::: the meaning of oaks II :::

2011-01-18T11:54:00.000-08:00

An Open Letter to Friends and Fans of the NE Patriots: 

I want to begin by offering my heart felt sympathy for your loss. I am not being sarcastic here. As a lifetime Steeler fan I have developed a strong impulse to root against the Patriots. More than any other team, they seem to "have our number." Not to mention the painful losses in the AFC Championship games after the 2001 and 2004 seasons. When Hines Ward cried, I cried as well. However, I have come to appreciate that the discipline and the continued excellence of the Patriots in this salary cap era is something to be truly admired.

I began watching the football game rooting for the Jets. This is not because I liked the Jets, but because my loyalties to the Steelers convinced me this was best. A Jets win brought the playoff game to Pittsburgh and I still feel like the Pats are the better team and would have offered a tougher challenge to the Black and Gold. But as the game wore on, my feelings shifted. My brain said, “Jets should win”, by my heart, my sense of justice and my desire to see good triumph over evil began to sway my affections. Against my better intentions, I began to hope for some of that old “Brady magic.” And after Shonne Green used the ball as a pillow, I converted. I silently began to hope that the Jets would meet a grim end afterall.

I can only imagine how you feel. The Jets are a terrible team. I don't mean that they are bad players, just bad people. Their coach is a loud mouth and their players are obnoxious. And they come from New York City. I can't imagine anyone hating any team the way you must hate the Jets right now. And since you are going to be watching the playoffs this week, why not honestly root for the team that will be playing against the Jets! As the old saying goes, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Come on board and embrace your destiny.

I would like to extend and invitation to take a vacation in Steelers Nation. I would like to think of it as a travel visa to visit a far away land and to engage in the local customs.
Now, I am not insulting your loyalties or your intelligence by suggeting that you change your football citizenship. That requires much more than a disappointing playoff loss. I am talking about a momentary indulgence. Since you are going to watch the game, and since you are going to root AGAINST the Jets... why not embrace the fact that you are rooting FOR the Steelers. (You can do this in the privacy of your own home.)

The are a lot of reasons that I could offer for why you should do this. It could appeal to football enthusiasts by reminding you of the storied history of this franchise and their commitment to hard nosed football. I could try to appeal to your sense of sympathy by describing the way Pittsburgh continues to embrace their blue collar steel worker mentality by celebrating this icon of steel production (the “Steelers”) long after the steel industry has left this “rust belt” city. Or I could encourage you to do your Patriotic duty by supporting the team owned by the United States embassador to Ireland. One argument that I will not be able to make isthat our team is full of classy stand out citizens. (Thanks, Ben.) In conclusion, my one argument is simple: You HATE the Jets. Not only do you want them to lose, you want them to suffer. And there is no way to root for their complete destruction except by also embracing the fact that you will enjoy seeing good things happen to the Steelers. So, why fight it. Embrace you destiny. Root for the Steelers. This Sunday, spend the day in “Steeler's Nation.”

You may be asking, how is this done? How do might I (even if I wanted to) spend a day visiting Steelers Nation and viewing it from the inside. It is actually quite simple. Steeler Nation is not a place with geographic borders. It simple the attitude of ones heart in which you commit your happiness to the success of Pittsburgh's professional football team. The initiating ceremony involves a towel. Technically speaking it should be a golden towel with the copyright “Terrible Towel” lettering, of which all profits are donated to a local charity for the mentally impaired. (That is true.) But for the purposes of the travel visa to Steeler's Nation, any piece of cloth - of gold, yellow or even beige color - will do. Simply extend your dominate hand over your head and hold the towel (or cloth) at the corner. When something good happens to the Steelers on the football field, you can tell the world that this is now contributing to your own personal happiness (and the unhappiness of Jets fans) by twirling the towel above your head like a helicopter blade. The trick in making this work is to rotate your wrist. If you need help, you can watch the video below. Just remember, there are only two choices Sunday. Deep in your heart you will either have to say, “J-E-T-S” or “Here we go Steelers.” It's your choice.

Sincerely

Matthew Koerber

(Born and Bred Steelers Fan, who lived in Boston for 4 years)

Matthew now lives in the City of Pittsburgh

2011-01-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

Blogging need not be complicated....

2010-12-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

nor FULL of words.

CIRCUS w/ good friends...

Trick or treating....

End of soccer - what fun!

Trax Farms w/ Nama!

2010-07-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

I agree, it has been entirely too long.

Ever since Facebook, I have been a huge slacker w/ the blog. Mostly because I am a terrible writer and just update in quick and easy sentences. I have found myself thinking in "tweets" - even though I don't tweet exactly. I update my facebook page... fairly obsessively. I want to be a better writer -- record keeper :). Therefore, blog, I will update you more often.

This has been the fullest summer yet for the Koerber clan. We are enjoying it, heat and all! We have had a Baldauff vacation in the Smokies with a visit to Clarkston, GA following. I got to visit a dear friend in Boulder, CO and we have yet to hit August! We have been hit w/ 2 different horrible colds on the weeks in between. This has been the summer of running... and I'm stalling. BIG TIME.

We are expecting numero quatro the end of Febuary and this lil bug has not been nice to me so far. I have been the sickest I've ever been w/ any pregnancy and have been spotting quite a bit. I spent about 24 hrs early this week mourning a potential loss, only to see a healthy lil heartbeat as a result of an early ultrasound.

Here are a couple of fun pics from our visits down south.

The great Stone Mountain - w/ our favorite southerner - Caleb!

The girl Baldauff cousins!

The boy Baldauff cousins!

A yummy BBQ restaurant in the Smokies

ABI!

2010-02-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Papap must have snagged this picture in the kitchen!

Watching the Pens w/ Grandparents!

"Jumpy sing!" shouts Norah every time we bring up the moon bounce. She loves it and would spend an entire day in it. Just a note -- it's set up in our newly dry walled attic! Go-go gadget Matt! He's been working hard... with a little help from some friends.

Norah's new Greenfield friend, Ezra. They are a week apart and really enjoy one another's company. We got to hang out w/ Ez while his parents got a date. Norah and he walked around for about an hour holding hands. Very funny indeed!

One of the boys got this lil miniature coloring pad w/ 3 tiny lil markers. All 3 kids squeezed in trying to color simultaneously. It was really sweet.

I have such delightful children. I have really been enjoying motherhood recently! I can't believe how quickly they are growing up. Norah has been talking up a storm while Theo and Isaac have been enjoying school. It's fun to get a little one on one w/ the girl...

Matthew has been working his tail off trying to get the house ready for a visit from an appraiser. We need the house to be worth the money that we have put into it... The attic is coming along VERY nicely! We are about ready to start painting! What a lovely room... such perfect space for our moon bounce (oh, and guests!)

Life is full and delightful of late.

2010-01-05T15:52:00.000-08:00

Typical Norah stink face ... even on Christmas morning!!

Playing outside Christmas Eve day!

Our snowman! It rocks, doesn't it?!

I'm going to try and do it... continue blogging. I miss it. I miss having to put full sentences together in paragraphs and trying to communicate some going on's here. But I'm going to start tomorrow. Haha.

2009-08-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Summer lovin'

It has been a FULL summer. We are enjoying our new home.

2009-07-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

moving. four doors down. definitely not as easy as i had hoped :) love you all.

2009-05-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

Isaac and Norah

With Nama -- check out Norah's tongue

One of my favorite pictures ever!

2009-05-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

Pictures of some fun times in Clearfield. These are being posted because I can't figure out how to send 'em to Matt without them being huge...

Norah at the ball field

Theo's Troll face...

Theo's kick off

Theo practicing putting the ball into the net

Brothers playing together

2009-05-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying the sunshine of late :) Already a couple of bike rides have been taken. It's lovely to not have a newborn this summer. I carry Theo on the back of my bike and Matt hauls Isaac and Norah in the bike carrier. It's quite the Koerber production, but well worth it! We are enjoying the exercise together. Above is one of our favorite "bike haunts..." We love to ride to the South Side!

And above... we have another WALKER! These are some of her first steps - and while a proficient crawler (her #1 means of transportation) walking IS in her future. Every day she walks more.

Theo has potty trained. It was a decision that he made on Monday and has only had one accident (the day after) since. WOOT! I'm so proud of my little big boy :) He's loving his potty treats - matchbox cars. Isaac is loving all the new additions to their already LARGE collection.

2009-05-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

We've got some potty training going on (very SUCCESSFUL potty training, I might add) and some walking. Hopefully soon, I'll post the footage... one video incidentally, catches both :)!!

2009-04-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

A typical afternoon :)

And.... a three year old!!!

2009-03-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

Thank you Nama and PapPap for the stroller!! She finally is getting up on it and using it to "practice" her walking.

She's getting so big!

2009-03-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

oh yeah. I have a singer, everyone. I have a singer of a boy ;)!

Man, I love this.

2009-03-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long.

Norah turned a year today and I unfortunately introduced her birthday w/ a bang. We went for our year check-up and got four shots plus a finger prick. Poor creature... just the stethoscope to her chest was bad enough... she was ballistic by the time she got her shots.

It turned out (thankfully) to be a lovely day. We were in the grocery store this morning after the drama at the doctor's office to buy some materials for cupcakes. A sweet ole fellow bought both Theo and Norah a cookie from the counter and upon finding out it was her birthday, he handed her a five dollar bill. A complete stranger! So sweet.

A couple of videos:

We got off on an awful start to singing...

Kissies...

That's about it for now... Gotta update soon. Life has been nuts!

2009-02-04T11:43:00.000-08:00

Truly -- an unforgettable experience! We left WAY too early... and got there with an hour and 15 minutes to wait for the parade to start. The poor kids were a mess by the time Big Ben came by... so we left shortly after seeing him!

Big Ben and Charlie -- with the mayor in between?!?

"Defense! Defense!" The crowd chanted!

This man WALKED the parade - giving hi-fives and waving his towel.

A very unsure Norah -- but thrilled boys.

We got this smile shortly before the parade began!

This mornings conversation over breakfast.

A bit of a backdrop... Theo always calls himself, "Theo Dwight Koerber." I think he believes that Dwight is an extension to our last name. We very often call Isaac "Isaac Dwight Koerber," as it's often he needs to be hollered at ;) Not really -- I suppose we just love the flow of the name.

Well... this morning at breakfast Isaac called Theo "Jacob." His pappap Baldauff calls him Jacob all the time (probably cause he forgets his real name... heehee, just kidding dad!) After telling Isaac and Theo that the reason why papap calls him by that name is a result of my Dad's own Dad calling all the boys in their large family, "Isaac" and "Jacob"... Theo started crying.

Me: Theo? What's wrong?
Theo (in a very whiney voice): I'm NOT Jacob.
Me: I know you aren't Jacob... we are just teasing you and calling you Jacob.
Theo: But I'm Theo Dwight Koerber!
Me: Well, you aren't really Theo Dwight Koerber... you are Theodore Robert Koerber.
Theo: But I'm Theo Dwight Koerber, mommy! I don't like Robert.
Me: We named you Theodore Robert Koerber after my daddy's dad, though... and I LOVE that name.
Theo: How about .... uh.... How about... (imagine long, thoughtful pauses...)

Theodore Koerber.... Roethlisberger -- (really RufflesBURGER)

haha... Isaac and I laughed ourselves silly.

Hopefully Steelers madness will be over here... It's been a really fun ride - but I'm ready to move on ;) Thanks Stillers!!

2009-01-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

I get an insanely giddy feeling in my heart every time I think about the Steelers in the SuperBowl!

Isaac and I just had the following conversation.

Isaac, "well, you know mommy, if the Steelers win that big game, then they will have a parade for them."
Me, "yes, they will and we will BE THERE."
Isaac, "when we go, we might get to see Ben Roethlisberger and when i see him, i'm going to shout, 'BEN!!'"
Me, "that will be fun, huh?"
Isaac, "he might even see me and throw something to me."
Me, "what would he throw?"
Isaac, "how about a football?"

Sweet.

2009-01-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

We have a beautiful and gifted photographer that attends CityReformed (one of three actually, heehee). She captured a "day w/ the Koerbers."

Thought you might enjoy!

www.mchapp.com/slideshows/koerbers/index.html

Love yinsers -- GO STEELERS!

2008-12-24T11:18:00.000-08:00

My boys Christmas gift to you.... They decided this morning that their shirts made really cool dancing skirts.

Merry Christmas friends and family! We love you!

2008-12-06T09:29:00.000-08:00

This afternoon the boys sat down to a bowl of turkey and wild rice soup at their sweet lil picnic table in our dining room. There were bits of Theo's oatmeal/blueberries at his place setting and he sweetly asked, "Mommy, can you clean this up?" While I picked the morning's breakfast off the table, I asked Theo, "Why don't you just do it?" He said, "I'm not a girl......" Hmmm, could be indicative of how much they see their daddy clean up. Oh yoi.

2008-11-24T13:41:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, Theo and I were reading through a Psalm (kiddified, of course) about God making the skies for us.

I paused, sighed and said, "I love God."

Theo paused, sighed and said, "I love God too .... and Barney."

Not sure if he meant Barnabus the cat or the purple dinosaur, I asked him which Barney.

"The dinosaur, mommy, and God," he replied.

2008-11-16T18:59:00.000-08:00

a dance party. we have loads of reasons to dance.

2008-10-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

"I'm on a roll... oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhhhhhh"

Our trip to the zoo today.... The polar bear trap!

The polar bears put on a LOVELY show for us. The picture does it NO justice.

We are in the muskrat tunnels.... my dear friend got a good shot!

Norah and Lena.... girlfriends ;)

My new favorite picture of the boys.

We had a lovely day with some friends today at the zoo. I know I've been blogging a lot lately - just trying to get back in gear.

Hope all are well!

CKs Chicken Pot Pie

2008-10-20T13:31:00.001-07:00

It's all the rave ;) I took a recipe from allrecipes.com and adapted it to be my own. Here's how I do it -- I was to type this out as an email and thought I'd post it - as it is a family favorite. Isaac asks for it about 3 times a week!

Chicken Pot Pie

preheat oven 425

pillsbury pie crusts (for bottom and top layers)
1 pd chicken breast (I sometimes use a whole Costco chicken)
about a cup of potatoes
4 cups of frozen mixed veggies

--- I boil chicken breast and potatoes together until cooked and then add the frozen veggies to thaw. drain and combine w/ filling mixture:

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup onion
1/3 cup flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t celery seed
1 3/4 cups chx broth (can)
2/3 cup milk

--- cook onions in butter until soft. stir in flour, salt, pepper and celry seed. slowly stir chx broth and milk and simmer until thick.
--- place chx mixture over bottom pie crust, pour hot liquid mixture over. cover top w/ pie crust, seal edges and cut the access off (i never have any!) make small slits to allow steam out.
--- bake for 30-35 minutes and then let stand for 10.

2008-10-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Norah's crawling! Side note: turn down the volume... I'm quite annoying ;) Be prepared to deal w/ the obnoxiousness of a doting mother.

Matt's first post - Theo's first story

2008-10-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

Well, here is my first post. Appropriately, this is Theo's first story that I have ever heard him tell. This is the what he said tonight at bedtime.

Theo (from the bottom bunk): I wfaght tdoou thdehl agh shctourghy.
Daddy: Theo, take your pacify out of your mouth.
Theo: [pop], I want to tell a story too.
Daddy: Ok

Theo: The little boy and the little bwather went for a walk in the woods. And they saw a tdwool.
Isaac (from the top bunk): a doll?
Theo: A troll. And he was big. Big, Big.
Isaac: A giant troll!
Theo: Then he ate the little boys.
Daddy: [?]
Theo: Then they flew up in the air and went to the door.
Daddy: What?
Theo: Then they saw the troll and he ate them again.
Daddy: Did they go in his belly?
Theo: NO. He put them in his mouth. And then they went down into his belly. And then they flew out.
Daddy: What?
Theo: They flew out of his belly. And they flew out to the door. And on the other side of the door was another one.
Daddy: Another one what?
Theo: A troll.
Daddy: Did he eat them again?
Theo: No, he ate a sandwich. The end.

2008-10-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

I'm on a roll! I didn't even wait for an entire month to go by. I've been a terrible blogger these days - and hope to remedy that soon.

We have Andrew, my brother Tom's middle child, staying over night... our first over night guest (besides Eli's middle of the night visit when his brother was born!) The boys (Isaac and Andrew) are up there talking away... about bad and good guys. That followed a conversation about doing really funny things w/ their heads. I wish I had a video camera.

Today is my sweet little brother's birthday! He turns 27 and is about to have his first baby ANY DAY now. We had a lovely time celebrating his day and eating a lot of pizza. He and his lovely wife babysat ALL three of my children giving my husband and I a chance to visit my favorite uncle. I still can't believe they SO willingly took three kids on the verge of having their own... not only did they do it, but man, they did it WELL.

The stars alined perfectly this afternoon and we had the opportunity to get to spend time w/ my dear uncle. Uncle Jim has been really sick for well over a year now and I haven't had the opportunity to see him. I am amazed by the Lord's grace that has been eeking over him and my sweet Aunt Dolly and that home... I love my aunt's honesty about everything going on in her home and heart. I am blessed by knowing these two - truly. Being with them was THE single best way to spend my sabbath afternoon. Thanks for calling me back, Aunt Dolly. I love you guys. Please pray for my uncle... Here's a bit more about where they are.

I am so in love with our church. I love watching people lovin' on one another. I love the order of worship. I love the songs that we sing and HOW much everyone SINGS them. I love the preaching (& I don't just say that 'cause we share the same house.) I love how my children as so loved on and cared for. I love having my parents there every Sunday ;). CRPC has been such a gift!

BathTIME - Norah's finally added to the mix!

Our new favorite toy - the Leapster.

My sweet lil Norah. Do you like her hair Aunt Meggie?!

Norah and moving! Although -- she has mastered crawling just this week - I've not yet got any footage of it.

2008-09-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like my heart is gonna burst. I love our church. Just love it.

2008-09-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

haha... I just watched that video (yes, I didn't even watch it before I posted it.) Gotta love that Koerber singing, bless their hearts ;)

Here are a couple of additional pictures of our 4 year old's birthday!

The gang:

Rachel and Norah cuddle time:

Hiatt and Norah cuddle time:

Our pinata - yes, I felt a little comfortable bashing his head in with a bat, however, it was worse when the holder broke and we had to hang him by his neck -- which is in process of happening right now.

Pin the hook on the Pirate - designed by Matt: Our sweet cousin Paul!

My boy is growing up. Life is so quickly changing. I don't know if I like it.

2008-09-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

Isaac's birthday party! We had a lovely time. He's FOUR. My baby is four. Holy smokes.

2008-09-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

T fishing!

2008-09-06T11:16:00.001-07:00

if you love new music....

www.noisetrade.com

amazing.

2008-07-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

These are for you, Mrs. Cort! (and others... that don't facebook!)

A millipede that Isaac had the guts to hold!

Theo wasn't touching it!

Isaac assisting Theo's first bouldering attempts.

Brothers....

One of my all-time favorite photos.

I adore the look on Theo's face.

2008-07-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

1) What was I doing 10 years ago? Hmmm.... ten years ago this summer I was falling in love with one of Camp Krislund's Adventure Team leaders. To this day, actually, I had just gone to Creation to surprise the fellow that I was currently dating and ended up just hanging out with Matt's family in their little Creation Clearfield circle. I walked into that community and felt strangely at home. Little did I know, I WAS home. sniff*sniff.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today? (how about were?)
WHAT TO - DO LIST?! Just kidding.
I visited a new friend and her two girls up the street.
Make white chili for supper.
Return our library movies to avoid fines ;)
Ride the Carousal.
Drink Bubble Tea on Schenely Plaza's lawn.

3) Snacks I enjoy:
Bubble tea ;), freezie pops (lots of them), pretzels and cheddar cheese together (me and the boys had a pretzels and cheese party this afternoon!), combos (the more expensive version of cheese and pretzels.)

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
I would buy the Greenfield mansion. Well... the rest of it I'd give to Matt. heehee... there's a safe way to not own what I would do with it all!

5) Places I have lived:
Pittsburgh
Boston
State College
Bulawayo Zimbabwe - does 3 months count?

6) Jobs I have had:
TJ Maxx sales clerk and fitting room attendant
Eat N Park waitress
Geneva College admissions tour guide
Resident Assistant
babysitter ;)
Campus Minister
Physician Recruiter
Stay at home MOM

There you go Meggie pants! I just did this for you instead of suffering more losses to silly Scramble.

2008-07-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

This made me weep.

While we were watching it, Isaac said, "There's our coach!!"

2008-06-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

Regarding my BLOG - This is a temporary fix until I find my perfect graphic. Of course, you realize that I am the mother of three children and am married to a pastor - which really results in a life of chaos. Please bear with the changing page.

Beautiful things that happened this evening:

Me and my boys (Norah napped) had a date w/ "Meet the Robinsons." I was the only one who cried.

After a horrible temper tantrum resulting in having to go to bed without any stories or books, my eldest son hunted me down to apologize. He actually said, "Mom, I am sorry I cried so much tonight..." Whether the motivation was real repentance or getting his stories it was pretty amazing that he apologized! He is growing.

I made a chicken pot pie in 45 minutes... slowly perfecting what has become a family staple - and family favorite. I'm excited to know that I can actually cook the chicken/potato/veggie mix while working on the gravy. I used to do it separately and just shaved off 15 minutes! WOoT! Truly - beautiful. Now, if you really do care about that, I'll be impressed.

2008-06-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

it's official. i am now a two cup morning coffee drinker.

2008-06-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

T's new look!

At the Science Center -- AGAIN.

My three boys enthralled by the trains.

I left Daddy alone w/ the kiddos. He took them for a walk and apparently it rained. He kept running his hands through N's hair... and gave her a new do!

Here's a better view of that do.

A couple of videos too for you! My word... I really need to get at this computer more often.

Theo "praying."

They are pumping each other up ;)

As usual, my children are entertaining the be-geebies out of me.

We are well. Busy of course, but well. Matt was just recently at GA (General Assembly) and I managed OK home alone with all three. My mother had me over one afternoon (we were grumpy together) and I left quite cheerily but the proceeded to get myself into a little fender bender on the way home. I'm surprised they don't just automatically up your premium when you have more than 2 children. It is amazing that I get from point A to point B healthily. Anyway... the next day was bearable but come Thursday I called for reinforcement. We had a lovely family take the chillin's to their community pool - where both parties: me and them, got distance from one another. The boys had a blast ... and I got to walk around and get a couple of necessities.

This summer already feels like it's flying by. I feel like it should still be spring and technically it is - but we are already halfway through June! Doesn't that just feel odd? We have a couple of weddings this summer which we are looking forward to and a vacation in August. We have also just found out that two of our dearest friends who had a new little baby girl just a month after I had Norah are moving to Pittsburgh! We are thrilled to say the least!

Norah is moving around like crazy and really growing up far too quickly! I'm already missing my newborn. Theo is talking like mad and really quite opinionated. Isaac, well... he is just a little boy. I can't believe how little boyish he is.

Matt... well, he's growing up too ;) I can't believe how well I married. I definitely married up (I know you are going to read that mom, and say that I didn't -- I'm not knocking our family ;) I'm just sayin'.... I didn't think you could get better than the Baldauffs... heehee)

Alright. Signing out. I've been a terrible blogger - and for those of you that check frequently, I'm sorry! But hey, I'm the mother of three -- what do you stinkin' expect?

2008-06-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

I have to do it! It is very entertaining....

Thanks Hannah.

2008-05-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

We went to the Children's Festival in Oakland today... we actually just happened upon it. We are going tomorrow with daddy. However... a funny thing happened today. Even funnier than the goats chasing Theo around the petting zoo trying to nibble on his fingers.

We are walking around... the kids' stage announces it's show: "Ladies and gentleman, the finest show of the festival... join me in welcoming the belly dancers troupe." Isaac, excited about the loud music and the stage, desperately wanted to watch the show. C'mon - BELLY DANCERS?!?!? At a Kids' festival? Like my poor soon needs to look at any more bellies.

Well, later on this evening - more than five hours after, Isaac looks at me and asks, "mom, why couldn't we watch the belly dancers? I'm almost as old as you. I AM a big boy." Oh dear...

2008-05-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

yes, i do not blog anymore. i can't find the words... i am not intelligent enough any longer... i feel i am only able to communicate as a three year old. i confirm. having babies kills brain cells.

my girl is good to me. she sleeps so well. the only trouble she gives me is her desire to be held from 5-7pm: which thoroughly complicates dinner time. her smiles are endearing and her lil coos are sweet.

the boys are pretty good to me as well. they fight a lot recently. toys bought are bought in pairs. so creative! we were at my sisters house yesterday (SURPRISE!) and the boys entertained themselves in a kidfree home for two hours. i love these boys. theo is starting to communicate more and more.

we are blessed. what good friends we have. hopefully i'll get some new pics up soon.

THE Zoo

2008-04-23T12:27:00.001-07:00

2008-04-14T07:40:00.001-07:00

Thank you sweet Australian friend who has encouraged more footage of the proud momma.

Bath time!

Alright... that's a wrap. That is all I am capable of this morning.... and possibly week. We've got to clean our house.

2008-04-14T07:30:00.001-07:00

I promise more verbage within the month. Here are some pictures.

Her normal state... sleeping.

Happy vacation!!

Happy 2nd Birthday big boy!

The older brother... having a turn at holding her.

"take picture ME, momma!"

2008-04-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

blogging with three children = impossible. for ME anyway. i'll try and get more pictures posted as soon as i can. hope all are well.

Welcome to our World...

2008-03-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

Norah has been getting a large dose of our world of late... The boys are deeply in love and gentle and dear. Here are some notables of late:

Norah Grace SLEEPS. She has given me at least one 5 hour stretch EVERY night since we've come home from the hospital. Immediately upon nursing during that ONE feeding a night, she goes right back to sleep. Consequently, I have had more energy NOW than I had prior to having her! (Now, if only my house would reflect that fact!)
Last Thursday morning, Norah was sleeping w/ daddy and Theo still in bed, Isaac and I had a precious and rare moment just the two of us. We were eating breakfast and it hit me that it was no longer just Isaac and Theo any longer -- there was a NEW child, new life in our family. I mentioned the fact to Isaac - in awe - and he responded by putting his fork down, looking me in the eye and asking, "wow mommy, can you handle it?" Oh, that I would handle it well.
Anytime Norah cries - Isaac immediately runs to her (no matter WHERE she is) and says, "it's alright Norah, I'm here. You are not lonely any more. I'm here!"

We are enjoying our new addition to our world. We are all in love.

Theo is constantly adding to his "stuffed animal" collection that he has to have in bed w/ him at night. We thought we'd give our new addition a shot -- He was so sad when we told him he couldn't actually keep her in there all night.

Of course, Isaac wanted in on it... They were so excited about this!

The ever famous jaundiced Koerber.... ;) Poor thing...

Norah Grace

2008-03-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

This is an email that Matt sent out just yesterday - while he was entirely unsupervised.

As you probably knew, Chrissie has been experiencing severe abdominal
swelling. This led to some pretty great discomfort and when she began
to have piercing pain on Monday we decided that she should go to the
hospital. Anyway, after a very short investigation, the doctors were
able to determine the cause of the problems. Believe it or not,
Chrissie had a small person living inside of her! It was amazing.
Well, the doctors have a special procedure for getting the baby out -
iI would not have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes.

Well, that solved everything. Chrissie is feeling fine. The pains
have stopped and her swelling has already been reduced. We have
decided to keep this new person and make her part of the family. We
named her Norah Grace (8 bls. 4 oz.) and she is cute.

Thanks for your prayers!

In Christ,
Matt (Chrissie, Isaac, Theo and Norah)

Here are a couple of pictures to satisfy the peoples ;) I'll try and get more later and up.

Ball Bellies. Theo's new favorite game

MY ball.

Boys & grandparents meet the ball.

Daddy rests with the ball.

Look at my hair!!

2008-02-29T11:49:00.000-08:00

To some, this will mean nothing... to others - like myself - you'll be impressed! This morning, Matt and I decided to take the kiddos to our lil breakfast place - Elana's across Greenfield Ave. Matt took the van and dropped it off to be inspected and me and boysie's walked down Lydia. As we passed Kanai funeral home at the bottom of our street, the door opened and out walked Art Rooney Jr w/ a bodyguard/driver/friend? Immediately recognizing him... I wondered... it is kosher to say hi? The poor fellow, recognized, I AM SURE, everywhere he goes, was leaving the funeral home and walking across the street to St Rosalia's to where the funeral mass was to take place. We made eye contact and acknowledged each other's presence. As we went to cross the street, the sweet owner of the PITTSBURGH STEELERS told us to be careful and wait for him to cross with us. They giggled at Theo's "future Steeler" cap that he was sporting... and we parted by asking that the Lord would bless one another.

This is why I love living in the city. I love that all of you dear folk in Boston and elsewhere with no allegiance to this lovely city would have no reaction to this story. BUT, if you are a Pittsburgher, you'd want to buy a house next store ;) just in case Art comes back... heehee.

2008-02-26T15:09:00.000-08:00

No babies yet. I'm weary!

These sweet lil buggers keep me going ;)

2008-02-11T08:39:00.000-08:00

A very productive weekend! We became our own particularized church, Matt landed his first senior pastor position, ordained a couple of elders, vowed to serve the Pittsburgh community, built a loft, painted a room - FUSCIA pink!, and got another week closer to having a baby girl ;).

Some fun new shots.

A bright and contagious smile. He had just gotten back from his "sitting on the step" routine that happens every night when he pitches fits about dinner ;) with that hat. He comes back with a new hat every time.

Camera savvy - always ready to take a picture. I do have a normal smile picture of him somewhere ;)

Mommy's playdate at the dinosaur museum! What a treat!

I can't handle our cat 99% of the time. (Evil, I know... but, to my credit, I already have 3 other beings craving my attention, cuddles and affection. I can't handle having to pet/touch such an attention-starved cat!) However, this is what keeps poor ole Barnabus in this home....

A couple of videos for the grandparents!

The following video was taken at PiratesFest -- we got tickets from our SWEET and dear neighbor across the street (who loves my fuscia room, by the way). The boys love baseball - and well, we only let them watch the Pirates ;) The event was fairly disappointing... you'd think that for a very under producing sports team that they would try and serve their fading fan base just a little bit. It cost over 30 bucks to get in and then cost money to "play" games. We didn't see a single player there. I did get a chance to capture the best part of our time there... The Pirate Parrot was very entertaining!

Here's a little footage of our attempts to dig up some ole dinosaur bones at the NHM (Natural History Museum.) Theo was a trip and REALLY into the whole process. He cried when I took his ridiculous goggles off (the ones that prohibited breathing through his nose.) The kids had a blast.

Alright ... signing out. It's laundry day!

2008-02-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

I have been an extremely poor blogger of late. The last two weeks we've had the computer upstairs - which is a GOOD thing for my addictive self. That means I have to drag my very pregnant self up my steep stairs to check my email (ie - waste time on the internet,) something I find more and more tiring and troublesome. My boys rarely "play" upstairs... something I hope we change soon.

This girl is a mover and shaker! It's crazy how much she is tearing it up inside. Theo certainly did not move this much - I think Isaac did. We are getting more and more excited about meeting her and actually less intimidated (maybe that's why the Lord gives you the rottenest month of pregnancy - called the 9th month.) I'm looking forward to NOT feeling like a freight truck. I'm looking forward to not looking like one too!

We are looking forward to a visit from the in-laws this weekend ... they've committed (i think...) to painting and getting our rooms re-organized upstairs. The boys will either be built a loft or be bought a bunkbed set and finally move in together ;) The lil chica's room will be painted, the crib will be assembled and all of Matt's books will be moved... I feel very anxious about this process... once it's done... I'll be ready for her! Anyway... the boys are beside themselves looking forward to a visit from the Clearfield grandparents.

I just love this face!

My sweet boys!

Oh, bummer...

2008-01-21T13:04:00.002-08:00

The most wonderful time of the day - I think it is because of the infrequency of our baths that we love them so much! These are their "funny" faces. Isn't Theo growing up!?

My Theo has really taken to saying "oh, bummer!" if he misses something. I've been trying to capture it for a while and I've got it. This video is particularly for Uncle Ken - as he was really hoping to hear it sometime.

2008-01-08T10:36:00.000-08:00

haha... I looked at it again. You really can't make out the belly at all. At least you have the opportunity to poke fun at the fat face!! I'll get another one up..... no worries.

2008-01-08T10:24:00.001-08:00

There you have it. haha... you can't see my belly at all because of the black shirt. I'll try and do better next time. By the way, that other baby? Already out. Born Jan 3rd!! Woot!! New Auntie I am.

A month passed....

2008-01-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe a whole month has passed since I've last blogged. I suppose we should all get used to it because I am not sure how I will ever have time to do anything once this little girl arrives. You've got two more months ladies and gentleman! Two more months until complete and utter chaos reigns in the Koerber household. It almost reigns now... but for some reason we are keeping our heads slightly above it all.

So right.... Christmas has come and gone and New Years as well. These past two weeks have been really quite odd. The worst cold of the century is being passed from person to person... with Isaac finally starting to demonstrate his snifflies this afternoon. Hopefully it'll pass over him... but I'm fairly doubtful that it will. We've got our albuterol in stock and his dinosaur mask ready. So? I guess I'm ready?

Christmas was interesting this year. I feel like we spent all month feeling ready and on top of everything (all our shopping done early... a tree up on the 6th of December! -- monumental stuff for these Koerbers!) but then WHAM! Christmas hit. How could I feel blindsided by it when everything was done? We had a lovely play done by Hannah J and Rachel S w/ the church and it was a hit... Isaac even said his line! We had lovely dinners with several of the community groups in the church making my need for coming up w/ suppers scarce ;) sweet! Christmas Eve was spent at 1st Reformed and then with my parents. It was a treat to worship w/ so many that have loved and supported this new city church. And of course, supper w/ my family was a real treat -- too short!

Christmas day after spending some time together in the morning, we headed to Clearfield so spend time with Matthew's family. It was a real delight to be together the little time that we had before lil Theo decided to ruin it all by throwing up. Matthew got some good time studying and reading at his dad's office while me and the boys got some real good Nama time in.

We came home to a house that needed TONS of work before we opened it on New Year's Day - our annual open house. Christmas toys are still finding their way to their appropriate places... but we have a cleaner house than usual and still more unusual order.

Some of my Christmas highlights:

worship at 1st Reformed Christmas Eve - I just love that church and the support that they have offered my family and City Reformed. It was a delight to worship with them Monday night.
the boys got a new toy kitchen (that still isn't together yet) from Nama... we are loving it!
iPods - the year of the iPod. Matt got a small 4gb ipod in exchange for our nasty couch (thanks A!) and got us slightly hooked on the idea of getting all of our music into one of those lil buggers. My Christmas present was the mother of all mothers - 80 GB iPod. holy smokes.
Iron and Wine - Sammy makes the highlights! That album is marvelous. Matt's even hooked.
My ultimate favorite - the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. Isaac begs to read it every night and woke me up this morning w/ it asking to please read the story about Jesus and the nails. I have never seen a children's Bible that I have so loved and trusted! Every chapter is Christ centered. If you have children and do not have this book - please tell me and I will buy you a copy!! It's unbelievable.

So... that's enough. I'll try and post pictures soon. Robin - I'm not too keen on posting pics of my largeness. I am certainly not celebrating the body this time round ;) I'll try and find one and get it on here though... just for you!

Love you all.

2007-12-06T08:49:00.000-08:00

Well, as per request: here is a picture of our lovely tree! We had a sweet time celebrating a dear friend's birthday at Cracker Barrel... and a gorgeous drive in the snow to the farm to pick out our tree. Poor Theo got sick as we left the house so our original plans of hunting our own tree were thrown out the window.

We are blessed. So blessed.

Ignore the goofy grin and tongue of the kid, he is in rare form today ;)

Here's a short clip of the decorating action & my old husband:

2007-11-22T08:31:00.000-08:00

Hello Kitty! This cat really is quite patient with the children = his saving grace in remaining in the Koerber household. The boys love him.... how would we live without him? Oh Barnabas!

2007-11-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

This video has to be an all time favorite of mine. If Daddy is ever in this kind of position, the boys are SURE to be on top of him. It's pretty funny... they have really been enjoying wrestling lately.

2007-11-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

The other night, I walked in to give Isaac his final kiss goodnight (I am an incessant kissy mommy - especially when they are sound asleep) and I found him like this. We had to take a picture - you would have too, right?

This video - taken by his father - which you will be able to "hear" - he is not nearly as obnoxious as I. Theo was helping him out in the back while Isaac and I cleaned his room. It was good father-son time. It has really been fun to see Matt fall more and more in love with his youngest son. (note: Matt is not much of a "baby" guy)

Well, due to endless PRODDING from the lil sister who CHOSE to move to Erie, I am blogging. I have to admit that there are a number of things vying for my attention besides the obvious boys.

Church life has been full... mainly Matt being very distracted and pushing me into single parentdom ;) Although, it hasn't been as bad as it has been in the past. I've been really enjoying my relationships with women in our church! We are so stinkin' blessed.

Advent work has been fun lately, but also a bit time consuming. I've put out feelers about getting someone to watch the kiddos so I can be more intentional w/ Advent stuff... I've had the loveliest of all leads! A girlfriend of mine from church is a student and may have some availability to play w/ those sweet boys. She loves them much... and there would be nothing better than that.

Harry Potter. I have finally succumbed - mostly due to my husband's fervor!! He is ridiculous about it so if I don't read them, then, well.... our marriage is headed for disaster (heehee... just being extreme 'cause it's fun!) I am addicted though! What a good read!

OK - I think that's it. Until next time.....

2007-11-01T06:23:00.000-07:00

If you want to turn down the volume on my obnoxiousness.... please do so!

Here are a couple more of our pictures. Isaac was a dinosaur and Theo a monkey. We really enjoyed meeting people in our community! This was my first time EVER trick or treating... what a fascinating experience. I loved it.

2007-10-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

A couple of video takes of Soccer. I promised them! I don't know if you will be able to find him, but you'll definitely hear a proud momma screaming the background. One of them (but I'm not sure which one) will be a shot of him getting kicked in the head... while it's not really funny, I had not a clue that he got kicked because of my "video" view.

We are well.

Some of my favorite things right now:

My revolving front door. We've been getting to know a lot of our neighbors... and with this crazy October weather there have a been a lot of folks out on walks. I love having them in the home.
My husband... He should always be on the list, but his friendship is TRUE delight to me. I don't know where I would be without his love and support.
My children... While their fighting increases (and sin abounds) - they have been interacting so much more of late. I have been really enjoying their energy and lease on life!
Having a girl... oh, I'm in love with our name.
This crazy October weather!
A trip to North Carolina. I'm looking forward to Asheville in the fall! Details and pictures when we come home...
I love my friends. I am so blessed.

2007-10-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

My sweet husband spilled water on my laptop, consequently destroying the video card and screen ;) It is our sole computer for the house and I am ashamed to admit how lost I felt without it. He (the love of my life) made up for his fatal error by bringing home a monitor left by the old tenants of CityReformed offices' space and I can now bring ya'll up to speed on what's going on at the ole Koerber homestead.

First and foremost: It's a GIRL! I thought we were incapable of such... but apparently we are not. Wow, I'm thrilled. It makes all the woes of this pregnancy (my out of whack hormonal system, headaches, crazy sickness in the beginning... to name a few) a bit more worth it? We surely would have delighted just the same at the news of a lil boy. Now, we have to name her... why naming girls so much harder than boys?

Isaac and soccer. Today he played quite well. I took videos, so I'll get them up soon! He had a couple of shots on goal, but managed to score on our own goalie. It was a valiant effort!

UGH. I've got to deal with a little boy who will not eat his beans.

2007-09-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm posting about this, but I feel like I need to tell the world!! NBC is finally showing their shows online -- which means, Chrissie gets to watch the OFFICE tonight!! 2 thoughts: 1) that statement might give my readers the impression that the WORLD reads my blog. Nope, I'm not creative, nor smart enough for that & 2) I always have study Thursday nights at 8:30pm. That's why I care!!!

2007-09-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

I drove past the library yesterday - Isaac declared he wanted to go in and read some books. We almost stopped. I was exhausted and didn't feel I had the energy to park, pay and go in. Well, turns out, because of my laziness, we missed Ben Roethlisberger reading, "the True Story of the 3 Little Pigs." Bummer, huh? That's the last time I don't listen to Isaac.

2007-09-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

The most wonderful time of the year..... Ok, not only am I talking about football season.... but this is also the time of year that both Matt and I get our music itches. We just recently ordered about five new CDs and are now reveling in the joy of new music!

Johnny Cash The Johnny Cash's Children's Album - while I LOVE Cash, I was a bit surprised by how "mellow" this album was. The kids and I have been listening to it in the mornings. I think I need to step it up to get more used to it! I don't know ANY of the songs (me not being able to sing along makes me sad.... )
Fiest The Reminder - hmm.... I have to say, I absolutely adore her voice and style. I am in love w/ a new artist. "My Moon and My Man" and "1234" I love although I'll die if Isaac learns to count from her... 1234569&10. Ouch, sweet woman!
Over the Rhine The Trumpet Child - another album that I adore. I love that each album comes packed with NEW. When artists produce as much as they do, all the songs tend to begin to sound as one it seems. I'm still listening... but I think I'm going to enjoy!!
Phish Rift - I'll let Matt review. As I will not have a ton positive to say other than the kids adore dancing w/ their dadda with this album. I can't tell if it's their nutty taste in music or just the fact that their father is in absolute bliss when listening?
Bob Dylan Saved - Here I go. I'm going to admit something publicly that I have only admitted at home. I don't like Dylan's voice and especially w/ this pregnancy (I can blame it on the child, right?) I find myself getting headaches when I listen to him. I have to admit that I like this album far more than I thought I would. Maybe because I knew all of the songs because of Third Day's Offerings. So sorry Bob.
Bob Dylan Modern Times - thankfully to my pregnant self this album hasn't arrived just yet. Thank you Lord for your grace ;)

OK -- I know I'm going to get bomb-blasted by all of you Dylan lovers. But you have to admit, if you love clean music, Bob gets too messy.

BTW - I am loving football this year. The Steelers have been keeping things fun here in Pittsburgh. A lot of surprises this year. We are trying to have more self control this year in the midst of the NFL season, translated means: we are watching only the Steelers. Many a Sunday years past you would find us (maybe even more so me!) watching football all Sunday. Then we started taking the Sabbath a bit more seriously ;)

2007-09-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

Soccer Mom

2007-09-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

Never really thought I'd see the day. Here's what we have been up to: Our first game was this past Saturday and Isaac successfully scored 1 goal for the other team ;) Our little green team had a hard time turning the ball around and heading towards our own goal. About 75% of our time was spent w/ the blue team making shots at our goal. Our sweet lil guys and gals were pretty small comparatively! I don't have any pictures of our game but do have some video footage. I have to figure out how to get it on the comp (taken w/ our DVD recorder rather than camera.)

Here are some shots of practice

Ball handling skills...

Practice game

Demonstrating the Italian fake fouled fall!

A content little observer

A proud 3 year old.

Yes, he is now THREE!! We didn't end up having very planned party as my brother got married that weekend! (Wow, yes, another delightful event!) We had a spontaneous party that included persons from our community group as well as some dear neighbors. We played pin the tail on the donkey and had a pinata. It was a treat to have everyone that came.

2007-08-20T13:41:00.001-07:00

Well... the new little Koerber is due March 12th. I had a sonogram today to try and determine when this lil new tyke is to be born. It was a treat to see the lil one... I even made a tear! Life is amazing... It is amazing that the little tyke is alive and moving his arms and legs. I don't love being pregnant, but I love that I am in the process of bringing a new, little, precious child into this world. Isaac from the beginning has been "wanting" a boy brother (as opposed to a girl brother...) His list of names for the new one includes "potato head," "baby head," or "baby thomas" (after the great, Thomas the Tank Engine.) So far, his names have been pretty creative. We'll keep a running list ;)

Love you all. Thanks for your support and well wishes!

2007-08-19T06:18:00.000-07:00

lack of posting = sick chrissie = chaotic house

why?

pregnant chrissie. yes, again. a bit unexpected... really scary... a gift from the Lord, yes. we were hoping for another year between the "two sets of kids" we wanted. however, obviously, the Lord had other plans. we are more and more getting excited. your prayers would be appreciated ;)

2007-07-29T17:39:00.001-07:00

Gosh -- A couple more videos because the boys keep giving reasons to record!

Isaac's new moves. I think we could make money off of him...

Theo's evening play...

I promise an update soon ... I mean, actual writing. We've been really busy and well, frankly, I'm tired! I hope all are well - I miss finding the time to really write.

2007-07-24T11:11:00.000-07:00

The Spraying Toddler... He is really into "soaking" us of late!

My favorite time of the day - apparently the boys as well!

2007-07-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

Matt had me check my site-meter just last night as he found me browsing my list of blogs. He was astonished at the 15 hits I got a day and felt like that was a lot of pressure for me to "write" intelligent and insightful things. I don't know why I don't feel that pressure that I probably should... maybe because I know most folks don't check the blog to read words, but maybe to see the boys grow up? Why do you check my blog, reader (or picture browser...?) Should I write more?

A list of randomness:

Theo is walking full speed and loves to "race" Isaac -- last night the Koerber family ran almost a mile's worth of "ready-set-GO!'s"

Theo is climbing slides and going down... he would spend hours at the park (if allowed) going up and down the "castle slide" at Schenely!

Isaac has definite opinions as to how I should wear my hair. He hates my hair in a ponytail (which it most often is... due to the summer heat and the infrequency of showers). "Turn it into MY favorite hair, Mommy." Is the most frequent response... but "I don't like that hair!" comes in at a close 2nd.

I love our church. SO MUCH. I can't believe how much I missed being there this past Sunday. We visited a plant in Chicago and ran into a good friend, Hee-Jun ... apparently he was visiting as well! Isn't that wild? It is fun to be able to worship somewhere new... and completely observe!

We had a fantastic vacation -- 30 hours in the car, lost both wallets, a wedding ring, and got stuck in loads of traffic throughout the MidWest. The boys fussed maybe 15 minutes of all of that time in the car. What angels. We found our wedding ring - thanks to a very observant little girl who found it on the road at a campground in Erie. I watched Matt's wallet fly off the top of the car, so that was easily retrieved as well. My wallet had to be picked up by my dear sister at Erie's greatest Ice Cream parlor.... so the mishaps were not THAT great.

I have found myself longing for a bigger home. ENVY. My #1 sin recently. I wish we had more space. Bleck.

We didn't bring our camera on vacation! Isn't that the biggest bummer of them all? No pictures. No sweet pictures of our tent home ... of our packed car ... of my cousin's wedding ... of my sweet friend Kristen and her family ... of the TRAFFIC in Chicago ... of our surprise run-in w/ Hee Jun ... of the beautiful sunsets. Bad KOERBERS.

I will never live in the MidWest. I hate your traffic, dear Chicago. If you didn't have traffic, I think I would love you.

2007-06-21T13:55:00.001-07:00

I'm too sexy....

Aunt Mary's wedding tie -- but I can't compare...

Isaac's tux - he never made it down!

I love being a mommy!

We have a busy weekend -- but FUN weekend coming up. Aunt Megan, Uncle Matt and cousies are coming -- along with Namaa and PapPap. We are hitting the zoo on Friday and a reunion on Sat. I'm sure we'll have pictures!

2007-06-14T06:56:00.001-07:00

Daddy's at GA! Off to Namah's house to play!

Curwensville Dam - Isaac's funky hair!

Theo NOT afraid of the water! Wa hoo, cee-cee!
The beach is going to be fun.

My sweet new little walker. I love this frankenstein walk.

While M is away, we decided on a mini vacation to Namah's and Papap's home in Clfd. It was hard to leave the 'burgh as we have been so stinkin' busy lately (ie - no posts!) I'm so glad we did. It has been such a treat to be around family and new toys and new places. Yesterday morning was GORGEOUS and we got to Curwensville Dam. The boys had a blast in the lake - Theo drank half of it.

I can't believe how blessed I am to have such wonderful in-laws. They care so well for me. I am just amazed. Thank you Lord....

2007-06-01T11:41:00.001-07:00

Marwage is what bwings us togbebber tobay.

Daddy's boy

My sister gets married tomorrow. She is so beautiful!

2007-05-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

isaac grabbed my face tonight with both hands on my cheeks and kissed me. he then giggled and said, "we're married, mom."

i love this age. those ideas are forming... associations are being made. i stand in awe of God's creativity...

2007-05-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

i have a mole that grows lil hairs on my jawline. for some odd reason, while singing his good night tune lying next to him in the evenings, he finds it incredibly entertaining (while singing along) to try and pick the hairs out of it! bleck. quite distracting.

we are well in the k home. the boys seems to be getting another little cold... i am hoping with a bit of airborne here and there will wipe it clean. there's something in my gut that doesn't like that stuff. i think i fear that they will start to "depend" on it to get better if we use it too much at first.

the big news of the week. isaac is potty training. this has actually been fun... we tote his lil potty when we head to the park and any time out hit the bathroom every 20 minutes. it has been really fun to watch him learn and grow in this area! i don't know why i am enjoying it this much... i had really begun to dread the thought of starting. why do i not see more parents toting portable potty seats to the park? do kiddos really use portajohns?

i have just started reading younts everyday talk... i am really enjoying it and am already finding myself being challenged. he really encourages parents to be watchful even in the mundane. we talk about this a lot... what does it mean for Christ's gospel of grace to penetrate every ounce of our lives? younts works it out specifically in our talk.

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up - Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)

what do you think your everyday talk reveals about your priorities and your worldview? it is really frightening how much my children HEAR everything i say. things are repeated that i am ashamed to admit he has learned from me! his attitude reflects my own. my child is learning to love the things that i love... he is learning to bow to the idols i bow... oh that the Lord of grace would continue to cover this broken attempt of parenting!

2007-05-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

to clarify. isaac decided to start singing on laundry day.
my house doesn't always look like that.
i promise.

2007-05-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Our little Singer/Entertainer

2007-05-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Theo's Haircut!

2007-05-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

You are 100% Pittsburgh.

Great job! There's nooooo doubt about it. You're from Da Burgh. You deserve a reward, so go have an Ahrn City or two. And GO STILLERS!

How Pittsburgh Are You
See All Our Quizzes

good thing i'm not only 99% pittsburgh ;)

also loved this post. what fun memories.

sabaa still comes over now and again. she has started bringing her new friend mohammad to play with the cat. i love our new friends. i am learning arabic -- so i can someday try and talk to mohammad's mom across the street. sabaa wants to teach me how to write it! i doubt it will ever come to that... but i love our time together. LORD, that you would move there. that we (our family) might love and care for our neighbors well.

i love living in this city. i love greenfield. i want to spend the rest of my life here!

yep. so that's it for my random post this evening.

Two NEW videos...

2007-04-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

WE love our new (old) friend SIMON! Here you go, Linso... you missed their time in the pool.

2007-04-22T05:02:00.000-07:00

A week in the sun.... studying.... reading.... working.... with the Lins'! I am quite excited.

I'm sure pictures will be posted.

2007-04-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

matt came home after we both missed each other this morning and immediately went upstairs to go to the "potty" (as we know it in this house) -- and my phone started ringing. i went to pick it up and noticed it was matt and started hollerin' at him that he was dialing the wrong number. that's when i noticed it. a piece of paper. with my name on it.

looks like i've got myself a date with my favorite musician patty griffin tonight. wow. thank you, love of my life!

Birthday Tribute!

2007-04-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

Note: I spent WAY too much time waiting for this thing to finally download. However, it is worth the view. What a sweet little boy. I am done posting the pics... you sick yet?!

I love this child as does the rest of his family!

2007-04-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

The walking boy:

My ONE year old

2007-04-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday SWEET boy...

2007-03-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

Because my blog is so "depressing" (hee-hee!)

2007-03-12T17:54:00.000-07:00

I feel like I deserve a lot. I wake up with the kids early in the morning. I make their breakfast, build Isaac's Thomas tracks, hold the clingy Theo, wipe their noses, let them cry themselves down for their naps, take them out on some "fun" adventure, worry about their health, and put dinner together all while I try and do some part-time work out of the house that allows us some financial flexibility. I deserve a day off. I deserve a night out with my husband without the kids. I deserve etc, etc, etc. I deserve squat. I deserve eternal existence without my Creator. Truly.

I disparately need to dethrone this idol of pleasure that I am so hotly pursuing!! I don't deserve to have fun every day! I am not owed anything! I'm not giving my 50% waiting for Matt to match with his 50% (ha, his own sermon illustration.) How clear this idol of pleasure has been made to me this past week. Do you know how it works itself into surfacy sin? I get angry at my kids for not taking naps at the same time... so that I can have time to my self. I'm frustrated with my Isaac right now because it's 9:05pm and he STILL is not asleep. I am INCONVENIENCED. Oh Lord, that you would change my heart... that Your grace would permeate and change my heart.

On a different note, this evening after our dinner & during our family's devotions we said the Lord's prayer with Isaac repeating... "Hallowed be MY name..." he says so reverently... isn't that really what our hearts yearn for far more than what the Lord taught us to pray? Bah - another thing I need to work on!!

2007-03-04T19:06:00.000-08:00

I continue to be addicted to craigslist.com -- I look at least 2-3 times a day. The things that I "need" to make my home complete (besides 10 more children as wonderful as the two I've got): an armoire (we have no closets in this teeny weeny home), new living room furniture (we're living with the set my parents had when I was growing up) and a bed.

Matt and I found this set of couches that we like - available only at Boscov's - while I really like them, I wonder if they are too trendy rather than "timeless," you know? We do have a fairly small living room and they are crazy narrow yet comfortable couches... so this would maximize space although my mother-in-law would not enjoy sleeping on this couch, I am sure. We'd go with the dark brown leather... comments welcomed. I hate making decisions!

Patty Griffin plays at Byham April 16th. I have yet to hear her new album (I know Tammy!!! Isn't that horrid?)

Rather random and meaningless post... just haven't posted in a while other than the videos and felt like I'd like to add meaningless content to all of my own vanity concerning my children!

2007-02-28T06:01:00.000-08:00

My latest workout routine...

Isn't he the best! We are certainly over our fuss spell... shew!

2007-02-24T18:56:00.000-08:00

I have to do it! Matt took a couple of videos of this little one going crazy to momma's ticklin'... but it does end in Isaac not particularly enjoying what's going on. I suppose he was a bit concerned. Of course, my beautiful sister is holding Theo!

2007-02-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

So -- My crafty friend, Aaron, has figured out how to post these videos -- and has shared his information. Wah hoo for all of you!

My Theo has been better. It must be his teeth and a growth spurt together? I think I have been too cautious feeding him because of all of our pukey episodes last week. Poor kid just ate about a half a box of his brother's favorite lunch, Dinosaur Mac 'n Cheese. We make noises the dinosaurs bite the dust and then continue to refer to them in the bellies throughout the day.

On the down side, we still are not sleeping well at nights. I'll tell you what... this beautiful happy little child becomes a monster at night and I have to admit, I believe I created him! I was so cautious to not have him cry long so that he would wake his brother, that I have created a terrible sleeping child! So, we've decided we are going to seperate them, until we have trained poor little Theo how to sleep well. I'm thinking this is going to be a terrible week. Last night (while in the same room as his brother) he cried out LOUD for an entire hour before I finally went in to nurse. NOW, remember... this child IS 11 months, had just nursed 2.5 hours beforehand AND had only taken ONE nap that whole day! I think this child craves more of a schedule than my Isaac did.

Alright, Grace and PEACE to you all.

I'm looking forward to two beautiful friends sharing their baby news! MKL and RannieCakes!

2007-02-22T12:43:00.000-08:00

Hmmm...I love those eyes. Too bad they have only been CRYING these past couple of days. Wow, I'm struggling.

2007-02-22T12:41:00.000-08:00

Sweet Isaac.

2007-02-16T11:56:00.000-08:00

I'm addicted to coffee. I have the stomach virus and I woke up this morning and besides water, it is the only other thing I have consumed.

Both boys are sick! Isaac was throwing up all last night and Theo all Valentine's Day. Poor kiddos... they really did handle it well. I'm impressed.

2007-02-05T18:44:00.000-08:00

Ear infections. Amoxicillin or no?

Matthew has a slow week. We are excited. I look forward to time with the love of my life.

My house is a mess. It was so clean yesterday! I think the definition of housework should be: futile.

We have found a new venue and disparately need it. Church was so packed this past Sunday I don't know that we could have fit one more person. Not one. We move to a new place that will easily fit 250. It was a crazy process but worth it and perfectly timed.

I got new strings for my guitar. I miss playing... my fingertips miss the frequency. (I hurt typing!) I sat down today with a song that I played a lot about 8-10 years ago... I had the words and the chords right there and couldn't remember the melody. I knew in my head how it was... but just couldn't sing it. I played the chorus at least 10 times (the part I did know) in hopes that it would jar my memory. (I'm talking about a song that I actually even performed in front of people!) Man, I wish having children didn't kill brain cells. What will I forget after our next child (which isn't any time soon... sorry)? Will I forget Amazing Grace? I'm heading down that road... too quickly.

We are having a women's tea this upcoming Saturday and I'm playing ... my setlist: Shine - Jan Krist and Gently Lay your Head - Jill Phillips. I wish my fingers could endure more.

I'm going to try and find the camera for a couple of shots that were taken recently.

Blessings dear friends.
ck

2007-01-26T08:43:00.000-08:00

It already is the end of the week! How quickly it went.

We spent all day Tuesday at a sweet little cottage in Keystone State Park (surrounded by two nights of staying there...) I did nothing! Well, 'cept nurse Theo and play with Isaac. Matt packed everything, made all the meals and wrestled the rest of the time with Isaac. Isaac's new favorite thing, he declared from the back of the car yesterday was "wrestlin' w/ Daddy." I have to learn to store those memories well in my heart....

I decided last night that I don't so much like being a pastor's wife. My dear sweet husband is so invested in his work... he loves it... but his schedule stinks. Even when he's "here" he's not really here... his mind is working and mulling. I sometimes wish he had that 9-5 job that allowed him to really leave his work. HA! Oh, how I love him. We'll figure it all out. It's still so new. We learn more and more how to make this family work in the midst of his work every day.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my work? Thanks Howie, Kevin and Tom. I can't believe ya'll still want me to stick around.

Linso - did you have that baby yet?!?!!?!?

2007-01-22T13:17:00.000-08:00

if you don't have picasa - you NEED it.
you need nothing else that they are trying to get you to download from the internet.
just PICASA.