Day 1 of Construction

Today we started on the construction of finishing our basement and adding a bathroom.  We only have one bathroom in our house and it has become a problem with 4 out of the 5 Colberts being potty trained.  So, we hired a plumber and today he started on the bathroom rough-in.  I was able to help him out a little bit.  And Jake was right by my side the whole way.  He even brought his shovel down to help out with the digging.  Jake especially liked when the plumber used the jackhammer... that's why we had ear protection.  We are hoping to complete the basement sooner then later.  Once the plumbing is roughed in, I am going to handle most of the rest of the work.  We'll keep taking pictures of the progress. 

Abigail Rae

Abbey doodle, Abbey Rae Rae... our little girl is going to be three in about a week.  We were looking at some old pictures of her and just can't believe how fast she is growing. Anyone that knows Abbey, knows that she is 100% girl.  When she was learning her colors, she would only acknowledge pink and purple for the longest time.  She had selective color learning.  She is very into clothes and shoes and loves anything girly.  She loves animals and being read to.  She is a good eater and loves to be held by Shelley.  You will often hear her say "look mommy and daddy" while she's holding up a foot in some way or doing a silly pose.  She is very loved and we are so thankful for our little girl.  Here are some old and recent pictures of her.  

Idlewild Vacation

We made it back from our vacation to Idlewild Park.  We had a blast and the kids really enjoyed it.  The nice thing about the park was that it was perfect for Jake and Abbey.  They were able to go on almost all of the rides, either by themselves or with Shelley or me.  The second day, we did the waterpark, but after a couple hours it started raining.  We were all pretty disappointed that we didn't get more time there (Shelley and I were probably more bummed than the kids), because it was really amazing.  Overall we were glad that we went and we'll definitely make it back to Idlewild another time soon.  Click on the link below if you'd like to see more pictures of our trip.

Idlewild Pictures 

  

Idlewild, Here We Come

Tomorrow morning we are heading out for our mini family vacation to Idlewild Amusement Park and Water Park which is in Ligonier, PA.  We got a package deal through a hotel near the park, which includes two nights stay, tickets to the park, breakfast both mornings and a free pizza delivered to the hotel pool (which we will use our last day after checkout).  We were a little nervous today if this trip was going to happen because last night Abbey came down with a fever and seemed pretty sick all day, but she seemed to perk up tonight before bed so we think it was just a little bug that will pass by tomorrow.  Jim is off the whole week so we are super excited to spend this time together as a family.  Several families at our church have taken their kids to this park year after year when they were Jacob & Abbey's ages and they have all told us that this will be a great trip for our family.  We'll let you know :)

I also wanted to give a little update about my tests.  My cat scan showed that I have several small kidney stones and one pretty large kidney stone.  I am scheduled to have a procedure done in two weeks where the doctor goes in and breaks them up with some laser thing to make them smaller so they are easier to pass.  They then will put a stint in the tube where they go through (ureter) to keep the tube open because it often swells after this procedure and the doctor said that the stint can be pretty painful.  It will be in for at least a week, until the swelling goes down.  The doctor said that if I start having extreme pain (if they start passing before the procedure) to go to the emergency room.  I am thankful that we found these by cat scan before I just had to pass them by myself because I have heard from several people that it can be more painful than childbirth.  So, I will be glad when it's over and am praying that this isn't going to be a reoccurring thing that I will have to live with.  After the procedure, the doctor said that I will go through some testing to see what is causing me to get these.  It may be something in my diet or I possibly could be put on some medication.  Anyways, just wanted to let you know if you were wondering...  

We haven't posted in a while so I thought I'd post about a few things going on here.  On Sunday, early morning a Twinsburg Police Officer was shot and killed on a traffic stop (Twinsburg is a very nice community right near here where many of our friends live).  It is such a sad story... the man had been a Police Officer for 11 years and him and his wife just had their first baby 3 months ago.  This whole area is pretty shaken up by it and it hits very close to home for our family.  Jim and some other officers from his department will be going to the funeral on Friday. When I start to worry about Jim doing what he does, I need to go back to God's promises and remind myself that God is control of all things and His plan is perfect for our lives.  We are so thankful for many people that have just said "thank you" to Jim in light of this situation or who have told our family that they are praying for us as we process this horrible tragedy.

On a lighter note, but still kind of stinky... I am going in for some testing tomorrow to see if I have kidney stones.  Something is going on with me lately (I will spare you the details), so I am having two tests done to see what's wrong.  The doctor that I am seeing told me that I probably shouldn't nurse Micah for 24 hours after the one test (due to a dye that they will put in my body) so I am nervous to see how this is going to work out since Micah really has never had a bottle.  If you remember, could you please pray for the tests and also that we would make it through the day and night with this sudden change.  

And on a much happier note... Here's a couple pictures that I took yesterday of the kids.  Micah turned 6 months on the 4th and is really a sweetheart.  He is laughing so much at Jacob and Abbey lately.... it's so fun to hear that baby giggle :)

Happy 5th Birthday Jacob

Yesterday we had Jacob's birthday party at our house and tomorrow we will be celebrating his actual birthday.  We had a wonderful weekend celebrating our first born.  Jim's parents came into town on Friday.  We had a great weekend and as always enjoyed our time with them.  We were busy preparing for the party, but also had some great talks and good laughs.  Jim's dad was able to ride with Jim for a whole shift and they really enjoyed their time together.  Jacob's party was a blast.  We all had a great time and enjoyed watching him interact with everyone and just celebrating him.  He has been very into army stuff so he wanted a camo party.  Here are a few pics from his party (to see all the pictures, watch the slideshow to the left).  Tomorrow we will spend the day as a family.  Jim is off so we will be able to hang out all day.  Jacob's only request for tomorrow was that we have his favorite dinner... chinese - chicken with broccoli and white rice (extra sauce to put on his rice) and a fortune cookie for dessert.  So, that we will definitely do :)        

8 Years

Today we are celebrating 8 years of marriage.  It's amazing how fast that time has gone and we are so thankful for the life that God has given us.  We have grown together in so many ways and I'm so glad that we have each other as we continue on in this journey and see all that God has in store for us and our family.  We make a great team Jim!  Happy Anniversary :)

North Carolina Trip

We just returned home from a trip to North Carolina to visit our friends Theresa and Reid and their baby Andrew.  We had a nice time and enjoyed our stay.  They have a beautiful home so we felt like we were at a resort so we enjoyed just spending time there with the Mathenys, but we also did some fun activities.  Check out all the pictures from our trip here.  I put the picture of Abbey with the dog because she loved playing with him (Bison).  We asked her the other day what she wanted for her birthday and she said "a real dog."  She has since named all her stuffed dogs and little play dogs Bison.    

Audrey Caroline

Over the past few years our family has been very blessed by all the wonderful Christian music out there today.  My days are full with caring for our kids and home, but I often put music on at some point of our day.  I love worshipping through music and we have collected so many great songs through itunes over the years of us being into Christian bands.  Some of our favorite Christian artists are David Crowder Band, Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, Selah and many more.  I say all of this to share a story with you about loss and hope.  The group Selah is made up of three people, two siblings, Nicol Sponberg and Todd Smith and one other guy.  Recently, Todd Smith of Selah lost a baby girl a couple hours after her birth.  Then, about 2 months later, his sister, Nicol Sponberg lost her baby boy at 10 weeks to SIDS.  A few nights back I was looking on-line under Selah and came across a blog that is written by Angie Smith (Todd's wife) and it is about their journey through losing their baby girl.  The babies name was Audrey Caroline and the blog site is www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com  It is an amazing journal of Angie (the moms) journey through this dark time in their lives and the way that God is working and doing amazing things through this.  I can't tell you how much it has touched me.  Just about every time I read a post of hers I sit at my computer with tears running down my face as I see the face of God through her words.  I encourage you to check it out and if you know anyone who has lost a child or who is going through a very hard time, it is an amazing story of hope.  She has many readers so it is not like we are looking at something that is only for her family and friends.  I actually think she is writing it at this point for strangers to see how God is using her baby girl for His glory.   It's so sad how three Christian artist have lost a child within the past few months, Steven Curtis Chapman, Nicol Sponberg and Todd Smith.  It is an unfathomable thing to think about, but to see how the Smith family is ministering to so many through their loss and how God truly is carrying them through this time is really amazing.  So, if you're interested in checking out their blog, I know you'd be blessed by her faith and words.  Also, the first song that plays when you open our blog is by Selah.  The guy singing is Todd Smith and the girl is Nicol Sponberg.  Please pray for them as you listen. 

We Miss You Daddy

Jim has been gone this week at a class near Columbus for work.  He left Sunday and will be home Friday.  We have had a good week, but we all miss daddy!  I haven't slept much... it is always hard to sleep when he's gone, but we are in the final stretch now so we are excited that it's almost over.  Jacob has asked me every day since Monday if daddy will be home tomorrow.  I can't wait to say "yes" tomorrow when he asks me.  Jim, I shot this picture of the kids this morning and thought you'd like it.  Can't wait for us all to give you a big hug on Friday.  We miss you and love you :)

Day at the Zoo

On Monday I took the kids to the Cleveland Zoo while Jim was at work.  It is free on Mondays for residents of Cuyahoga County and I thought it would be a good day to go before school is out and it gets really packed every Monday.  It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed our time.  Abbey's favorite part of the day was feeding the birds.  There was an enclosed area with these birds flying around and you could buy a little cup of nectar and they would eat right out of your hand.  Jacob's favorite part of the day was the train ride through the zoo.  I think Micah enjoyed the day too since it was pretty much like a long walk in his stroller.      

Memorial Day

We had a great Memorial Day.  We spent the day at our house with some friends from church.  We started the day by going to a parade in Bedford in the morning (which my step-dad was in) and then all came back to our house for a cookout.  We enjoyed some great food and fellowship.  We also had a cornhole tournament which was a lot of fun.  Jim made his own cornhole boards from scratch and they turned out great (I was pretty impressed by his skills).  He finished them at 11:00 pm the night before our get together.  He made one Philadelphia Eagles colors and the other Cleveland Browns colors.  You can see them in the pictures.  We are excited to (hopefully) get a lot of use out of them this summer with friends and family. Thank you to all who have served our country!  We are definitely proud to be Americans!!  

My 4 Favorite People

Our Blue Eyed Baby

Here are a few pictures of our happy, blue eyed baby.  We are surprised his eyes are staying so blue since mine are brown and Jim's are hazel and they are both dominating over blue. My mom and sister both have really pretty blue eyes so I'm hoping he keeps them.  His hair is starting to come in the last couple weeks and it is really light... we are guessing he will be another blondie.  We think he's a good mix of all of us :) 

The Kids Making Cupcakes

Last night the kids wanted to make cupcakes after dinner.  I was surprised how well they did with filling the cups with the batter and then frosting them after they baked.  I made pink frosting for Abbey and green frosting for Jacob (their favorite colors).  It is amazing how something as ordinary as making cupcakes can be so much fun with kids.  They always love watching things bake through the glass window on our oven.  The best part of the night of course was eating them!!

Jacob's Last Day of Preschool

Today was Jacob's last day of preschool for the year.  It was a fun day for him (and all of us).  During school today they had a party with games outside and an indoor picnic.  Tonight there was an end of the year celebration where the kids sang on stage, there was a pictures slideshow of the year and each kid got a little diploma.  We are super proud of our first born and so thankful that God has blessed us with such a sweet, wonderful little guy.  Jim and I talked today about how fast this year went.  It seems like just yesterday I was dropping him off for the first time at school and driving away with my eyes full of tears.  We are cherishing these days because we see how fast time goes as these kids are growing so fast.      

Jim and Jacob

I am so thankful for a husband who takes care of his things and instills these values into his children.  Jim always enjoys taking care of our yard and he teaches Jacob how to do these kinds of things everyday.  Not only does he allow Jacob to help him do these jobs, but he talks him through what he's doing so Jacob will be able to take care of our yard as he gets older and his own yard one day.  Jim and Jacob spend a lot of time together working on projects around the house, both in and out and I know when Jacob (and Micah) are grown and out of the house, they will be well equipped to help their wives in taking care of their own homes.  I have been trying to be very intentional lately about teaching Abbey how to care for a home on the inside.  She does laundry with me, helps with cleaning and even helps a little in preparing our meals (as much as she can at this point).  It is easier sometimes for Jim and I to just do things ourselves, but in the long run, we will have lots of wonderful memories and children who know how to help in taking care of a home and how to care for their things.