Ellen Rosenberger

I'm ready to meet my little sister! With 2 1/2 weeks until her due date, we are all wondering when baby girl will make her appearance.  And then we will be four.  Do we even know how our lives will be changed??   I am so thankful for my Mom and Dad (known to David as Grammie and GrandDad) who are taking care of David in Guatemala this week.  He is loving being with his grandparents and couldn't be a happier, more flexible kid!  I'm grateful for the rest I can enjoy as we prepare for the adventure that lies ahead.

I'm new to this raising a boy business but thankfully I have two sister-in-laws who have plenty of experience.  Maggie, mom of two boys and another on the way, once said that when her boys have made a mess she will grab the camera first to snap a picture and that helps diffuse her frustration and put the moment into perspective.  Thinking that was a great idea, I tucked it away for later.  Then one evening last week, Luke and I were sitting on the couch catching up from the day.  Out of nowhere, our little boy comes padding into the living room with a long stream of toilet paper behind him and a giant smile on his face!  So, remembering Maggie's advice, we snapped a picture instead of snapping at him.  My guess is this will be among the fun memories we will look back on later in life when we are somehow strangely missing the messes, noise, and other daily adventures with David.   ...

Don't laugh, but this puzzle took me 9 months to complete.  Yes, 9 months!  As part of my 2013 Goals, I finally completed it!  But it was no easy task.  It had to be the most difficult puzzle I have ever done in my life.  Usually I'm pretty good with puzzles but this one almost got me!  Here are some things I thought about/was reminded of in the process of conquering this puzzle: Sometimes stepping away from a problem for awhile can help you gain a fresh perspective/energy for when you come back to it. Switching strategies is helpful when faced with a seemingly impossible task! Focusing on one area is a good idea instead of getting overwhelmed by the big picture. Getting help from others is ok ( thanks Dad!) Tracking progress on a goal helps a lot with motivation! There are solutions available for problems in sometimes the most unlikely places.  No matter how hard you try to make something fit it won't if it's not me...

What has this little guy been up to lately? David's latest adventures include: Playing/watching basketball (he's quite obsessed, actually) Climbing up onto the couch Taking showers (he doesn't fit in his little tub anymore) "Play time" in his crib in the mornings (goodbye morning naps!) Cleaning up his toys Figuring out how to open our front gate (yikes!) David loves playing outside with Bella! From day one, David has always been "Mr. Serious".  Yet it has been fun lately to see the goofy side come out in him!  He can be pretty silly!    We've been teaching signs to David and it has been an excellent way for us to communicate with him.   These are the signs he knows: more, please, thank you, help me, yes, no, bye, all done, hot, light, and fan.   The words he can say are: Mama, Dada, no, ball, bee, Leah, Jensil, Alba.   He also recognizes and understands all kinds of wo...

She's coming....in about 6 weeks!  Are we ready???    We were so blessed at Christmas to receive lots of girl stuff.  This being the first granddaughter/niece in the family, we had lots of fun unwrapping pink things from excited aunts and uncles and cousins!    Also, we were overwhelmed by the generosity in Luke's sisters' church -- several families donated bags and boxes of little girl clothes, shoes, burp cloths, blankets, toys, etc.  Wow!  We are blessed.  Luke said as I was going through it all, "I've never seen so many pink things!"                  No doubt about it! :)                     Her wardrobe would be incomplete without this one!           Couldn't believe this was a newborn size!     ...