batpebbles

2011-12-28T23:00:00.000-08:00

My class...and Judah in my class...in a box.

Takeoff!

2011-12-22T16:45:00.000-08:00

On the way to Minnesota. June 2011.

Judah Cool

2011-12-22T16:41:00.000-08:00

My students like to play with Judah.

Thanks Cousin Katherine!

2011-05-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

My cousin Katherine is a budding photographer and always takes some great photos of Judah and Ella.

Umm...where is the battery charger to our camera?

2011-05-01T21:32:00.001-07:00

Got a new camera!

2010-12-26T18:53:00.000-08:00

We have a digital camera again! Yay! Here is a small taste of Christmas pics. Wade's before and after robe pictures. Ella opening the gift she asked for. Oma and Opa opening something they didn't ask for. Susie and Judah. More pictures to come.

Just more pictures

2010-12-20T13:59:00.001-08:00

Judah loves tractors!

The Wade Olson clan

2010-12-03T09:16:00.000-08:00

Ella the Composer

2010-10-02T07:21:00.001-07:00

Ella was singing the other day:

You can do
Anthing you want to
Gepetto, Jesus
he can help you...

Miracle at Centennial

2010-10-01T17:26:00.000-07:00

So, a history teacher was gonna be moved to another school, due to low enrollment. Not only does this affect him (of course), but all the other history teachers. They were going to have to get rid of a psychology course (which had been promised for 2 years), and anthropology, combine multiple classes to make some over 45, reduce the # of honors classes, etc. It was not pretty. An amazing teacher, named Ms. Chiang, talked to her psychology class. All of those students loved the class and were devastated it was disappearing. So, they all brainstormed and consulted the one student who is on the school board. That night 17 of them showed up at the school board meeting, waiting hours to talk (Chiang had made multiple trips to get many of them there). The school board promised to follow up. Guess what? They actually did! THE NEXT DAY they showed up at Centennial. The seniors had staged a walk-out, culminating in the main quad. The Board brought everyone into the gym and talked out their concerns. Students even came to other classes to find out what other issues students were having. The final result - the history teacher got to stay! No major, crazy changes were to be made. It's a miracle! Nice to know good things can happen when people care, and adults and students work together.
- Erin

Ellaism

2010-09-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

We gave Ella a "Pillow Pet" for her birthday (she's 5)
She said "It exploded my brain."
Erin: "you mean it blew your mind?"
Ella: "Yeah, it blew my mind right out of my ear!"
I guess that's good. :-)

Medium Sized Momma

2010-07-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

Ella: I read in a book that you were a medium sized Momma.
Erin: Oh really? Where did you read that?
Ian: (snickering)
Ella: I read it in a book, that the daddy was a big daddy, the momma was medium, and the baby was small.
Erin: Oh, is that from Goldilocks?
Ella: Yeah.

Ella again

2010-06-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

Ella: Daddy can I have a snack?
Ian: No, we're going to have lunch soon.
Ella: Can I have a pre-lunch?

Juda-isms! First time.

2010-06-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

Our favorite Juda-ism is "why-ee". He often says it after we say something to him. I don't think he knows what it means, but he says it at opportune moments.

He also added a very innocent sounding "whaaat"? Whenever we sound mad or yell at him.

Eater, I mean easter at the Olsons

2010-04-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

We just had easter at the Olsons', with pinapple glazed ham, scallopped potatoes, apple walnut salad, fruit salad, deviled eggs, wine, martinellis, key lime pie, and strawberry shortcake. There was some sort of easter egg hunt with the cousins (Natalie, Ella, Judah, and Micah (sort of)), but you can tell what I was interested in.

halloween 2009

2010-02-17T16:16:00.000-08:00

Fairy ballerina, and pumpkin

Lil' Scottie and Judah Boo

2010-02-17T16:13:00.000-08:00

My little brother and my little son.

Frog and Fairy Birthday

2009-09-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

Here are a few images from the "Frog and Fairy Birthday Party". We had fun.

Update

2009-09-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Okaaaay, so we are kind of switching again. I (ian) taught ESL this summer at a private school, and I was going to switch back to homemaker extraordinaire, but I got a call from my former boss in Torrance Adult School, and they wanted me to teach for about 16 hrs/wk in the morning. The night before, Erin and I had been talking about the fact that it would only be worth working if I worked in the morning (while Ella is in preschool), if I worked at a site closer to home, and if I worked for Torrance Adult School. I didn't think I would get a call because of the recent cutbacks. But lo and behold, I got what I wanted!
We will have to put Judah in day care for 4 hours a day. That will be the 1st time we've done that, so we're a little unsure about it. It is difficult to find good day care that is not too expensive.

Erin is back teaching at Centennial High School in Compton. She is teaching reading again, and not doing too much admin stuff (although she still is doing some). She is glad to be back with students again. That's the haps.

Sorry, more Ella

2009-07-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

While watching Judah getting changed: "Daddy I think he has a bigger one than yours."
(I'll leave that one to your imagination)

Mama's smarter than Daddy, but Daddy's stronger than Mama, and God is smarter and stronger than everybody."

"Mama is sometimes silly, but I still love her."

Ellaisms

2009-07-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

At breakfast: "I'm a rice-crispy girl. I'm a hungry little caterpillar!"

In the car:
Aunt Susie: "You're a goofball."
Ella: I'm not a goofball, I'm an animal."
Aunt Susie: "What kind of animal are you?"
Are you a lion? A sheep? A cow?
Ella: I'm a princess!

In the car: Judah: "Waaa!"
Ella: "Judah! Be quiet!"
Waaah!
Be quiet!
Waaaooh!
Judah! I'm right here!

A la playa

2009-07-04T09:15:00.000-07:00

Judah has 4 teeth right now. 2 more are pushing in on top. It makes his smile look really different. Here he is enjoying the beach in summertime!

Wade Jr.

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

Here's Wade's baby picture. He won a beautiful baby contest (but he says there were only 2 babies in the contest and the other was pretty dang ugly).

So... does Judah look like Wade?

Wade Jr.

2009-05-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

Everyone says that Judah gets his good looks from Opa Wade. He definitely didn't get them from me.

If it drinks like a dog...

2009-04-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

We have been dog sitting sometimes for a great dog named Barney. The kids love it. The other day I went to the grocery store with Ella and gave her a sample drink. She was lapping at it like a dog. I said, "Ella don't lick it, drink it." and she said, "That's what dogs do." I told her she wasn't a dog and she laughed and drank it.

Preschool!

2009-04-22T09:59:00.001-07:00

Our little fairy is in preschool now. She LOVES it. I really like the class. She goes for 3 hours in the afternoon so we have kind of retired the afternoon nap thing. I am mourning that, but she seems okay. I have a little more energy during the day, from fewer demands for my attention.

Sittin' Bull

2009-04-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

Judah's sitting now, we are not in a hurry to teach him to crawl, but he's starting to grab for things and roll around on his fat tummy. He's getting restless.

Cheekies

2009-02-04T23:29:00.000-08:00

This picture was given to us by Aunt Susie. Judah is fatter than Ella ever was. We love it. The other day Ella said, "Judah and Mama and you have a big booty, but I have a skinny booty."

Update

2009-02-04T23:24:00.000-08:00

So. I am now home dad again. I am teaching at night in Torrance for 12 hours a week. Erin is back at Centennial High teaching reading for 3 periods and being the resident reading specialist and reading coach. Pray for my patience with Ella and internal motivation. :-) It's nice to have a job 3 nights a week to keep me sane.

We are also trying to put Ella in some kind of preschool situation, even if only for a few days. She is itching to go. "preschool" is a constant part of her vocabulary and she often is in some kind of imaginary world called preschool where she goes and learns new things, makes friends that we've never heard of and does fun stuff. She has some close friends that are already in preschool.

Kissmass

2009-01-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

Grammie and Ella

Uncle Chris and Ella

Brothers don't shake hands, brothers gotta tickle.

Sister Susie and Judah

We had a spread out Christmas. We had Olson Christmas before Christmas, Batstone Christmas on Christmas Day, and Wintz Christmas (my mom's parents) after Christmas. It was a lot of Christmas. Then we went out to Phoenix and celebrated the new year with Erin's friends from college. It was uber-fun. Now we're back and I (Ian) will be the home dad, Erin is going back to work at Centennial High in Compton, and I will be working at night with Torrance Adult School supervising online learning for English as a Second language. We both start the 5th.

Cousin Natalie.

Tummy Talk

2008-11-30T12:04:00.000-08:00

Ella: "My tummy says he's hungry."
Tummy:(voiced by Ella) "mmmm... thank you Ella"
Me: "Are you talking to your tummy?"
Ella: "Yeah, he says he likes the yogurt"

Halloween ESL

2008-11-11T21:28:00.001-08:00

I am teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) almost full time now. I work in the morning for Torrance Adult School, and drive to Redondo Beach for work at a private language school called EF language school. I love my job. We got to have costumes and parties for Halloween. It's lots of fun.

big little girl

2008-11-09T23:28:00.000-08:00

Ella always talks about how she is a big girl. Understandable of course because we often reinforce positive behavior by calling her that. It's just kind of annoying when she objects to being called a little girl. The other day I asked her if she wanted to change Judah's diaper. She said, "no, I'm just a little girl." Apparently she is when it is convenient.

Cuties

2008-11-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

Ella logic

2008-11-04T22:12:00.001-08:00

Our friend Geoff Gross asked Ella:
"Do you sleep on your back?"
she said,
"No, I sleep on my bed."

Ella: "I have white eyes behind my brown eyes."

Halloween

2008-10-30T22:09:00.000-07:00

Oma givin' candy.

Dressing up for Halloween. Ella peed in her ballerina outfit, but Oma washed it and dried it in time to take pictures.

Kids say the darndest things

2008-10-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

One morning at breakfast Ella pulled up her shirt and said, "I have a little chest, but Mommy has a big chest...a giant chest."

Elbow foot

2008-10-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

"I hurt my elbow foot."
"Where's that?" I asked.
"Right here." she said pointing to her ankle.

Grandma B

2008-10-17T15:31:00.000-07:00

Ella pointed at a picture of our wedding today and said, "Hey, there's Grandma!". Grandma B is what she called her. She died a few months ago, and it is good to see that Ella remembers. I'm glad that Grandma met her first great-grandaughter, even if she didn't remember because of the Alzheimers.

Grandpa Brennan and Judah Brennan

2008-10-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

Wintz Ranch pics

2008-10-08T23:07:00.001-07:00

Judah Bhudda in Nirvana

2008-09-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

Dress Up!

2008-09-19T15:28:00.001-07:00

Webcam pic

2008-09-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

He urped up a little after this shot.

Ella antics

2008-09-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

We went down to San Diego to see "Tio" and "Tia Kimberly", which is what she calls Uncle Nathan and Aunt Kimberly. "Uncle Ethan" was also there (Kimberly's brother). Kimberly told her to go kiss Tio, so she went and kissed Nathan. Then she told her to kiss the other Tio (Ethan), so Ella went and kissed Nathan's other cheek. Quite logical I thought.

The picture is from Ella's 3rd birthday.

Ella speak

2008-08-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

Erin was feeding Judah, and Ella said, "I wish I could feed you Judah, but I don't have any milk in my chest." She then raised her shirt to show her lack of mammary glands.

Feetsies

2008-08-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

Mo Judah

2008-07-23T21:06:00.000-07:00

Send up Judah!

2008-07-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

We had our baby! July 22nd at 7 in the morning Erin gave birth to Judah Brennan Batstone, after about 12 hours of labor. No C-section! He was 7 lbs 4 oz, and 20 in. long. He started eating right away and slept soon afterward. He's been doing a combination of the two ever since. He is a genius. Just like his father. He is also extremely good looking like his father. Ella is excited, "I'm being a big sister, RIGHT NOW!" she said, when we walked in the door.

Judah means praise or thanksgiving, and we are very thankful for this baby.

Brennan means "smelly hair" and has some other better meanings, and it is my Grandfather's name which we really liked.

Okay, I'll shut up. Here are some pics. First Pic of Judah, ever.

We think his eyes are lighter than Ella's.

At the hospital. We are taking votes for nicknames. We like Judah by itself, but we are also batting around: Baby J, Jude, JB, Jew, or just duh. What do you think?

"Our boys all grows up"

2008-07-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

Nathan Olson (Erin's brother) graduated from Warren High in Downey this year. Grandma Eleanor, Nathan, Kimberly and Natalie came to town. I got to see my 1st niece for the 1st time.

Pirates

2008-06-25T23:08:00.000-07:00

Ella put her hand over my eye and said, "you're a pirate." Then she put both hands over both my eyes and said, "You're two pirates."

Eating cake

2008-06-25T23:04:00.000-07:00

Today I gave Ella some cake. She was incredibly grateful for it. She touched my back ever so gently and said, "thank you so much." She was in rare form as she chatted up a storm and talked about the cake and how nice it was and how she liked that Lara (Erin's friend) had a birthday (actually a shower). She then put her hand up to me and said, "stop talking, and eat your cake."
I asked her if she was ever going to stop and eat, but she never did. She didn't eat the cake either.

The Final Ultrasound

2008-06-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

We finally got a good look at our modest little baby. It is a boy! I'm excited. I am looking forward to raising a boy. It will be fun. I called a bunch of people to tell them. It's just good to finally know what it is.

So, a bunch of people kept saying they knew it was a boy because of the way she was carrying. My thing is that, I've never seen any study done on gender being determined by how the baby was being "carried". If anyone knows of any study please send it our way. If anyone knows of a study disproving this theory please send it our way.

Phone camera pics

2008-06-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

Shhh!

2008-06-09T23:04:00.001-07:00

Ella passed some silent gas on the toilet yesterday. She said, "My booty went, 'Shhh!', just like Mama!" Either that means Erin farts silently a lot or she says 'Shhh' a lot to Ella.

I can't put my arms down!

2008-05-28T22:18:00.001-07:00

Natalie is coming to visit (with Tia Kimberly and Tio Nathan) for Little Nathan's graduation from high school. we are looking forward to seeing her (them), and they will also be coming back in the fall for Big Nathan to go to school.

booty-burp

2008-05-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

Ella passed gas one day and called it a booty-burp. We of course have encouraged this now, because we think it is hilarious, and it somehow seems more polite to us than "fart". Being home with Daddy probably means she burps with her booty more often than other girls her age, but she always says "excuse me".

Foiled again!

2008-04-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

So... we tried again to get an ultrasound and find out what the baby is. Apparently we can convince the doctors to do it again. Yet again, the friggin' cord was in the way. When Erin moved and the cord was out of the way "mini" clamped his/her legs closed with determination. So keep voting. So far I think we have boy: 4 and girl:2. The pool is getting bigger.

Miss Priss

2008-04-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

Ella is a girl. A very girly girl. It must be genetic, because I know she didn't get it from our behavior. Every morning, about 5 minutes after she wakes up, she asks to wear a dress. It got so ridiculous that we had to institute a rule of 1 dress a day.

The other day she wasn't wearing a dress for a while at the beginning of the day. She even let me put shorts and a shirt on her. Then she started asking, and I said no, because we had to go soon. I went to get ready and she went into her room and quickly came back into my room wearing a dress. I didn't know she could change so fast. She saw my expression and quickly raised one finger and said confidently, "One dress, daddy". Geez, what could I say.

She spends about 10 minutes twirling in front of the mirror every time I do put a dress on her. And her dolls or animals often tell each other, "Oh, I like your dress", "Thank you".

Visit to Minnesota

2008-04-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

Erin and Ella went to visit Tio, Tia and cousin Natalie (Ella's only cousin so far). They had fun playing in the snow, hanging out,

and reading on the throne.

More Ella-isms

2008-03-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

Ella gets candy after going potty right now. She got some candy from a little Betty Boob container of Erin's once. The next time she went potty she said,
"I want the poopy candy".

Easter Dance

2008-03-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

Ella was dancing to our music at Easter. That's Dad and I playing guitar. We're working on curtsying while FACING the audience next time.

Our new webcam!

2008-03-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

Ella is enamored with her own image. She will laugh endlessly like this, and repeat the same motion, over and over again. I would try to get her to sing on this thing, but it's like we need a candid camera or something.

ella-ism

2008-03-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

Dad: Hey Ella, do you want to put your socks and shoes on?
Ella: No, I want to keep my feetsies on.
(Erin calls them 'feetsies' not me.)

Boy or Girl?

2008-03-01T12:32:00.001-08:00

So, we are asking all of you to submit your votes: Is the baby a boy or girl? The Dr. didn't really know from the ultrasound, as the umbilical chord was in just the most strategic place to block our view. Durned it! So, let us know what you think and we will publish the answer when we find out, whether before or after birth.

Published by Erin

Growing Up?

2008-02-03T10:04:00.000-08:00

So I still tend to do things with a rash of activity. I learned how to play guitar by spending long nights of 2 to 4 hours of solid practice. I never had a consistent practice time. I still tend to do that. Even with blogging. My schedule doesn't really allow for that anymore though. I guess I'll have to become scheduled and grow up a little bit; instead of doing things that I feel like doing at the moment. Hum.

Christmas!

2008-02-02T20:08:00.000-08:00

Ella really enjoyed Christmas this year. She understood it more and had tons of fun. So did we.

Ella got a new T-shirt for Christmas

2008-02-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

1st niece!

2008-02-02T19:55:00.000-08:00

I am now an uncle for the first time. This is Big Nathan and Natalie Mae Weaver-Olson. She was born Dec. 17. We are excited. Hopefully Erin will get to visit over Spring break. Here's Kimberly too, she was kind of important in the whole process.

Ee-i-ee-i-o

2007-12-17T22:13:00.000-08:00

Ella was singing Old MacDonald aaallll the way to Opa's house today. She kept making stuff up. It was hilarious. A few of my favorites were:
"Tree!...with a swish, swish, swish..."
"...on this farm he had a...Pen!...with a write, write here, and a write, write, write"
"...had a...scared!...with a ah! ah! here and a ah! ah! aahh!"
She had several others I couldn't understand.

Pigtails!

2007-12-16T22:37:00.000-08:00

Ella's hair is finally long enough to put in pig tails. What fun. Her mama was in raptures all day.

Veggie Tales nativity

2007-12-16T18:05:00.000-08:00

I especially like the sheep-peas, and the two squash that have the cow costume on. I think Joseph is missing, but men aren't that important anyway. Right?

Ella-ism

2007-12-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

Mama: Ella, are you hungry?
Ella: No, I'm Ella.

Utensil-speak

2007-11-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

Today Ella held up her spoon while she was eating, declared very clearly that it was a "Dinglehopper", and proceeded to comb her hair with it (a little oatmeal did get in her hair).

Strike the Pose

2007-11-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

I thought this picture sort of encapsulated a bit of Ella's spirit.

All Hallow's Eve

2007-11-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

Ella dressed up as a pensive and slightly morose fairy. Susan Combs came over with her darling doggy (Kaylin) and Princess (Eden).
They went trick or treating by Grandma 'Nette's house (Barby and Antoinette Saunders' from our church)
and went to the Comb's church which is really near us.

Fun at the Huntington

2007-11-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

We went to the Huntington Library a few weeks back, thanks to Wade and Diana's memberships. It's bee-yoo-ti-full. My parents and Ella's Uncle Scottie came too.
Ella and Unca Scottie copying the fish.

Stink, stink, stink

2007-11-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

Ella hit her nose 3 times and said "Stink, stink, stink." It took me a second to realize that she was copying Winnie the Pooh, when he hits his head and says "think, think, think." She saw it at day care a few times. I taught her the correct way, so she now does both.

Say "Yes"

2007-11-09T09:40:00.000-08:00

So we've been trying to teach Ella to say yes. She is getting better, but now she turns it around on us. "Watch Nemo? Say yes." "Have candy? Say yes." Sometimes she'll complete her own sentence "Watch Cookie Monsters Inc.? Say yes. Ok!" and she'll go grab the video and turn the TV and VCR on and start trying to push the video in if we don't catch her.

Today I gave in and watched some Finding Nemo. My excuse was that I put the Spanish subtitles on and was practicing Spanish. I love DVDs. It actually is a good exercise in language learning.

Ella-ism

2007-10-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

Every morning now Ella looks at me over breakfast and says, "So...what we goin do today?"

Job Status

2007-09-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Erin is now working at Centennial High School as an English/reading resource teacher. At the last minute they told her she didn't have any students. So her job will be mostly dealing with adults and administrative stuff.

Ian (also last minute) is now teaching an ESL class Monday and Wednesday nights, and is working as a sub for adult school in Torrance and LA. He is also doing some things with an SAT prep company, but not teaching a class with them until November probably. So he is still taking care of Ella during the day.

...down will come baby.

2007-09-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

2007-09-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

Ella is talking a lot now. Sentences. She has conversations with 'subachocake' her Strawberry Shortcake doll.
'I like the truck. Do you like the truck? I like the truck too. You wanna go truck? Ok!'
She likes my truck.

Yesterday Erin said Ella had another cute conversation with her dolll, 'Don't bonk your head!' WHAM! 'Don't bonk your head!' WHAM! (as she was hitting a chair with the dolls head). 'oohh, you bonk your head' (sad empathetic intonation).

She still never says yes. We've tried coaching her, but she still resists. Unless she's prompted she will usually only repeat what she likes and say no to what she doesn't like.
Dad: Ella do you want some more noodles?
Ella: noodles!
Dad: Do you want more noodles, yes or no?
Ella: No!
Sometimes she says no even when she wants something.

Terrific Two

2007-09-11T13:46:00.000-07:00

Erin planned a fun Curious George themed birthday for Ella at the park. We had fun. Trying to fly kites, eating George ( a VERY good chocolate with chocolate mousse monkey made by Pam Jones from church), busting a pinata, and playing like a monkey all over the park. It was fun to see how much she realizes it was for her, and how excited she got. "Party? Party?!", "Presents?" or "I want cake." she was saying for several days afterward.

Cuddle Time

2007-09-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

6th Anniversary

2007-08-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, going back in time. Our 6th anniversary was on August 4th but Erin was going to be gone to the midwest so before she left we went to Carpinteria (south of Santa Barbara) and stayed at a great bed and breakfast called "The Prufrock Inn" (as in the T.S. Eliot poem that Erin has memorized) really close to the beach. It is one of the best beaches in California, apparently, and it was gorgeous. We left Ella at my parents' in Ventura County and had a great time taking in the scenery... going wine tasting near Santa Barbara...
Hanging out in the garden at our place...
...and even had a serendipitously fun time at the 'rods and roses' show.

More Olsons

2007-08-20T13:13:00.000-07:00

Joe Joe Potato, I think he's eating potato salad. Kimberly is practicing for her triplets (she is going to have a baby in a few months, we are excited to have a 1st cousin for Ella).

!Fiesta forevah! The Olson-Batstone-Weaver clan
Big Nathan, and "Little" Nathan reading with Ella.

Lots of Olsons

2007-08-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

If you're not related to the Olson family, you might not be interested in all these pictures, but this is up here primarily for them, and us. We had a great time up in Wisconsin at Bud and Betty Olson's place (Erin's uncle and aunt on her dad's side). Ella and Kate Olson practicing domestic responsibility (Ella slightly rebelling against this by using a car in the kitchen).
Siri Olson, Molly and Brent's 10 month old daughter.
Anders Olson, really cute, really good kid.
Karen Olson; wife of Brad; Anders and Kate's mom.
All the kids played really well together. That's big Joe (Ibby's son of 13 months) in the foreground. This window looks right out on the lake.

Lanesboro, Minnesota

2007-08-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

After Erin visited Chicago, and family in North Dakota I joined them and we went to see Nathan and Kimberly and the Weavers in the most beautiful corner of south east Minnesota. We saw bald eagles, fireflies, deer, went biking across rolling countryside and over beautiful rivers. We visited a number of Amish families in the area and learned a lot about them from Bob Weaver. I also got to run with Nathan (Erin's older brother) in the gorgeous countryside. Mostly it was just great to hang out with Nathan and Kimberly and the rest of the family on their great piece of land. They are really neat people.

Too much fun

2007-08-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

Erin got to visit with a bunch of her Taylor college friends in Chicago. Ella had lots of fun playing with the kids.

photogenic

2007-08-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

We took some professional photos with Ella at JC Penny's. Ella ran circles around the photographer, but the pictures turned out well.

Ella's growin'

2007-07-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

So, our catch-up wouldn't be complete without a little bit about Ella. She is so much fun - though sometimes a handful. She is definitely a little gal who knows what she wants! But, she is talking more all the time, using sentences, repeating what we say and delighting audiences everywhere. She has charmed the ladies in the office at Centennial High and is our little PR girl. She has begun singing constantly as well, to herself, to her babies and stuffed animals, in the car with what we are listening too, etc. It is so cute! (but I am not biased, I'm sure). We especially love her renditions of "Peggie Tales" (that's veggie tales to those of you who aren't bilingual), "Tinkle 'ittle 'tar", and The wiggles 'teddy bear picnic' complete with motions. We videotaped some recently and are thrilled to have it for posterity when she is famous.

She is also truly a "rennaisance girl" in that she not only loves music and is very nurturing to her babies and stuffed animals, but loves to read books and play with her truck. That's our well-rounded girl. The pictures shown here are Ella helping Oma with the gardening and enjoying a gigantic slip-and-slide with cousins at the ranch. She has also discovered the trampoline and the wonderful world of jumping. Life will never be the same.

- Posted by Erin

July (Whew! We are almost caught up...)

2007-07-24T22:35:00.000-07:00

In July I finally finished my last class! Yay! It feels incredible to finally be totally done. I am actually sick of school and don't think I want to learn anymore. Ever. Well, not while in a class as a student that is. But, who knows. Maybe I won't know what to do with all this free time (just kidding).

We also took a great road trip out to Phoenix to see Jme and Jon, whose baby is due in a month. Then we went on out to Albuquerque for a wedding. Congratulations Bobby and Rachel! We did it all in 4 days - about 6 hours a day of driving. Ella did great - usually. We have fond memories of our first "real" road trip with Ella.

Moving further into July is also affording us some great news. Ian now will be subbing in Torrance at an adult school which has free day care available. In the evenings he will be working with Revolution Prep, a great SAT prep place that has a neat philosophy of taking care of preparing not just those who can pay mucho dinero for the tutoring and classes, but even those who can't. God is good...and we are truly grateful for these two jobs.

June

2007-07-24T22:17:00.000-07:00

Mid-June saw the end of school. It was somewhat bittersweet for Erin, as she was saying goodbye to students she cared about and a neat group of staff and teachers at Davis Middle School. However, she was looking forward to working with an amazing principal and the challenge of a different job where she can really be a part of planning and implementing a school-wide focus on literacy at a smaller high school. She also was totally excited to get to spend the summer with her little cutie!! ( She means Ella, but Ian is a cutie too, of a different sort).

Meanwhile, Ian began... The Great Job Search!

Breaking the Silence:May

2007-07-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

So. We are finally hearkening to those of you who have pointed out that it has been 3 months since our last entry. Sorry. Things have been crazy - but here are some of the highlights: (We will go back to where we left off and fill you in...)

April/May was exciting as we had a wonderful visit from Megan, who was back in the States from Costa Rica for a bit. It was fun to be tourists for a weekend and to see and pray with a wonderful friend.
Erin also walked in her Master's in Reading graduation ceremony in May, though she didn't technically finish her last class until July. Hallelujah! The end of three crazy years...

Jesus

2007-04-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

So we watched Jesus today. "The Jesus Film?", you ask, "The Passion of the Christ?, or some spiritual Childrens Bible video"? No, we watched the Little Mermaid. Do not ask us why she calls it that, but she does. I promise you we have not shown her any pictures of Jesus that look like King Triton, or taught her about Jesus using the video. She just has an extremely persistent idea somehow that it is called Jesus. So much so that today I said from the other room "Do you want to watch the Little Mermaid?" and she shouted "Jesus!". She also says "peggie tay-ohs" for Veggie Tales and calls the Jungle Book "Mow-gi" which we think is pretty cute.

couple friends

2007-04-17T15:51:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of our couple friends from our once a month get together. About 6 years ago a few of us who were getting married around the same time decided to get together and make a group that was dedicated to helping our marriages, accountability and just hang out time with some people that we didn't see as much anymore. We highly value our friendships with these people. From left to right Scott and Sandy Smyser, Carrie and John Dean, Lana and Andy Wahlquist, Geoff Gross, us, Micah and Jen Burpo, and Tracy and Steve Hart with Lorelai.

Still life

2007-04-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

Ella likes sitting in chairs. I would really like this, but she doesn't ever stay for more than 5 seconds in one position. When we go to a new place she will often try out as many chairs as we will let her. She likes her independence.

Reading with Oma

2007-04-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Oma keeps a bunch of books and fun toys for Ella to play with at her house. Ella recognizes the streets we turn on to come to their house.

In these pictures Ella was reading out loud in her own language while pointing to the words.

Doggy bed

2007-04-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

Ella likes sitting in Rosie's bed. She was putting her baby there and sitting there herself the other day. Kind of comical.