Sunday, March 29, 2009
Fun with daddy
Lee was in Orlando for an SAP training last week so the kids have loved having daddy home this weekend!
First United Methodist Church Krum!
This morning we all went to First United Methodist Church Krum to celebrate the last Sunday in a place where they have worshiped for 84 years! Next Sunday, they will worship in a new, handicapped accessible building! This is a 10+ year old dream that has been realized, Glory Be to God! The old building has been purchased and the new owner painted the bricks, added a steeple, and is going to turn it into a wedding chapel. We were so impressed with the new building, the parking lot is huge and all concrete! It was great to be there with old friends, to remember weddings, baptisms, memorial services, and lots of worship services in that place! God is good! A huge thank you to Rev. Dr. Christy Thomas, the pastor at FUMC Krum, for the invitation to worship in Krum today!
Pictures taken in 2006 (Kerry served as the pastor of FUMC Krum from 2002-2006). The parsonage and old building (right next door to each other, no commute!)
Pictures taken today, March 29, 2009 of the old parsonage which has been sold as well. Check out how different the church looks!
The New Building (a Methodist cross and flame will be added to the middle of the building). The concrete parking lot was huge!
Pictures taken in 2006 (Kerry served as the pastor of FUMC Krum from 2002-2006). The parsonage and old building (right next door to each other, no commute!)
Pictures taken today, March 29, 2009 of the old parsonage which has been sold as well. Check out how different the church looks!
The New Building (a Methodist cross and flame will be added to the middle of the building). The concrete parking lot was huge!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Gender Roles
Conversation in the car with Madeleine this morning:
Madeleine: "It's okay for girls to play with boy toys, but boys can't play with girl toys."
Kerry: "Why not?"
Madeleine: "That's how God made it."
Kerry: "Who told you that?"
Madeleine: [censored] (someone in Madeleine's class at school)
Kerry: "Well, that isn't how God made it. Girls can play with boy toys and boys can play with girl toys."
I remember reading that gender roles are established around ages 3-4 (girls wear skirts, etc.) and reading also that often the differences between genders are accentuated by children since they are just learning about what them. However, it is interesting to me that as much as you buy trucks for your daughter and dolls for your son it is the friends in their class at school that will remind them what is "normal."
Madeleine: "It's okay for girls to play with boy toys, but boys can't play with girl toys."
Kerry: "Why not?"
Madeleine: "That's how God made it."
Kerry: "Who told you that?"
Madeleine: [censored] (someone in Madeleine's class at school)
Kerry: "Well, that isn't how God made it. Girls can play with boy toys and boys can play with girl toys."
I remember reading that gender roles are established around ages 3-4 (girls wear skirts, etc.) and reading also that often the differences between genders are accentuated by children since they are just learning about what them. However, it is interesting to me that as much as you buy trucks for your daughter and dolls for your son it is the friends in their class at school that will remind them what is "normal."
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Signing your child up for kindergarten...
These are the documents that I need to sign Madeleine up for kindergarten:
1. Madeleine's original birth certificate
2. proof of immunizations (up to date)
3. my driver's license
4. Madeleine's social security card
5. proof of residency - gas bill, water bill or electric bill with my name and address on it
I guess that I am signing her up for the next 13 years of her life though...
1. Madeleine's original birth certificate
2. proof of immunizations (up to date)
3. my driver's license
4. Madeleine's social security card
5. proof of residency - gas bill, water bill or electric bill with my name and address on it
I guess that I am signing her up for the next 13 years of her life though...
A rainy day at the zoo
I signed us up for a class with a program at the Dallas Zoo called Stroller Buddies and today was our day to learn about rhinos and cheetahs. I had paid money to go, so we were totally going to go. Unfortunately, it was yucky outside! Rainy, chilly, foggy... We made our way there and had a great time! There were only 5 moms that braved the weather and it didn't rain on us during our walk through the animals and I enjoyed the zookeeper telling us all about the rhinos and cheetahs. Go, go Dallas Zoo! Madeleine is the one in the pink jacket.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Nursing
As of the middle of March, I am officially all done nursing. Nursing has been a great joy in my life as a mom. It is something unique that I have been able to give my children. It is not easy, it is definitely a learned skill. It was much more painful than I thought it would be, and then I was told that I was doing it wrong!
After I got the hang of it, I had such pride. This was something that I could give my children. A gift of my antibodies, a gift of my time, a gift of being the only one that could soothe them in that way. I think there is a correlation that my children did not need antibiotics until they were over a year old.
It is known as nutritionally perfect, but to nurse your children, you must be persistent. The free samples of formula even came in the mail!
To me the benefits were numerous. For the children, the benefits are well documented. For the mother as well. I experienced the benefits in countless ways. I was the one that could nourish; I was the one that could nurse them to sleep. I was the one that held my child in that special hold and felt such love. As I would nurse I would feel relaxed, calm, and the love for my child would increase exponentially. I was the one who got up in the middle of the night, every single time. However, I didn’t mind. This was a choice that I made, and besides, it took less time than warming up a bottle.
To nurse your child today is not very common. To nurse both your children until they are almost 18 months old is very rare indeed. I did it!
After I got the hang of it, I had such pride. This was something that I could give my children. A gift of my antibodies, a gift of my time, a gift of being the only one that could soothe them in that way. I think there is a correlation that my children did not need antibiotics until they were over a year old.
It is known as nutritionally perfect, but to nurse your children, you must be persistent. The free samples of formula even came in the mail!
To me the benefits were numerous. For the children, the benefits are well documented. For the mother as well. I experienced the benefits in countless ways. I was the one that could nourish; I was the one that could nurse them to sleep. I was the one that held my child in that special hold and felt such love. As I would nurse I would feel relaxed, calm, and the love for my child would increase exponentially. I was the one who got up in the middle of the night, every single time. However, I didn’t mind. This was a choice that I made, and besides, it took less time than warming up a bottle.
To nurse your child today is not very common. To nurse both your children until they are almost 18 months old is very rare indeed. I did it!
Growing up with cousins
Last Thursday my brother-in-law Andy matched for his residency at Southwestern Medical School in Dallas! He will be an ER resident. We are over the moon that they will continue to be in Dallas, we were all nervous that they would have to move to another city or state! Kristin and Andy have been busy looking at houses, for some reason their 2 bedroom 1 bath house seems too small...
I have been thinking about the wonderful blessing it is to grow up with your cousin. Madeleine and Sydney will be in the same grade and Austin and Everett will just be one year apart in school. Family is so important and I feel mighty blessed to be so physically close to mine!
Here is Kristin and Andy at Kristin's birthday celebration (in 2006)... I think I need to take a Rutherford family photo!
I have been thinking about the wonderful blessing it is to grow up with your cousin. Madeleine and Sydney will be in the same grade and Austin and Everett will just be one year apart in school. Family is so important and I feel mighty blessed to be so physically close to mine!
Here is Kristin and Andy at Kristin's birthday celebration (in 2006)... I think I need to take a Rutherford family photo!
More thoughts on recycling
So, I have been on a catalog kick. Since I am much more of an internet shopper than a catalog shopper, and since I never read the catalogs that we received in the mail anyway, I decided to do something about it! So, beginning last fall whenever I received a catalog in the mail, I would call and ask them to take me off their mailing list. This phone call would often take a long time, and they were always curious as to why I would do such a bizarre thing. After many, many phone calls I am so excited to say that it is a very rare day when we receive a catalog. And then I call that company up and request not to be on their mailing list any longer. I am intrigued as to why it has been so difficult to get off of the mailing lists, but I feel great satisfaction to no longer be receiving mail that went directly into the recycling. We learn Reduce, Reuse, Recycle but I only recently learned that recycling should be the last option. The best thing is to reduce, and I have! However, I still like my D Magazine, Texas Monthly, Dallas Child, and neighborhood Advocate ... and Lee likes his Wired, Maxim, and Cooks Illustrated... Maybe we should move to reading them online like I read my Dallas Morning News... Things to ponder...
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Lee climbed up the tree!
Madeleine has gotten really good at her swing! Lee originally placed it over some timbers that are around our tree so that she could have a step onto the swing. She must have grown though because she said that she didn't need her step anymore and she also kept hitting the tree! So, Lee moved the swing and it was so funny to see Lee climb the tree! Madeleine loves the new swing placement and can swing without any danger of running into a tree! Big thanks to my mom, Nana, for buying Madeleine (and Everett) their swings. It is a favorite activity!
Disney on Ice
My wonderful stepsister Terri took Sydney and Madeleine to Disney on Ice. The girls had a great time and love their Tia so much!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Dallas Arboretum
A college friend, Amy Thompson, invited us to the Dallas Arboretum for their annual Dallas Blooms. This year they have storybook playhouses (for example, a James and the Giant Peach playhouse and a Peter Pan playhouse that was a pirate ship!) This is Everett by the One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish playhouse and Madeleine with her friend Becca who will be one year behind Madeleine at Moss Haven Elementary. Speaking of school, at the end of March Madeleine and I will attend Kindergarten Round up! How is it time for my baby to go to Elementary school already? She is so excited though!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Science Museum
We love visiting the Dallas Science Museum with their children's museum and went with my long-time friend Erica, who is moving to Port Arthur in June :( and her little girl Bailey. Everett and Bailey loved being entertained with Madeleine and they all had a great time!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Reycling
I love recycling. I love having more in my recycling bin than in my trash bin. I love that my daughter knows which items go in the recycling bag. I love that in my home in Dallas we have a huge blue bin for recycling.
However, I am not appreciative of the yellow pages that end up on my front porch. I do not want the yellow pages. Has yellow pages not heard of google?
I recently found this website and I have signed up to opt out of the yellow pages.
May we all respect the wonderful gift of this earth that God has given to us!
However, I am not appreciative of the yellow pages that end up on my front porch. I do not want the yellow pages. Has yellow pages not heard of google?
I recently found this website and I have signed up to opt out of the yellow pages.
May we all respect the wonderful gift of this earth that God has given to us!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Everett gets his first hair cut!
There are so many milestones with children! Sunday, Everett had another one, his first haircut! I knew it was time because people began to tell me how cute my little girl was...
at the park this past week
The before
During (he would not sit on the chair by himself)
The after (doesn't Everett look like Lee in this picture?)
Another milestone happened today. At the library Everett randomly picked up a book illustrating the song, The Itsy Bitsy Spider went up the waterspout. When I read/sang it to Everett in the library, he started doing the motions! He knows The Itsy Bitsy Spider! I feel so fortunate that the 3 days that I work, Monday-Wednesday (I also work Sundays, but that doesn't count) from 9-3 Everett and Madeleine are in such wonderful care at the Oak Lawn Child Development Center.
at the park this past week
The before
During (he would not sit on the chair by himself)
The after (doesn't Everett look like Lee in this picture?)
Another milestone happened today. At the library Everett randomly picked up a book illustrating the song, The Itsy Bitsy Spider went up the waterspout. When I read/sang it to Everett in the library, he started doing the motions! He knows The Itsy Bitsy Spider! I feel so fortunate that the 3 days that I work, Monday-Wednesday (I also work Sundays, but that doesn't count) from 9-3 Everett and Madeleine are in such wonderful care at the Oak Lawn Child Development Center.
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