Ahhhhhh . . . . heaven on earth!

Not everyone knows this about me, but I love to rock! Not rock n' roll but actually sit in a rocker and rock. I've loved it since I was a baby apparently, and when I got to be about 2 or 3 years old, I would rock myself to sleep singing (usually "Amazing Grace"). Well, since I left home at 18, I really haven't had a device for rocking. For two years in college, Sarah had a rocker recliner and I always enjoyed a few minutes each day relaxing there. But, overall, I've been deprived of rocking for many years now. Well, last year for my birthday I got a 2-seater rocker for our deck, and that has been incredible for just enjoying our backyard. It has been a nice escape for me a few times. But, I couldn't ever quite get over the need for an indoor rocker. The glider we bought when Kiran was born is great, but let me assure you from a true rocker's standpoint that gliding is NOT rocking! Well, I've been wanting to go to an annual antique festival that happens in the town next door to us for several years. It seems that every year something has been happening during that time. I chose not to go to the whole event again yesterday, but I did get a quick peek at it for a few moments. And, in that time, I found what my heart has been longing for - the perfect rocking chair! It even matches my living room furniture! I can't tell you how excited I was when I saw it. It was like it was there waiting just for me. I can't stop talking about it every time I walk into the living room. And, I haven't sat anywhere else since I bought it. I got a great deal on it, too, by the way. When I sat down in it at home, I could feel the tension in my body melt away, and for a moment felt a little heaven on earth!

Jeff

Okay, so I can't believe I'm doing this. For one thing, if you know me well, you know I don't respond to forwards that require me to give out info and forward it on again (and usually don't like them). This is mainly because of time but also because, although I'd tell you my whole life story in person, it takes me forever to put things in writing about myself. I guess this is because I think it's there forever if it's written down. (This is the same reason it takes me forever to write notes to people - I guess a perfectionistic thing.) Well, with advances in technology (like blogs) at least I can edit something and change my mind, so it feels safer. The other reason I can't believe I'm doing this is that if you saw my house right now, you'd say this should wait. Oh well, we only live once - the dishes will be there in a little while. So, to babble on a little more I'll just say that I'm trying to be more sociable and I'm putting myself out there. Finally, here's the whole point to this long disclaimer: I saw a blog on my sister's-in-law website and couldn't resist. She had been tagged to tell about the love of her life. So here goes (and I'm challenging myself to do this in 10 minutes or less - we'll see . . .):


1. Who is your man? Jeff Andrew

2. How long have you been together? 8 years

3. How long did you date? dated 10 months, then engaged for 7 months

4. How old is your man? 30

5. Who eats more? Jeff except during pregnancy, then it's about the same.

6. Who said "I love you" first? Jeff (though sadly I didn't totally remember the answer to this - I thought it was him but had to call and confirm)

7. Who is taller? Jeff is 5'11"; I'm 5'3"

8. Who sings better? Jeff, definitely. His voice is awesome! The first time he called my apartment and before my roommate knew anything about him, she said, "Oh my gosh, he's got the most amazing voice" (and by the way, he was talking not singing to her). But we both love to sing. In fact, it's the thing that brought us together in the first place.

9. Who is smarter? How would one really know? Jeff knows a lot more stuff and can remember everything he learns about (history, current events, coffee, etc. . . ). And, he knows computer stuff like crazy. But, I am actually pretty smart about "people stuff", great at tests and writing, and some common sense kind of stuff. It takes me longer to soak things in, though. Now, if you have a math question, you better call a different household!

10. Whose temper is worse? Probably about equal, but we've mellowed out through the years.

11. Who does the laundry? Me, but Jeff will gladly pitch in when needed.

12. Who takes out the garbage? Me mostly. But I usually ask Jeff to throw out stuff behind the house or "over the edge" according to Kiran (we have a woodsy area) like leftovers from watermelons, etc. One of these days we hope to make a compost pile.

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you're looking at the bed, I sleep on the right.

14. Who pays the bills? Me.

15. Who is better with the computer? Well, Jeff of course - he does it for a living and it comes naturally to him, it seems. But, I don't consider myself too bad with non-technical parts.

16. Who mows the lawn? Jeff, but I want to more just so I can say I know how and that I have done it a few times.

17. Who cooks dinner? You know, this has changed recently. I used to cook a lot more with Jeff grilling occasionally. But, now it seems dinner time comes just when Ellery needs to eat. Plus, Jeff has started enjoying cooking, so he's been cooking a lot more. He's really good, especially at homemade pizza.

18. Who drives when you are together? mostly Jeff because he gets sick if he's not driving

19. Who pays when you go out? Usually Jeff but it just depends on who has the kids at the moment, etc.

20. Who is most stubborn? Both

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? me

22. Whose parents do you see the most? In the past, we've seen Jeff's more often throughout the year. But, my parents usually get away for a little longer on each visit. And when we go home, I try to make it as even as possible. So, the answer is: equal.

23. Who kissed who first? Jeff kissed me first.

24. Who asked who out? He did - to Peking House for lunch after church! What a fun memory! I think we both knew from that moment!

25. Who proposed? He did - he did a great job with the surprise and with how he did it! (I'll tell you about it in person, though. It would take me forever to write!)

26. Who is more sensitive? good question.

27. Who has more friends? Oh boy, probably me. But we have both decided we need to work on this in a serious way, at least with friends here in TN. So, we are getting involved in lots of activities.

28. Who has more siblings? we both have one sister

29. Who wears the pants in the family? both, it works out pretty well, actually!

By the way, Jeff is an amazing husband and dad! I'm thankful for him every day!

Now, one more disclaimer before I start getting lots of tags or more forwards. By completing this, I do not agree to complete any/all tags or forwards I might receive in the future, though I think it's fun to get ones like this. I will assess one at a time, mostly based on how crazy things are at my house at any one moment. :) And, by the way, I finished in 35 minutes with one phone call in between.

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for all of the responses to Jeff's blog entries and emails since Ellery's birth. I didn't have the chance to write any of the entries early on, but I certainly loved reading what Jeff had written and then reading responses. One of my favorite times of the day was when Jeff would open up the laptop and begin to read the encouraging thoughts you all sent our way. I held on to every word as we went through those long days at the hospitals and the short nights at the Ronald McDonald house.
There are no words to adequately express our gratitude for all of the thoughts and prayers from our family and friends. We truly believe that God has given us two little miracles. Ellery is doing great now, and she is such a sweet, happy baby and a joy to us. I believe there are a few times in life when we have the opportunity to see things from a fresh point of view, when we reflect more on our blessings and the incredible gift of life than we had before. I have learned many things through this journey including just how amazing people can be and how much God's love can really touch us through other people. And, I was reminded about all of the amazing people we have in our lives. We are grateful for each of you and thank you again for your kindness and love.

Well, Kiran was 2 ½ years old yesterday, and Ellery is 2 ½ months (almost 3). So, there is lots of movement, sound, laughter, and joy at our house these days. Ellery has been rolling over from stomach to back. She is now sucking her right thumb and uses it to help her fall asleep. She is reaching for things and loves for Mommy to play Pat-a-Cake with her. She loves watching big brother and tends to get distracted while eating if Kiran is around.
Kiran is still into tools, and he has declared the hammer as his favorite! He is riding his bike all by himself now! He loves drumming, and he even strums in rhythm for Daddy while Daddy plays chords. Kiran has three songs he likes for us to sing at bedtime every night. He is really enjoying “school” (Parent’s Day Out), but we only get occasional soundbites about what he is doing there. He is usually too busy to stop and discuss it. We’ve been doing more projects around the house, so he is having fun helping out. Kiran has been playing soccer with us in the backyard. He has started saying things with the intention of making us laugh and is learning how to tease, it seems. Watch out Ellery and Addie!
We have all been enjoying some cooler weather (though it’s a little warm today) and have had the windows open with no AC some days. I have joined a MOPS group that started on the 17th and have enjoyed meeting other moms. We have started back to our Wednesday playgroup at church, and that’s been lots of fun. Jeff is starting to play on a local “just for fun” soccer team.
Be sure to check out our new pictures under photos. - Ami

Happy Days

Ellery is 2 Months Old! She is so sweet, and her smiles steal our hearts! She watches everything that's going on , especially big brother, and these pics are of her watching her mobile. Ellery had her 2 month appointment on Monday. She weighed 10 lbs 8 oz. and was 22 inches long, a strong and healthy girl. She got her first shots, and Kiran gave her a stuffed puppy dog to make her feel better.









Kiran is getting very attached to his sister. He loves to hold her and give her kisses. He likes to lay beside her in the bed and hold her hand, and he keeps asking when she is going to move to her bed in his bedroom. Kiran is very busy these days. He started "school" (Parent's Day Out) today and will be going every Thursday. He loved it! We registered on Monday and met his teachers. Every day this week he said, "I'm excited to go to school!" and one day during snack time he said "I'll go to class after I eat my bread." Kiran is almost potty trained! To mark an important step in potty training recently, we asked Kiran how he wanted to celebrate. He immediately responded, "a ladybug cake." What kind? "Strawberry." So, on a Thursday night, Kiran and Mommy went to Archer's and bought a box cake, and Daddy and Kiran made it! You can view the finished product on the link to our pictures. The picture above (it's supposed to be next to this paragraph, but I'm still trying to figure this blog thing out) is of Kiran watching his favorite new movie, "The Sound of Music." He loves playing "Edelweiss" on his ukelele, but his favorite song is "when the dog bites, when the bee stings." Kiran rode his bike for the first time the other day. I'll never forget his laugh when he figured it out. He says the most amazing things these days and seems to understand and reason in ways that surprise us everyday. He likes to "be silly" and says really funny things a lot.

We are all doing great now and are finally back into somewhat of a routine. Jeff is working out and looking for a race or two. I am learning to balance time with the kids (that's fun to say), do household chores, cook, stay in touch with everyone (so be patient with us), and do a few things for fun. Thank goodness Jeff is so awesome to help me. I also spend a lot of time just watching my children and feeling incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to be their mom. We are looking forward to fall and cooler weather! It's been a hot and very dry summer! Yea for rain today!

Check out the new pictures to the right. Some are actually ones from Ellery's first few weeks when family was here. Just now getting around to posting them. What great memories!

New Pictures

New pictures posted to the right. We are all doing well, but it's time for bed :)

Brother and Sister (and new pics too)

Kiran and Ellery are getting along great. Kiran helps change Ellery and is very concerned and offers advice when she is crying (e.g. I'll bet she needs a change, she needs to nurse...). He is very sweet, gentle, and sometimes he is a silly young man who shows off and dances or sings for Ellery. Ellery loves to watch and Kiran can get a smile from her with ease.


Ellery has now found her hand and is sucking fingers and sometimes her thumb (somewhere an orthodontist is seeing a vision of dollar signs). She is sleeping well at night and is really an easy-going baby.

Kiran is reciting large parts of big books now. His current favorite is Blueberries for Sal. He loves to ask questions about everything including trying to understand phrases from his books like "What are 'dreams come true'?" He has also been really into playing ball and can throw well and catches the ball often, which causes us all to dance around the yard and be silly in celebration ;)

You may wonder what happened to our first "children". Sunshine and Rocky are doing well, although Sunshine came in the other day to find her favorite spot taken by Ellery's new swing. Rocky is his usual "I don't need you...don't leave me" self.

So I guess to sum up, we are having a blast with the kids and our growing family.

edit: new pictures are posted (up and to the right)

Cookie and Papa Come to Visit

Cookie and Papa came to visit this week. We all had a great time together! We spent lots of time playing around the house but still managed to get Cookie to her new favorite pizza place. Cookie and Papa got lots of quality time with the grandkids and together we had a chance to get caught up on laundry, yard work, and dog walking. Thanks for coming to see us, we had a blast!