Singin' in the rain

Rain, rain go away! It has been raining since early this morning and suppose to continue to rain until Saturday afternoon. We've have over an inch more rain in September than the average and are suppose to get at least an inch more by the time this is done. We've already gotten over half an inch! Sure does make for a long, dreary day. I was going to go out this afternoon once N got picked up by his Thursday babysitter, but I think I might sit and watch a movie while curled up under a blanket on the couch.

Complete change of topic. Have you tried the new dark chocolate M&Ms? They are oh so yummy! If you are a dark chocolate fan at all you have to try them. You can go to wal-mart and get the puny bag in the check out aisle or head to sam's and get the very dangerous 3 lb. bag. B and I are on our 3rd or 4th 3 lb. bag. Yum! (Mom, my tummy hurts!)

I just had to share these couple of pics from yesterday and this morning. If you look carefully at the "drooler" picture, you'll see just how truthful the shirt really is. We must have gone through 5 bibs yesterday, each of which got completely soaked with drool. I finally gave up with the bibs. Still no teeth, even with all the drooling. The other picture is just when he was playing this morning. Notice I had to buy long sleeve onesies to go under his short sleeve shirts. The weather here is crazy!

Unmentionables

flannel, wool, thermal: three words which have their appropriate time and place. Three word which probably haven't entered the minds of my southern friends and family yet. Three words which apparently are pretty normal to use in September when you live Arctic region of N. It hasn't been too terrible yet, but thoughts of winter are definitely not ignorable here. With nighttime lows in the lower fortys (that's not to far from the 32 degrees) and winds gusting up to 25 mph or more daily, it can get you feeling pretty chilly out there. So, this week I have put flannel sheets on the bed, worn wool socks and sweaters, and pulled out the cozy thermals! I've been tempted to try out our heater, but you can't turn on the heat in September! What's a southern weather loving girl to do? It's tragically sad to think that N could grow up thinking this type of thing is normal!

A New Point of View

I thought I would share what N has been working very hard to accomplish lateley: sitting. He leans really far forward and uses his hands on either side of him to keep from tipping over right away still. He's getting better and better each day though. I used the boppy in these pictures so that he would be able to stay up longer. He seems to really enjoy the idea of being able to see things from a more upright point of view. I'm going to turn around one of these days pretty soon and he'll be running across the room! Time sure does fly with a baby! (This is the outfit you bought him in August Mom. It's still too big, but I wanted to see it on him.)

That's Mine!

I finished the tags for N's bags and attached them. I am pretty proud of how well they turned out. I've already been asked about them. :)

Wild Windy Weekends

Things for me tend to stay pretty routine and well frankly, quite boring. I don't mind too much since it seems to keep N pretty predictable. Saturday I worked my hardest to keep the day as normal as possible. B had to go on a confirmation retreat Saturday into Sunday, and it was going to be my first time to have N overnight by myself. Overall the day went pretty well. He even went to bed fairly easy around 7:30 p.m. I was enjoying my peace and quiet as I sat flipping between TLC and the Nebraska v. USC game. According to the radar some pretty ugly storms were out there. I just kept praying that they would move north faster than east. It didn't happen. On my first night without B since having N, the tornado sirens start going off! (And I'm not one to like storms ever since a tree in my parents yard got hit by lightning several years back.) I unhappily got knocked out N out of his crib and headed for the basement stairs. I made a few calls to Gin and then Cor so someone would be keeping me company. After about 30 minutes of sirens, they finally turned off and stayed off. B's admin. assistant called me, since she knew I was alone, to check on me. She informed me that a tornado had touched down a half mile south and east of my house! YIKES! B's mom also called to make sure that we were alright. Shortly after that my mom called. I assumed she was returning the call I had made to her, but no she wasn't. She was informing me that my brother and sister-in-law were at the hospital because she was having contractions. She's not due til December! What a crazy night! I was getting to the point where I didn't know if I wanted to answer another phone call! Luckily, we got through the rest of the night fine. The tornado did no damage, and Linds is home safe from the hospital. I think the lesson to be learned here is that B is not allowed to leave me home alone ever again!

Happy Birthday Corrie!!!!!!!!!!!!

Morning at the Lake

The family took a little drive down to one of the local lakes this morning for some family time. B spent some time throwing the tennis ball in the lake for Maggie to retrieve. While N hung out in his stroller, I wandered around taking pictures of wild flowers. I have been quite impressed by the wildflower variety here in Nebraska. In the first picture, I was actually just trying to take a picture of the goldenrod, but Mags decided to run into the picture. It turned out to be the favorite one I took. After a while we started out on the trail that goes around the lake. Some how we ended up going around the entire lake. Think I've earned my right to sit on the couch this afternoon!

the many faces of squash

I love it, I love it, I love it!

On second thought, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!

. . . wanna talk about me, wanna talk about I . . .

I'm sure you are wondering in that brain atop your shoulders, "what's new with those Ks?" Have no fear, I am here to quench your thirst for knowledge. (Okay, guys I'm tired and am trying to keep my mind moving so that I don't fall asleep before 9.)

Tomorrow is a huge day for B and the Student Edge staff at KOK. It's the kick-off of the new teen gathering (service) on Wednesday nights (called The Upper Room). In fact B is practicing his sermon as I am typing this. What will be really exciting is when we get to hold it in the new teen area that's under construction!

N is always up to something new. Last week he discovered how to razz. Now he can make a big slobbery, spitty mess when he's not spitting up his formula. He also began baby foods. He'd been doing cereal for a month, but it was time to move onto the real deal. First up was squash (for some reason it's one of most babies favorites). First try, he loved it, then after a few more bites he hated it. He got to the point he wouldn't open his mouth. The next day and after that, he was back to loving it. Today we moved on to bananas - loved 'em. He also got his first sippy cup experience with water in it tonight. He's not too sure about the cup or what was in it.

As for me, not much is happening. I went to Ladies Bible Study this morning. It's great because I can drop N off at the nursery and feel free for couple of hours. Other than that my great accomplishment for the day was using Microsoft Publisher (best program ever!) to make tags for N's diaper bag. (It was going to cost me at least $10 to order something similar on the internet.)

uuurrrrgggghhhh! Blogger makes me so mad sometimes. I've attempted to upload the same pictures at least 8 times now, and it's not working! I guess I'll publish this and try the pictures later. Also, anyone who is familiar with Blogger know if you can upload video clips? I have a couple of N that I would love to share. I just don't know how.

new additions

Welcome to the newer additions to the grandparent club. B and I can't wait to hear the memories that will stick with N through the years regarding his grandparents. We hope to give him every opportunity to enjoy his grandparents and make wonderful memories with them. Thanks to both sets of you for being so ready and willing to love our N!

meaningful people

Happy Grandparents Day!
Today is one of those unbelievably special days that can often slip right by unnoticed. We all know how grandchildren put a huge smile on grandparents' faces, but do they realize that they do the same for us. Seeing my grandparents usually only happens once or twice a year, but that only makes it more important. So, today we take a moment to let grandparents know just how special they are.
Grammy Ki's house was always a fun place to go. There's a lot more room to run around there. Turning over the prickly mat in the hallway (before it got taken away) led to many giggles. It still gets put up every time I'm there. Hmmm . . . I never got to meet my Grandpa B, but I've thought often of what kind of man he must have been. Whenever asked about what I look forward to most about heaven I give the same reponse. First, I want to meet my Savior and then I want a whole bunch of Grandpa B time. Can't wait to meet him! - A

What laughs we got listening to Grandma Ko tell Grandpa to go brush his hair! "I already did Deary," was often the loving response of Grandpa. Gin and I use to sit with Grandma and play beauty shop. She'd have gorgeous hair and nails by the time we were done. Grandma and Grandpa always came each year at Halloween as a kid. It was a blessing to watch my Grandpa meet my son a couple of months ago. Can't wait to hear Grandma's opinion of him in heaven some day - God only knows what'll come out of her mouth! :) - A

I was fortunate to spend quality time with my grandparents growing up. Grandma was good at letting me get away with things (and always having excess frosted oatmeal cookies sitting around the house). Her heart was always on the left coast, so she now resides in Seattle near her two youngest grandsons. Grandpa and I spent countless fall Saturdays in routine: he would take me to Lincoln for the Husker football games. Greatest seats in the house, and we'd always drive back to Humboldt listening to the locker room show before Prairie Home Companion came on. Great, great memories. -B

One of the most enjoyable things I ever get to do is tell people about Grandpa/ma Knorr. I've never been more proud or in-awe of anyone else. Married now for 62 years, they have always been my standard for quality of character. Their love for Christ, respect for the church, hope in eternity, and success as parents speak for themselves. Growing up, we'd get to see G-pa/ma quite often. Being back in the Motherland, we are blessed to live 1 1/2 hours away now. I can't wait for Nate to be impacted by them as much as I have been. And Grandpa, you have no idea how much A loves those hugs! - B

Happy Labor Day

Happy day off work! Enjoy: sleep in, take a nap, watch a movie, read a book, have fun

que Allelluia Chorus

The angels in heaven are singing songs of rejoicing with B and I right now. It's been nearly 5 months, but the waiting over. N can finally manuever the pacifer well enough to not just pull it out, but he can also put it back in now. The ugly cycle of N pull, N scream, parents fix, repeat IS OVER!!!! He has some struggles to get it in the right way at times, but is improving daily. Here are some pictures of his efforts from earlier today. (BTW, there are new pictures in the August and September yahoo photos)

what's a few more miles

It's been a busy past couple of days for the Ks of O. After battling a nagging migraine for a couple of days, the weekend finally scared it away. We decided to head to Waco on Friday and visit B's Grandma and Grandpa. We had a good time just sitting around the table chatting with them. N had a great time getting held by both of his great-grandparents. We also headed to Bee, NE for dinner. You know you're in a classy place when there is brown, orange, and green shag carpet on the walls. Despite the decor, the food was good and the company was great!Saturday, we dropped N off with some good former Arkansans from K of K. B and I then headed off to Lincoln to cheer on the Huskers to a 49-10 victory. Thank goodness the rain finally ended about an hour before the game started. We were bummed to come home and watch the Razorbacks lose to USC. The team did look much better than last year. Today we spent time outside enjoying the nice weather. Seems like a pretty good weekend to me.