Blurbs from the Erbs

Potty Training

2011-02-25T08:17:00.000-08:00

So this morning I sent my son to his room to play...

I discovered quickly upon entering his room that he had done something in those "big boy" Thomas the Tank Engine underwear that we have discussed so many times that he should not do...
Sent him to the bathroom to wait for me while I collect myself and vow not to take my frustrations out on him...
Manage to clean him up, while calmly explaining to him how big boys should also poo-poo in the potty not in their shorts.
Send him to his room, and (joyfully) begin the task of cleaning the big boy shorts
Son appears and announces that he just got pee on his favorite doggy
Take doggy and toss him in the load of laundry I just started, while son sits on the toilet to see if anything else could possibly be left (I did not realize he was holding his favorite train)
Return to the bathroom to discover favorite train in toilet and son crying
Frustration definitely getting the better of me... send son to his room, again, and dive in the toilet after train (remember, I was cleaning out big boy pants just prior to this)
Wonder for the 1000th time how some parents blissfully proclaim that they are able to potty-train in one week, perhaps they are concealing the fact that poo-poo training takes considerably longer? Or maybe I am just blessed with an unusually stubborn son.

As I am later researching in vain for any pointers on how to make this training process easier on both of us, I realize that this season will pass and at some point my son will learn what I am trying to teach him. Hopefully, I will gain some more patience as well and perhaps learn a valuable lesson about comparing myself to others. After all, they are worth it...

Advent Calendar

2010-11-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

So, I know it has been more than a year since I last blogged, and I may at some point post a synopsis of the past year. Today, though, I am just going to talk about my advent calendar.

One of the fond memories I have from my childhood is dragging out the felt advent calendar every December 1! My brother and I took turns every other day, pining the ornament for that day to the felt Christmas tree. Someone had carefully crafted that calendar and spent quite a bit of time making the felt ornaments that reposed in each pocket. My brother and I would secretly find our favorite ornaments and put them in the pockets that corresponded with our day to pin it on the tree.

I decided that this would be a fun tradition to continue with my children. In researching advent calendars, I was overwhelmed by all the fun ideas! I have created an advent calendar that is much like I remember, but without a pattern and with my impatience to complete the project, it is far from perfect. So we will use it this year to get us started and maybe next year we will try another idea.

I sewed beads onto the tree so that my Little G can actually hang the ornaments himself, instead of having to mess with pins.

I also purchased tiny ornaments, because I certainly do not have the time and patience to craft 24 tiny ornaments.

The pockets turned out to be much more roomy than I had originally intended them to be, so I may put a piece of chocolate in each pocket as well and combine a couple of calendar ideas.

A New Erb!

2009-09-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to John and Drina, on their new very handsome little man (aka Mag-lite)!!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

Jason's idea of a really good Father's Day...

I am so thankful for God's blessing of a terrific husband, who is a wonderful father!! Thank you to Papa and Mimi for setting such a godly example!

One Year!

2009-06-19T07:46:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday, Little G!

The Swimming Pool

2009-06-04T12:42:00.001-07:00

Jason was pretty excited this past weekend to have the opportunity to take Little G to a swimming pool. Little G is a HUGE fan of bath time so he should love the pool....right? If you cannot make out Little G's expression in the pictures, let me tell you as traumatic events in his life go, it ranked right up there with his visit to the barber shop. We are hoping that he will learn to love it sometime this summer, but I guess there is always next year.

Can you guess....

2009-05-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

...what new event would turn this...

...into this...

...Little G started walking this week! He is very busy exploring and making messes. Here he is in action...

Update on My Dad

2009-05-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Today's surgery to remove my Dad's kidney was successful and completed without any complications. The recovery room was a little rough as coming back from the anesthesia proved to be a little difficult for him. Though he is in quite a bit of pain, we are all thankful for God's grace and mercy. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for a speedy recovery.

Graduation

2009-05-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

Graduation festivities began this week with a reception for the graduates and their families at the seminary president's house. Here we are with Dr. Al and Mary Mohler.

Dr. Mohler's basement library is impressive to say the least, somewhere near 30,000 volumes. Jason and Little G are sitting in front of Dr. Mohler's desk. Little G has really picked up on how to "cheese" for the camera.
The forecast of thunderstorms threatened to move this outdoor graduation indoors, but Friday turned out to be a perfect day. Here is Jason receiving his diploma; he has now officially completed his Master of Divinity in Theology. Congratulations, Jason! I am so proud of you!!

Thank you so much to the family and friends for all the support and prayers!

Barber Shop

2009-05-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

I, Andrea, am usually the barber in our house, but since I am certainly a novice we decided that Jason and Little G would go to the barber shop for nice short "summer cuts." I have cut Little G's hair a few times before, but since this was his first trip to the barber shop I grabbed my camera to get some pictures of the event. Well, I was so busy trying to keep the little man still and calm that I never got one picture of him sitting on Jason's lap in the barber chair. But here are some pics of them after. You sure cannot tell from his smiles how traumatic the haircut was for him.

Last day of class!

2009-05-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

Jason attended the last day of class for his formal education (at least that we know of for now) today. He was a bit nostalgic last night as he stayed up very late to complete his last paper. This educational process has, after all, been a rather long chapter in his life.

Here are some pics as he heads off for the last class...

...contemplating being done with school...

...and this last one makes me smile!

Now we get to celebrate!

God is Sovereign

2009-04-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

Last week I had just finished listening to a John Piper sermon on how God is sovereign, I was very much moved to hear him describe how God has used two poignant circumstances in his life to lead him to where he is, with such an effective ministry, when I received a phone call that would test my faith in that belief. My (Andrea's) dad had gone to the doctor for what seemed to be a minor health problem, a hernia. The doctor being concerned about the location perhaps being problematic sent my dad in for a ct scan, which I should add doctors do not normally do for hernias. After the test my dad went in for the follow up visit the doctor told him he did not have a hernia but an 8 cm tumor on his right kidney. He was told that less than 5% of tumors on the kidney turn out to be benign so all are treated as if they are cancer. Wow! Those are words no one wants to hear.

My dad had an appointment with the cancer doctor yesterday and we are somewhat relieved to learn that while they will have to remove his right kidney the cancer has not spread to the renal artery or the nearby lymph nodes. They will be able to do this procedure with a minimally invasive surgery and no chemotherapy. We are praising God that the cancer was found while still in the early stages as this type of cancer has almost no symptoms and is usually not discovered until it has spread. Please pray for my dad as he will have surgery to remove his kidney sometime within the next four weeks and also that all the preliminary tests are correct and the cancer is confined to just the kidney.

Just for fun...

2009-04-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

Little G is getting outfitted for the summer camping trip...

A recent family pic...

And Little G (before haircut) hanging with his best bud, doggie.

The Maestro

2009-04-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

Through the generosity of my parents, I was recently able to aquire a keyboard. Here are some pics of our little maestro...

We tried to capture his fingers in action, but as you can see from the pic below, his "fancy fingerwork" is just too quick! :-)

Little G's first set of wheels...

2009-04-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

Kids can be useful...

2009-03-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

Together Again

2009-03-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

A week ago while Jason was gone on yet another business trip I went to IL to visit my family and upon returning to KY we were able to spend time with Jason's folks, who made that long trek down from the north. Thank you Papa and Mimi for spoiling us! Here are some pics of Little G with both sets of Grandparents.

Welcome Home Daddy!

2009-02-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

Jason was gone to a training session in Texas this week. Having him be gone for nearly a week certainly made me appreciate him in a whole new way. What a terrific husband and father he is!! We are so thankful to have him back home!

Eight months and crawling?....Ah not so much...

2009-02-21T13:26:00.000-08:00

This...
quickly becomes this...Yes, Little G certainly prefers to standAny of you mommies have this problem? Suggestions?

Mr. Curiosity

2009-02-14T11:09:00.000-08:00

Watching Little G discover new things is a daily delight! Whether it is how many new noises he can create, or how many different directions he can possibly sleep in his crib, he keeps us constantly entertained.

I placed Little G in his crib while putting some things in his drawers beside the crib; when I looked up, I discovered I was being observed...

...doesn't he look like a happy little prisoner? Here is another pic of the curious little one...

...and some more pictures...

The Gettys

2009-02-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

This past Thursday, we had the opportunity to hear Keith and Kristyn Getty in concert at Southern Seminary.

The Gettys are originally from Ireland, and Keith, along with Stuart Townend, is a modern hymnwriter, composing songs such as "In Christ Alone" and "The Power of the Cross". We use a lot of their music in corporate worship at our church, and so we jumped at the chance to see them in person. We were not disappointed!

God has used the Gettys to write some beautiful, doctrinally rich new hymns for the Church- songs that help teach the doctrines of the faith, and aid in expressing worship to our great God for who He is and what He has done.

If you are not familiar with the music of the Gettys (or perhaps you are but want to know more), you can visit their website. One of our favorite songs that Keith and Stuart Townend have co-written is titled, "O Church Arise". Click on the title if you want to read the lyrics and hear a sample of the song. Enjoy!

New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-24T05:26:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know I am a bit late on this since January is almost over, but our New Year had a rather busy beginning with visiting family. Besides the usual weight loss goals, I have been thinking of how easy it is to fall into the trap of being discontent, of wanting circumstances to always be different. I am currently living what I had always dreamed about...being happily married and staying home with my little one...and yet it is so easy to miss out on the joys of my present circumstances by always wishing for more.

My heart is so full of thankfulness when I think of how God has blessed! One thing I am thankful for is how my husband loves to surprise me and to make me laugh.

For instance...

... who would have believed that this beautifully wrapped Christmas gift...

... would be a promotional bobble-head doll from his work.

Ah yes...anyway... back to the resolutions... as I see how quickly our son is growing, I realize how important it is to enjoy each precious moment that God has given us. So along with the usual resolutions to be more organized, disciplined, lose weight etc, my goals are to be content and to be thankful for my circumstances (the good and the not so pleasant). I love Philippians 4, and how in the first half it talks about how we are to rejoice in the Lord and reminds how we are to focus our thought-life. The second half of the chapter talks about God's provision, such a wonderful chapter!!

Here is another picture of the growing boy...because I couldn't resist.

Grandmas and Green Thumbs

2009-01-19T16:38:00.000-08:00

While I really love flowers and well cared for houseplants, I have never been very good at keeping them alive. This could be due in part to being busy working and forgetting to consistently water them. However, I have recently aquired a couple of new plants and am determined to take the best care of them.

One of my most poignant memories of my Grandma is how much she loved to grow things. Each summer a visit to Grandma's included a tour of her vegetable and flower gardens. When I see the colorful blooms of the african violet on my window sill, I am reminded of how it used to sit near my Grandma's special chair to cheer her during the winter months when she could not garden outside.

Next to the violet, sits this ivy, given in memory of Jason's Grandma.

This holiday season has in some respects been a sad one for Jason and I. The week of Thanksgiving we said good-bye to Jason's Grandma.

...and shortly after New Year's day my Grandma went to be with the Lord.

Two Grandmothers both leaving a legacy of their deep love for God. While I enjoy growing plants inside when things are bleak during the winter months, these plants are also daily reminders to me of two women who had lives well lived, and inspiration for me to do the same.

A Try at Blogging

2009-01-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

Well, I am not making any promises as to how great a blogger I will be, but I am going to make an attempt. Here are a couple of pictures of LG during our recent visit to the family.

First he is enjoying his first slice of orange at Papa and Mimi's house.

In the second pic is a face we are seeing quite frequently on him with the lower lip sucked in.

This third pic is an unofficial "Christmas picture" of LG.

I had to include this final pic of LG's uncle. It was too good to resist...
That's about it for now. I am hoping to keep at this with some regularity. We'll see how it goes.

Some pictures of Little G (for the sisters)

2008-06-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Some of you have been asking for pictures of Little G... and by "some of you", I am referring especially to my dear sisters. So, here you go!

Hey? Where did Little G go in this picture?

Ahh, there he is...

Like the smile?

Now how did the picture of that handsome and buff doctor get in there?

I'm not sure what to say about this one...

So, does he look like Jason in that last one?

Hopefully, those pics will suffice for now... :-)

You know you shouldn't be a blogger when ...

2007-11-27T17:08:00.000-08:00

I am just curious as to whether or not anyone has checked back here yet to see if I posted again . (See? If this is all I can think of to post, I am probably not meant for the blogging world, except perhaps as a visitor.)

Oh, I did just finish finals though. I guess I can say that. Is that a good post?

(I'm thinking my sisters are pretty disappointed with my efforts thus far ...)

Pictures of the Kiddo

2007-11-09T05:50:00.000-08:00

So, I created this blog just so that all up north and points elsewhere could see pictures of the new little one. (Sisters, this is NOT an official blog, so don't expect a lot of posting! :-))

Enjoy!

The proud Dad with his little girl ...

The little girl herself ...

The fam ....

(Poor little thing!)

The proud uncle! (nice jacket, by the way!)

And one more of the little one ...