This is Noah's new very excited face. Along with the scrunched up nose and open mouth making him look like a wolf, he will also huff and puff like one (although he isn't doing it in this video).

Fun in St. Louis

Our little family went to St. Louis this week. We stayed Monday through Wednesday and had a great time! It is supposed to be one of the most family friendly cities in the nation, and we found that to be true. There are a lot of wonderful FREE things to do there!

Monday we went to the St. Louis Zoo. Kari, Eric and Noah drove down to spend the day with us. It was a WONDERFUL zoo, the best I've ever visited. It was so beautiful, each exhibit was very well done and (did I mention?) it was FREE.
Tuesday we went to the St. Louis Science Center Museum (also free) and spent the whole morning learning about architecture, bones, dinosaurs and space. This is us under the St. Louis Arch that we built with a few other visitors.Here is the arch. We walked underneath it during lunchtime on Tuesday and took more pictures, but this is a good one of it in its entirety. It is situated right on the riverfront in a small but beautiful park. I was pleasantly surprised by how many little parks are sprinkled throughout downtown St. Louis.

Tuesday afternoon we went to Anheuser-Busch headquarters and learned all about brewing Budweiser beer. For two non-drinkers and a baby, the tour honestly was a highlight of our trip. We met some of the famous Clydesdale horses (their stables are more elegant than most people can boast of their own houses) and got to see three historical buildings on their seven block property. The most interesting part for me was the packaging plant, it was amazing! They can run the entire packaging operation with only about five people. We were offered free drinks in the hospitality room, but had lemonade instead. It was a very interesting tour (also free!). Wednesday morning we visited Laumeier Sculpture Park (free free free). It was by far the best sculpture park I've ever been to. There were TONS AND TONS of sculptures. Some out in fields like the one pictured above (can you spot Jason's head in this picture?) and some in the woods surrounding. We didn't wear the right shoes and didn't have enough time to properly enjoy it all, but what we did see we LOVED. I wish this were near where I live. It was awesome.

This is Addie and I on a glass sculpture that also served as a bridge over a little creek.

Maybe we can buy this sculpture one day and put it outside of Jason's future practice.

After the sculpture park we went to The Magic House, supposedly one of the premier children's museums in the country. It was, alas, the only thing we did that was not free, however it was well worth the money! They had targeted areas for younger children (ages one to six years) and older children. There was plenty for Addie to do, and stuff to keep Jason and I entertained as well. Here is Addie "shopping" in the little supermarket.

Now this is what I call a truly unruly perm!

On the way home we stopped at Lambert's Cafe, in Sikeston, MO. Several people have recommended it to us, and it was an experience not to missed! The waiters walk around the dining room and holler at you to see if you want any "pass around" side dishes (fried ocra, macaroni and tomatoes, fried potatoes, etc). Their trademark, however, are the throwed rolls which are tossed from all over the dining room to the hungry customers. It was loud and crazy, but very very fun. Jason's piece of ham was larger than his head!

We would definitely recommend St. Louis. It was so fun, so inexpensive and we had a blast. It was a great way to end off this wonderful summer.

Cub scout camp

I forgot to mention that Merrit and I went to scout camp this passed Friday and Saturday. It was a scout camp, but we invited families to come so we could slide through the loop hole that the church has about cub scouts having overnights. We went to an Oakland county park by Clarkston. It was pretty nice. We had rain Friday night for about an hour. It wasn't too hard of a rain so it didn't get any of our gear wet. Merrit had a blast, like I knew he would. I had an O.K. time. I don't really like camping and the weather was pretty hot and sticky on Saturday so that made it worse. I would've sent Charlie but I'm still the Welbos leader for our ward so I kind of felt obligated to go. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures so I'll have to try to get some from the cub scout leader. She tooks lots (she's better than me).

Curious about Thanksgiving

I've already talked to Mom about this, but we are hoping to come to Michigan for Thanksgiving (that is if Mom and Dad want to put up with us) because Eric has a week and a half off. I already know that Jana and Jason will be in Idaho, but I am curious if Kurt and Heather and Hillary and Charlie know roughly what their plans will be-would we get to see anybody while we're there?

I'm a college student again!

So I was at church yesterday and was talking to a sister in our ward who is a professor at U of M Flint. I just asked her, in passing, when her classes were going to begin. She said that it was this coming Wednesday. That blew my mind because, although I've been officially accepted to U of M, I haven't signed up for any classes yet. So I took myself to campus today and jumped through all the hoops I needed in order to get signed up for two online classes. I am so thankful that I was even able to get in them being that is sooooo late to be signing up for classes. I had to get an override for one of the classes, but it worked out. I really wanted online classes because I don't know if Charlie will be home during the day or not (I really still hope he gets a job and won't be). I know I won't be able to get my whole bachelors degree off campus, but I'd like to take as many classes that way as I can. It just makes things easier for my kids. It was interesting going to U of M campus. I've never been there and had no idea where to go or what I needed to do. It was almost like I had just graduated high school again, at least I felt that way. I'm glad to have that over with. Now I just have to get financial aid squared away so I can see if I'll need loans and how much I might need.

The kids start school on Sept. 2nd (which is when I thought my classes would start, I just assumed). They are excited. Charlie and I blocked out today, tomorrow and Wednesday so we could do a little family vacation before school starts. Because I had to sign up for classes today we didn't get to do exactly what we had planned, but we went up to Birch Run and Frankenmuth for the afternoon and evening and did some fun stuff. They have an indoor mirror maze that we did. It was neat and very confusing, but I'm not sure it was worth the money we paid. Then we walked around downtown Frankenmuth for a bit. What a cute little town. There is a flat-bottom river boat there that goes a ways down the Cass River. The captain does a little tour and history of the town. It takes about 50 minutes. We did that. Everyone but Lexi thought it was neat. Then we got a quick bite to eat and went to see the movie Fly Me To The Moon. It's a computer animated movie that is totally in 3D. It was neat to watch, but the story line was not all that amazing (it is a kids' movie though). We had fun and hope to do some more tomorrow. We originally had planned on going to the COSI museum in Columbus. We decided not to to save gas money and we wanted to be a little closer to home just in case Charlie was called for an interview. He put in an app for a job at Corunna and one at Chesaning. We hope they call this week. So we think we're going to do Potter Park Zoo in Lansing tomorrow and maybe even Binder Zoo in Battle Creek too. We'll see how the day plays out. Here are some pictures of us on the boat in Frankenmuth.

Some new tricks

We haven't posted anything in a while, so here are some videos of Noah doing some of his latest tricks for everyone. The scooting has been fun to watch...we hope you enjoy them!

Harvey-rama

I have changed my mind about a pretty big decision I had made. I think in the end it will be the right choice for our family. Sorry for the vagueness but Big Brother is watching.

Harvey is growing up so quickly. He is still the easiest kid ever and is happy all the time. He's learning what "No" means and that we don't back down. He made the transition to whole food practically overnight. Now he's gobbling up Cheerios and cooked carrots like it is nothing. Any other suggestions for soft foods to try? Here's a couple of photos.

Harvey loves the Baby-in-the-Mirror

Here he is sitting still for a very brief moment of time

He loves crawling understuff and trying to sit up.

yay for me!

I just got back from my longest jog yet and I feel great! I went a little over 6 miles! It took me an hour and 15 minutes, so I go REALLY REALLY slow, but I finished without stopping once! Wahoo! Our bodies truly are amazing.

New Callings

I thought I'd just pass on the info that Charlie was put into the bishopbric (sp?) today as the second councelor. We had his parents and Mom and Dad and his sibblings come to church with us and then Les and Kristi and their crew and Mom and Dad came back to our house for lunch. It was fun to have them over to visit. We aren't too excited about this new calling, but know that it's what the Lord wants. We are willing to serve in the ways He needs us to. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I was put into the Relief Society presidency as the 2nd councelor a couple of weeks ago. I'm over enrichment. I think I'm more excited about my calling than Charlie is about his, but mine has more perks and is more fun I think. I'm still the weblos leader too until they find someone to replace me. I should be O.K. with it for a little while. We'll see when school actually starts how things go. Hopefully I'll be replaced by then.

Speaking of school, I was officially accepted at U of M Flint this week. Now I just have to sign up for classes and I'll be a student again. I don't plan on going full time this semester. I haven't taken classes since spring of '06 so I kind of want to get my feet wet before I jump in. No job yet for Charlie. We still have hope. School doesn't start for another 2 weeks so there still is time, but we know the reality isn't all that good. With God all things are possible though, so we know it could still happen. Charlie will be going to get fingerprinted this week though, so he can start applying as a substitute teacher for the schools around here. He will be working somewhere, somehow, maybe just not the job he wants right away.

The kids are excited to start school soon. We've decided to put them back into the charter school they were at before in Grand Blanc. The school is now offering a scholarship to help with transportation costs and are providing hot lunches at school with the free/reduced school lunch program. Those things helped us to choose that school again. Otherwise we would've probably sent them to the local public school. My only hang up with the public school was that when we move, later on, in the middle of the year, the kids would have to change schools (most likely). With them being at the charter school, they won't have to change schools, because the charter school doesn't operate within a certain boundary. I think it will be better for the kids this way. Now I'm just working on collecting uniforms for four kids. What a task! Especially when you are working within a budget.

Our Project

So, our first major on our house is refinishing the deck. (The shutters are all off b/c we want to repaint them...all except that one b/c the screws were stripped) This project is taking FOREVER! We didn't realize that there are 5 layers of paint on the deck and the three middle layers do not come off together with the chemicals...they are coming off one by one. We have looked into buying a radiant heating machine that will take it off, or Eric thinks that if we rent one of those large wood sanders than people use to refinish hard wood floors, that we could just sand it all off. I'm not sure what is more cost effective, but I'm tell you that the chemical stripper by itself will take a lifetime (well, at least the next couple of months) and we just don't have time for that. So, if anyone has any ideas what would be best, fastest and most cost effective-all suggestions are welcomed.
This was the starting color-beige. It was already chipping when we moved in and we thought there were only going to be 2 layers of paint...how wrong we were.

The beige layer came off pretty easy...it's the 3 gray layers underneath that have been the pain.
This is what the porch looks like right now...1/4 of it mostly down to the wood, the middle section (the dark gray) has been the area we've worked the last couple of days and the rest is what we still have to work on...yay! On a few boards we have actually come to the wood itself. It's a beautiful orange/red color. We aren't sure what kind of wood it is, but we like the color.
One day it will be beautiful...we are sure.

how we're doing

She loves to close and open the bedroom door

I just realized we haven't posted on here in a while. I think it's because I don't feel I have much new to say. Jason's free summer is winding down. He only has one more week of work, then he gets one week off, and then school starts the day after Labor Day. We might go on a short trip somewhere around here during his week off. How we play cards at our house!
Just chillin' in a box loaded with toys.

I've been keeping up on my running. I had to cut it down to just 4 times a week because my left knee was giving me some problems and I didn't want to over do it. I had wanted to run 100 miles in 6 weeks (which was up on Aug 11th) but I didn't make it. Darn. I just couldn't risk injury to make that goal. I still have another 23 miles to go. I've been going between 4 and 5.5 miles each time, though, so that is pretty good. It doesn't seem to get any easier, however. I hope I'll be able to finish the half marathon in December!

My favorite meal!

Addie is walking like crazy. She can now turn corners, too, which has seemed to open up a whole new world. She loves being chased, and now holds our hands to lead us to whatever it is she is trying to get. She knows what "outside" is and will bring you her shoes if you say it. She also knows what her belly button is! We're trying to teach her to talk, but so far it isn't working that well. Oh well. Addie is so cute, this is such a fun stage. It will be great to have all the cousing together at Christmas, I can't wait!

So happy to be walking!

No, we aren't expecting a baby, but we have added to our family. They are called velveteen lops and we bought them last weekend. They are about 8 weeks old now. The kids just love them, in fact, I'm afraid they run the risk of being loved to death.

Charlie built them their hutch. They are sisters. The one on the left is named Bell and the other is May. They look very much alike, but Bell has more white on her shoulders and May's white stripe on her forhead is longer than Bell's. Makayla got to name May. She's wanted a girl bunny named May for several months now (because May is her birth month). I got to name the other one. We think some day we might get enough for all our kids to have their own bunny. But we wanted to start out with only two until we get the hang of taking care of them.

Latest Project

This last weekend I took advantage of Jim going on the high adventure to use the computer and make a bunch of cds of show tunes. Most of you probably know that several years ago I made cassette tapes of songs that I like from the sound tracks of musicals that I've collected and listened to them in my car. Well, the Escape doesn't have a cassette player, so I can't listen to them anymore. Dad researched it and found some software that comes with a converter box that allows you to record records and cassette tapes into the computer and then burn a cd. I spent most of Friday doing that and made 9 cds with enough songs left over to do half of another one. You might be interested to know that I've collected the sound tracks of over 40 different musicals, a good number of them I have both the movie and broadway play of. With the 4 cds Kari made me of musical tunes that she likes, it's plenty of playing time for my car. The hardest part was deciding what songs to use and then which recording of it I liked the best (movie or broadway). Anyway, that's my accomplishment for this week.

Big Boy

Today was Noah's 6 month check up and he is doing great! The nurses and doctors at our new pediatricians all loved him and his round little body. He is now 20.3 lbs and 27 3/4 inches. He is getting big!

Jaxson time

Here is Jaxson helping Daddy mow the lawn. Jaxson has an extreme fascination with the lawn mowers.

Here is Chelsea

Happy Birthday, Girl! I know this is a little late, but it's better late than never!

Ambling Addie

As Mom requested, here is our video of Addie walking. For some reason they show up much much darker when posted on the blog than on our computer. Hopefully you can see something! This was taken about a week ago and she's actually become braver since then. She has walked all the way across a room now, although not very often. She is so proud of herself, it's been fun to see her teeter around. Enjoy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHELSEA!

Today is Chelsea's 5th birthday! HURRAY! I know this is a little late-we've been running around all day-but since her birthday is ALL day, I thought it was still okay to post this. HIP HIP HURRAY, CHELSEA IS 5 TODAY!!!
p.s. I tried to upload pictures of Chelsea-I have some cute ones-but it keeps telling me I have an internal error...so could someone else post some or a picture of her for the occasion?

Kurt's Surgery

Kurt's surgery did go well. He was in surgery by 8:30 and I was talking to the surgeon by 9:30. He said the surgery went well, routine. Except there were two hernias, rather than one. He came out of the anesthesia well with no scary screaming. We made it home, he's had lunch and is hanging out on the couch. I think the biggest challenge at this point will be keeping him on the couch so he can recover. He's already fixed my indoor/outdoor thermometer and offered to wash the dishes. TV and video games should keep him occupied for the next couple days.

Update on Kurt

Since Heather is still in the hospital and I'm not sure when she/they will be home (and Jim's on our computer), Mom asked me to post an update on Kurt's surgery. Heather just called and he is out of surgery and everything went fine. He actually had two hernias and not just one so he will experience more soreness than at first anticipated. Prayers will be welcome.

Addie walking

Jana, you said that Addie is walking, but you haven't posted any pictures. I've been waiting thinking that you would, so now I'm asking for them. Put some up on the blog.