The Clemensuz

Easter Fun

2010-06-01T15:15:00.003-04:00

Hello, Friends and Family. Another video of highlights from a recent holiday. This year, we had a prolonged Easter weekend. We first spent the weekend with G&G Clemens in Vincennes. There was beautiful weather, and Jonas had the chance to hunt eggs (after being trained in egg-hunting combat by Grandma).

We also were really pleased to be able to head down to Tennessee to see Great G&G Schroeder at their house! We were joined by lots of cousins, aunts, and uncles. It was a great time with family.

Enjoy the video. And again, if you'd like to see it larger, click here to see it on youtube.

Christmas 2009 Highlights

2010-03-20T17:49:00.003-04:00

Sorry it took a few months... but here are a few highlights from Christmas '09 at Grandma and Grandpa Kline's house... mostly focusing on Jonas, of course. We were joined by Jeremy and Amanda, as well as newly-engaged Trevor and Stephanie. Trevor wasn't feeling very well, but he stuck it out!

Jonas got a Mr. Potato Head for Christmas... but preferred to wear the pieces himself. He also got to play in the snow, ride a sled for the first time, and play some ball!

Enjoy the video! If you'd like to see it larger, go view it on YouTube.

Goofballs

2010-02-10T15:22:00.004-05:00

I'm not going to lie - it has been a rough couple of months around here. Please don't misunderstand me - I am ecstatic to be pregnant and humbled that God would give us another child, but this pregnancy so far has knocked me off of my feet. Hard. I know that God has chosen to let us walk through this and I know that He has been preparing us for it. It's still hard. But these two goofballs....I just can't get enough of them. They bring me such joy. Just wanted to share them with you.

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

Everything Must Go!

2010-01-23T21:59:00.009-05:00

We are rearranging the house to make better use of space for baby #2, and we are cleaning out some things that are still in good shape (but unneeded for us now). We are happy to give these things to friends and family in the area. If you want to give us something for them, we won't argue... but it isn't necessary! We'd be happy to get them to someone who needs them... and out of our house. Email one of us if you're interested.

Check out the album at the end of this post to see the included items:

Nice, fairly new Target desk hutch (the hutch and desk are still for sale on Target.com). We are offering the hutch... you can buy the desk online still, if you want the pair. They really are nice.
Asante Router and 24-port Ethernet Switch with patch cables. Basically, this is the start of a small network for a home or small business.
Standard Def JVC DVD Player with component video and digital audio. Still works great.
JVC 5-Disc CD changer. (This requires you to already have... or get... a receiver to hook this to.)
We also have a large drawer file cabinet (2 drawer). It is not pictured in the album yet. It's about the size of a low dresser. The drawers are wide and deep. It's heavy particle board... but it has a decent maple/oak kind of finish.

Nausea, Drugs, and Fun with Hospitals

2010-01-16T22:06:00.004-05:00

Sorry we haven't done a great job updating the family blog. Here's a quick blurb that many of you will want to know. If you didn't know before, Melissa is pregnant with Baby Clemens #2. She has, like last time, had pretty nasty sickness along with the pregnancy.

Long story short...

Melissa's pregnancy sickness/nausea/etc continued to escalate this week. It was unpredictable, and even after beginning a new medication to combat it, she just couldn't keep anything down (let alone keep up with an 18 month old all day). Her doctor (she has a new one this time) was concerned about her being dehydrated, malnourished, etc. He had her go into Miami Valley to get an IV and try different medical treatments. After 24 hours or so, she was able to come home. She now has a little mini-IV pump that she will have to carry on her (like in a sweet little fanny pack) which gives her a slow, steady dose of anti-nausea medication. So far, tonight she's been able to keep down some food and feels a little better.

Please pray that the medication will allow her to have semi-normal days (they don't expect it will remove all nausea). She just wants to be able to take care of Jonas and baby #2 without being in bed half the day. We're just hoping to have a low-key couple of relaxing days now to recover. A Colts win would be nice as well (they are playing now).

And here's a non-related picture... just for fun... don't worry, it's just brownie batter.

a pumpkin tale

2009-10-30T16:00:00.001-04:00

The tale of Jonas' Halloween pumpkin...in pictures...

Happy Belated Halloween :)

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

cold weather brainstorming

2009-10-01T13:33:00.003-04:00

Oh, October...you're my favorite.

Fall always reminds me of our camping trip out west two years ago. Best trip ever. We camped for two weeks out to and around Colorado. Plus, I was already three weeks pregnant and didn't yet know it!
So...with colder weather on the way (not TOO soon, please), I'm brainstorming about things to do with this little cutie:

We LOVE to be outdoors but realize that won't always be possible this coming winter. I'm wondering...what sort of places do you go/things do you do with your kiddos when nasty winter weather arrives??

thank you

2009-09-29T21:35:00.006-04:00

We've been pretty sick around these parts, but Drew and I had a wonderful 5th wedding anniversary! Truly, I am still amazed and humbled after reading that letter (see post from hubby). Seriously...what a great guy...I am completely undeserving yet so, so thankful.

And thank you, friends, for all of your kind words and encouragement! I was completely overwhelmed...in a good way :)

And who says you have to spend a lot of money to celebrate?? We spent our evening enjoying 3-course fondue at home. Yum.

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

An Anniversary Letter

2009-09-25T09:12:00.006-04:00

For our 5-year anniversary, September 25, 2009.

By Drew

My intention in writing this letter is not out of pride or hopes of something in return. I honestly don’t need to hear what you all think of me for writing it. That’s not important; though it’s nothing against you. I had to check myself and ask if that was indeed the case. I can say with a clean conscience, though, that it isn’t, thankfully. This isn’t about me. This is about my bride, my helper, my best friend, my wife.

This letter really is more about Melissa than it is to her. Though, I know she’ll read it eventually, and that is my intention. This is simply my way of saying that I love her on this particular day, our five year anniversary.

Not only do I want you to see that I love her… I want you to see how much there is to love about her. There are proverbs about children and husbands praising the mothers and wives in their lives in public… honoring her and telling her praises for all to hear and join. This is the best way I can think to do that.

-

I wish I was able to describe her using music, rather than words. To do it in such a way that you could understand how she fits in the song of my life. I’m not a musician, though. I wish I was. Perhaps I could write this much more poetically and accurately. The things I feel for her seem to be echoed in the notes and crescendos of the really big songs that move you. I trust you can understand that. She would. She knows me that well.

Even as I write this, with my headphones on listening to one of those big songs, I feel those divinely-given emotions that I have for her in those rare, sweeping rifts that make you close your eyes and shiver with a chill up your back that you wish would never pass. It’s a moment of fullness with an eternal feel to it. Those musical peaks seem to speak the same language of perfect union and symphony which I feel about her. I hope you know it. It’s a feeling words just can’t capture.

God is amazing. It’s so easy to see his fingerprints in the perfectly-balanced creations of music, nature, and marriage. What a blessing and testimony of His grace that He would share with me one of His incredible creations; and what an even more incomprehensible blessing that He would choose to share a daughter of His of such integrity and beauty. Who am I that he would save my life, let alone entrust me with such a treasure as marriage to her?

In our marriage, I’ve been so blessed to see her grow. Her devotion to integrity… her desire for modesty… her call to be a loyal and committed friend… she desired these things when we were younger, but she has been teaching me so much more in these areas lately. Even in the daily things, she is an inspiration. For a girl that said she couldn’t cook, she’s been helping her two boys fill out quite well! She isn’t afraid to learn new things. Her initiative and self-teaching are really an encouragement to me. And her dedication to our family, in doing everything she can to support us through wise spending and saving, provides just as much for our family as any paycheck… yet she does it without any boss looking over her shoulder. I appreciate her discipline so much.

And what about my son? Why should our Creator ever bless me with such a joyous, healthy bundle of energy such as him? Such grace He pours out on us. Such grace. And then to multiply that grace in my life, God has put a pure and distinct desire in Melissa’s heart to be a mother that would raise Jonas and future children under His Lordship. A desire that she’s already pursuing, and He is already blessing to bear fruit.

Even now, at 15 months, the joy of the Lord which is in Melissa is showing in our son. Her love for music and life come pouring out of him as he beams with his 8-tooth smile and dances to any object emitting a beat (the rhythms of the radio, tv, and washing machine are all the same in his book). Her desire for family and sharing life with others is wrapped up in his arms as he shows he is quick to hug and greet anyone with a friendly face. Her intelligence and diligence are mirrored with every new word he learns and object he figures out. Her gorgeous eyes and smile are written all over his face. What a wonderful mother she is.

What a beautiful family I’ve been given. What a gorgeous wife I’ve been paired with. What an undeserving man I am. What a generous God we serve.

I love you, Melissa. I loved you for who you were when we were brought together. I love who you have become. I love your desire to become more and more like Christ. And I love, love, love the fact that I get to share my life with you.

Happy anniversary, babe.

-

For those friends and family reading this, please take the time to leave an encouraging comment for Melissa today. Tell her what you love about her. Make a comment here, send an email or text, or whatever. She may not know why you’re all sending them at first… but she’ll figure it out after awhile. :)

where i come from

2009-09-05T11:21:00.002-04:00

Jonas and I are spending a few days at my parents' house in Indiana while Drew is attending a conference in Texas. I could not love this place more.

This makes a mama happy.

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

camping

2009-08-31T11:25:00.003-04:00

Before this weekend Drew and I hadn't been camping since our big excursion out west two years ago...and that is just too long! We really enjoy it, especially with friends. So this past weekend we headed out to John Bryan State Park with most members of the band I'm a part of (and spouses). We had PERFECT weather...just chilly enough to really enjoy huddling around the fire. And, it was our first overnight away from Jonas. He had a blast with his buddy, Beck, and Beck's grandparents, and we loved the relaxing time with friends.

Jody and I, showing off our 18-layer blanket-mattress. So comfy! Our husbands might reconsider sharing a tent with us after the uncontrollable giggling fits.

Being weird. Drew was standing on a hill, so this is him, being enormous.

Justin and his multipurpose camping cup

Oh my...we ate WELL. Food just tastes better over an open fire.

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

hiking weather

2009-08-25T13:06:00.005-04:00

We are loving this beautiful fall-like weather. This past Sunday we took full advantage of it and spent the day hiking...one of my favorite things to do! And Jonas loved it just as much.

Fueling up

Jonas is an excellent hiker.
If only he wasn't so interested in the rocks that he forgets to keep going.

Love this backpack. Love this little boy.

What tops off a great hike? A yummy cake, of course.

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

proud sister

2009-08-18T11:18:00.003-04:00

I'm a proud sister. Very cool things are happening in my family!

My younger brother, Jeremy, is finishing up his Sports Management degree at Indiana University (Go Hoosiers), and would love to coach when he is done with school. He's getting an early start, and this fall he is the Assistant Wide Receiver coach for an area high school in Bloomington, IN.
He's the tall guy, second from the left in the coaching section.

My younger sister, Stephanie, just started her second year of teaching in Indiana. She's teaching middle school math...I know...crazy. She's an excellent teacher. And I love taking her shopping with me to figure out the best deals...she's ridiculously faster at the math than I am. I'd post her latest school pic, but she's not really into passing around her picture anymore :)

I'm wondering when we got so old??

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

buy our stuff

2009-08-11T10:34:00.006-04:00

Garage sale-ing is an adventure. Sometimes you hit the jackpot and find a great deal on something you don't really need must have. Other times those little goodies are few and far between. This past week our house church attempted to have one of our own, solely filled with great finds for a steal, of course. After three days of bartering, sitting, and corralling three toddlers, we actually sold quite a bit and raised some money for a friend! I really enjoyed having some neighbors stop by, some of which I'd never met. And one miraculous morning, all three little guys actually napped at the same time, which gave us girls time to sit and chat.

By far, my favorite thing was having those customers who were ecstatic to find something they could really use. A really nice man bought Drew's old drafting table for gift for his wife. An older woman who takes care of her husband full-time was so happy to find some of our jewelry. And then there was the little boy who found a small trinket and excitedly said to his mom, "This is beauutiful!!"

Filled to the edge...and beyond

A good idea in theory. Lots of tears here.

Me, Tricia, and Jody - hard at work

It's so neat to see how God is working in our house church. We are learning how to live life together. And how to sell our junk together :)

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

schroeder family reunion

2009-08-04T11:02:00.004-04:00

What a fun group. We spent a long weekend in southern Indiana with 20ish family members (Drew's mom's side), ages ranging from 7 weeks to 83 years. Grandma and Grandpa Clemens were excellent hosts! We swam, ate, rode bikes, played cards, ate, napped, played with the babies, and ate again. It was a really great time. We do miss our families, but we're thankful we can take weekend trips to spend time with them. We can't wait to see you again soon!

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

dancing fools

2009-07-30T13:57:00.004-04:00

So, our son LOVES to dance. ALL the time. Yesterday he and his buddy, Isaac, were dancing up a storm. Wow...I love this video.

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

best buds

2009-07-29T09:42:00.002-04:00

Jonas has a buddy. They are just too cute: Best buds

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

dairy and harry

2009-07-25T08:27:00.005-04:00

I LOVE date nights! What a great husband I have...he planned this one from start to finish. After living in Ohio for five years we finally went to Young's Jersey Dairy Farm, since everyone gasps when we mention we've never been there! Fun place...great food, putt-putt, and lots of things for kids. It was great...we're looking forward to taking Jonas back.

We took the long country drive back to Kettering and picked up some cheap snacks for, oh yes, Harry Potter. I know, I know. If you've never seen the movies, we are now automatically nerds. I'm not ashamed to admit it, though (okay, maybe a little)...I love them!

We had a great time. I really love my hubby. And we LOVE date nights...and having friends who like to watch Jonas for us!

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

my helper

2009-07-22T15:52:00.003-04:00

Jonas is learning to be an excellent helper...especially in the kitchen. When I cook, he empties out the Tupperware cabinet and climbs in. We're a great team.

cheesin'

2009-07-17T10:13:00.003-04:00

Last weekend we had a little picnic with some other house churches in our area. I only snapped one picture, but I love it. Yep, Jonas is totally cheesin'.

Jonas & "Grandpa" Garrett, playing in the fountain

chicken fingers

2009-07-14T07:29:00.003-04:00

A conversation from yesterday, after learning that our friends had their baby (Congrats, Mark & Amy!)...

Me: "Whenever my friends have babies, all I can think about is labor."
Drew: "All I can think about are those hospital chicken fingers. Mmm."

He was kidding. I think.
I love my husband :)

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

lake fun

2009-07-11T10:42:00.005-04:00

Jonas and I took a quick trip up to northern Indiana this week to visit some family. My grandma, aunt, and uncle hadn't seen Jonas since he was six weeks old, so it was really fun for them to spend some time with him. My aunt and uncle have a place on a lake, and they are so generous to give my family an open invitation!

So happy to see Grandpa

Out cold

Uncle Ron, just before he tried to drown us

Swans at the dock in the morning

Not quite sure what to think of the fish

Relaxing with uncle Jeremy, just back from Costa Rica! It was so fun to hear about his trip...and to drink the yummy coffee he brought back with him!

Lots of fun. I'm so thankful we're able to take little trips like this. Thanks Ron & Marcia!

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

the magic of the boat

2009-07-10T10:52:00.003-04:00

A day in the sun + long boat ride = tired boy.

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

top recipes

2009-07-07T09:01:00.004-04:00

For those who don't already know, I have been doing bulk cooking for the past few months. With the help of our friend, Tricia, Tami and I have cooked once a month since February. We even took the month of May off to catch up on leftover food! Tricia provides everything we need to make it go smoothly - menus, recipes, grocery lists, instructions for the cooking day, and even the weekly shopping breakdown for the Dayton/Cincinnati area (we purchase the food during the month before the cooking day when items are on sale). Tami and I (and our families) absolutely love it. We both love to cook, so it's nice to spend set-aside time making new dishes, yet still saving time in the evenings. Oh, and the money we're saving is an extra perk!!

Since we've been doing this, Tami and I have both had numerous people ask us what our favorite recipes have been, so I made a list! We have been pleasantly surprised with how much we like the recipes, and these are our favorites. For those who are interested, I've broken down the recipes by month. If you go here you can find the recipes in their respective months.

April
Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Ham & Potato Pockets
Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken BBQ
Burritos
Cheddar Butter Burgers
Beef Fajitas

March
Baked Chicken Fingers
Spinach Tortellini Soup
Raspberry Chicken
Pizza Roll-Ups
Jamie's Minestrone
Orange Marmalade Marinade Salmon

February
Chicken Parmigiana
Spaghetti Sauce
Chicken (Turkey) & Corn Quesadillas
Taco Soup
Vegetable Soup
Blueberry Whole Wheat Waffles
Lasagna
Banana Sour Cream Bread/Muffins

Yum. I actually miss some of these dishes. I love to talk about it, so let me know if you have any questions! Oh, and visit Once A Month Mom :)

pool date

2009-07-06T22:04:00.004-04:00

Beautiful day = pool date with friends!

Amaya was sitting pretty, and Braden was apparently fascinated with Jonas' hair...or ear.

It was a miracle that Jonas actually sat long enough for this picture. He's a champion walker now. A trip to the pool generally means he climbs in and out of the pool 10 times, plays in the dirt/landscaping, tries to eat a rock, and starts the cycle all over. We have a great time :)

http://www.theclemensuz.blogspot.com

happy 4th!

2009-07-05T23:14:00.002-04:00

A great holiday weekend in Michigan with family! Birthday celebrations, a trip to the zoo, an afternoon at the beach, playing and reading with the boys, loving on 3wk-old baby Peter, card games, motorcycle rides, and way too much food! We just don't get up there enough...

Birthday fun with cousins

Happy 29th Birthday, Drew!

Books before bed

Kayaking on Lake Michigan

Snuggling with baby Peter

Stealing a mommy-son moment at the zoo

Happy 4th of July!!

food, glorious food

2009-07-02T14:16:00.005-04:00

Ever wonder what a month's worth of food looks like? Technically this is for two families, but still...wow!

Tami and I had our latest cooking day this past Saturday. And after having lunch together today we gave the Asian Chicken-Salad Pitas an A+. Thanks, Tricia, for all of your hard work! You make our lives run much more smoothly...and help us save money. Yay for you :)

june in review

2009-06-29T21:47:00.004-04:00

Ahh, summer. I love it so. And with a very active one-year-old to keep up with, I love it even more! That's right...one-year-old. Last Monday (June 22) we celebrated Jonas' first birthday. We can hardly believe it! What an amazing year it's been. He is learning things now so quickly and becoming such a fun little boy. He's so happy, and finally starting to gain weight more steadily. God is so good!

We took a family vacation to North Carolina during the first part of June...with ALL of my dad's family. It was such a great time! There were around 40 of us staying in a big house right on the beach...the perfect place to be with such a large group. We all came back refreshed and tan...perfect.

Other than vacation the month of June has been packed with weddings, new babies, cooking, firepits, trips to the pool, birthdays, date nights, concerts, and even a little time to myself. We've posted some photos from the past few months on our Picasa account. Click the picture below for the direct link. Enjoy!

Spring/Summer '09

we're still here!

2009-05-02T21:33:00.004-04:00

Didn't I mention that I was taking a blogging break? No? Oh :)

Well, I wasn't planning on it, really. I've been babysitting my good friend's 4-month old little girl during the day (from March until June), so life has been BUSY, to say the least! I'm getting a crash course on taking care of two babies! Amaya's adorable, and Jonas has so much fun with her. It's been really neat to watch them interact, especially as Jonas' personality is really starting to show. Seriously, he's such a happy little guy. With the warmer weather, we've had him outside almost constantly, which he loves. And when he's inside, he's standing at the front door, wanting to go out! He's such a boy...I love it.

Just wanted to write a quick note to let you know we're still here! Life is busy for me right now, but I'm definitely planning to update more, especially once summer hits. We're heading for a big family vacation in June to the Outerbanks...counting down the days!

Oh, and here are a couple of recent pictures:

First trip to the park

The big haircut (for both)!

Such a big boy

cooking adventures

2009-03-09T10:46:00.003-04:00

I was going to write a recap of our big cooking day, but Tami's already done an excellent job, so I'm just sending you to hers! Head here to take a peek into our crazy day! I'm already loving the results of our day in the kitchen...how wonderful to have yummy homemade food right at my fingertips for a month. Now I just have to keep my husband (okay, and myself) out of the chocolate chip muffins...

germ-free house...finally!

2009-03-03T09:32:00.003-05:00

We have survived our first round of illness! Whew. Jonas had a lovely mix of an ear infection, bad cold & cough, and a stomach bug...combined with teething. He really was a trooper for all that he was dealing with! Drew and I ended up getting it too, but Jonas had it the worst, by far. Luckily, it never turned into RSV, so we're thankful for that! He's back to his happy self now...laughing and crawling all over the place! He loves to pull himself up to standing even more than he likes to crawl. And, he officially said his first word. Does it get any better than this? :)

We are doing well. We have a very busy March ahead, including vacation! More details on that later. I'm also starting to do once-a-month-cooking, which I'm super excited about. My friend, Tricia, has started a website devoted to this endeavor...she has been doing it for years. Her website is http://onceamonthmom.com/...check it out! My good friend, Tami, and I partnered up to do it, so we have our first big cooking day tomorrow! I'm excited. We've already saved an incredible amount of money...but I can get into more detail after tomorrow, or maybe the day after since we'll be exhausted :)

That's all for now...have a great day!

Crawling!

2009-02-22T13:06:00.002-05:00

Just a couple days shy of 8 months, and Jonas has figured out crawling. It's a lot of fun, though we're going to start scrambling to finish baby-proofing the house. It happened at Melissa's parents house in Indiana. She went to visit them while I (Drew) was out of town for a conference. It figures he'd learn to crawl when I leave the area for a few days. Here's one of his first attempts!

a few things to share...

2009-02-10T14:05:00.004-05:00

Just a few pictures/events to share with you!

This is one of my new favorite pictures. My two handsome boys. This was right before Jonas' first hands-on experience with snow. He liked it for about 5 seconds until he realized how cold it was. I could just eat up the expression on his face.

Every Tuesday I get together with the other moms in our house church. Here's the most recent picture of 4 of the 5 babies (we missed you, Erinne and Shep!). Whenever we set Jonas down next to a little girl he puts his hand on her shoulder. What a gentleman.

Jonas has officially learned how to both sit and pull himself up. Seemingly overnight. I actually caught this moment when he first pulled himself up to standing from playing on the floor. As you can see, he was petrified. But ohsocute. He's now learning that he can sit up and play in his crib instead of sleeping, which he LOVES :)

Drew and I were so thrilled to celebrate this past weekend with our friends, Justin & Abi! We absolutely loved seeing two good friends commit their lives to each other and to the Lord. Plus, they were the first couple we've ever actually seen stand their and enjoy the whole piece of cake...way to go, guys.

Oh, and Jonas met two new LARGE friends this weekend:

http://reflectionsofadogmom.blogspot.com

He's been around dogs a few times so far and seems to be quite the animal lover :)

january in review

2009-01-27T15:38:00.005-05:00

Who knew that the dead of winter could be so much more enjoyable with a little one rolling around? January has been good...and busy! We celebrated my birthday, Drew had a weekend excursion celebrating our friend Justin's bachelorhood (getting married in February to another good friend, Abi), hangouts and games with friends, visits from family, early morning workouts and restaurant outings with my mommy friends (ironic, I know), fun date nights and play dates, and lots of projects around the house.

Jonas is becoming very mobile, very quickly. He's not crawling yet, but he can scoot and roll his way to wherever his heart desires. He's sitting up like a champ, which makes him really happy...playing is much easier while sitting up. We're constantly amazed at how big he's getting. He's learning how to drink from a cup and just starting to wave. It's too cute. I've been making his baby food, which I love for the nutrition and the savings! So far he's eating carrots, peas, squash, sweet potatoes, and apples - all of which he loves, which is amazing considering the massive number of McD's egg and cheese biscuits I consumed during pregnancy :)

We're doing well. I still LOVE being at home with Jonas. Work is busy for Drew right now, but we've already planned a little getaway for early March, and we're excited to celebrate with friends who are getting married in February. Here are a few snapshots from the past couple of weeks!

"Ta-Da!"
(Jonas' first trip to Steak 'n' Shake...he actually liked wearing the hat)

Piano lessons

Such a big boy. Mmm apple juice.

Okay, I had to include this. These are our friends, Ben, Tricia, and Isaac. We attended a band party (for Apex) where we had to come dressed like another member of the band or their family. They came dressed as us. Ben was sporting an Apex t-shirt, hooded sweatshirt, hat, and long hair...hilarious. Tricia came as "pregnant Melissa". Take notice of the McD's wrapper sticking of her pocket, the sick look on her face, and the barf bag. Clever, very clever.

a sneak peek

2009-01-15T16:55:00.002-05:00

I feel crummy, like I'm fighting some sort of a bug. Jonas is fussy and not napping today. We've been indoors for two days because of the frigid temps. I'm learning that taking care of a baby while you feel gross is tough. Is this a sneak peek of what the next pregnancy might feel like? YIKES.

the big 2-7

2009-01-12T22:32:00.003-05:00

I celebrated the big 2-7 yesterday. I LOVE birthdays. Drew think it's funny that I get sad when it's over, but he is kind and pretends to be sad with me. What a nice husband.

We had such a fun weekend celebrating! Friday evening I had an appointment for a massage at a spa here in town (thanks, Mom & Dad!!), which was amazing, of course. Drew picked me up from the spa and we went out to Dewey's for dinner...YUM. After a really nice time at dinner, we went to see a movie. We had so much fun...it was the longest we had been out together, just the two of us, since Jonas was born. I'm so thankful for how much we enjoy just spending time together. It was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday.

Sunday was the actual big day so we had some friends over to play games and eat brownies...thanks guys! Before everyone got here this conversation took place:

Melissa: "Hey, let's take a quick family picture to commemorate this special, special day."
Drew: "Hmm. Okay."

The result:
Nice.

discipline skills

2009-01-08T09:55:00.002-05:00

Enter the discipline stage. If only our son wasn't so darn cute...

This morning I was returning a couple of quick emails while Jonas was playing quietly on our bed. The following scenario took place: He leans toward the laptop (which he LOVES), and quickly pulls the power cord out. Impressive, really. I plug it back into the laptop. He goes right for it again, flashes me a giant grin, and pulls it out. I sternly say, "NO, Jonas" and he immediately belly-laughs like I am the funniest person ever. I try really hard not to laugh. This sequence of events repeats itself three times until Jonas falls over from laughing so hard. At this point I'm actually hiding my face because I'm laughing right along with him. I think I need to work on my discipline skills :)

so happy together...

2009-01-06T15:15:00.003-05:00

Jonas has his first girlfriend, Amaya Grace Rogers. Seeing as she's only a week old, she wasn't nearly as excited about their big meeting as Jonas was. Looks like he'll have to win her heart.

2008 Report From Jonas

2009-01-01T10:31:00.010-05:00

Well hello everyone! Mom and Dad are letting me give you all an update of the past year... which is pretty awesome considering I just made a deposit into Dad's hand while he changed my first diaper of 2009 this morning. Thanks, Dad! Don't forget to wash your hands!

2008: From what I can tell, this year has pretty much been all about me. I wasn't around for the first half of it, but everything I've heard seems to revolve around my entrance into the world. Mom and Dad spent much of the first half of the year visiting hospitals, doctors, birthing classes, and making plans for my birthday. I've heard of lots of trips to see my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins... and quite a few visits from family to my house! I think some of them even slept in my room before it was my room. Weird.

Mom and Dad also spent a lot of time together before I was born. I have no idea what they would talk about without me around, but I guess they were okay with that. I hear they spent extra time going on date nights and even taking something called a "babymoon" to the cabin they stayed in after they got married. Even that trip was about me though... I've seen pictures of them putting together awesome baby shower gifts on that trip.

Thanks, everyone, for all the gifts by the way. I slobber on them often.

I made my appearance on June 22nd. It turns out that I can turn labor into a pretty long, drawn out event. I made sure Mom and Dad got their money's worth. It was a pretty awesome day. Right off the bat, I got a passing grade on my first test. I didn't even study, but they say it proves I'm healthy. The day was sort of a blur, and the next day or two weren't much better, but me and Mom and Dad got through it with some help from Grandma Kline.

Since then, I've just been developing my awesomeness. Currently, I'm working on my third tooth, sitting up, banging on things, eating smushed up vegetables, and sleeping for longer than 6 hours. I've had plenty of shots (NOT fun), and the doctor tells me that I'm freakishly tall and skinny... but they aren't worried. Turns out I'm just built like my Uncle Jeremy. Bring on the ladies.

I've had lots of visits from grandparents and friends. I've even gotten to take lots of trips. Turns out that I'm a pretty good traveler. Check out this list of destinations!

My G&G Clemens' house in Vincennes. That's in Indiana. I felt the urge to eat corn and play basketball there... unfortunately I can't chew or walk yet.
Camp Tippy. For some weird reason, this place felt oddly like home. I hear it has a history with my family.
Aunt Marcia and Uncle Ron's lakehouse. They didn't let me drive the boat. Maybe next year. I've been practicing with my ducky in the bathtub.
My other grandparents house in Crawfordsville. All the people there look exactly like Mom. I don't mind. They snuggle with me a lot.
I stayed with my new friends, the Stewarts, while Mom and Dad went to Dad's High School reunion. This was in some magical place called "New Castle." Our hotel had a giant shoe in front of it. Strange.
My great grandparents house in Tennessee. Everyone kept eating while we were there. Wow. They called it "Thanksgiving," but I called it "crazy-fun-get-passed-around-a-lot time."
Then we did a repeat tour of Indiana and opened up all sorts of shiny wrapped boxes. I saw all my grandparents again... and even saw my great grandma Kline!

Overall, things have been pretty great. Mom and Dad seem to be enjoying me. I'm slowly showing them how to rearrange the house to make it more fun, and I'm working on adjusting their schedules to something more conducive to my eating and sleeping schedules. They're catching on. I've really enjoyed getting to know their other friends, too. So many of them have come to meet me. They brought meals. They pass me around. It's like a neverending supply of Aunts and Uncles and Grandparents right here in our town! They're great!

Mom seems to love being home all of the time with me. We go out somewhere almost every day. Target and Meijer are some of our favorite hangouts, where I always meet new people who tell me how cute I am. Mom is always showing me her coupons and lecturing me on how to save money. At home we spend lots of time playing, reading books, and giving slobbery kisses (just me...Mom's aren't slobbery). I like hanging out in the kitchen in my excersaucer while she cooks, sings, and dances. She's always explaining to me what she's doing, even though I don't really know what she's talking about.

Dad isn't around all day like Mom, but we get to hang out a lot, too. He spends many of his days doing things for our church. It doesn't seem easy, but he sure seems to enjoy doing it. He tells me that God has huge plans for the church, and we all have a part to play in it. I don't get it yet, but I can tell that our church really loves me.

I think that pretty much wraps it up. I've been asked to let you know that Mom and Dad really appreciate all of you. If you're reading this letter from me, chances are you've invested in me and our family in great ways already. Thank you!

We're sorry we didn't get Christmas cards out this year, too! Thanks to all of you that sent them to us. I gnawed on a few of them... no offense. Check out some updated pictures of me by clicking the picture below.

Love you! We hope you have a great New Year!

Winter '08-'09

all he wants for Christmas...

2008-12-10T18:03:00.002-05:00

...are his two front teeth :)

Jonas has sprouted one bottom tooth, and he's working on the second. I'll post a picture as soon as we figure out how to get one!. He's been a teething trooper so far...let's hope it continues!

giving thanks

2008-12-05T16:20:00.005-05:00

For Thanksgiving we packed up our little family and headed down to Tennessee to spend a few days with Drew's family. It was a really nice trip! The drive was long (and a little painful when Jonas did NOT want to be in that seat any longer), but the visit was great. Lots of talking, eating, fresh air, playing games, and playing with the little ones. I'm pretty sure I gained back my pregnancy weight over the course of three days :) I've posted pictures to our Picasa account (link is to the left), but here are a few of my favorites:

Snuggle time with Grandma
(if you know Jonas, you know it's amazing that he even has ONE sock on!)

Enjoying the sunshine
(Drew's grandma and cousin, Diana)

I love this picture. Jonas is blowing a bubble for them.
(that's Abigail, Diana's daughter)

Happy boy

Abigail and Jonas...best buds

Kisses from Grandpa

Jonas also had his first official haircut recently. It involved Drew's clippers, an extremely wiggly boy, and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" on repeat for 5 minutes, sung by yours truly.

Before:
(the crazy comb-over)

And after:
(wow...he looks old)

5 Minutes of Jonas Fun

2008-11-20T23:44:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone, we just decided to make a quick video montage of some of Jonas' new discoveries. It's crazy. It feels like he's learning all the time at this point. Maybe only grandmas will enjoy this video, but that's just fine by us (and certainly the grandmas!)

strange feeling

2008-11-20T10:36:00.003-05:00

What is this strange feeling? Rest???

We've had two full nights of sleep!! Three nights ago I decided to let Jonas cry through his first night waking (2am), since I was starting to doubt that he was actually hungry. (He WAS only waking once for awhile, and slowly worked himself back up to twice.) He cried for awhile and went back to sleep until 5am. Obviously, he was fine! We had done this during the day a long time ago to help him learn how to nap, and his naps are (usually) fantastic now. He was still acting hungry at night, so I kept feeding him. Since letting him cry the other night, he has slept from 11pm - 6:30am! This is huge. And I feel like a brand new woman :)

bottoms up

2008-11-19T16:21:00.004-05:00

Apparently this is a really comfortable way to sleep. I'm thinking about trying it myself.

Even Monkey's joining in on the fun :)

And yes, my sweet son is going bald...partially. He seems to be sporting a mullet/comb-over combo these days. He's the coolest.

time for socks

2008-11-11T11:37:00.003-05:00

It's officially chilly! It makes me want to eat soup every day :) I can no longer get away with being barefoot, my preferred foot attire. And I can't help but remember back to a year ago at this time, when the pregnancy sickness was really starting to hit hard...such an exciting time, yet also so challenging. I am SO looking forward to enjoying the holidays this year!!

Drew and I are really looking forward to this winter with Jonas! He is absolutely a blast right now. At about 4.5 months old, he is rolling over, smiling and laughing, and just so much fun. We are incredibly thankful for all the ways in which God has blessed us! Jonas is not yet sleeping through the night (still waking up every 3-4 hours) but we're slowly working on starting some rice cereal. Some days, I can sneak in a nap, which helps :) We took a cute video of him giggling last night, so I'll be sure to post it soon...

On a personal note, God has really been working on my mommy-heart, in ways which I didn't expect. Near the end of my pregnancy I started dealing with some fear and worry that was completely new to me...mostly about our safety and Jonas' safety. Over the past month or so, these have multiplied exponentially, which I'm assuming is a fairly common way for moms to be attacked. It's a daily battle, but I'm pouring myself into Scripture and learning what it really means to give God complete control. I just wanted to briefly share this since I have many friends and family who read this...please pray for me if you think of it :)

We are doing well, and loving our little family. God is so good.

Family Pictures

2008-10-26T17:54:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post. We had family pictures taken this past week, and here is an album of some of our favorites! Our friend, Amy McSwegin took the great shots.

Family Pics: Jonas at 4 months

fall fun

2008-10-23T08:53:00.007-04:00

It definitely feels like fall...the smell of the furnace, outdoor family photos, hooded sweatshirts, and the return of the Crockpot. Jonas and I have been taking some brisk afternoon walks at the park...it's beautiful! Jonas usually "talks" to me the entire time...he has a LOT to say :)

Drew planned our date night this week and took me to a local apple orchard! We picked up some apples (soon-to-be apple crisp), a pumpkin, homemade apple butter (me) and black raspberry jam (Drew), and a caramel apple that nearly broke our teeth. It was such a neat place...we'll definitely be getting our pumpkins there from now on. Then we went out to dinner at the Golden Lamb, the restaurant in Ohio's oldest hotel. Deeelicious. Homestyle fried chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, corn...we had to roll ourselves out. Then yesterday morning we had some family photos taken (thanks, Amy!!). I'll be sure to post them when they're ready. For now, here's a quick snapshot of our happy boy. Click on the photo link to the left for many more!

ugly beast

2008-10-10T16:01:00.004-04:00

My heroic husband eliminated this ugly beast from our garage yesterday (along with little baby beasts) as Jonas and I watched in terror...okay, maybe not Jonas...he IS a boy. For those of you who don't know, Drew has a preferred method of exterminating spiders. It involves the Aim 'n' Flame and yesterday, Pam cooking spray. You can imagine the sight. Ew. I love fall, but not its creepy crawlers.

slowing down for fall

2008-09-30T12:59:00.004-04:00

Sorry I've been such a blogging slacker lately! Life in our house is finally starting to slow down a bit, just in time to enjoy fall, my favorite season :) These 60-70 degree temps are my dream come true. This past weekend was our first whole weekend home in a LONG time, and it was great. It was full of small home projects, cooking, time with friends, football, and just enjoying time as a family.

Jonas is becoming such a fun little baby! He makes us laugh so much. His enormous smile seems to take up his whole face, and he's right on the edge of giggling. He's talking ALL the time now, and has become obsessed with his hands. He's bored with sucking his thumb...he goes for the whole fist instead. We've uploaded a new video of him if you're interested! Scan down to the bottom of the page on the left, under Recent Videos (should be the top video). Whenever you put a camera in front of his face, he becomes hypnotized, so we have to be tricky. We still have our rough my-baby-won't-stop-crying-and-I'm-exhausted moments, but we three seriously have so much fun together. He's becoming a much better sleeper, too...he sleeps through the night a few times a week and is taking 1-3 hours naps. I'm SO thankful for that.

Drew and I celebrated our 4-year anniversary last week! We could hardly believe it. Our friends, Mark and Amy (and Carson!) watched Jonas for us while Drew and I went to a fantastic little Italian place called Figlio. The food was great, and we had a wonderful time just talking and reflecting. It was a really good time for the two of us. We have grown so much over the past year, both through struggles and good times, and we're looking forward to the year ahead!

Jonas and his favorite friend

Anniversary dinner!
(Drew would like to clarify that he was much happier than he appears to be in this picture...and that he is not giving a thumbs up)

busy, busy, busy

2008-09-09T15:58:00.006-04:00

Whew...September has been incredibly busy for us! Drew has been working a lot to finish up some major projects for Apex, we've had visits with the (grand)parents, hangouts with friends and house church, and we're getting ready to head to New Castle for Drew's 10-year high school reunion. And that's only half-way through the month! All good things, just a lot of them. Jonas has been handling it all very well. He's becoming a champion traveler and getting used to mom & dad hauling him all over the Midwest :)

We arrived home late Sunday night after spending the weekend in Crawfordsville, and noticed that our electricity had gone off at some point since our clocks were blinking. We reset our clocks, and headed to bed. We woke up yesterday morning to messages and phone calls from people checking to make sure we were okay...we soon realized that we had missed a massive storm here on Sunday afternoon and most of Dayton was without power! We ventured outside to discover siding missing from our house and trees and branches down everywhere in the neighborhood. So, I cleaned out the fridge and freezer to make room for friends to use some space, and Drew spent the day helping friends, Rich and Sue, clean up the extensive damage at their place. It was a strange, but good day...Rich and Sue ended up hosting our house church for dinner last night since most still don't have power. It's amazing how much HC really does feel like family! So thankful for them.

Here are a few pictures from our family outing to Cox Arboretum last week, on a BEAUtiful day:

Jonas was less than thrilled about the hat I tried to get him to wear

He loved the beautiful scenery

Loving the fall weather

And later in the day, Jonas' first music lesson

labor-less day

2008-09-04T20:48:00.007-04:00

Our Labor Day getaway was precisely what we needed. We spent four fabulous days at Lake James in Indiana, where my aunt has a house. Drew has been working long hours lately in preparation for some upcoming things at Apex, so he was able to take Friday completely off! We headed to Indiana around noon, and Jonas did very well on the trip...I'm so thankful for a baby who travels well! My family met us there eventually, and we spent the weekend boating, tubing, swimming, sun bathing, eating, talking, sleeping, fishing, walking, and of course, playing with Jonas. It was great...we successfully fit our "summer" into four days! It was so refreshing to spend that time with Drew, Jonas, and my family. Drew and Jonas got to have lots of daddy-son time, which both of them loved. I've posted some pics from the weekend on our Picasa site (link is on the right), but here are a couple of my faves:

Enjoying the boat ride

Four generations

Heading to a bonfire

a fresh face

2008-09-02T22:36:00.003-04:00

Hello, Blogger! For those of you who don't know, my life revolves around Google. Drew and I would be completely lost without our shared Google calendars. I'm not ashamed to admit that I actually have a calendar specifically devoted to meal planning. I know...weird. So, hence the move to Blogger (the Google blog). I'm still trying to figure out a way to move all of our previous Wordpress blog entries over, but if that's not possible, there's a link in the bottom right-hand corner if you're interested.

On a fun note, we had a fabulous Labor Day weekend. Pictures and details coming soon!