Our baby's 2

Clara turned 2 on Thursday! We had a small party for her with just the five of us and it was the best birthday party I've ever done for the kids. It was so simple and quiet. Even the kids liked it better. She got her very first baby doll, which she named "Baby Doll"--smart girl. If you click on the picture below, it will take you to a series of photos from the event. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Cookies and Clara's 2nd Birthday

Here are some more pictures from two years ago. What a beautiful Christmas present.













Wow, Daddy. You have some big hair.

Recent pictures of the girls

These are far from impressive shots, but I figured the family out there was tired of seeing text and not faces. ;)


Here's Janie with her pony. She named her Princess Strawberry Beautiful.



Here's Clara. Nothing in particular going on here.

Tubes went well

We got to the hospital yesterday at 6:15am, and we were both pretty tired. Dana was pretty worried, but brave. We played toys and waited for the nurse to call him back. Eventually, they gave him some tylenol and something else that made him loopy. He was pretty funny. While we were waiting for the doctor in the little triage room, Dana saw SUPER WHY come on the TV. Evidently, he was frustrated with his inability to see straight, because he made goggles around his eyes with his hands to see better. The nurses and I were cracking up. Dr. Barnes, our new ENT, came to talk to us and before we knew it the whole thing was over. It's a pretty quick procedure. We were in and out of the hospital in three hours flat, our shortest time yet. Dana was a little dizzy for awhile, but over the course of the day he went back to his normal energetic self. I'm so thankful I got to go with him this time. There aren't a lot of times when I get to have uninterrupted snuggle time with Dana.


Dana at 5:45am ready to go, with is Ducky to make him brave


Drawing on the floor in his room at the outpatient unit


Dana, beginning to feel pretty loopy, on his way to triage


Again... loopy, heading for triage


Back home again, resting with Daddy

Three times a charm

Well, the ENT scheduled Dana for tubes on Thursday. The left ear drum has negative pressure, so much that his ear drum was sucked in against his bones. The right ear drum was bulging and filled with fluid (thus the pain). In both cases, his eardrums aren't allowed to vibrate correctly and it's resulting in hearing loss. Thankfully, the hearing loss is temporary. Somehow they can test his choclear (sp?) nerves and they said his long term hearing should be fine.

Please pray for Dana, if you think of him. He's really anxious about the tubes and about the whole ENT thing altogether. Despite multitudes of gummy bears and lots of jokes, Dana didn't like his doctor. Although he's been through all of this a few times, he's totally forgotten about it and he's really worried about people poking and prodding in his painful ear.

And... if you think about it pray for Matt. He came home today feeling sick too. I'm thankful that I got over the worst of it before they got into the worst of it.

It's that time again...

Clara has a 102.4 fever, goopy infected eyes, sore ears, and a horrible croupy cough. Jane is lethargic, coughing and clingy. We've all been sick, but for some reason, the girls are getting worse instead of better. Dana has an ENT appointment tomorrow, due to his recent terrible ear infections. He has some residual pain, which doesn't really have an explanation. After two tube surgeries and two years of very few ear infections, it's back to the ENT we go. Poor kids. I think we'll have to try to squeeze the girls into the pediatrician either before or after Dana sees the ENT. Sigh.

WARNING MEN: ovaries being disussed below...

I also seem to be getting a series of ovarian cysts, probably follicular cysts, if my guess counts. Every month, just around the time I should be ovulating, I have pain on one side or the other, and only for half a day. I guess the pain is from the cyst rupturing. There are other symptoms too, but I'll leave it at that. I think what happens is that the follicle that surrounds the egg is supposed to rupture at ovulation and release the egg. In some cases, the follicle doesn't rupture, but builds up fluid and then eventually ruptures, causing pain and messing with your hormones (Matt can attest to this). This is supposed to be pretty common in women under 40, so it's no big deal, but I'm curious to see what my midwife says. Usually, they put you on birth control pills, but that's the last thing I want to do.

Other updates:

We closed on a mortage refi on Thursday! Our house appraised for 130,000 and we were able to take out a bit of money to pay for work on the house. We have people lined up to replace the roof, build a fence and deck, tear down two nasty trees, and level part of the back yard. We also need to hire someone to repoint the majority of the foundation, finish the laundry room, and trim out the rest of the house. In short, we're finishing this baby! And I want you all to know that when we finally finish the last project, we'll be throwing the biggest party the Monahan house has ever seen and you're all invited. ;)

We did sell the Bosch craigslist washer/dryer set for a profit and we got a GE frontloading set with much better capacity and cleaning power. We got a great deal and only spent $150 over the amount we got for the Bosch set. No more upheaval in the laundry room, at least not for awhile.

I promise I'll post kid pictures soon. I need to find our camera batteries. I have a feeling they're in someone's toys...

Thanksgiving Menu

I love Thanksgiving, and now that I'm responsible for cooking the meal, I love planning out every detail. Here's what we're having.

Turkey (stuffed with garlic, sage, apples, and onions/breast lined with garlic and sage)
Stuffing (cooked outside of the turkey)
gravy
skin-on mashed potatoes
cranberry-apple sauce (Katie-style)
sweet potato casserole
potato rolls
(sorry Katie, no green bean casserole this year... you're not here to eat it)
wine
sparkling cider

pumpkin pie
cranberry apple pie
pumpkin bread

Mmm. I can smell it already.

Last night

we were at the light on Main and Broad and a shiny, hopping, hooptie pulled up next to us. The guy in the driver's seat was really getting his groove on. He was practically hopping himself, pantomiming the words and in a hip hop trance. Matt and I couldn't help staring and smiling. Then, Janie's little voice breaks the spell... "That boy really likes his music!" Amen.

Our maple tree gets it's first colorful leaves!

My favorite Fall tree is the maple tree. They're so vibrant and beautiful.

For the dog owners out there

I bought something this week that has revolutionized my relationship with Bailey, which was speeding downhill at a breakneck speed. Come to find out, most labradoodles are known for their high energy levels. She is also hyper, spazzy, quick to bark for attention, and known to eat food off of the dinner table and counters. Lest I convey the wrong impression, I should list her attributes too. She's gentle and protective with the kids, very loving, house-broken, and incredibly smart. It's just that the negative things about her have been driving me so crazy, I couldn't really enjoy the good things about her.

Finally... I bought a "gentle leader". It's a painless harness that snaps behind her ears and loops up around her snout. The two loops connect underneath her throat, with a short strip that connects easily to a leash.

The result is amazing. She doesn't yank me down the block or pull me down the front stairs on her walks and she hardly barks anymore. It's like the difference between a horse with or without it's bridle. She's focused, calmed, and submissive, at least most of the time.

So I was standing at the mailbox today...

and I saw four cars in a row slow down to get a glimpse at our house. It was awesome and so encouraging.

Dave Ramsey

This month, we are trying something different, in the hopes that we will change the way we spend money. Matt borrowed THE TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER, by Dave Ramsey and he's going to take over the finances. He drew up a monthly and yearly budget and it was pretty scary. As a result, we're cutting our costs here and there and we're going to start saving as big a chunk of money as we can each month. Here's a list of other things we're doing to cut costs.

--less driving around with kids and more walking to the playground and/or playing in the backyard, which saves gas
--less meat at the table, which won't kill us... we barely bought any when Matt worked at CCS
--shopping at Aldi first, before Walmart
--no eating out
--not running water while we brush teeth, only to rinse the toothbrush
--homemade Christmas presents for the kids: I want to make them a doorway puppet theater and I'm going to make them each their own special gigantic hooded towel
--$5-$10 birthday gifts, bought or homemade
--we're selling our super Craigslist deal of a Bosch washer/dryer set and buying a large capacity top-loader instead (less loads, less work, less money spent on energy)
--yard sales! I went to a huge neighborhood one at Mission Glen and got lots of great stuff and some alone time with Dana
--driving the speed limit, especially on trips (saved us a wad of cash last time we went to Kentucky)

A song from the funeral

There were some beautiful old gospel songs sung at Rich's funeral. One of them has been in my head constantly. I keep singing the chorus over and over again. It's simple, but so incredibly true and so beautiful. Here it is. I think the Gaithers' sang it (wrote the lyrics?) and Wanda Jackson wrote it (the music?).

Because He Lives

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!

Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

And then one day, I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to vict'ry,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!

Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

Finally, more pictures of the house...

This weekend, my family requested that I update my house pictures. Here you go. Enjoy. Only one of the windows is entirely finished and there are still many touchups left on the posts, but you get the idea.

bad news

Last Saturday, after a very busy and hectic weekend, I got a call from my mom at about 10:30, just after Matt walked out the door to go to Infradig's last show. She called to tell me that my uncle Richard died earlier in the evening (Sept. 22, 6:10pm). Most people ask me, "Were you close to him?" It's a complicated answer. He was my mom's older brother and I spent a lot of time with his family when I was little and we still see them at least once a year. His sons are like my older brothers, pranks and all. Some of my best memories were made in his company. My aunt Sally, his wife, was probably the aunt that I'm closest to. Both of them loved the arts. Aunt Sally plays the cello and the piano and Uncle Richard was an amazing baritone. Holidays always included Uncle Rich's booming voice, my cousin Charlie's violin, and Aunt Sally's talents on the piano. Everyone else sang along and savored every minute. My uncle Rich was also an amazing cook. He was the first person to introduce me to mojo criollo (sp?). My apologies to those of you who've never tasted it on your thanksgiving turkey. When Uncle Richard was in a room, he filled it, and yet, he was gentle enough that my children snuggled up in his lap to hear him read to them. I write this, the evening after his funeral. I'm in shock. Rich's death was so sudden. Squinting into the glare of the evening sun, a 17-year-old boy pulled out in front of Rich's motorcycle and Rich died instantly. This isn't to say, that his death was an accident as far as it concerns God's sovereignty. God took him home, regardless of how. Still, my grandparents are without their only son, my aunt is a widow, my three cousins have lost their father, and countless others of us who loved him dearly are suffering. I don't pretend to feel the depths of hurt that my mother or my grandmother feel, but when someone you love dies it's hard not to feel sucker-punched. Of course, the comfort is in knowing that Rich is in Heaven, happier than we know. We love a God who understands the pain of death, who lessened it's sting. I'll probably post more later. Right now, my benadryl is kicking my mental butt and I think I'll head to bed. Please pray for our family and sorry for the stream of consciousness blog. I'm too tired to be organized or well spoken.

First Curves Report

Yesterday was my first weigh-in since I joined Curves at the end of May. As I said before, the weight hasn't really changed
(-.5lbs). I did lose 5.5 inches all over and I lost 1.7% of my body fat. My arm measurement gained an inch, which is interesting, because the kids have made a big deal about my "big muscles" everyday that I go to Curves. They always want to see them and they always think my biceps are a little bit bigger than they were an hour earlier. It's pretty cute. I love my little peanut gallery. Matt's been super supportive too. He's the one who has to manage pirana hour at our house while I dash out the door twice a week and he's been very encouraging and quick to compliment. All in all, this has been very good for our family. It's forced us to be more organized and it's helped to reinforce the importance of staying healthy with the kids. I don't think you have to spend the money and do Curves to accomplish that, but this has worked well for us and I'm thankful for the option.

Janie at her best ;)

Janie started doing this when Clara was tiny. She's definitely a Monahan!

because it was cooler today...

I made a whopper of a dinner: roast beef, potatoes, gravy, peach pie. I should have made carrots too, but I ran out of time. I have been really down lately, but I was pleasantly reminded why I love to cook. It gives me such joy. I feel like what an artist feels like when they finish a beautiful painting. Beautiful, yummy goodness to eat and enjoy, because I labored in the kitchen... It's so fruitful (pardon the pun) and so rewarding to see my little brood smile with full drippy mouths.

If you're at all interested, I found a really yummy way to make roast beef. Buy a bottom round roast or a top sirloin roast (less fat) and put it in a crock pot. Pour a can of beer on it. Then top it with cracked pepper, sea salt, garlic powder, and onions. Let it slow cook all day (hi-4 or 5 hours/low-8 hours). When it's done it should be very tender. You can take the broth and shake 2T of it up in a small jar with 2T of flour. Then put it in a small pan and add more broth. Stir over low heat until thick and add salt and pepper to taste. Voila! You have easy delicious gravy. It's not so scary after all.

Oh, and here's a little, very uninteresting Curves update...
I haven't lost a pound yet, and maybe I never will. As long as I feel healthier, I won't worry about that. I do think my posture is much improved and my insomnia is almost non-existant. My clothes are fitting better and they don't feel so uncomfortable, which is a huge relief. It's hard to be chipper when your pants are riding up, know what I mean? ;) I'm also really starting to love the little high I get after a workout. I come back home ready to work and pumped about my life--funny, huh?

General update...
I'm on the warpath with discipline. Ooo that sounded so bad. I mean I'm on the offensive. I made up a bad @#! behavior chart and the kids are getting stickers for all kinds of things that I have to nag them to do: brushing teeth, washing hands, putting dishes in the sink, picking up toys, using manners, making beds, etc. They get stickers for everything on the chart, when they do it, which has been very motivating. At the end of the week, if they have "Lots of Stickers" (which is enough for them now), they get 10 pennies for allowance. One penny goes in the offering plate (which they're excited about) and 9 pennies go into their piggy banks. So far, they're really excited and in two days the behavior is much better than it was before. Way less whining, very few spankings... All in all, it feels like a whole lot of progress.

spend your money in a way that helps the helpless

Keri posted a link to Rahab Ministries on her blog. I've never heard of it before today. Evidently, it's a ministry to women who are prostitutes and/or sex slaves in Thailand. Rahab Ministries takes them in and teaches them about Jesus, while building their job-skills and helping them to be independent. The women are taught to make jewelry and you can support the ministry by buying this jewelry (it's very inexpensive) online. Here's the address. They also sell handmade cards ($1.50/ea).

http://www.rahabministriesthailand.org/bazaar.htm

Fun in Blue Ridge

Apple Picking and fun in Blue Ridge

Copied from Willa, Contemporary Segregation

I just learned about a case of segregation-era oppression happening today in Jena, Louisiana. I signed onto ColorOfChange.org's campaign for justice in Jena, and wanted to invite you to do the same.

http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/?id=1945-260306

Last fall in Jena, the day after two Black high school students sat beneath the "white tree" on their campus, nooses were hung from the tree. When the superintendent dismissed the nooses as a "prank," more Black students sat under the tree in protest. The District Attorney then came to the school accompanied by the town's police and demanded that the students end their protest, telling them, "I can be your best friend or your worst enemy... I can take away your lives with a stroke of my pen."

A series of white-on-black incidents of violence followed, and the DA did nothing. But when a white student was beaten up in a schoolyard fight, the DA responded by charging six black students with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

It's a story that reads like one from the Jim Crow era, when judges, lawyers and all-white juries used the justice system to keep blacks in "their place." But it's happening today. The families of these young men are fighting back, but the story has gotten minimal press. Together, we can make sure their story is told and that the Governor of Louisiana intervenes and provides justice for the Jena 6. It starts now. Please join me:

http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/?id=1945-260306

The noose-hanging incident and the DA's visit to the school set the stage for everything that followed. Racial tension escalated over the next couple of months, and on November 30, the main academic building of Jena High School was burned down in an unsolved fire. Later the same weekend, a black student was beaten up by white students at a party. The next day, black students at a convenience store were threatened by a young white man with a shotgun. They wrestled the gun from him and ran away. While no charges were filed against the white man, the students were later arrested for the theft of the gun.

That Monday at school, a white student, who had been a vocal supporter of the students who hung the nooses, taunted the black student who was beaten up at the off-campus party and allegedly called several black students "nigger." After lunch, he was knocked down, punched and kicked by black students. He was taken to the hospital, but was released and was well enough to go to a social event that evening.

Six Black Jena High students, Robert Bailey (17), Theo Shaw (17), Carwin Jones (18), Bryant Purvis (17), Mychal Bell (16) and an unidentified minor, were expelled from school, arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder. The first trial ended last month, and Mychal Bell, who has been in prison since December, was convicted of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery (both felonies) by an all-white jury in a trial where his public defender called no witnesses. During his trial, Mychal's parents were ordered not to speak to the media and the court prohibited protests from taking place near the courtroom or where the judge could see them.

Mychal is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31st, and could go to jail for 22 years. Theo Shaw's trial is next. He will finally make bail this week.

The Jena Six are lucky to have parents and loved ones who are fighting tooth and nail to free them. They have been threatened but they are standing strong. We know that if the families have to go it alone, their sons will be a long time coming home. But if we act now, we can make a difference.

Join me in demanding that Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco get involved to make sure that justice is served for Mychal Bell, and that DA Reed Walters drop the charges against the 5 boys who have not yet gone to trial.

http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/?id=1945-260306

Thanks.