Johnson & Johnson

Zeke's newborn stats

2011-06-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

Zeke's birth story

2011-06-04T09:38:00.001-07:00

Here I am the night before Ezekiel arrived!

May 30th, about 8 oclock pm I started having bad contractions. They were pretty sporadic throughout the night and the next morning. Jared and I spent most of the day walking around the neighborhood, trying to get the contractions closer together. Brandy, my wonderful birth photographer/step-sister-in-law, came over sometime in the late morning. Here are some pics from that time.

We started out laboring inside with the birth ball

(Thank you, Michelle for letting me borrow it! It was a life saver!!)

Then we started walking outside to try to get things moving a little more

(Jared is not texting, he is keeping track of contractions on our cool contraction timer app)

Here is a closer look

Contractions! Contractions! Contractions!

This is when we still had a few minutes in between contractions to relax

check out my amazing cankles
AAAAAND more contractions!

I think this was about the time we decided to go to the hospital...

The contractions finally reached a consistant 5 minute apart, and were getting really painful, so we started making our way back home. The normally 2 minute walk across the street took about 15 minutes, as the contractions quickly got even closer together. By the time we got to the car they were probably 3 minutes apart and we were in a bit of a hurry!

We drove to Wesley Birth Care Center, where my mom met us. Here I am checking in...

...and having a contraction in the lobby.

They moved us into the room and checked me. I was already at a 6! This was a huge relief, because when I was in labor with Nancy Lu, I was not dilating at all. They made me lay in the bed for about 20 minutes so they could monitor me and the baby, but after that I was pretty much on my feet for the rest of the labor, because it was too painful to sit or lay down.

Goals for today!

Things started getting really painful really fast. I wanted to start pushing pretty much right away, but I had to wait. As a sort of hilarious side note, during the 2 or 3 hours at the hospital, I managed to pee, poop, vomit, & bleed on the floor. Not to mention all the amniotic fluid. Good times.

I had to lay down again for Dr. Katie to check me. As you can see, it hurt really bad!

I reached 10 centimeters pretty quickly. And it was about this point, standing by the side of the bed, when I felt the head coming out.

At this point Dr. Katie made me get on the bed so she could deliver the baby. I climbed on the bed and stayed on my hands and knees. After some horrible contractions, pushing, and pain, his head eventually came out. As terrible as it all was, I was clinging on to the hope that, since his head was out, it wouldn't be long now that this whole thing would be over. Unfortunately, he was stuck! No matter how hard I pushed he would not come out. I was in so much pain I can't even describe it. At this point, it was apparent something was going wrong and Dr. Katie told me I had to flip over. So, with a huge baby head sticking out of me, I had to flip over onto my back, which was not fun at all. Then things got kind of crazy. I think there were people holding each of my legs back, and two more people pushing on my stomach, and Dr. Katie was telling me to put my chin to my chest and push push push. Earlier, during the pushing, I got to push, then rest, take a big breath, and push again when I felt like it. Now, I did not have time to take a breath or rest. I just had to keep pushing and pushing and I was running out of air, and I had all these people pushing and pulling on me and I didn't think I could do it. I was pretty delirious with pain at this point. All I remember is just wanting him out so bad. I kept thinking, soon he will be out, soon he will be out and this will all be over.

Eventually he did come out. I had been very clear with Dr. Katie that I wanted Zeke to come to me right away, but I saw them carrying him to the baby bed. It took me a while to notice that he wasn't crying. Then I noticed some commotion and began asking what was wrong and of course no one answered. I had to keep pushing, and there were still people pushing on my stomach and eventually I felt the placenta come out. I remember Jared standing by me. I asked him what was going on, and he probably said something about them taking care of the baby, but I don't really remember. I do remember praying and praying for God to make him OK. And after 3 minutes we heard him cry. That was one of the best moments in my life: hearing him cry. Then they brought him to me and he was so beautiful. When I look at the pictures of that moment, he is all blue and looks terrible, but I don't have real memories of that. I just remember him being so precious and perfect. I was in so much pain that I couldn't really hold him. I had Jared sit next to the bed and hold him where I could see him. After a while they gave me some medicine and soon I was holding him and breastfeeding him and all of it was worth it.

Here is my beautiful baby boy!

Daddy loving on his new son!

It wasn't until an hour or so later that they weighed him. I was asleep, when I heard a big commotion. I woke up and there was Brandy showing me a picture she just took of my baby on the scale and the scale read 10 lbs 6.1 oz!

No one had guessed he was going to be that big. And if I had any idea he was going to be that big, I probably would not have chosen to have a natural birth. But as God was in control of things, we didn't know. And I praise him, because most likely having an epidural would have really slowed down my labor and would have made it really hard to push. And if it had taken any longer to get baby Zeke out of me, he may not have made it, or at least may have been a lot worse off. Praise Jesus for being in control!

My beautiful family!

The proud big brothers!

And the super happy, thankful, & tired parents!

ADOPTION DAY!

2011-05-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

It's official!!

The Judge signed the papers and told the boys they now have a second birthday each year. Then he let them all sit behind his desk and bang the gavel!

Everyone came down to support and love on the boys!

Thank you!

2011-05-02T15:41:00.001-07:00

Thank you all for your numerous and wonderful birthday wishes. I am overwhelmed, as usual, at how blessed I am. I am 31 years old and I can honestly say that each year of my life is even better than the year before. Each year brings more growth and more love into my life. This year I know my Savior more than I did last year. I am closer to understanding his will for me, and how to live my life in a way that glorifies his Name, and not my own. I am learning to focus on how I can further his Kingdom, and not my own selfish desires. I am even closer to my husband than I was last year. I am closer to my children than I was last year, and this month, not only will we be getting our first son, we will also be legally gaining Brendan, Seth, & Jacob into our family. What a huge blessing! The past year has been rough and we have dealt with a lot of grief and trauma, but we have been able to grow through it and continue to recognize our absolute need to, not only rely on God, but to PRAISE God, through ALL circumstances. Thank you, my dear loved ones, for helping to make my birthday, and my life, so blessed!

-Andi

BIG NEWS!

2011-04-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

Well, the Johnson/Hamm household is always full of surprises! Last month Angel came to Jared and I and asked us to adopt Brendan, Seth, & Jacob. Of course, the boys have already been a part of our family for five years, but we are super excited to take this step of making it completely final. The boys have taken very well to the news. It is bittersweet for them, and their parents, finally coming to the understanding that they will never live together, but I believe that knowing they are going to be here in their home permanently, without the confusion and uncertainty of their future, they are able to feel secure and safe, which is something all children need. Their teachers and therapists have noticed them acting happier in general, and Brendan, in particular, has been very open and excited about it with his friends at school and church. Jared and I have considered the boys our children since the first day we started taking care of them, but we are overjoyed to make it legal and official. We hope that this will help the boys as they continue to heal from their past. Looking at our family is a perfect example of how God is a God of restoration. Angel wrote a note on Facebook that put it way better than I can, so please read it.

Jacob

2010-11-23T17:14:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful this year that I have been able to successfully homeschool Jacob. As many of you know, Jacob had an extremely rough year in kindergarten last year, so I pulled him out of public school. We had a rough transition, but the change has done him good. His behavior is much better and he is learning a lot! And Nancy loves having him around during the day. Here is a picture of them "working" together.

I re-did the basement in June...

2010-11-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

The Blue Bedroom
including secret doorway into the other bedroom (the doorway is finished & framed now)
The Black & Green Bedroom
The Main Room
The Reading Nook

healthy baby!

2010-11-19T17:39:00.001-08:00

I am super thankful, this week, for making it to my second trimester! The baby and I are both doing great. Praise God for his amazing blessings!

long overdue blog...summer roadtrip!

2010-11-18T20:01:00.001-08:00

Turns out, I haven't really blogged since we left on our big road trip over the summer. So, I'm going to give an overview of the Summer & Fall in the Johnson household, starting with our road trip!

In May, we packed the car with our entire family (plus my niece, Ariana) and set off toward Connecticut! Here we are at our first potty break in Emporia Kansas.
We stopped for the night in St. Louis with Aunt Carol & Uncle Larry, and we saw this amazing sculpture at a park. It is Adam being formed from the dust.
We arrived in Ct in record time...and the fun began immediately.
Some highlights of our trip:

MEETING ZOE FOR THE FIRST TIME!

And Kimmy was there, too!
And so was dad!We got to see Cindy!

And Emily!

AND, OF COURSE, ONE OF THE BEST THINGS WAS HANGING OUT WITH MY SISTERS!!

GOING TO CHINA PAN!! MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT!

EATING NEW ENGLAND BAGELS!

PLAYING AT ELIZABETH PARK!

GOING TO THE BEACH!! (MY KIDS HAD NEVER BEEN TO THE OCEAN!)
Zoe's first time in the Ocean, too
THE TROLLEY MUSEUM!

THE HARTFORD CAROUSEL!
The carousel experience is not complete without ice cream!

THE WEST HARTFORD CHILDREN'S MUSEUM!
All the kids in the famous whale
Jacob being a turtle
checking out a snake
the kids being paleontologists
Jacob & Nancy Sluicing
Brendan & Jacob take a "drive"
Giant light bright!
The shadow room!!
Isaiah just hanging out
Nancy being an aircraft marshaller
Zay & Nancy being pilots!
Ariana jumping out of her plane!

MYSTIC AQUARIUM!
petting sting rays!
Seth holding a sea star
Nancy under a fish tank

AND, IN GENERAL, WE ALL HAD AN AMAZING TIME, no matter what we were doing!
WE EVENTUALLY HAD TO LEAVE CT, SO WE HEADED FOR NYC
Melanie just happened to be in the city that day, so we got to meet for breakfast!
Then we met up with Allie & saw the sights!
Allie & I in front of the Statue of Liberty
The subway!
We went to the Museum of Natural History
And the M&M store!

THEN WE DROVE THROUGH PENNSYLVANIA. We took a scenic bi-way, full of tunnels going through all the mountains. So every time we went through one, we rolled down all the windows and yelled, "TUNNEL!!"
We stopped for lunch & ice cream in a town called Normal, PA
And we saw some beautiful scenery & caves

OUR LAST BIG STOP BEFORE WE GOT HOME WAS ST. LOUIS, where we stopped to see the Arch!
this is us in the tiny elevator up to the top.
this is the view from the top, 630 feet up.
This is the view from below the Arch.

FAMILY!

2010-11-18T19:49:00.000-08:00

I am super thankful this past week, for the chance to see both my sisters, as well as my amazing niece & nephew. I am also thankful beyond words, about how much Isaiah & Nancy love each other! They are old enough now to play together and have adorable little chats with each other. Nancy isn't quite sure what to do with Zoe, but by the end of the visit, she was kissing her and saying "the baby likes me." Nancy is also getting excited about the fact that we will soon have a baby of our own!

Giving Thanks!

2010-11-07T23:42:00.000-08:00

Following in the footsteps of a friend, who was, incidentally, following in the footsteps of her friend, I am going to try to start blogging about things I am thankful for. My life is so full of blessings, but the more we look for them, the more we will find.

To start off, the thing that we are most thankful for these days is, of course, our pregnancy! We are almost successfully through the first trimester, and the stress of wondering whether our baby will make it or not is almost non-existent. After our loss earlier in the year, the thought of getting pregnant again was extremely scary, but we've known, pretty much from the get-go that this pregnancy was different. I am still (!!) nauseous everyday, almost all day, and for that, as well, I am thankful, because it gives me that sign that the baby is healthy and growing the way she/he is supposed to! I would gladly be nauseous the rest of the 9 months, if that means a healthy baby!

1 Thessalonians 5:18
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

nancy & Jacob playing around

2010-05-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

Nancy was "helping" me by trying on all her too-small clothes that we were packing for baby Zoe. She also tried out the binky.

story time

2010-05-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

nancy lu in her new tutu

2010-05-15T08:13:00.000-07:00

Nancy & Daddy

2010-03-20T08:03:00.001-07:00

Brendan's birthday party at the boundy place!

2010-03-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

the older kids beat each other up in the "boxing ring" pretty much the entire time.

Jared loves to throw Jacob

I had fun, too.

Hanging out at the Johnson's (outside!)

2010-03-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

Nancy Lu

Kade
Seth R.
Kade, losing his pants
Brendan
Logan
Seth R.
Jacob

my beautiful kids.

2010-03-20T07:24:00.001-07:00

Hanging out at the Johnson's

2010-03-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

New Restored shirts!
Jessica, Phan, Mike, Robyn, & baby Dylan
Nancy Lu, Andi, Dylan, Jessica, Phan, Mike, Robyn
Jared, Baby Ben, Baby Dylan, Phan, Mike, Baby Kade, Robyn, Gus
Seth R. loving on the kitty
Jared entertaining the kids
Nancy Lu
keeping the babies busy with cereal
Nancy, Kade, Ben, & crazy Dylan
Seth H. doing his favorite activity.
Seth & Brendan cozy with their mama.
beautiful jacob.
Seth H.
silly, yet still gorgeous, Brendan
Nancy working on legos
crazy nancy
Brendan, lego master

ummmmm....
watching their favorite show!

new rain coat!

2010-03-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

sleeping beauty

2010-03-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

with all her friends.

paiNt!

2010-02-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

the cute kids.

2010-02-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

pictures Seth took.

2010-02-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

Me and my amazing husband!me and my crazy jacob
funny nancy

the boy cat.

2010-02-02T17:25:00.000-08:00

Nancy is a big girl now...

2010-02-02T17:20:00.000-08:00

Nancy doing time out.
Nancy's first poop in the potty!!! She is showing her doll. :)
Nancy wearing panties!

Snow Day!!

2010-01-29T13:32:00.000-08:00

Seth's snow angelNancy watches the guys shoveling snow across the street

our lame attempt to build a snowman. The snow is too powdery. bah.
frozen baby
The snow fun lasted about ten minutes....then back inside with legos.

Look at how nicely they are all playing together!! (this lasted until about 2, when we had a couple of meltdowns from the two older kids.)

Nancy's favorite activity: carrying the cat.My parenting magazine moment: dish soap bottle filled with water & food coloring + snow =instant giant white canvas for colorful art project.
We were too cold to actually go outsideSeth helps Nancy join in the fun

Our finished product!

restored kids!

2010-01-29T10:11:00.000-08:00

Sethpsycho Jacob

Ari & nancy

Nancy loooooves her Aunt Brandy!

Seth & Mak are amazing.

How many kids can you fit in a box?

Restoring Restored (and having fun while doing it!)

2010-01-29T09:41:00.000-08:00

Jared & Kelly put down carpet
Abby helps. Nancy watches.
Amber & Angela build a shelf!
Jenn has a lot of fun vacuuming.
Jason and his tiny crew build a lamp.
Nancy helps by holding the screws....safe job for a baby Nancy has a blast running through the curtain, where she is not supposed to be!
Brendan tries to lay down carpetAbby & Nancy

Sarah enthusiastically irons the curtains!
Lauren hangs the curtains.
Kristi & Brandy have way too much fun cleaning this couch.

the work is almost done!

Nancy Nancy Nancy

2010-01-29T09:26:00.000-08:00

Pretty baby. She doesn't realize she has barrettes in her hair.

Wait, I have barrettes in my hair?No, thank you!

trying out the new camera!

2010-01-19T20:37:00.000-08:00

the kids.

2010-01-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

Nancy attempts to pull the cat into the water!Brendan posing for the new camerasweet jacob
me and my darling seth
Nancy playing with legos

Nancy has a tea party, while Brendan plays the drums

Jacob being himself

tacos!

2010-01-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

Here we are at our weekly spot: Monday night all you can eat tacos at Taco Shop.

Seth wonders why I am taking so many pictures of him eating tacos

Jacob works on keeping the taco in his mouth

oops.

Praise practice in the new building!!

2010-01-19T18:55:00.000-08:00

We may not have grown in numbers, but we have grown in faith.

2010-01-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

This year we, who are Restored Community Church, began trying to move into a building of our own. Since the moment we started doing this, we have been faced with obstacle after obstacle. When we finally found this space at 21st and Amidon, it seemed like God had thrown it into our laps and we praised Him for such a perfect space that seemed to be working our so well.....that was over 3 months ago and we are still not technically in that building. We have had to tear down walls, build walls, break our backs smashing up tile, we've worked harder than imaginable to get this place up to code, and all along the way we have had the city telling us a million reasons why its never going to work. The leadership has gotten together numerous times to pray and talk about whether we should back out or keep going. And every time, the consensus has been to keep going. We have been through trial after trial. People have been laughing at us and calling us fools for continuing. But every time we got a new message from our Pastor about another road block, a smile would come to my face and i would wonder, "How will God work it out this time?" Because he always has. He has been providing for us since day one. When we were in Rob's basement having these intimate, honest, prayerful, tearful church services, God provided. He gave us strength to move forward when we had no idea what the next step was, or even what direction it was in. When we moved into the school building, he provided so we could pay rent and buy/borrow the stuff we needed, like chairs and sound equipment. He provided our amazing church body- faithful, committed, and willing servants to help out with whatever was necessary. And now, as we are attempting to move into this new phase of having our own place, He is providing still. Yes, we are out of money from paying double rent and purchasing things we need, we are worn out from working our bums off, we are anxious about whether or not this is ever going to work itself out, but through it all we have never given up because we are faithful that God will provide. So we move forward in faith, face down. Unsure what will come. Exactly the way we started.

The moment that Rob got the call from God to start this amazing church, Restored, he was sitting in a coffee shop at 21st & Amidon. And now we are trying to make that corner our meeting place, a neighborhood full of people needy for God's word, for love, for help. And from day one Satan has been trying to keep us out of there. We have had opportunities to back out, to bail, to give up. We are being opposed spiritually at every turn. But we are faithful. So, when I hear news that lawyers are already trying to evict us even before we move in, I laugh. Why is Satan trying so hard to keep us out of that neighborhood? Because he is scared. He knows we are a threat. God has big plans for us, and for that neighborhood. And we are moving forward. In faith. face down.

Nancy and Gpa eating breakfast

2010-01-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas!

2010-01-15T09:57:00.000-08:00

Santa pictures
Nancy does her "smile and say cheese"

Nancy is happy cuz she's eating a cookie

She loves her Grandma!
She also loves Jeffrey

Opening presents!
Nancy sees her new doll!

N & Z try out their new chairs from grandma
the lovely christmas morning mess
notice grandpa in his new snuggie
Nancy got a raincoat and hat!

hanging out with the fam after christmas

2010-01-15T07:56:00.000-08:00

mis hermanas!
My gorgeous niece Abby!Nancy Lu with her crew
Drawing on huge paper

Nancy and Zay eat a snack at the table
cuddling on the couch to watch A Christmas Story!
Z & N already know how to spend Christmas vacation...eating popcorn & watching A Christmas Story.
Nancy thinks its funny that daddy is sound asleep during Christmas festivities!
the cousins are together...that means one thing: Hand & Foot!
Aunt kimmy and Nancy
Zay enjoying getting bears thrown at him~

Lots of reading!! Susan reads to Zay and Jacob
Harry reads to ZayWendy reads to Zay and NancyNancy kisses her favorite person!
they are so cute!

Halloween!

2009-11-02T07:59:00.000-08:00

Seth, the raccoonJacob, the skunkAndi, the bunnyNancy, the deerJared, the hunter
Brendan, the hunter Jared on the hunt
got him

taking home his dead animals

Brendan gets attacked by a skunk

Nancy with Grandpa Harry and Grandma Angel

Nancy doesnt look like a baby anymore.

2009-10-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

Our new kitty!

2009-10-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

A kitty decided to come join our family. Her name is Penny. She is really tiny, even though she looks huge next to tiny Nancy.

The new kitchen and the rest of the house

2009-09-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of our beautiful new kitchen. I put some photos of the rest of the house, too, cuz Gwyn, and a few other far away people, have still never seen it!
The master bedroom, which looks totally different now because jared IS WORKING FROM HOME and the room got a little rearranged.
Nancy's room

The living room

The dining room/art galleryThe other end of the dining room which will eventually be turned into Jared's office.A view of the entire roomThere are no pics of downstairs...maybe next year. :)

the playscape

2009-09-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

It has been finished for quite a while, thanks to some amazing and helpful friends and family. It's huge and awesome. Thanks again, dad!

the never ending job of a mother

2009-09-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

There will always be more clothes to clean, more food to prepare, more poopy diapers to change...Eventually my heart gets tired and I start to wonder...Is this meaningless? Am I wasting my time while others are out doing "important" things?

No. It is not the job that is important. It is how the job is done. Any job, no matter how trivial, can be done as an act of worship and praise. A person can preach the good news, lead worship, counsel others, doctor wounds, do "meaningful" things, but if it is done without love and without worship, THIS is meaningless.

I am not just a housewife and I am certainly not unemployed. I am employed by my God and He has given me a job to do. To love and worship Him above all. And then to love everyone else: my husband, my children, my family, my friends, my church, strangers, and even those people that I wish I didn't have to love at all. My job is not just to run a home and raise children. It is to be reconciled with God in any way I can (even during the daily, mundane tasks). And to allow God to use me to reconcile others with Him, even (especially) those living in my house...even if it seems I don't have a lot to show for my work at the end of the day.

“But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames” (1 Cor. 3:13-15).

"A mother gets up and works and prays, prays and works. Because the prayers we weave into the matching of socks, the stirring of oatmeal, the reading of stories, they survive fire. Our prayers make our work acts of praise; our prayers make our work acts of passion for these people living here. These people we love more than life."

--Ann Voskamp

"Often we dont view our daily activities biblically. We wrongly believe that the more mundane the task is, the less significant it is to God. As difficult as it is to believe, the hands that tenderly bathe your baby at night are no less holy than the hands that serve communion on Sunday. Every small act of love to your family- every diaper you change, every meal you prepare, every toilet you scrub, every errand you run, every fever you tend to, each tooth you pull, every moment of undefiled intimacy with your husband- each one is a holy act when it is done as unto the Lord."

- Stacy McDonald, from Passionate Housewives Desperate for God

"Hold a sleeping babe in your arms...and stand before a map of this world. Which would you rather have? Paris, New York, Tokyo, London--or this flesh lying against yours, this one made in the image and likeness of the very Divine? This world is going to burn up, cinders for the universe….but your child is a soul without end, forever and ever existence. The world has pitifully, laughably little to offer in comparison to this holy opportunity to raise up a child."

-Ann Voskamp

"What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God."

-Martin Luther

Already learning how to put on make up....

2009-08-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

From her Grandmother, not me.

Eating Breakfast

2009-08-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

Love's Labours

2009-08-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

September 4th, 1881
by C. H. SPURGEON

"As to the unconverted, you will never do anything with them unless you
hope great things about them. When the good Samaritan found the poor
man half dead, if he had not hoped about him he would never have
poured in the oil and the wine, but would have left him there to die.
Cultivate great hopefulness about sinners. Always hope of them that
they will be saved yet: though no good signs are apparent in them. If
you have done your best for them, and have been disappointed and
defeated, still hope for them. Sometimes you will find cause for hope in
the fact that they begin to attend a place of worship. Grasp at that, and
say, "Who can tell? God may bless them." Or if they have long been
hearers, and no good has come of it, still hope that the minister will one
day have a shot at them, and the arrow shall pierce through the joints of
the harness. When you last spoke to them there seemed a little
tenderness: be thankful for it, and have hope. If there has been a little
amendment in their life, be hopeful about them. Even if you can see
nothing at all hopeful in them, yet hope that there may be something
which you cannot see, and perhaps an effect has been produced which
they are endeavouring to conceal. Hope because you are moved to pray
for them. Get other people to pray for them, for as long as they have
some one to pray for them their case is not given over. If you get others
to pray, there will be another string to your bow. If they are very ill, and
you cannot get at them, or they are on their dying beds, still have hope
about them, and try to send them a message in some form or other. Pray
the Lord to visit and save them; and always keep up your hope about
them. Till they are dead let not your hope be dead."

Nancy playing

2009-08-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

hey, you need a ride?
come on in, buddy.
where to?

Jacob being himself

2009-08-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

Trampoline

2009-08-13T13:38:00.000-07:00

Brendan, Seth, Nick, and Veronica play on the trampoline

with a sprinkler underneath-brilliant idea

the boys having fun

2009-08-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

While Jared, Nancy, and I were out East, my mom hung out with the boys. They went to this cool sprinkler park.

Brendan shoots a water gun
Jacob fights back
Seth defends himself

more fun while we were away

2009-08-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

The boys learned how to crush pop cans with grandpa's crusher.

Here's Brendan
Seth

And Jacob

Nancy's first haircut

2009-08-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

Nancy was getting a baby mullet, so we decided it was time to cut her little baby hair for the first time.
Before...
During....

Apparently getting a hair cut is hilarious

All done! She's so cute.

the kids

2009-08-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

Nancy decided to put on her birthday hat that she never wore on her birthday. She's looking at herself in the mirror here.
pretty princess.

Nancy Lu reading with G-pa

being cute with grandpa

Sweet sweet Jacob

Beautiful Seth

And the model, Brendan

Zoolander
Adorable Nancy

Brendan tries to teach Nancy how to pose for the camera
a sad attempt at a family photo

Building the playset and playing in the backyard

2009-08-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

Big thanks to Lauren, Steve, Angela, Kenny, and John for helping out with the playscape today. It's about halfway done. It's 9pm and Jared and Brendan are still outside working on it. I've only got pictures from early morning, so you can't quite see what the thing looks like. we will post more when it's finished. its gonna be awesome! Thanks Dad!!

The guys read the directions and try to figure out what to do next
Hard at work!

Grandma Angel reads to Nancy
Grandpa Harry reads to Nancy and Jacob

This is precious. Brendan and Seth with Daddy.
Brendan and Seth take a break from all the hard work to swing on the tire

East Coast....it was a wicked good time PART 2

2009-08-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

After our weekend in New Hampsire, Jared, Nancy Lucille, and I, met Wendy, Kenny, and Isaiah for a night in Boston. It was really fun! We did a lot of walking around Newbury Street. We also spent some time by the water and the aquarium, but Wendy's camera battery died halfway through our trip.

WALKING AROUND BOSTON

Jared and Nancy's first time in the subway!
Chillin' in the hotel Joel, Jordyn, Cindy, and Jeff joined us for dinner, although most of us aren't documented

Stinking cute kids

2009-07-31T12:45:00.000-07:00

Brendan, Seth, and Jacob, playing with Steph and Steve's girls, Chloe, Suzie, and Audrey.
Such beautiful ladies!
I think we've found Audrey's career...she knows how to please the camera!
my boys, on the other hand...

family photos

2009-07-31T11:38:00.000-07:00

We had about five minutes to attempt a decent family photo. it started out a little rough...

this one is a little better
At least the boys looks good in this one
And I think this may be the best we could doAnd here's me and Jacob, with his missing tooth and crazy smile

East Coast...it was a wicked good time.

2009-07-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

Jared, Nancy and I flew to New Hampshire for my "5 Skipper Way" reunion. For those of you who were not around in my college days, 5 skipper way was a beach house in Gloucester, MA (pronounced Glau-ster, or Glau-sta if you're a native). I lived there with my longtime roommate, Gwyneth, and three other Gordon Girls, Carla, Charissa, and Melissa. It had been years since we'd all been together, and most of us have husbands and kids now so it was time for a get-together. We spent much of the weekend reminiscing about our times together on Skipper Way (including viewing embarrassing videos and reading the 5 Skipper Way quote list), and also doing some wonderfully New England things, like blueberry picking and picnicking by the water.

OLD FRIENDS!
me and Gwyneth (my awesome roommate from 1998-2003)Here's the 5 Skipper Way bunch (roommates from 2002-2003) Melissa, Carla, me, Charissa, and Gwyneth
Here we are with our babies. Carla with 5 week old Connor. Melissa with 11 month old Tennyson. Me with 16 month old Nancy. Charissa with 3 year old Adelaide. and Gwyneth holding Charissa's 4 month old Joseph.
And here we are with our husbands and babies (Melissa's husband Jacob couldnt come)

THE BABIES!

Charissa's Joseph
Charissa's Adelaide
Carla's Connor
Melissa's Tennyson
Babies on the floor! Everyone cooperated except Nancy
Babies on a couch! Tennyson, Nancy, Connor, Joseph, & Adelaide

T and N chillin togetherN slapping T in the face
Gwyn hanging with the babies in Carla's kitchen
Nancy eating enjoying her corn on the cob
Tennyson enjoying her corn on the cob

EAST COAST FUN!

Beautiful picnic by the water
Nancy and Jared's first time in the Atlantic (technically, a bay that leads into the Atlantic, but that's as close as we got)
Nancy gives Melissa some wet sand
BLUEBERRY PICKING!

Gwyn and Charissa picking blueberriesAdelaide picking berries
Carla with her berries
Jared with TennysonNancy with a mouthful of blueberries
Nancy wiped out
Back at Carla's house: Adelaide with all our fresh picked blueberries

TIRED HUSBANDS

sleeping Josh, with connor
sleeping Joe
sleeping Jared

Nancy and Tennyson are now best friends. During our stay, Nancy started "empathy crawling" around Tennyson. She would try to get on T's level, crawl around a bit, then she would stand up and wait for T to stand up and walk with her. When T stayed on all fours, Nancy would get back down and crawl some more with her. so cute.

2 Corinthians 4:8-18

2009-07-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. ⁹ We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. ¹⁰ Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

¹¹ Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. ¹² So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.

¹³ But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” ¹⁴ We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. ¹⁵ All of these things are for your benefit. And as God’s grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.

¹⁶ That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits arebeing renewed every day. ¹⁷ For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! ¹⁸ So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.

Nancy tries to put on shoes

2009-07-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

Nancy knows her face and talks on the phone

2009-06-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

jacob

2009-06-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

swimming!

2009-06-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

totally worn out after swimming.

jacob on the slide

2009-06-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

Jacob and Nancy have an outdoor bubble bath

2009-06-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

check out that profile

jacob was teaching nancy to drink the bath water

first one's a success. not so much the second one.

2009-06-05T07:40:00.000-07:00

a picture says a thousand words

2009-06-04T13:37:00.000-07:00