HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY, ANNA!

The 22nd of November marks the second birthday of our little Anna Grace Eshelman. We cannot believe the little lady that she is becoming and we are especially amazed at how quickly this time has gone by.


The one above is from a series that we did early on in Sepia. We had fun taking these. I remember that when we had them developed we noticed that her nose was quite runny due to teething.
We called these Safari Anna. She was teething here too. We had a great laugh about this one because her dress was on backwards. (Lydia's doing, not mine!)
The first months of life were spent on the bed. Many visitors spent a lot of time enjoying Anna and company on the family bed!
Dave Bishop thought that this one was great. He sent us a card with this picture on the front saying something to the effect of, "Ohh! Dad, can we go sledding? Please!" We have it in her archives at home still.

This was a contemplative one. She was considering the role that she would play in the family. This grouping also included one with a sign that read, "I miss my grandma".

She was always a smiley little thing. We are glad that she is a happy baby. We hope that that continues as she ages.

Everyone comments on how blue her eyes are. (And pink is always a good color choice for clothes.)
This was a Sunday dress shot. As I have mentioned on the blog in times past, I love taking pictures of them on Sunday morning.


Here is our little Anna now. She messes up the house, she plays with her toys, she wears her babies in her sling, and she is ALL LITTLE GIRL. We love our little Anna Grace, and we cannot wait to celebrate her big day.

THERE ARE FOUR NEW POSTS BELOW

Enjoy!

Anna, your brother is not a toy!

This is very funny. We have played this game before, but for fear of the CPS we have been unwilling to blog this. Here we have Anna pushing Owen around in her baby's stroller. She finds this to be quite humorous, Owen finds this to be quite annoying. Notice that the safety buckle is on. He will not fall out of the stroller.
He began to enjoy it and expressed his feelings of glee with a hardy thumb's up!
They took a moment to pose for their proud parents.



They sure do enjoy playing together. I hope that Owen, as he gets older, does not regret his bizarre parent's blog.

First Snow On Union Avenue

Owen got to experience his first snow fall of his entire life on Wednesday evening. We had about four inches and I was at work for the most of it. I was hoping to be the first in my ring of blog friends to post about the snow, but I noticed that it was on these blogs: Set It Off, Gimmie Back My Bullets, Our Family Garden, and Yes, I Have No Bananas. I am not sure if I missed any of the others; you can check my other blog if you are interested in what they are saying.

We also turned the fireplace on for the first time. Anna thought that the fire was great. She tried to blow it out as well as fanned it saying, "it's ot". Owen did not seem to care about it at all for some reason, but Sedge on the other hand will sit within inches of it!
I love our landscape as you all know. Not only do I love it in the spring and summer when it is in full bloom; I also love it in the autumn and the winter. In autumn there are a lot of great deep colors that come out in the form of berries, seeds, and hips. The roses get those dark hips and the Chinese apple trees get a fantastic bulk of seeds that look like cherries. This year we made a dining table display out of them (in a Fiesta vase of course).

In the winter the landscape is very nice. Due to the flowers that have not been cut and the trees that are nicely shaped, the snow falls and nests in great textural forms. I love to see the way that it rests on the letterbox as well as the birdfeeders.
This is part of our back yard. Notice the great little carriage shed that is now a garage. You could fit a MINI Cooper in it, but not much more!
This is the view on Union Avenue. It was a great first snow.

We are ready for Spring.

Wrestle Mania 05

One of the favorite past times of the culture known as "white trash" is the watching and or participating in wrestling matches. Being people who love to experience culture (ie, Chinese food) we thought that we would bring ourselves to experience this cultural event.

We had a fantastic time and Anna thoroughly enjoyed a good bodyslam and Owen found the sleeper hold to be most terrific.
Anna loves the thrill of being upside-down.
This was really fun. They were both being tickled at the same time and they also would laugh because of the tickles as well as the sight of each other laughing. Most enjoyable.


We thought that we would tag team against Owen and Lydia. We snuck around the corner to catch them off guard, but we were caught...on camera.

Brusha, Brusha, Brusha

Anna, who obsesses over cleanliness (We are not sure why.) is just discovering the joys of brushing her teeth. For a while she did not find the joys that we all have come to know and love. Teeth brushing makes you feel great, it brightens your teeth, it freshens your breath, it keep dental bills to a minimum, and besides the Revolutionary war, it is the number one thing that divides Americans from the British. Anna has a number of toothbrushes as well as toothpastes to choose from. From time to time she would rather use one of ours. She can use Lydia's, not mine! I have always found this type of sharing disgusting.
Some parents have to fight with their children to get them to brush their teeth. This is not our problem, it is getting her to put it away that is our problem.

Peter Rabbit and Public Education

I have been studying in the basement for a lecture that I have to give on the literacy of Ancient Israel. I have learned that the ancients by the fifth century BC were almost unanimously literate. All children could read and write in Israel...500 years before Christ was born!
When we think of the ancients we think that, for the most part, they were unlearned and mostly tradesmen. We rarely ever think of them as being educated. More like cavemen. We are so arrogant in our assessments.

Lydia, at the same time, was reading with the children. She has been reading some of the "Original and Authorized Editions" of Beatrix Potter's works.
She read The Tale of the Flopsy's Bunnies as well as The Tale of Benjamin Bunny.
These books were first published in the early part of the 20th century. (1904). They were written for toddlers and early school aged children. Besides the great things such as tobacco use, skinning of other bunnies, and the marrying of cousins; these books put the American Public school system to shame.

Below you will find a list of the words that Anna and Owen came across while having these books narrated to them:
Soporific
Improvident
Profusely
Doleful

Here is where us Public school kids can be helped with the terms: (Or is it "we public school kids"?)
www.onelook.com

Gnomes among us.

Mrs. Pickering of Wendler Cottage wrote a post about the annoying little gnomes that live in her beloved Wendler Cottage and mess up her home by performing heinous acts such as putting things where they do not belong.

I commented and stated that I too have a gnome that lives on my desk on Union Avenue.

She thought that I was saying that my desk finds itself in a state of disarray.

This is not what I was saying at all; but I was saying that I too have a gnome that lives on my desk. He is the keeper of the pen and an integral part of Life on Union Avenue.

(This gnome was made by Goebel in West Germany in 1970. The German fascination with Gnomes even found its way into the finer places such as Goebel.)

Liiiffffeeee onnnnn Unnnnionnnn Avenuuuuuuue

We broke a record this year. Many will be disgusted by this:
Anyone who has visited us on Union Avenue knows that the temperature is 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Always. In August it is 60. In March it is 60. When it is 60 in August people think that it feels refreshing and they love to come over. When it is 60 in March they remove our neatly placed throws off of the couches and seats bundled in, and they go into my sock drawer for something to "keep their feet warm".

What is the record you ask?

We have attempted every year to turn our heat on November 1st. Last year we were not able to do it and had to fold in mid to late October. This year however, we made up for it. We went all the way until yesterday. November 11th. Don't worry though, we understand that 60 degrees is VERY cold....we set it at 55.

Maybe next year we can wait until December!

Anna's Second Birthday

The 22nd of November marks the beginning of Anna's third year of life. (That makes her 2...not 3!) We will be having a birthday party for her that all are welcome to join.

We ask that you bring a dessert to pass if you so desire and that you RSVP to Lydia (email preferred) or through the comments section on the blog.

We will also use this time to celebrate a few other things:
-Nate's birthday is November 28. He will be 28 years old.
-The completion of our basement. We have promised a basement party. Here it is! Our schedule is a tight one as you all know!

The Official Invitation


No gifts please! Your presence is enough presents!

The BRAT is Back!

Many children complain about "hand-me-downs". They see these types of items as lesser in value and quality. They are reused, recycled, and renewed. In the American culture this is considered unloving and only appropriate for trash. Every parent knows that true love is a new shiny toy, clothing article, or book.

Not all that is used is to be regarded as unloving. Some things, my friends, are a heritage.

The BRAT MOBILE is one such item. Many of the reader of Life on Union Avenue will remember the BRAT MOBILE. Anna used this fine piece of machinery in her pre-crawl days and it instilled a sense of love for that which is vintage, classic, and retro. The BRAT MOBILE
holds a special place in all of our hearts.

Some of us even remember the day that Irmgard brought this classic to our door. When it was revealed that Lydia was pregnant with our first child, items were brought from the lovely Chicago suburb to grace our home and our lives. The BRAT MOBILE was one of those items. The walker was used by little Lydia as she rolled around in Blue Island- not realizing that one day, her children will also roll on the same bright red wheels.

The BRAT is Back!
Here is Owen on his first test run of the BRAT. He loved the test drive and looks forward to days he will be strong enough to cruise on his own.
Anna was a proud sister in the presentation ceremony. She used her doll (who is appropriately named: Baby) as a legal witness to the transferring of the MOBILE. Look at the joy on her face to welcome Owen to the exclusive club of BRAT travellers.
This is a more serious pose. Owen thought that it would be special to have a "more serious" picture of the event since it is considered to be one of the highest of civilian honors.

This is a picture of the signing of the transfer of the tile "BRAT MOBILE traveller". (I was unable to get a head on picture due to the amount of media present.) It was a lovely ceremony and we are glad to again have the BRAT MOBILE as a part of our Life on Union Avenue.

The Original BRAT

Here is Lydia in the BRAT MOBILE. Probably in 1979 or 1980. Check out that floor!


Here is Heidi....Lydia's older sister (by 14 months!!). She also once used the BRAT MOBILE. Nice socks Heidi!!

This is evidence that the BRAT MOBILE is part of a goodly heritage.

Pennsylvania I: The Colour Tour

The trip to Pennsylvania was beautiful. We had a very nice trip despite the fact that children hate to be restrained in car seats. (Right, Brian!) Here are a few pictures from my home town. Click on them to blow the picture up. The trees were stunning. Northwest PA is so pretty compared to Western Michigan.
Lydia took all of these pictures.
Notice the grade of this hill. It can be seen in the way that the telephone poles drop. Corry is in this valley. Notice all the hills in the background. My father grew up on this road to the right.

The sun can make for a great view.

Pennsylvania II: The Family

My parents children have not been home in Pennsylvania together for over three years. I would assume that it has been about four years since we were all together at the same time.

We thought that some family pictures were appropriate since it has been so long. With a group like this pictures are usually full of sarcastic remarks. We could tell a million stories!
Here is my older brother Preston...no that mustache is not for Halloween...that is for real. Shannon is the youngest of the three and I am the middle child. Psychologists say that middle children are raised the best since parents have the right mix of discipline and liberty. (Hey..I am just sharing research!)
Here is the whole family starting from the upper left:
Wyatt, Preston, James (dad), Nathan, Owen
Hannah, Diane (mom), Ruth (grandmother), Shannon, and Anna.

Lisa and Lydia were not in the photo. Lisa is Preston's girlfriend and the mother of his children. (You can ask him about marriage...I couldn't tell you!)

Here is Lydia with Shannon. They were roommates before we started dating and were best friends when Shannon lived in Grand Rapids.
Here is my cousins Erin and Stephanie. Erin is working in an OT program that is BS to Master's. Stephanie will be a GN in a few months and then do her boards for an RN. Anna really enjoyed them.

We have some other family pics that will come up, but they are still on the camera. More to come.

Pennsylvania III: The "Firsts"

There were a few "firsts" that occurred while in PA.

My sister, Shannon, was able to meet my children for the first time! She has never met Owen or Anna. This is also the first time that we have seen each other in almost three years.
Lydia used a riding lawn mower for the first time. Here she mowed the leaves under a huge old maple tree.
Lydia also sewed a sling. She used a pattern from her "hotsling" and made a very nice canvas sling. Tammy Anderson walked her through the steps.

Anna got to spend time with a cat for the first time. She has seen her aunt Heidi's cats, but not for extended periods of time. She loved it. She kept calling it "mew."

"Where's mew?"

"C'mere mew!"

Pennsylvania IV: Shawn and Tammy

We got to visit with our friends, Shawn and Tammy Anderson, from Albany, New York. Tammy is a homemaker and Shawn is an RN as well as a Theological student that is also involved in the development of seminary curriculum.

We had a great visit with them.

Shawn, Brian, and I discussed hermeneutics and the way that apocryphal Judaism interpreted Messianic texts. We also discussed the courses that I am taking as well as what he is studying.
Here is a picture of the cutey couple. Tammy is the only woman in the world that can keep Shawn in check. I love it.
Here is a sling that Tammy made for Anna. She LOVES it! Her babies are now attachment parenting babies.
Shawn played with Anna. They discussed the ins and outs of plastic families.
Here is the dress that Tammy made for Anna. Anna of course thought that it was cute. She loved it.

Tammy got a chance to snuggle with Owen. That is when other women were not oggling over him.