Monday, February 25, 2008

Prayer Requests

Before I head to bed I thought I'd write a quick post asking for specific prayer requests. This is a busy time for us as a family, as we prepare to move back to Buffalo. But, it's also a time when God is calling us to be nearer to Him.

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of packing and cleaning up, He is waiting for us to sit and be with Him. To hear Him. To ask Him. To praise Him. To love Him.

It's easy to push that still, small voice aside when you have a list of tasks to complete. I struggle with that a lot. I like lists. I like to check things off my lists. I love to feel productive. But right now, there is much to process. There are many lessons to reflect back on that being in Maryland have taught us. There is a lot to praise for. There is a lot to pray for. I don't want to be too busy these next few weeks to miss what the Lord is saying to me. His Words and Spirit are far too precious than a few measly tasks checked off of some list.

So, please pray for us.

Pray for me:
to have a Mary heart
to be patient with my husband
to enjoy my son as my only son for a little while longer
to drink more water and do more yoga so I can be stretchy
for a continued healthy, low-key pregnancy
for comfortable, deep sleep
for strength of mind as we transition locations, and size of family
for strength of mind and body as I prepare for childbirth
for daily time with my Saviour

Pray for Jeff:
(these requests are from me alone, so I'm going to keep them pretty superficial. I don't want to invade his privacy by posting about his needs on our blog without his permission)
to be satisfied with school
for his interview on Thursday around 3ish
for his transition from Daddy of one son to Daddy of two
for physical and mental strength and vitality during our move
for daily time with his Saviour

Pray for Jak:
to not catch anything before/during/after our trip to Buffalo this weekend
to endure the car ride there and back as patiently as a 15mo old can

Pray for our family:
for safety on the ride to and from Buffalo this week (supposed to be a lot of snowfall)
for health now and throughout the move
for our many transitions
for patience for all of us (we tend to get short with one another when the list of tasks is long and we're low on sleep, quiet time or couple time)

Wow. I only intended to write a few requests. These will hold us over for some time! Thank You for your prayers.

"Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear." ~Isaiah 59:1

The 3rd Trimester Begins


I had my prental appointment today, and all is well.

I'm measuring 28 weeks, so am slowing down since last month I was measuring two weeks ahead. We'll see where I am in another two weeks at my next visit. I can't believe I am starting the two week visits already! Where did the time go?

I have gained a total of 8 pounds, which is considerably less than this point during my pregnancy with Jak.

My bp was 92 over 60--how low can you go?

Baby's hearbeat was about 138 today.

Baby and Mom are doing well. John is moving all over and we're hoping that he'll be moving his little head downward in the next few weeks. I have a feeling he will since I will be quite active packing up the entire house and moving it into our new one.

My appetite (and heartburn!) is increasing, sleep is decreasing, and my hips are expanding. Oh, the joys of pregnancy! ;)

I'm looking forward to getting this move on, so that I can settle in and nest. I feel pretty unsettled right now as far as housing and packing go, and am having a hard time visualizing the rest of my pregnancy and impending birth. I find that this time around, at least for right now, I'm anxious about how things will go. This is odd for me since I fully believe in my body's power and capability to birth naturally. I know this feeling of uncertainty will wane once I am settled but for now, I don't like it.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

You're From Buffalo if:

Here is a forward I received and I thought it painted quite an accurate picture on what it's like to hail from the land of Buffalo:

Those of you who are living out of town, you've said to your friends....

"Back home, you could get a case of Labatts for twelve bucks!"
"Back home, you could get a 30 pack of Genny for nine bucks!"
(OK I would NEVER say this!)
"Back home, this house would go for only 80K!"
"Back home, you could get a large cheese and pepperoni pizza for seven bucks!"
"Back home, the bars close at 4:00 AM!"
"You call this snow?"
"You call this cold?"
"You call this a supermarket?"
"You call these wings?"
"You call this pizza?"

You know you're from Buffalo if....

You know that "uppers" and "lowers" aren't drugs.
You don't let a blinding snowstorm stop you from driving 70 MPH down the Thruway during rush hour.
You believe snow on Halloween is good because its bound to warm up in November (Mom's will say you need the first freeze for Indian Summer).
You don't put away the winter clothes, they stay in the front closet year round.
You've fallen asleep waiting for the light to change at the intersection of
Niagara Falls Boulevard and Sheridan Drive.
You know that cheering for the Miami Dolphins is sac religious. (Absolutely!)
You hate the Dallas Cowboys.
You refer to Niagara Falls as "the Falls".
You've dined at "The Como " in "The Falls".
You watch the Bill's on TV with the sound turned down, and the radio turned to the game, on 97 Rock (Formally WBEN 930). (This is so true.)
You've heard Van Miller call a Bill's game.
You remember Rich stadium.
You've watched Rocket ship 7 or Commander Tom.
(OK, these I don't remember)
You remember Meet the Millers.
You Remember Dialing For Dollars.
You remember Barry's Cat's Pajamas with Barry Lillis.
You still can't say Interstate instead of Thruway when you relocate to another state.

You've been around Buffalo a long time if you've ever called...
Bon-Ton - "AM&A's"
Kaufmanns - "Hengerer's" or "Sibley's"
Quality Markets - "Bells"
Jubilee - "Super Duper"
You remember Twin Fair.
You remember Irv, Rick, Clip, and Tom.
You remember Clint Buehlman, Danny Neavreth.
You've been to Fantasy Island , Crystal Beach, and Darien Lake.

Half of your friends moved to Charlotte, North Carolina and the other half went to Florida.
You use the word "the" before the numbers of expressways, like "The 90", "The 400" and so on.
You save Canadian coins to use at tollbooths and parking meters.

You've ever feasted on these treats:
-real chicken wings (they're called "wings" not "Buffalo wings") and we serve them with real bleu cheese dressing, carrots & celery.
-Subs!! not heroes or hoagys, (we are known nationwide for making and eating the biggest subs anywhere!)
-real beef on weck & real horseradish (Arby's is chainfood garbage)
-authentic & genuine pizza made from real pizzerias (Pizza Hut, Dominos, & Little Caesars is chain food slop not even fit for dogs!)?
-Ted's charcoal broiled hot dogs, Niagara Street clams, sponge candy, fried bologna, Bison French Onion Chip Dip, limburger cheese, deep fried smelt, Anderson's custard, Perry's Ice Cream, rhubarb, pierogis, liverwurst, headcheese, Weber's horseradish mustard, St Joseph's day bread, Miller's Horseradish! and washed it down with Genessee Cream Ale, in a 16 ounce bottle ("'da pounder"), loganberry, Vernor's, OV, fresh apple cider, Labatt's Blue, Visniak or Black Rock pop
Don't forget Friday night fish-fry 52 weeks a year...not just Lent!

You slam on the brakes and slow to a crawl whenever you see the "Village of Kenmore" sign.
You watched Canadian television, just so you could see U.S. shows a day or two earlier than they would appear in the States.
You can make the coins land perfectly in the toll basket at 20 MPH or higher.
You think it's quite acceptable to take a day off work on Dyngus Day, St. Joseph 's Day, St. Patrick's Day, St. Stanislaus Day, Ash Wednesday, the Monday after a Bills victory.
You use your garage as the living room during the summer, putting a big screen over where the overhead door would be.
You still go to all the neighborhood and ethnic festivals, even though they're really all the same.
You know the lyrics to .... "You Know We're Gonna' Win That Cup", The Bills "Shout" song, any song by Rush, Kim Mitchell or Honeymoon Suite, "Marineland" and "Game Farm" jingle, "Danny Moves My Fannie In The Morning" jingle, "Put a Little Money In the Metro Bus" jingle, "Talkin' Proud", The Crystal Beach "pay one price" jingle, The Tops "Tops never stops saving you more!" jingle, The Sattlers "998 Broadway" jingle--even if you weren't alive when they were still open.
You remember the voice of the Sabres; Ted Darling.
You've attended a concert at Artpark or Melody Fair.
You've nearly gotten into fights over topics like.... Malecki vs. Sahlen vs Wardynski vs. Shelly vs. Redlinski vs Zwiegels, Anchor Bar vs. Duff's, Bocce Club vs. Leonardi's, Tops vs.. Wegmans.
You go to Niagara Falls for the outlet shopping and the Italian food, not the scenery.
You spend hours planning drives to avoid toll booths.
You've ever sarcastically said "Fun? Wow!"
One of your friends claims to have known Ani DiFranco, a Goo Goo Doll or Baby Joe Mesi from high school.
You have more than one shovel in your garage.
Your car has more rust than exposed paint. (Not anymore)
Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on "31" or on "the Ridge" (in Niagara and Orleans Counties).
You know several people who have hit deer more than once.
You often switch from "Heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
You drive to Lockport for a Reids dog with onions & sauce and a side of rings
You use a down comforter in the summer.
A day at the beach is at Beaver Island or Olcott.
You've been on a first date at the drive-in movies, or a bowling ally.
You see people wearing hunting clothes at social events.
You know about the "Canadian Ballet".
You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use them.
You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit. (Yep!)
Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and flannel pajamas. (YOU MEAN It's NOT?????)
You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, construction.
You've ever attended an event at "The Aud".
You ever watched a Buffalo Braves game.
You remember the Sabres' "French Connection".
You understand the term "lake effect snow".
It takes you 3 hours to go to the store for one item even when you're in a rush because you have to stop and talk to everyone in town.

Pretty long, but you get the point. Lots to say about Buffalonians. Some good, some bad, some weird, but you know, if you're from there, you just can't get enough of it.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Boys Will Be Boys

When Jak was an infant and we first moved into our house here in Queenstown, I lovingly set up the nursery for him to enjoy. It was painted by Daddy and then I loaded up the dresser, hung things on the walls, and filled up the shelves with books, baby mementos and pictures.

I had visions of a happy baby smiling up at his mobile, cooing the afternoon away while rocking with Mommy, and singing songs to him while changing his diaper or clothes. The crib and its' bedding looked beautiful and I must admit, I loved everything about how the nursery looked and the warmth and whimsicalness it conveyed.

Fast forward a few short months and the mobile is gone, the custom-made bumper pads I selected so carefully are packed away (they were getting crushed as Jak stepped on them daily), the crib rails have teeth marks and chipped paint on them, the decor is off the walls lest some little hands get to it during naptime, and any sense of 'baby' is now replaced by the very active and curious toddler stage.

Here's what we walk into each day after naptime:



One little monkey jumping on the bed!

To add to our post's title today, I want to share another picture of baby Jak's very first boo-boo. :( While out on a walk a few days ago, Jak tripped over his feet and fell hands and face first onto the pavement. It wasn't a hard fall but more scary than anything since he's usually pretty steady. He just gets so excited that he walks too fast for his little feet to carry him! I picked him up and brushed him off and continued walking since he wasn't hurt. He cried but was fine not a minute later once he saw the neighborhood cat, Smokey.

Later that night, we got him undressed for his bath and low and behold, there was a brush-burn on his knee! Fresh and red on that precious white skin. I felt so bad for my little man! Now I know why he cried (even though we didn't think he was hurt, he was a little bit!).

We took a picture to document for when he breaks a bone or gets tackled or something. We'll show him how tough he is, and was, even at the ripe age of 15 months. ;)


Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day!

The slideshow I made is not working correctly. Please check back soon!

Valentine's Day in the Knapp household was low-key this year. It was more of a family affair than anything, and we were happy as a clam having it that way.

Jak opened his Valentine from Jeff and I in the morning. When Daddy saw this at the store, he just had to have it. I wrapped it up and he's been waiting to play with it ever since. He, meaning Jeff!

As Jak unwrapped his gift, he tore each piece of paper off and handed it to me. He was very methodical about unwrapping. I had a little pile of red wrap sitting next to me after all was said and done, and the boys got to getting the truck out of the packaging. Jak was thrilled with the truck and all of its functions, and he's been playing with it ever since!

Below is a picture of the Valentine's that Jak made for his Grandparents this year. He did fine with the fingerpaint, though you can't quite see the heart made out of his handprints. Nonetheless, they were very well received!


Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Ground Turkey Soup

Here is the delicious recipe that we all enjoyed yesterday for lunch. It's perfect on a cold day, and makes a lot. Very hearty & nutritious, too!

2# ground turkey
1/2 c diced onion
5-6 c tomato juice
1c tomatoes (I used canned, diced, but you can certainly use fresh)
1c thin sliced carrots
1c green beans (fresh or frozen)
2 c chopped celery
2 c shredded cabbage
1 c sliced mushrooms
1T worcestershire
1 bay leaf
2t oregano
2 T garlic powder
2t basil

Brown ground turkey and onion together, and then add everything to a large pot. Simmer for 1 hour. Serve with bread and cheese, and enjoy!

(I thinly slice mozzarella cheese and stick it into the soup so it gets halfway melted while I eat it.)

-Receipe originally from Kelly Shannon

Goodbye Yesterday!


The day started fairly well. I picked up my dear friend, Belle, for a day of shopping and visiting around 10am. She showed me some stores right near my home, and quite frankly, I'm glad I didn't know about them before now. I've saved a lot of money just by being ignorant!

For lunch, we came back to the house to greet Jeff and Jak and a huge, steaming bowl of ground turkey soup. Mmm. After Jak went in for a nap, we plugged in The Nanny Diaries and sat down to enjoy it. Belle and I have many things in common but one of the main things is that we have both been nannies for a good chunk of our lives. What a perfect movie for us to watch together!

Around 4pm, we left to take her back to her car, and it was drizzling a bit of freezing rain. No big deal. We're from Buffalo. (This statement has become our motto when navigating across MD in the winter. People freak here when it rains/snows/or any other type of precipitation happens. We don't. We're from Buffalo.) We dropped her off at her car but before we did, we noticed that one of the main bridges to get back to Annapolis was closed. Uh oh.

We started towards Annapolis in a round-about way, with Belle following beind as to not get lost. This was going to work out great since we needed to run to Whole Foods and we could make sure she found her way home safely.

Fast forward about 2 hours later. 2 hours, during dinnertime, with a man who is about to wet his pants, a hungry toddler in the backseat and no diaper bag, pacifier, teddies, cereal bars, even candy for goodness sake, nothing to pacify him, and a mom who's nerves were completely shot.

At this point, we've avoided both a front and a rear end fender-bender, and we have only driven about 5 miles from when we dropped Belle to her car. Traffic was stopped on all major roads going into Annapolis and there was no way around it unless you wanted to swim. Rush hour + freezing rain=ain't nobody goin' anywhere.

Thankfully, Jeff had the discernment to skip our grocery shop, and turn around while we were still able to catch our bridge--which wasn't closed--so that we could get back home before 9pm. Belle was near Annapolis and she knew how to get home from that point, so we did a U and headed home. Jak was long-gone by this point; not even another episode of Praise Baby in the dvd player would work. About 37 rounds of singing "You Are My Sunshine" later, we ended up at Safeway to grab a pizza and fed him 2 jars of baby food while we sped him around in the cart grabbing stuff here and there. By 8pm we were home, with a freshly bathed Jak asleep in his bed.

Pizza. American Idol. Ice cream for good measure. Bedtime.

Wait! I'm not done yet!

After hearing a few noises while trying to fall asleep, we figured it was just something outside. As soon as sleep came, CRASH! A box in our bedroom fell over and delirious as we were, we sprung up and lept towards Jak's room as if to save him, thinking there was a burglar in the house. Once realizing what the crash actually was (J must've kicked it over during sleep since it was placed at the foot of our bed), we got up to clean it up and then finally, finally, fell asleep for the night after taking lots of long breaths to relax.

What a day.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Welcome to Our Blog!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to post here often so that you can be updated on all things Knapp, whenever you want. I love to write...so happy reading!