Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh MY!!

Here's a shot from over a month ago...seems like a lot longer than that, though.

The leaves are long gone and inches of snow is covering the ground. The Christmas tree is up...It's good time of year.

We've been busy, busy, busy with two kiddos...we also had to get a new computer, thus delaying blog entries. I hope to get more regular at this, however.

In October the kids and I (Shawna) went with my Dad and Margo to Disney World in Florida. It was a great trip and Micah's eyes were wide open to the wonder of Magic Kingdom and beyond. I think his favorite, however, was meeting Mickey, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Eyore. November we headed on a whirlwind family tour. We visited my Dad's new house in Gig Harbor, WA then to Dallas to see my mom and extended family. My Grandma also came and stayed with us at my mom's, which was an added blessing. I also got to catch up with some dear friends.

Right now Greg's mom, brother, and our youngest niece, Melanie, are up for a visit and getting more than they bargained for in the form of snow :) We're having a great time with them, though.

That's all for now...more later when I download more pics.

Real Quick: I realize that in this season of life I find myself saying things and putting sentences together that are outright ridiculous...Here are a few, but I seriously need to keep a record going.

1) Micah, let's not use the duster to clean off the sweet potato on Mommy's sock.

2) Micah, please don't trap your sister under the laundry basket.

3) It's OK if the baby sucks on the drill (Micah's plastic one, of course :)

Recent Micahisms...

"Dad, are you going to fertilize?"

"Hey friends! Friends! I have a bike!"

"Hey, you have a cool potty." (when we were visiting someone's house)

"Aunt Chrissy has a cool house." (during our visit to the NY Walshes)

"Hey, Mom! It's just my size!!" (when we went to the Children's Museum here in town and they had a midget kid-sized potty.)

"Mom, I miss Daddy." (He says this like one hundred times a day. I think he says it when he can't think of anything else to say. It's like a filler between sentences. And since he talks non-stop, I hear it all the time.)

I told him if he stayed in bed he could have a waffle in the morning. He thinks about it and says, "Ummm, but it's hard to stay in bed!"

He likes to sing, "John Jacob Jingle Heimer Shrimp" :)

"No prob, Mom!" (He then follows that with a thumbs up sign)

A Teaser

Here are a couple teasers :)

I promise more is coming soon...

Micahisms cont...

Here are a couple more sayings I've heard around the house the past few days...



"Mom, I want my yuffy chimes cereal" (lucky charms cereal)

"Moddy"... (a delightful combo of Mommy and Daddy when we're both in the room and he doesn't know exactly who he wants.)

"Mom, you're my best friend"

"Whoa. That's serious." (When we were watching this bubble guy perform at a special presentation at the library.

"Hey, guys!"

Sometimes when he's calling for Greg to get his attention, "Hey, Honey!"

Now, I'm not sure I should admit this one, but it's too funny...The other day I got mad at him about something and apparently must have looked a bit angry. Micah then asked, "Mom, why are you mad at me like King Herod?" What!? He must be referring to his Beginner's Bible where King Herod has an angry face. I quickly entered into a much-too-long-for-a-toddler discourse as to why I most certainly was not at all like King Herod...(God, help me.)

On Saturday Greg was letting Micah help put up some blinds in our room. Greg told him they'd have to wait before they could screw it in the wall. Micah's response was, "OK, I'm good with that."

When he sees a fly in the house he says (no, yells), "MOM! DAD! I see a bee! You need to spank it!"

Springtime in GR

Our peonies in the backyard. What a beautiful God we must have that He would create something so delicate and so lovely.

Micah's tower in the basement. I think he surprised himself with his success :)

Savannah at 3 months. Our little ray of sunshine.

The weather has warmed up and it seems all those wild and fierce storms have mostly blown through. Everything is green and still moist from the week long drenching. Today I took the kids to a nearby park and enjoyed the beauty of the blue sky and varying shades of green foliage. Micah wanted endless underdogs on the swing (thank you, Uncle Jonathan) and Savannah snoozed in the stroller. Yesterday was just as breathtaking...one of those days that makes your soul sing. Mine did. Here's an except from my journal...a Psalm to our Creator King I wrote as I sat on the back deck meditating on the life around me:

"Oh, beautiful day! I want to wrap myself up in it. The wind blowing through the towering trees moves my mind to dwell on your Spirit...blowing over, in and through me; The sun, of your power and boundless Energy; The rich greens and songs of the birds of new life that You alone can give; The fresh air rushing into my lungs, the pristine blue sky, of what it truly means to be alive in You. My source. My breath. My life. My song. Oh! Glorious day...Glorious God!"

More Micahisms

Here are a few new Micahisms for ya'...

"Hey - cool shirt, Mom" (I had on a Notre Dame long sleeve T with the Fighting Irish guy on it)

"That's an idea." or "That's not an idea" (i.e. "That's a good idea (or bad idea)")

That's "dweedo?" (for Guido on Disney's "Cars" movie. I like to point at the character and have him say the name over and over just because it makes me laugh when he says it :)

"My poo poo is like hot dog" (Gross, I know, but he said it out of the clear blue yesterday and it cracked me up. Since he's potty training he is intrigued by his bowel movements.)

"Mom, are you sure that's a cargo plane (sea plane, jet plane?)" (As I was reading him and airplane book and telling him the names of the different airplanes.

"Hey Dad, how's my stick forest doin'?" (He asked that question to Greg on the phone yesterday in reference to his stick forest he left on the beach in Traverse City.)

"Ummm...actually..." (not sure where he learned the word "actually" or even how to use it?!)

"Hey sweetheart. It's OTay." (Spoken in a high tone when he's talking to Savannah)

"Can I watch my noovie now?" (for "movie")

Big and Little Traverse Bays

The fam at Traverse City Beach State Park

Our little sweet pea (just had to throw this one in there)

Cool little waterfall at park in Petoskey

View from Petoskey city park on a clear day

View of bay from a park in Petoskey. The high "mountain" through the clouds is either Boyne Highlands or Nub's Nob ski resort areas.

View from our hotel balcony
(http://www.crookedriverlodge.com/)

Micah making his "stick forest"

Greg had a business trip with Marketplace that took him up to the Traverse City area, so we decided to make it into a mini family vacation. We had a wonderful time experiencing the pristine views of the Traverse Bay areas and spent time in Harbor Springs (http://www.harborspringschamber.com/), Petoskey (http://www.petoskey.com/) and Traverse City (http://www.traversecity.com/). The northern part of MI is unbelievably beautiful. It's one of those places where you find yourself saying, "Oh my...look at that!" around every bend. It's a rich green rolling country loaded with evergreens, aspen, orchards, wineries, beaches, ski areas, trails, harbor towns, you name it. It's a bit of a challenge to pack a lot in when you're travelling with little ones, but it's also a great lesson to take things a bit slower and see things from the perspective of a two year old. We had some great, much-needed family time, which was the goal. Here are some pics from our adventures that might tell the story a bit better than words.

It's a Poo Poo Party!!

At last!! A week ago I sat Micah down on his little potty to see what would happen...and what do you know? He finally went poo poo! He was so proud of himself. He ran to me saying, "Mommy! Mommy!! I went poo poo in potty!" So from there we began a day long celebration culminating in the first ever Duvall Poo Poo Party '08, complete with a cake (with sprinkles on the icing), toostie rolls (the appropriate candy, we thought), party hats, balloons and singing. Micah made up a song based on the children's tune, "I like to eat, eat, eat, apples and bananas"...He says, "I like to poop, poop, poop, poo poo in my potty." And we also sang a fitting variation of "Happy Birthday to You". I know, I know...sounds like we're a bit overboard and on the edge of crazy around here, but hey - you've got to enjoy great moments in life when they come and make the most of them, right? He is proudly bouncing around the house in his new Thomas the Train undies and hasn't had an accident...yet :)

Today marked day #2 of going #2...so maybe we're really on a roll.

Nurse Maids Elbow?!

Well, Friday night Micah underwent a rite of passage when he had his first ER experience. Yes, he's fine :) At bedtime, Greg went to pick him up off the floor by the wrist and Micah resisted, going limp. Greg heard a pop and Micah started screaming and crying that his arm very, very, very, very hurt. Poor little guy. We took him in for x-rays, praying it wasn't broken. When the x-ray tech put his arm in a certain position, micah cried out loud, and then was all of a sudden a happy little boy, bouncing around the ER room at 11:30pm. He had what is called "Nurse Maids Elbow", apparently having to do with a tendon and the elbow and common with little kiddos. When the arm was twisted for x-rays it popped it back in place. SO...note to selves...no more picking up a toddler by the arm or wrist :) Micah is no worse for the wear. He is back to his active little self. When we left the hospital that night he said, "Mommy, I was vewy, vewy, vewy, VEWY, Bwave." Yes, honey. You were very, very brave. We are so proud of you :)

And...another month flew by

Very content on 5/5/08

Micah blasting off in his spaceship with Uncle Jonathan and Uncle T

A kiss to build a dream on (Micah's going night night)

A blurry smile on 5/3/08

As of 5/5/08

So much has happened in the past two months. Yes, Savannah is two months old on the 11th. So here are some updates on what's been going on in the Duvall small world.

1) Visitors!! We have loved having family in and out of our doors. It seems our living room has been a permanent spare bedroom for the past eight weeks. They all say the pull-out couch is comfy. I hope that's the case :) I think I mentioned in the earlier post about my Dad coming. Then my Mom and Aunt Chrissy. Following that, Greg's mom was here. Then Uncle T, Uncle J and Aunt Chrissy came. Right now Greg's Dad is here until Tues. Needless to say, Micah has loved all the attention and getting to know his family better.

2) Greg is busy at work. He took a five day marathon trip to IN, KY, OH and back to MI last week to visit various distribution centers and oversee the chaplaincy efforts in those locations. A wave of relief overcame me when he finally walked in the door :) He's also getting excited about all the endless possibilities out in the lawn now that it's warmer and things are blooming. More power to ya', says this black thumb. Just keep it LOW maintenance :)

3) I am moving about almost like normal. If you ever need a good recovery program after surgery, you can borrow Micah. He'll get you up and moving in no time flat. I fill my days, filling and unfilling the dishwasher and washing machines, filling and unfilling the minivan, filling and unfilling the toy box and my inbox, filling empty tummies and changing filled diapers. That's kind of humorous now that I think of it :) Makes me more aware of my desperate need to keep my soul filled with Life, Love, Joy, Peace and Truth from the Eternal Source. Otherwise, I am sure to have a dry well.

One cool thing is that Greg let me have a night out with a couple girlfriends and we went to Holland (Michigan, that is) to see Christopher Williams in concert. It was sweetness for the soul. I loved it. I highly recommend checking him out if you like folk acoustic with a bluegrass flair. http://www.christopherw.com/. His music automatically starts playing on his website.

4) Savannah - Eat, Poop, Play, Sleep...Repeat. Eat, Poop, Play, Sleep...Repeat. Interject some fussiness and occasional smiles. And she can do all of that looking cute 100% of the time. Unbelievable :) She has stolen our hearts.

5) Micah - Did I mention we have two very different children on our hands? Here are some recent Micahisms for you:
- "Bye Daddy! Just call me on my cell phone!"

- "That was sweet of her, huh, Mommy?" (Because the librarian gave him a stamp on his hand)

- "Blast Off!!" (Many things get thrown through the air after this one, so take cover if you're around.)

- "I have to work." "Where's my hammer, screwdriver, wrench, pliers, sander, drill, saw, toolbelt, Bob hat, etc..."

- "Look Mom, a skylift!" (That's a big bucket that lifts construction workers in the air for those of you, who, like me, did not know that until I started reading truck books.)

- "I need to fix the fire hydrant" (When we go on walks, he takes his tools in his Bob the Builder bag and stops to "fix and paint" every fire hydrant. I'm should let the fire department know things look good.)

- "Jesus make rain"

- He came running in the house with some dandelions for me. When I asked him why, he said "'Cause I want to do you special." (Yes, my heart melted.)

- "I no like..." (Many things.)

- Finally, he sings nonstop. I love it :) I am amazed at his repretoire. He knows words to songs I sing with him that I have forgotten. I pray music is always a big part of his life. What a gift.

So there you go...a much needed update. As I always say, I will try to post more. My dream is to be able to post some more writings from my heart. Hopefully soon now that I feel I'm getting more in the groove. For more really great pics of the kids and of our time with my brothers and Chrissy, you can visit their shnazzy blog at http://www.jonathanandchrissy.blogspot.com/. Chrissy is the blog queen, while I am a mere blog jester.

Love to you all!

Savannah's Debut Post

Announcing the arrival of Savannah Kay Duvall!!

What a sweet little blessing of a baby girl..

She was born March 11th, 2008 at 5:11pm weighing 8lbs. 4oz. and 20" in length. After a couple days of recovery in the hospital (she was born via c-section) we came back home on the 14th and have been slowly adjusting since. We've had an overwhelming amount of support from family and friends in the form of gifts, meals, cards, prayers, phone calls, emails, and time spent helping us at the house. I am so very grateful.

Micah is not too sure about all this new baby sister stuff. He is very sweet with Savannah and like to give her kisses, but sharing Mommy is just not his favorite thing to do.

Savannah is such a sweet baby. She's sleeping well, eating well, going potty well, and growing way too fast. At three weeks old yesterday she is already lifting up her head and focusing on bright objects. I feel like we're getting into a routine as we figure each other out.

As for me, recovery is a bit slow, but I do feel progress, thanks to family members who have allowed me to rest well and let's not forget to give a big shout out to pain killers that have made me very "happy" :) I am so thankful for my Dad and Margo who helped with Micah in the first few days of Savannah's life, then my Mom who was a lifesaver for ten days around the house. Now Chrissy, my sister-in-law, is here helping all this week. I seriously don't know how things would have been without them. Praise God for family.

Greg is back at work and not getting much reprieve as he comes home and has to give full attention to a toddler for the evening. People said that having two is like going to man-on-man defense. Very true for us, thus far. Shawna feeds Savannah and Greg wrestles with Micah :)

Anyway, here are the pictures that I know you really want to see more than reading my long-winded commentary...I'm working on getting them loaded on Snapfish as well, but have run into some technical difficulties with our computer.

Thank you again for all your love, encouragment and shared joy in the arrival of our precious little gift, Savannah Kay. What a miracle.

"Count Your Blessings, Name Them One by One"

No pictures today...I'm not in the mood. I've been in pre-labor since last Friday, packed our bags, called the doctor and thought way more than once, "this could be it!"...but alas, here I sit, typing away and waiting for a few solid contractions to send us on our way. What a lesson in waiting! One I need to learn, I'm sure.
SO...despite bouts of discouragement, I have been reflecting on all the big and small miracles God has performed in our lives in the past week or so. Naming them gives me encouragement and joy and hopefully will do the same for you...
1) As I posted a couple weeks ago, we were in need of a new vehicle since the ole' Camry needs some major work. SO, we decided that the Saturday before last would be our car shopping day. In the midst of the whirlwind we hadn't quite decided what to do with the little guy while we were out at the dealers...I guess just take him with and strap in the car seat when we test drove? BUT, Saturday morning we get a surprise phone call from one of students at our church that has become a dear part of our lives. She randomly called and asked if she could "borrow" Micah for the day...She took him to the children's museum, then to his favorite fast food joint (need I say the name?) then back home to watch a video while we went to the bank and the Honda dealer. What a blessing!! We got SO much more done than we had thought.
2) Next blessing (and this story could take quite awhile, so I'll give you the reader's digest version). Our neighbor alerted us to a Honda Odyssey listed on Craig's list. We go and look at it and decide to spend some time praying about whether or not this was the right decision. Long story short, we were INCREDIBLY blessed by the seller and his family as they significantly lowered the price for no other reason than generosity and good will. It was such a wonderful experience and Greg and I are still shaking our heads at how God provided such a perfect vehicle for our family in such a short period of time. It's truly a gift from His Hand.
3) More blessings abound...like I said, I've been experiencing a fair amount of labor pains and discomfort since Friday. Greg was awesome all weekend helping out but I wasn't sure how I would handle taking care of Micah this week. Leave that to the Lord...
Monday, my dear friend in town came over with her toddler for a play date. She ended up putting him down for a nap here and cleaned my entire house. Seriously. AND, she brought over four different meals frozen in zip locks so I can't cook right now. This was a HUGE mental, emotional and physical help to me. She is so selfless and giving.
4) THEN, on Tuesday I went to B-study for our final meeting/brunch and they sent me home with MORE yummy food and one sweet Sister offered to come over on Friday if I'm not in labor by then and help around the house.
5) Wednesday (today), I took Micah to the library for the storytime and activity day and he loved it. I got home to several different phone calls and emails from people saying they were praying for me and just checking in. Micah went down for a long nap.
6) Then the same gracious student from church showed up at my door to babysit Micah for the afternoon and evening!! HELLO?! This was so awesome because Greg has a major Marketplace Ministries conference going on this week and wasn't planning on being home until after 10 tonight. Praise the Lord - He is totally taking care of my every need.
7) In addition, the co-leaders for our Wednesday night Bible study offered to have it at their house, so I don't have to host anything here and can lay low tonight on the couch (or Lord willing, the hospital bed :)
SO...yes. We are blessed. In the midst of a trying waiting period, I am continually reminded that "...those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength..." I've also been claiming Ps. 42, "God will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life...Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God."
So we wait. We wait with expectant hope. We wait in renewed strength. We wait with groans and cries of desperation, and yet we wait resting in His able arms of lovingkindness. We wait with open hands. We wait with a mouthful of praise and blessing. We wait in thanksgiving for what He has done and the wonders He most certainly will do. He is God and there is none other. Praise Him!

This house pic was actually taken last year, but you know, it's pretty much has looked about the same this year, too :)

For those of you who like to be updated with how round I am, this is as of yesterday, exactly four weeks from due date. Too bad you can't see my nails real well...just got a mani/pedi on Saturday (Christmas present from the best hubby in town.) A must for every pregnant woman, in my humble opinion.

Our backyard one morning after a (yet another) fresh blanket of snow. Goes perfectly with a hot cup of coffee :)

Micah and Daddy building their first non-traditional snowman together.

More snow is headed our way tonight and tomorrow. Local meteorologists are saying it could be a 100'' snowfall winter this year, which is several inches above average for West MI. The days, however, are getting lighter and I am still enjoying watching the snow fall.

Due date, as noted above, is only four weeks away, but we'll just see about that :) I'm physically, mentally and emotionally feeling more and more like things are getting into place. Please keep praying for a healthy, safe delivery and that it would be in God's perfect timing (and that His timing would be a couple weeks early!)

We're rushing to get things in order around the house. Finishing painting, organizing the nursery, cleaning, and, oh yeah...buying a new used minivan. Greg's car has some major work that needs to be done. It's not quite dead yet, but is on hospice, as I like to put it. So, we decided that it's time to sell the trusty Camry and bite the bullet for a newer, larger, all-American minivan. I think after this baby comes and we become minivan drivers, we'll officially be 0.5 children and one dog short of being the average American middle-class family :)

Grace and Peace to you and your families. May March be warm and Springy in your hearts and your homes :)

shawna

Christmas and beyond...

He loves getting his haircut at the neighbor's house...he gets a sucker, a race car cape, and doesn't even have to ride in his car seat to get there...what a deal! :)

Micah's first midget snowman...we've got WAY more snow to work with now.

As of January 20...almost a month ago :)

Loving on "Nani", his canine cousin

Practicing for the Van Cliburn

Our little angel

Micah with Papa and Mimi out at their ranch in the TX hill country

G & S at John and Suzie's wedding reception

The Duvall Brothers at John's wedding

Greg, Randy, Steve and kiddos

The Duvall family in San Antonio at Meemaw's house

I told you some pics were coming :) Most are going to be uploaded to Snapfish, but I'll post a couple here, as well, just to tickle your fancy. (And since I know that most of you only check this blog so you can see pictures of Micah. It's OK...really...I'm dealing with it.)

Anyway, here are a few posts from Christmas and beyond to give you an idea of the past couple months. For those of you who want some prego pics, the most recent is from my B-day on Jan. 19th, so I'm much more pronounced and uncomfortable now. On that note, my Bible Study has been going through Beth Moore's "Believing God" study (knocks your socks off) and today's lesson was on Joshua 10 where in the midst of battle Joshua prays that God would extend the daylight hours so they could continue fighting. God heard the prayer of his desperate servant and the sun stood still for another twenty-four hours. Incredible. Anyway, my application is that if the LORD Most High can slow down the earth for twenty-four hours, He can most assuredly speed it up so that I reach my due date a bit earlier than a traditional 6 more weeks. Are you with me on this? :) So I'm praying not for the sun to stand still, but that we would see it blitz through the sky to bring us to the blessed date of March 23 a bit quicker. I know, I know, I could just pray the baby come a bit earlier, too...but where's the fun in that when the LORD could show Himself mighty by speeding up the earth's rotation? Hey, I dare you to pray with me :)

(OK - For those of you who don't know me well, don't worry. I won't actually be praying for the above mentioned roller coaster ride on earth. So, don't go out and buy yourself some heavy boots or something to keep yourself from slinging off the planet when God speeds up time. I have no doubt He could do it, though :)

One more Micahism to add to the list in the post below:

I got him some "Cars" magnets from the dollar bin at Target and when Greg got home, Micah says, "Daddy, Mommy got cars stickers, two bucks." What?! :) So now when we ask how much something is, he says, "two bucks."

Long time comin'

Seriously, I'm starting to feel like a blogger flunkie. I'm so sorry for the lapse of time between postings. I could give a list of reasons, but the main one being we got a new camera in December and I still haven't loaded the entire software onto the computer. Lame excuse, I know, but "soon and very soon, we are gonna post some pics!" :)

As far as a Duvall update...
We're getting blasted yet again with another winter storm, but I am loving watching the snow. I figure if it's going to be cold (and it has been) then there might as well be snow (and there has been.) Being late in my third trimester, however, doesn't lend itself well to shoveling (too bad), making snowmen, sledding, skiing, ice skating, or any of the other fun winter activities to enjoy up here. I just try to keep the little guy busy with various activities indoors. I think every other mom in Grand Rapids has the same idea, so the mall play area is more like a war zone than a playful childhood retreat. We keep busy in other ways, though. Our typical week is Mondays at the grocery store, Tuesdays is Bible Study, Wednesdays we go to the library for story hour with Miss Barb (a highlight of the week for Micah), Thursdays we either run errands, get together with other moms and kids, or spend a day at home and Fridays we go to the community rec center gym where small kiddos can bring their outside toys and run as much as they want until the remember they are hungry for lunch...and all that for just a dollar :)

For those of you who like me, feel like I have been pregnant forever and are wondering when this little bundle will arrive, the due date is March 23. I am asking that you join with me in prayer to ask our loving Father if He might find it in his good, pleasing and perfect will to allow that date to be pushed a bit closer :) I'd love a mid-March arrival. Plus, my mom is coming up during her Spring Break from the 18th to the 28th, so having the baby already here would be a great blessing.

Greg is actually in Florida right now on business. I think it's just a little too convenient that he schedules his Florida trips for mid-winter, huh? :) Just kidding. He's actually got a really full week down there and we're glad he can get some of his travelling out of the way before the baby arrives.

And as for the little man himself, well, let's just say he's not slowing down even though his Mommy is. He wakes up like a jack-in-the-box, popping up with words coming out of his mouth a mile a minute. That continues until bedtime. He is one verbal 2 year old, but I love that he is able to communicate. Listening to him put words and thoughts together is precious. Some of his favorite phrases/words are:
"Wiw bit o' show, Mommy" - (Mommy, can I watch a little bit of a TV show or movie?"
"I no like coke, pickles, coffee, etc..." (no he hasn't even tried coffee) or "I no like it, I no like it!" (That's when I wipe his face off after a meal.)
"Jesus make snow. God make snow"
"Daddy come home, I wrestle."
"I wuv you, too, Mommy (or Daddy)"
"I kiss baby" (Then he pulls up my shirt and kisses my bare tummy.)
"First, play time, Mommy"
"Dog" is God, "toke" is coat

Anyway, I could go on with more Micahisms, but I'll save some for next time when we actually have some recent photos to show you.

Love and miss you all -

For His Glory -
Shawna