A Fun Halloween!

We had a fun holiday, out here in Princeton! After coming home from an afternoon of being out, we found a group of friends sitting outside in front of a bonfire. They had their bowls of candy for the kids, bratwursts for roasting, drinks, glow sticks and some people were even in costume. We decided to join in the fun, as the evening was young (only 5:00), and the kids were just starting to come out in full force through the neighborhood. It was a lot of fun, probably the most memorable as far as giving candy out to trick-or-treaters. There are SO many kids out here, in nearly every unit, that the place was exploding with activity. The costumes were memorable and sweet, pictures being taken everywhere you looked and the extra special twinkle in the eyes of every child who had been given more candy than they could have ever dreamed! The weather was threatening rain, gray and a humid 70 degrees. Maddie did not trick-or-treat, but she sure was a show stopper in her little pumpkin costume! We felt bad about leaving Tucker out, so I pulled out a Halloween t-shirt of Maddie's that fit him nicely. :) What a fun, spontaneous night this turned out to be!

Our "spooky" little family!

Tucker loves his "Mummy". :)

Our bonfire with friends! (The building in the background is our apartment complex - our unit is in the back corner on the bottom, to the left of the big tree).

Happy Halloween!

Today there was a Halloween parade in the neighborhood, put on by the children's daycare center. We decided to join in the fun, so Maddie put on her special pumpkin costume (thanks Aunt Sarah!) and we paraded around the block. Although I'm sure we will take more pictures tomorrow, these were too cute for me to pass up and not post on here.

Happy Halloween, with love, from the world's cutest 4 month-old pumpkin! :)

Ringing Rocks Park, Pennsylvania

On Sunday, we took a little family road trip to Pennsylvania. We got in the car and drove for an hour in the countryside, admiring the beautiful fall colors along the way. Our final destination? Ringing Rocks Park. It is a 128 acre park nestled in the woods in Upper Black Eddy, PA. Located within the park is a field of boulders, about 7-8 acres in size, that have an unusual property. When the rocks are struck with a hammer or another rock, they sound as if they are metal and hollow and ring with a sound similar to a metal pipe being struck. With hammers in hand, a puppy on a leash with Brant, and Maddie in the front pack with me, we had our hands full! It was a fun afternoon!

The drummer of the family, having some fun hitting rocks and making musical noise!There was a little waterfall next to the boulder field.
And finally, some shots of our drive home through the countryside. The pictures hardly capture the beauty we saw. It sure can be beautiful out here!

Birthday with Bonhoeffer

You are reading correctly...Maddie's onesie indeed says "I 'heart' Bonhoeffer", much to Brant's delight! Our friends, Chet and Brianne in Seattle, gave us this onesie as a gift when we announced we were expecting last fall. I only thought it fitting for Maddie to sport her new outfit on Brant's birthday, particularly because I gave him the newly released Bonhoeffer book for his collection. He was quite thrilled, to say the very least. :)
Maddie gave her Daddy a special birthday present, too. With the help and supervision of Mommy, she made a "My Daddy and Me" picture book. It is a little book that has every picture of the two of them that has ever been taken (pretty easy when you only have been alive for 4 months!). Each page has a picture with a special caption from Maddie to Brant. He was quite touched by her thoughtfulness and sentiment. That's my girl!!
Brant received many happy wishes through phone calls, cards and gifts from family and friends. We went out and found a new pizza place in Princeton with our friends, Meredith and Kevin, and their daughter, Faith. It was a good time! Brant and I came home and watched The Bourne Ultimatum with dessert.
All in all it was a happy day, considering we are 3000 miles from everyone with whom we normally celebrate! Bonhoeffer, Pizza, Bourne...sounds like Brant's ideal birthday to me! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRANT!!

Happy Birthday, sweetheart!!! Hooray! You have blessed countless people in your life, year after year, and touched so many lives, and I know you will only continue to do so. I am overwhelmed with happiness today, your birthday! You deserve only the best of the best. Thank you for being my best of the best! Life is so much better because you are a part of it. I love you more than anything!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

4 Month Stats, and other happenings

Maddie had her first doctor appointment in Princeton, today, and it went well! Here are a few fun facts about her visit:

Current weight: 12 lbs
Current height: 25 1/2 inches
Head circumference: 40 cm

She's a growing girl, and we are so proud of her! She had to get three shots and reacted exactly as we'd expect her to - with lots of tears. :( I was so thankful Brant was there with me, because I can't "hold her down" the way the nurse wants us to while giving her shots. He is much better at it than I am.

In other news, I have a bad head cold I'm fighting. I am drinking lots of fluid and trying to rest up...it can be a bit of a challenge with a little baby who is talking to you and smiling up at you, just craving your loving attention. (Sigh). Brant came home from class this afternoon and took Maddie and Tucker out for a walk so I could close my eyes in peace for a little bit. His actions spoke loudly to me, as I know he has a lot to do, and he was giving up some of his study time for me. What a sweetheart. :)

The weather has been random out here. This last weekend we had several days with highs in the low 40s, along with rain and wind. Now we are running into a few days with highs around 70, with lots of beautiful sunshine and fall colors. Crazy! Its nice having a variety, I suppose!

We hope to get more videos up on the blog soon! Brant is in midterms this week, but perhaps we can swing something during his "reading week" next week (a week of no classes, but lots of studying!).

Well, that's all from our end for now. We miss you all!

I'm 4 Months Old Today!

I am 4 months old today, and boy, have I been growing! Mommy and Daddy can't stop looking at me because I keep adding new tricks to my daily routine! (That, and because I'm so cute!)

I can't seem to keep my fingers out of my mouth. They just taste so good to me. Mommy seems to think I might be starting the teething process. I could care less what's going on in my mouth, I just like to put things in it!!



I really love to hang out with my Daddy each day. He is so much fun! We tell each other stories and talk about our day. I talk so much of the time that he forgets Mommy isn't home. I guess I know who I got those genes from! I really love listening to my voice. Even if I am in a room by myself, I like to listen to how deep my voice can go, and then shoot it up way high into a yelping giggle. It really is a lot of fun and highly entertaining!



Like I said, Daddy and I have a lot of fun together. Just today, I rolled over three times from my tummy to my back when we were hanging out. Something about him just makes me want to roll; I haven't rolled for Mommy yet, but that's because I am saving up for my big act of rolling from my back to my tummy for her! I love my Mommy and Daddy so much! I can tell that I make them very happy!


I LOVE to smile for anyone who will talk to me. I think it is really funny when I see someone's face appear from out of nowhere. And it is even funnier when they disappear and reappear, and disappear and reappear...I think they call this game peek-a-boo. Whatever it is called, it is GREAT!

Here are a few more pictures of me from today...remember, I love to have my hands in my mouth and my Mommy can't seem to get them out in time for a picture. I don't know how to help her out with that one.


I like being 4 months old! :)

I Love This Man

I do. I really am crazy about him! And why shouldn't I be? He makes life so much more interesting and fun for me.
My husband is an amazing man. He wears so many different hats in life. He can be goofy and have a good time. He can be charming and sweep me away.
He can be adorable and baby talk with his little girl.He can howl and hold a conversation with our dog.
Lately, Brant has been wearing his scholarly student hat. He is well into his first semester at Princeton Theological Seminary and is working his tail off. Between his classes, his online T.A. job, the hours upon hours of reading, applying for PhD programs and studying for exams, he still makes time to hang out and love on his little family.

I am so proud of my husband. I am proud of his dream. I am proud of his desire to follow the will of God and go where God leads him. I am proud of his determination. I am proud of his work ethic. I am proud of his integrity. I am proud of his sacrifice. I am proud of his devotion. I am proud of his parenting. I am proud to be his wife.

Brant, I love you and I am proud to be on this journey with you. I know it is a tough, and seemingly long road, but God has us on this road intentionally. Thank you for the joys of allowing me to partner with you through it all.

Transitioning...again

I don't know what I feel like saying in this post, so bear with me.

My mom left town this morning. I've been feeling very sad since I dropped her off at the train station 12 hours ago. I have been making great headway in my life out here; found a decent job, made my apartment feel "homey", I'm meeting new people, inviting people over to socialize, etc. But now that I've had my mom here for several days, I'm reminded of all that I had in the NW and I miss what I left terribly. I hope this is just another phase in the transition, and that each time someone comes out to visit, I won't feel like I've taken a step backward. I don't know if that makes sense, but that is how I can best describe it.

I think what gets me most is how far away I am from all of you. I don't enjoy the thought that my mom is just now getting home after an entire day of traveling; that is not the 3 hour Portland-Seattle drive anymore. I liked the idea of being on my own, but also being close enough to home that a quick, last-minute drive wasn't out of the question.

I want to know what our future holds, now! I want to know where we will be at this time next year. It is so hard for me to settle into the idea that we could be any number of places next year, but I won't know that information for several more months. As I type these words, I know many of you who have struggled with similar thoughts regarding your future and what it holds, not knowing where you will end up. Who doesn't wonder this, right? Yeah.

I miss all of you more than you know. I have made it several days and even weeks, now, feeling pretty positive and good about life out here. At the moment, I am admitting that I am homesick for everything we left on the west coast. East coast living will certainly be a monumental chapter in our life story, but at the moment, it feels too big of a monument for me to comprehend.

At any rate, transitions are not my cup of tea. More so, change is not my cup of tea. But, I serve a mighty God who is taking care of me and my family. I know He is faithful, provides for my needs (which include my needs for social relationships!), and watches over me. So forgive me for sounding pitiful. I do not doubt this is where we are supposed to be. And I am working hard at not "fearing" what is to come. What I know now is that I have a huge support system back home (that's all of you), cheering me (us) on as we make our way up this mountain. I bet the view from the top is going to be just spectacular!!

Fun With Mom!

My mom has been in town since Tuesday night and we are having a great time! We've been exploring the Princeton area with her and showing her our new home and lifestyle. I am so grateful to her for making the long trek out here to be with us. It is a true blessing. She is having an absolute ball with Maddie Mae and they are getting some quality bonding time in at every possible moment. It is wonderful to watch (and listen) to them enjoying each others' company. :) Here are some pictures for proof that my mom made it out here!

This is the oldest Gothic Cathedral in North America (this is the inside of the chapel building that Brant will be graduating from this spring - note earlier post last month for a picture of the outside).

Pretty fall ivy growing at this Ivy-League university. I didn't know ivy could change colors like this!

Fun pictures with the fall foliage!


I love this picture!
Come out for a visit, and we'll show you a good time, too! :)

We still have more fun adventures to come with Mom here, but I wanted to get something up on my blog to show you what fun we are having as we speak!

Guess Who Is Coming To Visit?...

Grandma Kris is coming out to visit us!!! She will be here tomorrow night and stay with us until next Monday. And this is how we feel about it...

We are going to have so many great adventures to share! Don't be alarmed if you do not see very many posts from our blog in the next week. Hooray for visitors!! I can't wait to have you here, Mom!!