where've i been?

I guess that I haven't had too much to say over the past week or so. I've managed to keep myself fairly busy and have also limited my daytime computering. (I was wasting too much time searching for nothing.) I get myself (and N) out of the house a couple of times thoughout the week now which is nice.

Other than a slight cold that B is battling, he is doing well. He is keep extremely busy as his staff continues to get smaller and smaller. His weekends don't seem to be much time off, just not working in his office. He and Student Edge have had 3 sucessful Upper Room services. They have averaged anywhere from 75 to 100 kids at each one. The National Youth Workers Conference is this week and should allow for some nice time out of the office.

N is one noisy boy! Sometimes it's hard to discriminate between the happy squeals and the unhappy ones. He's continuing to try new foods all the time. This week will include peas, peaches, and carrots! How fun! He's 19.5 lbs. now and doesn't seem to be slowing down at all. People keep telling me it'll slow once he can crawl around. I think my arms and back will appreciate that a lot!

Here are a couple of recent pics:

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.

Woo Pig Sooie

Oh my! These have to be some of my favorite pictures of N that I've ever taken. Of course the Razorback onesie helps me love them, but he was just too cute with the football. If the camera battery hadn't died on me, I would have taken 100 more. (Plus the grass was kinda wet.) When N and I got home from lunch with B, the package with the Razorback gear had arrived. I quickly fed N and then changed him so that we could start our photo session. I wonder whether he'll wear Husker or Razorback clothes for the games Saturday? HMMM, considering I dress him, I don't think it'll be a hard decision. (And with a high of only 68, he'll have to wear the Razorback shirt since it's long sleeved.) Be sure to also check our yahoo pictures site. I added quite a few pictures from the past couple of weeks.

Are we there yet?

I don't really have anthing important to say tonight. I'm just bored. I suppose I'll just start rambling in hopes of rambling long enough to get me closer to bedtime. I would love to go to bed now since N hasn't slept through the night for 2 nights now, but 9:15 seems a bit early for bedtime. I must be old and boring if I'm just waiting around for bedtime. Ever since Big Brother All-Stars ended at 8, I've been wandering around not quite sure what to do with myself. I was disappointed that Chill Town has yet again manipulated everyone to be blind to them. I'm going to be sick if they breeze their way all the way to the final 2 by getting others to do their dirty work. Bad Dr. Will and Mike Boogie. ( www.cbs.com/primetime/bigbrother7/ ) Trip's family got a fence put in today. Now all we need is our neighbor behind us to put one up and we're pretty much set. N and I went to N City today with a friend from church. She wanted company on her ride down and asked if we wanted to go. It got us out of the house so I was more than happy to go along. N City is the oh so happening place that's claim to fame is being the "home of the international holiday Arbor Day". ( www.nebraskacity.com ) It did look like it might be fun to walk around the Arbor Farm and see all of the attractions there. Maybe that'll be a day trip some Friday this fall. We might try to go to the zoo this Friday. ( www.omahazoo.com) Since school just started it's too early for field trips and shouldn't be to busy. Brad is more than anxiously awaiting Saturday. We will be going to the opening Husker game that afternoon. Hopefully we will make it home in time to see Arkansas suprise USC. (we'll see) Nate should be getting his first offical Razorback gear in the mail tomorrow. I'll definitely take a picture and post it. The clock on the computer says it's now 9:30. Maybe if I get ready for bed really slowly, it'll be close to 10. (really, really slowly) I've wasted enough of all of our time - good night.

Touchdown Rockets! (yeah right)

I had a flashback to my high school days on Friday, and then realized how old I am getting. A and D asked if we would like to go see a couple of the good high school teams football game on Friday. It reminded me of the good old times going to War Memorial to "watch" the Catholic High Rockets (who at the time were horrible!) get beat by yet another team. It was a good time, but I left feeling old. It's hard to believe next year will be my 10 year reunion!

We also had B's fam over for dinner on Saturday night. D and K hadn't seen N in several weeks and were anxious to. N put on quite a show of rolling, happily screaming, and laughing.

Today N headed to his babysitter's at 8 am so that B and I could participate in "Step Out and Serve O" once church was over. We spent our afternoon priming and painting what will one day be a missionary school. Thank goodness it's cooler today since there's no AC.

Help! I need somebody, Help! Not just anybody, Help! You know I need someone, Help!

I am having a decorating block and would love some help with it. On either side of the kitchen window there are 3 shelves that I can't figure out what to do with. The are fairly narrow and as deep as a kitchen cabinet. I don't want them to sit empty, but I also don't want them to end up cluttered with trinkets. I would appreciate any ideas you might have concerning them. Thanks!

A Mover and A Shaker

Since N is now a roller, we decided it was time for an exersaucer. The doctor had recommended it, but it wasn't in the budget. He has a roof over his head and food in his belly; what more could the kid want? As soon as he began to roll around, we soon decided it was worth it whether the budget said so or not. He LOVES it! He spins around in the circle and plays with each of the different toys. He'll laugh and talk as he plays. I'll get some better pictures as time goes by.

Susie Homemaker

When I went to get my N driver's liscense, I had to fill out paperwork that asked what my occupation is. It was odd to not put teacher but homemaker instead. Since then I have been hard at work filling my new roll as homemaker/housewife/stay-at-home-mom. I thought, what better way to jump into my new role with both feet than pull out the old sewing machine and whip out some curtains for N's room. That's exactly what Susie Homemaker would do, right? It wasn't much, but it did take several hours (Susie is experienced and would have had them done in 30 minutes) and multiple calls home to Mom. (Thanks again Mom!) In the end I felt pretty good about the results. They were an inch or two shorter than I would have liked, but I learned a lot. If I've master window treatments, what's next in the homemaker's list of accomplishments? I guess that as I contemplate my next move, I will just keep cleaning the house and cooking dinner.

Attempt #1: F-A-I-L-U-R-E

We all have good intentions when we set goals, right? We think, "I'm going to start ___________ because it'll be good for me." Way back in May, I had one of those moments. I had to doc's okay for physical activity, and I was ready to get rid of the baby weight. I was going on a walk a day and feeling good about it as I knew I'd be running soon once again. Then came June and the excuses set in. We spent the beginning of June traveling here, there, and everywhere; which of course meant there was no time to go on walks. Then the big move came, and we had too much to do around the house to be wasting time on walks. The major heat (I swear the heat index had to be in the 140s) set in. (The heat is a great excuse - right?) I then had a real excuse when I broke my toe and had to wear a goofy shoe for 4 weeks. Unfortunately I seem to be running out of excuses, and that baby weight isn't going anywhere on it own. Late last week, I decided to give myself another go at this goal thing. Here it is, let's make it official: "I'm going to start walking (later running) because it'll be good for me." Wish me better luck than last time!

Working Hard

Meet Trip. No, we didn't get another dog; not yet anyways. (When we do it'll be a Brittney.) Trip is my "job". Since he's still just a puppy, I let him out of his crate once a day for about a hour to potty, feed, and play. Maggie is loving this job and has a great time wearing Trip out before I put him back in his house. The only tricky part is dragging him back to his house while carrying Nate when playtime is over. Other than that it's a fun job so far.

Since I had to camera out, I decided that it was time for a few new pictures of N. I'll work on getting them all up on our yahoo picture site, but here are a few of my favorites. I can't help but think that he is absolutely adorable! (Even if he did spit up all over himself and me as I was writing this, and both of us had to change clothes.)

Thanks Tork! Leave it to Tori to surprise you with a thumbs-up self portrait on your camera. :)

85-90-30

In the world of parenthood, those numbers have a lot of meaning. B and I both took N to the doctor this morning for his 4 month check-up. He was 16 lbs 15 oz which is the 85th percentile, his height is 26.25 inches and the 90th percentile, and his head circumference was 41.5 centimeters which is the 30th percentile. The little guy may have some adorable chubby cheeks, but his head is not quite as big as you'd think. The doctor said he looks great and is perfectly healthy. We got the okay to start him on eating solids. We are doing rice cereal for the next 3 to 4 weeks, and adding the good stuff (veggies, meats, and fruits) after that. N wasn't quite as excited about the cereal as I was. Most of what I attempted to put in his mouth was pushed right back out by his tongue. I went according to his cues and stopped the cereal after he would start to cry. I think he still prefers the simplicity and familiarity of feeding out of a bottle. He also did really well with shot #1, shot #2, and shot #3; if only there hadn't been a shot #4. Wow! That little guy can scream! (Can you tell from the picture that he's had a bit of tylenol today?)

Maggie also went for her check up today and passed with flying colors. The vet had nothing but good things to say about her. He could tell that she was in great shape. The vet also told B about some places where he could take her to swim. Of course they had to go out to the lake and check it out tonight.

B and I were just thrilled to find doctors for both our children (human and canine) that we felt good with. Both doctors got our stamp of approval.

The Rock

N and I have safely arrived in Little Rock! B is still stuck in N - boo. It's great to be here and see the fam, but wish it didn't mean leaving my much loved husband. I can't say that I mind all of the extra hands that are so eager to help with N. B tells me it's boring when I just write what we did, so I'll just leave it at this. More later - hopefully I'll have some pictures.

N's 2 cents worth

N has ben quite active in the past few days. He is constantly on the move. Lucky for me, this seems to be wearing him out more than normal, and I have more time to get things done while he sleeps. I'm posting several pictures which have been taken over the past week to show what N's been up to. I'll let him explain each picture.













Mom didn't start me out half-way off my blanket, but I quickly pivoted around to where I wanted to be. She's going to have to put something along this bannister soon! By the way, any suggestions for what to do with the rest of my fingers when I am sucking my thumb? They keep blocking my view!













I didn't like where Mom laid me on my blanket. She had me lying so that my head was where my left foot now is. By the time I got all the way around to where I wanted to be, I was exhausted! Naptime!













In this picture I am showing off by rolling from my tummy to my back. This was the second or third time in a row I had done this. I don't know why Mom didn't have the camera ready the first time.













I'm getting pretty good at this tummy time. I don't get as mad about it, and I can raise my head fairly high. All the books and magazines Mom reads says I should be pushing up with my arms soon, but I'll keep her waiting for now.













Mom and Dad both thought it would be nice if I could join them for mealtime. They set up my highchair yesterday, and I loved getting to play while they ate lunch. You can see a lot more of what's going on from up here. I'm loving it!!!













Mom wanted to put this picture up because it reminds her of herself when she was little. She used to suck her thumb while holding the satin edge of a blanket - just like I'm doing here.

That's all I know for now everybody. It's time for me to let Mom and Dad know I'm ready to eat again. Then I'd better think about trying to get in one more quick nap before bedtime. Don't forget NFL preseason starts tonight - I'm so excited for Dad to teach me all about football! Bye everyone!