JandA Corp

Girl do I have a story to tell!

2012-01-13T05:41:00.002-06:00

Let me introduce you to:

Her name is Emily Dian Belbeck.

After we got checked in, they put in the Epidural, Gege showed up, some of us rested, Abby began pushing, they had to make a few cuts and a suction disk and shazam...baby time.

I'll report more later..right now I have to hold my daughter.

Josh
Father of 2

Checked in

2012-01-12T23:37:00.001-06:00

So we pulled into Centennial and they are doing their thing checking in Abby. It looks like this might really happen.

Josh

On the way to the hospital

2012-01-12T22:22:00.002-06:00

Already this girl is difficult. We are going to the hospital on the coldest night of the winter with snow/ice on the roads.

Fun eh?

Josh
Driver of preggers

It's almost time.

2012-01-11T15:31:00.002-06:00

The progeny is almost done cooking. At any moment now the water will be thrown out followed rather quickly with the baby...but the baby's staying.

So we are going to do what we did last time...use this space to update you with what the happenings are.

We do have names picked out, but you'll have to stay tuned until she shows up to find out what name we have chosen. You can read below on my thoughts about names.

Now for a little update. The Momma has had higher than normal blood pressure, but nothing dangerous to the child. She also had protein in her urine which seems to mean that we may be going sooner than later. I'm (the pops) am doing fine, I'm no worse for wear, but I'm over this pregnancy food pickyness thing. Remember...this is all about me.

Josh
Overseer of pregnancy
Exaggerator of facts (only non essential facts)

We're Back!

2011-11-04T22:18:00.004-05:00

I once took a ski trip up to nappa valley. Well, not really.

I did get to spend 160 hours riding a little cart, trailing a 60 inch beast of a lawn mower all over yards in the middle Tennessee area. It was.....well....the best experience of my......meh.

We are having a girl! We have settled on a name.....at least we did five minutes ago.

Finding a name is like a pilgrimage to a strange land that you didn't think you needed to visit or pay homage to. Then one day when you met certain criteria or gone down certain roads, all of a sudden you're there. You're paying homage...a very dark and yelly city. A homage slathered in confrontation and bay leaves...they add flavor.

then you land on the name leaving your sacrifice of emotional torment on the alter of the prickly name city that exists deep in the darkest woods of your soul.

Until your wife suggests..."x"

Thankfully the donkey knows his way at night...and he is used to the yelling.

Josh
Namer of Children
Maker upper of words

A Year and 11 Days Later

2011-05-22T00:50:00.002-05:00

Hello,

We are still here.

I'll have more for you soon.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
Moderator of all Noah Cuteness
Instigator of all Tickles

Water Water Everywhere

2010-05-01T15:18:00.005-05:00

After a week of being a shut in mommy to a teething 10 month old boy with a double ear infection, I was really looking forward to garage sale-ing with my junkie mother in law. Junkie as in sees potential in junk, not other more common meanings of the word.

But the weather had something else in mind... flash floods. It was raining hard when I woke up this morning and has not quit all day. From my perspective in the little house on the hill, it was just a hindrance to my plans. It turns out that there has been some pretty serious flooding and no one can get in or out of our neighborhood.

Josh came home a little early from work due to a tornado warning and in the midst of pulling a car out of the floods took these pictures:

Spring Time

2010-04-06T10:16:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year again. The time of year that I love, and despise.

It's time to massacre the onion plants. I love the mowing down part, but it's the acre plot of land that is all hill that gives me bad dreams at night and cold sweats in the morning.

So I'm going to mow it this afternoon.

I'll let you know how that goes.

Josh
JandA Corp
President of Fatherly Duties
Mower of Grass

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-22T21:38:00.002-05:00

It is my heart's desire to be fantastic at four things: a servant of God, a wife to my husband, a mother to my son and a keeper of my home - in that order. I long to live out these things intentionally and with joy. But so often I find myself flitting from one random thing to another and ending my days in a grumpy funk.

In fact, I have been treading funk waters for the last couple of years. I have had a feeling of waiting - waiting for this mystical life that I planned to start. I was so set on this plan, that I have let the important things get a little dusty.

In the spirit of spring cleaning I am dusting off my priorities, taking all other things with margin, and praying that I will find joy right where I am. Because the truth is, I have the life I have always wanted - my God is good and full of lovingkindness, I have an amazing husband, a precious baby boy, and a little home of my own. Sure there are things that don't fit in my little dream life box - but I'm not sure that life is ever exactly what we want.

So, this is my re-commitment to my top four. Everything else can take a number - I'll get to them when I can.

Intentional Momma

New Update..and pictures

2010-03-11T19:55:00.003-06:00

Hey gang..

here we are....3 months on down the road and we have been completely unfaithful in keeping up with what's going on.

Here are the updates:

Abby: She is growing into a fantabulous mother. She loves her son, loves playing with him, watching crawl around the house, watch him laugh at Raleigh dog, watch him as he hangs with the president (me)...and fusses when he does boy things. Like bump his head as he crawls, or scratches himself being the rough and tumble crawler he is.

Josh: I love my boy and he is pure fun to watch. Fathers are different than mothers and I'm good with that. My wife sit down with Noah for hours and just stare at him. I on the other hand thoroughly enjoy watching them together. Talk about warming the cockles of your heart. Plugging away at work. I have built some decent momentum, know it just takes keeping it going, finding new leads, following up on those that I have and really conveying the passion I have for what I do. I'm still working part time at the depot, but that will be ending very soon as my income level rises.

Noah: All boy. Crawling everywhere. If it ends up in his hands.....it's going to his mouth. He chirps, he laughs, he screams a greeting of hello, he grins and is just generally cute.

Raleigh dog: Eats, poops...sleeps and is generally annoying.

Here are pictures.

New Pictures

2009-12-17T20:56:00.002-06:00

Pre-Christmas Update

2009-12-17T20:20:00.003-06:00

I sometimes forget that I have a son...I also forget that I have a dog, a house and a wife. Those are the moments that catch me off guard and when I snap back to reality I can honestly say how blessed that I really am. I have a beautiful mate who is in full blossom as a wife, a mother and friend. I have a growly boy who is a joy to play with, who is eating real food, rolling around on the floor and doing a great impersonation of an inch worm.

I have a job that I love, a job that I am currently bad at, but God has consistently provided for our basic needs from the get go. I have a new and wonderful appreciation for my own father who has been a commission only salesman for a majority of his life. I understand now where he earned his steadfast trust in our provider.

My boy is lucky. He has his Beka and GiGi, his Tootsi, and his Oma and Opa. He has three sets of of grandparents that love him up. Not to mention his Aunts and Uncles who adore him locally. We are blessed.

I have a new personal goal. It's a BMW GS 1200 Adventure. We were at Oma and Opa's house a couple of weeks ago to hang out and catch up. Opa had bought a new toy and as Opa's are...he was generous and let me throw a leg over his new bike. For example, using the term exhilaration is tame compared to riding the Adventure. Thanks Opa! It's an experience that I won't ever forget!

While I was having fun...Abby and Noah got to spend some quality time with Oma. Oma is my other mother who I've known for years and has been an incredible part of our lives. She fell in love instantly. It was incredible watching her with her little grandson, playing, cooing, cuddling..you know..being the cute baby that he is.

Go to my Facebook page to see Noah crawling. If I'm not your friend..send me a request.

That is all for now.

Josh
President of Wind in the Hair
President of Fatherly Duties

No More Do-Gooding

2009-12-12T09:58:00.002-06:00

Since we moved back into our house, I have made a concerted effort to walk Raleigh Dog every morning. This is because she drives me crazy while I am home with her if I don't. I roll straight out of bed, throw on sock and shoes, layer on several jackets, and we are out the door. I look like a cross between the stay-puff marshmallow man and the crazy pajama lady. I think everyone is familiar with what crazy pajama ladies look like, you might even have one in your neighborhood. In my neighborhood, its me. Hey - I'll do whatever it takes for a little extra sanity in my life.

It is usually pretty dark and cold so we don't run across much excitement. Occasionally, we will meet another dog or worse yet, a squirrel, and Raleigh will be off like a shot and take my arm with her. A couple weeks ago, there was this little black dog with a broken chain trailing from his collar wandering around the neighborhood. My maternal hormones kicked in big time (I can't stand to see a stray anything without wanting to find a home for it - not my home though, let me be clear on that point), and we chased that poor dog around for thirty minutes. I never caught it, never even got close.

So this morning, while Raleigh and I were out for our walk, I saw a little black dog with some sort of non-contagious mange issue. I immediately knew it was that same dog. She had a name tag with the owners phone number, so I attached her collar to Raleigh's leash and started my merry way back home on my do-gooder's mission.

I got about three steps before I hear someone yelling "Maggie! Maggie!" and I realize that I have just taken this dog from its own yard. That's right folks, I accidentally almost stole a dog. I immediately let her off the leash, stammer something about thinking her lost and I promise I was going to call you when I got home with her, and practically run away - dragging Raleigh with me.

Once I regained my senses, I realized I could probably have handled that exchange a little better. So, I went home and showered, fed Noah and got regular clothes on the both of us and we made our way to her house with some toffee as a "I'm sorry I inadvertently tried to steal your dog, and by the way Merry Christmas" present. The world's cutest baby and some homemade toffee have got to go a long way in soothing ruffled feathers, right?

Unfortunately, no one was home in the house I though they lived in and I didn't want to knock on random doors looking for them, thereby adding to my crazy pajama wearing, dog stealing image - so we just went home.

All in all, I failed in my attempt to rescue a dog and in my attempt to make friends with a neighbor. No more do-gooding for me, at least until I quit blushing for this one.

The Momma

Thanksgiving Update

2009-12-02T11:44:00.003-06:00

Hello.

I bet you have missed us so much, that you went out, bought me an Ipod touch, and are in the process of mailing it to me as we speak. Well, go ahead and send it on already!

Life is interesting. I have a job that I love, however, recently I have been going through stages of denial about certain aspects of what I do. There is a certain grind associated with being a salesman. A grind that I have never experienced before, and one that I am learning to deal with on a daily basis....more on that in another post.

Family Update!

Noah is 6 months old tomorrow. Six months of little grins, hidden smiles, funny cries, and just all around cuteness.

We are waiting on our laptop to be fixed so that we can more conveniently update the blog. So, in the mean time...if you have an old laptop gathering dust...I might be game to taking that bad boy off your hands if the price is right.

Josh
President of the Grind
Janda Corp

Long Time No Blog

2009-10-28T13:36:00.003-05:00

Oh, my friends. Life has happened in the more than a month it has taken for me to finally give you an update. Here's the rundown:

1. We are back in our house! O Sweet Mystery of Life, at last we're home.

2. Mostly everything is fixed. Hey, we have a wall and heat and air - and that's all a girl needs, besides coffee and the occasional ice cream fix.

3. Noah is rolling over. Today I found him in his crib on his back and facing the wrong direction.

4. My child is sleeping in a crib and his own room and through the night - none of these things were facts when we moved out.

5. Raleigh dog is about to drive me to the brink of insanity. Today Noah, I, and a very nice workman named Isaiah chased her around the neighborhood because the door was open to let the paint fumes dissipate and she took that opportunity to bolt. My elderly, chain smoking neighbors quite enjoyed the show.

6. I have discovered that Crocs are magnets for baby spit up and given that they are about as water tight as swiss cheese I end up walking around in my own private puke puddle.

7. My brother Samuel is an incredibly talented man and re-finished our entire basement floor by himself. It looks incredible - pictures coming soon.

8. I am a working mother. Well, sort of. I don't really count it work if I get paid to bring my baby along and hang out with my husband all day.

9. I tried to cook dried beans and came out with pruney, raisin looking things that were about as edible as sawdust.

10. I am currently foraying into the world my sister so aptly named Kitchen Chemistry, which is basically "I haven't been to the store in ages and it doesn't look like I'm going anytime soon so I'm gonna scrounge in my cabinets for food that possibly might could go together, mix it up, throw it in the oven and cross my fingers". Tonight's fare is a concoction of rice, chicken bullion, cheese and tortillas. I'll let you know how it goes.

Ahh, its good to be back.

The Momma

Catch You Up

2009-09-21T12:34:00.005-05:00

Its been a while since we have posted about the house. Partly because there has not been much going on but mostly because I forget.

They have built a new set of stairs and given us what is perhaps the ugliest railing known to man. They had to install a railing to pass codes but because there wasn't one there before all that was in the budget was a couple two by fours which they nailed diagonally down the side. We also have the workings of a new fuse box.

Gluttons for punishment that we are - we decided that while everything was out of our basement it would be a perfect time to refinish the floors. Both Josh and I have always wanted stained concrete floors. Part of the reason we bought this house was because of that possibility with the basement which will eventually be finished out into living space.

My fabulous brother owns a painting and repair business: http://www.streetsidepaint.com/ and is helping us. I use the word help very loosely because really he has done all the work. As it turns out, the basement was not empty. My brother and his son spent an entire afternoon emptying the basement into the storage pod. We are working to get the old linoleum glue off the floor and then its onto refinish-ville!

There is a moisture treatment on the outside of the wall and the trench is filled in. They are waiting until the torrential rains stop to level out the ground properly, finish up the electric, and start on the ac.

Up until this point a lot of progress was made very quickly, so this is a little hard for me. Oh, weather why won't you clear up?

The Momma

E-Camp Peru

2009-09-18T11:42:00.003-05:00

My Sister and Brother-in-Law are headed to Peru with a team of folks from Fellowship Bible Church to teach kids on another continent how to worship God. They held E-Camp this summer for our church and it was one of the most amazing and profound things that I have ever witnessed in my life. Watching kids learn to worship God in such a profound manner, then leading the church in that worship brought tears to my eyes.

You can follow their progress here: http://e-camp-fellowship.blogspot.com/ They will post as they can and will tell their story as they progress through the next 10 days.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp

Witness

2009-09-08T15:45:00.006-05:00

As time rolls on and I am daily more entrenched in my new life - the life of a stay at home mom, I tend to feel frustrated. Not to say that I am not happy, I LOVE being at home. No, my frustration is more at myself. I feel the weight of the to-do list and yet most days it is a minor miracle that I get into the shower before 5pm. Somehow I just can't accomplish in a week half of what I used to in a single day.

And then I come across moments where I am reminded of what it is that I do all day. I had one of those this afternoon. I laid Noah down on the floor so I could do something really quickly and as I glanced back over my shoulder, there he lay.

Head up, resting on his elbows, eyes alert. A picture made even more perfect by that little bit of drool dripping from his lip. I could not help but turn back and revel in how big he is getting, how strong he is becoming, and how fast he is growing. And then he puked all over the place....

So what is it that I do all day?

I am a witness.

A witness to the growth and development of this precious, amazing little boy. To his smiles, his coos, his burps, his cries, his dirty diapers, and yes being a witness also means cleaning up his puke. I have the honor of seeing him every minute of every day - except for the few times El Presidente and I get a movie night.

I am also a witness to my husband. I get to see Josh sacrifice his time to support his family, I see him wrestle with the how to become the man he wants to be, I see him adore his son, and I get to see how much he loves me.

Most importantly, I am a witness for God and how immeasurable He is. There are no perfect words to describe His faithfulness, His love for me, His unfathomable plan for my life. He has this unstoppable way of bringing me to my knees in praise - by force in allowing a truck to hit my house, in awe as I watch the son He made and gave to me, and in joy as I see how He is growing and softening the heart of my husband.

Today I was reminded of what I do and Who I work for. It was Him who gave me Josh and Noah to love and to lift up. This phase of my life wont last forever and I bet there will be a time when I long for quiet days like today. So what if all the little things fall by the wayside, I am doing my job.

The Momma

Meet Melvin Cornknuckle.

2009-09-08T10:51:00.003-05:00

He's me....or rather the name I've given to my sin nature. I was having a conversation the other day with The Momma, and I was relaying to her how some days I won, and how some days my sin nature won whilst dealing with work matters. Some days I feel lazy and let my sin nature take over and I am not productive. Some days I win..and I still feel unproductive.

So while ironing my shirt for my part time job at the de-pot, I relayed that I was going to name my sin nature Melvin. It's a name that doesn't conjure up anything scary or threatening. It's a name apt to my sin nature because it/he sneaks in smooth like, whispers innocent things in my ear...and whala...day goes to crap.

It's amazing to me that although I know Christ has beaten sin....I still feel trapped by it daily. I feel set in stupid routines that go counter to everything I could be if I just let go of those things that I shackle myself in everyday. How foolish is it to get out of bed...and gladly hop into shackles that you don't need? Honestly? Yet every morning I get up...look down at the dirty dingy things like they are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn...slip them on, and walk out the door.

So from here on out I will be writing down in my day planner who won that day. Me or melvin. Here's the sad part....melvin has lost already...I just give him the field to play on. So on the days that he win's..it's my stubborn born-in sin nature that didn't trust God that day for the work He has already done.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
Assistant Slayer of Melvin
JandA Corp

Episodes 3-5: Trenches, Scaffolding, Rubble & Dirt

2009-09-04T21:12:00.014-05:00

Episode 3:

They began excavation on the house last Saturday (I know, I know I need to update more often) and there is giant trench around the entire side and curving around both edges.

The view from the back of the house...

Standing at the top of the trench....

Episode 4: No progress was made on the house Monday and Tuesday. When I went by on Wednesday morning the entire cinder block portion of the wall had been removed leaving my basement open to the air. I had to grab something really quickly from the house so I didn't take any pictures.

Episode 5: By the time I drove by later that evening it was already bricked up. Its amazing how fast they work. I guess when they are paying for the repairs its a little more motivating. These pictures are from today when we went to pick out brick to fill in where they wont be able to use the ones they removed from the house.

It is so wonderful to see progress being made. Soon we will be home - sleeping in our own beds, with our things in their rightful places. Maybe, just maybe we will be able to settle down into some sort of rhythm for our new life.

I can't wait for the day.

The Momma

The Momma

Episode 2

2009-08-30T10:12:00.012-05:00

Thursday marked the second day of re-construction on our house. We got there after dark and we could hardly see anything that they had done. We just pointed the camera and let the flash do the work.

Here is the basement where they have punched out some blocks and braced the side of the house in preparation for removing the wall.
The basement was pitch black when we took this picture so this is the first time I have seen this. It took me forever to realize that the different colored blocks are where the stairs were.

Here is the side of the house where they have started to remove the bricks.

You can see the holes where the braces are coming through from the basement.

They are power washing the bricks and saving them to put back on the wall. Here is the nice neat stack.

This is the rubble from the few blocks they have removed.

The next episode: excavation.

But first, here's a peak at a place so horrible, so foul that only adults with nerves of steal and an iron stomach should view....

Are you ready for it?

Be strong....

AAAAAHHHHHH. oh the horror. I can't look. Hide my eyes.

The Momma

Life in the Compound

2009-08-26T14:55:00.009-05:00

As I am the only 'outsider' I occasionally get asked what its like living in the Belbeck/Morlan compound.

I do have a little experience in this area. Josh and I lived here for a month three years ago when lightning struck and burned our apartment. And if you had asked me this even two weeks ago, I would have said that I wouldn't do it again. Don't get me wrong, I will always be thankful for the completely unselfish way they opened up their home to us, but we had some rough patches. There were space issues, communication gaps, and relational speed bumps that made it a little tricky at times.

But this time around, it feels different. Admittedly we are only a week and a half into this and there are many more days ahead, but things have changed. This situation is not as stressful, I have grown up a little (I like to think so anyway), there is an extra bathroom (you try living through 11 people sharing two bathrooms and trying to get out of the house at the same time every day), and there are no ants. But I think the two biggest changes are that we have learned to communicate a little better and there is Noah. I literally have to fight off the hoards who want to love on and adore my son. He is the bright spot in all of our days. My in-laws absolutely love having him here 24/7 and I love watching him be adored.

I also am learning to appreciate the little things a lot more. I have two wise Mommas who model daily what a mother should be. I have a sister-in-law who happily displaces her son and his clothing obsession to make my life more comfortable and organized. I have a mother-in-law who does my laundry. I have five sets of little hands willing to help and hold. I have a father-in-law who plays hide and seek with my dog.

So life in the compound continues to be fun, and busy, and loud, and crazy, and tiring, and stressful, and time-crunched, and uplifting, and messy. But I think that's the way God intended life to be. At least that is the way He intended this phase of my life to be. While I miss my home and the quiet routine of my days, I truly enjoy the company of my in-laws. How many people can say that with absolute honesty? And this time around, I enjoy living with them too.

The Momma

Reconstruction: Episode 1

2009-08-26T09:41:00.015-05:00

It has been a week and a half since the truck hit our house. Today, reconstruction finally began. I met Contractor Josh today at 8am to give him a key and a release form to start tearing up our house - apparently he just can't start whacking at my walls willy-nilly, he has to follow procedures and precautions.

I am really impressed with Contractor Josh. He seems to be genuinely out for our best interest. While he was there today, he pointed out our basement door to the handyman and asked him to fix it. The door was not damaged in the accident, it was already messed up when we moved in. He has even thrown a few things into the project that weren't on the house but are the best things for it and will make it better. He has really gone above and beyond in making sure we are taken care of.

Anyway... Today begins the undoing - undoing the electric/wiring on the damaged side of the house... and removing the broken stairs...Wow, with the stairs gone, you can really see the damage to the wall.

But first things first, they had to install the port-a-potty. Those guys have their priorities straight.
Even though I consider port-a-potties disgusting and normally avoid them like the Black Plague, I am documenting this whole process and since this was the progress I saw today you get to see it too. But I'll try not to discuss the pot too much...

The dumpster arrived shortly thereafter, followed by the pod to keep our things safe while an entire wall of our house is gone.
During this whole process I was upstairs puttering around. Raleigh Dog decided it was a good time to make a break for it and ran down the broken stairs and slipped out the basement door which I had forgot was open. She's a speedy little sucker. I proceeded to curse her name as I chased her around several of my neighbors yards. Again, it was a cat that saved the day by distracting her enough so I could catch her. This is the third day in a row that she has got loose and the third day in a row that we have caught her because she was cornering a cat. Poor dog, this is the only excitement she gets these days.

Here are my toes after traipsing through dew covered grass, dirt and gravel driveways in really impractical but cute flip flops.

Look how repentant Raleigh Dog is... the little stinker.
Today's adventure in reconstruction is over and while not much visible progress was made, I feel better. My house is on its way to being healed and Raleigh and I got a little exercise too boot. Tomorrow begins another adventure in undoing: removing the brick but even scarier than that - unpacking my basement.

Good luck boys. I am glad its you and not me.

The Momma
Overseer of All Things Construction

How to Catch a Raleigh Dog

2009-08-25T15:42:00.002-05:00

Our dog pulled a Frank Morris last night out of the Belbeck/Morlan compound. Frank Morris is the only possible escapee from Alcatraz. I like embellishment. Maybe we were just to lax in security, but I do like the thought of Clint Eastwoods face on Raleigh dog as she tries to escape the yard.

The best I can figure is that she ran up some boards behind the shed and escaped, or she shimmied her way through a hole in the fence where the gate opens. Either way she was gone like the rocket dog she is.

Lucky for us (Maddy, Abby and I) she was on a cat hunt...and she found and treed that sucker which was convenient since a dog barking at a tree is much easier to catch than one who knows they aren't supposed to be loose and won't come.

So the next time your dog escapes..let loose a cat.

Josh
Under Secretary of Dog Catching
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp

Musical Houses

2009-08-24T12:10:00.000-05:00

We are surrounded by folks that love us and want to take care of our family during this short time of homelessness.

We have stayed at the Belbeck/Morlan compound for the last couple of days. It brings hope to me that one day we will have a plot of land that we can all build separate houses on....far away from hills with trucks stuck in neutral, flood plains, mold and surrounded by many lightening rods.

This last weekend we stayed at another friends house while we had family in town. It was all together different than the Belbeck/Morlan compound. Where there are screaming banshees at the compound..there were no such banshees where we stayed.

It's always humbling when folks offer their homes to you. It makes me glad that we live in a community of folks willing to do whatever they can for their brother and sisters.

Josh
President of Suitcase Living
Father of Noah
JandA Corp

It' broken, but can be fixed

2009-08-17T16:39:00.004-05:00

I can't help but relate our current calamity to my faith in God. I'm broken. Everyday I get up with a cracked brick, drywall in need of repair, a front door missing, grass gone awry....but my foundation is unshakable, solid and never in need of repair.

That's how I process and get through with the disasters that hit our family every couple of years. Our disasters just happen to be property related and easy for people to see. Others disasters can be hidden behind the walls of our hearts. The struggles of raising a child with special needs. The pain of a marriage in distress. The feeling of total abandonment by God when you don't feel He is answering your prayers. Disasters of spirit, of family, of the heart that no one may know about.

Ours are easily seen...and we are forced to deal with it openly. God hasn't put more on us than we can handle....but good Lord we're tired. Thank God He has put enough fuel in our tank to finish this race. He hasn't abandoned us, He sure hasn't abandoned you.

Josh
President of Husbandly Duties
Father of Noah
JandA Corp

Rebuilding The Belbeck Wall

2009-08-17T16:03:00.003-05:00

We met with the contractor for our insurance company today. His name is Josh too - we'll call him Contractor Josh. He inspected the house and the site of the accident, making notes of what he thought should be done as well as what we wanted.

Contractor Josh thinks that in order to repair the wall they will need to excavate down to the foundation (at least 8 feet) and rebuild the whole wall up to the roof. They will need to bring in HVAC people and electricians in addition to all the construction.

We will have a structural engineer come in to inspect the rest of the house to make sure that there is no additional damage.

Right now, it looks like we will go through several weeks of repairs where we wont be able to stay in our home - if not longer. Things could easily change tomorrow.

Oh the joys of dealing with contractors, insurance agents, and men who allow their trucks to ram into our house.

Stay tuned for the next episode of "Rebuilding the Belbeck Wall"

The Momma

A Million WHAT IFs

2009-08-16T10:04:00.015-05:00

Let me start off by saying that everyone is just fine. Its never good when you have to preface a story with that, is it?

Last night around 9 o'clock, Josh had just got home from work and was cuddling with Noah while I was making dinner. As I was removing the roast from the crock pot, we heard a loud noise followed by a crash that shook our whole house. I knew immediately what had happened - a car had hit our home.

We live on a corner and on a hill. On the side our house is one of the main streets to our neighborhood and off that street are houses at the top of a hill. Our neighbor's driveway points directly towards our kitchen. They were having a party last night and one of their guests left his truck running. Somehow the truck came out of park, rolled backwards down their driveway, across the main street, through our yard, and into the side of our house. I was inside the house just to left of where the truck hit.

The flashing lights of the fire trucks and police cars brought out all of the neighbors. Who is that little redheaded boy? He flitted around the scene taking pictures of his own for a while a then disappeared into the night. As it turns out, a car-hits-house accident is not the best way to meet your neighbors - we still haven't got a word out of the guy across the street. But we did get a smile which is more than 11 months of waving has accomplished. And then a mysterious man with an eye patch showed up to watch the show, we don't know who he is either.

The truck demolished our brand new air conditioning unit and put a giant dent in the cinder block.
There was no alcohol or illegal substances involved, just a questionable ability to operate a vehicle. Of course, the truck was uninsured and because no one was in it at the time it can't even be classified as a moving violation - just a random accident.

The stairs down to our basement were right where the truck hit. I say "were" because now all the supports are broken and the stairs themselves have come off the wall about eight inches.

Here is the large gash in our yard where the truck hit before encountering the side of our house.

The inside of my basement.

Its never good to see the light of day through what is supposed to be a solid wall.

Last night all I could think about (besides wondering why me) was all the what ifs: What if the truck had been going a little faster, what if the grass hadn't absorbed some of the force, what if it had hit the brick instead of the rock solid cinder block, what if I had been on the stairs instead of in the kitchen, what if it had come through our house, what if Josh hadn't been home, what if what if what if....?

This morning after the dust has settled and all the shock is gone, I am thankful. Thankful that I have a God who didn't let any of those 'what ifs' happen, thankful that we are all safe and unhurt, thankful that my husband can be kind and gracious in moments of high stress when I want to do physical harm, thankful for police and firemen that respond so quickly and are so kind, thankful for family that comes at a moments notice with little information, thankful for the same family who lets us stay in their home instead of letting us boil in a house with no ac in the hottest month of the year. But I am still learning to be thankful for days like this, for the bad things that happen - it might take my whole life to learn that. God has a plan and I know He is sovereign, but don't ask me what He means by orchestrating the events of my life - I'm just along for the ride.

So I have no idea what tomorrow brings, or even what today brings for that matter. I have no idea what kind of invisible damage has been done to my house or when it will be fixed. All I have to rely on is my Sanctuary, my husband, my darling little boy, and my wonderful family and friends. It seems like I have a lot, after all.

The Momma
Dispossessed but not Disbelieving

Fur Fought the Law

2009-08-13T13:17:00.014-05:00

There has been a war going on in my house for quite some time now. A war between me and ... and a very devious foe. Most days I am on the defense, just barely able to hold my ground in this crazy battle. But today, today I faced my enemy straight on, took a deep breath and yelled "THIS IS SPARTA!". Somehow that made me a little braver.

But who is my enemy you ask? This is my enemy:

No not a flower, that is dog hair. And this, this is my weapon of choice:
A Furminator. Raleigh does that fur taste good?

Raleigh loved being furminated.

I could have made a whole second dog from the amount of hair that came off her.
Raleigh joined the battle against the fur - once it was off her body, and decided to eat and roll in it.

Then it was time for a bath. Does that water taste good, Raleigh?

Does that soap taste good?

After the bath, it was a mad scramble to get her dried and to her crate because there are few smells worse than wet dog (the worse ones also have to do with dogs).

Don't worry, she was rewarded for her service in today's battle.
So fur fought the law, and fur won. Fur will always win, the law is simply outnumbered. But at least the law can feel like she prevented one less sweeping, vacuuming marathon day.

The Momma, The Law

Work, Life....string cheese

2009-08-11T09:14:00.002-05:00

I'm in one of those seasons of life where I'm not able to see anyone...except those that want to pay for my time. As of right now I have many jobs strung together that will hopefully produce enough income to pay the bills, raise a child, feed the dog, put gas in our vehicles, keep the phone on...etc...et al..et nomoney.

Some mornings I feel like string cheese that's been sitting in a car on a hot, humid August day. I've kind of congealed into a blubbery mess until I get refreshed by seeing my wife, letting my boy sleep on my chest and have Raleigh dog attack my feet.

I've only done this for a week or so and I already feel distant. Distant from God. Distant from Abby and Noah. Distant from myself as I put on this new skin of commission only and $9 an hour from Office Depot at night.

I struggle with being the husband God has called me to be. It's hard. If I didn't have the love of my wife, giggles of a little boy, a mentor for a boss, support of my family...I'm not sure I could wake up every morning facing the mountain I have to climb that day. My mountain today includes meeting with a possible client and quoting to possible jobs....it's the most encouraging mountain I've had in two weeks.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
Rugged Mountain Conqueror
JandA Corp

Close Confines vs Wide Open Spaces

2009-08-10T14:39:00.003-05:00

This morning was a little rough. My boy decided that screaming at the top of his lungs would be much more fun than a restful nap. I am trying to find a good balance between teaching him to soothe himself and being there when he needs me, so I let him cry as long as I could stand it. After listening to him cry for two hours lightly interspersed with five minute cap naps, I finally picked him up and off to sleep he went.

After lunch he was so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open. Not even the usually bracing feeling of a cold, wet wipe on his nice warm tushy could wake him up. Thinking that he would finally get some sleep, I set him down in his bassinet. The minute his body touched down, he commenced the screaming. So I picked him up and pondered the situation - what could be the matter?

Then it hit me - he looked a little cramped in there. So, just for fun I set him down in his crib. The minute his body touched the sheets... he grinned at me and fell fast asleep.

Does this mean that the age of the bassinet is over? I, for one, hope not. Besides the convenience of having him right beside me for the nighttime feedings, I don't know that I'm ready for him to graduate to his own room.

Maybe its a fluke, maybe he will be happy to sleep in his bassinet for many months to come, maybe he will stay this size for a little while longer until I give him permission to grow and become and big boy. Maybe my laundry will do itself, maybe fresh groceries will appear in my fridge, and while I'm at it maybe we'll will the lottery.

The Momma

Future Boxer??

2009-08-07T09:21:00.002-05:00

11 Pounds 15 Ounces of Adorable

2009-08-07T08:33:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we went to Noah's two month checkup. I'll tell you about that in a minute, but first I have to take a minor detour:

My son is two months old - how did this happen? I just brought him home from the hospital yesterday. He has officially outgrown all of his newborn clothes and yesterday I put a pair of three months pajamas on him - while he certainly didn't fill it out in the width aspect, they were already too short. He gets those long legs from me - one of the only things he gets from me, but that's beside the point.

OK, so yesterday we went to the pediatrician and all I cared about was how much he weighed. His doctor is a wonderful lady, came to us highly recommended, and is just granola-crunchy enough for me to love her yet not so fruity that I don't respect her. Well, she originally took one look at Josh and I and then and there decided that two giant folk like us were going to have a mongo-hungarian behemouth of a baby. Then Noah came at a very respectable 7lbs 3ozs and it threw her for a loop. Ever since then she keeps saying things like "He's gaining weight just fine, I just think he should be bigger" or "I want him to be in the 90th percentile, by such and such a date or I'll be concerned...". For a while this really worried me. I fed him every three hours (or less) on the dot around the clock whether he was hungry or not. Problem was if he wasn't hungry he simply wouldn't eat. I finally decided to trust my instincts and my baby's belly and let him sleep as long as he would at night. He's hungrier and happier, I'm happier, and we all get more sleep.

So yesterday, all I cared about was his weight gain, not because I was worried but because I wanted his doctor to eat her words. Of course she didn't, instead she says: "His weight gain is good, he's only in the 50th percentile, but his weight is good".

Only in the 50th percentile? Are you kidding me? This kid is off the charts, one in a million, so super-special there is no percentile that can accurately capture his cuteness.
What does she know? She's only a doctor, she doesn't have a mother's perspective on this boy.

The "Mongo-Hungarian Behemouth" Momma

A Whole New World

2009-08-05T07:51:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was my very first day in my brand new job. That job? Being a stay-at-home-mom. I willingly left a job I love to minister to a little boy I love more.

What's that, Women's Lib?? What are you saying? You didn't work so hard for years just so I could stay home? Sure you did - you worked hard so I could have a choice. And I choose Noah. And Josh. And my home, and Raleigh dog.

And who could blame me?
So, I gave up a cubicle, incredible co-workers, and a really handy paycheck and while I don't regret it, I will miss it.

What's more is that Josh is sacrificing his free time for a part time job (in addition to the full time and part time jobs he currently has) so we can make this happen. I feel extremely humble that he would do that for me and for his boy. I am so determined to honor him by really, truly taking care of everything that needs to happen here so that when he is home he wont have to worry about anything. In fact, I am so determined that I christened my first day with so much work, errands, and chores that I feel like the walking dead this morning.

Lesson learned: in order to take care of my family I need to take care of myself. But that doesn't give me license to squander my time in frivolous things. No, I just need to learn how to handle this whole household more effectively. But I am getting some primo on the job training.

So here's to staying at home and loving it, and being very sobered by the responsibility.

The Momma
Guardian, Custodian, and Defender of all things Home.

My Silence...it is broken

2009-07-23T18:17:00.004-05:00

I have been away on a mental retreat gathering my forces to become the best President I can be for my little group.

I'm now back.....and you should be giddy. (those butterflies in your stomach prove it's true).

Fatherhood is AWESOME! I fall deeper in love with my wife every day as I watch her blossom into the Mother God has called her to be. I fall more in love with my boy everyday that I watch him grow, giggle, squirm, poop, smile (after the poops), grin, chirp, scream....well....everything my mini-me does.

It lays upon my shoulders a completely different set of responsibilities that I am now held accountable for. That can generate immobilizing fear but I have a Father who will provide, a father who is behind me..and men in my life worth emulating to become the man the Father has called me to be.

That is all for now.

Josh
President of goofy grins
Reveler of screaming boy
JandA Corp

Slacking Off

2009-07-22T22:55:00.011-05:00

We have been informed that we have been extremely negligent in the picture posting arena, so here are some new photos to appease the masses. However, you don't get a clever story with these - deal with it...

First tub bath - splish splash having a fit

Meeting great-grandma Jo for the first time.

GrandmaJo loving her great grand.

There are no words for this one...

Hanging out on his mat

And this, this little grin melts my heart...

The Momma

Family, Fourth, Fun, and Very Little Sleep

2009-07-07T20:23:00.018-05:00

This week my sister Ari, her husband Ashley, and their four little boys came to visit. Hence no posts - who has time to blog about all the fun they are having while they are having it? Not me, I like to soak it all up and then reminisce about it later. Which is why Facebook doesn't really work for me. Its all about updating your current status - no one wants to know that I had Penne Rustica from Macaroni Grill two hours ago, by this time its irrelevant. OK, end of tangent...

My sister and crew came to visit, and while my tiny little house was so chock full of people it bore distinct resemblance to a clown car, it was good to see them - especially Ari. Texas may only be a few states away but it might as well be Botswana. However, my sweet sister braved a thirteen hour car trip with four small boys just to see me and my small boy. She cooked for me, did my laundry, we went out to dinner with some amazing women, she encouraged me in motherhood. We talked, we laughed, I cried - it did my heart good. Do you have anyone in your life that fills up your tank just by being around them? My sister is that for me. She just gets me - maybe it has something to do with being made with the same stuff.

All that to say, the only picture I got of her this whole week was a snapshot of her behind in the background of one of the pictures of her kids. As much as I know you would like to see her hiney, I'm not sure she would appreciate it. So instead here are some other pictures from this week....

London boogeying in the pool.

My man Poindexter.

Ashley delivering a beat down.

Napping on the 4th.
Marshall who's favorite phrase is "What is this?"

Parker on the world's longest slip-n-slide.

My boy chillin' with his Tootsie.

Riggs and Noah who were none too happy that we interrupted their conversation.

Happy Belated 4th of July!

The Momma

Slow news day

2009-06-26T16:54:00.003-05:00

We have had a good week. We haven't taken a lot of pictures....or if we did I'm to lazy and the camera is to far away from me right now to upload. No...really....I'm at my parents house and my camera is at home. See, you just thought I was lazy.....oh....wait...I am.

We went to see transformers last night. That was an experience. Noah became an instant fan of Optimus Prime....and sleeping on GeGe's chest. However his little ears were stinging from the moderately bad language...of course everything to him sounds like goobledygook.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

Impractical Pants

2009-06-22T22:15:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure why a baby clothing manufacturer would think it a good idea to create a pair of pants for a newborn without snaps. Surely the most baby-inept person would a least realize that diapers must be changed a minimum of forty two quadrillion times per day. It should be abundantly clear that is extremely inefficient and time consuming to remove these pants for every diaper change and then to put them back on a wiggly, squirmy little body.

As a result of this company's poor design, I have boycotted putting such an impractical thing on my little boy.
My time is very valuable and I can't be bothered to waste precious moments on removing and replacing pants all day long.
I am not the type of mother who would inconvenience herself just for the satisfaction of seeing her precious little man look like such a big boy in his adorable khaki pants. What foresight I had in identifying this potential problem and avoiding it entirely.

The Momma

P.S. I love the matching outfits for the boy and his daddy!

No Picture Update Post

2009-06-18T18:57:00.003-05:00

This weekend we have Tootsie in town. She has a show down at centennial park and so she is crashing on our couch. Currently Noah is sound asleep in her arms as she coo's at him.

Her website is http://www.emilyallisonstudios.com

Noah is doing well. He is a little under weight for his age and size and so they want to see him again in a couple of weeks. It's nothing we are worried about because the boy is eating like a champ and is gaining weight rather quickly.

Raleigh dog is doing decently at accepting Noah, but is still having some problems.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
Changer of poopy diapers

A Whole New World

2009-06-17T16:45:00.005-05:00

At least once a day, Josh or I will tun to the other in disbelief and say "We have a kid." Nine months of pregnancy, eight hours of labor, and two hours of pushing didn't prepare us for this reality. Well, they didn't prepare me - and I'm the one who experienced all of that first hand.

Two weeks to the day that Noah entered this world, I am still trying to adjust to to my new life. Nothing will ever be the same, normal doesn't exist anymore, lack of sleep is kicking my butt - and yes I realize that none of this is profound or new. But its new to me and I don't think anyone can be truly prepared for this kind of change.

So the question is - Is it worth it? The six months of vomiting, the swelling, the weight gain, the heartburn, the labor, the pushing, the lack of sleep, the gazillion dirty diapers, and the complete topsy-turvy nature of my world right now....Yes...
YES!

A million times yes...

The Momma

We got a new toy

2009-06-15T17:30:00.004-05:00

We have been needing a monitor for Noah since we have brought him home. So far he hasn't been away from us for more than a split second......and that's because we have to blink sometimes. Well Noah informed us last night that he is getting a little smothered and would like to go to bed at a decent hour in HIS bed without us having to stay right there by his bedside.

Well....after we got over the shock...we decided to oblige the little tike and put our minds at ease so we could wash dishes, do laundry, sweep the floor, let the dog out, and blog without the worry of sitting next to his bassinet.

I brought home the new device and commenced breaking into the package. I soon heard protest coming from the little chair next to me. It seems that my boy takes after me and wants to know how everything works. Noah insisted on helping me setup his monitor...since he was gonna be using it after all.

Noah watching me unpack all the pieces.

He grabbed the instructions from me and started reading. I told you he catches on quick.

Noah figured out how to install the batteries and put the case back together for the portable half of the monitor.

He then headed off to his bed where we both looked for a place to put the base of the monitor. We had a lengthy discussion and decided that we needed mommies input....at which point Noah promptly fell asleep.

After the nap....we finally figured out where we were going to put it and Noah installed the base.

We came back into the living room and found Raleigh dog trying to wake Abby from a nap.

Raleigh dog trying to look cute.

Noah worked hard...and like most newborns require many naps....mommies require a lot of naps as well.

Good Lord they are cute

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

Take Noah out to the ballgame!

2009-06-14T18:06:00.005-05:00

We have been a little stir crazy and decided to take a couple of breaks this weekend. So our first outing with Noah since coming home was to the Saturday night service at our church. It started at 5pm and we made the final decision to go at 4:59...so we were a little late. We are rapping up a series in Thessalonians and so Noah sat with rapt attention, taking notes, engaging in answering the pastors questions and helping those around us understand the finer points. He's pretty quick for being 10 days old...however he still doesn't have full control of his faculties. The student center where we have church is forever stained with Noah pee.

After the service we headed to our churches learning center to introduce Noah around. We ran into several people that were very interested in our progeny.....but we made everyone jump in a hazmat suit, and run through the sanitizer machine before they could even look at Noah....not really. We aren't those kind of parents....everyone that wanted to hold him could and did. He was wonderful as he was passed around to several folk...and it was fun being the beaming proud parents.

So today for our second outing we decided to head out to our nephew Sam's playoff game for spring baseball. On the way to the park I asked Abby if we were insane for taking a 11 day old out in public on a overcast day in the 80's. We both agreed that we were and that's the part we liked best in each other. This was the first time that we got to use our brand new stroller....the stroller that doesn't fit in the trunk of our car with the back wheels on. It was awesome.

Sam won his game and we got some good pictures.

The top of our snazzy stroller. Guess where we went for lunch:

Noah just hanging out:

Proud, happy....elvis sunglassed momma:

Beka and Sam....when Sam was expecting it:

Sam not expecting it...I like these kind of pictures.

Beka....never stops coaching:

Sam practicing:

Sam at bat:

Noah with his "favorite"

Good Lord he is cute.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
Assembler of Strollers
JandA Corp.

6 days old

2009-06-09T19:58:00.006-05:00

In 24 hours Noah will be a week old....a week. I remember sitting on the couch last week trying to imagine what would happen the next day when we went in to induce. I imagined the typical hollywood version of birth with the mother screaming in agony, sweating bullets, cursing the moment of conception, then a little cry and everything is right in the world.

I imagined things going wrong and having to make snap decisions that could impact the rest of our lives. What if we needed a c-section, what if Noah went into serious distress, what if...and praying that God would protect the impending delivery, the health of Abby and the health of Noah.

Then I experienced the real thing and it went better than we ever expected. God answered our prayers, even those we didn't need to ask, and provided us with a perfect little boy that is the joy of our world much less being our son for nearly six days. Six days.

On the way home.

Wonder of wonders

Making double sure he's buckled in

Son takes after papa

Wide awake and curious

Looking through you

Mid sneeze

Dubious about what's going on

Momma with Noah

With Toot's

Josh
Taker of Naps

First 20 hours or so

2009-06-07T17:47:00.003-05:00

Abby's mom aka Tootsie to the grand kids has come to stay with us for a couple of days to help Abby and I get settled in and provide a third set of hands to hold Noah, burp Noah, cuddle Noah.....just generally love on and be a grandma.

I took Raleigh dog to the dog park this morning....and she LOVED it. She headed straight for the pools to jump in and lay down like a bad dog....then headed right for the dustiest part of the dog park to cement the dirt into her coat guaranteeing a bath. She got that bath when we got home.

The pack of cousins came by and brought us lunch which was wonderful. They all got to hold Noah for a little while and Beka who didn't get a lot of face time with Noah got shafted as the kids took turns and couldn't wait to be next in line to hold, poke, prod and pet our little boy.

Josh
Resident Laundry Consultant

Home

2009-06-07T08:46:00.002-05:00

We got home last night around 9pm and are settling in quite well. Raleigh is getting used to the sounds and smells but has only been with Noah for about 5 minutes last night and we will continue to slowly introduce Raleigh dog to Noah over the next couple of days.

Just wanted to give an update.

Broken Cars....and Billy Ribbons

2009-06-06T15:31:00.002-05:00

So I go get dinner last night at Jason's Deli. As I pull into the parking space I hear and feel quite a large pop from under the front of the car. This is concerning because I've either just run over a pavement pimple (which don't exist) or I've broken my car. I had broken my car, but oh was I ecstatic that I had done it driving 2 mph in a parking garage last night instead of 70 mph on the way home tonight with my son.

So I have towed it over to Bass tire who will fix it up on Monday assuming I'm able to get down there to give them the key.

GeGe is here today soaking up all the Noah she can. She's sitting next to me with him just cuddled up in a blanket happy as pig in slop just wasting the hours snoozing. It's a great sight. We should know by 6 pm tonight if we will be able to leave because they will do another Billi-Ribbon test to make sure his liver can keep up with the jaundice before we head on to the casa in someone elses car.

Josh
Breaker of Cars

Birth Day + 3

2009-06-06T09:59:00.002-05:00

Third day after Noah's birth -going on four days in the hospital for me.

All is going well. Noah still has jaundice but at this point his body is processing it as fast as he produces it - under the lights. He is well within safe levels so the docs have decided to let him take a rest from all that tanning and hang out with his mom and dad to see how he does on his own. They will run tests again at five pm - if all goes well we might be able to take him home tonight.

I am doing well and feel surprisingly good for having birthed a 7 pound baby a matter of days ago. Josh has been incredible and has been right at my side to help every step of the way. He is one proud papa and I can't wait to watch him father our little boy.

On a side note, our car broke down last night while Josh was out getting dinner (thankfully only a short walk away from the hospital). He is currently out working on getting it towed to the mechanic....If its not one thing its another right? Where did I get the idea that "stuff" would slow down when I gave birth?

Right now, this morning, at this point, all I can do is chuckle a little at my life and cuddle my baby.

Abby

The Momma

Visitors

2009-06-05T16:41:00.002-05:00

We are more than open for folks to stop by. If you feel like seeing us, come on down and say hi. Our nursing schedule right now is every 3 hours so we will nurse at 5pm, 8pm, and 11pm. Then tomorrow morning it will be at 8am, 11am, and 2pm.

We are in room 7722 and my cell is 498-7592. So you Valutec folk that may be checking the blog, come on over after work. We should be done with the 5pm nursing by 5:45-6:00.

Josh

Under the lights

2009-06-05T16:05:00.004-05:00

It's hard right now. We get to see Noah every 3 hours so he can nurse for 30 minutes. 29 1/2 of those minutes he nurses and the other 3o seconds I get to hold him, burp him, gaze on his face and marvel at the wonder that is God's creation.

We are both really emotional right now but know this small period of time is coming to an end very rapidly. I will get all the time I want to hold my boy very soon but for right now he needs time under the lamps to help get rid of jaundice. Still sucks

The machine Noah is in:

Feeding him:

Under the lights (3)

Just pure sweetness. This is why it's so hard right now.

Josh
Student of Patience

Big Picture Post

2009-06-05T11:38:00.004-05:00

I have been scolded that there are not enough pictures...so here are some.

resting before delivery:

welcome to the world Noah...how have you found it so far?

Sweet mom and sweet boy

before the bath

mom and her boy

wow

Lionel Ritchie stopped by...

at the weigh in

wow again

Legacy overseers

more overseeing

Aunt takes a look-see

Beka showing great restraint

No more restraint

Beka looking on at his legacy

Lionel Ritchie shows up again...what's with that guy?

birthday boy...with birthday boy

Gazing intently

Cousins

More cousins...Noah is well protected

Josh
Chief Photographer and blog whipping boy

Saturdays Jaundice

2009-06-04T17:32:00.003-05:00

Little Noah is a yella belly....literally. He has the jaundice and is spending all of his time under the lights to help his little liver catch up and get used to clearing the toxins. The upside is that Abby is able to rest...the down side is that Noah spends all of his time between nursing's in the nursery.

There is a chance they will let us go tomorrow night but more than likely they won't discharge until Saturday just to make sure little Noah is doing everything well.

I would like to tell Isaiah happy birthday. He guessed Noah was a boy beforehand and had hoped Noah would be born on his birthday which was today. Happy 5 little buddy.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

Baby Hangover

2009-06-04T10:45:00.003-05:00

Good Morning fine folks. Last night we got some rest and got to hang out with the baby from around 3am till about 6 this morning. He went back to the nursery for a little while so I could go home and take care of Raleigh for a little while. We are still in amazement and shock that we are parents and that our little boy is ours and we get to take him home.

Right now Noah has a touch of the jaundice and will have to spend some time under the lights so be praying about that.

More pictures:

Sweet Toots holding Noah

Beka and Gege:

Beka

Noah.....just angry at the world and all of the injustices done to infants...like baths, weigh-ins, and a warm light:

The Supreme Baby Burrito:

Birth Day - Plus One

2009-06-04T08:16:00.002-05:00

Good Morning faithful followers.

This is the momma writing. All is well. Noah and I are very tired and very sore. My boy is beautiful - just like he should be, I worked very hard on him =). I don't have any new pictures - not because we didn't take them but because the camera is across the room and I'm not getting up. I will let Josh post them a little later on.

It took a while to get the official weight and length as the first scale was on the fritz, but Noah came in to this world at 7 pounds 3 ounces and 19 inches long. This info might not be important to you folks, but to me who worked really hard to grow that and then to get it out, to my sister with a healthy dose of competition, and to the folks who have cash on the line this info is crucial.

I do want to want to say a quick thank you to my wonderful husband who stood by me and cheered me on all day yesterday and to my sister in law Jess whose giggles of sheer joy and anticipation let me know I was making progress. Thanks to the folks who waited on pins and needles in the waiting room. And thanks to everyone who called, texted, and followed this blog all day yesterday.

Love you guys.

The Momma

Can I Introduce you to my BOY!

2009-06-03T18:41:00.003-05:00

This is Noah Levi Belbeck

My little boy is happy to be with mommy.

Wrapped up in a baby burrito.

Thank you all SO much for following us on this incredible day. I won't be posting anything for the next several hours, but I can guarantee that I'll have more pictures up later tonight.

IT'S A BOY..and this is one PROUD PAPA.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
Keeper of my Son's Heart

Mommy is doing well, baby too. No details yet...

2009-06-03T18:22:00.000-05:00

It's a BOY!!!!

2009-06-03T18:14:00.001-05:00

Baby's head is out...

2009-06-03T18:12:00.001-05:00

Tick-tock, tick-tock...

2009-06-03T18:07:00.000-05:00

Play ball!

2009-06-03T17:49:00.000-05:00

Catcher has arrived...

Philip
VP of Uncles

We're getting very close!

2009-06-03T17:38:00.003-05:00

She's still pushing and the baby's is about to crown... they've called the catcher back in... Doctor's on his way... Here we go!

Philip
VP of Uncles

We

2009-06-03T17:38:00.000-05:00

Still pushing...

2009-06-03T16:50:00.002-05:00

She's doing great. Still pushing but getting tired. The baby's head is down and in position with head in sight. The baby has straight blond hair! Pray for strength and endurance... Push girl, push!

Philip
VP of Uncles

She's Puuushing!!

2009-06-03T16:17:00.004-05:00

Just heard from the insider: She's been pushing for 15 minutes and is at a "positive 2 station" which means that she's one station away from the baby crowning... PUSH GIRL! PUUUSH!!

Philip
VP of Uncles

Post Eviction Update

2009-06-03T15:51:00.005-05:00

... wow, that was a whirlwind. Take a deep breath - no baby yet. The nurses kicked us out, sending us all the way to the other end of the baby floor. Nurse Nelly said as we were leaving, "We're gonna wait on the doctor to show up and it could take some time - maybe up to two hours." Well, that's nuts, I say! If it takes two hours for the doctor to get there, then he is a VERY slow walker... Although we're now totally cut off from the action, I do have an insider (Jessica - VP of Aunts) at the scene who will give me to-the-minute updates. So, stay tuned, we're about to get to the good stuff...

Philip
VP of Uncles

2009-06-03T15:46:00.002-05:00

The nurses are setting up the delivery table... we're about to get kicked out... correction - we've been kicked out...

Philip
VP of Uncles

10 cm's delighted...

2009-06-03T15:41:00.002-05:00

Beka is jumping for joy because Abby is 10 centimeters delighted....we didn't want to ruin his joy and say it's dilated.

The nurse is waiting on a call from the doctor before we start pushing. I'll be handing this over to Philip the VP of Uncles to continue to update.

Josh

We're about to start pushing baby

2009-06-03T14:59:00.003-05:00

Abby is at 9.5 cm's so it won't be long until she starts pushing. The pushing portion could take up to 2 hours so although we aren't there yet we but we are on the home stretch.

Here are some more pictures:

Abby and Toots with Abby speaking to Ari:

Jess and Abby have decided to speak only through the art of texting.

Jess: I hears you are preggers
Abby: LOLZ!
Abby: I can has baby later

All of us together:

Josh

8 cm's on pins and needles

2009-06-03T14:15:00.001-05:00

We have moved to 8 cm's. It's not long now until they will want her to push.

Baby Belbeck is coming with a head of steam.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

More Gooey Goodness Photos

2009-06-03T13:50:00.004-05:00

Were just hanging out and I thought I would upload some more photos that we just took.

Pictures of the monitor:

and the heartbeat monitor:

Toots reading Paper Mache Quarterly:

My fiendish family's reaction to Abby's contraction:

My consoling her after said contraction.

Abby reading your wonderful comments:

Josh

7 cm's and counting

2009-06-03T13:36:00.002-05:00

The nurse just came in and did the ole cervix check. I'm glad I'm not a girl because I find it HORRIBLY uncomfortable when the doc says to me "turn your head and cough"....if that same doc had to check me like they check Abby's cervix every hour...i'd head for the hills, start me up a still and make me some of granny's "medicine".

Everything is progressing a long and we should have more news soon.

Josh

5 cm's

2009-06-03T12:21:00.005-05:00

It's hard to balance trying to update and encouraging Abby as she grimaces through contractions. So I'm ignoring her to update you...and you should feel horrible about that :D

We just started the epidural so within the next 10-15 minutes Abby should be more comfortable. The anesthesiologist has been a help except that they forgot to hook up the pump to the tube. I asked as they were leaving how the medicine was supposed to be going in since it wasn't hooked up. She blew me off until I pointed out the wet spot at the top of the bed where the pump was properly medicating the mattress instead of Abby. The nice lady fixed it and Abby is on the way to blissful childbirth full of puppy dogs and lollipops.

Here is the wet spot.

Here is Abby during a contraction.

Josh

Epidural is In....and the Parantal units are ecstatic

2009-06-03T11:13:00.004-05:00

I'm not a squeamish person. It takes a lot for me to either throw-up, or feel light headed. In fact, I've told the doc that I want to play catch so I can have that special mucousy bond with my progeny and steal Cosby's famous "I brought you into this world, I can take you out" line.

The anesthesiologist came in to place the line and being the curious fellow that I am I wanted to watch. They tried to kibosh that idea because they thought I would faint. Being a betting man when I know I'll win I tried to bet them that IF I fainted that I would buy them dinner wherever they wanted....but if I didn't, they would have to buy me dinner wherever I wanted. I had no takers so I snuck a peek. Here is the needle used. For my friend Danny....don't look...it won't end well for you and then all your base belong to me.

Here are the parentals looking SO happy to be here.

GeGe and Beka (Josh's Parents)

Toots (Abby's Mom)

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
Treasurer of Emerging Progeny
JandA Corp.

Broken Water...3cm's

2009-06-03T10:38:00.002-05:00

The doc came by just a few minutes ago to do the first checkup, break the water, and let us know who is favored in the third.

The water breakage went normal, there was some meconium in the amniotic fluid which is typical for someone a week past due. Contractions are coming a little bit more regular as they continue to increase the potocin drip and she is progressing a long quite well. We are at 3 centimeters currently and as we move longer down the road I'll give an update.

The epidural lady is here to put in the pain relief.

Josh

Waiting Game

2009-06-03T09:19:00.002-05:00

Now it's just a waiting game. So far nothing big has happened and we are just relaxing in the hospital room.

Does anyone feel like walking our dog this afternoon? I'd do it...but I have a business meeting with our newest employee later on this afternoon.

Nurses, IV's and a Bag-o-Pain

2009-06-03T08:14:00.002-05:00

We are getting settled down in the room. The nurse has run all the lines, put on the contraction belt and comforted us as to what's going on......then she hooked up the pitocin. So very soon Abby will be having regular contractions.

The estimation is 8-12 hours for labor but we might be faster since Abby has had good contractions so far this morning.

Here is the bag of pain

Josh

Room 3304

2009-06-03T07:46:00.003-05:00

We are in 3304 at Baptist Hospital. Here are some pictures

You can call us at 498-7592.

Josh

Due Date Plus 7 Induction Day!!

2009-06-03T07:25:00.002-05:00

We are sitting at in the waiting room at Baptist Hospital. We left the house early this morning, left Raleigh dog a lone in the house with free reign and a rawhide and we are waiting for the nurses to come take us to our room.

I will update during the day as things happen.

Due Date Plus 6.....The Nervous Waiting Game

2009-06-02T05:49:00.002-05:00

Every contraction, every movement, every sigh, every trip to the bathroom could send us to the hospital. It makes it fun to be at home waiting to see if our child is going to come naturally or if the doctor will have to work his magic to hurry things along.

Here is the low-down. At 6:30 am on Wednesday June, 3 we will be taking a early morning drive to baptist hospital. We will take it slow and enjoy all the scenery. If we see wild flowers on the side of the road we might just take the time to stop and smell them....because at 7:30 our doctor will be inducing labor and we will just be cresting the hill on our way down into parent hood. Personally my hands are up in the air (waving like i just don't care) and I can't wait for the ride.

So there is a good chance that our hatchling will come into this world on June 3.

If you folks have any questions feel free to send me an email or leave a comment.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp

Due Date Plus 5

2009-06-01T11:03:00.001-05:00

Abby's fluid level is back up to normal so the doc wants to wait until Wednesday to induce. We are going to spend the next couple of days at the house resting and getting ready for baby.

I will update more later this afternoon.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

Due Date Plus 4

2009-05-31T22:48:00.002-05:00

No baby yet.

We have a doctors appointment at 9:30 to do another ultrasound and I'll bring the laptop with us to let you all know what is going to happen.

We spent a wonderful relaxing day at the Belorlans (belbeck/morlans compound) with Raleigh dog who had a GREAT day playing with the kiddos. Philip finished up the bottom part of where their new shed will be going. Abby, Jess, and Gege did our laundry (washer is currently broken) and I sold our old window unit A/C unit.

Peace out

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

Due Date Plus 3

2009-05-30T17:29:00.002-05:00

We went to the doctor yesterday where they informed us Abby's amniotic fluid was a quart low. We called autozone but they were fresh out, so now Abby has to spend the weekend in the lazy boy drinking water with the goal that her amniotic up by monday to let nature take it's course. If her fluid level is still low there is the possibility that they will induce on monday so pay attention to the blog as we go through the weekend.

On another note I got the truck up and running this weekend. I think it is incredible that I have family that is willing to help and spend time getting our vehicle running.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

Due Date Plus 1

2009-05-28T13:01:00.003-05:00

We have blown by the due date and are heading into overtime with our currently baking progeny. We have a doctors appointment this coming Friday where they will be doing a another ultrasound to check how things are progressing and whether or not the baby is in distress.

We've had an eventful week. Saturday a buddy called to use the truck (when it's running and you need it..just let me know) to haul some junk away. I went outside to check fluid levels, noticed oil residue on the radiator overflow jug, pulled the radiator cap and found out I have a pretty massive oil leak into the cooling system of the truck. I have an awesome brother-in-law who gave up memorial day to help me replace the head gasket and now we just have a couple other things to do in order to test to see if we fixed the problem.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

Dr Visits and daybeds

2009-05-22T09:00:00.002-05:00

We have a dr's. appointment today which will, if tradition holds, tell us that Abby is still pregnant.

Isn't that a relief?

I have spent the week cleaning up, re-welding and painting a daybed we got off of craigslist. My welds were horrid but the paint job is nice. While moving it last night 4 of my welds broke. It's obvious that I haven't been called to be a welder.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

No baby yet

2009-05-19T20:09:00.003-05:00

I'm sitting here listening (well half listening) to my wife and her mother go through the history of Tootsie's 6 children and how their labor started, lasted and how the delivery went. This is good information for my wife to know...me...I want to go into this blind taking NO ONES advice. That's the kind of president I am :D

Keep checking....soon we will have news of rushing to the hospital.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

It's Almost Time

2009-05-18T12:21:00.002-05:00

As I sit here on my lunch break for my contract job I am realizing that my days of lighter responsibility are rapidly coming to an end. By light I mean I've only been responsible for my amazing wife and myself. My wife is a full grown beautifully intelligent woman who makes reasonable decisions. So my responsibility for her is rather easy in that we can have a real discussion about things facing our family, pray about what is happening and trust in God to give us the answer.

Now I'll have a completely unreasoning, little bundle of joy that won't be able to communicate effectively until...well never really. And I'm responsible for this person and their spiritual, physical, and psychological growth.

I'm excited about that. I'm just not ready nor do I have any clue as to what is going to happen to our family dynamic as this little bundle of joy will demand a majority of Abby's and mine attention.

We have a little over a week till the due date. Be checking the blog daily for any updates.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

Mothers Day

2009-05-10T17:09:00.002-05:00

Happy mothers day to all the mothers out there.

My wife is a soon to be mother and I am celebrating her by putting in a HVAC system and removing floor board heat from several rooms.

She is currently at the movies with GeGe, Aunt Jess and Aunt Mandy....they are celebrating today by going to the movies...lots of movies.

Lots of movies.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

My Rock, My Hard Place...

2009-05-07T22:27:00.002-05:00

As I sit in the chaos that is currently our home, I am reminded of how wonderful and faithful my husband is. It is no small feat to talk a pregnant woman down from the ledge of panic - and yet he manages to do just that on, lets admit it, a much too frequent basis. Don't get me wrong, I feel the tiny waves of terror lapping at the edge of my consciousness even now. Tiny waves that whisper things like this:

"You have holes in your ceiling with lovely, dangle-ly pieces of pink insulation hanging out..."
and "Your feet look like fat little hobbit feet..."
and "That baby's room will never be finished in time..."
and "There is so much to be done and you can't do any of it..."
and "You could go into labor at any moment. Your house isn't ready for a baby, how can you be..?"

Yes all of these things are true, but thankfully I am married to an optimist who reminds me of things like this:

"We are one step away from having blessed air conditioning, and just in time..."
and "You are so beautiful and at least your hobbit feet aren't hairy..."
and "That baby wont care one bit if its walls aren't painted the minute it is born..."
and "We don't have to have everything done, and who said you were in control anyway..?"
and "You will be a wonderful mom, so who cares about the state of our house..?"

He doesn't always say it just like that. Sometimes it is a subtle reminder in the way he mows our lawn - just doing what has to be done and not fretting over the stuff he can't control. Sometimes he comes straight out and says these things - and none too gently either. But its what I need. It keeps me grounded - at least until the next high tide.

So lets hear it for my Josh, my rock, my hard place, my man of la mancha - who cheerfully shoulders the burdens of our family and shores up the banks of my heart on a daily basis.

The Womb

Grumpy

2009-05-06T18:32:00.003-05:00

I'm grumpy. There's no real reason other than I'm living in a construction zone. I have a list longer than the number of days before the baby comes of honey do's.

But, I do have Kool-Aid fruit punch and that is brightening my night.

For those that care, there is a shower this Saturday for Abby. However, no one reads the blog so no one will need to know the information.

Josh

President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

Chew Toys and Poop

2009-05-04T21:38:00.005-05:00

We have been without our laptop since..well..a good long fortnight. I don't really know what a fortnight is but it is a REALLY long time. Like 2 days or something.

You see...Raleigh dog decided to chew on the power supply to our Mac...twice now. The first time was my fault because I left the power supply within easy reach of her jaws, and all it took was 5 seconds for her to chew through the small end. The second time was the mail mans fault (not really...I don't want to take responsibility). You see, the mailman snuck into my house and laid the power supply all wrapped up on the coffee table for Raleigh to gnaw on. That jerk was soon fired from his post.

So now we have paid twice for a power supply that our cute dog decided to eat. To top that off, Raleigh has decided that it is high time to resume using the bathroom facilities in our house. The problem with that of course is that she chooses when and where the facilities are located. This really makes the management mad.

A new day is dawning in the training regimen of our loyal yet potty fueled puppy.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp

Sick

2009-04-24T16:40:00.002-05:00

I have the sickness. I have had the sickness for several days and the sickness is firmly entrenched in my body. I hurt, I cough, I can't sleep, I have crud in my chest, my nose, my ears and inexplicably in my toes (that may be something altogether different though). I have tried not to kiss my wife, and failed twice now on accident. Hopefully she doesn't get what I have and the baby stays healthy.

The doctor gave me antibiotics, an inhaler which raleigh found tasty and cough medicine that keeps me tossing and turning. I took unisom last night and actually slept a little bit. I took a couple hour nap on the couch but I have to be well before Sunday.

So if you pray, and you read this blog....play fervently that I am healed.

Thanks

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

I have to dig a ditch.

2009-04-16T11:49:00.003-05:00

I don't really have to, but if my basement wall is going to dry out before the end of time I have to divert the water away from the foundation of my house. Normally this would be an easy endeavor involving several types of shovels, a pick axe, tamping bar, sweat, blisters, and muddy feet. I'm not dealing with normal. I have a tree 10 feet from where I need the ditch to be....and I fear that in the ditch that was began by a nice young man named Pancho Villa (not his real name) I have already killed the tree while slicing through roots, but that the down hill slope I need for drainage won't work where the ditch was began. Oh...and I also have to deal with my natural need to procrastinate.

No worries though as I will spend this afternoon doing my best not to kill the tree while getting the hole deep enough to bury corrugated pipe, but not to deep that the water won't drain, and not to shallow that there will be a hump in the middle of my yard.

I'm so excited that my fingers can barley type out this sentence.....can you feel it?

yay.

I wonder if I can train Raleigh dog to dig in a specific area so I can sip tea and let her get that digging aggression out. Maybe I can lace the ditch with peanut butter......the procrastination is strong with me.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
Procrastinator Extraordinaire
Janda Corp

Easter

2009-04-13T10:41:00.004-05:00

Easter weekend was a blur for us. It didn't feel like Easter, and we sure didn't feel like we celebrated the amazing gift Christ gave us on Calvary.

Our weekend went like this. We spent a nice Saturday morning at my other parents house in Old Hickory. They fixed us Egg's Benedict, fruit, and orange juice. It was great to watch their dog go crazy over the frisbee, throw itself on the floor to roll over and as was demonstrated several times....was really, really, really concerned about it's weight.

We got back from Old Hickory to head over to a friends house to hang out. I then snagged her son to help me dig a ditch. He's a ditch diggin fool.

Sunday we went to the early service, I headed to the dog park afterwards, we ate lunch, took a nap and headed over to the parentals for a large gathering of like minded folks who wanted to celebrate Christ's gift of salvation by eating a scrumptious dinner.

We then got home way late and fell into bed again.

Noteworthy things:

We took Raleigh to our friends house. She got herself tied up in a deck chair....which then "chased" her around the deck which literally scared the poop out of her. Luckily I was napping during this debacle.

My brother-in-law bought an engine for a car he is fixing. He was putting it in the car at 2 am on Saturday when he found out it was seized up. Luckily I was sleeping during this debacle.

That is all for now...

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

Sickness

2009-04-08T16:53:00.002-05:00

Abby and I are feeling under the weather. We both woke up at 2 in the am and couldn't get back to sleep. Me with stomach cramps and reverse puking, Abby with just being pregnant and not able to sleep.

My day didn't get any better...I was able to sleep for another hour or so before heading into my part time gig. I finished my work as quickly as possible and headed for the hacienda. I've had stomach cramps all day...and intermittent toilet-seatitis. Abby called out of work and spent a majority of the morning asleep with Raleigh dog peacefully on her bed. It's good that she did, Abby has felt bad for the last couple of days..and waking up 4 hours before normal and not being able to sleep made for a terrible morning.

I did make it to the dog park however....for a very short time before I needed to hot foot it home.....that dang-ole toilet-seatitis.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

If you blog......

2009-04-07T19:09:00.003-05:00

And no one reads it.....does the blog poop in the woods?

Tuesday update:

The womb is very tired however off of the unisom. This is a big step and the next couple of days will be very telling if Abby can get by without having to take sleep medicine to combat the evil nausea that has haunted us since September. PLEASE LET THIS WORK!!!!

Raleigh went to the dog park and had a good ole time.......i "cleaned" up after her 4 times.....4 times. We were there an hour...and 4 times? She did run faster after each "clean up"....so maybe she's on to something.

Maybe one day our spawn will look back on this and appreciate the tireless hours we put into sharing inane details. Odds on that are slim to none....and slim left town with the only fertile figure of speech left in the one horse town.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

Greetings, Salutations... And A Clarification (Sort of)

2009-04-06T09:10:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone,

It is long past time for my first post here. Apparently it is not enough that I roll my newly rotund body out of bed every morning, scoot in to work only two minutes past eight despite the fact that I live 10 minutes away, manage to keep my eyes open all day, and trudge home on the last dredges of energy and patience only to collapse on the couch in a sleepy stupor. No, I can't simply enjoy the cleverness of my mower man husband, I too must scour my soul for creativity to update you on the various and sundry details of our soon-to-be parents life in a entertaining manner.

OK, now that the whiny run-on sentences are our of my system (hopefully), I can continue...

My subject today is the name of our blog. Why JandA Corp? Well, JandA is easy - J for Josh, and for - well and, A for Abby. But Corp, why would we use Corp? Are we trying to intimate that we are running a business of our marriage? Maybe that its a little CEO tumbling and turning in my belly? The truth is that there is really no reason other than it sounded funny. But we can't say that, so I have turned to Dictionary.com to see if they can help validate why we chose such a name - surely there is some definition we could use. This is what they said:

1. an association of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members.

What?

2. (initial capital letter) the group of principal officials of a borough or other municipal division in England.

Hunh?

3. any group of persons united or regarded as united in one body.

OK, getting better. This makes a little more sense.

4. Informal. a paunch; potbelly.

Ooooh, I like that. It fits both Josh and I. We have a winner!

Abby
The Womb

Baby Update

2009-04-06T08:09:00.002-05:00

We had a doctors appointment on Friday, April 3. Doc. Smallwood said everything was progressing as it should and that we are right at 32 weeks along. I will put up some belly pic's in the next day or so for those that are interested.

It's interesting watching your wife's body host God's creation.

That is all for now.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

I am the lawn mower man.....

2009-04-05T06:54:00.002-05:00

And I have come to steal your grass's soul. I'm like the Dread Pirate Roberts, my cloak is aflame and I'm crashing at the gates to beautify your lawn....not really. I wouldn't cut your lawn...unless good ribs were involved.

Our lawn was in serious need of cutting. It's rained off and on over the last several weeks and the grass has been to wet to bag, and to long to mulch. So yesterday morning, morning dew be damned, I started up the mower and headed to work.

In my yard I have a 3:5 ratio of weeds to grass. I have the kind of lawn my mother likes to eat. She will go to the store, buy a bag of "spring mix" salad and in reality....I have enough edible weeds in my yard to satisfy her taste for lawn......love ya mom.

The wild onion in my yard is so dominant that I'm concerned that they have started a "grass" roots effort to communicate in secret about their own plans for my yard. They had one of their alleged secret meetings in my backyard along the back fence line yesterday morning. The onion saw me coming, put up their best defenses...yet I mowed them over with malice.

Now to the outside observer my body language and facial expression would not have been one of malice...it would have been 300 pound man pushing lawn mower bawling his eyes out. The onion was SO strong that I cried like a new born.....but the onion was defeated....or so I thought.

This morning as I walk Raleigh dog, I saw a smattering of onion stems poking up proudly in my yard. I guess the home office didn't let them know that I am the champion....my friend....and I suppose my onion will go on fighting to the end.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

The Roof, the roof, the roof was on fire!

2009-04-03T11:05:00.009-05:00

Yesterday was the three year anniversary of our house fire. It's been three years since I was standing in the living room of our apartment, heard and felt the shotgun blast that was the lightning bolt that caught the roof on fire. It was a harrowing day, but it did have it's humorous moments.

For instance, I thought the fire would only consume our bedroom, and so I carefully laid out my wife's wedding dress on the couch because I thought it would be safe. It was safe from the fire...just not the embers, timbers and water. That dress is still at the cleaners.

After the fire, we hung up all of our clothes, blankets, towels and other assorted goods to dry on the fence of my parents house. No less than 3 people came by to peruse our "garage" sale. I wonder if those people thought....why is someone selling items that have all been singed? I know I would have!

Here are some pictures.

Fearless Leader....Salvaging The rest are just a hodgepodge the damage. Enjoy...we did :D

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp.

Raleigh, Raleigh, Bo Bolly

2009-04-01T20:18:00.008-05:00

We have a dog. It's a cute, sneaky ninja dog. She hasn't figured out yet that the lazy boy in the front room rocks, especially when she jumps off of it onto her bed. We just recently implemented the "no dogs on the furniture" rule and Raleigh has received the memo in triplicate......which she then ate.

So I sit in my office working away diligently trying to increase the value of JandA Corp and I think....hmm.....I'm thirsty. I role my chair away from my desk,head to the kitchen, and I hear mad scrambling from the living room. I walk in to discover my dog laying down on her bed, giving me the innocent eyes as the lazy boy swings in the wind. Ornery little sucker she is.

She had an accident on Saturday involving my truck and rapidly approaching asphalt. We were in the parking lot of the dog park when she decided to pull a Shawshank Redemption and jump out of the bed of my moving truck. She's no worse for the wear...and it was scary for a second...and hopefully next time she'll sit her boo-hiney down. Probably not.....like i said..ornery.

Here are some pictures.

Introducing Raleigh.
She's a mutt, but looks like this type of dog.

My girls Asleep.

Raleigh escaping from the frisky boys.

No joke...this is how I found her sleeping the other day. That's a mighty big rawhide she must have been chewing in her dreams.

Josh
President of Fatherly Duties
JandA Corp