Science experiment, art project, and two random photos

Well, it's been pretty cold here (yay! I am LOVING experiencing winter again!!!) which means we haven't gotten to go outside any. We did this afternoon, actually, but that was only after weeks of all indoors, all the time. Anyway, earlier this week I decided to do a "science experiment" with the boys. It was a last-minute thought but it was fun. We mixed cornstarch and water. (For those of you who don't know, when you pick it up it feels like a solid but as you let it sit in your hand it returns to a more liquid-like state.) The vinyl tablecloth I got for Christmas came in very handy here--it was waiting for a good scrubbing to get out some spaghetti stains so I let it do one more job before it got hit with bleach.







They really enjoyed that gooey stuff. And that's exactly what we called it: goo!

Jimmy hasn't had class this week. It's the week between Jan term and the spring semester. In that time we've been trying to pull the basement together into a more habitable space. We want to make a guest "bedroom" (read: curtained-off section with a bed, which we already have), a playroom, and a storage area. To do this we need to clean up and organize the stuff that's down there and figure out where we want everything to go. We spent a good portion of the morning down there Tuesday and again today. Well, Nathan, as you can imagine, got a little bored. I decided to let him fingerpaint (which turned out to be BODYpaint instead of FINGERpaint). I tore open a large box that we wouldn't have used again anyway, changed his clothes, and after giving him all the ground rules, let him at it!




Yes, he actually rolled in it. When I asked him about it he informed me that I hadn't told him he couldn't roll. Oh well, totally washable paint and clothes that were already stained meant I didn't mind at all since he was enjoying himself so much (and following all of the rules I did manage to remember!).

Poor Isaac, no fingerpaint this time. But he did enjoy himself with the toys we brought downstairs for him!
Here are the two random photos. When we were driving the other day the sun was really bothering Nathan so I let him use my sunglasses. They don't stay on his face when he wears them correctly so this is how he solved the problem!
And here's a picture of my new haircut. It's not really a great photo of the cut, but that's OK. The back is somewhat shorter than the sides. I actually really like it, but it did take me a while to get used to having bangs since I haven't had them since I can't remember when!

Life update without pictures

I realized that in adding so many pictures, I didn't write much about what's going on in our day-to-day lives in Saint Louis. Right now Jimmy is taking one class at Covenant: Greek. He's got it every day from 8:30-11:00, he'll have next week off, and then on January 26 the regular spring semester starts. I think he's taking 13 credits this semester which is a lighter load than last semester. That's good because last week I started a part-time job! I'm teaching preschool three mornings a week at the school affiliated with our church, The Freedom School. So far it's been a really positive experience. I've got six students in my class. They are all either four years old or will be four in the spring. Jimmy's class schedule is such that he will be taking care of the boys while I'm gone except about four hours a week. For those four hours a neighbor who has a son Nathan's age will be watching them. It really has been a blessing because it's a schedule that works well for us, it's a great place for me to work and learn, and the pay is more than I was expecting for such a job (always a pleasant surprise!).

We continue to enjoy having so many friends around for ourselves and our little ones. Today we're going to play with our friends Maggie (friend for Nathan), Abraham (friend for Isaac), and their mom Sharon (friend for Suzanne). I heard with the wind chill it feels something like -15 here today (and the actual high for the day is 10) so we're thankful we don't have to spend much time getting in and out of cars to play with our friends!

I will keep you updated on life as it happens. It's very full and fun and fast-paced right now, but Jimmy and I realize that it's a great time of life!

Finally caught up!

These first two pictures are ones I wanted to post last time but couldn't find them. So you get them now. We have A LOT of big toothless grin pictures from Isaac. Not many more, though! He just cut his first tooth last week after a long hard battle with it. Teething was never an issue for Nathan and even now as he's getting his 2-year-molars couldn't care less. I remember one day when he was a little older than Isaac I noticed literally four new teeth. They didn't bother him at all. Isaac, on the other hand, is having a little more trouble. The top middle teeth are about to pop through, too, and I can tell that his gums are really bothering him. Poor little guy! He's generally cheerful, though, so that's nice :)
On our trip from Missouri to Virginia and back we take two days and spend the night somewhere in Kentucky or Indiana. Nathan still sleeps in a crib at home but is way too big for the hotel cribs (and they usually only have one, anyway, so we use it for Isaac). Here's the "crib" he got to sleep in both nights we were on the road this trip. He loved it! It's a sleeper sofa so we pulled out the cushions, put down a blanket and large pillow for him, and then propped the sofa cushions up so he wouldn't fall out. He thought it was really neat :) (From here on down the captions are above the picture they're referring to. Also, if you click on the picture you'll get a bigger version of the picture in a new window.)

The boy understands the importance of moisturizer!

He just looks so old in this picture...

Loving on old Leon with Isaac watching over them.

One day when we were visiting my dad he took us out on the farm I grew up on to see the cattle. After that we went down the road about a mile to a friend's farm to see the goats, llamas, and donkeys. Nathan liked them but what he liked most were...

...the kittens he got to hold! We're now thinking about getting a kitten this summer :)

Isaac working on those teeth using Gran Gran's chin. My mom says my sister did this A LOT when she was a baby.

Isaac looks just like me, and my mom, and my grandfather (and his mother and her father...).

Four generations!

At Jimmy's parents' house the boys reenacted the Christmas story. Nathan is a shepherd. I think he's supposed to be herding that sheep (which is, in fact, a hippo), not riding it. Then again maybe this shot was from when they were being the wise men.

The "middle kids" and "big kid" working on the ramp for Grandma Brock's wheelchair. I thought this picture was funny. Oh, and as an explanation: the "little kids" were Nathan's generation of children (six boys 5 and under), the "middle kids" were Jimmy, his siblings, and their spouses, the "big kids" were Jimmy's parents and any siblings, and the "adults" or "old folks" were Jimmy's grandmothers! There were A LOT of people around their house because not only was it Christmas, but Jimmy's sister got married January 3!

The ramp is finished and served the purpose of plaything, not just useful ramp for Grandma Brock.

Silas is only three weeks older than Nathan and they played together much of the time we were at Jimmy's parents' house.

Boys making ice cream with Papa,

and rolls with Grandma.

The kids' table (oh, excuse me, the LITTLE kids' table).

Isaac's first experience with ribs. :)

The rest are just some cute pictures I've taken at home in St. Louis.

Nathan got these two floor puzzles for Christmas. He can complete both of them all by himself! He LOVES puzzles!

Now I'm all caught up! One of my New Year's Resolutions is to blog at least once a week, given there are any pictures worth posting. You can keep me accountable for that, if you so desire. :)

And we're back! A quick update on the fall in pictures...

Well for some reason I can't type above that picture of Isaac, but that's OK. He's pretty cute. :) Here are a few pictures from the fall. We didn't do much out of the ordinary, so you'll see some pictures of the boys in cold-weather clothes now that we're in a climate where they're completely necessary.






This picture (below) is taken at Forest Park. It's an urban park just about ten minutes from our apartment. The zoo is in Forest Park. When the weather is warmer I fully intend to explore it more thoroughly!
Nathan and I working on carving our pumpkin. Well, he just watched, and only for a few minutes.
Can you tell what it is? A spider in a web, of course! Aren't you impressed by my artistic abilities (or, rather, ability to cut from a pattern).
Nathan was so proud of himself when he realized he could get into Isaac's crib unassisted...This is how I found him right as Isaac woke up from his nap one day.



This Mickey cup was the one that Jimmy's grandfather used in his office. Nathan has decided that it's definitely his.
My dad visited for Thanksgiving and played blocks (among other things) with Nathan.


There's another post coming shortly that will update from Christmas-now. For the time being, I have to go upstairs and get myself warm before sitting down here for another hour or more!