it's a big day...

Dad is coming over in a bit to learn Facebook and Blogger. I never thought this day would come!

a-riverwalking we will go!

Tonight I talked Matt into heading over to the Riverwalk for a quick walk before bedtime. Lilly was beside herself...she got to run and run and run the whole time! We saw a turtle, kites, kids riding skateboards, a couple driving a golf cart...I could go on and on. Who needs money to have entertainment? Not us!

At the park with Jude

Just incase you were wondering...trying to take pictures of a little guy who has no interest in looking at you or responding to the ridiculous noises you make in a public park without assistance is NOT easy! I spent a half hour trying to get some good shots for Judah's 1 year pictures...and I ended up with 3 so-so shots that don't really work for wallets to give to the fam. I guess I'll try again when someone can help me corral and entertain the little man!

Happy Birthday to my baby brother!

Today my brother Sammy turns 24! I hope that he gets the day off to spend with Shannon & Gavin. Yesterday Sam & Shannon celebrated their 4th anniversary. Happy Anniversary, guys!

You can tell the weather's nice when...

...the Podjan Salon moves to the front yard.Judah's thinking, "Yup. I just got my hurr did."Checking out his new 'do.The entertainment for the evening...

Book it!

I know, I know...I'm really late to get on the bandwagon that is The Shack, but I'm telling you...all those people who said that this book is great were absolutely RIGHT! I read it about a week ago, in one day...in one sitting. I find myself still drawing upon the story in my walk with Christ and especially when I am talking to others about how we as people relate to God. If you haven't read it yet, read The Shack today! It's even on sale at http://www.christianbook.com/ for $9.

While you're buying one good book, how 'bout you add this one to your shopping cart while you're at it?! I LOVE C.S. Lewis' writing, and The Great Divorce is an amazing book! Get it, read it, do it NOW!

I love to read, and you should too.

I also recommend:

-The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

-The entire Chronicles of Heaven series by Gene Edwards

-Anything by Janette Oke (I'm a sucker for historical fiction!)

-To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

-1984 by George Orwell (holla at me, high school required reading!)

-The Babysitter's Club series by Ann M. Martin (I totally wanted to be Claudia Kishi when I was a young babysitter-wannabe!)

-The entire Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins

-Anything written by David Crowder

The book that garners my highest reccomendation, by far, is THE BIBLE. If you only read one thing...read this one! (I like reading my Zondervan NIV Study Bible, my NLT Life Application Study Bible, and my Message: Remix the best.)

And, in honor of Jen's children's book list, here are a few that Lilly cannot live without:

-The Biscuit series by Alyssa Satin Capucilli. About a little yellow puppy.

-The Fancy Nancy series by Jane O'Connor. About a very fancy little girl who loves to dress up and say things like, "My family is so posh!"

-The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. We read it every day at mealtime. Lilly's favorite stories are when Gabriel visits Mary and when Jesus brings the dead girl to life.

New Blog...

I'm starting a new blog for Kate Podjan Photography. Check it out (there's not much to see yet, but I'll be updating frequently) and then hire me! www.katepodjanphotography.blogspot.com

le Riverwalk. ooh la la.

(double click on the picture above to see it larger)

Last week, we met Jen & Sally at the Riverwalk for our weekly jaunt from Central Park to Kamm Island and back. Lilly LOVED having Lydia along for company. We really bonded while sticking together to keep the ferocious geese at bay. (The last time Jen & I went for our walk the geese were so imtimidating that we actually left the Riverwalk and took a side street for about a quarter of the walk. Hey, I don't want to get nipped by one of those beasts!) If you want to join us on our walk each week, we meet at Central Park by the playground each Monday at 10:45 and walk for about an hour. Some weeks I get there around 10:30 so Lilly can play for a bit before we walk.After we said our goodbyes to Sally & Lydia, Jen & I took our kiddos to the "liberry." I checked out a few books written for people over the age of 12, and Jen checked out a few books written for preschoolers. Hmmm. The walk up the hill to the library from the park was killer on my calves, but I made it. (I even ran pushing the double stroller up the hill to make the pain end sooner. Poor Jen and the awful view of my rear end running up the hill in fron of her!) Ireally enjoy our Monday morning get-togethers. I needed the motivation to get up an accomplish something on Mondays. I used to really struggle getting back into the swing of things after our busy Sundays, but now I actually have MOTIVATION!!! It's a great thing. So, seriously, I you want to hang out with 2 of the coolest stay-at-home mommies around, join us on Mondays!

An apple a day...

(This post is mostly for the baby "books".)

Last week we made the oh-so-fun trip to the doctor's for the kiddos' annual check-up. Her are the numbers:

Lilly's 3-year stats:
Height...37 1/3 inches (3 ft., 1 1/3 in.)
Weight...29.8 pounds

Judah's 1-year stats:
Height...31 inches (2 ft., 7 in.)
Weight...21.5 pounds

The following photos are totally unrelated to the above post, but I like them, so here they are. I heart my kids!

My Late-20's Crisis...(I'm still a couple decades away from a mid-life one)

Lately I've been mourning the loss of my fancy-free years. Life as mommy can sometimes mean fewer spur-of-the-moment decisions. It feels like everything I do is planned weeks (if not months) in advance, and for the most part, I like it that way. As of late, though, I've felt the "wanderlust" of mu early 20's, when I would drive for hours to visit friends or family even for a day or so, just because I felt like it. I'd follow Phish on their summer tours, living out of cars and tents, eating grilled cheese made by hippies and taking "showers" fully clothed with a garden hose. (Classy, I know.) Those days were so fun, and I miss that part of my life now and then. Now I deal with financial restrictions, a jam-packed schedule, work commitments and, well, life in general. It makes it much more complicated to travel on a whim, to say the least!

A few weeks ago, my longing to just pick up and go got the best of me! I gave Matt a heads up that I wanted to go to Kentucky with a couple lays notice. My Kentucky best friend had just given birth to her second son, and I wanted to surprise her with a visit. So, on a random Thursday, I got up early, packed the kids up, and headed out to Kentucky at 7:30 a.m. We got to Wilmore around 2:30, ate lunch, and surprised Hilary and visited for a couple hours before heading home. We arrived home just before midnight. What a day! The kids were great, and I really enjoyed seeing Hilary face-to-face for the first time in a couple years. I only wish I could make the same trip to Kansas to see Brandy & her new baby! (But a 14 hour drive to KS is MUCH different than the 6-ish hour drive to KY. Especially with 2 kids. I guess I'll have to wait until Labor Day to see Brandy.)

Here are some pictures of Hilary and her beautiful new son, Perrin:

So, okay, I know I have been a bad post-er lately...

...and I promise to post some really good, funny, picture-laden posts in the coming week. As for right now, I am on the laptop (with no access to pictures/photoshop) and don't have anything particularly witty to say. I will tell you that I have some future blog subjects to whet your appetite.

I will be blogging (very soon) about:
-my impromptu visit to Kentucky with the kids. We went there and were back in under 18 hours.
-Judah & Lilly's doctor visit (so you can compare your kids to mine. face it, you know that's what you'll do!)
-Logan "drinking" out of a cup. Like a cat.
-Judah's "dinner dance"
-And by the time I post, I'm sure I'll have some amusing story about Lilly's latest shenanigans.

Now you know you can't wait to read all about this stuff! (all i have to do it write it...)

Introducing Reese Addison Quinn!

I am so excited to introduce Reese to the blogiverse! She is the brand new baby daughter of my cousin Brandy and her husband Isaac. Reese was born on Friday, May 2 at 1:14 a.m. She's a little squirt of a thing weighing in at 6.7 pounds and 18 inches long. I am sure that big brother Kaden is loving his new sister! (Kaden and Lilly are about 3 weeks apart, and now Judah and Reese are 1 year and 1 day apart! They missed being birthday buddies by just over an hour!) I am so bummed that I can't be there to see her in person, but I'm thankful that my cousin Amy sent photos! Congrats, Brandy & Isaac!

Happy Birthday, Judah-buddy!!!

One year ago today...