On The Go

Well, nothing is safe in our house anymore...the little man is officially crawling. He still doesn't do it much, but he can. He will crawl to get items such as Mom and Dad, paper and his nuk. Last night I dropped a piece of bread on the floor, and he quickly crawled over and ate it(pictures coming soon). We have also taken the stationary part off of his car, so now that the wheels are exposed, he can drive anywhere! He just has to figure out how!

Isaiah still likes to stand the best, and is working on pulling up on furniture. He likes to use our hands to pull up to stand, and will stand by himself if you get him to the furniture. He has tried many times to use the coffee table to stand, but it usually results in him getting stuck and hitting his head.

I am glad that he is learning new things, but I wish that I could have frozen him in time two days ago...when he didn't really move! I don't want him to grow up, he is a ball of fun right now. His little personality is shining through, and I love it!

Oh, I almost forgot, he also has four teeth coming in on the top! YIKES! He is such a trooper though, he was only crabby on Sunday afternoon.

Isaiah had his first Seminary babysitters, Joe and Katie Behnke. They are fantastic friends who donate their time to play with Isaiah.



Steve and I are doing just fine. We worked at an auction on Saturday night, saw the hot air balloons light up, and Isaiah and I took a road trip to see my Mom, who was visiting St. Louis on her women's weekend.

I will try to add more pictures when I get home from work.

Look Grandma!

This post is dedicated to my Mom, the dental assistant.

So life has fallen into more of a routine, Steve is back in classes, I'm back at work, and Isaiah is at daycare. We are still learning how to deal with homework and family time, but we will have it mastered in no time!

Classes started, and the report that I get is that they are, "not too bad". The intramural season has started as well, which makes Steve one happy guy. He does not have class on Wednesday's, so he gets to hang out with Isaiah all day.

I am settling into my new job. I can see that it may be hard in the future, because I am part time Youth Ministry secretary, and part time in the National Youth Gathering Office. There aren't any set hours for either, just working on which ever job needs to be done. So ultimately I support our Director and 5 Associate Directors. I also do not fully understand what each of them work on, so it is a lot of learning. I was approved last week to work 6 am - 2:30, so I have been getting a lot less sleep these days, but it is worth it to get home to spend time with my boys.

Isaiah is still fantastic. He is our whole world, and he knows it! Yesterday he figured out how to get onto all fours, in the crawling position, without falling onto his tummy. He screams when he is on his tummy and can't get up. I was making an apple pie on Monday, and he thought that it was super funny when I sliced the apples, so we had some good laughs.

Isaiah is still seeing the chiropractor, which seems to be helping. He is eating a few new fruits and veggies, and really enjoying finger food. He has also learned the Seitzer way of taking care of teeth. My sisters and I have always been taught the value of good oral hygiene, so I am passing my knowledge onto Isaiah. See the pictures below. He really LOVES to brush his teeth, and it seems to be a highlight of his day. He always smiles when I pick up the tooth brush, and proceeds to open wide. I don't even have to ask! He also loves to "brush" his own teeth, and he doesn't even stick the toothbrush in too far! Maybe he will grow up to follow in his grandma's footsteps and become a dentist.

The Grind

Well, since our last post, I have been back in the daily grind of the workforce. I have to say that I have not missed it at all! I sit and stare at my computer screen which houses a large picture of Isaiah, while wishing that I was at home with him. I daily remind myself that I am really lucky to have a job, and I will (hopefully) never live this day in St. Louis again. (Meaning I hope we will be at our first call next year at this time.)

Steve has been Mr. Mom, and a GREAT house husband. He has been busy doing the laundry, washing and putting away dishes, cooking yummy meals, and taking Isaiah on all kinds of outings. Oh and changing all of the poopy diapers with only minimal gagging. He will start school again on Tuesday.

Isaiah is still a fun loving, laid back little man. He is 8 months old already! He has been pulling up on everything and tries to get into the crawling position, but just can't quite get there. He got his first haircut the other day; see pictures below. He was really squirmy, but did a great job. The stylist even put gel in his hair!

As our followers know, Isaiah has had GERD, which is basically acid reflux, since he was born. In other words, he throws up a lot. He was on medicine, but we were not convinced it was working. So based on many recommendations, we decided to take him to a chiropractor who is also a nutritionist. She gave us so much helpful information. She felt his back and found that his body had tension spots in the area of his intestines, stomach, and gallbladder. She also said that she doesn't think that his body is breaking down proteins properly. So she did a little spinal adjustment (a gentle massage), put me on a dairy free diet (ugh, no ice cream), and Isaiah on organic food. He goes in again today for a follow up, and we are hopeful that this will eventually help solve this problem.

Welcome Back to St. Louis!

So much has happened since our last post. In just about three weeks we have packed up and said our goodbyes in Moorhead, had a quick visit with Calie's folks on the farm in St. Peter, landed in St. Louis, vacationed in New Jersey for 12 days, and we are now back in St. Louis. Our boxes are unpacked; we are all settled in and we are not leaving. Or at least for the next nine months! So if you want to see us, make your plane reservations now!

Vicarage is over. I am no longer "The Vicar". We had a beautiful farewell Sunday the last weekend in July and said all of our goodbyes. After preaching my final sermon and an old-fashioned roasting, the congregation gathered for a farewell potluck. The church was such a supportive and loving place to learn and grow. Moorhead has become such a wonderful memory in our seminary journey. Much was learned and we gained so many new friends and family in Christ. We think quite often about the people and places we miss from vicarage.

After landing back at the seminary just long enough to unload the truck, we headed out to New Jersey to spend some time with my family. It was the first time Isaiah got to meet most of my family and friends. Our time there went really quick. But it was nice and relaxing--a family BBQ, three days at the Jersey Shore, mini-golf, hot-tubbing and lots of time and meals spent with people we love. Not to mention the amount of Jersey-style pizza and Taylor Ham & Cheese sandwiches we were able to eat at the infamous Lox of Bagels. We even got to go the NJ State Fair for an evening that included going to the petting zoo and seeing the racing pigs. And Isaiah fit right in with the rest of the Sussex County crowd with only his two teeth!

I'm pretty sure that Isaiah enjoyed New Jersey the most as hardly a second went bye when he was not being held or entertained. It's been bit of a hard reality for him since we've been home and have been busy unpacking and cleaning the new place. I also had the privilege to preach and lead worship services at the congregation I grew up in. Got to stand in the pulpit of the place where this crazy pastor thing all began. Overall it was really just a nice trip back out east, even despite the realization that I'm becoming less and less "Jersey" via losing my accent and actually trying to be a courteous and patient driver. Jersey drivers do not like to merge!

As for St. Louis, we are just about now settled in. We are moved completely into our on-campus apartment and have everything put away and all the pictures hung. We really like our place, perhaps pictures will come later. And though we already miss our dishwasher in Moorhead we are so thrilled to have our very own washer & dryer. No more quarters or waiting for other people, yay! The simple things in life indeed! Though I don't start classes until after Labor Day, Calie starts work back at the LCMS International Center next Monday. This year she will be working in the youth ministry office; working primarily with the 2010 National Youth Gathering in New Orleans. So, I will be able to be Mr. Mom until classes start. I'm really excited for this but need to work a bit on my gag reflex when it comes to diapers filled with #2. Once I enter back into the wonderful (blah!) world of academia, we have been blessed to so easily find childcare for Isaiah. He will be watched by a seminary wife on campus who also watches two other children. Her husband is an exchange student and they are from Brazil. They are both really nice people and Isaiah snuggled right up with her when they first met. This is a God-send! A perfect fit for us as far as location, cost, and quality care. God is so good, praise Him for answered prayers and peace of mind!

So now in these next few days we are trying to enjoy our last few days of open family time. We have already re-visited the Budweiser Brewery and will soon be going to the St. Louis Zoo and Ted Drew's Frozen Custard. It really is nice to be back in the sultry St. Louis area, knowing it is only for 9 months. The weather still is hot and nasty. Today, the temp wasn't so high but the humidity was at 97%. As long as the central air keeps working it will be all good.

Enjoy the pics!

Moving fun

The packing has begun, and is (hopefully) almost done! Just a few last minute things to throw in boxes. We are visiting our favorite places one last time, saying our last goodbyes, and getting ready to hit the road. Isaiah and I leave on Friday morning for my parents house. Steve will join us there later in the evening with the moving truck. Saturday morning, Steve will head to St. Louis while Isaiah and I will head to Iowa with my parents for my cousin's wedding.

So, in the packing process Isaiah reached a new milestone. He can now pull himself up to standing! I am definetly not ready for this yet, but it was pretty exciting! The pictures are in the slideshow below.

This will probably be the last blog for awhile, since as soon as we get to St. Louis, we head out to New Jersey for 10 days. Check back at the end of August for a ton of pictures and a long update!
Look for an email with our new address as well!

Our First Family Vacation

Yes indeed, we had our first family vacation! We hadn't take a vacation since our honeymoon almost four years ago. Usually when we head out and go on trips it is to visit family in either MN, NJ, or FL. So this was our first official vacation! It was short, but sweet. We left Thursday morning and headed to Park Rapids, MN. We arrived at our home away from home, The Vacationaire Lodge. We checked in, settled in and went to the lodge to eat. Since the weather was less than desirable, we explored the small town shops in downtown Park Rapids. This was just a cute little strip down main street that included antique shops, souvenir stores, restaurants, and a couple of old-fashioned candy stores and fudge shops!

Throughout our weekend we had to make up for the crummy weather. It was rainy, cold and windy. Just perfect for the MIDDLE OF JULY!!!! So instead of swimming in the lake or fishing off the dock we enjoyed the simple things like: eating out, family naps, watching the Penguins of Madagscar, and swimming in the Lodge's indoor swimming pool. On Friday there was enough dry weather for us to head to Christmas World and play some mini-golf, which I won! That night we had a nice little venture to the "restaurant capital of the world" in Dorset, MN. This town has a population of 22. I'm pretty sure that they have more places to eat in this town then residents. But they do have a number of real tasty places to eat and do pretty decent business up there surrounded by so many lakes, campgrounds, and resorts. Oh, and they even have a Lutheran Church there so we are hoping we do not get sent to Dorset come Call Day 2010! Can you imagine?

On Saturday we headed up to Itasca State Park to see the Mississippi headwaters. Thankfully it was a nicer day and rain free. So we enjoyed walking through the "mighty" Mississippi River and walking around Minnesota's oldest state park. We walked the Park museum and a few other short trails. We even walked through some old Indian burial mounds. If only we could have stayed on Sunday it would have been a perfect day to rent a boat or bikes to see more of the park. But when the sun finally came out late Saturday afternoon, it was time for us to get ready to head home. We headed back south into Park Rapids one last time to eat a bar that claimed to have possibly the best burgers and fries in Northern, MN. Big time disappointment. Steve is always looking for a good, small-town, hole-in-the-wall bar that serves awesome handmade, heart attack-inducing, big and juicy burgers. This was definitely not the place but kudos to them on their effective, yet misleading advertising! (However, Billy's Bar & Grill in Vergas, MN is the place according to him!) Anyways, we stopped at an old fashioned "Minne-soda" fountain to get some ice-cream for the drive home.

Here is the slide show of our vacation:

Flour Fun