Christmas

People told me this summer that having Rylan at Christmas would be so much fun, and IT WAS! We had so much fun planning,preparing, and celebrating...now I am close to putting everything away. We were all over town visiting with family all week long. Rylan was a trouper as usual. Even his "fussy" isn't that bad.

Now I'm gearing up to go back to work Jan. 4th. It makes me tired just thinking about it!

I can't believe how fast 2010 is approaching! Happy New Year!

(I worked for days to make a picture collage...I'm still working on it.)

Me With the Bigs...

A couple of months I met (and had my picture taken) with the superintendent for the state of Indiana, Mr. Tony Bennett. This meeting and working alongside Mr. Jim Kapsa, and the South Bend Schools is all due to some great kids living in South Bend.

Beginning in April 2007, God began lining up things that would truly change my life. Since October of that year, I have been involved with the Son City Kids After-School Program. I have a passion for inner-city kids and their education. We have been meeting weekly, showing these kindergarten through fourth graders that they and their education matter. Just this year we have teamed up with the school corporation to help the kids as much as we can. The kids are improving in their skills, and we are mentoring them along the way. Each week more than 20 volunteers meet with these kids. I am so proud of them. This is a good team!

Rylan's First Road Trip

Since last spring, I have been anticipating a visit from my sister in the month of October. She needed to come back to the states to meet with some supporters and make some new contacts. As we discussed her visit, my leave from work, and the new baby, her road trip turned into a road trip for her, me, and Rylan. First I had to check with Ryan to see if he could live without us for 10 days. He said he would manage, and he knows how much I love to hang out with Emily. It was actually harder for us to be gone that long than I originally thought. For both Ryan and I. He got sick while we were gone, which was really sad because he was home alone. We survived though.



The trip went like this...

---Saturday to Indy-Stayed with "Auntie (cousin) Kim", great fun

---Sunday to Sidell, Il-Em and I tried to tell Girlfriend (GPS) the way to go...we were wrong, Em talked at a church, I made lunch, Rylan was an angel playing on his mat in the kitchen, Em stated he was her nephew several times to let everyone know that she didn't have a baby out of wedlock while she was away, drove on a dirt road

---Sunday night to St. Louis-stayed w/Aunt Sandy and the Kile gals, Rylan loved playing with his second cousins, he almost got his cheeks eaten right off, slept in Stacy's really comfortable bed

---Monday to Withita/Eureka, KS-new friends, another church, good chili, Rylan and I playing in the church nursery, stayed w/Angie's parents-her dad looks just like Dave Ramsey, met Angie's friend and two cute kids, ate some great dessert

---Tuesday to Harrah (Ok. City), OK-stayed two nights!, loved not having to pack up in the morning, stayed with friends who used to live in Michigan, relaxed in the country, saw the memorial, at chicken fried steak, Em talked to some kids at church, made new friends at church (oh Ernastine, get cuter!), got lost in the boonies, laughed, put a sleepwalker back to bed

---Thursday back to St. Louis-in our pjs, Rylan had a meltdown, so did I, stayed at a cozy hotel w/happy hour, nachos, free wifi, and hot breakfast

---Friday to Indy-back to Kim's, Em got together with old friends, freezing cold soccer games, football and BW3s, Bring It On 5!, dinner w/my pal Erin (so glad)

---Sunday back to South Bend!!!



2,230 miles. I'm glad we went along. It's so fun to hang out with my sister. She was such a good "husband", as she called herself, carrying things, loading the car, pumping the gas. I love her! We made memories.

Oh Technology...

I was so excited last month when Ryan told me we had a web cam! To which I replied, "How did I not know that!?" So he showed me how to use it and I am now a new girl! I quickly logged onto Skype, created my account, and began chatting with Emily, Eric, and Cindy. On Mom's birthday we surprised her with Skype at the lake by calling Emily, meeting Gabo, and chatting with Eric and Cindy. Mom was so excited, she took a picture of Eric and Cindy!

It is actually easier to talk on Skype while I'm doing things around the house. We also hold Rylan up to the camera like the Lion King so they can see how much he's grown. One night Mom, Ryan, Emily, and I had dinner together. She couldn't see all of us but she sat at the end of the table where the extra chair is.

What a great invention...and it's free!

6 Weeks Already!

Nearly 7 weeks ago I posted my due date on this blog. Time sure flies...

Rylan Lucas was born July 9, 2009 at 11:25am. He was 8 lbs 7 oz and 22 inches long! Labor was pretty much what I expected, minus the vomiting. That made it way worse. We were at the hospital 17 hours before he was born. It was a very long night for Ryan. He didn't complain one bit but said later that he thought it went on forever.

We are just enamored by Rylan. Everyday we feel like he does something new, or makes a new face. It is such a great change. I am blessed to be able to stay home until January and hang out with the little guy. We spend our days feeding, playing, and sleeping. We do go out and about frequently. Our schedule is working out very well. The three of us are a good team.

Today we go to the doctor for Rylan's check-up. We are so anxious to see how he's grown.

Due Today!

Today is the official due date for this baby! We are still awaiting his arrival. I am anxious now. Not uncomfortable, or complaining, but excited and ready. I was trying to think of what this can be related to, this waiting, but I can't think of anything exactly like this. It's like vacation, a wedding, and Christmas all rolled into one, however, those events have specific dates and times. I'm so thankful that I am not miserable or scared and just excited. Everything is ready and so are we! My how things are so different than last year at this time! God's timing is perfect, and I have really experienced that in my life. I am thankful for that.

So as I continue to wait, I am getting a few small tasks done, while playing a lot of solitare. This afternoon I am going to go walk in the mall to see if I can get something going. I really don't want to ruin Uncle Dave's party tomorrow, but it's not all about me anymore. :) There have been some signs of labor, but there is never a set time. This process is a great experience!

America's Favorite Pastime

This year, Ryan took a giant leap and started a little league team with the boys we work with through Son City Kids. Our good friend Andy came along side of him and was fully committed each week. The two of them taught, coached, disciplined, refereed, mentored, and loved on 15 boys from inner city South Bend. I couldn't be more proud of them. We had our ups and downs but the boys began to understand the game and became a team. We were an exception to the Matthys/Little League rules while making an impact on not only the boys but the Little League community. We are thankful for the support of the organization. People are inspired by what Coach Ryan and Coach Andy took on this spring, the families were excited, we got parents involved in their kids lives. Our only hope and prayer is that we can continue to pour into these boys' (and others) lives as we take more steps. It was so great to watch these kids feel proud of their accomplishments and improvements. It was blissful watching them go crazy as one of their teammates would run toward home plate. Safe or not, they sure did hoot and hollar!

We had great support and prayer throughout the season. What a blessing! It is fun to see Jesus on the ball field.

The Lake

Last fall, Mom and Roger bought a lake house on Eagle Lake near Uncle Dave and Aunt Susie's house. It is a ranch home that needed some major TLC. Mom and Roger will retire there someday. We (the family) have been renovating the house...top to bottom, every room. In the last couple of weeks it is really coming together though it is getting harder to work with the nice weather and the lovely deck outside.

Being at the lake is really relaxing just listening to the water and watching the ducks float by. The boys are really into fishing with Lunkers being our new favorite store. Good thing it's on the way to the lake. I have not done any boating or swimming due to being 9 months pregnant but am looking forward to those things at the end of the summer. I'm pretty sure the neighbors don't need to see this belly sticking out of a bikini. They may send Mom and Rog packing.

We're having a great time! Painting, cleaning, eating, sitting...never a dull moment. We have the bathing suit, sun hat, sun sheild, and sunscreen ready for Baby Kring when he arrives! I love summer!

6 Months

I am six months along now. It seems like the time has gone so fast and there are still so many things to do. I have gotten some perspective on life in the last couple of weeks and am working on prioritizing things. We are entering the last nine weeks of school and then floating in the lake until the baby arrives. The budget has been in the forefront of our minds lately. We are thankful to be so blessed, and working on where to cut back.

Today we finished registering at babiesrus. It is really a crazy thing to do. Pretty overwhelming, very exciting, and time consuming. It really took us about 5 hours in the store, plus what I've done online. Babies need a LOT of stuff! I think my favorite thing we registered for was the golf polo and overalls for 12 months. That was right up Ryan's alley of course. It's crazy to think that we are already planning for the time when he will be 12 months. I really don't want to rush it!

This is an exciting time in our lives. We are so thankful and blessed.

It's A Boy!

Today was an exciting day. We went for an ultrasound to see if our baby is healthy. While we were there, we also found out the baby is a HE! I am overwhelmed. It seems more real now that we saw his little face and body. He should arrive sometime around July 3rd. Now it's time to prepare. How do you even decide what things to buy, I have no idea. There are so many choices. We are so blessed by this miracle.

January in Northern Indiana

January in northern Indiana is a funny thing. December ranks right up there, however, people seem to let the weather slide due to the need for a "white Christmas". January however brings out a different side of people. For the past week, the most intelligent conversation I have had a work has been about planning for this week. All depending on the number of snow days we had last week. The good news is, we did have a snow/cold day on Friday. It was very necessary due to the temperature being -19. Now the big question is...when do we celebrate 100 day!? It should have been Tuesday, but now it's Wednesday. Oh the drama...
The other comical piece of last week is the way people complain about snow and cold temperatures. On Thursday, the majority of corporations in our area canceled school. South Bend did not. Oh man, people were in an uproar. Teachers, parents, and the media. I had 7 (out of 22) kids absent on Thursday, my mom had 13 (out of 24) absent. I was able to complete my plans at a much faster rate with less students, thus leaving a little extra indoor recess time. This was a great opportunity for me to check the WNDU website and see how big of a deal they were making about South Bend not canceling. I love WNDU, but it worked. There were pages and pages of comments from community members stating their opinions about us having school. I truly laughed out loud as I read on after school. I then encouraged others who were feeling down to do the same.
Personally, it wasn't any worse on Thursday then it was on Tuesday and Wednesday. I had to allow extra time and bundle up. Thank goodness Ryan lets me park in the garage, what a blessing! Truth being told, I would have loved to sleep in and watch Days all of those days last week, but work was in session. Friday I did those things plus some other tasks I had been putting off. I'm still unsure of the 100 day schedule, but that is the least of my worries.
Next January, I'm sure it will be the same deal. People "can't believe how bad the weather is", and "you should stay home if you don't have to go anywhere", and "more snow", and "falling temperatures". Here are fun facts I like to focus on: Friday, it was 55 degrees warmer in Alaska then in South Bend. Saturday, South Bend's temperature raised 48 degrees by late afternoon. That is almost balmy. And I saw on the news that Friday a guy flew from San Diego to see his family in shorts and a t-shirt knowing the temperature. From take off to landing, the temperature had dropped 80 degrees. The crazy thing is his luggage got lost and was somewhere down south and wouldn't be in until evening. He wasn't even complaining.
I am thankful for shelter in these days, and heat in my house...there are a lot of people in South Bend not so lucky.

Back to School

Last week I went back to school after winter break. I was feeling pretty laid back about the kids acting a little different after being home doing their own thing for two weeks. I mean they are just kindergarteners, they have never done this before. Here are my favorite stories from this week. These stories involve the same boy who I will call Fred. (I use that name often in class as an example.)
Fred is a fun kid. He has learned so many things this year. He is my only student who did not go to a "formal preschool" before kindergarten. Not going to preschool at my school is rare, not so much at other schools. Fred has 3 brothers and sisters so he has a great personality. At back-to-school night he was making farting noises on his arm. He got on an owl tangent early in the year and taught the whole class. He should probably be a comedian some day.
This week:
On Monday we went to the computer lab like usual. It was in the middle of the day and some of the kids were getting very tired. At one point I look over at Fred and he was sitting in his chair completing his assignment with his feet crossed up on the desk. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "just relaxing". I did laugh out loud (how can you not) and told him to please put his feet down. I then proceeded to have him tell other adults about the incident so they could laugh too.
On Wednesday we were having indoor recess (again, it's cold). The class has a variety of things to play with or do during indoor recess. They have begun pretending to be dogs, crawling around the room, barking, using math manipulatives as leaches, the whole nine yards. They have names. Some are "good dogs", some are "naughty". On this particular day Fred was playing a dog. When I looked over in the direction of a loud dog, Fred was up on the table on all fours barking at the "dogs" below. I called his name and told him dogs were not allowed on the table. I think he said something about being a bad dog. Again, I laughed out loud.
These are the joys of kindergarten. There are so many more. I love it, even though I'm praying for a "cold" day this week.