From St. Louis

Samuel's fourth birthday

2006-09-11T22:14:00.000-05:00

2006-09-11T22:13:00.000-05:00

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Grandpa Sherwood put it together, so he had some fun with them afterwards.

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John looking out the
window with the kids -
something they love to
do with him. What a mess!
He no longer has that
curly hair. John gave
him a haircut. :)
The kids enjoying their
new "play ground." My
brother was getting rid of
it and gave it to us. It
takes up over half their
play area in the basement, but they love it!

Pictures!

2006-08-29T21:59:00.000-05:00

Abigail getting
ready to go on a
walk - has to take
her baby of course.

John was trying
to sleep.
Abigail learning to ride her first bike.

2006-08-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

I can't figure out how to get more than two pictures at a time on this. Oh, well! I finally got pictures on the computer, so here are some. Seth loves to vacuum. He always has to do it first. :)

Watching over our children

2006-08-13T16:48:00.000-05:00

I was listening to the radio last week, and they were talking about how teens today know and do so much more than their parents are aware of. It was quite alarming to hear what teens are doing today. I wasn't aware of all these things, so I thought that I would pass them along to all who read my blog occasionally. By the way, thanks to all who post!

1. Teens pretend that they're different people when they're on the internet chatting with others. A 12 or 13 year old girl can be 16 or 18, whatever suits her fancy, and she can end up talking with other men who are much older or even sexual predetors.
2. They use live video cams (hooked to their computers) to record their sexual acts and have a new form of "safe sex." A couple of boys they interviewed said that they new some people who did this.
3. They use their cell phones to call phone sex companies, without their parents knowing. They just say they're over 18 and their in. They even do this during school, so all their friends can "enjoy" it too.
4. By the age of 11 or 12, kids have already been well exposed to pornography on the internet. It's "old" to them and they're ready to move on to "new" things.
5. They said that 8 out of 10 shows on TV have sexual content in them. I wonder what the ratio for movies would be? Not to mention all the worldly philosophy and godless thinking that TV and movies impart to the viewers.

I might have forgotten some more of the things that were said, but those were the ones that stood out to me. After I heard this report, I was thinking to myself how hard it is to raise a godly seed in this world. As Christians, we need to beware of what's out there and have good relationships with our children to make it all the harder for the world, the flesh, and the Devil to turn them from Christ. John and I don't let the kids watch movies, unless it's educational (like teaching them about sharks, bears, tornadoes, etc.) They don't watch TV shows; they watch the news with us. We will always have the computer in an area where we can readily see what they're doing. Right now, our computer sits in the family room, right where a lot of traffic is and my eyes can easily see from the kitchen. I don't think they'll need cell phones as teenagers. I had one when I went to college, but it was only for emergencies. We worship God with our children. We homeschool them, so they're not in these anti-God environments. We train them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. We do and will, Lord willing, raise our children a lot differently than the average person. May God be merciful to us and all those faithful families out there and protect our children and bless our efforts to raise godly seed for His glory.

So life has been busy

2006-07-28T22:23:00.000-05:00

I don't know why I bother writing on this. I haven't written since February. No one probably checks this anymore, but in the event someone happens to pop in, they'll be a little more updated on how life has been for the Putz's these past few months.

John finished his first year of graduate school, and did quite well. He has been slaving away recently to accomplish more reading and possibly a paper before the fall semester begins. I just started our school schedule up again this week. Abigail is in first grade and Samuel is still in preschool. I'm not sure yet if I'll move him up to kindergarten when he turns four or not. He knows so much. It's just his attention span and memorization ability that's not quite there yet. Since we got started on our schedule again the kids have been happier, I have been happier, and even Hunter (their 3 yr. old cousin that I teach 2 days a week) has been happier. It's sort of funny how much having a schedule makes a difference. Seth is doing wonderful. We have really been working with him to say more words, and it has helped. He's such a joy to be around, always smilely and happy. He and Samuel have been playing more with eachother, which is cute to see. It's a wonder Seth likes to - Samuel's always trying to do something to him or tackle him, etc. Tonight, Samuel had Abigail's pink, feathered hand fan that he was shoving in Seth's face, but Seth thought it was hillarious! They ran around the house laughing, as Samuel chased Seth with it...that is, until Seth fell and Samuel sat on him. :) Brothers!
On another note, I have gotten a lot of painting done on the house since a year ago. We moved in last July and I painted the family room, which had brown paneling on every wall. Yuck! Then I took down the wall paper and painted the bathrooms. Then I took down the wall paper and painted the kitchen, and finally a couple of weeks ago I painted Abigail's room and repainted the based boards in the living room, dining room and hallway. I had to do that because we took up the carpet and refinished the hardwood floors that were underneath. John did it all, with some help from our fathers. They look beautiful. Hopefully, our allergies won't be as bad and it will up the value of the house when we sell. Next spring/summer I hope to take down the wall paper in the boys room and paint their room and possibly our bedroom. We'll have to see. I am four months pregnant now, with the baby due in late January, so life will get even more busy! :) Abigail had prayed for a baby sister, so we'll have to see if God answered her prayers positively. This has really been quite an easy pregnancy compared to my others. This week I have felt pretty blah, but as a whole it hasn't been that bad. I haven't had to run to the hospital yet to get catheterized for my prolapsed uterus and bladder, so that has sort of surprised us. I have felt some flutterings recently, so that's encouraging. At any rate, I have written a lot and need to get to bed. I've been so tired lately.

Ta ta!

Then and...

2006-02-21T22:07:00.000-06:00

Then

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Now

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You just don't know exactly what they'll look like. But it's interesting to look at

pictures and compare.

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Abigail and Gregory (around two years old?)

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Wonderful pics - thanks to Amanda (summer 2005)

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Moving day

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My Love

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Talk about rolls!

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Grandpa Sherwood and Seth

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Keeping the bugs out of her ears

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Some pics Amanda took last summer

2006-02-21T21:25:00.000-06:00

Playing Tag

2006-01-18T22:21:00.000-06:00

Ok, so Amanda (http://www.keepittoyourself.blogspot.com/) "tagged" me. Now, you'll really see how boring my life is. :)

4 jobs I've had in my life:

1. I was a babysitter starting at the of 12.
2. I worked in the cafeteria/kitchen at the Highland Center of St. Anthony's Medical Center.
3. I sold Cutco knives for a very short period of time (they're great knives!)
4. I was a substitute teacher, while in college.

4 movies I could watch over and over:

N/A

4 places I've lived:

1. Arnold, Missouri
2. Craiova, Romania
3. St. Louis, Missouri
4. Albany, New York

4 TV shows I love to watch:

N/A

4 websites I visit almost daily:

1. http://www.keepittoyourself.blogspot.com/
2. http://deusnosterreget.blogspot.com/
3. http://thehannah.blogspot.com/
4. http://occluded.blogspot.com/

4 of my favourite foods:

1. I like almost anything Mexican and Italian.
2. Frozen Mocha Marbled Loaf (Yummy!)
3. Pizza - Imo's Pizza is tastey!
4. Kathryn's Cheesy Chicken Chowder

4 places I'd rather be right now:

I love St. Louis, but I agree with Amanda - I'd rather be in heaven!

So now I'm supposed to tag 4 people. These are the only ones I know left that might read my blog:

1. I tag Laura - http://www.oraeley.com/. You're it! (We're such children. :)
2. Joyce - http://www.joyce.taron.net/

Take care, all!

Comments from the kids

2006-01-08T11:57:00.000-06:00

John wrote this on his blog, but I didn't know if you all read his, so I thought I'd post it here.

Comments from Abigail:
The other morning she was looking out the window. She turns to Mom and asks: "Mom, why do we name things?"During family worship, we read a passage where God says He's going to do what He has said He will do, and that He will not "repent". Abigail interupts and says, "He doesn't need to repent--He never does anything wrong."Finally, Abigail remarks: "God is everywhere. He's by the bookshelf, He's by the couch, He's everywhere. It makes you think there's more than one God--but there isn't! That's kind of crazy."

Comments from Samuel:
Upon hearing me make one of my attempts at humor with Abigail, Samuel pauses while doing the dishes for a few seconds, and then laughs to himself and says, "Dad's a funny dad." Any time we talk about something good, Samuel cheerfully interjects: "[That thing] is good."Any time we talk about something bad, Samuel interjects with a deep, angry voice: "[That thing] is baaaad." He does this so much now, that Seth--who is one year old--says "baaaad" the same way.

Comments from Seth:
Seth is an unusually thankful child. Everytime we hand him something, he says "thank you." The other day, Seth is playing by himself. He comes across his chew toy on the floor (near nobody!) and, as he reaches down to pick it up, says "thank you."

Sorry I haven't updated for a while! I have been really busy with all the duties that life requires. Abigail just finished her second semester in kindergarten, so that's exciting! She's now able to read easier verses in the KJV Bible, with a little help. She reads everything she can and loves to type on the computer. Samuel is learning what Abigail learns, only at a slower pace. I hope he'll be ready for kindergarten when she finishes kindergarten...it's his attention span that's more of a concern. He's such a wiggler! Seth is one year old now - birthday Dec. 31st. He is starting to really repeat a lot of things he hears. Samuel has made it a habit to say "that's bad" as he passes every house with Christmas lights on it. One night, as we were driving in the van, he was doing this and Seth said, "baaaad...baaaad." We got a big kick out of it. Seth just started saying "whoa" too. He'll see something and he'll say, "whoa!" Adorable! John has been slaving away on a paper. He's got one more week of break left and then he's back in the classroom. He's trying to finish up his paper before going back. He found out that he has a stigmatism in his eyes, which was making it really hard to see clearly. He broke down and finally got some glasses to help him. They look pretty nice. I'll have to get a picture of him. The weather here has been unusually warm lately - in the 50's. I love it! You can't beat the 50's in December/January! Well, Seth is awake and wanting out of his bed. I must be going. God's blessings to you!

82 years

2005-12-18T21:49:00.000-06:00

My Grandma Mander has been in town for a little while and we finally got to go over and visit with her last Saturday (the kids had been sick and we didn't want to go over and get her sick). She is 82 years old. I only have 53 more years and I'll be there. I wonder what I'll be like if I'm able to get that old. She has osteoporosis and other problems (like most old people). Life just gets more painful as you grow older...but then there is more to be thankful for, as well. I can't remember the reference, but "through much suffering we must enter the kingdom of heaven."

My dad loves having the grand "pigs" (as he says it) around

2005-12-18T21:46:00.000-06:00

Airplane Rides with Grandpa

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London britches falling down, falling down, falling down...

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Ok, so his clothes are a little too big. :)

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Falling pants

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Accomplishments

2005-12-18T21:18:00.000-06:00

He was so happy he could climb in there. Love that smile!

Hide and Seek

2005-12-18T21:13:00.000-06:00

This was so funny. John told the kids to go hide, while he counted. They chose a great spot - about four feet away. :) Kids are so funny!

Hail

2005-12-18T21:08:00.000-06:00

We got a wild storm a couple of weeks ago. It hailed pretty hard. It was scarey. I can't even begin to imagine what terror went through the minds of the people who died in the Flood.

Seth in a basket

2005-12-18T21:07:00.000-06:00

He was quite proud of himself for getting in there all by himself.

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Singing the "Be Positive" song at dinner time

2005-12-18T20:59:00.000-06:00

John created our "Be Positive" song to encourage the kids to be more positive when they're in a negative mood. Samuel didn't want to eat his dinner, so John began singing the song. He got a kick out of it and forgot (for a moment) about being negative. Whatever works!

2005-12-18T20:58:00.000-06:00

Horsing around with the boys

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Long time

2005-12-09T23:12:00.000-06:00

Ok, ok, so it's been a while since I could last post. I've been busy! So, the news - Samuel's potty-trained! Yeah! I found out the reason he cried every time I put him on the toilet - he thought it would hurt to go pee. :) Kids are funny. As he gradually realized that it didn't hurt, he began to think that going to the bathroom was the greatest thing in the world! He must have been going every five minutes! :) I'm so happy that I'm just changing Seth's diapers now, and I don't have to worry about potty-training him for a long time.

Speaking of Seth, he is walking everywhere and getting into everything! The cutest thing he's doing right now is saying, "Thank you!" He's been saying it a few weeks now, but recently he has been saying it with more clarity. You just want to squeeze him and hug him he's so cute!

Abigail is doing well in school. For the most part of this week, we've been reviewing her penmanship and math. She's been learning how to count money (dimes, nickels, and pennies), but it hasn't been easy. I played this "check out" game with her, though, and she's finally understanding it. She's so excited that she keeps asking me to play with her more. :) She's reading very well, which is exciting. It's so rewarding to see what she's been able to do with a little schooling.

What else? John just finished two big papers this semester. He just has a logic final on Monday and that will be it for this semester. He's trying to get ahead for next semester, though, by completing an independent study course during his break. The work never ends!

We got to go out to dinner at the Outback on my birthday, Monday. That was nice. My mom and dad showed up at the door singing happy birthday and said they'd watch the kids while we went out. I love having family so close! John got me a cross word puzzle book for my birthday. Got to like that gift! Hehaha! I laugh, but we had talked about how those kinds of things are good to do to help keep the brain going. So, he got me one! I love my hubby. You know, before we were married, he used to get me flowers and write me poems and sing me songs...and now...it's cross word puzzles. ;) What five years of marriage does to you! ;) No, really, I love my husband sooooooo much, as you all know. He still occasionally gives me flowers and sings me songs, and writes me poems. I wrote him one the other day that was so corny. I'm no good at writing poems, but I tried! Well, tis late and I should get to bed. I've got a busy day ahead of me. Good night!

Why is this?

2005-11-29T20:39:00.000-06:00

I just read this story on yahoo news. I wonder why it goes away after a year? Any thoughts?

HERE IT IS!

Time flies

2005-11-24T21:00:00.000-06:00

Well, as you will see, I've been reminiscing about times past, looking at all the pictures we've accumulated on our computer. No wonder it's so slow! I never cease to be amazed at how time flies. Seth is almost a year old and it just seems like the other day he was born! Right now he's playing underneath the desk I'm working at, laughing and making sounds of joy at his accomplishments at getting there. :) Oh, the simpler things in life. I need to be as happy as him. John heard that people who are happier don't get sick as easily. The flu is going around here, and the kids and I were close to stepping into an infected house yesterday. When we got home, we were all trying to be unusually happy in hopes that it would help prevent us from getting ill. :) So far so good! No, really, I know that God is the ultimate One that keeps us healthy, but He can do that by means. :) Still haven't passed those stones, at least to my knowledge. Something to be happy for! Well, maybe. Somebody needs to invent something to help keep your hands from freezing while you type at the computer. My hands are freezing! Must go waarrrrrmmmm them. Enjoy the snow you guys!

Does he look the same now?

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So small!

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John and Seth - after he was born

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Friends

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The Two Dancing Princesses

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Samuel

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So much has changed

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Future couple? :)

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Do you remember this Amanda? They were so cute!

Future Mozart :)

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new hair cut

2005-11-21T19:42:00.000-06:00

I cut Abigail's hair shorter than I intended, but it ended up cute.

Waiting for worship

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Samuel's pile of junk

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Samuel loves making piles of junk. He piled everything in the family room in one big pile and then jumped in it. :) Weird kid! Gotta love him!

See the resemblence?

2005-11-21T19:30:00.000-06:00

Before the hair cut

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After

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Still no pain

2005-11-15T22:12:00.000-06:00

Well, I still haven't passed the stones. I've been drinking this mixture of olive oil and lemon juice throughout the day. So, we will see what happens. Abiail is sick. Now I'm just waiting until the other kids get it, and hope that I don't get it too. :) It has turned unusually cold here today. I think tonight we're supposed to dip into the low 30's with high winds. I'm so glad we have a house with better insulation and windows. It's late and I still have to make John's lunch. If I could only get to bed earlier!

John took these pictures of Seth

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Taking a bath

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Our Seth

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waiting for pain

2005-11-11T22:41:00.000-06:00

I went to the ER today because I've been having mild pain on my left side of my abdomen and back. After a Cat- Scan, they found they I have two kidney stones just trying to come out. Wonderful news! ;) We were happy that it wasn't anything else that could be more serious. So, now I'm just waiting for the pain to intensify and pass these dreadful stones. My wrists and hands are really hurting me right now because they had to poke me four times before they were done putting an IV in and taking my blood! My veins were not cooperating. The first guy who poked me was new at taking blood and really nervous. He had the needle in his hand and he was just shaking. I was thinking, "Are you going to stop shaking when you poke me?" Well, he didn't! So, here he is holding my hand shaking and holding the needle shaking and trying to get blood! Can you say painful! He tried two times and couldn't get blood, even sticking the needle further in didn't help. :) The poor guy! I was good to him, though. :) They brought the expert guy in to finish the job, but even he had to poke me twice! He was getting blood from one vein and it just stopped giving! So, then he had to poke me again to get more blood! What a day!

He does love me!

2005-11-10T23:38:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm not so hurt anymore! John just wanted to see how much Set loved him, so he threw himself on the floor crying, "Ouch! Ouch!" I jumped on him and acted like I was beating him up to see what Seth would do, and he just started laughing! So, John grabs my arms (which were around his neck) and Seth gets this concerned look on his face as if John was hurting me and he started crying! "Don't hurt my Mommy!" - his thoughts, not actual words. :) What a precious son.

Happy boy, Seth

2005-11-10T23:23:00.000-06:00

I'm hurt! Seth is being so cute right now. He and John just carried on a little conversation. He said, "Hi, Dada." and then baby talked to John and then walked over to him and said, "I love you." It was so cute! So, I walk in the room and try to make him tell me the same thing, while I so lovingly change his poopy diaper. I'm holding him so he looks at me and not at John to say I love you and he says, "Dada," and moves his head so that he can see him! And then he blew a kiss to him! Well, at least I know whose name he calls when he's really hungry. :)

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"The couple"

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Abigail loves to get married. :)

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Samuel putting his puppy to bed. Night, night!

He's walking!

2005-11-08T23:02:00.000-06:00

Well, today Seth took nine steps! This picture is from a month or so ago, but we couldn't get any of him tonight when he was walking so well. I can't believe he's 10 months old already! I wish life would just slow down a little. I think he's our earliest walker. Abigail walked at 11 months and Samuel at the end of 11 months.

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