Widman Family

Summer Lovin, Havin a Blast

2010-08-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

Well, the Widmans are finally updating their blog, and instead of a whirlwind eight months of catch-up blogging, we'll just begin anew!
We had a very busy weekend, beginning with a nice long ride on Saturday morning for Mr. and Mrs. Widman. Joah had to return a trailer he had borrowed to its rightful owner in Santa Rosa, so we took a trek to the north and east, our first date in quite a while! Thanks to my mom, who watched the boys.Joah is all smiles, but at this point, he had slept about two hours in the last thirty, thanks to his graveyard shift on Friday nights. What a trooper!

Michelle is all smiles to be able to have an uninterrupted conversation with an adult for a whole four hours in a row!

On Saturday evening, Henry stayed home with Nana while Joah and I took Jack to the Jr. High Camp reunion party where Jack reunited with his old buddy Knox for the evening. Silly Mom didn't think to take a picture of the two, but it was just like old times!

After church on Sunday, the Widmans accepted the hospitality of the Gallegos, and the boys enjoyed the splendor of the sparkling swimming pool!
Jack showed himself to be brave enough to jump off the side by himself, so long as he could wear every floatable item within a half-mile range.

Henry is more an out-of-the-pool appreciator of swimming, so he carried around a bucket while Mom watched him like a hawk and swooped in every time he turned his steps toward the pool's edge.Uncle Matt and Auntie Pam (taking the same picture beside me) also joined the Gallego party where Riley Grace proved heartier than Henry in the chilly waters, but also preferred to roam the pool deck instead.
As the afternoon grew later, naptime became necessary, so the Widmans and Browns took themselves to their respective homes where Henry dropped right off to sleep in his crib, but Jack proclaimed that he didn't need a nap today, so Jack and Dad washed the car. Thank you, gentlemen!
We look forward to a quiet week before another busy weekend!

Christmas and Tahoe

2010-01-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

Whew! Christmas is over, and all of the decorations are put away. All but the tree, which is to go into its box TONIGHT! I'm ready for this house to be "legular" (Jack-speak for "regular") again.
We had a wonderful Christmas, spending the 25th at our house with family and the 26th at my parents' for Christmas number two!
A few days after Christmas, we departed for Tahoe where we did not vacation, but we did stay somewhere besides our own home. (Vacations are relaxing. One cannot relax with a two year old and a baby!) We rang in the new year with Scattergories, Dick Clark, sparkling cider, and a nursing Henry.
Here are pictures to highlight the last few weeks...

Henry and Grandma...
Brown family Christmas...

Cousins!Jack got a two-wheel bike (with training wheels) for Christmas. His reaction, upon seeing the bike, was "Whoah." But actions spoke louder than words, as he rode that bike all night until we went home...

The next generation...

Jack LOVED sledding! The faster, the better. We bought a small sled with a wide bottom and a little seat, and started him on the kiddie hill, but soon moved him to the big hill (starting halfway down), and he has never had such a long attention span! Joah carried him (on the sled) halfway up the hill and passed him off to my dad who started him down while Joah stood at the bottom to block him from any trees.
Jack catches air on the sled...

Henry mostly hung out in the baby bjorn...
...but he enjoyed his first trip to Tahoe too!

Next up, my cousin Jamie's wedding in a week and a half and our friend Chrissy's wedding in Carlsbad (near San Diego) at the end of February. How will an eight-hour car ride go with the two boys? Stay tuned to find out!

A Christmas Poem

2009-12-15T22:50:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Story

a poem by Michelle Widman

Joseph and Mary

Had all they could carry

Traveling to their home town.

They hadn’t said no

When the king said “Go!”

They agreed ‘cause he had the crown.

They couldn’t win

at the local inn;

It was already overflowing.

With a need for haste,

There was no time to waste.

Then Joseph heard cattle lowing.

They found a stable --

No telephones or cable --

All Mary needed was a bed.

Without a frown

They settled down,

“And just in time,” Mary said.

Because Mary knew

that their baby was due.

Mary knew what He’d do, too.

In a dream

she’d seen a gleam.

An angel had come

to visit her some.

He’d said,

“You’ll have a boy,

but don’t name him Roy.

Jesus He’ll be,

And perfect, unlike you and me.

He will suffer

In the end.

The laws of justice

The people will bend.”

Jesus was born

That very night.

Also that night,

Some shepherds had a fright.

But not for long,

‘Cause there was a song.

The angels came

To sing Jesus’ name.

The shepherds started to spread the news

IT’S THE COMING OF THE KING OF THE JEWS!

. . . . Then Herod the king blew a fuse!

Herod wanted to rule!

He was ready to duel.

He ordered, “Kill that Child!”

In a rage, he was wild!

Meanwhile, other kings --

They came from afar.

They brought precious things

They followed a Star.

Herod decided to become their “friend,”

Though he plotted Jesus’ end.

Of harm to the baby there was no mention.

He told no one of his intention.

He said, “Go find Jesus,

Lying in a manger,

And give Him your gifts.

There is no danger. . .

. . . But return with haste.

There’s no time to waste.

Inform me where the baby is hidden.

Now go and do as you were bidden.”

Then in a dream

The kings were told,

“Go give Jesus

The frankincense, myrrh, and gold . . .

. . . But you do not know

The King’s wicked plan.

He is a very evil man!

To King Herod

You have nothing to say.”

And those wise men did obey.

This little poem

Ends right here,

Though Jesus lived

For many a year.

In the end

He suffered and died.

Then the laws of death

Were defied.

But that is a story

For Easter-time.

Thus endeth

My little rhyme.

Since July...

2009-12-11T22:08:00.000-08:00

It's been quite a long time since I've blogged, so here is a wild overview of the last few months.

In August, Jack got a big boy bed in preparation for Henry's needing the crib...

He still won't get out of bed until we go into his room and get him. I guess we trained him well with the crib!
In September, we got a Henry...In October, we visited the pumpkin patch on the windiest day in history. Hay can really hurt at 40 miles per hour! Jack chose a bumpy pumpkin...Also in October, our Henry learned a new trick: the smile!

ALSO in October, we celebrated Jack's 2nd birthday, a little late. He enjoyed his tractor cake!

In November, we went to the Sand Francisco zoo with Bryan, Rebecca, and Addy Hart... My favorite animal was the grizzly bear. Boy, are they huge!

Jack liked feeding the ducks the best.
Also in November, we took some pictures for Christmas. Click on this picture and LOOK at those eyes!
In December, we kicked off the Christmas season with an open house Christmas party, and we counted 77 friends and family who attended! We had a great time and ate a lot of great food! We did NOT take pictures to post.
After Christmas, we plan to go to Tahoe with my parents for New Year's weekend. I WILL try to take and post pictures of that trip!
Merry Christmas to all, and happy New Year!

Independence Day and Cowboys

2009-07-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

On July 3rd we went to "The Singing Flag" in Concord, where Calvary Temple in Pittsburg puts on a patriotic program followed by fireworks. It was a fun show, or would have been if Jack had been old enough to pay attention and if we had really been able to see from our spot. Maybe next year. During the fireworks, Jack needed to hide under the blanket and cry, but to his credit, during the real 4th of July fireworks the next night, he only needed his ears held and eyes covered by the blanket. No crying! We made progress! I guess he figured we survived the first night--maybe we'd be okay for the next night too!
Here's the only 4th of July picture we took:

When we went to Oklahoma in May, my Great Aunt Louise bought a western shirt for Jack, and my Uncle David bought him a pair of boots to match. So cute! We had a photo shoot with the outfit today. Here are the two best pics:

My sister-in-law Pamela had her baby on Monday evening, 7/6/09. Riley Grace weighed 7 lbs., 13 oz., and measured 20 inches long. To my annoyance, I forgot my camera when we visited them Tuesday evening. I hope to visit them again soon so I can take (and post) pictures of my new niece and her cute family!

Catching Up...June

2009-07-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

Continued from "Catching Up...the Month of May"

Early June brought a shower for Pamela... (even though I am the one holding the balloons!)

and then VBS, which was too busy for me to stop for pictures.

We did have some time in there for a little fun:

Jack in our papasan chair, learning how to relax...

Our 105 degree day outside cleaning blinds and doing yard work, during which Jack decided he'd rather sit in my soap bucket than in his little pool...

And the next day in the Gallegos' pool (ah, relief!). Thanks, Gallegos!

Finally, on the last day of June, we visited the Jelly Belly factory with our MOPS group!

Here are Jack and me in our factory hats. Jack did really well leaving his hat on during the tour when I told him that "the people" said we have to leave it on. He even got a little worried when it accidentally fell off, saying, "Uh-oh! People! On!"
(He also is very compliant to sit in his car seat when I tell him that "the police man said no no sitting in the back seat." He's definitely learning to respect authority!)

Jack was a little afraid of this Jelly Belly "guy" on our way in to the tour, but I got him to stand for the picture after the tour with Ashlyn and Caden Fox and Maddie Storrer. Hence the worried look!Jack was very excited to go see this "big balloon guy" outside, but when we came close, he was very wary and didn't want to leave my side. I convinced him to go hold Maddie's hand for the picture, and if you look closely, you can see that Maddie was very zealous about her role as protector!

Upcoming events: the arrival of Riley Grace Brown, any day now! and a week of Junior High Camp at Koinonia, beginning on July 18! After that, we find ourselves with a month or two "off" from any plans, in waiting mode for Henry William Widman!

Catching Up... the Month of May

2009-07-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been a long time since I've posted a new blog! A lot has been going on in the last few months...
Jack and I went to Oklahoma with my mom in May...

...after which Jack got the flu and slept the morning away on the couch. He never falls asleep anywhere but his bed!

We spent Memorial Day at the Savianos', where Jack got up the courage to go down the bouncy house slide by himself!

Joah and I spent the last weekend in May away from Jack for the first time, first at Koinonia for counselor training, then in Santa Cruz for an extra night. Here we are on the pier by the Boardwalk:
To be continued...

This is for you, Charissa...

2009-04-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

We had our "big" ultrasound today. And the verdict is...
It's a boy!
Joah and I were both "feeling" girl, but we were wrong. (Goes to show you can't trust your feelings!)
So now comes the tough job of picking a name. We already had a boy name picked for Jack, so that was an easy one. Feel free to suggest boy names for the middle name William!

2009-04-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

Jack loves his helmet. Not so much his clothes, at least on this day...

He's also working on his "big smile". I'm not sure how he learned to smile on command--I certainly didn't teach him. But somehow he learned how to be a ham all on his own... imagine that!
We're also still glad to have Lulu back. It's hard to get a good picture of a cat, but I did that day:

I don't really like this picture, but I thought I ought to post a pic of the prego pair, where Pam looks all cute and I should have worn something different on Easter Sunday! Pamela (my sister-in-law) is due in the end of June, and I'm due early to mid-September.
We find out the gender of the baby on Wednesday (4/22), and we're so excited! Last time, with Jack, we already had a boy name all picked out and happily got to use it. This time, we've kicked around a lot of names for both genders, but we haven't landed on any we both like yet. We'll see... At least our options will be narrowed by half this Wednesday!

Finally, A Few Photos

2009-03-20T23:44:00.000-07:00

Here's Jack at Jeremy and Julie's wedding in January. He had fun playing in the Sunday school room beforehand.

Despite the fun Sunday school room, this was kind of a crabby day. Jack stayed up front with Joah during the ceremony for as long as it took for everyone to get up the aisle. Then it got boring and I had to take him to the back.

Here is Jack's new favorite activity: skateboarding with his "howt" (helmet) in our driveway.

Jack and Joah spent a while digging a hole in the backyard for a transplanted flower, and Jack is showing me his dirty hand. This is the same day that Lulu escaped. We'll have to be more careful next time we're playing in the backyard!
In other family news, Joah caught his hand in a saw at work on Wednesday, resulting in 8 stitches and a few days off work. We're hoping he can go back on Tuesday, but we'll see what the doctor says at his follow-up appointment on Monday.

Good News!

2009-03-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

Good news for the Widman family: (or at least for the mom of the Widman family...) our wandering kitty Lulu has been found and returned to us, thanks to some attentive girls down the street!
I'm glad she's home, and I think she is too, now that her bath is over!

Happenings

2009-03-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't been very good at picking up the camera lately, but I suppose I can blog about what we've been doing.
Just over a week ago, our kitty Lulu slipped out the door without our knowledge and disappeared. We haven't seen her around, so I assume she's enjoying herself, wherever she is. We've been leaving food out at night, but I've seen two different cats eating it, neither of whom were Lulu. She may be gone for good. If you see our kitty, let us know!

I think the word has spread far and wide, but in case you didn't hear, we're expecting a new Widman this September. We're hoping for an 09/09/09 birthday because that would be awesome.

Joah's brother Jeremy and his new wife Julie have been staying with us since Thursday, which has been a lot of fun. They were married in January in North Carolina, so today we had a reception here for California friends and family. Most of the Gentry (Joah's mom's) side of the family showed up, and many of our church friends came as well. The food was delicious and plentiful. The leftovers in our fridge will be quite enjoyed.

Jack is very into his "howt" (helmet) lately--his bike helmet which my parents got for him--and especially likes to wear it to "eet" (skateboard) with Joah. Sometimes Joah holds his hands and lets him ride "by himself", and sometimes Joah will skateboard holding Jack, which is a really fun ride! They've made visits to the park and the post office that way. He also enjoys wearing his "howt" to ride his "ah-ee" (bike (tricycle)), but he can't quite grasp the concept of pedaling yet, so he'll climb on, push with his feet a little, climb off, push from behind, climb on, turn the wheel, etc. Maybe by this summer he'll actually go somewhere by pedaling!
Another current obsession of Jack's is to drive a car--any car, toy or real. The very best is when he can have the keys and stand in the driver's seat of one of our real cars and push every button, turn every knob, and pull every lever, which we don't like to let him do because he really yanks on the levers (I think a turn signal lever would be hard to replace). However, if we're ever having a tough day, I can take Jack out to the garage, open the driver's side window, let Jack go to town (figuratively, not literally) in the car, and I can sit in my camping chair and read my People magazine next to the car. That's good for at least 20 minutes of entertainment for both of us!

I think things will slow down for us, now that Jeremy and Julie's reception is over. It seems like we've had one big event or another to plan for since Christmas, so I'm ready for a few quiet months. Perhaps we'll finish painting the house, and perhaps I'll even plant something in our yard. You never know what some schedule-free Saturdays might bring!

A Language Only a Mother Could Understand!

2009-02-09T22:05:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's been more than a month since I last posted! The last few months have been crazy! We had Christmas, then Tahoe, then North Carolina for Jeremy and Julie's wedding, then we came home and Jack was sick, then I got it from him, then we moved, then we had Winter Dinner at church, which ate up every waking hour for a week. Now, finally, things have settled down a little. I have a husband who is kind enough to empty the dishwasher and refill it while I catch up on e-mail and this blog.
Jack is developing a language for himself that Joah and I can somewhat understand, based on context... here is a pronunciation guide of Jack's words:
o (short o)= hot
a (short a) = hat
ee=keys or toy or kitty or cookie or eat or teeth (or brush my teeth)
i (long i) = eye or outside (when accompanied by a doorknob turning motion) or drive or light (though light has a separation, like "ah-ee")
bew=bear
ew=sticker (if pointing to hand where the WalMart ladies put smiley face stickers) or upstairs or downstairs or ear or hair or yucky (if drawn out like eeew)
ba=up (if arms are raised) or grandpa or Bob (the builder)
ma=mom
da=dad
dowwww=down (his favorite after nap time)
ow=out or nose (though "out" is separated, like ah-oo)
oo=shoe
mo=moon
ba ba =bad bad (referring to Lulu the cat)
uh-oh= uh-oh or milk (I have no idea how uh-oh became milk. Did he drop his sippy one too many times?)
yeah=very well pronounced yeah
no=no
He also has a variety of animal noises and other sound effects (instead of saying "ball", he has a throaty sound effect, somewhat like a gun shooting sound, and a throwing motion to go with it).

We really need to work on the consonants. Yesterday we had a really hard half-hour after his nap when he kept saying "ee, ee, ee, ee!" and I kept trying to feed him a snack or let him chew on his toothbrush, but he was seeing my keys on the couch and wanted to play with them. A simple K sound could have solved a long and frustrating ordeal! I hope those consonants develop quickly!

So next comes Jeremy and Julie's reception in March and increasingly intense VBS planning, but the coming few months should be nothing like the busy-ness of December through now. Hopefully I'll have time to post some pictures in the near future!

2009-01-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

Over New Year's week, we went to the cabin in Tahoe with my parents and grandparents. We enjoyed the snow and the time we had relaxing together!

Each day, we took a trek down to the (frozen over) creek where there's a great sledding hill. On the way the first time, Papa gave Jack a ride on the icy street.

If you know Jack, you'll expect that he wasn't content to sit and be pulled for very long.

Jack loved sledding with "Da", learning the exclamation "Whoo!", which he used after each run and when he saw other sledders take a ride!

Cute Buddy!

While we were in Tahoe, we learned that the bank wants to close on our house by January 9, when we'll be in North Carolina for Jeremy and Julie's wedding, so our loan officer is scrambling to get things together by Tuesday the 6th before we leave. This is going to be a VERY busy month!

Christmas '08

2009-01-03T20:59:00.000-08:00

The Widmans' Christmas was wonderful, filled with fun and family... we spent Christmas Eve at Papa and Neenee Brown's house, buried in presents (lots of presents and lots of big presents), and Christmas day at my parents', aka Pa and Grammie's, with Grandma Carol also there.

At Papa and Neenee's house, Jack was very interested in the balls on the tree, since our tree held no balls within his reach. Of course, several of the balls ended up on the floor, with hooks still on the tree.

On Christmas morning, he forgot this was on his head for a while.

Papa and Neenee Dean gave Jack a tricycle, which he enjoyed in Pa and Grammie's house on Christmas day (see his excellent parade wave technique), but then was put away for a while, and should be just about perfect for him when the weather warms up in the spring. Thanks, Papa and Neenee!

Hope everyone's Christmas was great!

Wouldn't you be curious too?

2008-12-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

I was at the grocery store yesterday and I spotted some tourists. I'm not sure where they were from, maybe Europe somewhere, but they were definitely grocery store tourists. I observed them wandering in the produce section: a dad, a mom, and a 20-something son with no shopping cart. They were dressed nicely, like Thanksgiving day nicely, and were perusing the variety of produce. They would comment to each other here and there about this cabbage or that kiwi, but I couldn't quite get close enough (without being rude) to hear an accent or language. They then meandered to the baked goods where they viewed the pre-made birthday cakes (and the dad said something like "ich"--that German throaty chokey sound, so maybe they were German, or maybe he just doesn't like cake). I said hi to the mom as I passed her, and she answered hi back, but it's hard to tell an accent from hi. The son picked up and examined a small frozen turkey from a bin, as if he couldn't read the sign and was trying to figure out what this frozen package contained. I later saw them leave the store without purchasing anything, and I can only surmise that they were visiting their sister/in-law who married an American and moved to Brentwood and they wanted to see what an American grocery store was like. I regret now that I was not more nosey--that I did not pretend to need produce or cake or turkey near them to find out the truth. Now I will always wonder if I was right about their tourist status.

2008-12-10T22:20:00.000-08:00

So I'm finally getting to blog about Thanksgiving, now that it's almost Christmas! We spent Thanksgiving day at my family's house with the Milburns and my grandparents and Joah's mom. After dinner, most of us went for a walk (to look at a house that's for sale, of course!):

Jack does not enjoy holding one person's hand when he walks, but he loves to hold two people's hands. Maybe it's the possibility of one, two, three, swing! (here with my dad and Uncle Pete)
A nice lady on the trail offered to take our picture:

On the day after Thanksgiving, we made our annual BART trip to San Francisco for the lighting of the Christmas tree in Union Square. The Milburns, minus Jodie and Drew (who were in Oregon), plus Jamie's boyfriend Josh, the Storrers, minus Josh and Lindsay (who were in Hawaii, poor things!), the Browns, minus Matthew and Pamela (who had to work, really poor things), and the Widmans went.

This was kind of an experimental day for Jack because we left before lunch, so there was not a chance for his afternoon nap. We've never gone a day without a nap before, but he did great! He did not fall asleep in the car on the way to the BART station as we had hoped, nor did he fall asleep on BART. He lasted through the jam-packed muni bus ride and the crowded sidewalks on the way to the restaurant. (He rode in his stroller.) He did amazingly well in the Rainforest Cafe (what a perfect place to keep his attention!), and then finally fell asleep at about 6:00 in my mom's arms on the bus back to the Christmas tree lighting. We transferred him to the stroller when her arms grew tired, and he stayed asleep through the lighting (which we couldn't see very well anyway).
Here is the Christmas tree in the background. See how far away we are. I don't think there has ever been that many people at the lighting before. The sleeping Jack in the stroller almost got trampled a couple of times by people who didn't look down when they were trying to push through the crowds. I finally picked him up out of the stroller (which woke him up) because I was worried that someone would walk or fall over him.

In other news, it looks like we finally have a house to buy. Our offer has been accepted, reconsidered, and accepted again, and we've already signed a million papers, though I'm told we're just getting started. Our close date is elusive. The contract says 45 days, which puts us to January 10, but our loan lady says it's going to take longer--60 days--which puts us at January 23. We hope to clarify it soon so we know when to start packing!
In still other news, that Matthew and Pamela Brown are full of surprises! They announced to us recently that they are expecting a honeymoon baby, due at the end of June! We are all very excited for them and I am kind of just realizing that I'm going to be an aunt now! Somehow in the shock that my brother is going to be (is) a dad, my aunthood didn't really occur to me right away...
So life lately is full with holidays and new houses and babies coming. God is good.

Some Birthday Present

2008-11-29T14:48:00.000-08:00

Joah turned 30 on Tuesday. On Thursday morning he woke up stiff and sore from sleeping wrong. I guess getting old comes like a thief in the night.
Wednesday night, we celebrated his birthday by going to the new Rave Theater to see Quantum of Solace (the new James Bond movie, which was pretty good according to me who has never seen a Bond movie before). As we came out of the theater through the unlit overflow parking lot, discussing the movie and anticipating waking Jack from his slumber at my parents' house, we approached the car, which looked a little funny. "Oh no," Joah said, realizing the problem before I did. "We have two flat tires."
Sure enough, both tires on the driver's side were totally deflated, causing the whole car to lean to the left. We have a spare, but that doesn't help two tires, so we called my dad, who was thankfully still awake, to go and get the fix-a-flat spray from Joah's truck and bring it to us at the theater. Meanwhile, Joah started changing the back tire for the spare as we wondered aloud what we might have run over on our way to the movies.
Realizing that Raley's might have fix-a-flat, we called my dad to tell him not to come all the way out because we were going to try to make it to Raley's before they closed at 11:00. We hustled across the empty parking lot and across the street to Raley's where we made it by 10:58, just before they locked the doors, and did find what we were looking for. We made our purchase and headed back to the car, slipping on some mud in the dark, almost falling, but not quite.
Joah attached the fix-a-flat bottle to the remaining flat tire and started spraying... and we began to hear a constant hisssss. I pulled out my cell phone, opened it up, and shined its light on the tire. There it was. A lovely slash. We inspected the other tire, and sure enough: another slash, longer than the first. Someone had slashed our tires. Ours. Out of the whole parking lot of cars. No one else was standing around with cars leaning to the side.
We have no McCain/Palin stickers, we have no Christian fish. We did not cut anyone off on the road before the movies. There was no rhyme or reason to the slashing.
The next day being Thanksgiving, we did not want to leave the car anywhere for two days, so Joah called a tow truck (thankfully covered by our insurance) to tow the car to our house, and my dad came to take me back to their house where I took Jack home in their Expedition.
The tow truck did not arrive to pick up Joah and the car until 1 AM, so we were both glad that the next day was a holiday.
Joah joined the throngs of shoppers on Friday morning, searching not for deals on Christmas gifts, but on a set of tires, which must be replaced in groups of four, lest the all-wheel-drive vehicle be ruined. The man at the tire store told Joah that another man had recently come in with all four tires slashed, also at the Streets of Brentwood shopping center.
Lesson to be Learned: Don't park in an unlit parking lot, especially at the Streets of Brentwood. Or else become Amish so you drive a horse and buggy with wooden wheels that cannot be slashed.

Raking the Gravel

2008-11-14T23:07:00.000-08:00

I recently looked out my front windows and found, to my interest and wonder, two strange horses, feasting on my front lawn. What do you do with horses who have no saddle, no bridle, no lead rope, and no apparent owner? You hop on bareback and ride into the sunset, of course! Just kidding. You call your landlady and she calls your back neighbors, whose horses they are.
What a surprise--horses on the front lawn!

Jack's favorite activity lately is to drag or push anything with a stick attached. My mop, my broom, Joah's rake, Joah's shovel, on carpet, on linoleum, on cement, on asphalt, on gravel, on dirt, on grass, he pushes, he pulls, he drags, he drops, he picks up again.
And here is one of our rare attempts at self-feeding with a utensil. We try it every once in a while to see how motor coordination is moving along. Most of the time, Jack helps mom or dad with the spoon. Somehow the face gets a little less messy that way!

Joah's brother Jeremy and his fiance Julie came to visit last week. It was great to see Jeremy again, and so fun to meet Julie! Their wedding is in North Carolina in January. Joah is the best man and Jack is ring bearer. I, thankfully, am nothing but mom, wife, and sister-in-law to key players, and helper-where-need-be.

What a cute couple! Julie's first trip to Cali... This was on the way to the airport to drop them off...

...and Joah and I got to stop for clam chowder in a bread bowl for lunch at Pier 39 on the way home! (Jack was home with Grandma! Thanks, Mom!)

Don't Read This if you Tivoed ER

2008-11-13T22:57:00.000-08:00

I repeat, DON'T READ THIS IF YOU TIVOED ER!
They brought back Mark Green. And Carrie (What was her last name?). And Bulldog Romano. And Jerry.
I got a little teary when Dr. Green first came on. (What ER fan didn't sob when he died?) And Carter is supposedly coming back this season. I feel like these are long-time friends and tonight's reunion was a wonderful breath of fresh air!
And are Abbie and Luca living near Doug and Carol Ross in Seattle? Are they now friends and do they all work at the same hospital?

Is there any other show in history that has completely recycled its entire cast (save for one lone, long-standing nurse)?
If you have never seen ER, I cannot say you really should rent the DVDs and watch all of the seasons (fifteen seasons would be quite a lot of TV time) like I would tell you with The Office or LOST, but I will say that you have missed out on a truly good show.
What will I do with my 10:00 hour on Thursday nights when ER is over? It has been a fifteen year (maybe fourteen year--I think I was too young for the first season) standing date that I will miss. I hope it ends well.

Thoughts on Cauliflower

2008-10-23T19:55:00.001-07:00

The other day, I gave Jack some cauliflower. It wasn't the first time he'd eaten cauliflower, but maybe the second or third. He was sitting in his high chair in the kitchen, and I sprinkled a few florets on his tray. I turned for a minute or two to rinse some dishes in the sink, and when I turned back around to see how the Little Buddy was doing with his vegetables, his tray was clear! I was so proud! However, as my gaze widened, I found that Lulu the cat was enjoying a cauliflower on the floor nearby. (Note to self: Cats enjoy cauliflower.) I looked more carefully and found that, to my dismay, camoflaged on the white linoleum, was all of the cauliflower I had given to Jack. He had decided that he knew better what to do with his lunch than I. Throwing it on the ground proved much more fun than popping it in his mouth!
I began ruminating on this one as I heated some more cauliflower (to be dipped in spaghetti sauce this time--the all-powerful sauce of disguise). I wonder if this is how the Lord feels about me sometimes. I thought of the parable of the talents. The master gave three servants money to take care of in his absence. Two of the servants doubled the money by investment--wise use--and were able to give much back to the master. The third servant buried the money, afraid of losing it, and was only able to return to the master the same amount entrusted to him. The master told the first two servants, "Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master." However, the master was quite angry with the third servant, who had to reap the consequence of his laziness. (This is all in Matthew 18 if you care to look it up.)
I am often like the third servant--like Jack. Mommy knew that Jack needed vegetables for lunch, but Jack did not use the vegetables Mommy gave him as she intended. He wasted them by deciding that he knew better how to use them. Instead of nourishment, they provided temporary entertainment. The third servant did not make the best use that he could with the resources that the master entrusted him with, so he could not give back to the master as he might have. I, too, do not make the best use of the resources God has entrusted with me. I am selfish with my time. I do not minister to others enough, I do not pray enough, and I do not study the Word as much as I should in my free time. I am selfish with my money. I find myself not wanting to give at church, wishing that money could stay in my checking account to be used as I wish. I am like the third servant; I am like Jack.
The cauliflower was a good reminder to me to be seeking the Lord's will in the use of my resources so that I can invest them in His kingdom and offer them back to Him... not because He needs anything from me, but so that I can glorify Him more and more, thereby entering more fully into the joy of my Master!

A Lizard and a Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we went to the pumpkin patch with my MOPS group. Here are a few pictures...

Jack was more excited about dirt clods than pumpkins, and he even decided to taste one (a clod, not a pumpkin).

Earlier in the month, while Joah was doing some yardwork, Jack and I found and caught a lizard (later to be safely released on the woodpile).
Jack wasn't too sure about that lizard... See how he looks at it...

Good Times!

2008-10-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

Whew! We've had a busy few weeks!

It started with an unexpected Steven Curtis Chapman concert (Thanks, Mom and Dad!) That concert (and his recent loss) was a wonderful reminder that everything we have was given to us by the Lord, and we must not take for granted any blessing that He has given us!

And then a bachelorette party for Jodie...
Here are Jodie and Jamie--my cousins--at Va de Vi in Walnut Creek where the bachelorette party was held... They're so cute!

Here are Jamie and me with another cousin, Holly... With so much family stuff going on lately, it's been good to reconnect with Holly! She's a fun girl! I hope we can hang out more!
Then, as usual, a few days after the bachelorette party, the wedding! Here is the beautiful bride, wearing my veil (something borrowed!) and Uncle Pete, who looked very dashing and distinguished in his tux...
And eight friends at the reception. (Sorry--it's a little blurry if you double click.)
The girls at the reception: Kristin, Jamie, Celesta, Lindsay, Hollie, and me! (Jamie is wearing the bridesmaid dress--isn't it cute?!)
The cousins at the reception: Matthew, Jamie, Holly, Heather, Jodie, Ashley, and me! (Only missing David, the other boy, who was there earlier, but we missed him for the picture!) And no, I'm not pregnant, even though I look it in this picture-- just full of good food from Ralph's catering! If you ever take a picture with me, remind me not to stand sideways!

The family with Pamela, our new edition!, at Matthew and Pam's small reception, the day after Jodie and Drew's wedding...
Jack was (really Joah and I were) dedicated at church this morning. That afternoon, my parents invited friends and family over to their house for lunch. We were able to get a picture of Jack with his parents, his grandparents, and all of his great-grandparents! As Oksana Newhouse reminded me at church this morning, we are very blessed to have so many family members to support us, and all are believers. What a wonderful legacy for Jack!
Of course, while Jamie was in town, we had to get a "buddies" picture, as tradition demands!
I'm ready for things to slow down a bit now. We don't have much big on the calendar for a while, until Joah's 30th birthday or Thanksgiving, whichever comes first!

Birthday

2008-09-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

My baby Jack is one year old (and has been for a week!)
We spent the evening of his actual birthday in the clinic at Kaiser for his 104 degree temperature (poor little guy!) but he enjoyed a party on Sunday evening. Here are a few pictures from his party:

The cake

The presents

He had fun with one of his balloons!

And more fun (with food in the mouth!)

After Jack started sleeping through the night, the year flew by, and now here we are at toddlerhood! Can you believe it?

Goose Eggs and Crackly Paper

2008-09-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

The Widmans put an offer on a house here in Brentwood. Pray for us!
And in other family news, we had our first trip to the ER today.
Jack was playing on the loveseat this morning--one of his favorite indoor activities--and he was loving it as usual. He's a little daredevil. We put one seat cushion and all the back/side cushions on the floor around the front of the loveseat, and he steps or crawls from the floor to the seat cushion, from the seat cushion to the cushionless seat, from the cushionless seat to the cushioned seat, and then back down again. Sometimes he falls into the cushions and he laughs and laughs. Adrenaline junkie in the making. Well, this morning, as Jack was at the highest point of his climb, Lulu the cat entered the picture, and Jack dove after her. Off the couch. Missed or bounced off the cushions on the floor. Landed on his head on his plastic toy wagon. I was on my way to catch him, having seen this coming, but I was too slow.
He immediately started screaming and immediately, plus two seconds, grew a huge goose egg on his forehead. After he calmed down, we tried frozen peas on the bump, but he wanted none of it. Just wanted down. He seemed normal, but I called the Kaiser advice nurse, just in case. She asked about all the concussion signs, but all were negative. Yet she wanted to check with the ER doctor, just in case. On hold... ... ... ... The doctor wants to you to come to the ER, just in case. *Sigh* I knew he was fine, but what if there's bleeding in the brain or something else extreme, and what if I were the worst mother in the world who did not take my child to the ER before his brain exploded? So we went. Two seconds in the empty ER--listen to his heart, weigh him, take his temperature--then an hour at the minor injury clinic, chasing Jack around the hall, and then sitting in the room, blowing up a blue glove, playing with a wooden gagging stick, turning on and off and on and off and on and off the flashlight on the flexible stand.
Then the daredevil--the fearless, couch diving Jack--got afraid. Got very afraid. The doctor entered the room. Why Jack Jack was afraid of this nice man even as the man walked through the door I don't know. Does he remember the crackly paper on the seat, and know that the people of the crackly paper give shots? I have no idea, but Jack was afraid of the doctor. Poor child!
Of course, the doctor found that nothing was wrong. So we went home and went on with our day, minus time in the gym, minus one morning nap, minus a $75 co-payment, plus one bill in the mail, plus one goose egg, plus one giant headache for mom.
I should have taken a picture of his head this morning when it looked really bad. The goose egg shrunk throughout the day. If it's black and blue tomorrow, as the doctor said it might be, I will take a picture and post it for all to see.

2008-09-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I helped my mom throw a bridal shower for Jodie.

Hollie, Lindsay, me

Karla, Shelley, Mom, Auntie Terri

That evening, at a barbecue at my parents' house in honor of my brother Matthew's friends Sam and his wife, Matthew and Pam surprised us with some news: they are married! They were married on August 21 in Martinez at the courthouse. Below is a picture of them feeding each other cake at Matthew's birthday party to make up for the lost wedding moment...

After such excitement, a short trip to Capitola was a welcome Labor Day weekend retreat!

All of this causes much need of a shower with Dad! Here is a post-shower pic of Jack:

Roaring Birds

2008-08-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

The Widman Family went to Tahoe for a long weekend. Here are a few pictures from our trip...

Jack's first beach trip! He wasn't too sure about the wet sand!

Standing on the beach chair--his favorite beach activity!

Dad joined us on Friday!

We had a lot of fun at the beach!

At the Forest Room buffet, Jack learned how to drink out of a straw! (Thanks, Uncle Matt, for the cell phone picture!)

At a craft fair, we found Paul Bunyan's baseball bat! (The man who made the bat wanted Jack to hold a sharp lathe for the picture, but we quickly jumped in and said NO THANKS!)

Lulu was glad when we came home, even though she doesn't look it!

Side note: Jack learned to roar about a month ago, in answer to the question: "What does a lion say?", but now has decided that all animals roar, so he roars at the sight of any animal--dogs, cats, birds, a blow-up killer whale at the beach, stuffed turtles at the craft fair, and even a fuzzy scarf at the craft fair! It's cute, but hopefully he will learn the right sounds at some point! Birds would be quite scary if they really did roar!

Wet Tanbark

2008-08-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

The things we do to save our children's (and our own) sleep!
Last night, Joah had to be in Reno for work, so I had the whole bed to myself! Except that when Joah's not home, every single tiny noise wakes me up. So at 6:30 AM, after a less than perfect night of sleep, I am wrenched awake by the terrible, growling yowls of two cats at odds with each other. I irrationally think, Oh no! They're going to wake up Jack! so I rip off the sleep mask I inevitably don at about 5:30 every morning and storm outside, stopping to carefully close the screen door, lest it slam and wake up Jack. (You can see how much I cherish every moment of my sleep--Jack's sleep=my sleep!) I march around the outside of the house in my jammies, and eventually find the white cat that lives under my back deck, crouching alone between the rose bushes. "You get out of here!" I hiss at it, and stomp my bare feet on the cool cement. (Fat load of good the silent stomping did.) But it did slink away from me, along the front of the house, into a bush under Jack's window. Great! Go closer so you can be louder! As I follow the white cat to shoo it further away, I tramp through the wet grass and spot, just around the corner in the dirt on the side of the house, the ORANGE CAT --the new kid in town who is quite a bully, from what I've seen. I am bracing myself for another fight--the two cats are so close together--and I want to chase away the orange cat, but I don't want to step on to the dirt with my wet feet and make mud, which will have to be cleaned off before climbing back into bed... if I ever get there again. Are there rocks to throw at it? No rocks to be found. Still clutching my sleep mask, I pick up a handful of the next best thing: wet tanbark. I start chucking the tanbark at the orange cat, not even coming near it with my throws, but (miraculously) it takes a step or two back. I grab another handful of tanbark, and lose all inhibitions. I step in the dirt, muddying my feet, and chase that cat away, all the time whisper-yelling "You get out of here! Get! Go on!" What a sight I must have been in my pajamas, clutching my sleep mask, throwing wet tanbark with all my might and whisper-yelling threats at that orange cat! By the time I wiped my muddy feet on the wet grass and found my way back into bed, I wasn't sleepy any more. Of course. So in order to save Jack's sleep, and thereby my own sleep, I got out of bed, chased a cat across the yard, and lost my last few minutes of morning slumber. Ironic, isn't it?

Smuggling Cheerios

2008-08-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

Jack ate Cheerios in the nursery today. Good for him! Last time he tried plain Cheerios, he didn't like them. (I don't blame him--I don't like plain Cheerios either!) Maybe today's attempt at an unfamiliar food item was due to peer pressure--the other kids were eating a snack too--or maybe his sense of taste or sense of crunch is improving. Regardless, I'm glad he's acquired a taste for the simple snack!
So I went to get Jack out of the nursery to feed him (as I do every Sunday so we're not rushed to get home after church) just as they were finishing snack time. I helped him finish the last few Cheerios on the table (many had already made it to the great abyss of the floor) and took him upstairs. As he was on my lap about to nurse, he opened both fists and looked down at his palms, where he had smuggled two Cheerios out of the nursery, one in each hand! He transferred the left Cheerio into his right hand and looked at the two together, in awe of his secret snack. I told him, "You'd better eat them!" so he slowly brought his right palm to his mouth and crunched on his last two Cheerios with enjoyment.
Thanks, Lindsay, for re-introducing Cheerios to my son! It adds to my ever-widening snack options and made for a very cute moment in the Lactation Station today!

Trying it out...

2008-08-01T23:25:00.000-07:00

So Kami OldenKamp convinced me that I ought to do a blog. I don't think I have all that much to blog about, nothing that anyone cares to read anyway, but I'll try it out for a while and tell people about the blog when there's something substantial to read!
We met with a real estate agent today after floundering for a little while on our own looking for a new house. We're meeting him tomorrow morning to look at a house in our price range, which I don't think is in a desirable location for us. We'll see.
Jack has been walking for a week now, and stood up from a sitting position unassisted for the first time today. He didn't even use the floor to push himself up with his hands like I thought he would--he just put up one knee (so he was in proposal position), pushed himself up with his legs, and brought the other foot forward to stand up!
I've never really been around kids before--just pets--and animals can only progress so much in their skill! A dog can be very well-trained, but that's as far as he gets. It's amazing to watch Jack learn things seemingly by magic! (I certainly didn't show him how to stand up without pulling up on something!) But I know it's not magic--it's how God created our minds to learn.
This seems like a really short post compared to Kami's and Sarah's, but I guess I'll get better at it with practice!