We're still here!

Really there's so much to tell you I don't know where to start, and I feel like I don't have enough time, but every time I see that ancient post I vow to get something new up there, so here it is!

Autumn '09 top 10 list: Things we've been busy with this fall

1) Joshua's in preschool twice a week and seems to like it a lot
2) David and I took a FunFit class together while J was busy at school
3) Two trips up to NY
4) Battling nasty colds (still fighting)
5) Thanksgiving (in NY)
6) A double birthday bash for our now 3 and 4 year old big boys (a pathetic tale: I slaved while sick making two cakes that turned out so well, a drum for David and a guitar for Joshua, and my brain was so foggy I didn't even realize I hadn't taken pictures of them until they were all cut and mostly eaten)
7) Decorating for Christmas
8) Reorganizing most of our home since we bought some new (used) furniture AND acquired by some special blessing a grand piano to borrow for hopefully 5-10 years (!!) (special thanks to Ken for dropping our name)
9) Preparing to begin leading a care group sometime early in the new year

and finally the most exciting of all,

10) A new baby on the way! Due June 27. We are hoping to hit Chris's birthday, the 26th. We are so amazed and thankful that God would grant us this blessing! We're not sure yet if we'll find out or be surprised about the baby's sex.

I haven't taken very many pictures lately either, unfortunately. If I had you would note that the boys could use some hair cuts and are growing up fast, and that my belly is ever so slightly expanding, and that Chris is as good lookin' as ever except he needs a hair cut too (I have been too sick to keep up with my men's locks). But, his brother Nathan is getting married two days after Christmas and the boys will be ringbearers again, and Chris is playing piano for the whole ceremony, so we will have to cut that shag by then! Or Somebody will anyway. ;-)

Hopefully by 2010 we'll have some more photos up here. And now to bed, to grow this baby and kill this cold virus. And by the way, our internet is a bit fickle right now, so in case in the midst of traveling, Christmas, wedding, etc. we don't post again before Christmas, and especially since we're running late on our Christmas cards this year, we'll take this opportunity to wish you now a very blessed and

Merry Christmas!

La•bile (lā' bīl') adj.

1. Open to change; adaptable.
2. Chemistry Constantly undergoing or likely to undergo change; unstable; capable of changing state or becoming inactive when subjected to heat or radiation.
3. Medicine Readily or frequently changing, as a: readily or continually undergoing chemical, physical, or biological change or breakdown b: characterized by wide fluctuations c: emotionally unstable.

Yesterday, David's pediatrician mentioned offhandedly that the albuterol he is taking to open up his air passages (due to a wheezy, coughy cold he and Joshua have contracted) may make him more "labile." Today we are learning what this word means.

A few examples:

He gets yellow mac'n'cheese stains on my shirt. I change. "Mommy, I don't like that shirt. Take it off. I want you to look nice. I want you to look like William's mommy."

Receives a granola bar, plays vigorously with it, finds it broken. Result: Tantrum.

Joshua attempts to console, receives a shove. "Joshua, go away. I want you to go in the living room."

Expresses desire to go to bed, hears that he must brush his teeth and change his diaper as usual. Result: Tantrum.

I can't fully describe the nonsensical defiance, screaming, and battle of the wills going on here today, but let's just say I'm thankful he's sleeping now. This is nothing like the sweet, sleepy, cooperative, angelic boy of yesterday, cuddling close to Mommy through the doctor appointment and chest x-ray, who took a 4 hour nap. That was Jekyll; this is Hyde! We are thankful the inhaler and the steroids seem to be working great on the lungs - of course because David is recovering, but also so that we may not need these awful drugs much longer!

A Little Cutting and Pasting?

You might think this post is going to be about Joshua starting preschool tomorrow. We are all taking it very coolly on the outside, but I wonder if Joshua is as keyed up as I am on the inside? It's so hard to believe he is old enough to be going to school. Where did my baby go?!

But actually, that is another story. Joshua is not the only one in the family doing some cutting and pasting. On Monday morning, I very neatly sliced my calf open while taking out the garbage, just as I heard the broken dish rattling around in the bag and remembered its threatening presence. We had plans to go downtown with friends for the U.S. Navy Band's annual Labor Day concert, but first, we had an impromptu visit to the urgent care center. (I suppose nobody ever plans to go to Urgent Care!)

Thankfully, I did not need stitches. Instead, they glued my skin together! Much less ghastly than stitches, in my opinion, and we were even able to go to the concert afterwards. The wound stung a bit yesterday, but today it has mostly been itching around the bandage.

The worst part isn't that I will have yet another scar - rather, reminder of God's protection - but that I can't get my leg wet for two weeks. I have yet to figure out exactly how to bathe with this constraint, so please excuse me if I begin to stink! Meanwhile, I'll try to stick to cutting and pasting on the computer, never put anything sharp straight into my trash bag again, and leave the true cutting and pasting for Joshua to handle.

A Muddled Mom in McDonald's

This is what happens when a tired mom tries to buy her family fast food but can't think fast enough:

"Can I help you?" asked the cashier briskly, obviously eager to turn over customers to cut the lengthening line.
I slid closer to the register, eyeing the menu board, mentally calculating, while questioning my two young sons about their lunch preferences. At least, I thought I asked both of them what they wanted.
"Yes please. Can you get a 4-piece chicken mcnuggets without buying a kids meal?" I fervently hoped so, but it wasn't on the menu.
"Yes," she said to my relief.
I didn't bother asking how much. "We'll take a 4-piece nuggets, a mcdouble, and a hamburger." I was happily thinking, "That hamburger is only 89 cents, even less than the dollar menu! I really saved us some money with that wise choice!"
The clerk rang it up; I swiped my Visa; she left to fill the order. Then remembered I had been falling asleep in the van and wanted a coffee.
I cleared my throat. "Ahem. Ma'am? Can I also get a small mocha? Did my card already go through or do I have to swipe it again?"
"You have to do it again but wait a minute while I fix it so it will let it use the same card twice in a row." Ah, security. I'm glad "it" is protecting my financial assets so that we have more money safely available to spend at McDonald's in the future.
She brought the coffee and scanned my overflowing purse, my tray, my sons and their friends jumping around like a hungry tribe, and my generally disheveled appearance. "There you go. Is that all?"
"Yes, thanks," I mumbled in some embarrassment as I prepared to leave.
Then I glanced at my friend's tray. Three chocolate milks. I set down my tray. Oops.
I flagged down my now harried cashier. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I forgot the drinks. Can we also have two chocolate milks and a cup for water?" Unwilling to subject the security software to a third swipe of my credit card and possibly freeze the whole system, I pulled out five dollars.
She retrieved two milks from two different refrigerators - I guess we were buying them out -and plunked them down on my tray. She fixed her eyes on me and pointed somewhere out of sight. "The water cups are over there. Anything else?"
I looked back at her. Only half joking, I responded, "I don't know. Ask me in 15 minutes."
Finally at our table, I distributed the food. I proudly presented David with his 89-cent hamburger. He did not appreciate it and loudly rejected my offering. "NO! I don't want that! I don't want a hamburger! I want chicken nuggets!"
"You do?" I was taken aback momentarily. "You always get a burger. Well, start eating the burger, and soon I will go get you chicken nuggets. I'm sorry, I guess I forgot to ask you what you wanted."
David, of course, would not start eating his hamburger and started eating Joshua's coveted nuggets. "What should I do?" I lamely wondered. The only way to ward off World War III would be to face that cashier again with my fourth order!
My friend's son unwittingly came to my rescue. "Mom, can I have another cheeseburger?"
"Are you going to eat the WHOLE thing?" Emphatically yes.
"Here Marshall," I said as I fished out some more bills. (I had helplessly noted on my receipt that the 4-piece nuggets cost a whopping $1.99.) "Could you please bring us another 4-piece nuggets too, please?"
He graciously did, and thereafter peace and harmony were restored. Mostly. Now there were some disagreements about whose turn it was to eat of the rejected hamburger, and on top of that, we ran out of apple dipper slices.
As we ran out the door hustling to get to our show on time, I downed the remaining chicken nugget in one bite. No way was that half-dollar going to waste! The hamburger? Well...I confess that I threw away about 35 cents worth.
But, I was very thankful not to have to admit to the cashier that yes, actually, there will be something else.

Robert Goodwin Brinson IV

Our friends in Charleston had a baby boy yesterday, making it to the hospital with a half hour to spare. Whew!

Welcome Dru!

(They have dubbed him Dru for quadruple. I like it.)

Congratulations Rob, Christine, and big sis Sharon!

Richmond

Well, the wedding has dominated the past couple of weeks and rightly so, but it's time to wrap up our vacation post before it is ancient history. We spent the last day in Richmond, where we got to spend an evening with my dear college friend Virginia and her husband Charles, who, FYI, recently published a book - pretty impressive!

Maymont Park

The next day we traipsed through one of our favorite city parks, right up there with Como Park in St. Paul, Central Park in NYC, and Wheaton Regional right here at home.

There were lots of cute baby goats to see, along with their parents and some sheep,

as well as a zoo that includes a black bear, bison, and bald eagles.

After you wander through beautiful gardens, cross the stepping stones, hike up to the waterfall, and then climb up the hundred or so stone steps beyond, you get to this gorgeous garden with a trellis walk just made for wedding photos. Then we cut across hills and over rustic bridges like the one below to finally circle back to our parking lot, where we threw open the cooler and guzzled juice boxes like we had just crossed the Sahara.

Were we on a mission to get the kids tired out? I'm not sure we actually intended to wear out the boys, but they walked probably a couple of miles in this place in fairly intense heat. But I wasn't content to stop there. I knew they would just love...

Tredegar Iron Works & Belle Isle

And they did. The machine pictured at right made little pieces of iron that connected two pieces of rail, and another machine made railroad car wheels. They were quite impressed. We surveyed these relics while Chris parked the car a long way away. David fell flat on his face while we were crossing the street - thankfully no cars were coming! - and then fell again on the other side - fortunately right into a thornless blackberry bush, which was bursting with ripe berries for the public picking. That cheered him up right way! I couldn't believe it, such a thing seemed very un-American (why wasn't somebody profiting from these berries!) but we thoroughly enjoyed them until Chris caught up to us.

Then we called upon the little legs to keep on trucking, over this pedestrian suspension bridge which dangles between a car bridge and the James River, to Belle Isle,

which the boys apparently thought was called "Belly Isle" as Chris observed.

The rapids viewed from rocks in the midst of them were arrestingly powerful as usual.

Naturally we did not let the boys go near them and instead bade them cool their feet in the somewhat stagnant water pooled among the rocks.

By the time they had walked back across the bridge and part of the way to the van, this refreshment was long since forgotten. I had meanwhile trotted up a huge hill to the van to bring it back to meet Chris and the boys. He definitely had the easier part walking down hill earlier! And we once again were drenched in sweat and quenched our thirst with juice from the cooler. Multiple juice boxes on one day is definitely a sign that we are on vacation!

And indeed, the boys were completely tuckered out. It was a good day, and a good way to end our trip. We're thankful for lots of great family memories and quality time together.

A Wedding!

Renee and Del got married Saturday!



I don't actually have a picture of the bride and groom together, but you can see Renee looked like a princess that day.



Here's a happy couple. After the off-site photos we went with some other bridesmaids and friends to Starbucks to chill before the reception.

Joshua and David were the ringbearers. In addition to successfully completing their mission during the ceremony, they simply outdid themselves for joy, obedience, and self-control all day long. My parents took charge of them for the day and had nothing but good to report - praise God!!

The reception was tons of fun. Everyone seemed so relaxed. Joshua asked Kathryn to dance. Almost everyone was out there on the floor having a great time!

I think David was almost asleep on his feet at this point. He hung in there without complaining, and without a nap.

It was a completely wonderful day. Now the boys just have to figure out if they are going to call their new uncle "Uncle Del" or "Uncle Jerry."

Congratulations Renee and Del! It was a joy to be part of your big day!

Charleston

Scenes from Downtown

We're back from vacation! It was a wonderfully relaxing trip. We stayed with our friends the Brinsons, who moved to John's Island from Gaithersburg about 6 months ago, and their amazing hospitality allowed us to get plenty of R&R. To more fully appreciate the extent of their hospitality, realize that South Carolina in July is HOT, and our hostess Christine is 8 months pregnant.

We opened and closed our stay by enjoying the 83-degree water on Folly Beach. In between, we toured the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Yorktown, wandered around downtown Charleston's stately old homes, and watched boats.

The South Carolina flag against the backdrop of the new Ravenel bridge, quite a lovely bit of architecture.

U.S.S. Yorktown, CV-10 (Essex class)

If you can imagine a floating airport, with a hotel/dormitory and a dining hall underneath, along with an entire level devoted to machinery, and another to a cluster of lecture halls, and a third to storage of ammunition and sundry supplies and services such as a post office and a laundromat, then you can begin to imagine the size of this ship. We found ourselves wondering how long it took the sailors and aviators on board to learn their way around their ship.

The ship is actually the second Yorktown. The first Yorktown sank after being heavily damaged at the Battle of Midway. The present ship was being built when the sinking occurred and was promptly christened Yorktown in honor of the first. Yorktown the second played an important role in the victory over Japan during WWII. It was a bit of a thrill for me to be strolling the decks where men became heroes, courage conquered, and freedom was bought with blood, after Samuel Morison depicted Yorktown's battles so vividly in the naval history series I'm reading.

Our wonderful hosts, who will probably have to see this vessel many more times than they wish.

After seeing the aircraft carrier, Joshua and Chris built their own.

When we went downtown, the boys climbed all over the cannons and cannonball piles in White Point Gardens. They ran around pretending to fire and load, fire and load, and fought off an invading armada of about "200 battleships," according to Joshua.

Here we are...this restaurant was situated just below a drawbridge, with an excellent view of passing pleasure craft. The bridge didn't open while we were eating, but we did have to wait for it once while driving. And for the record, while it's nice to watch other people's boats, we cannot imagine ever owning one or wanting to.

This is Miss Sharon, spunky gal!

During afternoon naps and after bedtime, the grown-ups talked, read, rested, and played lots of games (by the way, if anyone has a copy of Rail Baron lying around not being used, we are now on the prowl for one). While we were cooking and cleaning up, Joshua and David enjoyed playing with 18-month old Sharon, who has bright red hair, the chubbiest cheeks, and a big grin that lights up her whole face. She is as bright as her hair and smile, and as bold too - she has no qualms about running right into the ocean or squishing unwelcome little ant visitors with her fingers, and she passionately loves fire trucks.

The Presbyterian church the Brinsons attend is renting space in a historic Lutheran church downtown. Next door, some members of the church are renovating a historic home, and they opened it up for light refreshments and tours after church.

I loved how they were blending new and old; I've always had a fancy for interior brick walls for some reason. And the bathrooms! Marble this, granite that, my goodness it was gorgeous.

Joshua and David best loved the beach, the bridges, the boats, the horses, and - maybe tied with the beach - the cannons along the Battery. We ALL enjoyed quality time with our friends, visiting a beautiful place, gelato at Charleston Candy Kitchen, and getting lots of rest! (I even read a whole book - A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.) Thank you, Rob and Christine, for giving us the gift of this refreshing vacation and all the memories!

Fireworks and Finishes

After our morning picking blueberries and making blueberry cobbler (recipe soon to be on the sidebar), I did more sanding on the dresser. After that, we all trooped down to Rockville for a wonderful concert and fireworks.


We staked out a spot close to the bandshell.

That was wonderful for watching and listening to the Fugitive Brass quintet and the Rockville Concert Band (above), but awfully loud when they blasted more music through the speakers near us during the fireworks (as if they weren't loud enough already!). The boys surprised us by not freaking out during the fireworks. David did get scared and buried his face in my chest the entire time after watching for about 2 minutes, but Joshua watched with his ears covered for almost the whole show.


Update on the refinishing project:


Today, I put the stain on the dresser. I am getting excited because I'm so close to finishing this project, and also because, somewhat to my surprise, it looks amazing! The Lord has blessed this project from first to last, from providing the dresser, to giving me strength to work on it even when I'm tempted to be lazy, and finally to keeping the weather almost perfect. My goal has been to finish it before we leave for vacation on Thursday, and by God's grace it will be done!

Blueberries

We went to Butler's Orchard on Saturday morning to pick blueberries. We spent much of the morning reciting, "One berry, two berry, pick me a blueberry!" from Bruce Degen's classic Jamberry, which helped Daddy get more excited about our outing. Chris is always a little ho-hum about pick your own crops. He imagines himself a gullible laborer paying the farm to do their work for them, like Tom Sawyer's pals trading marbles for the privilege of whitewashing Aunt Polly's fence. I suppose there is an element of that - but to me the fresh fruit, the fun, and the memories for the boys are well worth it. Chris: thank you, Sweetheart, for making this memory with us!


We have never picked blueberries at Butler's before, so we were surprised to learn that a long tractor ride to the blueberry bushes was part of the deal. A bonus!


Joshua asked me in the car, referencing Robert McCloskey's Blueberries for Sal, "Mom, do you want me to run along and pick my own berries?"

It was jammed - pun intended - but we found plenty of berries nonetheless.

They were delicious, and huge!

And we got plenty - "a whole pail of blueberries and three more besides." Or more exactly, 6 quarts, which we have already been putting to good use. YUM!

Happy Fourth of July!!

I know it's the 3rd, but since it's the federal holiday, we're doing a lot of our celebrating today.

Wishing you peace as we reflect with gratitude on our Independence Day.
Love,
the Kinsingers

A few more pics

This is the freecycled dresser I am currently refinishing by hand. Today I went out for my usual sanding during the boys' nap and no sooner had I undone the tarp than it started to rain. All the finish is off the top, front, and left side by this time, so once I get the right side done then I can apply the wood filler where needed and then sand again with a finer grit sandpaper. Then finally I can stain! And then varnish varnish varnish. I only hope the rain didn't do any damage I can't sand away. I haven't sanded down the wood that goes behind the mirror yet. Maybe I can do that now that the rain has stopped.

This was our preferred way of traveling to and from the Apple Ridge pool for swimming lessons.

And one more water shot, just because I like it. Hope you enjoy it too!

Swimming Lessons

At Joshua's last swimming lesson this morning, parents were finally allowed on the pool deck to snap pictures. Now, if you recall, these lessons didn't seem like such a good idea on day 1. He bolted screaming from the pool back to the safety of mama's arms.

The next day, he bravely went in. Overall, he seemed to enjoy the class, but he always moved timidly in the water. He trusted his teacher, Miss Becca, especially after he accidentally went all the way under one day and she calmed him down. It was almost miraculous to me that he stayed in the pool that day and actually recovered from that little shock.

Practicing a crawl stroke motion with Miss Becca.

David patiently watched 8 lessons. He wasn't supposed to be on the pool deck today but how could I leave him behind the fence all alone? Besides, he probably would have gone into the kiddie pool. So I kept him with me, but he didn't stay in that chair the whole time like I was hoping he would. Thankfully, it all worked out okay.

"Ring around a rosy, pocket full of posy, ashes, ashes, we all..."
Blow bubbles! or
Put our chin in! or
Put our ear in! or
You get the idea.

Grandpa Kinsinger has turned us off to this little ditty by explaining how the words seem to indicate it originated as a chant to scorn people with bubonic plague. If anyone has a similar type of song for short circle games, I'm looking for alternatives. Until then, this one seems far enough removed from the plague days to be harmless, and it definitely has its uses, particularly at the beginning and end of swimming class.


Here is a rare moment of good form with his chin close to the water. Miss Becca had to really coax him to put his head down. You can see his knees are still very bent, but at least his feet are
on the surface. Usually his back is arched like a seal to keep his head a foot out of the water, which means his legs are under water like he's riding a unicycle. But, this is evidence of progress!



Back float? No problem! As long as Miss Becca's holding me.

Two days ago they practiced wearing life vests, and some of the kids floated independently while they were wearing their life jacket. Joshua would on no account take such a risk and instead chose to float on his stomach, with help from Miss Becca.


These next two show the kids getting ready for the "treasure hunt" game. Miss Becca scattered floating toys about and they had to wade over to them and pick them up when she said go. I noticed that not only was Joshua the slowest wader (being ultra-cautious), he was also the only one who played by the rules! Those two factors gave him a decided disadvantage.
See the other children peeking?

Fortunately, Miss Becca wasn't blind to this situation, and once I saw her save a coveted boat for Joshua to capture.

All in all, Joshua grew from this learning experience. And would he do it again? He said he would! So maybe we'll sign him up for the August session. In terms of combatting his fear, he's come a long way so far this year. Way to go, Joshua!