Christmas

We spent Christmas weekend with Jen's family in Chicago. It was good to get away for a little while and have a bit of a break. We had such a good time. It is always nice to just be together. This first picture is Elinore in her pjs. She couldn't make it all the way through present opening without a snack, so she's having a bowl of cheerios. She is also wearing the little scarf I made her for Christmas.
Here is the Bodine family Christmas night. Don't we all look totally stuffed!! Can you see the bellies bulging?! It was probably Aunt Nancy's Tiramisu Cake that put us all over the edge. (I had two pieces!) We didn't think to take the picture until Elinore was already in bed, so she's missing.

And of course, the Bodine sisters in action. We took a lot of silly pictures, but this is one of the more serious ones...sort of. Hope everyone else had a wonderful Christmas! 

A host of Christmas preparations

This past Sunday at chuch we had our annual Nativity Play. Kev was the author/narrator this year. It is always a lot of fun, very spontaneous and freeform. The kids pretty much come as whatever they have costumes for. Elinore was the Christmas tomato. Didn't you know there was a tomato at the birth of Jesus?
On another note, we are in the process of getting our siding replaced!! We applied for one of the city grants back in April and were finally approved in September. We signed with the company in October and have been not so patiently waiting for it. Although it won't be finished before this weekend, it feels like a Christmas present. Here is a picture of the side of our house. It definitely has to get worse before it gets better. You can see a bit of the old yellow aluminum siding towards the front of the second story. Then the "during" with old insulation hanging out, and what the finished will look like. A nice dark gray that goes very well with our green roof. We'll post some once it is finished!
Our front door has never looked uglier. At least I have some greens on it to spruce up the dejectedness. Merry Christmas! 

The Vanovers

Okay, I'm a full weekend behind. Things have been busy. The holidays always seem to get like that. Anyway, last weekend Andrew and Jen were here for a visit. We love them so dearly. Many good things were talked about, yummy fondue was eaten, happy games were played,... In the end it almost feels like a tease. I think, "This is what it could be like if they lived close and we were able to spend random evenings together..." At least they'll be in Chicago as of February which is a million times closer than Texas! We are grateful for every moment we get to spend with them.
 

Sleeping Tornado

You think you have bedhead!!! 

Winter Wonderland

What a winter wonderland we are living in. It started snowing on Friday, and has hardly stopped since. As soon as there was enough snow, I bundled Elinore up (no small feat) and took her outside for a ride in her sled. The sled was an early Christmas present. We trudged over to the park across the street, and I pulled her around for a good 20 minutes or so. She LOVED it! Everytime I stopped, she eagerly said, "more, more!" I'm glad that she is enjoying the snow since I love it so much. I wish it wasn't such a chore to get her all bundled. Hat, snow pants, boots, coat, mittens,... Besides that she hates having to sit there for 15 minutes while I bundle her! Oh well, once she's in the sled it is quickly forgotten. At one point she had little snowflakes clinging to her eyelashes and I thought of the song from the Sound of Music. I tried to get a photo of it, but they were melting too fast. Be warm!
 

26 and counting

Well, I have survived another birthday. I have officially passed the quarter century mark. It's funny how your perspective changes as you get older. When I was a kid, 25 felt like serious adulthood. Now that I'm 26 I feel like I've barely entered it. I wonder if you always feel younger than you are...

Kevin, my parents, and Kev's parents all pitched in and blessed me with a new bike for my birthday. Besides having a more comfortable bike, I am now riding in style! I love it. Kevin made me a birthday cappuccino on our rediscovered cappuccino maker (unburied after three days of serious garage and basement cleaning and organizing). Yum! He's also taking us out for dinner on Wednesday as a late celebration. I chose Cracker Barrel. Country fried steak and fried okra. Does life get any better than that?!

This month I've joined a local MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers). It is a national organization, and I think most of the groups meet in local churches. There is childcare provided. So for 2 hours twice/month I get to sit, relax, chat, learn, craft with other mostly stay-at-home moms. I've only been twice and still don't really know anybody, but already I can't wait for MOPS mornings. Most of my friends with kids are still working, so I'm on the prowl for other people to socialize/have playdates with. Hopefully that will pan out. Maybe I'll get a really good new friend from it!

Christmas is fast upon us! I spent the weekend decorating the house and have been playing Christmas music at least once a day (much to Kevin's dismay). I have to admit, it really doesn't feel like Christmas is coming with all of this warm weather, but I'm getting into the spirit anyway. Having a newborn at this time last year, I feel like the holidays were one big blur. I don't think I got out any decorations except the Christmas tree. I barely listened to a single Christmas carol, so I'm making up for it!!

Elinore is as cute as ever. Here's an example. Grocery shopping with her has been pretty good. Usually she starts to fuss just as we're getting to the checkout because she's hungry or tired or just sick of siting in the cart. Overall, not hard to handle at all. Yesterday she was in the best mood. She giggled half the time we were in the store. She smiled and waved and said "hi" to almost everyone we passed. It was actually fun. My one-year old made my grocery trip fun! What are the chances of that?!?

The Long Anticipated 1st Birthday

Elinore's 1st Birthday was on Saturday so we had a party for family and a couple friends who are honorary family members. I must admit that I've been so excited about this party that it has been many weeks in the making. Elinore's favorite animal is a cow, so I made a cow cake. She wasn't too keen on eating the cake until she got some in her mouth and realized how good it tasted. Then she dug in!

Oh messy face and messy hands!
Our little house was filled to the brim with just the family we invited, so it felt cozy and fun. Everybody was talking and laughing. I think Elinore was a bit overwhelmed, but she enjoyed the company. Her cousins Sam and Lydia were anxious to help her open her gifts, so it became quite the team effort!

All the gifts were wonderful, and Elinore is already enjoying them. I'm having to find new homes for all of her toys! And she can't keep her hands off the books.

I can't believe a year went by so fast. This time last year we were barely home from the hospital. We had a tiny baby that slept in your arms, and now here she is giving kisses, saying bye-bye, and learning the power of the word "no". We love her so much. 

Hang On Little Tomato

Our friend Kate made this little tomato hat for Elinore. I lost count of how many compliments I get on it. Literally everywhere we go people think it is so cute. It probably helps that it is worn by a cute baby! Anyway, the last couple days, she has decided that she loves wearing it. She wants to wear it all the time. Today she wore it from the time she got up from her nap at 3:30 until dinnertime at 6. If she runs around and it slips off, she reaches her hands up to pat her head and looks lost. Then she fails to be able to get it on her own head and brings it to me to put on for her. It is so cute!! 

Of Course

So, of course, 2 days before Elinore's birthday and party she comes down with a stomach virus. Poor kid. Thank goodness, the doctor said it is only a 12 hour virus! She seems to be doing a bit better this morning, although it is still very obvious that she doesn't feel well. We are praying that she feels well and is no longer contagious by tomorrow. This morning I spread a blanket on the couch and sat her there with some books. She looked so cute and small perched there. And she is so into books right now. She doesn't let me read them, she just flips through the pictures! Today she didn't even try to climb all over the couch like she always does. She just sat and looked at her books. Poor, sweet kid! 

First Steps

Last week Elinore took her first steps. She can only take two or three before she topples over (or gently lets herself down). We are so proud of her!! It is so amazing all of the changes that take place during the first year of life. They tackle literally every major task. They learn to eat, to move, to talk (or at least babble), to walk (some of them anyway). She looks like such a little girl when she walks upright. Probably in a couple weeks she'll be toodling all over the place!

Kevin and I attended the annual Young Life banquet last night. For those of you who don't know, we both were leaders in high schools while we were in college. We really enjoyed doing it, and naturally finished after college. We like the program, but felt that we needed to devote our attention/energy on other things for a while. Well, they have begun a new program that they are still working to develop called Young Lives. It will work with teens who are pregnant or new moms. The idea is that they will partner a mentor with each girl who will walk beside them, be a friend/mentor, help to hook them up with resources in the community. As soon as I read that, my heart leapt. I feel like being a wife and mother are the two greatest callings over my life. The idea that I could walk with someone/help someone in one of those areas is so exciting. It is a little intimidating, of course, some people who really need help just don't want it, and how do I dream of relating to a pregnant 14 year old?! Well, I guess I'll just figure it out. I can't wait to become a part of this program! 

Imperfections

We always post adorable pictures of Elinore. You know we catch her at just the right moment or from just the right angle... Well, last week she didn't have a good angle. The scratch/bruise on her cheek is from falling in the dining room and hitting her face on a chair. The red mark between her eyes is from her crawling into the bedframe. She had a little cut by her eye from her sharp little fingernails. We thought we had better get a picture of the damage, and she gave us just the right expression to go with it! 

Fall Passing

A couple nights ago Kevin's grandfather passed away. He had been quite sick and declining for a while (mostly in the hospital the last month), so it was not unexpected. It is strange that you can be expecting something like this - even waiting for it, and yet, it is still sort of shocking and emotional when it happens. He lived every bit of 91 years, which is quite an accomplishment! He was a kind, proud, generous man. In the few years I have been in this family I have learned what a good man he was, and so rich with history. It is good that he has moved on to dwell in the presence of God.

In light of the heaviness and funeral preparations, I needed something a bit lighthearted. Elinore and I played in the leaves yesterday afternoon. She had a ball and was really good about not putting them in her mouth! Her new thing is hugging objects, which she does on command. "Hugging," to her, means that she holds the object up to her ear and smiles. Here she is hugging a mini-squash.
My sister Caity recently posted a very good entry on her blog entitled Civil Rights of the 21 Century. I don't really know how to summarize it, so I'll just give you a link. You can find her at www.caitlynb.blogspot.com I encourage you to read it. 

Loose Change 2nd Edition Recut

Here it is if you want to watch it, it is long so give yourself time 1.5hr.

A long week

It feels like it has been ages since I last posted. October arrived with snow flurries. I think that must be a record for the earliest snowfall. Nothing stuck to the ground, but it snowed on and off for two days. I love winter, but I like to ease into it with a nice brisk autumn.

Kev was in DC for a couple days on a "mission trip." (Nen, he was going to stop in to see you, but ran out of time!) A bunch of the guys volunteered to head down to a church out there called Church of the Savior. One of their ministries is a retreat center called Wellspring. The retreat center has a huge vaulted ceiling that doesn't have insulation and gave them quite high heating expenses last year. Thus the project the guys had committed to. It is always hard to plan something long-distance. It was a big project with a very distinct time limit (flights home, time off work,...). The guys worked long hours and managed to finish the job very late the night before they all left to come home. They all arrived home utterly exhausted, but proud that they had not left an unfinished project. Plus, I think it was a good guy-bonding experience.

While Kevin was gone, I headed to my folks' house for a few days. Caitlyn made it out from the city to spend some time with us, and even arranged for Elinore to try out a language stars class. We found ourselves singing along with Oscar (the Spanish instructor) learning all the animals and what sounds they make in Spanish. I think Elinore actually enjoyed it! On Saturday we headed to Albion to visit with Laura and go to the football game where Elinore managed to get stung by a bee. It sucked, but we now know that she is not allergic. Thank goodness.

We have spent the last week recuperating. I've used up the rest of my organic apples making batches of applesauce and apple turnovers. Yum. We've also watched several movies lately. Three excellent ones to be exact that I wanted to "advertise".

1. "V for Vendetta" I hadn't heard much about this movie save that it was good. Wow. It was SO good. It is one of those that you finish watching and can't stop thinking about. I don't want to say to much, but I would highly recommend it. It was made by the same guys who made the Matrix.
2. "On a Clear Day" This one is also in the new release section of your local movie rental store. This is about a middle aged guy who works in a factory and loses his job. As he finds himself sort of...floundering, he decides he wants to swim the English channel. It has a bit of everything. Heart-warming, lots of funny parts, personal struggle,...
3. "Loose Change" You can find this on Google Video. We watched it on Kevin's laptop as it is about an hour long. This short documentary asks us to reexamine the evidence from 9/11. There are so many questions left unanswered; so many things that just don't add up. Could it really have been a terrorist attack? Kevin and I don't really know what to make of it, but it does remind us to think for ourselves. To do our own research and come to our own conclusions. Very thought provoking...

Golden Man

Yesterday was Kevin's golden birthday. He turned 27 on the 27th. Here are a couple of old photos of him in all his glory. He is so amazing. Every year I love him more and more. Happy Birthday, Kevin.
 

Three Years

Yesterday was our third anniversary. As Kevin said while we were at breakfast, "A lot has happened since then." He's so right. Maybe we'll always feel that way no matter how much time has gone by. However, I think these last three years have been very significant. They have been the adjustment to a new way of living. Getting to know each other, learning to live with each other, learning to maintain a house, preparing for and having a baby. So many big changes. When you get married, you think that you are at the pinnacle of love. Even in the midst of that, Kevin and I talked about how our love would grow over the years. We knew that it would as hard as it was to imagine. Now, three years later, our love is so much bigger, so much richer, so much more all-encompassing. And to think that we are still only at the beginning of it. It is mind-boggling and exciting!

Anyway, we went out to dinner last night to celebrate. We went to the Restaurant Toulouse in Saugatuck. We simply loved it. The food, service, atmosphere, everything was excellent. We had a wonderful time. We recommend it to all! And today is the first day of year 4. Here we come. 

Mobile

Elinore grows so fast. She crawls like a pro now and pulls herself up on everything in sight. I had a couple of empty film canisters, so I put rice in one and beans in another. She liked them so much that she held one in each hand and would not let go. She wanted to crawl, so she balanced on her wrists so as not to lose her grip. She is so noisy and babbles constantly. She watches my mouth intently when I make a new sound and then tries to mimic it. Kevin got a bunch of great shots when we were at the park this weekend. I was trying to keep leaves out of her mouth... 

Bodine Weekend

We spent this weekend at my parents' house in Chicago. We went out for breakfast, went into the city to see Caitlyn's new apartment which has NO pictures of David Hasselhof (ha ha), went out to a Moroccan restaurant, went to the awesome children's playland at the Arboretum, and ate Razzleberry Pie for my mom's birthday. Elinore has been making this "scrunchy" face lately. She and Ivy (my parents' dog) weren't so sure what they thought of each other. They kept their distance from one another.
 

The Musician

I realized it has been a while since I posted a photo of Elinore. Here she is playing her xylophone. She loves music. Everytime Kevin turns on a CD she starts bouncing away. Singing her a song can heal any bonk on the head. She's also crawling. She can go from one side of the house to the other - following me from room to room. I think there are 2 or 3 more teeth about to make an appearance... So many things. Everyday a little bigger 

Roast Pork Weddings

Kevin and I went to a wedding last weekend. It was a lot of fun. The bride was a friend of Kevin's from middle school and high school, so we sat with a few of those friends. We called in a babysitter and enjoyed a night out. When we arrived at the reception hall, this was the sight that greeted us. A pig-roasting. I do not have words to describe it except wow. And...that was the best roast pork I have ever eaten. We had seconds.
 

Little Sophia, Full of Grace

Our newest little niece was born today, and she is the most red-headed yet!! After a long night of slow contractions, it looked like it would be a long day. But the little girl decided it was time to come. She arrived after only 10 min of pushing! I wish I had whatever genes Amy has!! We are so proud to welcome Sophia Grace. She was 7#2 and 20" long. We are so so happy that she is here. Safe and healthy and in one of the most wonderful of families!

My Man

Kevin amazes me.

He is the kind of person that knows about everything. I don't know where or how or when he learned it all, but he did.
Here are some examples:
1. Most people can get on a waverunner and drive it around a lake. They know how to turn it on, and how to drive it around. Kevin knows all kinds of details about how you should drive it in order to take good care of the engine. If the motor starts making a particular sound he can tell you what's wrong with it by the sound alone (besides the fact that he could pull the thing apart and most likely fix it on his own).
2. Most people can replace an outlet cover in their house. Kevin can replace all of the wiring from the outlet into the attic, then down to the fusebox in the basement.
3. My sister's car got flooded with water in a big storm we had last week. She gets on the phone with Dad to ask what to do. I stand around Kevin asking what I can do. Kevin immediately goes for a wet/dry vac, scoops the standing water out of the car, pulls out the mats, and sets up fans to blow on it all night. (This one seems like common sense, and yet he just always knows what to do...).
4. At the demolition derby he can look down (from the top of the stands) at all those beat up crazy painted cars and tell me what model and year they all are. If one starts smoking from the engine he leans over to me and says, "He blew his head gasket." He knows why they have really small wheels on the back tires (to help them cut into the mud). Who knows all that?

These are just a couple examples of things that happen everyday. People are always asking for his help or opinion. It makes me so proud of him. How beautiful it is to be married to someone who I can admire and be so proud that I am his wife.

Family

Family can be so much fun. Who else can you act like this with? (Eric, Ang, and Gabe were here from Thailand the last couple weeks. Their plane leaves today to take them "home," and we wish them safe travels, and a little silliness to take home with them.)