Three weeks worth of stuff.

Is it me, or has it really been roughly three weeks since our last post??? I'm not even certain where to begin...

I think it's safe to begin with the short vacation we took with Nate's family to the Deerwood at the end of June.  It was a beautiful, hot, humid, but fun long weekend!  It's a lively group with six kiddos and one on the way (Nate's sister is due shortly after Benson's birthday in August). 

We enjoyed a Sunday church service outside... It was a refreshing time, sharing where we are at in our relationships with God.  I definitely feel like God has me in a time of refinement.

Sunday afternoon, we took off to a local lake Blue Marsh.  Nate and I went early to scout places to sit and took two of our nieces with us - aren't they cute?  I got stung by a bee for the first time in probably 20 years.  It wasn't so horrible, but I could wait another 20.

Benson took his first canoe trip!  He did great, even danced on the way back.  He's been dancing a lot lately.  It's pretty fun.

The place is called Deerwood and we finally saw two fawns on Monday morning. 

We also got to celebrate Sheila's birthday and Annika's birthday!

A family picture...

Grandma with two of the youngest ones.

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On July 1, Benson, two of my coworkers, my boss' daughter and I embarked on a journey to Philadelphia to take part in the kickoff/launch of Doug Moyer's Run Across America for Global Disciples.  While it's true I think this man is a bit crazy for wanting to run 3000 miles in 60 days, I have to admit, I'm amazed, too.  The sendoff was an emotional one.  His heart is to raise awareness of the 2billion who have never heard the Gospel.  What a blessing to be a part of it.  My job was to round up people for the press conference.  I made Benson help me. People are a lot more likely to agree to something when there is a cute baby involved.

After Doug took off running, sprinting really through the streets of Philly, we walked to a market for lunch and drove home.

I love this:

Doug in front of the Liberty Bell

On July 3, we had a sendoff for him in Lancaster, as well... a bunch of people ran with him for a little bit, including Nate and Benson.

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We moved Nate's grandparents into their house on July 1.  This is the house the family and friends have been building next to mom and dads for the past number of months.  It's incredible to see it finished and everyone did a great job!  We hope they enjoy their new space!

Grandpa and dad moving in...

The living room

The wall I helped frame and put boards on... Nail guns scare me. And I wanted a pic of this wall in case it ever falls down... You can blame me.

Grandma in her new dining room on moving day

Friday after we moved grandma and grandpa in, the husband of Nate's cousin, who helped with the build, serving as contractor, was in a serious motorcycle accident.  It's safe to say my faith has been stretched as we believe God for a miraculous healing.  You see, two weeks prior to the accident, he told his wife he thought someone would have to be raised from the dead for people in our region to recognize the power of God.  His wife thought it would either be him or her.  So when the accident happened and they declared him brain dead, she knew not to give up hope.  Isn't God so sweet, to give them the head's up on it?  It's been incredible to see God at work in this situation and to think of the lives that will be changed for His glory!  He's already showing signs of improvement and they changed his status from no chance of life to 50% brain function someday.  We are hoping he has all he needs to live out the calling God has for him!  His wife is due any day now with their fourth child.  Would you please pray for them with us?

It's also been a time of realizing what faith looks like and how I need to grow in this area.  I wrote a devotional for work yesterday to go with the Third Friday Prayer and Fasting list.  In Mark 6, it says that Jesus didn't perform miracles in a place, but just healed a few sick... He was amazed at their lack of faith. I hope He's more amazed in the days to come at my faith than my lack of faith...

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On July 5, we moved Nate's sis and bro-in-law and niece into their remodeled home next to mom and dad's farm.  We hope they love it there and we're okay with not having any building, remodeling or moving in our immediate future :)

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We have been blessed to be able to enjoy down time this summer, too. 

Swimming with friends...

Kayaking with Benson...

Relaxing on the porch swing at mom and dad's...

Putting monkeys on our son's back to see how long it will take him to notice.  He never did, but enjoyed chewing on the leg every once in a while.  Kinda like a traveling teether foot.  Weird.  Can you guess who did this to him?  Hint: it wasn't me.  Shocking, I know.

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This past weekend, my sweet friend Sarah hosted a surprise Grandma shower for our dear friend Carla.  Carla thought she was coming to babysit a toy throwing one year old, hence the helmet.  She kinda wishes she would have been dressed more nicely, but it makes for a super fun memory!  The ladies blessed Carla with gear for the baby, since her daughter, son-in-law and soon to be born baby all live in NY.

Okay, I think that's all for now... Sorry for the length of time between posts.  I'll try to be better at keeping up :)

Up next:

Possible trip to Mississippi to work for Mennonite Disaster Service to prepare for fall projects rebuilding homes.

Hopefully a beach trip with our dear friends!

My mom will visit us to celebrate Benson's first birthday and his dedication!

So excited!!!

We leave you with this parting image, because really, how awesome is this???  Yes, ladies, if you run out of styling product, just use sunscreen!

And this one, in case that last one will give you nightmares...here's a kinder, gentler picture.

Okay, and one more, because he's fun to look at, in my opinion...

Be blessed and we love you!

The Hoovers

The Benson Boogy

Benson clearly is going to be an amazing dancer ;) he entertained my friend Vanessa and I yesterday... Pretty cute! We hope it makes you smile today :)

Father's Day and a Whirlwind Visit from Switzerland...

WHIRLWIND:

We had a great visit with my sister and her boyfriend Thomas and I think it's safe to say I approve of him :) He's a great guy and is everything I'd assume a French boyfriend would be like... Romantic, generous, affectionate, and he ADORES my sister. That's fun to see :)  Benson approves of him, too.  He liked his new "uncle" a lot :) 

And while they were here, this cute little baby turned 10 months old!  Craziness, I tell you, craziness.  He's now an 8-toothed baby, pulling himself up, jabbering away, and so full of fun!  And thankfully didn't get eaten by this cow...

In a period of less than 60 hours, including sleep time, we shopped - A LOT, ate a lot, toured the countryside, ate ice cream, played a game, talked, laughed, drove around, and did I mention SHOPPED??? 

Nate's such a wonderful host and I love how he serves and cares for people.  I'm most often the recipient of his love, but it's so fun to watch him pour out to others as well.

FATHER'S DAY:
We celebrated Father's Day for a brief period of time after we dropped our guests off at the airport by stopping by the river and wading in (Nate and Benson).  Benson had a blast splashing around in the water and I had a blast watching Nate and Benson hang out.  I love that Benson trusts Nate to hold onto him and he can just enjoy life.  I love that Nate is careful but knows how to have fun with his son.  I pray they have so many fun adventures together, being guys together.  I'm so excited for Benson to have Nate as a dad.  The way Nate parents is so much of, I believe, God's heart for His children.  He is strong and solid, yet loving and caring.  I'm never in this alone: Nate wakes up in the middle of the night with us often, he feeds Benson, changes his diapers, prays for him, loves him, plays with him, takes him outside when he's fussy... All without being asked.  His servant heart ministers to us both so often.  He's just a really, really great father.  We are so blessed.  We love you Nate and thank God for you!

Anniversary x 2 and VISION

On Vision:  At work, we've been working through our annual review and plan of action or ARPAs.  I don't have to write one, but I work with the Facilitators to refine theirs and get them ready for the Board Meeting.  It's a time of year I don't love (editing them is NO FUN and neither is doing the budget that goes with it), butat the same time do love it.  It's the time of year we get to ask God what His plans are for ministry and for life.  I get to see what God's laying on the hearts of those I work with and also dream of what He has for me.  One thing I'm most passionate about is seeing the team I work with encouraged and empowered to do the work God has called them to in their regions.  They work so hard in tough places and have so much to do and I want to be a picture of God's heart for them.  I admit, so many times during the year, I get so focused on making sure we are following rules (which are good) and regulations, focusing on the WORK, not the PEOPLE.  I forget to just love the team. I want to work this year to do that better. 

We were so blessed to celebrate our anniversary twice.  We didn't get to go away for a couple reasons.  One, money doesn't grow on trees and two, we're pretty sure we have many who love us, but not many who love us enough to wake up with our cutie pie once or twice in a night :)  So instead, Nate surprised me by taking the afternoon off work on our actual anniversary (I work mornings) and we went to pick strawberries and make jam together - both were new things for us and something we really wanted to try - yeah, we are weird...  It was a hot day, but we had fun.  We drove to a farm near Hershey and were able to get many, many pounds of yummy strawberries and came home to make our first batch of homemade jam.  It was a fun day for me and I felt so happy to get to hang out with Nate!  We've been pretty busy lately, and having a "random" chunk of time with him blessed me so much.  We had Benson along and he did great until he got too hot and told us he had enough!

Benson got to try his very first strawberry...

and almost slurped the whole thing in. I had to hang on for dear life to the stem...

We made jam the easy (???) way... Just strawberries, an apple for the pectin, some fresh lemon juice and enough sugar to kill an elephant.  Then we poured the hot jam into clean jars, sealed them, and flipped them upside down.  They all sealed and we have yummy jam! 

Our week was a fun one, playing in the mud, I mean eating dirt...

For our second anniversary outing, our sweet friend Allison watched Benson for us and we were able to borrow one extra kayak to go on a kayaking trip ALONE, just the two of us. We were blessed with gorgeous weather for our trip and were also blessed with some extra moolah so we could get a nice picnic meal of cheese, meat, fruits, tea, etc. 

I may or may not have wounded myself during a restroom break right before our picnic putting gashes in my hand and leg while trying to avoid what I was afraid was poison oak/ivy or burn hazel or whatever it's called. I'll spare you the details, but it was FUNNY.  And it hurt like crazy.

We spent Sunday evening with our friends Jeremy and Allison and their kiddos, going for a walk at Mt. Gretna after eating a wonderful meal Allison prepared!  We stopped at the Jigger Shop for some ice cream :) 

On Monday, Nate and I worked on the house for his grandparents (put up pine boards in the bedroom) and then Nate helped with his sister and bro-in-law's house.  We got to enjoy a picnic lunch with them and then Nate worked to finish the project at grandma and grandpa's house before we headed to hang out with friends.  Poor Benson was sick all day, but was still so fun to be with...

His first swim!  Er, his first sticking of legs in a pool and screaming if we got too close to his belly with the COLD water.

And then this monster storm hit and we all went inside to eat our scrumptious steak, chicken, chips/dips, yummy quinoa salad, etc.  We put Benson in his carseat in a room to sleep and when I went to check on him, I found him in the middle of the floor, smiling, holding this: 

He was VERY proud of himself.  I was imressed he got out of his carseat.  I don't know how. It wasn't even toppled or anything.  Schemer.  We made a run for it and made it home, then sat in our driveway in the storm, waiting for Benson to wake up.

What a great week - busy and so much fun!

9 months and counting...

It's official.  Our babe-o is BIG and healthy and we love him to pieces!

Height:  28.5" (60th percentile)
Weight:  20lbs. 8oz. (50th percentile)
Head:  somewhere in the 40th.

Teeth:  5 (two on top, three on bottom and yes, he's still being "nice" with them :))

Clothes: still some 6 - 9 month and now getting into 12 month (those are big on him though)
Shoes: 3s and 4s

The doctor we saw was very happy with his progress. 

I decided last week to go out and try to get him some new toys, because he seems to be getting bored with his old ones... I was on my way to a very cool consignment shop my friend Allison took me to before B was born and saw a yard sale on the way with boy stuff!  So I got him four new toys, two pairs of shorts, all very nice for $11.  The toys... gasp... have lights and sounds...  It's true.   I took the plunge.   We also got to have a late lunch picnic with Nate on Friday - it was a great day!

He loves, loves, loves to be outside!

Sometimes, a baby needs to take on the carrot and the BIG APPLE.

He got to see a medic chopper land in Nate's mom and dad's pasture yesterday, but really, he was WAY more into squacking at the puppy Lady.  He's a sucker for dogs.  Here is he is with his cousin :)

Even with all the toys, Benson's favorite things consist of playing "where's mama?" and being outside.  He loves peek-a-boo and also likes to BOOK IT - crawling as fast as he can into our room and into the closet to play with shoes, magazines, bags, whatever he can get his chubby little hands on. 

And, just this afternoon, he did much better at enduring and dare I say enjoying a bike ride.  The helmet was not his foe today as it was last week when we tried, thankfully.  On the way home, he was doing the constant noise thing to hear his voice change with every bump.  Ha.

Please excuse the confused look. He had this for most of the trip...

And we leave you with this parting image... Oh, John... This was actually my fault. It may have fallen on the floor.  And it may have hit the ceiling, too... May have. :)  These two are phenomenal photographers (and some of my oldest and dearest friends, even if we don't see each other often), but if they ever tire of it, they have pizza skills like no other. Seriously.

Thanks for checking in and is anyone else alarmed our son is NINE MONTHS OLD????!!!!  No?  Just us?  Okay. Well, we're really alarmed.

Up for this week:  Celebrating our two year wedding anniversary!!!!!

Love you all!

My first Mother's Day (with Benson out here where I can hang out with him, that is...)

What a fun week (or was it two???) we had!  This is even more intense and long than usual, so if you don't want to read, you can scroll through the pics :)

The first weekend in May, we got to coordinate and read Scripture in our awesome friends' wedding!  Luke and Janine got hitched.  And can I just say that we're SOO SUPER EXCITED for them!!!!  We love these two and they are such dear people!  Really, the kind of people you wish you could be like when you grow up...  Nate and I really enjoy coordinating together. He sees things I don't and we have a lot of fun doing it (but I think we forgot how tiring it is!).  Happy Marriage, you two!  I can't wait to see all that God does!

I got to hang out with my sweet friend Sarah (who watches Benson unreciprocated pretty much any time there is a need) and take her to do a little shopping and give her a haircut.  Yeah. I cut it.  You should have been praying for us.  But I didn't give you a chance ;) 

She has great hair. It covers a multitude of "I've never been to cosmetology school" transgressions :)

We also got to watch Nate's nieces Hadassah and Hosanna from Friday after school to Saturday afternoon/evening while their parent's were out celebrating life at the beach with other friends.  These girls are a riot.  We had a rule that you had to be nice to each other in our house and if you weren't you had to say something nice you like about that person, apologize and make up :)  Sounds sweet, right?  It was a fun experiment and unbeknownst to us, before 6:30 Saturday morning, they had to seek/give forgiveness a couple times and split up for time apart.  Oh, boy.  Sisterly love (they're 9 and 6).  They LOVE it when I do their hair and usually Hadassah (the nine year old) asks for something "FUNKY".  So I usually oblige.  This time the funk involved a curling iron.  The bad part was that we also watched Meerkats the documentary and apparently, while I was upstairs for two minutes, she saw a snake on the show, got really scared, flung herself onto the seat behind her and sat on her hands, on the curling iron.  I heard the scream through my blow drier :(  She has a LARGE burn across the palm of her hand and I have to say, I'm pretty sure I would have cried, minus the fact I had to keep it calm for her sake. I don't have a picture, and you can be thankful of that.  It was not pretty.  But it was impressive.

After that story, we can go to a happy place now.  If you get kissed by Benson, YOU WILL GET WET. And he also likes to kick his foot up apparently, and you MUST hang on tight.  It's that intense.  How much cuteness is this business???  Don't worry. It's a platonic cousin kiss.  But don't say you haven't been warned.  If you see him comin' at ya... Brace yourself.

Saturday afternoon, we all headed over to Nate's parent's farm (how are you supposed to do that two owner sort of apostrophe 's' thing??? I can't remember).  Anyway... We were there to celebrate his mom and hang out as a family, minus Sheldon and Mindi who were at the beach. We had all their kids, though!  The goal was to make mom a meal and not let her do any work (kinda) and it sorta worked until clean up time when we had to kick her out of the kitchen.  Ha. 

Then this happened.  It was windy...

This tree has been on the farm since Nate's grandparents lived there. 

We are grateful for many reasons...  We were parked just in front of it, but we moved before dinner.  This happened shortly after dinner.  We had all just walked back from Nate's sister's new place (there's that ownership 's dilemna again...) and were walking through there with seven adults and six kiddos.  It was still light out.  Nate and his bro in law Curtis were there to help Dad out.  Well, Curtis' car was trapped, so he HAD to help. Just kidding.  He would have anyway.  The babies all did well while we waited.  And us ladies had fun taking pictures and watching the guys work together. I like that.  Teamwork is a good deal!

For Mother's Day... Wait!  Before I go any further, I just want to say I LOVE BEING A MOM and WIFE.  I love it.  I want to honor God as I parent Benson and be a reflection of His love for him.  It's a big task, and one I joyously can't do on my own!  I think it's such a privilege to raise this little guy and any others God gives to us for God's glory.  It really astounds me.  And what a privilege to be married to Nate.  We're coming up on two years in just a couple weeks and that's awesome!  Okay, now that that's out...

For Mother's Day, Nate brought me a dozen roses and got a bike seat for Benson, so I can shlep him around for the next few years as if nine months wasn't enough!!!  He also got a helmet for him.  It makes me want to pinch him. (Benson, not Nate)  And the helmet makes him want to scream.  Okay, it makes him scream.

 

The day of, we actually stayed home from church. I was exhausted beyond belief (Benson's decided he doesn't like to sleep anymore :( ).  I think it has something to do with life being SO FUN now.  We often find him sitting up in his crib crying, eyes closed.  Like his body just had to move and couldn't figure out how to lay back down. Ha.  And we have been running a lot lately (whoa, easy.  Not that kind of running, I'm not that brave.)  So I asked Nate if we could just do church as a family so we could relax.  He obliged, but I think it was a stretch for him...  We slowly got ready, read some articles on marriage, etc. while Benson slept for THREE HOURS.  his lack of sleep at night must've caught up to him.  We then headed out to adventure in the county.  We decided to do a covered bridge tour, and got to see a lot of beautiful farmland neither of us have seen before!  http://www.padutchcountry.com/towns-and-heritage/covered-bridges/index.asp We did the Southern Amish one.  It was fun and got a little long, but that's because we got out at all of them, except one. I got to talk to my mom while we were driving and that was so nice.  It was fun to talk to my mom while I'm a new mom on Mother's Day!  Ha. On our way home, we stopped at the Creamery in Strasburg and got ice cream cones on homemade waffle cones.  YUM!  What a special day with my special guys!

These pictures are for my sister's boyfriend Thomas who wants to know why there aren't pictures of me around.  It's because I always have the camera... But thanks for reminding me.  Otherwise, we'd only have pictures of my handsome guys.

And, well, sometimes you try for a family shot, and all you get are awkward ones... So I chose the LEAST awkward.  Eesh. Senor Benson is SQUIRM king now.  He's a mover and shaker and is just so stinkin' fun.  This picture was at this bridge we thought we might see a buggy get hit by a car going SUPER FAST around the bend behind us into the bridge where the buggy was already inside.  Ugh.

Nate's headed out on his first three day backpacking trip this week with our friend Brian. It will be fun for him!  I hope the weather is great and they can be blessed by their time in the mountains with God and each other!

We love you guys!!!!  We hope you have a great week!

I want this lady to be my personal shopper

I love the stuff she's picked out for my friends (Erin/Kim) and well, I love that she's about modesty and being cute!

Cute Covered

Thanks Jena for your heart for adoption, your friendliness, and your style (and giveaways that I hope to win one of someday :))