While I don't necessarily agree with everything this company stands for, I still like Sea World & I really liked this video. Check out the link (I couldn't figure out how to get the video on this blog.) http://www.herosalute.com/states/big_game_ad.html

More Beach

The Bauers just e-mailed me these pictures. I thought you should see them!

This should dispell all belief that Ben is all seriousness and no fun!!

It's a Girl!

I had my ultrasound appointment today and the nurse took one glance at the monitor and said, "Well, it's pretty obvious what you're having.!" She asked if I wanted to know and proceeded to tell me it was A GIRL!!!! I am thrilled, Ben said that now we'll have to try again. But he is really excited. I saw some great pictures of the baby too! She is curled up on her tummy with her bum way up in the air. (That's how we could tell she was a girl!)

Beach Day

On Saturday we went to the beach with Mimi & the Bauer family. It was the best beach day I think we've ever had! The weather was perfect, the company was unbeatable...

...and the Oreos were delicious!

I don't really know what was happening in this picture. I think I asked her to smile and show me her cookie.

Beach Day 2

We had so much fun! The girls played so well together...


...and the boys did too

Baking Day

Charis helped me bake brownies today for our FaithBuilder's potluck tonight. I gave her the spatula to lick after we were done mixing and as I had my back turned to wash the bowl she was quietly spooning chunks of batter into her mouth directly from the pan! I discovered later that not only is the chocolate where you can see it but it is also where you can't...all down the front of her dress and on her belly. Maybe we'll make something neater next time.

Cheat Sheet

Charis has invented her own language. They say the best way to learn a new language is to completely immerse yourself in it. I have done a fairly good job learning "Charis speak". There are some of you out there though who need a translation. I thought it would be handy to give you a little cheat sheet to help you to understand Charis when you speak to her.

Charis = Dardis

Luke = Neutch

Flowers = Manash

Music = Whetis

Picture = Pitchis

Grandma = Mama

Auntie Deidre = Dedes

Uncle Jesse = Jesjes

Elephant = Hepup (in all fairness she has a large purple heffalump)

Red = Blue

Green = Blue

Yellow = Blue

Ice pack = Itheebear

Pacifier = Watas

Milk = Nyup

Please = Mees

Watch = Batch

Jump = Butch

Mouth = Nam

So if Charis were to say, "May I please have milk in my red sippy cup?" it would sound like this, "Dadis nyup blue cup, mees?" Hope it was of some help to you...or at least a little laugh!

Magic

I discovered a product that I think
every mommy should have. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is amazing! I spent probably about 20 minutes tonight using the Magic Eraser on all of our walls & in the kitchen. Everything looks brand new! It took off crayon, pencil, dirt, food & even burnt stuff on the stove! Ben was amazed, he said, "Now if they would only make one for the couch or carpet!"

Getting to know you...

1. Grab the book nearest you, turn to page 18, line 4? "...And the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite; and afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad." Genesis 10:18 (obviously it is the Bible)
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch? The wall or the curtains first then the wall.
3. What's the last thing you watched on TV? (This is embarrassing)...Big Brother All Stars
4. Without looking, what time is it? 9:15pm
5. What time is it actually? 9:23pm
6. Except for the computer what can you hear? The A/C & Ben coughing
7. When did you last step outside and what were you doing? We came home from my parents house just before dinner time.
8. Before you started this survey what were you doing? The dishes
9. What are you wearing? My jammies
10. Did you dream last night? Oh yeah, I'm preggie...I have the weirdest dreams. Last night I dreamt that this guy we know (Jeremiah Johnson) was a girl and he/she tried to beat me up in the bathroom at Disneyland. I woke up having to go to the bathroom! Oh and I was married to this gay designer guy from Extreme Makeover Home Edition (I don't even watch that show!)
11. When did you last laugh? Thinking about that weirdo dream. But before that it was probably at dinner with Charis. She does the funniest stuff!
12. What's on the walls in the room you're in? Paint...ha! Ben's college diploma (all framed nicely with his tassel and his Cum Laude medal), a picture of Ben & I when we were dating & there is some crayon on the wall in the corner by the bed. It's actually a nice shade of blue.
13. Seen anything weird? I live in California...Everything is weird. How about my husband playing video games and promising me that it is for physical therapy!
14. What do you think of this quiz? It's funny, but if it has to ask then it must be insecure as well.
15. Last film or video seen? Baby Einstein...Baby DaVinci (real exciting, I know)
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight what's the first thing you'd do? ...Honestly? I would buy a house and a minivan, then I would fix the stupid lock on the door of my civic (it's driving me nuts...The motor is broken so everytime you lock or unlock the door it sounds like "nrrrrrrrrrrrrrphthe" and it's really loud...It's embarrassing!). I might want to finish college or Ben could go to seminary. I would definitely go the The Cheesecake Factory (one of my prego cravings...They have a delicious Maui Salad that I have been wanting for exactly 19 weeks now.) I would love to adopt a child too. Maybe from Uganda (that's where the Hurleys are). I would definitely give $$$ to the church for missions too.
17. Tell me something I don't know about yourself? I am addicted to lip gloss!
18. If you could change one thing about the world regardless of politics what would it be? Airplane tickets would be cheaper (ha)! It makes me very sad to see children that are hungry and people that are lost. If people could understand their need for a Savior...A lot of "problems" would be addressed.
19. Do you like to dance? I love Dance, Dance Revolution!
20. What comment would you like to make to George Bush? Glad it's you and not me! No, but really, that I am praying for him and that he should get involved in a Bible teaching church and seek counsel from Godly men (like my dad or John MacArthur) :).
21. Your first child is a girl what do you name her? She was a girl and we named her Charis Marie (it's Greek & means grace).
22. Your first child is a boy what do you name him? That is an impossibility...But if my next child is a boy I would name him Caleb William (it's Hebrew & means dog-not kidding!)
23. Would you ever consider living abroad? Totally, as long as they spoke fluent English and had a Cheesecake Factory nearby!
24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates? "Well, done good & faithful servant..."
25. Five people you want to do this quiz? I tag: The Newlyweds, The Archery, LATIMES, HobbsandBean & Auntie Jen!

Lazy Saturday

Last night we had a REALLY good time at our friends the Duhms. Charis enjoyed playing with all 3 of their children (they're all about her age). But we didn't get home until 12am!!! Charis on the other hand had been asleep since 8:30pm. So this morning we were awakened bright & early at 6:30 by our wonderful (& independant) daughter. So we all went out for a nice Saturday breakfast at IHOP. Then we went to Grandma & Grandpa James' house and went to the park. Charis had so much fun playing on the slides, swings and most of all digging in the sand with Grandpa. Then we went back to Grandma & Grandpa's house for lunch. After that we came home and Charis & mommy slept for 3 hours while daddy played Playstation 2. (He says it's physical therapy for his surgery.)

Charis' New Bed

This past week Charis moved into her new big girl bed. She is no longer sleeping in a crib! She's not my little baby anymore!!! The first night she fell out of her bed and the second night she rolled into her nightstand and was quite startled. Since then she has slept well and fully enjoys being able to wake up and get out of bed on her own. In fact, just this morning I opened my eyes at 6:30 and was surprised to see Charis' bedroom light on. I quietly crept in to take a peek and she was sitting on the floor next to her baby dolls singing them a song. I don't know how long she had been up (Ben left for work at 6 and she was still sleeping).

Luke & Charis

Here is Charis holding Luke Steinmeyer for the first time. She calls him "baby Neutch" and always talks about him and how she wants to hold him and kiss his head. She is going to be a great big sister!

They're home!

They made it home safely! (5 1/2 hours after they were supposed to!) They're a little tired and don't want to see an airplane or an airport for quite sometime!

As I type my parents are traveling from London Heathrow Airport to LAX. Please keep them in prayer for safety and patience. It is a long flight when you are not allowed to bring anything on board. I will keep you posted with any news.

My Little Invalid

For those of you who were wondering...Ben had his surgery today and came through with flying colors! His last words to me before they wheeled him into surgery were, "When you come back, can you bring me some food?" He was pretty drugged but he was still my sweet husband (he hadn't eated in almost 24 hours). He is at home now resting but not super comfortably. Please pray for a quick recovery (the trash really needs to go out!)

Charis Moved Out!

Since we are still homebound, Ben & I are desperately trying to come up with creative things to do with Charis for the next few days. Today Ben set up her tent on the porch and brought out all her "home" toys so she could play house outside. He set up her kitchen, a couch, a coffee table, a rocking chair and her baby crib with her babies inside. She then proceded to vaccuum her "house" and set up just right. Then we saw her kneeling next to her baby and saying "shhhh" & singing her a song. Now she has her apron on and is sweeping the outside of her tent and after that she is planning on making a pot of tea (or so she tells me).

"She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27

We are currently accepting marriage offers. Your sons have only got 16 more years!

Here we go...

Just in case any of you thought our life was beginning to get monotonous, I thought I would fill you in on the latest. Charis has Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease. Yes, it is exactly how it sounds. She has sores on her hands, feet & in her mouth. She also luckily has them on her bottom and a fever just in case she wasn't uncomfortable enough already! She is actually handling it quite well. Mommy on the other hand is having a difficult time seeing her little girl struggle. Please pray for Charis & Mommy. Daddy & Mommy should be coming down with the symptoms any day now. We'll keep you updated! (But you'll probably want to stay away for at least a week.)

Mr. Jack & Israel

Charis gets attached to very few people. one of "the chosen" is Mr. Jack (otherwise known as Jack Holbrook) Jack & Cindy Holbrook and their 3 children Carolina, Jackson & Olivia came out here for Seminary from Alabama. They live in our complex and we couldn't ask for better neighbors. Charis affectionately refers to them as "Mr. Jatch" and "Mr. Jack's mommy" then the children are "Aronina", "Jatch" & "Oliia". She just recently named her doggie puzzle "Jatch" & "Oliia".

Mr. Jack gave Charis an Alabama football outfit. She loves it. The first night she had to sleep in it and wear it all day the next day!

This is the t-shirt that Mimi & Papa brought back from Israel. They thought it was a size 2 but it was a size 12. It makes a great bed shirt. Who knows maybe Charis will learn her Hebrew alphabet before her English one!

All is Well (at least with the baby...)

For those of you who have been keeping abreast of the happenings in my pregnancy...a little update...all is well. I had a follow up appointment yesterday and we heard the baby's heartbeat and saw an ultrasound. The baby has a perfect little spine and a rather alien looking face, but there's still time for that to correct itself. I was supposed to get some blood work done yesterday, but Charis and I had already been there for 2 1/2 hours, and for those of you who know anything about 2 year olds, that is about their limit. So I guess I'll have to go back and do that blood work another day. In the meantime, I have felt the baby move a few times and we'll try to get you some more pictures as soon as I can. So I am officially off bedrest (for now) but was told to still take it easy. Try doing that with a 2 year old! As I type she is laying on the floor "crying" (it's all an act) and using an enormous amount of tissues to wipe her "tears" (her face is quite dry). The reason you ask...she wants to take her clothes off and I said no. Well, I'd better go and explain the rules of modesty to my little angel or I am going to run out of tissues.