Football Fun

As stated in previous blog, there was some football being played while the snow was falling. I could have included it with the whole "Troyer Christmas" entry, but I thought the boys deserved their own little post. I thought the one with E blocking the boys while Isaiah made a run for it was priceless! So....these are just for pure enjoyment. :)

Victory for S & S

Isaiah running for it while his dad runs a mean defense....

Troyer Christmas 2009!

As I put in blogs previous...I was very excited for Christmas this year. The Troyer family Christmas was no exception...it was such a wonderful weekend! It's crazy what a difference little children make. Even though 2 of these children have no idea that it was Christmas, they won't remember it nor did they care about their gifts; it was just so much fun to watch Isaiah, Leegan, Chloe and Quinn opening gifts, eating wrapping paper, dancing around and in general having a great time. I think it just somehow changes perspective for everyone. In my opinion, the best present of the year was the PJ's G'ma made for all the grandkids. They were adorable! She made little pants and bboty/slippers in matching fabric for the boys and matching fabric for the girls. I'm not sure Quinn really cares at this point but Isaiah didn't take them off for an entire day once we were home!

We went home for a long weekend. Last year we started a tradition of the men cooking Christmas dinner/lunch. It went so well we thought it should continue (at least the women did), so continue it did! Meanwhile, the ladies left the house, went out for coffee and a bagel and played some word games at Panera. Once again, the men did a fabulous job and we ate more than we needed to! We also celebrated Brent's completion of college with a cake and some singing! (CONGRATS BRENT! We are very proud of you!) We spent the evening opening presents, playing "4 on a couch" (much to the dismay of Scott & Seth who were not fans), "Would you Rather?" and other games. The rest of the weekend was spent playing games, eating more food, watching movies, football outside, sledding and just being together.

I love you family!

Our Christmas with TWO babes!

To us a Child of Hope is Born!



So with all going on this season, I did not get any Christmas cards made, sent or even planned. That said, the top pic is what you're getting via my blog. :) Merry Christmas!
We had a wonderful time this year...even though Quinn did not care much about the whole hullabaloo, it was so much fun to have two babes this Christmas. Although we kept most of our traditions, there were a few minor changes: we did order pizza from E's favorite pizza place but we weren't able to go to a Candlelight service (no times that we found could work with Quinn's crank night-time self and his bedtime). We always read the Christmas story but this year Isaiah did it! While he probably didn't think much of it, I was so proud I could have burst. He is so grown up. We then opened presents (the part Isaiah was waiting for :) ). It was an amazing night together. Thank you God for sending us Your Son!

My Basketball Star

Q and daddy watching the game...

Going up for a jumpshot (and he made it :) )

Shootin' from the Left...

Defense!

What a dribbler!

Basketball is now over and I feel remorse that I couldn't post any of these sooner....

Isaiah had a very difficult coach this year. While he was a little abrasive for my taste, he also recognized the talent of several boys on our team (including Isaiah) and pushed them to do their very best. He worked with them on the fundamentals and we saw a TON of improvement from Isaiah! We are so proud of you Isaiah!

8 months!

Yes, yes....I skipped month 7. Almost missed month 8 but here I am. :)
Quinn is a tank. He is long, long, long and getting some chunk-a-licious legs. While you may not appreciate my pics...I couldn't resist. You just gotta love baby bottoms. He is now pulling himself up, over and around everything. I blame his cousin Chloe for teaching him this trick on one of the visits to our house. He became adept rather quickly at it and now there is no stopping him. He puts everything he can find into his mouth and snots and drools on everything (not the most pleasant picture I know...it's not much more pleasant in person...) Quinn continues to be a talker and noise maker and can laugh like no other. He is sleeping better and for the most part sleeps through the night. But again, you never really know.
It feels like he eats non-stop and is starting to do well with finger (okay, more like "hand" or "fist") foods. Quinn loves his bath time...we have now moved him to the tub and he leans so far out of his little bath chair that he sticks his face in the water. He attempts to crawl out and when we have let him out he does everything he can to try and go on his own. This is going to be the kid I can't leave alone to do anything. Sigh. He continues to adore Isaiah and I still believe his favorite person in the world is Eric. He does prefer me when he wants to cuddle or be coddled (or eat the good stuff) but Eric really just makes the whole world better. :)

WOW! I have not posted in what feels like forever! Soooooo...I will spend the next couple of posts trying to catch up on some of the more exciting events as of late in the Chandler household.

Isaiah had a Thanksgiving celebration at his school a couple of Wednesdays ago. There was a carry-in for the 2nd graders and any their guests. The kids were either Indians or Pigrims and made their own costumes. It was very cute, there was yummy food and this event again made me SO thankful for the switch we made to this school. The parent involvement, the encouragement to be a part of our child's education and the opportunities to participate in things like this. Yeah Eastwood!

Ode to Isaiah

Isaiah loves taking pictures. He had a camera which, for the life of any of us, cannot be found. Anyway, randomly cleaning the office a month ago I found our old camera that we thought no longer worked (in our defense it didn't work at one point) but somehow now works?!??!!? So I gave it to Isaiah. He now continually takes pictures. And I do mean continually. He takes them of the most random things and events. He takes a million of the same thing. His newest thing is he acts as though he is a spy and takes pictures from every angle from where he is hiding and thinks we don't know he is there. He does this mainly with Quinn who I'm pretty sure has no idea what is going on other than his brother is running around (thinking he is quiet but isn't) taking pictures and giggling to himself.

When the memory card is full I load the pics on the computer and he deletes them off the camera and it starts over again. As I was looking through them this time I realized he really does take some good pictures. He also takes some very unflattering ones (which I didn't include :) ) and he takes really random ones....much more random than I even thought. For example, he had a picture of every angle and every item in his room. He has more self-portraits of himself with everyone and everything than you can imagine. This he got from his father...word of advice, never let your camera sit un-tended with Eric around).

So I decided to put a little slide show together of some of his most recent photography. He really is very creative and I hope this encourages him to continue being unique and random and inspired and observant. I love you Isaiah!

Our Do-Nothing Day

For those out there who know...yes, a tribute to Phineas and Ferb. :)

Eric didn't work, the day was beautiful and we were together as a family. We went to Isaiah's bball game, out to eat, came home and took a nap. Blessed nap. We then got up, Quinn and I watched Isaiah and E play some bball, ate pizza and watched a movie. What an awesome do-nothing day! (and I didn't even feel guilty).

Troyer Family Weekend

So more on this past weekend...dad, mom, Megan and my niece Leegan came up early on Saturday, caught Isaiah's bball game and then spent the day helping us "fix" things. I know I have paid tribute to my wonderfully handy father in the past and again, THANK YOU DAD! Several projects were completed, mom raked some leaves and Megan kept both Isaiah and Leegan quite occupied in leaf piles. We could not have asked for better weather...it was absolutely beautiful!

Brent and Bridget came up later that evening and spent the night. Seth, Joy, Chloe, Paula and Scott all met us at church the next morning to be a part of Quinn's dedication. After church we all went out to lunch...while quite yummy, it took about 1 hour to get ORDER our food, another hour to actually get it and pay for it. Not the best experience but we were together as a family so...

Some stuck around for the afternoon and evening just talking and spending time together. I know I said it in my previous blog but I'm so truly grateful to have the amazing family that I do. Sometimes it is hard to find words to express it and I'm sure I don't say it enough to the people who need to hear it. I guess that's probably true for many of us. I do love all of you and am soooo thankful that you all chose to spend your time with us this weekend! To top it all off...when everyone left and I went upstairs, I realized that mom had cleaned up everyone's bedding, put things back in order and did the dishes! I have no idea when she found time to do this but I loved it! YOU ROCK! :)

Dedication

Sunday we had Quinn dedicated at church. The entire family came to be a part of it. That's really the complete story very shortened.

I write this because after the weekend and in different comments made by a friend of mine...I realize how very, very blessed we are. My entire family came (with the exception of Kristin who is in college and had to stay there). My parents, every sibling, their spouse/significant other and their children. How awesome is that?! How amazing is it that they all made time this weekend to drive 2 1/2 hours to watch our baby be dedicated in a 15 minute ceremony?! While I am pretty sure I did not adequately express my gratitude or thankfulness for their time spent with us, I'm not sure there are words that would encompass the blessing I felt. I do have a wonderfully, fabulously unique and amazing family. I love you all...dad, mom, Seth, Joy, Chloe, Scott, Paula, Leegan, Brent, Bridget, Kristin (we missed you) and Megan!

Jobless No More

...okay, technically I have a job but don't start until December.

So...I will try to be concise:

last Friday: randomly receive phone call asking for interview
Monday: interview for 1st position
Monday afternoon: receive offer for this position, request time to talk it over with E
Tuesday: receive 2nd random phone call requesting interview in same company, different dept.
Wednesday: have interview with 2nd dept.
Thursday: lots of waiting
Friday morning: receive offer for 2nd position and ACCEPT!
Later Friday morning: off to my fabulous Old Navy sale feeling very good :)

So more on the story is that I would have enjoyed the 1st position offered but it was a supervisory position (I do love being in charge :) :) :) ) so there would have been more stress involved with scheduling and covering shifts. I was freaking out a little because I don't want to go back to work. Then I received the 2nd offer. This position will be a little more flexible, more money, it's pretty autonomous and it feels like it will work better for our family.

God does work in mysterious ways. There was a reason I was freaking out and feeling unsure. God opened another door. While I still don't want to go to work, unfortunately this isn't an option. Unemployment is going to eventually run out, jobs are few and far between and E needs to finish school. I do not want to leave my boys and am struggling immensely with this. I have enjoyed this time more than I can even begin to tell you. I LOVE BEING AT HOME! BUT. I do believe God is making a way...He had the timing worked out. He had a plan. He allowed us to make it this long when I never thought we would be able to. I will have had eight months with Quinn and 11 months with Isaiah. Nothing is going to make leaving my boys any easier. That said, I feel a peace about the job decision and at this point I think that is the most I can hope for.

Old Navy or Bust

On Friday (the 30th) I had quite the whopping day. All week I had been waiting for the sale of all sales. The first 50 customers to Old Navy (love it) would receive 50% off (of everything!). I just knew I could do it. This is why I wasn't working...God allowed me to be available and present just for this kind of sale. He knows I am financially challenged and that my son needs a new winter coat! My plan was to leave at 9:15a to get there in plenty of time.

The morning started well...Quinn and I were on a schedule and it was working. At 9:10am (of course) I received a phone call. I was OFFERED A JOB! (1st great thing to happen) Actually that is another story so will come later. Anyway, couldn't rush the HR man off the phone so ended up leaving later than planned. Pulled up to ON with 5 minutes to spare and a view of a million people standing in line outside the doors. By this time a light sprinkle had started and I decided that since I wasn't going to be the first 50 I would wait in the car with Quinn. Then I rethought and figured by the time I got the babe out of the car and walked up there it would be almost time to go in. So, got everything out (including Q) and lugged our happy selves to the line. The lady was walking down the line handing out cloth bags...I was the LAST ONE to receive a bag. I WAS THE 50th CUSTOMER! (2nd great thing to happen) Yee-haw for me! Woo-hoo and all that! Could the day get any better?! I was a sale hunter!

Anyway, a couple of hours later and I was a happy lady. Q was not so happy but it was time he took one for the team. I went for two main items, a winter coat for Isaiah and a sweater I had been eye-balling for longer than I would like to tell you. I got both (and some Christmas shopping).(3rd great thing to happen) AND, not only did I get the 50% off but everything was marked on sale! It was quite the stupendous morning.

Disco Dude

This year Isaiah informed me he wanted to be a "Disco Guy." Beyond the afro I had no idea where to start. Apparently costume places believed that children only want to be cartoon characters, superheros or cowboys...not disco people. 2 Goodwills and 1 Salvation Army later and the only hope I had was a burgundy velvet top. Where are the polyester pants? Where are the nasty, polyester, butterfly collar shirts that old men like to wear? So, I got creative and this is what came out of it. Thank you G'ma Troyer for the basic lessons in sewing :)(and I had a little practice while attending Goshen College...). When he saw it, Isaiah announced "the shirt is like a king and those pants are awesome!" Yes, made a mother proud. Anyway, he received lots of compliments while trick-or-treating and several times had to chase his afro in a yard because the wind was a bit ferocious.

We went trick-or-treating with our good friends, the Pauleys again...I believe this is the 4th year?!?!?!? Isaiah, Claire and Isabel enjoyed the time and afterwards while hopped up on sugar and some caffeine, they wrestled which was quite amusing. Quinn enjoyed his time (forgot to take a pic of him) just chilling in the stroller watching everyone go by. There was no costume as I didn't want to spend the money and it will come soon enough. Eventually it was too cold and he got fussy so the men headed back to the house with the babe and the dog (likely excuses...) and us women continued to brave the cold for our children's benefits. What a great time!

Water keeps dripping on my floor...la la lala lala lala

A baby built like a tank. Check.

A sink full of water. Check.

Towels on floor to mop up the horrible mess. Check.

So worth it.

Pile-Up

Not many words are needed... It just makes my heart happy.

Happy Birthday Eric!

He's 36! Eric, you are an amazing man. You are a loving husband and father, and a great friend to everyone. Even with all the newness of Quinn....you have made time for your family, you work hard and you continue to go to school and receive top honors! We are so proud of you and we love you!

(Isaiah making a birthday card for Eric)

Its a Long Way to Texas

Our dear friends, Joe & Christine finally made it back to Indiana. They moved to Texas several years ago and we have desparately missed them. They actually came back for the wedding (in previous post) but also to visit family and friends. They met Quinn for the first time and thankfully he had big smiles for both of them. It was a very busy 4 1/2 days but it was sooooo good to see them. We love you guys! Can you move back? :)

Matt & Erin's Wedding

CONGRATS Matt & Erin!
May your life together be blessed. Thank you for sharing your amazing day with all of us!

Our friends, Matt & Erin were married last week on Saturday, October 3rd. (Yes, I figure while this is late, it is better than never.) Eric was a groomsman. It was an amazing wedding for several reasons. First, it brought many friends together and several from far away (we love you Joe & christine). Secondly, the reception was loads of fun and we (Eric and I) believe had some of the best food since our wedding! (This is only our opinion.)

The wedding was short and sweet...and I do mean short and sweet. Probably 20 minutes tops! How cool are Matt & Erin?!??!! The reception was at Nelson's BBQ and while we waited FOREVER for the bridal party (who were off having their own little fiesta :) No hatin' here), it was well worth it. The food was scrum-diddili-umptious and we ate until our bellies were full. Eric actually said he though the food even topped ours. Sacrilege I say. Sacrilege.


The dance floor was quite the hopping place and the kids had a GREAT time. Isaiah was a dancing fool. Who knew he had it in him? And the rhythym is finally coming out which is a relief. :) He did the moonwalk, numerous handstands, danced with the bride, danced with his favorite person, Christine, danced with his mama :) and with his friends, Claire and Isabelle.


The adults also had quite a rockin' time. It was great to see all of the "boys" together again and was wonderful to visit with friends. Some of our friends (unrelated to this group) offered to watch Quinn during the reception. What a blessing! We were able to enjoy the evening with no worries, talk with no interruptions and just have an awesome time.

Trivial Post

I realized I never post anything about the mundane, trivial, fun things in life.This is my new fabulous, and I do mean fabulous, pair of shoes. I love them. Cost $90 but only paid $10. Pretty proud of myself and want the world to see them.

Thanks Christine for the help... :)

So Proud

Isaiah took part in his first award ceremony at his new school last week...and he received an award! His award from his teacher recognized him for being positive, both in adjusting to his new school and his attitude towards the kids in his classroom. I was SO proud!

Bath Time Fun

Doesn't this just make you smile?

Why We Love Indiana

...because it is cold enough to have to bundle up at the beginning of October. Sigh. (At least they're cute....and yes, this was a very early morning before school. Sigh again.)

6 Months!

It is almost unbelievable that Quinn is now 6 months old. Time has FLOWN by and he is getting bigger and bigger...huge really. He now has two teeth on the bottom, is scooting across the floor and getting up on his hands and knees. He does refuse to actually crawl and seems to prefer the army crawl method. Regardless, he gets where he wants to go and rather quickly I might add. He laughs all the time, has a huge smile and is generally a very content baby. No, he still doesn't sleep through the night. We randomly get a night or two unexpectedly but there is no rhyme or reason to it. Yes, we have tried everything but we are willing to hear suggestions. Quinn continues to blow bubbles (which is the pic that his mouth looks funny) and adores his big brother Isaiah and lights up when he sees his daddy. I'm always good for the food. :)

Happy 60th Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad!

The boys and I went home this weekend to help celebrate dad's birthday with the family. Spent the time hanging out and talking, Saturday Isaiah made a card for g'pa and Sunday we enjoyed a birthday lunch prepared by Bridget (brother's girlfriend). It was delicious. Afterwards we took (or tried to take) some pics of theproud grandparents with their growing brood of grandbabies. It's getting a little more difficult but fun none-the-less. :)

A Boy and His Dog

Isaiah LOVES his dog, Jeb, AKA "my adopted brother." Although Jeb's obvious master is Eric, he knows who to go to to get some lovin'.

God's Plan

So the news on the job front is still nada. I have been looking and looking and looking, etc. There aren't many to choose from and the ones that have been offered make my unemployment pay look lucrative. To my utter astonishment, I LOVED being home this summer with the boys and still enjoy being home with Quinn...much more that I even thought I would. BUT enjoyment does not pay the bills. I was pretty excited about a job I interviewed for a couple of weeks ago and found out last Monday that I didn't get it. Was pretty bummed (still am) and really struggled with the whole "why?" thing. This brings on the questions...

While it is easy to say "it wasn't meant to be," the people saying that aren't the ones that will have to figure out how to pay the bills. This said...I do realize that God has a plan and unfortunately it isn't always the same as mine. I am sure that His plan is better (okay, I know it will be better) but for those of us with control issues this is a hard thing to surrender. With this surrender comes the realization that when I initially found out I was going to lose my job, I figured we had until the end of June before our savings ran out. June has come and gone and we are still okay.

So. Knowing this, saying it out loud, reading it...why do I still have problems trusting his plan fearlessly and without question?

Me & My Babe

(...Or at least one of them :) )

I find that since I am the one who loves to take pics in our family (much to E's dismay at times), I am often not in the pictures. This isn't a huge problem except then it often appears as though I wasn't even there. During special events, I do want to remember being there...if for no other reason than to document it for posterity. :)

Anyway, here are a couple that Isaiah took on a random day doing random stuff and I think they're pretty cute.

Some Fun Pics

Just some pictures for the fun of it. Isaiah wanted to pose with Quinn and I thought this one of them was hilarious since their facial expressions are pretty much identical!
The second one was caught after Quinn gave the dog's hairy back a big, open-mouthed kiss. He didn't seem to like it (Quinn that is) but kept trying even after this pic. He really gets quite a kick out of Jeb. He often smiles and talks to him even though Jeb pays him very little mind at this point (unless there is still tastiness around Quinn's mouth...then there is licking attempted when he thinks I'm not looking. Yuck.)

Goshen 1st Fridays

For those who do not live around here...Goshen businesses started this thing called First Fridays of Goshen. The first friday of every month, the small businesses in downtown Goshen have specials, there is live music, random clowns walking around, and different months have special events. For September it was a Fashion Show which included a Yoga Demonstration. I was involved in the yoga demo which happened while the fashion show was going on. Yes, sounds strange but received very good feedback. :) In the top pic you can see one of the little girls who were part of the show and absolutely stole the show!

Anyway, we (this includes my Yoga instructor Kara, myself and 4 other ladies) did a quick 10 minute group demo before the show started. When the show started we then paired off and all 6 of us took turns doing sequences with a partner. This said, I was hoping that my son or husband would be able to get some good pictures of the group of us flowing in poses but alas...my second son decided to be fussy, Eric had to "step out" and the camera was then manned by Isaiah.

Now I do not say this with fear. Isaiah enjoys taking pictures and usually does a pretty good job. In defense of him, I guess no one really told him to take pics of the group so they were mainly of me (God love him) and many were of my rear end since that happened to be where he chose to stand in relation to the stage.

That said here are a couple.

How cute is he?

I just happen to think this outfit is adorable and wanted to share it with the world. :)

Florida...

West Palm Beach to be exact. The weekend before E started school, I left for a long weekend to go to WPB to visit one of my dear friends, Chris. WITHOUT KIDS! It was a wonderful time. We were able to spend girl time together, just talking, hanging on the beach, eating (okay sometimes she forgot to feed me but I quickly learned to make myself at home) and enjoying her son, Anthony (21 months) and her husband, Dan. Her mom made some killer food for us and I met their friend, AJ. For three nights I slept with NO disturbances! (okay...there was the slight disturbance of a 16 month old around 7-8am-ish in the morning...but that's better than 3 and unforunately I was already up!!!) It was awesome.

It was wonderful to reconnect and just relax. It is amazing to have a friend in life that together we can fill in any amount of time with talking and not run out of subjects. To know that no matter how much time passes, we can always pick up where we left off. To know that we can go years without seeing each other but she is only a call away and there aren't many secrets. To know that we have both grown from single, goin' out ladies to being wives and mothers and we are STILL friends. To know that there have been bumps along the road in our friendship but ultimately the bond hasn't changed. Freakin' fabulous. Love you Chris!

5 Months!

Quinn is 5 months old! He continues to be completely adorable of course. He is starting to sleep better...a majority of the time he only wakes up once in the middle of the night, eats and then goes back to sleep. He still likes to suck on his toes, play with his feet and stick his tongue out. The newest addition to that is that he does this weird sucking thing with his lip. I can't seem to capture it though since as soon as he does it, I pull the camera out and he stops. Some day...


He rolls all over the place but hasn't attempted to crawl yet. Seems to be a little annoyed with the whole process of laying on his belly to get somewhere. I think he would rather just move to walking or jumping. He is definitely a mover and a shaker. That said, he LOVES his jumper. I sometimes watch him and wonder how he doesn't get whiplash. I think I would just throw up.

He adores Isaiah and tends to be a sitting duck for all of Isaiah's little whims. This is expressed clearly in the above picture. :( Isaiah does get quite a kick out of it and Quinn seems to find many of his antics funny.Check out Quinn's face!?!?!? Don't you wonder what he was thinking at that exact moment?

This is a favorite game with daddy: Daddy blows in my belly and I suck on his head. Hilarious to see but slightly gross afterwards.

Another favorite game of the "boys" I call "spit talking." It is much like you would envision Cavemen communicating. Sometimes they sit together, sometimes they are sitting across the room...it doesn't matter. Eric will make this sound with his lips...a pause will follow...Quinn will respond with the same sound being blown from his lips...another pause and daddy will respond like wise. Sometimes Isaiah adds one. I can't do it so I stay out of it. It is quite humorous to witness although quite messy and slobbery if you are the lucky one holding Quinn.

I do believe that daddy is Quinn's favorite person or at least it is quickly becoming that way. He loves his brother and of course I (being the breast-feeding mama) provide the good stuff but daddy always seems to make him less fussy. Don't get me wrong...this is a WONDERFUL thing!