The Pooooooool!

I have to get some of these pictures in before summer is over. Our kids have had a blast at the pool this summer. To them, a day isn't complete without a dip! Two of them conquered the high dive. First, Ellie...

...and then Joe. (It's hard having a little sister with so much nerve!)

Erin has learned to swim under water ("wif" her eyes open!). She also has perfected the art of looking completely un-goony while wearing orange goggles.

Actually, she may still be working on that one.

And, as usual, Daniel just goes along and has a good time wherever he ends up. He could crawl over the whole baby pool except for the middle, and when he got there, his legs would lift up and he'd be sort of walking on his hands (which was quite fun to watch).

As for me, it's been fun to be at the pool without a support stocking (like I had last summer). Something about the water still makes me feel like a kid. I even wore the orange goggles for a while. I'm not attempting the high dive, though. That wasn't even that much fun when I was a kid.

Cousins

Here's Erin with her BIG cousin, David. It's amazing how many currents there can be in a gene pool!

You've Gotta' Try This!

When a baby is alone in a room and you hear him laughing hysterically, you know it's gonna be good...

Daniel found some of Ellie's Polly Pocket Princess gowns and was getting such a kick out of throwing them and watching them bounce. Some of them actually bounced back toward him, so maybe that was the funny part. I don't know, but he was laughing so hard! I guess we know what to get him for his birthday.

One of the Nice Things About #4

Besides being great entertainment for Daniel, the three older kids can be really helpful. Joe has figured out how to do the whole feeding routine (except for food preparation). When he told me he wanted to feed Daniel, I made sure he knew what he was doing, and then I left the room! I'm sure I would have worried him to death if I had hovered, and as it turned out, Daniel eats very well for him and doesn't get any messier than usual. I think Daniel may even like Joe's feedings better...he's just funnier than Mommy.

I don't know which is better, having three older kids to help out or being able to let them do it.

July 18

1998

2008

(On our anniversary picture, I always make Matt hold up the number of fingers with me to show the year. He loves it!)

If you had told me ten years ago that our anniversary date ten years into the future would include a nursing baby, a mini van, and a bonus buy of a lifetime supply of sidewalk chalk (for $2.99!), I probably would have been depressed. Praise the Lord that it did include those things, and it was a wonderful night!

Gold

"Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold." Robert Frost

For the past week, we've been working on our office/schoolroom, the last room in the house to get a makeover. Last Friday I stripped the last piece of wallpaper(!), and after going through all the paint chips, we selected what we thought would be an earthy, stimulating, golden wheat color. We painted one coat last night, then woke up this morning to walls the color of the stripes on a road, "road stripe yellow", I call it. It was a big OOPS moment, but pictures can never do it justice.

We got another gallon of paint, and Matt got to work while the kids and I were at swimming lessons. Fortunately, only one more coat was required, and we now have our desired color! Yea! You can see it in the background of this picture.

Matt is such an organization freak. (Really, I love that about him!) Here, he's teaching our boys, so they can grow up to be just like Daddy.

Fishin'

My dad got Joe a fishing rod for his birthday, and he tried it out at the camp when we were there for our reunion. It was a great place to learn to fish because he'd no sooner cast his line, than he'd have a fish. Granted, the fish were all about three inches long, but that didn't matter to him. He had a good time, and Erin did, too. I don't know if Erin is a tomboy or if she is just eager to do anything the older kids do. They made a pretty cute pair. Ellie wanted nothing to do with the fishing...she's my daughter, I'm afraid.

Wahoo!

Last January we decided to homeschool Ellie for the rest of her kindergarten year. Any of you who know us, know how EXTREMELY difficult this decision was for us. We had never intended to be homeschoolers, loved her teacher, and, of course, have a great respect for the school (as it is where Matt teaches). Nevertheless, it was a necessary measure at the time, so we reluctantly became some of those "weird" homeschoolers. And now we love it! It is so clearly what the Lord had intended for us, and we are thankful for the blessing of being able to teach Ellie faithfully during what could have been a somewhat chaotic time (with baby Daniel). The Lord met many needs, especially in my mind and heart. It was just a really great experience! So now we are looking forward to having both Joe and Ellie home next year, and tonight I'm saying "Wahoo!" because the curriculum and materials (which I have had a ball picking out) arrived on the big brown ups truck. I can't wait to dig in!

Family Resemblance

The Conger Clan gathered this weekend at beautiful Camp Conger. (It's just so cool to have a 4-H camp in the family!) Each color of T-shirt (green, orange, red, and blue) represents a different branch of the family beginning with my Grandma's generation. She was one of four kids, and now the whole clan numbers 98! Not all of them were there, of course, but we were thinking of them.

Here's our immediate family with my dad. You can really see we're related...It's something about the eyes! (Thanks, Jodi, for one of the best laughs I've had in a long time!)

This one is my favorite!

I found out that some Clanners actually read this blog, which makes me feel motivated to start at it again. It's no longer October 7, Marianna...Life goes on!

First Smiles

"Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing." ~Mother Theresa

Two Months Old!

Here's Daniel's two month shot with his bear. The best part about this month has been his first smiles. He's smiling and cooing so much now. I love it! His eyes are still really blue, so I'm gonna call it a done deal. His hair, however, is starting to really have a reddish cast. I've always wanted a strawberry blonde, but didn't figure I'd have one. We'll see if the red sticks. Daniel's still waking up at least once during the night. Hopefully, sleeping through the night will be the big thing to report with his three-month picture.

Mind Over Matter

Erin loves her weekly tumbling class(!), but has yet to grasp some of the most basic stunts. Don't try to tell her that, though, because in her mind, she's giving Mary Lou a run for her money. Last week, she asked me to take a picture of her doing her "cawtwheels" in the living room. I have to say, looking at this picture, she doesn't look that far off, but in real life, she was doing some strange contortion that no one could possibly recognize as a cartwheel (although it may pass as a "cawtwheel"). Anyway, the funny thing was that when she finished, she would look at the pictures I took, and then give me this confused look. "No," she'd say, "that's not what I did. Get a picture of me doing my cawtwheel!" This went on for some time until I was able to distract with a new game. The reality of the pictures didn't seem to squelch her enthusiasm at all, so maybe someday she will be able to do the stunt I was supposed to be taking a picture of!

I Guess He Can Stay

For our first child the nursery and crib were set up and ready to go months in advance of the blessed arrival...We've slacked off some since then. We did have this graciously donated crib set up (in the corner of Joe's room) before Daniel was born, but I had yet to buy the bedding. Well, I found a cute bumper and crib skirt set on eBay, and decided, yeah, maybe we'll need that. So Daniel now has his own bed, with sheets and everything. I guess he's officially in the family.

By the way, this wasn't a moment too soon. This is how Daniel was sleeping in his cradle.

Happy Birthday, Baboo!

My mom, aka "Baboo", celebrated her sixty-first birthday last month. We had the traditional apple pie. It looked a little prettier than last year's but tasted awful! A word to the wise: Even if your little apple variety chart says that Gala apples are "excellent" for pies, don't do it! Shoulda' used Macintosh.

My Boys

The Nap

A full week of all day Kindergarten, and this is how Ellie spends her Saturday afternoons. She's really doing great with school. No complaints, and she comes home chattering about every little thing that happened. The only way we know she's tired is the raw emotion, usually in the form of tears, when something goes wrong. Little things, like dropping a cracker on the floor, have caused moaning and wailing enough to make me think she'd broken her arm! And the thing is, in my sleep-deprived state, I totally understand.

Sing, Sweet Nightingale

Some things are just so much more fun when you're a kid! I guess at this age, it's easier to imagine that you really are Cinderella.

Vintage

Sometimes "vintage" is a good word... Our computer crashed last month (first time ever!), and we had to take it to an Apple store where I had an appointment with one of their "geniuses" to see if he could get us back up and going. As soon as he saw our computer he told us that it was "vintage", and I thought, "cool". Then I learned that "vintage" is just a nice way of saying "if your hard drive is gone, we can't replace it". Thankfully, our genius came through for us and was able to repair our hard drive without losing any of our stuff (most of which wasn't backed up). He told me I should thank my lucky stars...I don't believe in lucky stars...It was the hand of God. He also told me to run, not walk, and buy an external hard drive, so that when this seven-year-old dinosaur crashes for good, all our "stuff" will be safe and sound.

My technological education comes in spurts, probably because I have no interest in "pushing the envelope". If it does what I want it to do, great. If it's not broke, I ain't fixin' it. Then it does break, and I have to get a bunch of new stuff in my head, just to make things work again. Fortunately, I found a very knowledgeable and helpful guy at Best Buy (Can you believe it?!) and he got me all set up with my new external hard drive. I just feel so up-to-the-minute. Please don't burst my bubble.

Yoga is Yummy!

My Taylor roommate, Polly (Pol), has recently started a blog called Yoga is Yummy, which is well-worth the read. Pol is very passionate about Jesus Christ, her family, her friends, good nutrition, and yoga. Not to mention, she has more energy than anyone I know (except my son...It's a tie there, which still says a lot!)

Polly and I roomed together for three years at Taylor, and I know she was a gift from God. I can't imagine what college would have been like without her. I also give her all the credit for helping keep my abs so flat with all of our laugh sessions! I had a great time looking through my pictures trying to find some to put here. I've picked some good ones, but I'm just skimming the surface. She just made everything so FUN! The giraffe one is fun because it made me think of the "rainbow disaster", which Polly will understand. The picture of us in the masks is just classic, but I don't know what's funnier, the masks or the "Little Mermaid" poster on the wall behind us. What were we thinking?!

THE Little Twirly Dress

When Ellie was in her "dresses-only" stage a couple years ago, I bought this little number at WalMart. It soon became her favorite, and she wore it almost every day the summer that she was three. When I packed it away at the end of that summer, I was already looking forward to seeing it again when Erin was three. It has been Erin's favorite dress, too, which has only added to its sentimental value. So here we are, approaching the end of the summer, and I know that soon I'm going to have to pack it away, this time, for good. I know I'll heave a pretty hefty sigh as I do. It will probably end up going into the box reserved for the most special clothes, which I will keep. Not a bad fate for a little $7 dress from WalMart.

Little Bookworm

While the older kids have been out in the backyard swimming, Daniel has been catching up on his reading.

OK, laugh at the over-achiever parents!

What $10 Will Buy (at the End of August)

Last week, while cleaning our inflatable backyard pool, I accidentally broke a hole in the bottom, which sent me on an errand to find some sort of kit to patch the hole. Unfortunately, I didn't find a patch kit. Fortunately, I did find a much bigger pool on the end-of-summer clearance rack. So now the kids can all fit in the pool and there's still room to move! I did have some difficulty getting this thing blown up. After struggling with a little handheld pump all afternoon, Matt came home and showed me how our shop vac could do the same job in about a minute...just love it when that happens! It was all worth it, though, as the kids think this pool is paradise...and I'm the nicest Mommy ever for getting it!

One Month Old!

Daniel celebrated his on month birthday on Sept. 2. I'm going to try to take his picture on his monthly birthdays sitting next to this bear, so we can see how he changes over his first year. He's still pretty flopsy, as this picture shows, but he is definitely growing. He probably weighs 11 or 12 pounds now and has outgrown his 0-3 month clothing...without even wearing most of it! I think his eyes might just stay blue. His coloring reminds me a lot of Erin's and her eyes were blue until until they turned green at 18 months old. Daniel's personality continues to be easy-going. We're just thoroughly enjoying him!

Little Mommy

Some people say "little mommy" jokingly, but Ellie has taken it to heart. When she gets home from school, the first thing she tells Daniel is, "Your little mommy is home now." I think all the attention is making a difference. Daniel does seem to follow her with his eyes and will turn his head toward the sound of her voice.

New Blogs!

I'm thrilled to announce that there are two new blogs out there, whose creators I can claim as friends and family.

My cousin, Meredith, has a blog called A Little Bit of Boggs. It's so funny...Meredith was a toddler at a time when I was fascinated by toddlers, so I really thought she was something special. Now she has a toddler of her own!

A good friend of mine has also started a blog about herfamily, The Wagner Family. Amy was at Taylor with me, then we taught on the same team for four years in VA. She lives in GA now, and we actually spent some time with her family there this summer. I love knowing people through different stages of life!

If you get a chance stop by these blogs, just to say hi!

Ellie's First Day!

Ellie is officially a schoolgirl now! She had her first day of kindergarten yesterday, and all went well. As she left in the morning, she was very excited and "just a little bit nervous". You would never know it, though. Doesn't she just exude confidence in these pictures?! Fortunately that HUGE Hello Kitty backpack is almost empty, so she managed to walk to her class and proceeded to have a great day. She loved art class and meeting the other girls in her class (it was girls only for their first day). I knew she'd do fine, but still, I was praying all day and was so thankful that we have a God who is in control of each little detail of life.

The Last Girly Day

Because the kindergarten had a "staggered start", we had a few more days where the girls were home together without Joe. Monday was the last day, and we tried to make it fun. I think this is the hardest part about sending Ellie to school. The "girly days" chapter just seems way too short.

Kindergarten Orientation

Ellie's kindergarten orientation was last week and was a complete success! Kindergarten launches are EVER SO much easier the second time around. She will be in Mrs. C's room just like her brother was last year. I'm so thankful for that!

First Day of First Grade!

Joe had his first day of first grade last week. He was much more comfortable with the whole school thing this year, and wasn't event hat nervous about having a different teacher. We know he's in good hands with Mrs. S., and it hasn't been hard for him to hook up with his friends from last year during lunch and recess. It has been terribly hot, and our school isn't air-conditioned. We actually had an early release one day last week, which I thought was very kind of the powers-that-be.

Matt also went back to school last week. He "looped" up to fourth grade with his class this year, so it made for a nice transition. He said it was his easiest start of the school year yet. That's probably why he and Daniel look so relaxed in this picture!

Cute-T's!

Check out these fun T-shirts! I got the idea from Family Fun magazine. At the top they say "Summer Fun 2007", then each kid has six pictures featuring their favorite summer activities. I used the iron-on transfer paper that works for an inkjet printer. They came out really cute, and the kids just love them!

One For My Brother

I don't know how often my brother stops by the blog, but I just got a great picture that I wanted to post in honor of him. As we were getting ready for bed last night, Erin and Ellie asked if it would be OK for Daniel to sleep in their room in one of their doll cradles. He's obviously too big but was a good sport about it anyway. I thought of Luke who grew up with two sisters about this much older than him...now we know why he is the way he is! Way to go on making it to adulthood, Luke!

Cuteness

Our little "king of cuteness" went five hours between feedings last night! This means that I got four hours of uninterrupted sleep (which is so much better than two)! I felt like a new woman! I hope he can repeat the performance tonight...

We also want to wish our niece, Megan, a happy birthday today! As you can see from this picture, our kids love to be with Megan, and she always takes an interest in their little worlds. We love her for being such a kind, fun-loving, "adventurey" kind of gal. She's very cute, too, so I guess she fits into this post just fine. We hope her day is a special one!

Four Peas in a Pod

Daniel - Aug., 2007

Erin - Feb., 2004

Ellie - Feb., 2002

Joseph - June, 2000

Walk in the Park

Matt went back to school today, unofficially, to work in his classroom, which left me home alone with all four kids for the first time. I'm happy to say that we had a great day, which all began with an outing to the park in the morning. I just love walking behind my kids as they run, jump, and skip down the sidewalk to the park. As I follow them, marveling at their energy and overwhelmed with how much I love them, I always become sentimental and am just so thankful for another day to seize. I wish I had a picture to share here, but I forgot my camera...better that than the baby, I figure. The weather was beautiful, the first day we've had that is starting to hint that summer could come to an end. We had the whole playground to ourselves, and we played hide and seek. Then the kids got into a pretty elaborate game about good guy and bad guy castles, and the mulched area was water, so they couldn't walk there, etc. It just felt good to be the mom and to be truly enjoying the same stuff my kids were. What a beautiful morning!

Here's a completely unrelated picture. I just wanted to show what Daniel looks like with his eyes open.

Mother of Four

So here we are one week ago...


This week has flown by, and I know it's because I'm having so much fun. Isn't it amazing how aches, pains, and exhaustion can be so insignificant when you are falling in love with a newborn? Daniel's labor and delivery were my easiest ever, (checked into the hospital at midnight and at 4:19 am, he was born) and he continues to be a delightful baby. He eats and sleeps, fusses when we change his diaper, and more and more now is staying awake for short periods of time. The jury is still out on his eye color, but he definitely looks like he fits our family mold. His brother and sisters are still enthralled with him, although Joe is ready for him to be big enough to play.

It's been such a blessing to have Matt home all week. He is definitely one of the most helpful husbands on the planet! We've also been well taken care of by neighbors, friends, and family. (You should see the list of thank you's I need to write!) It's made for a nice transition to a family of six. Then just when I'm starting to think, "This isn't so bad," I remember, "Oh yeah, I haven't cooked all week." Maybe next week will be the true test...

And those are the ramblings of the sleep-deprived for tonight. I'm off to bed (for a couple hours, anyway).

Here He Is!

Great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever!

~Psalm 117:2


With thanksgiving, we announce the birth of
Daniel Matthew
August 2, 2007
9 pounds, 11 ounces
22 inches

We're all doing well, and no one can seem to get enough of this little guy!