Top Ten Reasons To Have Your Mom Bail You Out

10. Adelaide has a blueberry bottom blowout all over her crib sheets.

9. Elias wakes-up at 5 am requesting the arrival of his Bibi. She does not arrive until after lunch. Elias insists on lunch now.

8. Elias experiments with peeing in his underpants for his own personal amusement.

7. Elias discovers that he can not only climb out of his crib, but he can climb in it --over and over.

6. Elias proudly exercises his independence by defying doorhandle locks and opening his door and climbing the wooden stairs in the middle of the night and waking me up.

5. Elias wakes up four mornings in a row, while Daddy is gone, at 5am.

4. Adelaide is awoken by her brother's obnoxious protests.

3. Mommy wants to cry and scream.

2. Adelaide vomits all over her rug right before bed time.

1. Adelaide has another blueberry bottom blowout except that this time she is covered in said remnants, including face, hands, and hair. Clean sheets were just placed on her crib and now Mom is scraping blueberry residue off the crib rails while Bibi bathes Adelaide.

"It was Wonderful"

When I asked Elias how his first day at school was he said, "It was wonderful." Then he later added that it was great. I don't know whether I was more impressed that he came home in the same outfit he left in or whether they tired him out so much that he is actually napping right now. This is his first nap in about 10 days!

I can't believe how much I can accomplish when Elias is not here. I went to the gym and worked out. I came home and showered and even had time to blow dry my hair. I vacuumed the downstairs and mopped the bathroom and kitchen floors. I threw in a load of laundry, read about two articles on Hillary Clinton and the convention, and yes, played with Addie.

As soon as I finish uploading these pictures, I will have some time to actually sit down and pray. New Morning may bring new life to this household on all kinds of fronts. Wonderful, truly, wonderful!

Battered and Bruised, but not Broken

Adelaide had her 9 month appointment yesterday--even though she is 10.5 months old. She is 90% for height and 40% for weight which outs her at the 16th% over all. Kind of strange. She fell in the dr's office against a chair before the dr came in and I got to show off her second bruised eye in but a few days. Adelaide has been taking steps for about two weeks now. It's hard to get on film, but I'll post a few. Her fangs are still fang-like, but now her other two front teeth are coming in as well for a grand total of 6 teeth. Here's the girl:

Too Big for His Britches--or His Booster Seat

Yes, we have an ongoing dilemma. Elias has a hard time sitting still. So, for much of his life his booster seat has provided safety and sanity to our whole family. I have been able to put Addie down for naps while he pleasantly sucks on a Popsicle or plop him in his seat when I need to put groceries away. Recently, however, Elias wants to sit in the grown-up chair. The problem is it's hard for him to sit through a meal and he drops most of what he is eating on the floor because the bench does not get close enough to the table. Today I went to get Adelaide up from her nap while Elias was enjoying his snack and then I heard the sound of footsteps. Seemed kind of strange considering we were the only ones in the house. This is what I found!

Home Makeover

BEFORE



AFTER





Most of you know that we live in a small house by American standards. Of course, the house was surely not considered small when it was built. But, we Americans continue to live in bigger and bigger houses. Our house was built in 1919 and it a standard bungalow. It has so much charm. Wood doors that they don't make anymore, beautiful archways, window seats, wooden stairs and even an old-fashioned telephone hook-up. Our house does not have a garage, an attic, or any closets that are all that large.

So, our basement has become a catch-all storage area. Not only does it store the normal things like outgrown baby clothes and winter skis, but it is our laundry room, our extended pantry, my office with all my books from Seminary, Adam's office with all his books from Seminary and his graduate school books as well as his 50+cookbook collection. On top of all that, we had a playard carved out for Elias to hang out in when I was doing laundry.

I decided it was time to re-organize the space and create an indoor gross-motor play area, especially if we were to have another winter like the last one. I was doubly inspired by Elias' preschool and expanded my thoughts to having an "arts center' as well as a "dramatic play" area. So, I worked feverishly the other night and created our own Wilcox-Kradel preschool. We have a reading corner, which Elias is loving because it's all the board books that I thought he had outgrown. He is now reading to his monkey that he found down there. I have a blanket with picnic equipment and a place for a dolly, which is to arrive soon for Adelaide. I also have a trampoline to fight those winter needs to run and let off steam. And I set up few puzzles on the deacon's bench so that he can reach them and play with them at his level. I can't wait for my mom to come and help me put on some finishing touches which will make the place truly "developmentally appropriate." Until then, Elias is begging for the basement and Addie seems to like it, too. I couldn't find a corporate sponsor so we made all the changes with a vacuum cleaner, tape, and 40 bucks for the new letter mat. Not bad, huh?

Love Letters and the Joy of Snail Mail

My son, Elias, has yet to understand that his dear friend, Nora, is not going to come back from Kentucky camp. He seems to think she has gone to some kind of camp and will be back soon. To help soften the blow, Nora sent him a letter. In the first letter she told him he "can come to my wedding everyday" and later reminded him that "you can always come to my wedding." It was a descriptive letter and Elias didn't seem to notice either way that Nora mentioned her wedding more than her new home or new friends in Kentucky.

So, Elias wrote her back. I don't remember too much from his letter to Nora other than he told her he was wearing underpants.

Now Elias received his second letter from Nora. This one described his new school. Nora particularly loved the gym and singing songs at Circle time. She didn't mention a wedding. However, she did ask, "Do you love me so much?"

I can't wait to hear what Elias will want to say back to her. Thanks goodness for the good, old fashioned mail. What fun!

It is Finished!

No, not quoting from the Gospel of John, but just rejoicing that it (THE DISSERTATION) is now officially done! It now will sit on microfiche until the second coming of Jesus. But, hallelujah, all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed. The defense is done. The revisions are revised. And I no longer have to read any more about political frames and secularization theories. Adam is officially the Rev. Adam P. Kradel, Phd. Now that's a mouthful.

On another note, it appears Elias may be following in his Daddy's footsteps with regard to the skills of argumentation and persuasion. Tonight I was giving Adelaide a bottle and when I came out of her room, I panicked. Elias was not anywhere to be found. I then noticed the front door was wide open and he was on the stairs. I grabbed him and explained firmly that "little boys do not go outside by themselves" He then replied, "But my Daddy goes outside by himself." Oh, boy, I'm afraid we may have a lawyer in the making.

Finally, Addie has had a momentous week. She now says "Mommy" all the time and my heart just leaps. She is taking steps on her own and also now puckers up for kisses. She also has fangs. Yes, fangs. Two top teeth but not the cute ones! Adam says she looks like a vampire. Nice, huh?

It is Finished!

Men and Boys in the Woods

Believe it or not, I received this photo from Adam via email which he had taken with his phone. We have never been--or ever will be-- so high tech again. Look what you learn in the woods.

Elias and Tarek had a great time camping even though Tarek threw-up and Elias kept running out of his pack n play to climb in Tarek's sleeping bag. They both got to touch a snake and eat hot dogs and potato chips. All in all, the daddies came home exhausted and the boys a bit elated. Everyone in our household is enjoying a real good nap right now.

Ladies' Leisure

The boys got to off camping and we got to stay home!
Don't we look like sisters?

An afternoon at the pool coupled with dinner out made us feel pretty darn special.

"Get the mixer out, Mommy"

Here is Elias commenting on his new school:

"Rae and Lydia are my teachers. I want to make them chocolate cookies. Get the mixer out, Mommy"

Later today to his grandmother:

"I'm going to school. My teachers are Rae and Lydia. I'm going to have snack and be polite."

Oh, thank you, Jesus!

10 Months Today