THE SHENKS

Andrew and Aaron video classics...

2009-07-06T14:01:00.008-05:00

If it is possible, Aaron loves vacuum cleaners even more than Andrew. H kinda reminds me of a dog chasing a car. This video isn't the best representation of that, but it is still pretty funny, I think.

Aaron loves Andrew's trike. I was so surprised at how well he held on! Listen closely to how Andrew talks to him..."Is that fun, Aaron?" and "Use the pedals!" It is so cute!

This is my absolute favorite home video from the last 2 years. It is from February or March, and I never posted it, probably due to various technical difficulty. My little Mozart!

Catch up day...

2009-07-06T13:18:00.007-05:00

Two months after my last post, it has been a fun, fun summer for the Shenk boys! Here is a picture gallery of our last couple of months!

Daddy's helper!

At the end of June, we took a family vacation with several members of the Shenk family. We had a great time in the mountains of Gatlinburg, TN. It's kinda hard to take pics with two small kids around, but here's a few of my favs. Later, I will have to add the pics of the mama bear and three cubs we saw along the side of the road...my sisters-in-law both got better shots than we did, so I'll get copies from them!

Andrew is 2 and as always, is such an outdoorsman. He LOVES to splash at the YMCA pool and at home in our back yard! Aaron is 9 months old and crawls, pull himself up, and is even walking along the edge of the coffee table and sofa! He has two teeth, but he didn't have them yet in these pics - I LOVE LOVE LOVE his smile!

Blonde Story

2009-05-06T14:07:00.003-05:00

So, no offense if you are blonde, but I've learned that I just have to know when to laugh at myself. Today I got home from work and the kids whent straight to nap. (I get off at noon on Wednesdays.) I was eating a Wendy's ceasar side salad as I checked over my email, when my fork slipped and I spilled romaine lettuce and parmesean cheese all over my keyboard. I continued to work for a minute, then realized I was getting parm under the keys, so I went and grabbed the vacuum cleaner. I have a little dust buster thingy, but it doesn't work. Anyway, I didn't put any attachments on the hose or anything (they were lost long ago, anyway). It was just going to take five seconds, right? So, I turned it on and began to suck up all of the lettuce and bits of cheese. Suddenly I realized my R was missing. OH CRAP! I had to turn off the vacuum, remove the bag and dig around in the dirt until I found it. As I type this, I am making a mistake about every 5 seconds, because it won't stay on. I'm just glad this didn't happen at work. That'll teach me to multitask!

I have been having some trouble uploading video, and I finally figured it out. This one is from a couple of months ago, but still worth watching, I think!

ANDREW IS TWO!

2009-05-04T13:39:00.004-05:00

The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday party we had on Saturday!

Super Mom!

2009-04-18T22:18:00.010-05:00

If you're a mom, you have those days. The ones where you feel like you aren't accomplishing anything, you aren't contributing anything valuable to the world, and you are lost in mommy-land 'till who knows when. BUT you also, hopefully, have the days where you feel like a super hero and you want to shout I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR! Well, yesterday was one of those days for me (the kind where I get to roar). I hope you allow me to pat myself on the back a little - sometimes if you don't do it, no one will, right? Well, yesterday we went to the zoo. And by we I mean me, Andrew, and Aaron. Now, lots of moms take their kids to the zoo without Dad, but today was somehow different. Was it the fact that we got through our visit without spending a dime? (We ate a healthy lunch that I packed and didn't buy a single snack!) No, I think it was the visit to the elephants that boosted my ego. You see, the zoo recently announced the birth of a new elephant. They even more recently began allowing the public to visit the baby and his mama. We made it to the main entrance of the zoo around 10:15, and I saw the sign that said the baby elephant viewing is from 11:00 - 1:00. I kinda wanted to hit the aquarium first, but decided we would probably NOT have a good time if we had to wait an hour for the baby elephant. So we headed there first. As I approached the elephant area, I saw that they had created kind of a maze for people to stand in line - like at an amusement park. We started on the path, and quickly made it to the entrance of the elephant house. A few other families were there, and everyone was parking their strollers outside the door. It became clear to me that we were going to have to go inside to see the new little guy, and that strollers were, apparently, not allowed. It was only 10:30, so I gave Andrew a snack, made Aaron a bottle, and began to make preparations to take both children into the elephant house without our stroller. At about 15 till, they started letting people in. I got Andrew out, strapped on his little backpack (it has a leash!), and started to get the front carrier out. Then I changed my mind. Aaron had just started his bottle - I'd better hold him instead. We got ourselves situated, and found our place in line. Now remember, my stroller was parked literally about 10 paces from the door. After 10 minutes of waiting, we actually got into the building. I assumed we would walk up to the glass, ooh and aah at the cute baby and be on our way. No. It really WAS like an amusement park - you know, you wait, and wait, and you get inside and think you are almost there, then you see another maze of people still waiting in front of you. Apparently mama and baby usually do a lot of walking, so lots of people get to see them as they go by, but today they decided to stand still, so only small groups of people were getting by at a time. Picture me, in line in this little building. In one arm I am holding a baby, in the other I am clutching his blanket, Andrew's hat, which he decided not to wear inside (how polite of him), AND the bottle which I am feeding the baby. My purse is on my shoulder, and around my wrist is the tether that is attached to Andrew's backpack. Andrew is wrapping himself around me like a dog around a tree, so I have to keep spinning around in circles to unwind him. As we make our way around the little maze, I look ahead, and I see two families that have strollers! You CAN bring in a stroller! GGrr! Well, I tell myself that I would have regreted bringing in a double stroller into this small space, and continue unwinding myself from my son. I am not a fan of big crowds, so I was a little annoyed about the outcome of this adventure, but my kids didn't mind one bit! Andrew was WONDERFULLY well behaved, as was Aaron who happily sucked on his bottle and grinned at me around the nipple every time I looked down at him. He really is SO precious. The docents were very helpful and one of them who saw my balance wavering a little guided us to the glass. FINALLY Andrew was standing still! He stared and stared at the adorable little elephant as it suckled at its mama. With the tether looped around my wrist, I was able to tuck the blanket and hat under my arm, reach in my purse and grab my camera. Thank goodness for modern technology - every thing is so small these days I only need one hand for my camera! Aaron was still smiling in my left arm as I took pictures with my camera in my right hand. After about five minutes, I said "Okay, say bye-bye!" And Andrew called out in his sweet little voice, "Bye-bye, 'phant, 'ee you!" As we walked to the exit, I spied the two strollers near the door. Aaa - who needs a stroller? ROAR! (Okay, I was, relieved to get back to ours.) I looked down at my watch - it was 11:15. Yes, it could have been MUCH worse. We saw the cute elephant and survived the crowd and the line in under an hour with no meltdowns and no lost children, sippy-cups, or pacifiers. After the elephants, we met up with my friend Trish, who brought her 2 year old daughter Ava. VERY helpful having a friend when you have two boys who need diapers changed. THANKS, GIRL! OH, and did I mention that my friend is 7 months pregnant? ROAR! (That's for you, Trisha!) We peeked in at a tiger who was hiding in the shade, and Andrew enjoyed a visit to the petting zoo before we had our lunch. We headed back to the car around 1:30, and both boys were sleeping soundly by the time we even got out of the parking lot. I think I'm gonna really enjoy this zoo membership. I'll have to be sure to visit the lions next time - ROAR! Heehee.

A Fish Story

2009-04-13T21:14:00.005-05:00

I have a friend who always has hilarious strories about her kids. Just normal everyday events that just seem extra funny to me for some reason. Same goes for my sister. Every time I talk to her she has some crazy thing that just happened to her or her kids and I laugh for an hour at her story. Like the time she used her bluetooth headset for the first time and she freaked out in the parking lot at work, because it vibrated on her ear and she thought there was a bee in her hair. (Sorry, Jenn - had to tell that one!) This story is like that. There's nothing super dramatic, but it's the kind of thing that happens and I think, "Do things like this happen to everyone or just me?" So anyway, here's my fish story.
We have an aquarium. Its pretty big - about 29 gallons. A couple of months ago, our bottom feeder died. We waited several weeks before we finally decided we better get a new one. I took Andrew to the pet store, and we picked out the "algae eater." Very fun. This was about two weeks ago. The water and the tank were very green, so we treated the water, and the fish began to do his job- the glass began to get clearer. About a week later (last Tuesday), I found 2 neon tetras dead. My husband commented on how strange it was that they both died on the same day. I agreed, so I went to the tank to really take a good look. If you know anything about aquarium life, you might have heard of a disease called ich (pronounced "ick"). It is a parasite that gets under the scales and looks like little white specks on their body and tail. It is no problem if you catch it early, but I clearly had not paid close enough attention to our tank. Every fish was covered from nose to tail in it. They looked a little bit sugar coated, including their eyes and a couple of them were just kinda floating along - not dead, but not swimming happily, either. "OH NO!" I told Phil. "I think we're too late - all of these fish are going to die." Sure enough, the next morning I got up, and three more fish were dead. One was the bala shark. The picture above came from Wikipedia, but ours looked just like that. I have had that fish for about 8 years. I didn't measure it, but I estimate it was a good 5-6 inches long. The thought of pulling that sucker out of there made my skin crawl, but it had to be done. I thought if I just scooped it up into the bathroom trash can I could just dump it in the toilet and not even have to look at it. Well, it wasn't quite that smooth. It took several tries to get this thing through the narrow opening in the lid of the tank. I also had to scoop two other fish out (they, fortunately were much smaller), so the whole time I was whining, "Eew...Eew...Eew..." Andrew was looking on this whole time, apparently very concerned about where we are taking the fish. I run in to the bathroom with the trash can and try to get them all into the toilet with out looking at or touching them, again whining, "Eew...Eeew...Eew..." Just before I flush Andrew looks up innocently and says, "Mommy...Shishy go potty?" Trying to keep from laughing at him, I say "Yes, baby. Say bye-bye, fishies." As I reach over an flush the toilet, he looks in and says, "Bye-bye shishy, see you!" I laughed at how cute that was, washed my hands an went on with my day. The next day, two more dead fish. I avoided scooping them out the whole day. I got busy shampooing my carpet. When I was done with the carpet, I went in the bathroom to dump the dirty water down the toilet, and when I lifted up the seat, there it was. The eyes of that dead bala shark were staring up at me from the opening in the bottom of the toilet. I was HORRIFIED. Never did it occur to me that the fish wouldn't FIT! I must be WRONG! So, I flushed again. Nope, he popped back up. EEW ... EEW... EEEEEW! Thank God He blessed up with a house with three bathrooms! About two hours later my husband came home, and in what I'm sure was the worst whiny-wife-voice he ever heard, I told him of my plight. "I'll take care of it, " he assured me. That night before bed, I asked him if he got the fish. "No," he said, "I'm going to have to find something to grab it with first." The next morning when I got up, Phil was already at work. I peeked in the toilet to see if it was gone. Still there. EEEEEW! All day I tried to psych myself up enough to pull that fish out of the toilet with a pair of little plastic tongs that I found. I just couldn't do it. I laughed at my ridiculous self at one point, and thought I might go in and take a picture of the fish peeeking up from the toilet to share on my blog, but I couldn't even do that. I kept that door closed all day and used the other bathroom. At the end of the day my husband finally came to my rescue, and removed the poor thing. He put it in several layers of plastic grocery bags and put it in the trash can in the garage, awaiting the next pick up day. My hero.
Sadly, all of the fish are now dead, including our new bottom feeder. Andrew, I'm sure, doesn't understand this at all, but simply states, "Mommy, shishy go bye-bye."
Yep. Bye-bye, shishy.

Potty Time

2009-04-08T07:53:00.003-05:00

Andrew got a potty for Christmas. It is just like the one my niece uses at my Mom's house, so he was immediately enthralled. For a while - like weeks - he asked to go to the potty every time we took off his diaper, and had a big fit if we didn't let him go. I got the little round cushion seat for the big potty and a step stool and we seemed to be well on our way. Then Aaron, Andrew and I all got terrible colds. I was exhausted (even MORE so than normal) and Andrew didn't feel like putting much effort into anything, let alone potty habits. Since then we have kinda pushed it to the way side. Last week I began a three week vacation from work - HOORAY FOR YEAR ROUND SCHOOL! I decided we were going to hit potty training full force again. I lost my motivation on the very first day. I am just not ready for the commitment it takes to ask him every hour if he has to go, to make him go before we get in the car, after nap, etc., etc... Going back and reading what I just wrote, I am actually feeling a little lazy - but throw a 6 month old in the mix and its a different story, right? Maybe I should start smaller that ALL of that. ANYWAY, the last few days Andrew has been doing "big kid" things. He can take off his clothes. Recently he actually brought a diaper to Phil and announced "Daddy, I poop!"; and today he took off his pajamas and his diaper and said to me - "Mommy - GO POTTY!" Okay. Its time. Mind you, this is a kid who won't be 2 for another 3 weeks! I should be jumping for joy! Okay, I'll do a couple of jumping jacks or something - maybe that will motivate me a little more. I'll just try to keep thinking of what a relief it will be when I only have to buy ONE size of diapers at the grocery store and my diaper changing time is cut in half at home!

Zoo Fun

2009-04-04T21:11:00.006-05:00

We got a zoo membership for Christmas this year, and finally got to use it this past Thursday! Both the boys loved it! Andrew especially enjoyed the gorillas. If you watch the Columbus news, you might know brand new baby elephant was born last week - I FORGOT, so we will have to make that stop next time! I love that we can relax and take our time, and I don't have to feel like we need to see the whole zoo in one day. We wil be back soon! Enjoy our pics!

My Boys

2009-03-30T09:17:00.001-05:00

I have discovered Picasa. I love it.

Daddy's Helper

2009-03-23T07:19:00.006-05:00

This winter we lost a couple of pine trees in our back yard. Phil went out in the warm sunshine on Sunday afternoon to cut them down and dig them up. Andrew was quite the little helper!

Big Loser

2009-03-19T22:22:00.011-05:00

On New Year's Eve, I went to the Y to renew our membership. Being a mom of 2 under 2 is quite taxing, and frankly depression was beginning to take over. I decided it was time to regain my energy and drop this baby weight. I was happy to discover that they are now offering childcare at no extra charge. I can take the boys with me and leave them in the child care center for an hour while I work out. (I can leave them up to 2 1/2 hours when Aaron turns 6 months!) I am actually REALLY enjoying it! My energy boosted 100% within two days, and I am finding the "me time"
invaluable! When I returned to work, after the holiday break, we started a "Biggest Loser" contest at work. I am currently in second place! I have lost 11 lbs since New Years Day, and I am still extremely motivated. I am hungry ALL THE TIME thanks to breastfeeding, but I am finding it easier and easier to make smart choices about what I cook and what I choose to snack on. I allow myself an occasional treat, but I feel so good, I just can't stand the thought of putting junk in my body - most of the time, anyway. I am happy to say I have lost all the weight I gained with Aaron - but I still have about 15 lbs to get to my "pre-Andrew" weight. Dang...I should have done a "before" photo. Will a pregnacy photo do? LOL!

Aaron is going to be an outdoorsman just like his Daddy and brother! Here he is enjoying yesterday's sunshine!

Love that Technology...hmph.

2009-03-16T12:10:00.005-05:00

SO. It has been nearly 5 months since my last post. That is partly due to my Mommy Brain, but mostly due to our technology situation. Back in November I got a memory card stuck in the media reader of my laptop. THEN, the power cord stopped working, the battery died, and I couldn't even turn it on. THEN I think I got a virus that completely paralyzed my system. My laptop sat unused for about two months, which was no big deal since I can't really get online without little toddler hands and feet climbing up and pushing or pounding every button available. Then I sent it off to a friend to be fixed - a very busy friend, apparently, because it took him about 6 wks to get it back to me. Anyway, here I am, and for the time being I can share some thoughts and pics with you.

ANDREW will be 2 years old on April 30th. He LOVES the outdoors and is so excited about the mild weather that we have been having. I have to be pretty watchful, because he pulls the kitchen chairs up to the back door, unlocks the deadbolt, and lets himself outside. We have finally given in and allow a few periods of time during the day during which he is allowed to come in and out as he pleases. Thank goodness for the safety of our fenced in backyard! He talks up a storm all day long. Right this moment, he is standing with the pantry door open saying to himself, "Hmm...let's see..." Like he's going to prepare himself a feast.

AARON is 5 1/2 months old, and is happy and smiley most of the day. He is a little more temperamental than Andrew was - or at least the way I remember it. He REALLY likes to be held and carried around. I suspect that he is teething right now, too, so we've had some increased fussiness the last few days. He has rolled over to his belly, although I haven't seen it - apparently he saves those tricks for Grandma! Overall he is a happy guy, and just grins and giggles for Mommy and Daddy. I love it when we are nursing and I look down at him and he has completely stopped what he is doing to stare at me, and when I look down he smiles a huge toothless grin that just melts my heart - no matter how tired I am. (Did I mention he's not sleeping through the night yet? Yeah...gettin' old, but I know we'll get through it.)
PHIL AND I are happier than ever and continually praise God for the blessing of our children and our home. He is SO good!

Brotherly Love

2008-10-27T06:00:00.005-05:00

I am continully amazed at how different my two boys are. I keep telling peole, I must have thought I was going to have the same child twice, because I cannot stop staring at Aaron and marveling at how he is not at all like Andrew. Well, in some ways, I guess they are. Aaron is very content most of the time, as Andrew always was. But if his tummy is empty - look out! He is equally as adorable, but in different ways, having dark hair and dark blue eyes. I am anxious to see if these features will change and we will have two little blondies on our hands, or if he will keep the hair and eyes.

Andrew is quite the little helper - especially where the pacifier is concerned. As you can see above, he will make sure Aaron has what (Andrew thinks) he needs at all times. Be sure to look closely at Aaron's face in that pic! He also likes to bring me blankets and little toys if he is concerned about his brother's crying. At bedtime, he gives his brother a gentle kiss on the head with a big, "Mmmah!" Of course his jealous bone shows once in a while, too! Especially when I am nursing Aaron, and am somewhat unavailable to Andrew for a while, he tends to fuss or get into trouble doing things he knows he shouldn't. He gets ESPECIALLY jealous of Daddy! The other night, I decided to hand Aaron over to Phil and rock Andrew before bedtime (a habit I have really been missing!), but Andrew refused to let me hold him and insisted on sitting next to Phil on the couch. He kept bringing him books, Like he was trying to say "HEY! Put the baby down, this is OUR storytime!" It was so cute! My feeling were only a little hurt :)

Despite the challenges of having a newborn and toddler in the same house, I am SO happy to have the both of them. We are getting into a managable - even enjoyable - routine. I even took both kids to Target the other day AND, yesterday, I took both of them to church all by myself!

AHH...It's 7:25a.m., and the "big kid" awakes! Gotta go! Enjoy these latest pics of Aaron.

Welcome Home!

2008-10-16T10:34:00.008-05:00

Okay, when I said details later, I didn't really mean this much later - but I know you'll forgive me! As you can imagine, life with two children has been quite an adjustment. My biggest challenge right now, besides recovering from c-section surgery (ouchy!), is nursing a newborn while I watch my toddler climb up and swing in the baby swing, go into the bedroom (I forget to close the door sometimes - imagine that) and pull all of the diapers off the pack-n-play onto the floor, or climb up and stand on the kitchen table - among other fantastic feats. I must say, though, nursing this time around hasn't been quite the challenge that it was with Andrew - I can actually walk around while Aaron eats and pull Andrew down from whatever piece of furniture he has managed to scale. Overall, however, I must say being a Mom again is the best thing I have ever done.

I must admit that I struggled those last couple of days of pregnancy with the idea of taking care of two kids on my own (at least during the day when my husband - who is WONDERFUL- is at work), but this morning as I rocked my newborn and watched my toddler play with the dog at my feet, I realized that I would be okay. I am feeling better and able to move around better everyday, and with that comes increased confidence and joy in being a mother to these two precious little boys.
SO here are a few details about the blessed day of Aaron's arrival as well as a few picturs of our lives that last 10 days or so:
On Monday October 6th, we were preparing for our trip to the hostpital. We were supposed to be there at 12:30 to prep for surgery at 2:30. I had given up hope that the Dr. Parker would call and ask me to come in early like he mentioned he might do at my last appointment. BUT at about 10:30, lo' and behold, the OBGYN office called and asked, "Can you come in right now?" In a whirlwind, we packed up the car with my bags and with Andrew, called my parents (who were on their way to our house to stay with Andrew during the birth) and told them to meet us at the hostpital. We checked in at 11:30, the same tme my parents showed up and took Andrew back home. In the meantime, another emergency c-section was called in, and they THANKFULLY decided to do mine first! I was rushed through the prep procedures (don't worry, not in a scary way), and at 1:22 p.m., precious Aaron Robert was born! Everything went well and both of us made it through the delivery just fine - although I must say I forgot how frightening it is to be numb from the chest down. I felt like someone put a blanket made of lead on me that covered my chest all the way to my toes. It feels not only completely numb, but also very heavy. I literally could not move a muscle - even my breathing felt funny. I cried the whole time. It was totally worth t, though, when I heard those first lusty cries from Aaron! He weighed in at 8 lbs 10 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long.

Grandma Shenk; Papaw Derr

I think everything they put in the spinal block had an "ichiness" side effect, because afterward I could not stop scratching everywhere! Did you notice my red nose in the picture on my last post? The next day, my nose was raw and dry - I had to put vaseline on it.
A surprise from Aunt Jenny!

We stayed at Grant Hostpital until Thursday, then we came home to start our life together. Thursday morning, as I was getting the baby ready to go, the door opened, and I fully expected to see my husband - who called earlier to say he was on his way. Instead, in walked my sister, Jenny - a surprise visit from Missouri! We cried together, and I was thrilled to hear she was staying until Sunday! Consequently, my youngest sister also came up with my Mom (who I was already expecting), and so did her two year old daughter and her thirteen hear old son. Whoa! Quite a house full when you are post-surgery with a newborn. But my family was incredibly helpful, and I really did not lift a finger the whole weekend for anything other than feeding Aaron. What a blessing!

Cousin Hannah; Grandma Derr

This week I am on my own during the day, except for a few helpful visits from Phil's mom, and yummy dinners from a few volunteers at church. God is so good - He always know just what I need!
Thank you for your many calls, cards, and visits. I am happy to take calls anytime, although I may have to call you back! Feel free to give us a call or drop in for a visit!

Introducing Aaron Robert Shenk!

2008-10-07T21:09:00.002-05:00

I'm tired...more details later!

Little Pun'kins

2008-10-01T20:16:00.008-05:00

I have been blessed during this pregnancy to be able to share the experience with two friends.

EMILY

Emily is the art teacher at my school. Her classroom is right next door to mine. One day, I went in to say "Hi," and I found Emily in her office, resting with the lights out. "What are you doing?" I demanded. She then gave me her happy news. Coincidentaly, I took a pregnancy test the very next morning...when I got to work, I walked into her office and swore her to secrecy! These last 9 months we have visited each other daily and shared our joys and trials. She gave birth to a little boy last Thursday - Lucas Allen! Congratulations, Emily! My fellow teachers are now awaiting news of the birth of another little boy - Aaron Robert Shenk - scheduled to be delivered in just five more days! Of course, he is welcome to come early if he chooses!! The teachers at work threw a surprise shower for me to celebrate. Here I am - I think this is my only "belly picture" from this pregnancy!

DANIELLE

I have also had the pleasure of sharing this pregnancy with my very good friend Danielle. Danielle and I were roommates just before we were both married in 2005 - our weddings were 3 weeks apart. One day, back in February, Danielle called me, and she said, "How is everything?" I said, "Fine..." (not wanting to spill the beans, yet). "Are you pregnant?" She asked. "Why would you ask me that?" I shot back. "Because, I had a dream, and in the dream you were pregnant," she said. "Well I just found out YESTERDAY!" I replied. She then revealed to me that she was "late," too, and promised to keep me posted. About two days later, I got an email from her, and the subject line said, "Sure enough..." How funny!

Danielle's daughter, Isabelle, turned two years old in August, and for a while, she and Andrew were in the same class at daycare. And here we are now each having our second child just two days apart from each other! (Danielle is scheduled for an induction on October 8th!) This past weekend we decided to take our kids to Circle S Farms here in Grove City. What a sight we were - two very pregnant moms chasing around two adventurous toddlers! Andrew thoroughly enjoyed himself, even though we decided AGAINST taking a hayride on the big flatbed pulled by a tractor. (It just wasn't the opportune time for early labor.) He and Isabelle were so cute together. And, uh, I just popped over to Danielle's blog a minute ago to see if she posted any of these pictures, yet. Yeah...so I guess that picture up there ISN'T my only belly shot from this pregnancy. Thanks a million, Danielle. The link to her blog is over there on the left, if you'd like to see it. Here's our little pun'kins.

Andrew Appleseed

2008-10-01T06:33:00.006-05:00

The Lord is good to me,

And so I thank the Lord,

For giving me the things I need,

The sun and the rain and the apple seed,

The Lord is good to me!

Five more days and Aaron will be here! I am so grateful these last few days (and the next few, too, it looks like) to have nice cool weather. Fall is my favorite - and it makes it much easier for me to take Andrew outside to play! Andrew is such an outdoorsman - like his Daddy! He has LOVED having apple trees in our backyard this summer. He walks right up and picks the apples himself, and earlier in the season, when they wouldn't come off, he'd chew on it right on the branch! (I'm not sure but I think he learned that from the dog, who also loves apples.) I have been amazed at how he just bites right into them and has no trouble chewing them at all. If the skin is too thick, he just spits it out. For a few weeks I chased him around trying to stop him, but alas, I gave up the battle. Now I just try to make sure he doesn't pick up any rotten ones from the ground. A couple of weeks ago I picked some to make a cobbler - YUMMY. Here's Andrew helping Mommy pick (and eat) the apples!

Three more 'till Four!

2008-09-14T20:13:00.011-05:00

We are just three weeks away from being a family of four! As the date draws closer, I am more and more excited, yet more and more anxious about being the mother of two. I am definitely nesting - which is probably why I spent yesterday morning shampooing the couch. Hey, it smells like dog and spilled milk - ew! I am constantly making lists of things that need to be done, but I am either too pregnant to do it (like painting Andrew's bedroom to match his new ADORABLE Tonka construction decor - well...maybe I WILL do that this week.), or it just not time, yet (Like sterilizing all the bottles and the breast pump...Yeah, it's too early for that right?) Working part time has been an incredible blessing. I'm not sure I'd make it three more weeks with a full time job and a toddler - if you are a mom who works full time, I salute you! Andrew's independence is increasing every day - at least HE thinks so! Some of his favorite pastimes these days are:

*Climbing on a chair to reach anything on the kitchen table. He is especially fond of ink pens. If there is nothing on the table, he will crawl up and just sit there (or stand there and play with the light fixture that hangs from the ceiling)

*Climbing on a chair to reach the light switch and play the on-off-on-off-on-off-on-off game. Mommy gets particularly frustrated when he flips the switch that controls the outlet that the fish tank is plugged into. Of course, the obvious solution is to pull the chair away. The problem here is that this chair was previously used to block the little gap through which he can reach the outlet strip and unplug all of the aquarium equipment. At least he's resourceful, right?

*Climbing on a chair to pull various items off the kitchen counters. Are we seeing a patterns here with chairs? Hm. This would be why anyone who visits the Shenk house these
days will find chairs against walls in various areas of the
house instead of pushed under the tables they belong to.

*Picking apples. We have three apple trees in our backyard which are the source of much amusement for Andrew. He will eat up to three or four apples a day of allowed. It is particularly amusing to watch him pick an apple, take one or two bites, then give it to the dog so he can go back and pick another one. Yes, the dog eats the apples, too!

*Putting anything that fits in his hand on his shoulder and pretending it is a telephone. I love watching this! He actually has conversations that start with hello, end with bye-bye, and include short periods where he "listens" to the person on the other end! So adorable!

*Pointing his finger at the dog (and sometimes strangers in Walmart) and shouting "NO, NO, NO!" I always thought I was patient and kind until my son started imitating me! Time for some self-reflection? Yikes!

Hope you enjoy these pics. From top to bottom they are: Being spoiled at Grandma's house; First trip to the zoo; cruising with cousin Hannah at Great Aunt Debbie's house on Grandma Day; Andrew's first haircut!

BE BLESSED!

At the Park

2008-08-09T18:16:00.006-05:00

We are getting ready for the fourth member of the Shenk family! (oops, sorry Shelby - I mean fifth!) Aaron Robert Shenk is scheduled to be delivered on Monday, October 6th! In less than two months you will see pictures of our brand new bundle of joy right here on this blog!

Andrew countinues to enjoy summer very much! Mommy, on the other hand would much rather be inside with the air on as cool as possible! LOL! Actually, it hasn't been so bad. As
my pregnancy progresses, though, I do feel kinda bad for him, because we are spending more time indoors. Andrew is really fast, and chasing him around outside is not one of my favorite activities right now. Even in the fenced in backyard I have to follow behind him to be sure he doesn't choke on the apples that he LOVES to pick off of our three apple trees. Heck, sometimes he eats 'em right off the branch! He is also very friendly with all of our neighbor dogs (which surround our backyard fence), so I really have to watch him when he tries to stick his hand through and pet them. All perfectly normal little boy stuff, I know - and actually delightful to watch most of the time - but much harder to deal with when you are almost 8 months pregnant and it is 90 degrees out! Whew! I have been VERY thankful for the cooler weather the last few days, so today we decided to go play at a local park. As you can see, Andrew found lots of fun things to do - no apple trees, though. Aw.

Hope you enjoy these pics!

In Praise of Summer!

2008-07-01T15:45:00.006-05:00

Andrew loves being outside! He is becoming quite a little waterbug! I took him to the wading pool at the Y one day last week, and he loved it so much I didn't even get a chance to take his picture. He walked around and around in the pool the whole time. He wouldn't stay out of the water (it is so shallow he can get in and out by himself). It does get up to 1'9", and he fell backward a couple of times and was completely submerged. I grabbed him immediately, of course, and he popped right up, caught his breath, and just kept on playing! Today I finally got a chance at home to get some good pics to share. This is the little pool Grandma Derr gave him for his first birthday. Our little routine has become: Swim and play, have a popsicle, swim and play some more!

Enjoy!

Quick Update!

2008-06-13T21:26:00.010-05:00

Okay, so my blogging skills aren't that great. I guess having a full time job, a toddler, a baby on the way, I get a little bit preoccupied. SO, here's the last 6 weeks in a nutshell!

April 30th: Andrew's 1st birthday!
I can hardly believe it, but our baby is ONE! Just in time for the big day, he started walking! By now, of course, he is into anything and everything he can reach, climb on, or squeeze through. NOTHING is safe - including my sanity, somedays! But, of course, seeing him learn and grow everyday is worth a few lost marbles now and then! We celebrated the special ocassion with a John Deere birthday party!

May 7th: Kim and Phil's Anniversary
Yes, it has already been three years since we began our journey together! We celebrated with a family dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. Three years doesn't sound like a long time, but boy can your life sure change a lot in such a small amount of time. I wouldn't change a thing! I love my husband and my baby boy, and I love the life we share. Happy Anniversary, baby!

June 6th: It's a boy!
We are so thrilled to announce that our next bundle of joy is another bouncing baby boy! Though a girl would have been delightful, I have to say I am not even a litte bit disappointed to have another son. Two boys 17 1/2 months apart - whew! I am ready for the challenge! (Can someone get me a jar? I don't want to lose all of my marbles!) The baby was very cooperative during the ultrasound, and we got to see lots of fingers and tose and ribs. It was really cool that I could feel him kicking my tummy (and the doppler thingy) At the same time I could see his little feet moving on the screen! We were pleasantly surprised to learn that part of the ultrsound was 3D/4D and they are now making the pictures available on disc! I am attempting to post the video clip. Hopefully you can see his hands and one foot clearly - look closely and you will see his face pretty clearly, to! We really like the name Aaron Robert. (But that's not set in stone, so don't go engraving anything, yet!)

We are so blessed!

Big Brother!

2008-03-28T18:06:00.007-05:00

Andrew just can't wait anymore! He is just begging Mommy to get on the blog and tell everyone his BIG NEWS! Yes, it's true. Andrew is going to be a big brother! Mommy and Daddy are SO excited to add another smilng face to the family! Mommy has been feeling very tired lately and a little sick once in a while. Right now, she is on vacation from work for few weeks, so that really helps! We expect our little bundle of joy sometime around October 15th. Probably a little earlier, because doc wants another C-section, which is just fine with Mommy! Click on the link at the bottom of this entry to leave a comment - we can't wait to hear from you!

Enjoy these pics of Andrew's first Easter!

Time with Mommy

2008-03-18T21:17:00.007-05:00

We have been so blessed to have such a healthy baby boy. All through the winter, Andrew has caught a cold or two, but overall hasn't been sick. Friday, however, I got a call that he needed to be picked up from daycare early. He had a fever of 102.4. By Sunday his temp was still hovering around 102-103, so I took him to the doctor on Monday and discoverd that Andrew has his first ear infection. I was a little surprised, because he really hasn't indicated any discomfort. He smiles and plays like always - he just get tired a little more often than normal. We started an antibiotic yesterday, and I kept him home again today, just to be sure. He is doing much better - fever is gone! Tomorrow we will be back to work and daycare - at least for a couple of days. Beginning Good Friday, I am on vacation for three weeks! Have I ever mentioned how much I love my job?

Staying home with Andrew is something I could really get used to, and soon I will be able to! As much as I do love my job, Phil and I have decided that, starting next school year (for me that's the end of July), I will be staying home with Andrew part time! I will be in a job-share at Woodcrest, sharing my position with another teacher. I am so excited to spend more time with my baby, but we are a little nervous about the financial changes this will bring about. Your prayers for our family are greatly appreciated!

Andrew Updates

2008-03-13T22:38:00.007-05:00

BOX BOY

Andrew's favorite toys lately are boxes. What a surprise! Here is a video of his favorite ride.

Andrew's first sled!

MORE FUN PICTURES!

Mommy's helper!

Daddy's hat

Snow Baby :)

GRAND ACHIEVER

2008-01-10T22:29:00.001-05:00

No, it's not pink...at least not YET!

Let me start from the beginning. As you may or may not know, I have been a beauty consultant with Mary Kay for since May of 2001. Mary Kay was a bright light in my life and offered love and stability when it seemed my world was falling down around me. I worked my business consistently for about a year and even started to build a team. By the end of the first year, I had gotten divorced, moved about five times, and changed jobs. I was also getting to know Jesus better and better, and I began to hear Him calling me to bigger and better things. I traveled overseas four times in eighteen months, and went back to school for two years where I prepared for leadership in the Church. For a few years, my business took a back seat. I still enjoyed the products, of course, so I placed an order whenever I could to get my 50% discount. The thing I have loved the most about Mary Kay is that my sister consultants, the company, and my business have always been here waiting for me. Even when I went all that time, not paying any attention to any of them.

Almost exactly one year ago, I decided it was time to get back in business. By this time, of course, I had a new, wonderful, amazing husband and a baby boy on the way. I worked hard for four months until Andrew was born on April 30th. Since then, as I have adjusted to being a working mom, I have been filling reorders but not really holding appointments. Until now.

My husband and I have been recently been looking at our finances and trying to find a way for me to stay home at least part time. Over the holiday break I have thought and thought and prayed and prayed and thought and thought about what to do. The answer is obvious to me - and a little scary. It is time for me to overcome my fear of falling short. Its time for me to stop making excuses and really get serious about this business. It is time for me to set some real goals.

Today, I decided that I am going to have a free car from Mary Kay by July 1st. You all can help me. Support my business by calling me or ordering from my website. Earning a car is not just about sales; it's also about team building, so introduce me to anyone you know who might love our products OR be interested in starting their own business. This is a wonderful company - and I can't wait to share it with anyone who wants a BIG DISCOUNT on their skin care, positive interaction with POSITIVE WOMEN, and a chance to EARN MONEY to support their family (or their addiction to shoes)!

If you can't be a customer or a team member, you can still help...PRAY for me and my future team! Remember, my DREAM is not the car - my DREAM is to be at home with my baby boy. Look how fast he's growing...I don't want to miss a minute of that!

Love you guys!

Andrew's First Ouchie

2007-12-29T23:04:00.001-05:00

Yes, I'm doing two postings in less than 24 hours! Told you I was going to catch up! Well...um...actually, I am hoping you will read this one quickly, then your horror will subside when you see the next one with joyous pictures from our first Christmas. Then, by the time you log off, I won't seem like such a bad Mom.
Okay, honestly, it wasn' t that traumatic. But this happened when I was in the room, practically right beside him...and anytime you see blood coming from your child - especially for the first time - even if its only a little tiny bit, well, you might need a glass of wine at the end of the evening - which I did have last night when I first started this post. (I didn't post it last night because I lost my wireless connection - ah, the joys of technology.)
Yesterday I was cleaning the nursery, and I had Andrew in there with me. He's pretty adventurous and really likes to explore right now, so I let him crawl around on the floor and play with his toys - or with the clean laundry, whichever he was happiest with - LOL! The door was closed because I didn't want him to crawl out to the landing and fall down the stairs. (We don't really spend that much time upstairs, so I only have a gate at the bottom of the steps, not the top - at least for now.) Anyway, Andrew thinks closed doors are very funny, so he was standing up at the door, banging on it with the palms of his hands. I had my back turned, putting clothes in the closet or something, when I heard a thump then a wail. I could tell by the way he cried that it must have really hurt, so I look at his face, and sure enough there was what I thought was a blood blister on his right brow bone. I realized in about a second that it was not a blister, but a cut. He had fallen and gashed his eyebrow on the hinge of the closed door. I never would have thought about the door hinges...did I not read all the safety information I could get my hands on? Sheesh. So I cleaned it up, and it looked kinda deep, so I took him down to show Phil. Butterfly bandages were too big, so we ended up putting some of that liquid band-aid stuff on it (after a special trip to Walgreens). we put him to bed bed last night with some Neosporin and a Band-Aid covering it. The bump and bruise are bad enough - we are just hoping it doesn't leave a scar. Anyone have advice on preventing scarring?

Well, as you can see, he is still his normal happy self. He didn't even realize there was a band-aid on his face before he went to bed. More upseting for Mommy than baby...isn't that always the way it goes?

Andrew's Christmas Gallery

2007-12-29T22:17:00.000-05:00

Here are more favorites from Andrew's first Christmas!

Learning to share already! (Right?)

GO BUCKS!

Is this one for me?

Taking after Papaw?

(Okay, not a Christmas gift, but stil a favorite toy. He can't make it go, but loves to be pushed around...doesn't he look so big?)

After all that, his favorite thing...a box lid. Go figure.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2007-12-25T22:48:00.000-05:00

Andrew's first Christmas gift - a Radio Flyer pony from Grandma and Grandpa Derr!

What a very special holiday it has been for us!

As a music teacher, the madness begins for me pretty early on. Since the end of October I have been teaching and rehearsing with my kids at school. Building sets, making costumes and arranging all the details for my holiday program. Despite the madness, it always turns out great, and this year was no exception! In the in between times, I shop and bake and wrap...it gets very stressful at times - as I'm sure any wife and/or mother can relate to. At one point I was actually crying, because there were 20 people in my house and I just wasn't ready for them...but then we went to church and I remembered that no one cares if the food isn't perfectly presented or if there are still a bath toys in the upstairs bathroom and water on the floor. We celebrate together, because we share the greatest gift of all time. The love of God came down for us at Christmas, and THAT is why it is such a special time. As I look at my baby boy, I have an even better appreciation of what God has done. He sent his only Son - as a baby. No other way would show the wonder - the miracle - of such a precious gift. Andrew's first Christmas has been such a blessing. He is growing so fast and learning new "tricks" every day. He crawls all over the house, and even though he has a pile of new toys under the tree, all he wants to do is pull the brass cups out of the umbrella holder on the base of the coat rack and bang them on the tile in the entryway. He is so curious about everything he sees. This evening he actually climbed up about 6 steps on our stair case! I think he is just a few weeks away from walking - look out world!
If you regularly check this blog - bless you! I am off for three weeks, so I plan to do a little catching up...I'll try not to let you down!
Merry Christmas! My prayer is that all who read this know the wonder and miracle of God's love and see it everywhere you look today!

These are from Christmas morning. I especially love the on with the ball, because you can see his two little teeth if you look closely!

Family Vacation

2007-10-31T11:33:00.000-05:00

I am a teacher in one of two year-round elementary schools in Columbus. I love it! One advantage is a three week vacation in the fall - my favorite time of the year. Phil and I are both lovers of nature, so one of our favorite places to visit is the Hocking Hills area. We go two or three time a year, and each time we have found different cabin to stay in. We even got married there! Rain or shine, hot or cold, we always are blessed to be a part of God's beautiful creation. This time was no exception - especially with a new little guy to share it with. With Andrew in our backpack, we hiked through three or four of the many parks and trails in the area. Even though it rained much of the time, we still had a great time. Andrew loved being toted around on our backs, and was so comfy in his Snugli backpack, he even took a nap or two as we were hiking along. Hope you enjoy the photos from our family vacation!

GROWING AND GROWING!

2007-10-31T10:03:00.000-05:00

Andrew is 6 months old this week! He is sitting up on his own now, is doing well on cereal and vegetables (he loves squash!), and is starting to rock back and forth on his hands and knees. I am surprised everyday by how content he is to just sit and play with his toys on the floor. Here is a picture of our happy little guys with some of his favorite playthings. We are so blessed!

GO BUCKS!

2007-09-20T20:31:00.000-05:00

Introducing, the newest fan of the OHIO STATE BUCKEYES!

Growing, growing, growing...

2007-09-20T20:03:00.000-05:00

Yes, yes, another long awaited update to our blog! Someof Andrew's recent milestones:
*rolls over to his belly and then to his back
*eats rice cereal on a spoon (and tries to hold the spoon)
*sits briefly on his own if he has something to hold onto
*blows lots and lots of bubbles!
Andrew will be 5 months old on September 30th. I just can hardly believe it. And I can hardly believe how much our life has changed. I can't imagine - and almost can't remember - being without him. What a sweet blessing!

Back Online

2007-08-04T22:40:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know its been quite a while since our last posting. A few weeks ago my laptop was struck by a virus that kept me from even booting up in Windows, and then I think our wireless router was struck by lightening or something, because we can't get any signal at all. Wireless is the only connection we use in our house, so that left us with no Internet until we (and by we I mean Phil) had the time to move the cable modem upstairs and figure out how to hook it to our computer. Here's a quick recap of our recent life:

Me and my sister Jennifer with Andrew and his cousin, Hannah

Andrew and I went to Missouri to visit my sister and her family. We left on a Friday morning and drove with my parents, niece, nephew and step-niece to St. Louis. Yes, that was three adults and four children ages 3 months, 9 months, 9 years, and 11 years all in the same car for 10-12 hours. Whew. Don't know if I'll ever volunteer for THAT again! Anyway, we spent the night in East St. Louis and met my sister and her 3 kids (ages 4, 9, and 10) the next morning at the St. Louis Zoo. It was a little crowded, but the weather was perfect, and all of the little cousins were thrilled to see each other again. Everyone was especially happy to see baby Andrew for the first time! We then drove to Jefferson City, where my sister lives, and stayed there until we headed back home on Tuesday. It was the first time since Andrew was born that my parents had all of their grandchildren together in one place. They enjoyed it thoroughly!Left to right: Cale (4), Collin (10), Cayce (9) holding Andrew (3 months), Kylie (9) holding Hannah (9 months), and Tristan (11)

The day after we got back, Andrew started daycare. Yes, I cried. I wasn't officially back to work, yet, but I drove to school to work on my classroom for a few hours. I was busy enough for the rest of the day, to not think about it, but after we picked him, I cried again for most of the evening. I actually feel really good about the place we are sending him. He is getting excellent care and the beginnings of a Christian education. I just hate that he has to spend his day with someone else. My school is now officially back in session, and part of me is glad to be back. But if I had my choice I'd definitely be home with him.

Say a little prayer for us if you think of it! For our adjustment and for his safety...Thanks!

Mommy Brain?

2007-07-16T15:45:00.000-05:00

You know that commercial where the guy is driving all over town with his briefcase on top of his car? I watched that thinking, "That is so something I would do."

WELL. Today I had lunch with some girlfriends, so I brought Andrew's pictures that were taken at Sears a few weeks ago. The package still had all of the pictures in it, because I hadn't framed any of them yet or even decided which we were going to keep and which we would give away. My friend Emily picked me up , we buckled the carseat in securely, and we drove downtown to meet our two other friends for lunch. We visited for a couple of hours. It wasn't until we returned that I remembered the pictures. Wait...I brought them, right? Where are they? I asked Emily, "Didn't I bring that packet of pictures with me? I forgot all about them!" "Yes," she said slowly, "You put them on top of the car while you were buckling in the carseat. I was going to remind you, but I thought you grabbed them!" My heart sank. Even the CD with files of all the poses was still in that envelope. We put the baby in the stroller and retraced our drive to the entrance of our neighborhood. Nothing. I asked my next door neighboors if they saw anything. Nope. We went back in the house. As I was feeding Andrew, trying not to cry, I prayed, "God, I know they are just pictures on paper - but I REALLY want them back. PLEASE, PLEASE?" After he was done eating I went back outside. My neighbor and I had just begun snooping in people's yards, when a man drove by in a red truck. "Are you looking for baby pictures?" he asked. "YES! YES!" I said. Turns out he is the brother of someone on our street, and he found them on the ground and took them to her house. She thought we weren't home, so she was going to bring them over later. Thank you God for nice neighbors! I came right home and copied th CD to my computer.

I am blaming this whole thing on motherhood. My girlfriends all told me that it makes you lose your mind, and now I believe them. That's okay, though. Look at these pictures. He is well worth a few brain cells!

Nature Boys

2007-07-10T14:51:00.001-05:00

The weekend before the 4th, we took our first family vacation with Andrew. We left early Saturday morning and drove to Gatlinburg, TN and spent the next few days in the Smokies. Andrew did so well! He only really got fussy during that last 100 miles or so on the way home - that's a long time to be in the carseat! My husband and I are both lovers of nature, and we hope that Andrew will learn that same appreciation for God's creation. We shared a chalet with my sister-in-law and her family. It was pretty high up in the mountains with a terrific view. The photo above was taken the last morning of our stay. Father and son sharing one last look at the beautiful mountain side.

Andrew enjoyed many firsts over the weekend. His first taste of watermelon (just a few little licks, really), his first hike, and his first 4th of July holiday. I had a cute little American Flag onesie on him, but he soiled it before I got to take his picture. Above are pictures of his first dip in a swimming pool!

One of the highlights of our trip - especially for my husband - was an early morning visit from two black bears. Phil is an early riser, and he just happened to be out on the patio early one morning taking a picture of the view when he heard a rustling in the bushes. He looked over and saw a bear snooping around near the grill. As it made its way across the ledge, he quickly realized that the bear was not alone. TWO bears made their way across the patio and down the driveway. They tried opening the trash cans to no avail, and showed off with a sparring match before they went on their way. It all happened so fast, Phil didn't have a chance to wake everyone. Only his niece, Hannah was able to share the moment with him since she was awake and inside just near the door. I know it was a little gift for him from God. This is our third trip to the Smokies and each trip he has hoped to catch a glimpse of a bear. He never expected to be just 10 feet away from two of them!

Grandma Day

2007-07-06T11:15:00.000-05:00

My mom and her sisters have devoloped a new tradition known as "Grandma Day." The three of them get together and invite their children and grandchildren for a day of food and fun. This only happens about once month during the summer. Last week, Andrew and I went to our first Grandma Day! Grandmas, Moms, and 18 grandchildren enjoyed the summer sun at my Aunt Cindy's house. Here's the story of Grandma Day:

Andrew arrived dressed and ready, having sweet dreams about splashing in the pool.
But the pool wasn't all it was cracked up to be - oooh, that's cold!

In the end, we were happy to just bask in the sun...away from the cold water!

All the other kids enjoyed the sun, too!

Andrew is Growing!

2007-06-19T11:22:00.000-05:00

Boy, the time flies by! Andrew is already 7 weeks old! I took him last week to Sears to get his picture taken. They are so precious! We made it through three outfits and 18 poses before I knew he wasn't going to make it any further. I was a little disappointed because I wanted some shots of him in just his diaper, but there's always next time! If you would like to see the pics, click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post, and I will email you the link.

Andrew is smiling all the time and is beginning to "talk". He says "aahh," and "coo" a lot. He has come close to a laugh a couple of times. He likes to be on his tummy and is really good at holding his head up. He LOVES his swing...he likes to watch the little birds on the mobile fly around. It's his favorite place to nap!

Out with the Old...

2007-06-12T10:01:00.000-05:00

That verse in 2 Corinthians has become one of my favorites..."Therefore, anyone in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Sometimes, though, it becomes a little hard to swallow. That "new" part of being a follower of Christ - it isn't a one time thing. God is continually changing our lives! So many changes are happening in our lives right now. A new baby has been quite an adjustment, yet every sacrifice has been rewarded with joy beyond our wildest dreams! Last night our church elected a new pastor. I am confident that God is in control of this situation, and I believe that the new pastor will be wonderful for our church. But I couldn't hold back the tears as we prayed over him. Two of my best friends in the world - two people who were pivotal in my salvation and growth as a Christian - are leaving us and moving to Florida. I know God has big things for them. I know God has big things for us, too. Joy beyond our wildest dreams! But I will miss them SO much. Scott and Kirsten, I love you!!! On top of that, the principal I have worked with for 10 years in Columbus Public Schools is leaving our school to work at another elementary that really needs her. I know she will do great things for the children and families at Scottwood, but Woodcrest will miss her dearly!

Here is Andrew making a new friend. if he can do it, then I guess I can, too!

Grandma's House Part 2

2007-06-08T09:32:00.000-05:00

The best thing about being a teacher is, when you have a baby in the spring, you get extra long maternity leave! I don't have to be back to work until the end of July, so we will be able to make numerous trips to Grandma & Grandpa's house in the next few weeks. That is assuming I'm not disowned for posting this picture on the internet. (My mom, though beautiful, is a little camera shy.) Andrew and I went down Tuesday morning for a two day visit to my mom and dad's farm in Coshocton County. Andrew loved being cuddled by Grandma and was all smiles for her! He didn't mind sleeping in a different house and kept to his regular sleeping patterns. Andrew's cousins, Hannah and Tristan were there, too. Hannah (7 mos.) was facinated with him. She would smile and flap her hands in excitement. Then she would reach out to him, but carefully pull here hand back - she wasn't quite sure if she should touch him. So cute! On Wednesday, Mom and I took Hannah, Tristan, and Andrew shopping. Quite an adventure with two babies and an 11 year old who wants everything! Lots of clothes, a few toys, and two hermit crabs later (we thought the first hermit crab might get lonely), we came home tired and worn out. We were so tired, Andrew and I decided to stay one more night, even though he had an early morning appointment with the pediatrician. We left at 7 a.m. the next morning and made it just in time (Mommy had to stop at McDonalds for a large coffee!) Andrew weighed in at 9lbs. 2oz. and measured 22 inches long. What growing boy! He even tried to roll over when the doc put him on his belly! He smiles a lot, and is beginning to coo as well. I'll try to catch a grin on camera to post here - he is so precious! Here are some more photos of him and some cute shots of Hannah, too!

Grandma's House

2007-05-31T10:18:00.000-05:00

Thank you to those of you who check this blog regularly - FINALLY an update! Being a mom sure keeps me busy! Andrew is growing like a weed, and he eats all the time! I am trying to encourage a three hour schedule, but he insists on feeding every two hours. I spend most of my day at the breast pump, trying to give my sore nipples a break. (I hope that's not too much information for you. I lost all modesty when I became a mom. If it is too much , then I won't tell you what I'm doing right now as I type this post. I'll just say I am really learning to multi-task! )
This past weekend was Memorial Day. We drove to the farm (where I grew up) to spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa. My mom was also babysitting my sister's little girl, Hannah, so Andrew got to visit with his cousin AND be spoiled by Grandma! Phil and I always enjoy our visits to the farm. We both have such an appreciation for nature and the outdoors. It was nice to leave the baby with Grandma for a while and have a walk outside together.
Here is a picture my mom took of Shelby looking on as I rocked Andrew to sleep. Many of you have asked how she is doing with him. Shelby seems to be adjusting very well. Her jealousy shows occasionally, but she approaches the baby with caution and respect. The other day Phil held him down at her level and said, "Andrew, say Hi to the puppy!" Shelby started to give him a big kiss, but then thought better of it and licked Phil instead.

Welcome Home

2007-05-05T20:35:00.000-05:00

We welcomed our new little angel home on Thursday, May 3. Mommy and Andrew went right to bed and Daddy napped on the couch with Shelby, who was very curious about this newcomer. Shelby (our 3 yr old boxer) seems to recognize my fragile state. She was very excited to see me home again, but hasn't tried once to jump on me or crawl in my lap. We won't let her see the baby (ie: sniff or lick), so she has an attitude of caution when she approaches the bassinet or rocking chair. Our first couple of days at home have been very pleasant. I am feeling better every day and experience only minimal pain. Breastfeeding has been challenging but rewarding - we both are catching on! Grandma Derr has been here since Thursday evening which has been wonderful! Mommy and baby are both enjoying being spoiled! We are working on establishing a routine and just enjoying the miracle of this new life. Thanks to all of you for your prayers, emails, cards, and phone calls! Visitors are welcome, so give us a call if you'd like to stop by and meet our little man. Here are more pictures for you to enjoy!

The Andrew Shenk Gallery

2007-05-02T12:19:00.000-05:00

Introducing Andrew Phillip Shenk

2007-05-01T22:11:00.000-05:00

Our baby boy is here!On April 30, 2007 at 10:27am, Andrew Phillip Shenk came into this world! He weighed 8lbs 3oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. Phil and I were both amazed at how quickly the procedure was over...and we have been in awe of this little person ever since. We aren't quite sure yet when we get to bring him home. I am still in the hospital recovering from c-section. Fortunately, they have wireless Internet service here, so I can update and email to my liking. Andrew is doing great! We share a room, although I am very grateful for the nurses who will keep him in the nursery while I try to get some sleep at night. In fact, nurses are fast becoming my favorite group of people! If you are a nurse, please accept my sincerest thanks for everything you do! I am feeling pretty good so far, and I hope to be able to bring my baby home by Thursday. This entry is short, but I know you'll forgive me - boy, am I tired!Hope you enjoy the photos! Keep checking on us as I'm sure there will be many more pics to come!

Ready for Baby

2007-04-26T10:54:00.000-05:00

In just four days we will be Mom and Dad! I have begun my maternity leave a couple of days early due to my swollen hands and feet and the general discomfort that comes from being 9 months pregnant and chasing elementary school children around all day. I am glad to have the next few days to enjoy some quiet time and get ready for our new arrival! The nursery is just about ready. It is so cozy and cute!

The biggest thing on our "To Do" list is to choose a name! We are down to Andrew Phillip Shenk and Tucker Phillip Shenk. We each like both of these names, but neither of us want to make the final decision! I think we may just have to see which suits him best when we finally meet him on Monday! Click on "Comments" at the end of this post to cast your vote! Hope you enjoy these pics of the nursery!

Clueless

2007-04-20T19:52:00.000-05:00

Here is our first "baby", Shelby. She is blissfully unaware of what is about the happen to her peaceful domain. Little does she know that a small bundle of bouncing baby joy is about to invade her world - and she will no longer be the center of attention! Of course, it won't be long before she will be enjoying bits of food dropped on the floor and a string of toys on the floor to adopt as her own.

In fact, it looks like it will happen sooner than we thought! An ultrasound today showed our healthy baby boy in a breech position! The doctor doesn't think there is much chance that he will turn himself around in the next week or two, so he decided the best thing for us to do was to schedule a c-section. Our baby will be delivered on Monday, April 30 at 10:00 a.m. That means I have one more week of work and less than two weeks left of pregnancy! Hooray!! My swollen feet are rejoicing! Of course, things could still change - he might decide to come before that, but as of now we have exactly 10 days to decide on a name for our little guy! Keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Showers of Love

2007-04-09T11:30:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of the baby shower my Mom and my sisters threw for me at the end of March. About thirty aunts, cousins, nieces, and nephews came from out of town to help us welcome our baby - and what a welcome he received! It sounds like a cliche, I guess, but really - how can one little person need so much STUFF? We have clothes and diapers and shampoos and lotions and blankets and bottles...well, I don't need to go on. All of this in addition to the shower the girls at work had for us AND the shower my friend Danielle threw for us at church, you would think we will never need another diaper or wipe...but alas, I know that won't be true!

I have been laughing at myself lately as a I catch myself performing trivial tasks in an effort to be ready for the arrival of this little one. Must sterilize bottles! Must wash ALL clothes! Must pack a bag and sit it with the car seat RIGHT next to the door...Okay, go ahead and laugh at me, you seasoned mothers. Then scroll right down to the bottom of this post and click on "Add Comment" so you can tell me how to really be ready! Actually, I really am aware that no matter how organized the closet is, or how cute the nursery looks, or how many diapers I have stocked up; I will never truly be ready for this bundle of joy to arrive into our lives. But it is lots of fun trying!

Our "Babymoon"

2007-03-15T21:56:00.000-05:00

I saw the term "babymoon" on Baby Center once. Many couples decide to take one last get-away as non-parents before the baby comes. That's just what we did on Presidents Day weekend. Our favorite spot is Hocking Hills. This beautiful area of Ohio is loaded with cabins, camping areas, and retreat centers. We have been there several times and never stayed in the same place twice! We both love nature and the great outdoors, so it is always a perfect getaway for us. Due to my condition and the snowy weather, we didn't do lots of hiking, but we did take a couple of short, flat trails and saw some absolutely beautiful winter artwork. God is an amazing artist! This was the first time we brought Shelby to Hocking Hills. She LOVED it!

WELCOME TO OUR PAGE!

2007-03-15T08:06:00.000-05:00

Well, we thought it was about time we boarded the blog-train! Now our friends near and far can keep up with our growing family (since we will soon be THREE!) and help us in our new-parent quandaries.
Enjoy!