Pictures, pictures, pictures...

The two Graces! The Buskards came to visit a while back, which was lovely, and this is a picture of their Grace with ours. I hope they'll remain friends as they grow up, even if it has to be long-distance buddies!



Here's the happy Buskard family!



Caleb now loves to put things on his head. In this picture he's using his green bowl as a yarmulke. (Had to look up the spelling for that word!) He is also now saying his first real word besides "mama" and "dada": "uh-oh!" It's cute.



Beautiful Grace! She can spell "G-r-a-c-e" now. Isn't that smart for 2 years and 4 months old?


Grace is so sweet in her princessy dress-up clothes. Aunt Elyse played dress-up with her on Saturday when they were visiting. Thanks, Aunt Elyse!


Aunt Alonna got to visit on Monday, which was lots of fun for both Grace and Caleb. She played puzzles and dress-up with Grace.



And here's Grandma and Grandpa Liabenow! It's always SO good to see them. And my dad (Grandpa) is doing really well. He's actually having surgery on April 3, so keep that in your prayers!

And not related to pictures...We had our first OB appointment today. The baby's heartbeat was 151. Grace keeps telling us it's a boy - maybe she's right!

There's a hamburger in three of-chicken?

And the answer is....."There's a bun in our oven!" Good job for all of you who figured it out. If you didn't, don't feel bad. Picture puzzles aren't for everybody! :-)

Here's the scoop: We're 11 weeks, 2 days along, which means we're due September 30. Or at least, that's what I think, since I haven't technically been to the doctor yet. (Details, details.) I've been feeling pretty crummy for a while, and hoping it'll ease up soon. The end of the first trimester is near! This week, I've actually been throwing up, but I think I caught a bug from Kisha. (Thanks, Kish!)

Grace is excited about the baby, I think. She says it's a boy, but she also says it's her sister. So, she's a little confused. We'll get that straightened out! Caleb is just oblivious, although he did smile and whack my belly when I was telling him about the baby yesterday. Who knows? He'll probably catch on before "Rumley 3.0" is born, since he'll be 18 months old then.

Sorry we haven't been blogging much. It's hard to find the energy to do it these days. Maybe I'll have some sort of energy soon, but then again, my mom-in-law always says she's been tired for 25 years and counting! So, maybe not...

We went to a Church Ministries Conference this weekend, which was really good overall. I got to attend three workshops (including one really great one geared toward preschool teaching, i.e. Cubbies!), and we got to hear Dr. Lutzer from Moody Memorial in Chicago speak! He's a great speaker, and had two great messages! So, the conference was fun. Really tiring, but fun.

There were about 1,000 people at the conference, probably 98% white, with many from the older set. (A guy at church calls the older people "wrinklies!" Ha!) Anyway, it was hilarious when the perpetually-slow music team tried to get everyone to clap to some songs. Let's just say it wasn't the prettiest thing I ever heard!

I also got to see Elaine and Kym O'Neill (Chaeli's mom and sister-in-law) at the conference. It was good to see them again, and to catch up. Kaitlyn (Kym's little girl, who is four days younger than Caleb) was also there, and she is such a doll! She fell asleep in Kym's arms while we were chatting.

Anyway, I'm babbling. This is what happens to me when I don't blog for a while. I'm sorry about the absence of pictures lately, too. I know wordy blogs without pictures are boring, but I'm not sure where our camera batteries went. Sorry! Maybe soon!

Now go enjoy this BEAUTIFUL weather. I haven't yet, but now that I'm done puking for the day (I hope), I might slip out to get some fresh air!

-{lkr}

Surprise!

Thirteen and counting...

Well, our baby count is up to thirteen. Congratulations, Ken and Erin!

Here's the list:
Steve and Michele - June 15
Ben and Larissa - June 28 (BOY!)
Andy and Marcy - July 4 (BOY!)
Tim and Antje - July ?
Dave and Jen - August 4
Megan and Michael - August 8
Brandon and Marcy - August 20
Craig and Kathy - September ?
Ken and Erin - September 16
Tim and Jennifer - September 24
(*still a surprise*) - September 30
(*still a surprise*) - October 4
(*not sure if it's still a surprise or not, so I'd better not tell*) - Mid-October

Do you have anyone else to add?

-{lkr}

Long time, no blog

Welp, I'm just not feeling it lately. Sometimes I just don't have a lot to say.

One thing that's on my mind, though - I know 11 couples that are expecting between June and October. Something is in the water, I think. Watch out, all you Double-Income-No-Kids couples we know! (Ackermans, Lechlitners, Perrons, Bishops, Braams, etc, etc. That's you!) Only bottled water for you, or life might change! Seriously - ELEVEN couples?! Due in a span of FOUR months? Don't you think that's insane? It's not like we've all been snowed in with nothing else to do this winter...Well, maybe that comment was a little indecent. Sorry.

We are alive. The kids are still cute, albeit a little naughty at times. Grace is talking much better lately. Caleb's walking all over the place. Luke's a deacon at church, which is fun and busy. I'm exhausted - what's new? My dad's doing well at home; still a slow recovery. Nothing else to report, at least for the moment.

I need a new maid - mine is doing a terrible job lately. Any volunteers?

-{lkr}

Wacky Hair Night

It was our theme night at AWANA last night. We participated. I'd say Luke won the award for uniqueness.

I put my hair in a bunch of ponytails all over my head. Grace was sad that I used her hair bands to do it, but she got over it eventually. I meant to take a picture of it, but of course, I forgot. As my mother-in-law says, "What a ditz!"

But my brave husband took it the extra mile. During opening time, he gave the kids a challenge: for every kid that could say their verse, he'd let me shave a part of his hair - short. He ended up with stripes - alternating regular length (2"?) and really short (1/8"). The kids thought it was absolutely wonderful. They were chanting at the end, "Shave him bald! Shave him bald!" But we didn't, because bald just isn't wacky enough.


Grace was very disturbed by the hair. She kept saying, "Daddy hair messy." And she cried. Eventually, we fixed it so it's all the same length, but she still didn't like it. She'll either get used to it, or she'll spend a couple of weeks avoiding him while it grows out!

*Edit, here are the pictures of Luke:


That is how he looked for the whole night, then this is the "fixed" version (trying to look like the guy from Prison Break, hehe):

-{lkr}

Caleb's a walker!

My amazing husband brought these beautiful flowers home for me. I think they're tulips? Either way, they're gorgeous! Thanks, honey!

Things are going alright. I'm still on antibiotics for the strep throat, but I'm not feeling it anymore, so that's good. I feel much better. And the kids are doing okay. They still have constant runny noses / coughs, but they're surviving.

Caleb now has four (almost five!) teeth, and he can walk clear across the room all by himself! And he'll be ten months old tomorrow! He's so fast! It's fun to watch him toddle around, and he's so proud of himself sometimes. Cute.

Tonight is our AWANA Grand Prix, so we're going to go cheer on our Cubbies / TNT kids. (I do have some Cubbies racing cars! Yay for them!) And then this weekend, we're going to head up north to see my family. My dad's been accusing me of hoarding the grandchildren (haha), so we're going to go visit. It'll be nice to spend some time up there. I wish everyone lived closer, so we could see them more often with less effort!

Well, that's about all. Can't think of anything else to update. Have a great Wednesday!

-{lkr}

I have strep throat.

Yuck.

-{lkr}

Sunshiny winter days...

Mommies don't get sick days

Even though I feel like my head got hit by a truck (know how that feels, Chaeli? haha), my kids just won't give me the day off. They still expect me to cook, clean, and change their diapers. It's a good thing I get other "benefits" that are great...

Big, slobbery kisses all over my face, the best snuggles around, giggles that are the sweetest sound I've ever heard, smiles just for me, experiencing their "firsts", the privilege to teach them about God...

I guess being a mommy - healthy or sick - isn't so bad.

-{lkr}

Our little girl is sick

Well, the mood has changed since the first post. Grace has been running a temperature of about 103 since around 4pm. Poor kid. She's just not feeling well. She just laid on the couch during dinner, and then she laid on me while we watched the Incredibles, and then she went to bed. And she was sleeping intermittently in there, too. That's not like her. I hope she gets better soon, but if not, it's off to the doctor we go!

Hope everyone else is doing better than our little sweetheart is tonight!

-{lkr}

Does this shirt look familiar, Buzz?

More Christmas pictures / New Year's pictures / Caleb's firsts

One of the best things about Christmas this year was celebrating with my dad. We had great time. He was able to sit with us all the whole time we opened gifts, and he joked around with us a little bit. This picture is of him reading to Little Karl (the nephew formerly known as Kade) at our Lung Christmas. (That's my mom's side of the family.)

You know, since the accident, my mom's been praying that my dad will come out even better than he was before...And I think the Lord is answering her prayer in a way I didn't expect. My dad's been a Christian most of his life, but he's never been very vocal about it. He'd always pray at mealtimes, and we always went to church whenever the doors were open. We knew he had great values, but he didn't talk about the Lord much. Well, now he's talking about the Lord much more! I almost cried...at our Lung Christmas, I heard him say to a relative, "Uncle Roy, have you been praying for me?" And then, "Now I can be a testimony to (the Lord)." And then later he told my cousin, "You need to love the Lord with all your heart, and serve Him." Then when we were in church, he stood up and thanked everyone for their prayers and remarked how good God is. WOW! My dad may not be as strong physically as he used to be, but I'd say this is a change for the better! He could be bitter and angry that all this happened to him, but instead he's praising the Lord. Thank you, God!

The second picture is Grace at the Lung Christmas - after the pinata was broken. Can you tell she's excited about the candy?

Third is Grace and me testing out her new sleeping bag that we got her for Christmas. Snuggly!

Melissa, Karl, Karl, and Emma were here for New Year's. (We switch back and forth, and this year was their year to come here.) We had a great time hanging out, eating food, and chasing the kids. Although, I must admit, we pretty much went right to bed after the ball dropped. What can I say? We're old fogies. The fourth picture is Grace and Karl kissing Emma. Awww.

Now, the exciting news...Caleb took his first step last night! All by himself! YAY! What a big boy! And he was only 9months, 3 days old. Then Luke and Grace helped him walk around the house (picture #5). Pretty cute, huh?

And one more first for Caleb...Today was the first time he sat in the grocery cart seat (picture #6). I decided he's big enough to leave his silly car seat in the car when we're at Meijer. He was pretty enthralled with it at first. He didn't move. He just sat there and stared, like it was a whole new angle on grocery shopping. Ha.

Let's end with a giggle...If you want to see something really funny, go here. Luke thinks it's a little creepy, but it makes me laugh.

-{lkr}

Rumley Christmas pictures!

Beautiful Grace looking like a teenager!

Happy Caleb loves the laptop - and he always makes us smile!

The newlyweds are still having fun!

These beautiful sisters have boyfriends now! AHHH!

Mom and Dad Rumley

Have you missed his smile?

Countdown: Six days

The weekend was a success!

Friday night's white elephant party was HILARIOUS. We took a funny tie and a pair of ceramic boots (I think they're planters, like to put plants in). We received a Christmasy jar and the ugliest tissue box cover I've ever seen. You fit it over the tissues, and it looks like a couch, only with tissues coming out the cushions. Yikes. I'd post a picture, but I already put it in our Sunday School room at church. I wish I could post a picture of the funniest present I've ever seen. Pastor Craig (youth/family/music pastor) picked it. It was a dark blue hat that says in bright yellow letters "Hemmorrhoids can be fun!" I guess I forgot that our host is a colon-rectal surgeon. He got the hat from one of his medical suppliers. TOO funny.

Saturday was great, too. We got a surprise visit from Erik, Amy, and Grace Buskard. They were on their way to a family Christmas. It was great to see them! They're living in O-H-I-O now. So, we got to catch up and have lunch with them. Then we took a long nap, which was also lovely. (I still can't believe we got both kids to sleep at the same time for that long!)

And then, we had our date! Our friends, Craig and Kathy (yep, the guy with the hat) watched both the kids while we went out by ourselves. It was SO nice to do that! We went to a place called Mojo's, which is a dueling pianos bar/restaurant. It was a nice little place in the center of downtown. And we got there early enough to see the beginning of the show and eat dinner, which was really yummy. We stayed for about two hours, and the music definitely got better during the second half. But it also got really vulgar after a while, which is part of the reason we left. (I realize it is a bar, but still. It was totally unnecessary stuff they were saying/singing. Sheesh.) Oh, and we were the only ones there not drinking alcohol. The waitress looked at us a little funny when we ordered water and Diet Coke. Ha! I wouldn't recommend going to Mojo's, especially after 8:30pm. Maybe lunchtime would be better? But all in all, it was a good time anyway!

And then Sunday was church, home, meeting, and caroling! We went caroling at a nursing home, which gave mixed emotions for me. It was nice to be able to bring some Christmas joy to the people there, but it was also so sad. There were older folks just sitting in their rooms hardly moving, looking absolutely forlorn. And I thought, I'm so glad my dad didn't have to be in a nursing home. I was nervous to have him home, but I would be so sad if he had to go to a nursing home just to sit by himself all day in a quiet, lonely little room. I'm glad God knew where Dad needed to be.

Well, I guess that's the update. This week, I'm trying to madly finish the gift for my parents. I hope it gets done! We'll have Christmas with them this weekend, so I'm on a deadline here! Does anyone want two kids for the week? :-)

-{lkr}

White elephants, AWANA anniversaries, and tent beds...

We're facing a fantastically full weekend ahead. Tonight is our Sunday School class Christmas party at the Figgs'. It'll be fun. We're doing a white elephant exchange. I can't tell you what we're taking - what if someone from class reads our blog ahead of time? I thought it would be super funny to take our old vacuum cleaner, but MomR (or DadR) is going to try to fix it. No worries - we had other options up our sleeves! I'll let you know how it goes, if I remember.

Then tomorrow, thankfully, we get to sleep in! We need it! Poor Luke has been working really hard lately, so he's pretty beat. We will hopefully not do a thing until the early evening...

Then we're going out on a date (without the kids!) to celebrate our third anniversary! Three years already! WOW! (I guess that's good, since we have two kids, the latter of which is already 8 months old!) Our anniversary is technically next Wednesday, but we'll be spending that evening at AWANA. Not my idea of a date. So we moved the celebration to tomorrow. That'll be fun. Details later, again if I remember.

But the craziest, coolest thing will happen tomorrow around noon. My dad is going home! WOW! I don't know if he's fully ready, but the doctor is discharging him anyway. He's SO excited to go home and sleep in his own bed. (Currently he sleeps in an enclosure bed, which they zip him into at night, like being locked in a tent. He HATES it.) I am thankful beyond words that I will get to celebrate Christmas this year with my WHOLE family - Dad included. I've never been more thankful for his life. Praise God for His goodness!

-{lkr}

P.S. Does anyone want to take a Christmas picture of us? I need one. But I can't get my camera to work. And even if I could, I should probably be in the picture...What a pain. Oh, but don't expect a Christmas card in the mail from us - SORRY! We definitely won't get around to it this year. Hopefully next year. How about I just say "merry Christmas" on our blog? MERRY CHRISTMAS!
P.P.S. The picture - Grace found some stickers and got herself "Veggie-fied."

The long-awaited hair pictures

Well, folks. My hair is gone. On its way to Locks of Love, hopefully. Here are the pictures:

Before, front view.

Before, back view. Isn't it long?

The day after - not styled quite the same as the hairstylist did the night before. (I'm costmetologically impaired, remember?) But you get the idea. P.S. Don't mind the unmade bed behind me - it was Saturday morning!

The beauty of our backyard in the winter...

...and the promised pictures of Grace in her snowsuit:

1-2-3, A-B-C

I know it's been a long time. I apologize. I feel quite busy lately, and I also don't really have a lot to say. Let's see...

With my dad, each Wednesday the doctors and insurance company have a battle. Today's the day. We'll find out if Dad gets to stay at Mary Free Bed one more week, or if he has to be discharged. When the insurance company gives a final "no," they have 48 hours for him to leave. Right now it looks like he'll go to a nursing facility if that happens.

He's doing well, always improving. Praise the Lord for that! He seems to really be improving cognitively. He's not as confused when he's tired now, and he's been remembering the kids' names a lot better. The down side of being more aware is that he seems to be very aware of his limitations. He's been sad, and I asked why. He said it's because "life is hard" and "I can't do everything I used to do." He was a very capable man before, and now he's having to rely on others for all his needs. I can't imagine what it would be like to be "trapped" in your body - where you know you should be able to do things, but you still can't. So, please pray for continued improvement and some peace and JOY in his heart. Also pray for my mom as she's going to be making some big decisions in regard to his care.

In Rumley-ville, we're doing well. Caleb's about to sprout his third tooth (top right middle), and we're working on his ability to stand by himself (without holding onto anything). Grace is smart - she can say "1, 2, 3" and "A, B, C" now. She's learning to count and recite the alphabet. Not bad for barely-2, right? Luke took her sledding last night while I was at our church's Ladies' Christmas Tea. We have some super-cute pictures of her in her snowsuit, but I can't get them up here right now. (Luke, you wanna post one?)

Next on the agenda: HAIRCUT! I'm scheduled for a haircut on Friday evening, finally! It's probably been a good year since I got it cut. Yikes! I'm donating this mop to Locks of Love. I'll be sure to post before and after pictures. Anyone have suggestions for the new do? Ideas? Feel free to help. If you know me, you know I'm at least slightly cosmetically/aesthetically challenged. Thanks!

-{lkr}