More pictures from the Jurries' Party

Notice Melissa VT's burger: bun, burger, ketchup, 20 pickles, a whole tomato, a head of lettuce, fifteen pounds of onion, mayonaise, and a top bun. Wow!
The famous Not Liberal, commonly known as Steve convinces his friends that his ideas are far superior from their's and that one day all will bow to his supreme authority on politics.
I did not drink. I just look the part. Promise.
John Sikma is here dabbling with the idea of lighting this table decoration on fire. Within minutes of this picture he ignited a napkin and then exclaimed, "I didn't know a paper product would burn!" (smart.)
Here Janna poses for a shot in full knowlege that her baking abilities are enough to keep this party going. Mark and Maggie stare into the cool night air from the corner.

What a great time.

The Mysterious Oh! Oh!

Many people say, "Oh, you ALSO have a son."
I then respond, "Of course I also have a son, his name is Owen."
Then Anna blurts out, "Haaaaaahhhh, Oh! Oh!"
You see, this is her pathetic attempt at annunciation, which is fine, of course, she is not yet two years old and a mere suckling according to biblical standards. (Non-sucklings started at about age five according to ancient scholars.)

"So what is your son like?," the person will continue to ask.
"Oh he is a fine specimen, and has a terrific persona!", I then exclaim with ecstasy.
"Really? Oh, due tell..." the person asks with an intense need for the continuation of the story.

"Well, Oh! Oh!", as Anna says, "is...

Why of course, Owen is a lover of all things German. That is of course, all things German past and present. He loves the Reformation, he loves Martin Luther, he loves Lufthansa, he loves German beer that runs down the throat and delights the soul. Owen is by all means a Germanophile. He loves his mother-and to love mama, you must be a lover of all things German. If he were not a suckling, I would take him to the Schnitzelbank for a Jagerschnitzel and some black forrest pie.
Owen is also a man of the future. He holds a lot of hope and by his look, he is quite futuristic. Owen is the future of the Eshelman name, a future communicant in the church, a future leader, husband, father. Owen helps to hold the future of this country, will aid in the future of this world, and will be held accountable for how he handles this task.
Owen is disgusted by all things annoying. This is true of all annoying books, people, places, ideas, objects, buildings, and personalities. He struggles to be nice to all men, but as he says, "It's a struggle" (The english translation of: cooo, gee-la, coo.) Right now he is annnoyed most especially with Michael and Debbi Pearl. He thinks that long beards are creepy.
Owen is a studious boy. He seeks to do the right thing and that begins with knowing the right thing. As Owen always says, "You can't have right practice without right understanding." Owen seeks to buy books though, he does not dabble in libraries. He told me once, "Papa, it's important to have a wealth of knowledge to hand down to your children." Owen is one smart cookie.
Most of all, Owen is a boy. A little, cute, and loveable boy who has needs that parents have to meet. He needs to eat, have his diaper changed, be clean, and be held. Owen is a boy. A boy who over the next years and decades will prove himself. Owen is our son.

The wedding at University Church: University of Chicago

So it seems that everything that Lydia and I have done as a family of late has included weather that makes fat people sweat. Friday was no exception. We had a wedding down town Chicago (at 5 pm, hmm, rush hour) that was held in the University of Chicago's University Church. This church is old South Congregational which was built in October of 1860. (Now air conditioning was not invented until 1904.)

The church was absolutley gorgeous complete with rose windows and flying buttresses. It was stone from floor to roof and had those great old mahogany benches that no church in their right mind would use today due to morbid obesity! One interesting thing that I noticed about the church was the only profession of belief that was posted was the fact that it was a nuclear free zone. For those who know their American history they are disassociating themselves from the University. For those who have no clue: google University of Chicago & Nuclear.

The service was short and to the point: love each other and you fulifill the law of Christ. (I Corinthians was the text...word to brides to be: use a different text...too predictable.)
We sang 'Be Thou My Vision', which was nice, and then an African style drummer played and sang the Lord's prayer.

The reception was at "The Cultural Center" which was an enormous villa style retreat that stands on the banks of Lake Michigan. The party was held in the solarium, and it had large picture windows that overlooked Lake Michigan. Anna and Oma walked on the beach, and she was very excited to show off her Arian granddaughter.

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment:

Opa (aka "Wahoo" or "Gramps" or "Unkes") and Anna after we found off-street parking that was about a block from the chapel. Opa was a bit nervous leaving his new Lexus SUV parked on the street. (It was on blocks when we got back....just kidding.)
Papa shares a kiss with his rising star who was a hit on the dance floor. (Imagine all those old Dutch women dancing the night away.)
Here is Tina with Anna and Lydia. Tina is the bride's sister. She went to Calvin with Lydia and I (and grew up with Lydia in Blue Island). She got married last year on her husband's family's 40,000 acre ranch in Nebraska amidst a field of Sunflowers. (She is a lot of fun.)
This is the bride Candice. She lives in Boston and is also a Calvin grad. She worked at Four Friends while in school. (Yum...mochas.) Now she is a teacher in inner-city Boston public schools.)
This is not the bride, even though she looks pretty hot. Oma was dressed "casually" (according to her standards), but was stunning as usual. If Germany had a queen...I know who it would be!

An evening at Ashbrook

The pond at Ashbrook in the Malysa's back yard. This is where we fed the koi.
Here is Anna helping to water the flowers. (Landscapers CANNOT do as nice of a job as Irmgard does at horticulture.)
Anna has NO FEAR when it comes to confronting the pet cougar. She thinks it is a "kitty."
Anna and Owen cuddling on the chaise.
Anna and Lydia playing the piano.


After the reception, we came back to Larry and Irma's house for the night. As usual we were met with accomodations that were above and beyond what would be required. (Maybe that is why they are the entertainers of choice in their neighborhood.)

We had a really great time being with them. Here is a list of things that we enjoyed:
1. old Scotch and Sprite
2. Oberweis dairy (Oberweisdairy.com) ice cream.
3. A lot of Fox News and discussion about how liberal Allen Combs is.
4. We fed the koi at the pond
5. Anna had a confrontation with the pet cougar.
6. We helped Oma water the flowers.
7. We went to Costco (Larry stocked us up....thanks dad!), and Larry tried to convince an old women that Larry and I were "together" in order to get a free sample of dog food.
8. Lydia and Anna got to play the antique player piano.
9. We just had a really great time together.

See you soon guys!

Its pronounced zoh-ology, not zoo-ology.

For the second year in a row The Community Mental Health has provided a "free" zoo day that is open for all those that provide mental health services as well as those who receive mental health services. (Basically, it is the biggest provision of poor client/clinician boundaries in West Michigan.)

The temperature was an un"bear"able 92 degrees, and the humidity was so high that you could taste the animal sweat in your mouth. Nevertheless, it was a great time. Anna was a cowardly "lion" when it came to some of the animals: such as the camel. On the otherhand, she was more than willing to approach other animals: such as the mountain lion. (bizarre, I know.)

Aunt Heidi and Aunt, by proxy, Paige joined us for the fun. We all had a really great time seeing how our tax dollars are put to use entertaining the mentally ill.

More zoological studies.

Here are a few more pictures of our John Ball Zoo trip. Also, for the record: I think that all forms of the primate are VERY immodest!

Lazy Bones, Sleepin' in the Shade, How Ya Spect To Get Your Corn Meal Made?

Nathan had to go to a class from 8:30am until 4:00pm that dealt with some real exciting stuff:

1. co-concurring illnesses
2. lessening the use of restraint as a non-theraputic tool
3. principles of compassionate care
(There is more, but you will stop reading out of boredom!)

Let's just say that I got tired.

When I got home I had to mow the yard and water everything that grows. Anna was outside with me and helped me to see how the mundane can even be turned into play. It was nice.

Lydia is currently transcribing dictations.

When Anna and I completed our yard chores, we sat on the bed and looked through magazines together. Anna looked through Mothering and I looked through Old Schoolhouse.

We fell asleep. (Not from lack of intellectual stimuli, but due to built up exhaustion. )

Lydia then discovered that Anna and I were not the only characters in this house that had passed out on a warm, breezy August evening. The whole family was asleep, but she continued to type. And to type. And to type.

Doulas (doo-loss): Greek in origin, noun, Slave or Servant

Lydia works so hard through-out the day.

1.She keeps a very clean house (thanks for the training Irma).
2.She maintains children and meets their needs. (The hard way too..she actually takes care of them.)
3. She has a high needs husband who is demanding at times.
4. She is a work at home mom.

Anna HATES the crib. For some reason, a crib, to an AP kid, is like a prison. She is not free to explore and to learn..she is free to sit and to think. (When she is older she will appreciate sitting and thinking. )

For some reason, today she wanted to be in the crib with her little people (www.littlepeople.com) and to be left alone. Thats okay once in awhile.

This post is entitled Doulas, because at times we are all just that. Slaves to our own lives.

The Snuggles of Sibship

I do not remember snuggling with my siblings as a child. This does not mean that I didn't, or that I came from an unaffectionate family... I just don't remember having times of affection such as the MANY times that Anna and Owen have together.

I hope that the love and friendship will continue to grow between the two so that they can have an open and honest relationship as brother and sister.

Siblings CAN be close.

It Was a Potato Moon Tonight

We joined with the Vedra family (www.thevedrafamily.blogspot.com) on an evening outing to the Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park (www.meijergardens.org) for a "Summer Concert Series" in which three local bands performed, one of which was Potato Moon. It was hosted in a beautiful outdoor amphitheatre that was surrounded by beautiful landscaping and gardens.

We all had a great time listening to the eclectic mix of blue grass/jazz while we drank gallons of aquafina! (It was 92 degrees this evening!)

Noah and Anna got a chance to splash water on each other in the splash pool and float boats in the Great Lakes sculpture; while Seth and Owen were quite content being "worn" by their loving mothers.

Children of the Cloth

People often wonder how others can use cloth diapers. They say, "that is gross! having to wash all of those things". I say that cloth is much more fun than disposables that pile up in your bathroom waste basket.

How could you get such fun diapers if it was not for cloth? Huggies and Luvs attempt to do it..but they fail. A faded Minnie Mouse print on the front is nothing in comparison to the aesthetically pleasing nappies that our kids wear.

Check them out at www.fuzzibunz.com You can also buy some for us if you want to. (Anna is in large and Owen is in medium!)

Enjoy!