty????

Mohawk

Can you guys see Haven's mohawk in these pictures? I haven't been able to get a good picture of it, mainly because I am lacking in photography skills.Haven has a double crown, which means her hair peaks into a nice little tent - right down the middle of her head.We've been told it won't be weird once her hair gets longer, but for now she remains "My Mohawk-Big-Bow-Baby!"

Green Beans

Elijah and I worked hard making Haven some fresh green beans.Haven did not appreciate our efforts.Oh well, at least she got a nap.

Poo-Bah Balls

Getting these pictures up (taken October 5th) makes me sad to leave our sweet little cabin. God gave me a little haven in this home - a place to breathe when we couldn't really afford one. A few years of living in the Vanderbilt area, a neighborhood filled with charming houses all squished together, made me long for space. Prior to that I went to a tiny college, where everyone knew your business and would often end up in your room at some point during the day. That too made me long to breathe. Both of those eras were very happy times, and I wouldn't trade them, but it has been quite a treat to live in a place where I could breathe. And breathing for me, involves land...trees, grass, unplowed spaces. Thanks to the generosity of our friends, we've had that for over a year now.
A favorite Fall activity in this place is finding poo-bah balls. Dad has always used that word for anything yucky; I think it's a remnant of our time in Germany. Last year, Elijah was scared of the big poo-bah balls. So, during this trip, Dad told him they weren't scary; "they're just poo-bah!" Hence, our name for the Osage Hedge Ball. This year, we cleared out all the balls from under our poo-bah tree. (You're welcome, Mark.) The balls are supposedly good for getting rid of spiders. You can order some here, but the EPA has banned this company from telling you that they might get rid of spiders. Stick in tow; ready to go.Searching.

Finding.Throwing.Carrying.Crawling.Gleeful boy, happy to breathe. These are the same hills mentioned here. Now Elijah can run straight up this thing, without any hesitation. Haven will learn to walk and climb hills somewhere else. Gazing. Picking. Happy girl, glad to breathe.We just closed on our new house. We cannot wait to move in. God is so good; I will be able to breathe there as well.

Family Time

Love those two!

Jesse James Festival

Our tiny little town holds a tiny little festival, the Jesse James Festival. We were excited to go this year, and invited Eric's family to come. The Dodds spent the night which, although probably not as fun as spend-the-nights at their house (due in part to my lack of Little Debbie's), was great fun! Grammie and Grampa joined us the next morning. Elijah was THRILLED to have two friends join him in the never-boring game of run-around-the-porch-pushing-something.Grammie and Aunt Laura seemed to really enjoy the game as well, although I suspect they were laughing at each other~:-)We walked down the street to the festival, got a flat (stroller) tire on the way, and enjoyed the festivities. Haven was happy to watch from Grampa's lap. Our cowboy friend, Ross, was there. Elijah already thought Ross was super cool, but this pretty much cemented his place in Elijah's Big Boy Hall of Fame. After this show, everything was a gun. Luke was really stylin' on this sunny day.Family pic as we enjoyed the live band. I could have listened to them longer. This man made up his own bass instrument with an old washtub, a big stick, and a piece of twine. What?!?! We got hamburgers and pizza at Earthman's General Store, located in the 1874 home where a member of the James Gang was captured. I think this day did the owner (Cookie?) in, because Earthman's has now closed. It is really a shame, because she made such a good hamburger! Really, it was so good. Haven fell asleep in a super awkward position. I suppose she couldn't get over this guy's hair. {Side note: Speaking of hair, check out Elijah's Walmart-special haircut. Oh my. I'm hoping not to repeat that ordeal. Right at the end of the haircut, she gave. him. bangs. That's right, just what every boy needs.} To finish off the day, Elijah went home, got comfortable and "play my guitar, Momma." "On my horse, Momma. I play my guitar."We'll miss you, Earthman's General! Oh, they even had a little quilt shop inside!