The Manz Fam

New Year Transitions

2012-01-22T10:59:00.000-08:00

I got a new job.

The end of December was a bit full going into the holidays, finals ending the semester, and me transitioning into a new position at Virginia Tech. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to learn and work in Student Conduct this past fall. It gave me tremendous insight into an arm of student affairs I was previously unfamiliar. Most gratefully, it gave us a full time income with the confidence to relocate to Virginia so J could start his PhD program. While in the interim appointment, I was able to build relationships with others on campus and soon became familiar with an opening at our international center.

Through a pretty long discourse that began at the end of September, I was able to make a switch with the support of both Directors and the signature of our VP and Provost! (Gotta love the red tape at a big public institution). During the last work week of 2011 I began as Interim Assistant Director of our Cranwell Internati0nal Center. The past four weeks in the role have been a blast. I loved welcoming our 150 new international students to this semester as I jumped into Orientation this January. One of the things I love about being in this role is that while in the midst of a 28,000 + campus, I get to work in this niche of ~2,200 students. For those of you who know my heart for the small liberal arts can appreciate why this is a great fit for me.

You'll notice my appointment is Interim. I've put my application in for the full time appointment which closes out the search this Friday and they hope to move quickly through the process, deciding in early March. It is certainly helpful to be in the role now and learning the responsibilities. Meeting the students and helping them transition not just to campus but to America and hearing about their insights has been completely rewarding. I was even able to get one of the Germans to help me translate an email from family over the holidays- bonus!

Me and the Hokie Bird at new international student orientation.

Merry Christmas from the Manz fam!

2011-12-24T13:55:00.000-08:00

Our second annual Christmas recording and picture recap of the year is ready for your holiday enjoyment! May you have the comfort of family this season and blessings in the new year! We are celebrating this Christmas with the larger Manz clan in Georgia, which will include staying here through the new year and Jonathan's 32nd birthday!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew24qv-TTe4

Growing Boy!

2011-12-18T14:28:00.000-08:00

**I started this over a month ago, things have been a bit full :) **

This is an all-about-Heath post. You've been warned.

Heath turned 18 months on December 3rd and we had his wellness appointment with a new Pediatrician in Blacksburg this last week. He weighed in at 26 1/2 lbs (50th percentile) and 32" (55th percentile). Since his last check up at 1 year he has grown 3" and gained 5lbs, healthy progress! In the last month or two we have really noticed the development in his social and verbal skills. It is just amazing to see how one day he doesn't know what something is called and the next day uses the right name.

Here is an enjoyable clip of Heath entertaining us as we waited for the dr to come in. The room was pretty warm- so no worries about the tile floor and diaper only boy :)

Some new words added to Heath's vocab:

Sesame Street characters: Elmo, Ottur (Oscar the Grouch), Over (Grover), and if you haven't seen Heath's Cookie Monster impression you have to check it out on facebook.

Opa

Oma

Ammpa (Grandpa)

Amma (Grandma)

Owside (outside)

choo-choo (train)

Oose (juice)

And he is pretty good at saying and pointing to many body parts now: belly, eyes, head, hair, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, toes.

And in addition to Heath's fun spirited side- he is showing us some great focus and attention to things, shown here as he plays with his train set.

Oma and Opa's Visit!

2011-11-27T17:38:00.000-08:00

The reunion began at the airport....

and ended at the airport playing in the door and escalators!

We have a toddler who has been spoiled by his Oma and Opa all week long. Heath played hookie from school and hung out with his grandparents all week having more fun than he knew what to do with. They left yesterday and Heath's usual 75 minute nap was 2 1/2 hours today!

A few pictures to recap the week:

We visited the professionally decorated trees at the Inn at VT

Jonathan says that when he noticed Opa was feeding Heath ice cream 'it was too late' but then I found this picture as I was downloading the camera....

Heath found the perfect spot in Oma's lap- he would back up his rump to find the seat.

Heath learned how to wash the dishes with Oma too! THANKS.

Reading story time at night.

Crafting for Advent

2011-11-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

So I am maybe the latest sucker to be pulled into Pinterest! Last week with more time on my hands then work, I started to search for ideas to make an advent calendar for my parents. I came across this idea pinned by someone from the Better Homes and Garden website. The thing is, no directions came along with it. I thought it was simple enough to figure out on my own, but probably took about 5 hours to construct. So here for you my friends, I will break it down in case you want to jump in on the craft store sales and get busy before December 1st to make this treat for yourself this year!

Supplies needed:

Board (I used an 11x14 precut rectangle from Michaels)
Scrapbook Paper for background and photo backings (Photo backings/date cards were cut out to 1 and 3/4" by 2"- this allowed space up top for the hole punch)
25 photos sized and cut to 1 and 3/4" squared (I just printed these on paper from color printer)
Sticker Letters (or you could paint, cut from scrap paper, etc) (I found the FAMILY wood cutout for $1 at Michael's)
Photo Corners- clear (I want to update the pics annually for my parents so this will make it easier to put new photos in and out rather than recreating the whole date card, you could just paste your photo directly on the date cards)
Hole punch- I used a rectangle slit because of my sizing as I went along, it fit easier. You could always use what you have, including one post from a 3-hole punch. Just account for that in your starting board and picture sizes.
Silver Pen- for writing the date on the back of the photo cards.
Nails- retrospect I would have used shorter nails or asked my husband to be more careful in not hammering them in all the way, just enough to hold.
Hanger- this could be a photo hanger you add to the back of the board, or you could add ribbon to hang it with a bow on top.
Mod Podge and brush- I thought it would add a nice touch to add mod podge to the top of the scrapbook paper, and I like the way it turned out. I put it over the sticker letters and green top too. The hanging photo date cards were not mod podged.

If you are not a crafter and need to purchase most all of these things like I did, this project will run you about $30 assuming you can print the photos on a home printer. But with the Black Friday sales and coupons this could cost more around $15-20. After seeing it come to life this year, I think this is a great project to share with others as an advent gift in the future. So I'll be watching the sales and coupons!

The best part of this project is that my parents will have such fun each day of advent turning over a date card and seeing what new family photo lies behind it! Here is a sneak peek! I grabbed photos off facebook to include my brother and my family's so they can see both their grandchildren in rotation as the month goes along.

Happy Advent!

Feel free to ask questions if anything needs clarifying. =)

Let's Go Hokies!

2011-11-16T08:38:00.000-08:00

He was mesmerized.
The band. The Student Section Cheering. The ref's whistles. The Hokie Bird.

Thanks to our friend Nannette for sharing her great tickets, Heath and I were able to go to our first Hokie basketball game together and leave dad a quiet house for studying. Heath sat on Nonny's lap for the first half just taking all of the arena in. We reminded him of the dance moves/ ref calls that his Opa has taught him. It was great.

Hokies beat Florida International 78-63 moving them ahead in the NIT.

Fall and Yummy Pumpkin!

2011-10-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

Here are a few camera phone shots of trees I pass on my walk from the office to the bus at the end of my work day. Thanks again to picnik.com for free editing that makes them really shine into the beauty I get to see every day right now.

We are appreciating the fullness of fall by indulging in pumpkin delights. This week kicked it off for us as our community group decided to go all-pumpkin for our Thursday dinner together. We brought a pumpkin pound cake (courtesy of Kroger bakery- hey it was a work night). Our hosts made some pumpkin and apple soup. Heath was especially found of that one. Our friend Peter made pumpkin quesadillas which were surprisingly delicious (we credit the strong prayer ahead of the mealtime). And to wrap things up the Osters baked pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

After taking some cookies home with us that quickly disappeared we figured it was time for us to get to baking. Yesterday Jonathan made us pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes- that made my morning coffee taste even better. Then last night we carved a pumpkin together while watching Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin (ok J carved and Heath and I watched). We toasted the pumpkin seeds with some butter and salt, they turned out dry but still fun to bake.

Today we used the last cup of the pumpkin that was left and made our own cookies following this recipe: http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2011/09/pumpkin-pumpkin-everywhere/ (although 1/2 cup chocolate chips didn't seem like it would do so I used the 1 cup we had left and then chopped up some Hershey's Special Dark we had left from s'mores and added that to the mix.

Delicious.

What fall goodness have you been cooking/baking/partaking of lately?

Saturday Workday

2011-10-15T17:16:00.000-07:00

You won't believe it from this photo, but Saturday was a family workday.

After a walk downtown for breakfast, Heath crashed on the way back. It was only 9:45am and he usually has one nap at 12 noon. We were excited when he woke up in the yard (while we went ahead and started pruning without him) and was ready to pitch in.

It doesn't phase him that the mop, broom or rake are at least three times his size, he continues to work hard as if it were his duty.

*Note to self for the future Saturday when he naps two hours early- wake him up! The afternoon was pretty tough as he was miserably tired but would not take a second nap. So 30 minutes early to bed and now we are trying to stay up for the second half of the VT football game and I am ready to crash!

Football Season

2011-10-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

Heath has outgrown his Steeler onesies from last season so as faithful parents we ordered the next batch of 18-24months for him. His awesome black and gold sweater that Uncle Adam's mom knit for him last year still fits, and likely will for three more seasons (thanks Debbie!). Thanks to the fall weather setting in here, we've been bundling up lately. This is Heath on a walk to church two Sundays ago.

When Adam visited last weekend he taught Heath how to cheer while watching a football game. He picked up on the fanfare very quickly- yelling Go! (Doh) at the tv and clapping as hard as he can while leaning intently into it all. Here is a quick snapshot of the moves while watching the Virginia Tech game yesterday.

Here Heath is today gearing up for the Steeler game (pre-nap). He is enjoying climbing onto the coffee table and doing leg stretches while watching the pregame. So efficient with his time!

Uncle Adam's Visit

2011-09-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

You can imagine the fun that happened in the middle, right?

After Adam got in at 2am and Heath was asleep, Heath woke up at 7am and Adam was asleep. Finally the reunion happened and cuddling on the couch ensued. After playing for a bit it was time for Adam to shower and you may know what happened next. Not much privacy in our hall bathroom if Heath wants you to play with him. You can hear in the video how Heath pronounces Adam (Ah-Duh!).

We have a Walker!!

2011-09-18T17:57:00.001-07:00

We have been told many times that 'every child is different.' As we go through developmental markers with Heath, people say things like that to us a lot. But people have also told us repeatedly that 'once they start walking they will never look back.' Well to this point I would revert to point 1, every child is different. Two or three months ago Heath began taking 1-2 steps if he could then follow those steps by falling into the couch or coffee table. Crawling has still been his transportation mode of choice (well that and the city bus to school).

This week we were at home doing nothing special and I called Heath to come over to me- away from the couch- and out into the unknown space of the kitchen, and he came. He took about five steps to reach me and stayed standing the whole time. We looked at each other. Did he just do that? Do it again. He did. And so for the last five days or so Heath is now preferring his walk to his crawl and will take on average 5-8 steps each time. He will still crawl and he will hold on to things as he gets confidence to then stand on his own again.

It's been fun to watch him grow in that confidence and see his face light up as our faces light up watching him. So after taking this in for ourselves all week, the grandparents kindly reminded us- share a video! So here Heath is today after the Steeler win.

Roots

2011-09-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

There are many times since becoming a parent and singing to Heath that I have thought 'what on earth would I do if it weren't for growing up in the church?' I am weekly amazed by how deep my repertoire goes. We have settled into a few more kidsy-favorites for bedtime routine: Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, Zaccheus. Then there are the nights where I dig deeper into my hymn history and sing the Doxology or Jesus Something about that Name.

Tonight Heath had not settled down for bedtime yet and so I left just the lamp on in his room and while he played with his books we had some family sing a long. This is what came out tonight!

Give me gas for my Ford, keep me truckin' for the Lord

Give me gas for my Ford I pray, hallelujah

Give me gas for my Ford, keep me truckin for the Lord

Give me gas til the break of day

And I will sing Hosanna, sing Hosanna, sing Hosanna to the King of Kings

sing Hosanna, sing Hosanna, sing Hosanna to the King of Kings!

Oh goodness. I am definitely becoming my mother.

What songs do you remember from your childhood?

Are there regulars that have become part of your routine now?

Development on Overdrive

2011-09-06T17:36:00.001-07:00

Heath has made huge leaps in his language development in the last week, more in the last weekend, and even more today. It really is amazing watching concepts make sense to him as he talks in the form of communication we can understand. For 15 months we have talked to him, but not with him. So for your slight interest, and my personal documentation here are the notes:

In June Heath started saying:

Mama

Ball (Bahhwl)

Dad, Daddy, Dadah

Then later came:

Stop (Dawp)

Uh-oh

No (naawh) (Usually this is said in conjunction with his finger raised in the air)

In the last month Heath has been signing:

(And repeating us signing): Potty

This past week:

In addition to signing 'more' he started saying it at dinner when asking for more (Mowh).

He has started saying shoe (Djew).

Last Night:

When getting on Skype with my parents he finally said Opa (oh-pahw)

Heath repeated us saying peekaboo (eekadjew).

In addition to saying it in the car, later that night he demonstrated the concept that he knows how to play it too!~ take a peek ;)

Today:

Heath repeated us saying blue (boo).

When he pulled off his sock in the car he kept saying Djew Djew Djew, becoming very upset until we put his sock/shoe back on the foot he pulled it off of.

Getting ready for bed in his room I asked, should we go brush our teeth? He put his finger to his mouth then crawled to the bathroom and pulled up on the sink to reach for the brush.

Heath's Slide

2011-09-05T18:14:00.002-07:00

A couple weekends ago there was a yard sale happening in front of the Y Thrift Store. Kind of odd I thought, but it was the local Rotary chapter raising funds. So we thought it made for a great Saturday to hit up both the inside and outside of the store (still searching for a desk chair). Well amidst a lot of other people's hidden treasures (ie- complete and total crap to me) there was this Little Tikes outdoor slide. Heath has played on one at church and school and park playgrounds- he loves this slide. Maybe the climbing more than the sliding.

So after one of the Rotarians tried to sell us on a $50 couch that smelled like dog and smoke, I thought, what's this actual gem going to cost me? One Whole Dollar. Seriously? Seriously. Thank you very much I am happy to contribute towards your efforts. On my way to the car with it they tried to get me to take the Little Tikes red and yellow Flinstone-like car that Heath also loves for an extra 50 cents. I had to decline. One amazing deal was enough to fit in our trunk for that day. Besides if we have it at home, then the thrill of riding in the one attached to the grocery cart at Kroger's is lost.

So since the video upload is beyond slow tonight and then not working at all- these progression photos of Heath with the slide will have to suffice! Enjoy... he sure is.

Hi Mama! I'm going for it again.

Goodbye August!

2011-08-31T19:08:00.000-07:00

My friend Katie has captured the true ill feelings towards the month of August in her latest post here. Something about working in higher education and the rush of fall classes starting back sends us swimming into a frenzied overdrive of too many long hours with seemingly little appreciation. Now this is all to say that we have exited the on-campus on-call Housing life that so many of our friends are in and so in comparison, this August was actually a 'lighter' affair for us than the previous three (+) years. But being in the midst of transition has brought about its own unpleasantries.

Two weeks into being a full time student again, Jonathan has been working diligently to stay on top of readings for class and balance a rewarding/demanding assistantship (remember Make it happen Shushok). This shift in priorities has impacted our 'after hours' life. We pick up Heath, get dinner ready, eat, play with Heath and do the bedtime routine by 8pm and then J is back to full time student role. I'm sure when we make friends here and have some date nights to throw in the mix it will not feel as demanding, but it does.

And for shifting from my role with student organizations to now being in student conduct, you'd think that I would have less late night committments, not so. As I am learning more and more about my role here there are these hidden gems of after hours committments that are arising. It's been a difficult adjustment for me here, on many levels.

So I am hopeful for September. Please be a positive month. Please bring more competency to me in my job and patience for what a full understanding of it may mean. Please bring us friends that we can talk deeper with and a church community that feels like home. Please let us be authentic and focused on what's important. Pretty please?

First Week Down!

2011-08-26T17:51:00.000-07:00

Of students on campus that is. Fall semester is here! Our small town has swelled by an additional 30,000. The busses were slower and not hitting their time checks. The foot traffic on campus is unreal- people everywhere! Construction is still going on down Main street so cars are backed up both ways daily. But in the midst of all that, it is a new start. A fresh academic year where first time college students are here and thrilled to be a Hokie.

The 'Welcome Week' experience for me here has been much different than life at Arkansas the past three years. I'm not housed in the Student Union with immediate access to every event that is happening daily outside or inside of where we were. My office is on a corner end of campus, not near the Union or Library or Drillfield. I've met with more students this week, but it has been inside my office, in air conditioning, while dressed in business slacks and blouses. Student Conduct is a different kind of routine than Leadership programs.

I've missed my friends more (again) this week and hated not being there to kick off a new year in a familiar community. I wanted to be in shorts and a hat, sweating outside by a grill and talking to freshmen about involvement opportunities. So I grieve a little more this week in my loss of the UofA.

Today was Gobblerfest on VT's campus. Similar to Razorbash, but on a larger scale with carnival rides and shut down city blocks to accommodate. I worked our booth and created the game we played-- Penny Pitch. It was fun and our student leaders for the office who serve on committees came to help. I even wore Maroon and Orange, together. I'm getting there. :)

Growing Heath

2011-08-13T05:14:00.001-07:00

So on the blog to-do list is share about our Portland vacation in June and pictures of our new place in Blacksburg post updates. But before we can tackle those posts we know the information you really want is about the little man. So here's the rundown-

Heath is about 22 lbs and still has his round face but it is growing more little boy like and less baby chub looking. His hair is getting longer and curlier and still blonde. J doesn't want to cut it even though I think he has mullet days where a trim is in call. Heath is standing alone on his own for longer stretches of time. Yesterday he pushed his truck around our house for 8 laps and when he'd get to the living room he would let go if his truck, stand and applaud himself, then take another lap. Everyone says walking is in his future 'any day now.' They've all said that for several months now and we are not in any rush, appreciating the immobility for what it is now.

Here is goldilocks with Grandpa and Grandma Manz the second week of July

His new school has been very loving and he has enjoyed exploring all the new toys. They have had two water days where they've brought in a blow up pool and we send him in his swim trunks for a morning dip. He splashes a lot and loves playing with the other kids. He comes home messy almost every day which we think is a good sign that they are having a lot of fun. We always try to figure out what the craft was that day by the color on his shirt or the paint under his nails.

One big adjustment at Heath's new school was naptime. Instead of having his own crib in the room and napping when he wants, they do a class nap time from 12-2pm and everyone has their own cot. I said 'good luck with that.' And of course he shocked us all when on day 1 he slept the full 2 hours after getting patted on the back and fussing for only 30 seconds before falling asleep. This is the same kid who is lucky to have one 20 min. nap for us at home, per day! So he is sleeping great and ready to crash at night. After some adjusting we are keeping him up until 8pm when possible so that he can sleep longer in the morning, which lately is until 6:45am (much better than the 4:30am days a short week ago).

As always, Heath is a champ when eating. He nurses in the morning for some bedtime snuggling and then has breakfast, lunch and a snack at school with friends. Then he eats a good dinner after we get him at home and most nights a brief nursing an hour before bed. After such a rough start in breastfeeding, I never thought we'd make it to 14 months. It seems a bit unreal and without having pre-planned this far into the future, we are just playing things by ear and eliminating nursing times as Heath leads. I'm grateful for the experience, and also thankful to be done with the pumping hours during work. I feel like these past few months have been the best of nursing coupled with morning and evening snuggles.

Heath's language development is really starting to take off. He is pretty chatty on his own or with us. We found him in the living room 'reading' a book to himself this week and turning pages. When we were in Portland in June he said 'Mama' in an official first word way- he knew what he was saying and so did we. He has also said 'Dad' which is a bit more like 'Daaa.' After starting his school here he began saying 'Uh-ooohhh' which is precious. He'll also say just the 'oooh' part which I try not to laugh at when disciplining him for intentionally dropping food just to say it. Heath is also saying 'hi' a lot in all different kinds of tones, and usually wrinkles his nose a bit when he says it and looks a whole lot like his Mama. A favorite word now is 'Ball' which he loves to play catch with and roll back and forth. And the way he says it sounds a little more like Bauwl, which is pretty cute.

Sorry for the long post and time lapse between posting, hopefully you feel brought up to speed on Heath!

We are alive

2011-08-02T17:33:00.001-07:00

It's August. When the heck did that happen? As you can tell we were on such a roll with our blogging and then fell into a draught overnight. Or rather- we began work again. Wah wah. (You should say that in your best Debbie Downer voice). So things have been different for us with a full day at work and Heath in school full time and feeling quite exhausted by the end of a week night. We are still working hard to get the last of the boxes unpacked and completing weekend projects now as fast and furious as we can to get ready to host some upcoming visitors.

So we are here. We are alive. Heath turns 14 months tomorrow. We'll share more exciting things once they happen and house picture updates soon!

Reel Mower Update

2011-07-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

A lot of posts going on here. I (Jonathan) posted a month or two ago about my research into reel mowers. Here is an update on the purchase for the two people that actually read the post (Adam and Vanessa...and Adam thought it was boring). We did decide to go with the Fiskars mower. So far I have 3 mows under my belt. It has been great! Below is a quick rundown on the pros and cons. I should note, if you have no idea why we have been looking at reel mowers, read the original post. It is fairly informative (and slightly dull).

(Getting started shot- left side is not mowed, the first two rows are different settings, figuring out where to place the height)

Pros:

Very quiet! You only here a slight "whoosh, whoosh" as the blades are spinning. Lyndsy brought Heath out to watch and we can easily hold a conversation. I also have listened to my iPod with no problems.
It cuts quite well. One complaint with reel mowers is they miss grass and weeds. As long as you don't cut too much at one time, there is no problem with the mower missing grass.
Light weight. It really isn't that hard to push. For someone used to riding their mower or utilizing self-propelled mode, then yes, this will be a challenge. But you don't have to be in great shape to easily push this mower.
No extra costs. I bought the mower and haven't spent anything on it since (oil, gas, filters, etc.). Granted I only have had it a couple weeks, but there won't be any additional costs in the future either.
I don't stink when I'm done...well unless I have worked up a sweat, but I don't smell like gas fumes.

Extremely easy to set up.
Extremely easy to use. Just set your height and push.
Comfy handle bar that allows your hands to be parallel or perpendicular to the ground.
I could go on and on, but to be fair, let me write some cons.

Cons:

Mulch that has come out of the flower bed, can easily clog the mower. You have to stop and dislodge it. Sometimes simply stopping and backing up a step will fix the issue. It is worth noting that we have an apple tree in our backyard and so far the mower has gone over the fallen apples without any issues.
Inclines can be a challenge. It is good exercise working the mower on our steep incline along the driveway side of our property line, but it can certainly be challenging for some folks (in no way am I stating I am in peak physical condition).
The mower has to be moving to mow (or at least have some momentum going). In tight areas (such as along our fence line), I have had to make passes in different directions to essentially make a turning zone.

I could talk for a long about the mower. Please leave some comments below and ask some questions. Adam, just pretend you are interested in it. Likely one day you too will have a yard. :)

Heath was on hand to supervise.

Saturday in Blacksburg

2011-07-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

As you may know, we are fond of Saturdays in this Manz fam. Particularly the ones where we can enjoy a farmer's market, good coffee and maybe a sweet bakery treat. Blacksburg has a farmer's market every Wednesday and Saturday that we have been wanting to visit and today was finally the day! They open at 8am which we thought was kind of late, I mean they are farmers right? So after Heath was up at 6am we waited for two hours then began our journey downtown (it's roughly a mile from our place).

Heath got this awesome wagon for his 1st birthday from his great aunt's and great uncle's families. This was the inaugural, out of the yard trip.

We arrived at the market close to 8:30am and there were very few people there. We thought it was odd that the aisles weren't packed, but the farmers at their tents were pleasant as we did a pass through. Everyone commented of course on how the wagon was the best way to experience the market.

We went to this little Italian bakery and cafe, Bollo's. It was only a block from the market and surprisingly not packed either. We picked out some items from the case. We got up to pay and with only a credit card and $5 cash, the owner told us she didn't take cards and our total was $11.07 "it's fine you eat your food and then you can pay- there is an atm across the street." We were grateful.

Cherry Almond Coffee Cake, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin, Cinnamon Roll

No high chair inside, but Heath didn't mind of course.

Also no changing table, but the wagon was our utility player for the day.

Not only was the owner sweet, their coffee and baked goods were delicious! We will definitely be returning. So by 9:30am we start to see a bit more people traffic walking around outside. We make another pass through the market to pick up some peaches (for a blueberry and peach cobbler) and the place had exploded with families, retired folk, strollers and music. Apparently 10am is when Blacksburg likes to wake up. No wonder the market didn't open before 8am. Heath played in the grass area for a bit and listened to the musician playing and watched the kids running around.

Heath started to get tired so we thought we better head home, that and it started to sprinkle. He was too tired to sit in the wagon, he wanted to be held. So after I got my 22 lb arm workout the first half back, dad took over here. Going...

Going.....

Gone!

Craigslist and Thrifting

2011-07-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

So after starting our marriage in a furnished residence hall apartment for three years, we had some purchasing to do as we have moved into our first home here in Blacksburg. It has been a busy two weeks of stalking craigslist round the clock trying to be the first to jump on deals. We also have a handful of Thrift Stores in Blacksburg that I was able to find some great gems at. Vanessa tells me that some of these items are Granny Chic- which is a great way to describe what I am telling Jonathan that we "can totally pull off." =)

After putting our brand new (well 2 years old but sitting in storage since purchase) couches and end tables and coffee table into the living room, I was beginning to feel a little stuffy. Like this would be great in a show room, but I wanted something comfortable that reminded me of a warm home, not unlike stepping into your grandma's house. So here are the finds thus far. Some will get some TLC and refinishing, others will be surrounded by awesomeness in a room that will really allow it to pop. (After photos of our set up/unpacked home will be coming soon!)

Craigslist: Set of 4 metal folding chairs with black velour padding $40

These are a steal in great condition after searching for new quality metal ones like this that sell at Bed Bath and Beyond for $39/a chair!

The Humane Society Thrift Store: Granny Chic Dining Chair $20

The most comfortable chair you will ever dine in- and very similar to the one actually in my Oma's house.

The Humane Society Thrift Store: Granny Chic Reading Chair $25

This will be J's study chair in the guest room/office. I'm telling you- just wait til it is next to a great modern lamp and brown panel curtains, it is going to pop!

Craigslist: Desk $30

Craigslist: (Heath's) Dining Chair $2

We are wanting to do a collection of different style chairs to go around our dining table. The Ryerse home inspired us on this one! We needed something stable and basic to set Heath's portable high chair onto. For TWO dollars- um yes please!

YMCA Thrift Store (back lot): Drop Leaf Table $20

So I have been scouring for a drop leaf table that will allow us to maximize our living/dining shared space. They are not easy to find. There is a beautiful one in the Crate and Barrel magazine for $300, and an antique one on Craigslist a couple towns over for $100, but I kept looking. When dropping off our recycling at the Y this week, I spotted this little gem underneath two other furniture pieces in the back lot donation area. I hopped out to examine and saw that it was just the right size I was wanting- with two drop leafs on either side and legs that swing out to support it. I inquired with the loaders in the back and a guy said he would let me buy it and bring it inside the store, if I wanted it. I said well I think I do- depends how much? He said 'um $20?' Yes- I'll take it!! So we swooped it up! Some refinishing for the top will be in its future, but I am so excited about this find.

Here is another view of the table.

The Humane Society Thrift Store: Lace Valance $2.50

The Humane Society Thrift Store: Lace Valance $0.50

The Humane Society Thrift Store: Fabulous Lamp $20

I took her away from a shelf filled with porcelain dolls, I think the dolls were sad, I think this gem was more than happy to come home with me.

Craigslist: TV Armoire $350

This was our splurge item. But one that we have been in the market for and watching prices for over a year now. We enjoy being able to hide the tv and not have it be the focus of the room. This woman had already come down from $500- so even though I wanted to spend between 200-300, this was still a great find and so dang heavy, very solid piece that will last us.

(Not Pictured)

Craigslist: HP Printer/Scanner Copier $20; 1 year new.

I am amazed at the things we were able to fit into our Altima. Having my in-laws here this past week with their Lexus SUV was another big help in bringing home the chairs. And for a warm welcome to Virginia- the armoire we brought home in a borrowed truck. As we tried to fit it in the SUV and realized it was not going to work, the next door neighbor of the person we were purchasing from came outside and said you can take our truck if you need it! Seriously, just like that. I guess we did leave my in-laws Lexus as collateral, but still. It was a manual truck which I loved getting to drive, even if it broke my back and cramped my thighs from having to push the clutch in so far. Thanks to all the transporters and lifters!

Unpacking

2011-07-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

We are making good strides towards unpacking our boxes. With a 13 month old at our heels, it is indeed different this time around. With my in-laws in town for the week we are hopeful that projects will get attention at the same time Heath gets some loving. In the meanwhile, there are a few shots I had to share. You know, the in- between-ness of unpacking and either not having furniture yet, or not finding "that thing" in a box you know you packed.

Now I know that the curtain and rings are packed somewhere. In the meanwhile, I think I deserve creativity points. It's not the first time I've been called practical.

We do not own a coffee table or end tables yet. I'm not sure what we will do when we lose the functionality of a packed box serving a dual purpose. (Maybe find the shower curtain!)

Don't worry, Heath has not been around this makeshift stand. We do not own an entertainment center yet, and for the first time in nearly 3 weeks since packing the tv, we thought we were ready for a movie tonight.

A different kind of move this round

2011-07-10T16:30:00.001-07:00

THEN (2008)

NOW (2011)

The Drive Out East

2011-07-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

We will have to come back and talk about our awesome and wonderful family vacation to Portland, OR soon, but in the meanwhile, I know the big questions are around where we are now.

So we flew back to Fayetteville Wednesday June 29th after a week away and our home already packed up in a POD and shipped. We spent way too short of a night and morning at Adam's place on campus since we had already checked out of ours and turned keys in. We hit up Little Bread Company for one last taste of chocolate croissant goodness and hit the road. For those of you on Twitter/Facebook you probably caught much of our progress through those updates. The first day we drove ~7 hours to Jackson, TN and ate dinner there and stayed the night at a quaint hotel.

Nothing too exciting happened the first day. Heath did well. The frozen pizza crust we packed for him from Cable Car leftovers were a life saver as he got focused on sucking it to death and more than once chewed himself to sleep. I finally got to read my new book about In-N-Out while nothing else needed to be taken care of- that was glorious.

The second day we headed out to Knoxville, TN about a 5 hour drive for us from Jackson. Although it was less time in the car on day 2, Heath knew what was up now and was a little more resistant to get in and out of his car seat for quick diaper changes. And we got to him quick! The changing pad we tossed in the backseat proved genius as we were able to throw it on top of the car hood and change him without the added minutes of going inside and discovering whether or not there was a changing table at said rest stop. This was especially helpful on the many occasions we had just stopped, ate, gassed up, did bathroom breaks then 5 minutes later on the highway Heath has a BM and needs immediate changing. We forgot about the time change that happens while in TN so we were a bit later than we thought, but got to our friends, the Greenes, early afternoon. Their 2 1/2 year old Ethan had loads of energy to entertain Heath and show off all his toys to. Mason who is only 4 months was pretty content to chill and observe all of us.

Staying in Knoxville with Ronnie and Christal was awesome. We are so glad to be closer to them now and in the same time zone that we can hang out more. Jonathan went to college with both of them and Ronnie was a groomsmen in our wedding. Ronnie aptly described our night to another friend as having a small window of opportunity where the kids go to sleep and then you have about 90 minutes until it hits 10pm and you have to go to bed because you are old parents. We pushed our bedtime to later to soak in the minutes, well worth it- even though the kids did not appropriately push back their wake up time to oblige us.

Day 3 of the trip east was the toughest. For a number of reasons I'm sure, but the main being that we started off on the wrong path- traveling a windy uphill highway 50 miles in the wrong direction. Navigation said the only alternative to where we were was to turn around. So for the first 2 hours of our morning we wasted driving towards Kentucky while Heath soundly napped in his car seat. I'll move on.

We got to Blacksburg around 4pm (a few hours later than when we anticipated). We had made a pit stop an hour before and picked up water and gatorade that began icing down in our coolers in the car. We were beyond blessed to join us at our house a great welcoming crew that unloaded our POD. A few of my new colleagues from Virginia Tech came over and helped as well as three VT students who just graduated in May and were involved with the Baptist Christian Ministry on campus. Through my BCM contacts at Arkansas, they put us in touch and we were SO thankful to have these three young turks come and help strangers unload. Not only did they unload but they then asked what else they could help assemble or unpack. I kept thinking of Sister Helen talking about how she wanted to be 'the face of Christ' for the inmate on death row she worked with and tried not to cry as I felt so blessed by these young people's heart to serve us. Frank also came over and helped unload and carry Heath around the property and neighborhood while I worked elsewhere. I think Heath has a new friend!

So we are here, the traveling is done. Boxes are everywhere, but in a manageable way. For renting a house sight unseen, we are happy with what we do see now. The space is going to work great for the three of us and the location could not be any better. We walked a mile into downtown for dinner tonight and discovered a playground a block behind us along the way. Heath got a little pool today and had his first backyard playtime. He has been acting different here, very comfortable. For being on the road and staying in many different places the last two weeks, I think he senses we are staying put for awhile here!

Transitions are Hard

2011-06-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

I've been called out. The blog has been a little sparse this spring. With the upcoming move and all the work of making plans and details come together I could say that I have been busy and that is true. I've also been a terrible student affairs professional and avoiding reflection. I'm not one for denial- I usually handle things straight on, "tact and grit" my professor described. But this move, it is different.

I've said more than once to Jonathan that in Chickering's theory of development, I am doing a terrible job of managing my emotions. I've thought about Schlossberg's Transition Theory and tried to manage my experience logically for how I need to move through it. Well, that has not worked. Instead I kept a firm lip through my farewell at work Friday and for most of our final Sunday at Vintage- albeit Heath's dedication which was the first large crack in the tumbling wall of emotion to follow. (Related and unrelated- you can see our special moment with Heath here; I don't know what we were thinking doing this on our last Sunday at Vintage)

So we took Sunday off for Father's Day and then Monday got to working hard with packing the house more and loading the pod. As you are physically being wiped, it is usually in those moments for me that I lose it. And I did. Sobbing over boxes that I did not want to be packing. Sad to be leaving our first (technically 2nd, but only 10 days in Pomfret) home as a family of three. Heath's things that have accumulated in the last 12 months are throughout the house and not only is that a bear to pack, but a constant reminder in every box of the 'firsts' that have happened in our home here.

Arkansas has been so good to us. We could not have asked for a better town to embrace as newlyweds and then as a young family. Three years really has gone by fast. The friendships we have made feel like they have always existed. And so our blog will continue to gather readers from yet another state as we head out to Virginia!

The Party

2011-06-05T18:41:00.001-07:00

For our first go round on the birthday thing as parents, I was particularly feeling a lot of pressure. It seems like the 1st birthday has really been made into a selling point by the party industry. I've been getting magazines in the mail for the past three months by some party company highlighting all of their special for' 1 year birthday party' supplies. Coordinating plates, balloons, crowns, highchair garb, etc. All that, it's just not us.

So after lots of talking this past month, and no plan making whatsoever, the week of Heath's birthday came. We didn't have invitations printed. Although a handful of people had inquired how we were celebrating, we didn't have an answer to offer. Part of the challenge we face in moments like this is the reminder that we are further away from family than what we want. As Jonathan and I talked about what was important to us, we knew the celebration that would be right for all of us included just a handful of special things, people really.

So what other place to spend this time celebrating than at our favorite, Cable Car Pizza.

For the first time, Heath had part of the whole pizza, cheese, sauce and all. That's sauce on his chin, forehead, hands, legs, . . .

Also enjoyed was his favorite pizza crust that he has been eating for a couple months now.

I made Heath (and friends) microphone cakes. They are cupcakes frosted and sprinkled on top of ice cream cones, with M&Ms inside the base.

Here is the cake eating experience on film:

We are ok with him not loving chocolate frosting at this point in his life. We later picked out the inside of the vanilla cupcake and he ate some of that. (organic mix from ONF)

In addition to Cable Car Owner Jane behind the camera, here is the crew celebrating Heath's 1st year of life! Jane and Ray were so excited that we shared Heath's birthday with them (and the cupcakes too). They have been a special family to know in our time here and we are trying to convince them that Blacksburg needs a Cable Car Pizza!

We also brought Heath's birthday truck along with us so that he could play. He had no problem making himself at home there and riding along. Jane, is talking behind him snapping pictures all the while!

And in case you thought Heath was playing by himself all night, here is some footage with his buddy Calvin.

Heath's 1st Birthday

2011-06-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

It's today, can you believe it? We hardly can.

June 3, 2010

June 3, 2011

We are blessed beyond words. It really does not seem like a full 12 months ago that he was welcoming us to his world. For the video recap you can revisit this post. And if you want to be sappy like me you can relive the two day experience of Heath actually arriving. As I reflect on all that has evolved in our family life this last year I have to say how grateful I am for the support system we have been blessed with. I seriously understand that quote now that it takes a village to raise a child. Our families have been so great to travel and be present for Heath in his first year. We have also learned to be better skype-rs and send picture texts. And because blood family is states away, we are so blessed to call on many in Arkansas as our extended family. Working in student affairs at the UofA has given us a host of locals and relocated friends alike to share in this journey with. And we are so grateful to have our Vintage family that has loved on Heath Sunday after Sunday; and offered comfort and advice as we figured out our first year as parents.

So it is officially Heath's birthday. But I will likely mark this day as celebrating two other things- delivery day! (seriously what an amazing process God designed) and community thankfulness day! (we could not have made it through this first year without all of you!).

Happy Birthday Heath! Cheers!

The Virginia Update Post

2011-06-02T14:54:00.000-07:00

I have a job.

We have a house.

We have turned in our resignation letters and will be leaving Arkansas June 30th, arriving in Blacksburg July 2nd. Time is flying by! We also have a family vacation coming up that will actually put us in Portland, OR June 22nd-29th then fly back to AR where we will have already moved out of our place and loaded up a POD. So really, time is flying. Two more weeks of work for us in the office.

This job search has been a stressful roller coaster to do in alignment with an already planned relocation and having Heath in the picture this time. We have gotten our hopes up several times on rental homes that ended up falling through last minute. I have heard lots of silence on my end of following up with applications. So if we've been a bit quiet about things online, that is why. I've been wanting to wait until some things are firmed up before announcing and then retracting statements later. But things are rolling now and I think it is ok to share!

We signed a lease and put down a deposit on a cute 3 bedroom 2 bath house that is about a mile east of VT campus. We can walk it, bike it, or take the bus that picks up at the end of our block about 8 houses down. There is a great backyard that Heath will love to play in and Jonathan is already stoked about mowing (see previous post). The homeowners have been great to work with so far and live locally. You can see pictures of our house while they are still up for now on the listing website.

I've been in conversation with the Student Conduct Office at Virginia Tech for the last month or so now about an opportunity to take on an interim role. They are losing an employee to another department and are in need of someone to fill the gap for a year while they do some reconfiguring and can do a national search next spring. The Director of the department is the same person who interviewed Jonathan for his GA position and so I got to meet her at NASPA in Philly. She has been a big help in our relocation and in offering me this opportunity! I will be a hearing officer and advise their student hearing board in addition to helping give feedback to their office as they continue to grow.

So the POD has been ordered, our final dates given, and we are trying to eat as much Hammontree's and Cable Car Pizza before we have to leave Fayetteville!

(Reel) Mowers

2011-05-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

In preparation for our move to Virginia, as well as actually having a yard, I (Jonathan) have been doing some research into lawn mowers. I haven't had to regularly maintain a yard since moving out of my parent's house to go to college. So I'm actually a bit excited to have the chance to mow the grass again. As we have written about occasionally here, we have made steps to being more green. Our view isn't about global warming or any political stance, we feel we simply need to take better care of our environment, and lessening our dependancy on fossil fuels is a step in the right direction.

There is a lot of information out there about emissions from gardening equipment. Gardening equipment emissions were not regulated until 1995. According to the EPA, a standard gas mower emits the same amount of fumes in a year as a new card being driven 500,000 miles. Not to mention mowers are considerably noisier than a car let alone the alternative. This led me to looking into manual reel (spelled correctly) mowers. There are certainly drawbacks to a manual mower. You provide all the manpower. So they are not ideal for hilly terrain. Also, a very bumpy yard will make it more difficult for an even mow (although that is true for a gas mower too). Also, sticks, twigs, and pine cones can easily get caught in the blades causing you to have to stop and dislodge them.

Besides the environmental benefits, manual mowers are very quiet. They require very little maintenance; needing an annual minor adjustment and most only needing a blade sharpening every 5-8 years. They are fairly light and relatively inexpensive. Consequently, you get a nice little workout from mowing. Also, if you want to beat the heat, you can mow early in the morning or at night without upsetting the neighbors.

With the green movement becoming more of the "in thing" to do, manual reel mowers are making a small comeback. Websites such as www.ecomowers.com and www.peoplepoweredmachines.com have been very helpful in learning about options. I also found that Lowes keeps a couple different reel mowers in stock (although at the Fayetteville store there weren't any floor models set up). Little improvement had been made to reel mowers until recently. Through my "research" (read "web surfing") my favorite is the Fiskars Momentum. They can be bought brand new for $200 which is pretty reasonable for a mower. Especially when you consider that we won't ever have to buy gas or oil for it and won't have to change out filters, spark plugs, etc. I am going to wait to make a final decision until I actually set foot on our new yard (post about our house coming soon), but as of now I think I will go with the Fiskars. Lowes does carry it in stock so I can pick one up there in Virginia.

Here is a video on the mower. On a somewhat related note, "No Impact Man" is next on my green reading list.

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

2011-05-14T08:22:00.001-07:00

One of the benefits of working at a University is that you get to partake in once in a lifetime opportunities and events that come to college campuses. Sometimes that may be a free concert or a stopover by someone on the political campaign trail. This week it was an incredible day spent with His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama at the University of Arkansas. Last March the announcement was made that he would be coming and so all year the University has held events to lead up to this visit. One of the great perks of working alongside our University Programs office is that they also put me on the list for two free tickets! Thank you!!

On Wednesday, the Dalai Lama was part of a panel event on the topic of nonviolence. Sitting with him were Sister Helen Prejean and Dr. Vincent Harding. I was able to hear Sister Helen speak two years ago as the closing speaker of NASPA- she was amazing! You might be familiar with her story as it is told in the movie Dead Man Walking. Dr. Harding was a key member in the civil rights movement, working alongside Dr. King. We were able to meet him after the program and introduce ourselves as he knows one of Jonathan's groomsmen, Lucas.

(Dr. Vincent Harding with us: May 11, 2011)

Later in the afternoon, the Dalai Lama returned for a solo speech and Q & A time. Although he was difficult to understand at times, it was truly an incredible experience to be in the same space as him and hear his reflections. A few key points that I will remember from what he shared that day:

"Our enemy, our teacher" this Tibetan phrase reminds us that we will only grow and have the opportunity to practice our patience, non-violence, etc when we are pushed by our enemies. Our friends and family we love, but they do not force us to combat those other emotions we face.
'You cannot achieve happiness through being selfish, you must engage the people around you to know deep satisfaction.'
Our mothers are so important in shaping our beginnings. Without their nurture and touch, we do not know what it means to be human people who come alive through their contact.
Fun Fact: Yes the Dalai Lama has driven a car before, but without training and stayed inside a track of the city wall and also got in an accident. He was maybe 18 years old at the time.

(His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, stylin' in a red visor)

The first step in saying no

2011-05-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

We are blessed to be part of a great community at Vintage Fellowship. Thanks to our wonderful friends for providing an intentional season of Lent and leading us through a journey to truly appreciate Easter Sunday. I'll add the link to our service here when it gets uploaded, but it was an AWESOME morning of celebration. And any time we as the band can play a U2 song, you know the Manz family is happy!

Mom Duty

2011-04-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

So Heath's daycare was having their annual fundraiser event tonight- Chicken Dinner on the Run! They make up chicken dinners in to-go boxes and we have a drive through lane for families to pick up their pre-purchased dinners. One of the boxes we checked when we applied to Central's Center for Children was that we would help participate in their fundraising. So when they asked us to donate $5 for the supplies, we donated. When they asked Heath to sell ten tickets, he friend-raised and sold nineteen. When they asked for volunteers to help the night-of, I signed up for traffic directing duty.

What I didn't

sign

for,

was

this

...

(Apparently wearing the chicken hat was in the fine print of my volunteer duties.)

Also, did not sign up for the hail storm that came 30 minutes into my shift, producing drops the size of ping pong balls. Don't believe me? Here is a glimpse-

I noticed a few things standing on the street for 90 minutes: people drive too fast down my son's daycare street, people multi-task too much while driving (one woman had a cigarette in one hand while talking on her cell with the other and then used the smoking hand to wave at me), EVERYONE loves to smile and wave at the mom on the corner with the chicken on her head. =) All in all, it was a GREAT night. And I'm glad that Heath is too young to be embarrassed by me.

Palm Sunday Reflection

2011-04-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from Henri Nouwen, "Finding my way Home: Pathways to Life and the Spirit"

The Path of Waiting

Passion is a kind of waiting - waiting for what other people are going to do. Jesus went to Jerusalem to announce the good news to the people of that city. And Jesus knew that he was going to put a choice before them: Will you be my disciple, or will you be my executioner? There is no middle ground here. Jesus went to Jerusalem to put people in a situation where they had to say "Yes" or "No". That is the great drama of Jesus' passion: he had to wait for their response. What would they do? Betray him or follow him? In a way, his agony is not simply the agony of approaching death. It is also the agony of being out of control and of having to wait. It is the agony of a God who depends on us to decide how to live out the divine presence among us. It is the agony of the God who, in a very mysterious way, allows us to decide how God will be God. Here we glimpse the mystery of God's incarnation. God became human not only to act among us but also to be the recipient of our responses.

. . . And that is the mystery of Jesus' love. Jesus in his passion is the one who waits for our response. Precisely in that waiting the intensity of his love and God's is revealed to us.

Giggle Time!

2011-04-05T07:51:00.001-07:00

Enjoy =)

Bears, Hogs and Hokies!

2011-04-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

We are expanding our collegiate fanhood! Our family will be moving to southwest Virginia in the coming summer months where Jonathan has been accepted into Virginia Tech's PhD program for Higher Education Administration. He has also accepted a graduate assistantship position in the Associate Vice President's office that will give him great experience working with numerous department directors while paying his tuition plus a generous part time stipend.

For those of you scratching your head thinking 'what the heck?' here is a bit of background context. Jonathan has been taking classes part time here at the University of Arkansas in their Public Policy PhD program. Once Heath entered our lives this last year, balancing work and school and family became a bit more challenging. So we started talking about what it would take for us to have a schedule that better aligned with our values- ie 1-family then followed by community/work/school/hobbies. Jonathan expressed a desire to be a full time student- and preferably in a program that matched his passion for higher education.

So last fall we worked our way through that too familiar routine of GRE studying and taking (his 5 year scores had just expired- drat!), seeking out reference letters, pulling transcripts, and putting applications in with a few schools. Narrowing down the list to those 'few schools' took a bit of investment too as we looked at what other area colleges would be options for me to work at. In February Jonathan was invited to attend the interview weekend at VT that took place at the end of the month. He was able to travel through Raleigh/Durham and see his brother which was a nice bonus.

Jonathan's visit went great, he loved the area, the faculty he met and staying with one of our former Baylor professors who is now the Assoc. Vice President at VT. If you are making the connection to the above mentioned job Jonathan will have- yes it is working for Frank. (Or as I like to call him these days Frank "make it happen" Shushok). So he came back home and within a few days had an offer from the faculty for the program and for the assistantship. They knew of our family situation and that this would be a dual career search that is likely going to take some time. Conveniently, our conference in Philly was the following week and so I got to meet some more VT people out there, and have a great coffee chat with Frank- interrogating him about the area and the school. They also gave Jonathan his official offer letter while we were out there so we could learn about numbers and dates. (kind of important details)

Jonathan on the lawn at VT

So after we returned to Fayetteville and did a few days laundry and chores settling back in, we finally got to have some quiet space to chat with each other and process through this decision. Jonathan and I both have felt that doors just continue to open at VT and there is no better offer that could possibly be made for him to study what he is passionate about and learn from his assistantship experience. While it would probably feel more comfortable to wait until we have a full time job in hand for me to make this life change decision, we know this is the right decision and timing won't change that. So we are trusting that God will continue to open doors and provide for our family. Yes I would love that to mean a job offer for me by the end of April, but even if that means nothing has panned out by August, we will still choose to move to Virginia and have Jonathan start his opportunities and I will just job search from there.

Our timeline is unknown at this point because of these job search factors, but we have accepted at VT for Jonathan and both given our departments notice here of our intentions to be moved on by the fall semester. I have a few applications in for positions in the Blacksburg area and continue to watch what may come up in this spring season of transitions in higher ed. So there you have it- we are moving to Virginia and expanding our collegiate wear to include the Hokie!

Philly

2011-03-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

So part of our March madness included travel time to Philadelphia, PA for our annual NASPA conference (that's the professional association for student affairs that we are both a part of). Jonathan headed out earlier in the week- a Tuesday- to set up shop with the Housing department interview table to recruit new hall directors for Arkansas. He spent 4 1/2 days interviewing before the conference even began, it was exhausting, but I think he has a good endurance for it.

Friday of that week Heath and I headed out together to join him in the big city! Armed with my moby wrap and baby einsitein in the macbook just in case, we had two 2-hour flights to make it out there. Heath was a champ. He charmed everyone in the terminal and then slept for approximately 1 hour 50 minutes of each flight. The best part of landing in Philly was that we met up with my dad who flew in from CA to hang with the little man all week!

Heath and Opa had the best time together. It did not take them any time to warm up to one another and be the best of buds. A daily highlight for them was to take a trip to the hotel pool. Here is a short clip of them having great times on our second day.

One of the greatest things we enjoyed about having my dad around was that we got to actually hang out with our friends, and spend the evenings checking out Philly's finest karaoke bars and such. Here we are with a few of our Baylor friends- so great to catch up! Dad and Heath actually ate with us, but once it started to get about bedtime- aka their swim time- Opa said 'well we are gonna head out- have a good night!' It was awesome.

Another fun video of Heath and Opa- playing on the bed together. This is why it is good to have an Opa- he loves having this rough and tumble boy time.

I was thankful that on the return flight home J and I were together- along with Adam and Michael which was an added bonus of entertainment for Heath to be social. The Philly airport had a cool kids play area by our gate so Heath checked out the planes, learned how to fuel up, and radio from the cockpit.

It was a great trip had by all!

Growing Heath

2011-03-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

(Playing outside on a sunny day in February watching dad wash the car)

It's been a few posts since we gave the baby update and since so much has happened lately I felt Heath deserved his own 'big boy' post! Heath turned 9 months old on March 3rd and a week later weighed in at 20 lbs and 4 oz., 28 inches long. He is a growing boy who still has a healthy appetite for mama's milk and a growing array of baby foods. He has begun to eat breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack while at school (all consisting of some arrangement of rice cereal, oatmeal, veggies and fruits).

(Heath and his Valentine- Jessica at the end of their date night)

This past month his first tooth broke through. We felt accomplished, awarded after the long stretch of fussy nights and general crabbiness that isn't typical of Heath. This past week while we were in Philadelphia for the NASPA conference Heath's second tooth started to come through. They are both on the front row, bottom.

Heath started crawling forward while Jonathan's parents were in town over President's weekend in February. Since then he is becoming quite the mobile mover. He loves to explore drawers and cupboards and we are quickly realizing what we need to baby proof from his reach! While in Philly this last week Heath also started to pull himself to standing position on the hotel furniture. He especially loved to stand in front of the floor length mirror, coffee table and couch.

(Manz Grandparents visit in February)

He continues to be a communicator and talk most of the day when he is with us. In large crowds he likes to observe and focus on what's around him, but after a bit of warming up he begins to chatter and then talk louder until he lets out a few excited squeals. People love stopping to smile with him, thankfully that included all our fellow passengers on the plane this last week. Heath was a real trooper and great traveler!

(Lots of hotel pool time with Opa in Philladelphia)

Ya, things are crazy

2011-03-05T18:19:00.001-08:00

I seem to recognize this recurring issue every spring- I look at our blog and think where has the time gone? February through April tend to be the craziest months for our roles on campus and travel season with conferences thrown in there too. We have been doing some family decision making about our future steps too and that has been consuming the non-working hours. It's been a good spring- we are alive and pushing forward. Hopefully more to share soon on these future plans!

We have forward movement!

2011-02-21T19:01:00.000-08:00

After a few weeks of backwards crawling, side rolling and good effort forward stares- Heath decided to take the initiative and move one knee ahead of the other this weekend. This is where I earn mom of the year points... so we were at a nice restaurant in town (Ella's) and I went to change Heath in the bathroom. After looking for Jonathan in the hallway I could not find him and I needed to go. The bathroom is downstairs- so being too lazy to lug all of us and the diaper bag back upstairs I decided he was just going to have to enter with me.

I set him down on the very clean tiled floor as I did my business and Heath lunged forward sprawling out across the floor. Oh great I thought, please wipe up all the germs you can while you are down there. But then, forward movement. I thought I was imagining it so I just watched. Again, he skootched forward. I had to look back to where he started from to believe he was actually crawling forward and I was not just seeing things. At this point Heath was on top of my feet and had moved about three feet (we were in the big stall- you know those are always cleaner;) ).

So excited and with embarrassment I carried him back to the table to share the news with his dad that we had finally moved forward! As soon as we got home J put him on the floor and grabbed the video to capture this second crawl on film for you all!

'The Healing Power of the Baltic Amber'

2011-02-12T16:51:00.000-08:00

I am totally in agreement with my friend Leslie about the teething world of our boys. Everyone has been saying for months now that any discomfort, unhappy face, unusual look that Heath has had must be teething. When we had his six month check up the Pediatrician said 'doesn't look like anything is there yet- you'll know when he is teething.'

Well after returning from our California Christmas vacation Heath stepped it up a notch by screaming in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. Sleep patterns went from the nice 5-8hr stretches to 90 min- 3 hours tops at a time. We were exhausted, he was exhausted and nobody was friendly at the wee hours of the night.

After giving Heath Children's Tylenol for a couple nights in a row I was feeling determined to find some other option then keeping my kid drugged until he has a full mouth of teeth. A friend had previously recommended amber teething necklaces to us so I went on a research day again looking up reviews. This is what I found:

1. People either had used them and loved them, or

2. Had not tried them because they thought it sounded too crazy

Another sleepless night and I went straight to the internet to buy Heath his first 'bling.' The necklace arrived a week ago Thursday and little man has been sleeping like a gem ever since. *Note- they recommend only having the child wear it when they are supervised, he doesn't keep it on overnight in his crib. But he is all of a sudden more pleasant during the day and we have given him Tylenol once in a week- and that was because he had a noticeable fever. Now Heath is still less than himself and going through 8 month old attachment tantrums, but the pain displayed from teething has not been there like before.

I have had a hard time telling people about this necklace with a straight face because your first question is "oh so they chew on it?" Um, no. "So how does it work then if it is a teething necklace?" Well it...uh... is the...um... healing power of the Baltic amber. Yeah I know I sound like a hippie and yes this is added onto the fact that we cloth diaper. But when you have been there as a parent- you know- desperate times call for putting away pretenses and trying anything that will work, especially long trusted European practices. We bought ours at Cloth Diaper Outlet, the caramel one after reading that the lighter the amber the more succinic acid it contains, which is part of the pain relief benefit.

In case you were wondering, they make them for adults too. Inspired by Finn website came highly recommended across reviews I read and they have a good explanation of what about the amber makes this a 'healing' stone here.

Even if you can't buy into the benefits of a natural stone- you can at least agree that Heath is looking like a stud with his new bling!

Yummy Chowder

2011-02-10T12:25:00.000-08:00

You have got to try this recipe this winter! I first had Jody's Cheesy Vegetable Chowder recipe in November and loved it. I tried making it at home and added some green chilies. Then Vanessa introduced her sister's blog to me with her corn chowder recipe and we enjoyed that one as well. With the snow days I feel like I have been given great opportunity to perfect what I love most about these two recipes in the combination of what we will call Cheesy Vegetable/ Corn Chowder. Eat your heart out!

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups chicken broth
6 stocks of celery, sliced
5 carrots, sliced
4 medium red potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can cream corn
1 small can green chilies
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Preparation

Bring first 5 ingredients plus the seasonings to a boil in a large stock pot. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat, and stir in corn and green chilies.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, whisking until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add cheese, stirring until blended.

Stir cheese mixture gradually into vegetable mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thoroughly heated. Serve immediately.

For reheating leftovers- use the stove top vs. microwave so you keep a good texture of the cheese and milk with no curdling.

Seriously- you are crazy if you don't try this at least once this winter- you will love it! Enjoy :)

Big Snow Fall

2011-02-10T07:56:00.000-08:00

We are having a record season in Northwest Arkansas with this weather! We had a record snow fall yesterday of 18" in a 24 hour period. Needless to say everything around here is buried! This morning we woke up to a record low of -17 degrees in Fayetteville. (Prior record was -13). So we are continuing to expose Heath to this white stuff outside and he warmed up to it a little more this time.

Yep- he likes it!

Our car could barely be seen from the east side view of our apartment. From behind it you can really tell the angle of the snow coming down.

Resting for a bit.

Heath's First Snow

2011-01-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

A little humorous that in the same week I am sharing about Heath's first swim and his first snow! Arkansas is getting a big storm today. It began sometime early this morning and the snow is expected to continue until 3pm this afternoon dropping a total of 4-8 inches. The University finally decided to close at 9:30am as road conditions were never great and Heath's daycare never opened. So... family snow day! The snow suit Heath is wearing was Jonathan's from his growing up in Pittsburgh days. The suit conveniently arrived last week!

Heath's First Swim

2011-01-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

Heath experienced his first swimming pool today! We bought him a Mother-ease swimsuit last month at Terra Tots and were so excited to have him experience the first debut. We asked his Pediatrician last month if the 'competition temperature' water at the University's HPER would be ok and he said go for it! Heath was very excited to see the water and all the people around. It was difficult to get any picture of him looking at the camera because he was so excited.

Dad rolled into his former swim coach role and demonstrated the kicks and arm strokes. Heath was digging it. It took him a bit to warm up to the floating on the back position but even that he enjoyed. We even ended the swim time with an under water dip. His face looked a bit shocked after coming up but he smiled again pretty quickly.

Here is a sequence of the 'getting ready to go in' 'swimming with dad' and 'getting out and warmed up again.' We are hoping to make this a weekly visit for our family. (Heath also took a bonus 40 minute nap when we got home!)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T11:59:00.000-08:00

We have had much to celebrate in 2010! It was crazy to put together our e-card for this year and realize how many things have changed since a year ago- yep a baby will do that for you! We are spending the holidays this year in California with the Henkelmann family. Heath had his first airplane ride out west and did excellent! He has finally got to meet his Uncle Derek, Aunt Kristen, Cousin Beka and Great Oma. He is quite enamored with Beka, as she is with him. They took a bath together last night and it was pretty cute. Beka (2 1/2) asked- why does he have a belly there? pointing at his privates =). Heath is getting stronger and watching Beka's movements I think has helped encourage his own independence. He is still working on the crawling motion but now sitting up very strong on his own and can scoot on his belly- backwards and in circles- just not forward yet.

We are making many memories out here as Heath continues his list of 'firsts' in life (first time to In-N-Out was my favorite). Today we celebrate Jonathan's birthday and welcome in a new year! We have five more days of vacation to soak up out here before traveling back home to Arkansas. Enjoy our holiday greeting here (for better quality)- blessings to you and yours in 2011!

Cloth Diapering

2010-11-20T17:56:00.001-08:00

Since my last post on cloth diapering back in the fall of last year, we have five and a half months of experience under our belt now. Many friends have asked what we use, how to get started, what tips we have. Since I've essentially written the same email many times to different inquirers I thought it would be helpful to assimilate it all here for future reference.

While at home with Heath we use the pre-fold system of cloth diapering. This is the most economical route as the diapers are cheaper and since you don't have to switch out the cover with each change, you have less laundry accumulating. We started off when Heath was a newborn size using the covers made by Green Earth, Thirsties, gDiaper (older cloth cover version- not a big fan), motherease (with fitted inserts vs square cloth). All of these worked as needed, I'm not shouting from the rooftop for any of them.

As Heath has gotten bigger (around month 2) he was able to fit into the one-size diapers that were gifted to us as showers. This allowed us to start using Flip diapers and Econobum, both with their respective pre-fold inserts. Now these diapers I will sing praise for- they have great double snaps, adjustable rises as well as the sides coming in. The pre-folds are super absorbent, especially for an affordable $11 econobum pack of cover and insert. The flip diapers we have are the organic cotton insert and they are extremely absorbent and stay in place better than other prefolds that tend to bunch.

While exploring daycare options for Heath we realized that not everyone was on the cloth diapering wagon quite like we were. Actually, nobody was. But Central's Center for Children was willing to at least give it a go and have a trial period. So with not much wiggle room to work with we opted for the easiest diapering experience to offer them which is an all in one. We found these Kushie all in ones at diapers.com for a great price- plus the 20% discount of being a first time purchaser. We got a combination of the ultra light package and their regulars- there is not a difference in absorbency that we have found, only a different outter material. The Ultra light is like an umbrella material and the regular is more like a heavy plastic tablecloth (the kind with felt backing).

As Heath has continued to grow these all in one school day diapers started to get his onesies wet because they were getting too small for his widening belly and thighs! So back to the research table we went and after hearing high reviews for the BumGenius 4.0 All in Ones we made another investment. They had just rolled out their new designer prints which was an added plus for making diaper changes fun. We opted for the Organic option (vs Stay Dry) because of the more environmentally friendly material and having something natural against Heath's skin. (This is the same company- Cotton Babies- that makes the prefolds we love for Flip and EconoBum). We also chose these new releases because they have snaps vs. velcro which tend to endure longer and are more difficult for babies to un-diaper themselves. These adjustable snaps are meant to fit babies weighing between 7-35 lbs. So lesson learned- we will have these for future Manz baby(ies) from start to finish.

What to Expect has a great overview of the different styles of cloth diapering if you want a one page review- check it out here.

Giggles, smiles and squeals!

2010-11-20T16:47:00.000-08:00

Heath was on a roll of laughter last weekend while sitting on his friend Jessica's lap. We didn't tell his girlfriend Lemley about it the next day.

Heath's First Bowl of Cereal

2010-11-07T06:23:00.000-08:00

So Heath turned 5 months old this past Wednesday. We had his check up a few days before that and the little man is measuring in at 26" long and 17.73 lbs. He is on track with all the developmental markers as he is nearly sitting up on his own, rolling over from belly to back, and talking up a storm with all kinds of new sounds. During the day at school he eats every 3 hours and will take two or three power naps ranging from 15 minutes to 30 minutes (sometimes he will sneak in an hour, but that is still rare). At home he takes advantage of having access to the source and prefers to eat more like every 1-2 hours before he gets to bed around 9-10pm.

Our pediatrician recommended we start trying out some foods with Heath, beginning with rice cereal. So this weekend we tried- with my parents watching on skype. It was pretty funny. Here are a few still shots of the moments.

Inspiration

2010-11-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

Whenever I need a pick-me-up I turn to Henri Nouwen where I am always met with a thoughtful reflection. This was the reading for today:

The word community has many connotations, some positive, some negative. Community can make us think of a safe togetherness, shared meals, common goals, and joyful celebrations. It also can call forth images of sectarian exclusivity, in-group language, self-satisfied isolation, and romantic naiveté. However, community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another. Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own (see Philippians 2:4). The question, therefore, is not "How can we make community?" but "How can we develop and nurture giving hearts?"
Henri Nouwen: Bread for the Journey

The Best Part of October!

2010-10-31T16:47:00.000-07:00

My mom and grama came to Arkansas for a visit!! (That's Oma and Bibi to Heath). While the weekend went by way too fast, we enjoyed every minute that they were here with us. We ate our way through the days- making sure they enjoyed all of our local favorites (HammonTree's, Little Bread Co, Cable Car Pizza, Cracker Barrel, 3 Spoons Yogurt). We visited the pumpkin patch for a first in Heath's book! (Lots of great photos on our facebook album of that shoot). It was wonderful to have them here and we can't wait to be with them all again in December as we head west this year for Christmas in California.

Yummy cake

2010-10-27T07:38:00.000-07:00

I made this cake for Adam's 30th birthday party. It was delicious- especially the frosting!

YIELD Makes 12 servings

INGREDIENTS

2‑1/4	cups cake flour
1	tablespoon baking powder
1/2	teaspoon salt
1/2	cup butter, softened
1‑1/2	cups sugar
4	egg whites
2	teaspoons vanilla
1	cup milk
Strawberry Frosting
Fruit Filling
Fresh strawberries (optional)

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans with waxed paper; lightly grease paper. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg whites, two at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla; beat until blended. With electric mixer at low speed, add flour mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.
Bake 25 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool layers in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen edges and invert layers onto rack to cool completely.
Prepare Strawberry Frosting and Fruit Filling. To fill and frost cake, place one layer on cake plate; spread top with Fruit Filling. Place second layer over filling. Frost top and sides with Strawberry Frosting. Place strawberries on top of cake, if desired. Refrigerate; allow cake to stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

For the Love of Pizza

2010-10-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

Everyone seems to have their favorite pizza place in life. Maybe favorite delivery, favorite eat-in. When I think about the towns I have lived in I can recall which pizza places were my favorite to frequent. It's a staple. Well when we moved to Fayetteville almost 2 1/2 years ago, my co-worker Rosa recommended Cable Car Pizza to us. It took us a few months to get out to the place, but once we did we were hooked! If our budget and belt lines could afford it we would probably be there once a week, but we try to go every other week instead.

So the thing I love most about Cable Car is its owners- Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds. Jane is retired and Ray has been practicing law in this town for over 30 years. On Friday and Saturday nights they come to the pizzeria and work. Ray sits in his stool by the door taking phone orders and Jane waits on tables. We always try and challenge our friends to get to the bottom of their soda glass before Jane has grabbed it for a refill again- nearly impossible!

When you are away from family like us, you seek out good people in your community to serve in this role. Cable Car has become our pizza family. They tracked alongside our pregnancy with us, counting down the weeks and when we didn't come for a few they knew the day must have come. When we walk in with Heath now they always comment on his latest growth, his big smile, his pretty eyes. Their grandkids are in Seattle and so I think we both fill a role for each other. When my family comes in town to visit, we always make sure we take them to Cable Car and they love the pizza and company just as much as we do!

So if you are in the Fayetteville area- I recommend you check out our pizza staple- Cable Car Pizzeria on Mission and Crossover. Become a fan of them on facebook! (You'll see our proud faces in their photo album of extended family/patrons). Take advantage of their awesome $6 lunch special that I can never finish. We have not ever had a pizza there we did not love- it is delicious and the company is even better.

Tag

2010-10-09T19:25:00.001-07:00

We are it! Thanks Carrie for tagging us to answer these round of questions. Here we go- or rather 'I go' since we all know by now I (Lyndsy) am the author of 98% of these blog posts :)

1. What are five things in life you have not yet experienced that you definitely want to experience? Teaching a class at the college I work at. Having our family own a pet. Watching Heath be a big brother. Celebrating with Jonathan as he earns his PhD. Running some amount of distance and not hating it.
2. If you could be from anywhere in the world other than your hometown, where would you be from and why? I'd be from Europe, probably Germany because I love it. My dad was born there and I feel like people always find a European country more interesting than being from CA, although Cali is a good place to be from in the US.
3. What scares you? Being alone in dark hallways. I still run to my bedroom sometimes.
4. What is one vice that you know you could never give up? I thought this would be coffee, but after going through morning sickness I cut out coffee pretty easily and didn't even miss it. So maybe chocolate, I've never had to give that up and not sure I could.
5. What is the best piece of advice you've ever been given? "Best" is a hard one to answer, but the most recent that I thought was very poignant was from my Grama Jean tonight who said an older man in the church told her when she went away to college that 'you can choose your choices but you can't choose your consequences.' That's pretty accurate and wise I'd say.
6. If you could do life all over again and only change one thing, what would you change? Probably my poor attitude. Especially those 13-16 year old years; I think I had more sass than what is healthy.
7. Who was your favorite celebrity as a child? Tom Cruise. This was pre-jumping on couches and scientology bizarreness that everyone knows him for now. Think Top Gun era.
8. What is your mission? To journey with others and help increase their awareness of God at work in their lives.

Growth

2010-10-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

I think the pictures say it all! wow.

Coming home from the hospital June 5th 2010.

Coming home from school September 29th 2010.

Laughing with Daddy

2010-09-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Just warms my heart to see these two together laughing. Heath has been slightly less stingy in sharing his laughter with us. We take what we can get- and capturing it on film is a small miracle since Heath likes to turn it off once he sees the light of the camera. While this semester at work has been our most stressful yet, coming home to these interactions with Heath certainly makes the day melt away.

Happy Squealing

2010-09-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

Heath has started to crow- a term we know thanks to Heath's friend little miss Addison. It is a very happy sound that sounds a little bit like angry yelling, but we trust that it truly is happy. Enjoy the show!

Heath hitting the high notes

2010-09-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

Our boy can talk. If you haven't heard- his teachers say he is actually the biggest talker in his class (and there are just him and another 10 month old boy then 3 girls). Here is a little snippet of Heath being stubborn and quiet when I first turn the camera on him (of course) and then sharing what those vocal chords have been exploring lately.

Football Season

2010-09-15T19:05:00.001-07:00

We woke up Sunday with excitement for the football apparel that could once again appear for the NFL season! Heath was given some football socks that were perfect for the occasion.

We started our Sunday morning off by leading worship at Vintage. Decked out in our Steeler gear, we were ambushed by the Ryerse kids in the parking lot in their Brown attire. It's a fun rivalry- although Calvin does talk a good load of smack. Although Robb had reservations- he allowed us to sing wearing what we came in with.

Heath with Mattie and Charlie Ryerse (our pastor's daughters)

After church we headed to Foghorns- a local wing joint- to watch the Steeler game. Heath took it all in pretty well- even the obnoxious Titan fans in the back.

Then Monday Night football came. Jonathan was in class so Heath and I watched the game and texted him updates. (We were rooting for the Ravens to lose of course). I read that naked time is healthy for babies to prevent diaper rash. So I thought this was a good time and took the picture. I told Jonathan- this is probably how every man wishes he could watch Monday night football.

Labor Day Vacation

2010-09-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of this past weekend was Heath turning three months old on Friday and officially laughing. Blogger is having a lot of errors for a week now. I have tried to post this adorable video of him laughing but with no success. One day.

We headed down to Texas for the long weekend (made longer by taking Friday off). Leaving Thursday evening, Heath did pretty well for his first long road trip. We only took 30 minutes longer to get there for a total of 6 hours. We stayed with my aunt and uncle and cousin in Flower Mound. It was great to be with family and they allowed us to stay and hang out with Heath- he definitely was the show stopper.

Saturday afternoon we headed down to Waco for a visit to our alma mater, Baylor! Sic 'em. We enjoyed getting to hang out with our expectant friends Marc and Carrie (and Vera) and chatting about all things baby!

The drive back to Arkansas on Monday was not as smooth as the trip down as Heath was clued into this whole sitting in the car seat for longer than an hour thing- yeah not going to fly a second time. But we made it back eventually (7.5 hrs later) and were very thankful for the refreshing time spent with family, friends and Baylor. All have a special place in our heart and we were glad to share it with Heath. Next time we travel will be Christmas.

Heath's Birthday Story

2010-08-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

I created this movie a few weeks after Heath was born, but had troubles uploading it. I had to shrink the movie to this size for it to upload on our blog. Enjoy.

P.S. You can tell this is Jonathan typing. A lot less interesting than when Lyndsy writes. :)

First Day of School!

2010-08-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

While we were not looking forward to dropping Heath off at daycare (or school as we call it), the day has been much more bearable than imagined. He got a great stretch of 9 hours sleep last night and two feedings this morning plus snuggle time with mom in bed before we took him to Central United Methodist's Center for Children. Heath is in an infant class of 9 with 3 teachers- only 4 of his classmates are not born yet! So we get the bonus of more individual attention as we start this transition.

After labeling everything, everything, last night and setting out the milk this morning for his bottles, we were ready to go. After parent orientation Tuesday night we were less than thrilled because while we'd been negotiating using cloth diapers we felt the strong sense in person that not all the assistants were on board. Disappointing to hear after we invested another $200 in all in one diapers to make it the easiest possible on them. So off we went this morning with our cloth diapers in tow!

When we arrived we met the interim lead teacher and modeled a diaper change for her to which her response was 'great that looks easy.' :) Yes. Yes it is. One of the assistants took Heath and put him on the floor under a mobile activity that he took to right away smiling and talking to it. So little man really made it easier on us to walk away. And we went right to moving boxes for the next five hours as we moved the rest of our residents in to the building. Physical labor was great for a work out and keeping my mind going.

I picked Heath up at 3pm...5pm just seemed a little long for the first day. His teachers reported that everything went well and he ate and pooped just like he does for us at home- a lot of both. I do have to get busy on the pumping end of things to keep up with him, but hopefully that will get better in time. The assistant teacher who had frowned at the cloth diapers at orientation reported that they were much different than what she was expecting and they were really very easy. Yes. Yes they are. So all in all a good first day. One of the only bummers of the daycare experience was that after labeling everything the day before with Manz- because they only said 'label your things' all of the bottles and accessories came home with stickers over Manz that said Heath. If you want first name labels you really should specify that, say- during orientation. But you loved on our son and I can scratch off the sharpie markings to re-do first name identifiers if you prefer to remember first names only.

Thank you all for your support and inquires as we make this transition to full time work again and less Heath time during the weekdays. I did not cry today, but it sure was hard to put him in his crib tonight after he fell asleep. I just wanted to hold him longer because the day felt so short.

It was meant to be...

2010-08-14T13:56:00.001-07:00

My office has a business membership to Sam's Club so I was able to borrow it and get a few great deals for our house- wipes, cheese sticks, cocoa almonds. We were really happy with some of the finds that we went again last weekend. Earlier in the week, our blender broke. This is the 3rd blender in our 2 year marriage to bite the dust. (RAs tried to blend hard cheese in it this time). As much as we love smoothies, milkshakes and salsa we decided to do some research on professional-grade blenders. The options came down to 2- vita-mix and blendtec. If you know Jonathan and I, we like to research and read reviews and ask around, but then we are ready to buy. Same thing happened when we bought the altima.

So we went to Sam's that day and thought we'd casually see what they carried- two no-name brands we weren't impressed with. We kept walking to the fridge section and soon heard a sales pitch over a speaker. For 10 days only Blendtec was at Sam's selling their blenders. You may have seen their youtube videos from their site Will it Blend? Yep- the same blender that can demolish a rake handle in 15 seconds now sits in our kitchen. This blender is an investment, but also comes with a 7 year warranty (lifetime warranty on the blade).

Not only can you make smoothies and milkshakes- this thing can make ice cream and hot soup too! It is incredible and we are both a little bit in love. (By the way- Blendtec is the same blender that Jamba Juice uses).

Game On!

2010-08-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

When Kaylee was in town last month for a visit she was in the middle of playing a Game On diet. She cooked a lot of meals for us- thank you!! so we got familiar with the routine. It is less of a 'diet' and more of a healthy eating plan. Five smaller meals a day, each spaced out 2-4 hrs from one another. Each meal includes a palm size of protein a fist portion of carbs/fruit and a thumb size of healthy fat. You also have to get four fist sizes of veggies in per day- we do two at lunch and two at dinner. No snacking in between meals, no soda, no processed sugary junk. You have to drink 3 liters of water each day and get (or intend to get) 7 hrs of sleep each night and 20 min. of exercise a day.

This plan was created after a writer for Grey's Anatomy had trouble loosing her pregnancy weight. She couldn't follow the healthy guidelines alone so her doctor made it into a game and she competed against someone. She wrote a book about it and now others have joined. You team up and the game lasts 4 weeks. You get points for eating the correct meals each day, drinking water, getting sleep, exercising 20 min a day, communicating with your teammates and opponents, starting a good habit, dropping a bad, etc.

Jonathan and I have never 'been on a diet,' nor do we consider ourselves obese, but we both wanted to drop the baby weight that was picked up over the last year. This game also gives you one day off a week and one meal off, so we thought it was pretty doable. We are three weeks in and I have dropped 7 lbs- putting me under my pre-Heath weight :) Jonathan is still in bed so hasn't weighed in yet for this week but he had dropped 5 lbs as of last week. We are pretty happy with it and so is our friend Adam who joined us. We had some opponents lined up but they wanted to wait until after the busy season of training and move in, so we went ahead without them, kind of as a trial run. The website for the book has some of the info, like the foods you can eat http://www.thegameondiet.com/. If you are interested in playing the game let me know and I'll send you more information.

Two Months!

2010-08-04T10:16:00.001-07:00

Aug. 3. 2010

Heath turns two months old today and we have seen so much growth this past month, not just physically but developmentally. His appointment with the pediatrician is tomorrow so we'll come back and update his stats here afterwards. Here are a few highlights of the past month:

- After a rockin 4th of July party with Vintage friends, we had to say goodbye to my mom. Heath was sad to part with his Oma after 4 awesome weeks of living with us and being a HUGE help, but we survived the airport drop off, and the days alone afterwards.

- Jonathan went on an overnight retreat for work for 3 days and 2 nights, giving Heath and I a chance to go it alone- and we survived that too.

- Lyndsy's best friend Kaylee flew into town from Portland for a week long visit and helped us learn the art of the calming reflex as we watched the happiest baby on the block dvd and tried out the 5 s's.

- Heath loves to be outside, regardless of the temperature and it acts as a good calming agent whenever we step out. Now if the AR 100+ heat wave will calm down we will do it more often!

- This past month he has really grown in his talking and smiling skills. We have caught a lot of it on video and camera to share. These times when he sits on our legs and coos is just the best!

- While Heath has always moved his arms a lot, this past month it has become more controlled. He has discovered his hands and loves jamming them in his mouth. He is getting closer to finding his thumb to suck on, but mostly sucks on one end of a fist.

- His legs have also gotten much stronger and he likes to try and stand up or kick off of us when we hold him. He is supporting his neck really well and his favorite way to be held is leaning back looking up. He kicked in a rib of mine this week- it hurt. He has also been swinging in the swing front to back now instead of cradle and he really likes that.

- Heath started making bubbles in his mouth just last week, which increases the drool factor. He smiles with the bubbles in his mouth- it is adorable.

- Heath started taking big baths in the tub with daddy and really loves the skin time. This week he stood in the tub as we held him up and went under water up to his chest. He really likes the calming water time, we hate to take him out.

- Heath has begun to recognize and understand what he sees- mainly the cameras and my breasts. When the red video light goes on he begins to stare right at it, making it difficult to capture his prior actions. When I'm getting my bra unhooked he stares and smiles and is calm if he has been fussing. (I'm also learning this means I have to put it away when he's done)!

- This week I started back to work and will have Heath with me until his daycare begins Aug. 19th. The staff love seeing him, but it's definitely a handful to balance. I'm working from home with him when possible.

For more pictures of Heath's second month you can view here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2338301&id=9220632&l=4e066568d2

Oh-ing up a storm!

2010-07-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

Heath last night was as talkative as he usually is in the mornings. I don't think we'll ever get tired of hearing these sounds even if our blog followers do. He ends this video early with some clean up duty.

I think Heath has begun to understand how he can get us wrapped around his finger. The way he smiles as he 'ohs' makes me think he knows exactly how to get us happy and offering him praise.

Fruit flies and Chaco's

2010-07-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

My dad commented last month that "my word" was 'annoying.' He said that I liked to say that a lot and said it all the time when I was living at home. Sounds kind of negative but I realized this week that there have been two things that I have described as annoying and I thought I'd vent here and ask for feedback if you have any.

Our new apartment, while a lovely upgrade, has come with a host of fruit flies. The building has had issues since it was built three years ago because the trash system has the compactor in the building with trash chutes on each floor. So our apartment last week was swarming with these annoying gnatty little bugs. I was seriously having a meltdown over them because they were EVERYWHERE. I even found one in Heath's diaper- on the outside. It grosses me out. We have googled a solution and the best we have found is putting beer out with a lid on it and poked holes. Our living room looks like the house in Signs with water glasses everywhere. It has contained the madness but not eliminated it completely. Any tips?

I love my Chacos. I have wanted a pair ever since I worked at summer camp in high school and thought they were the coolest, especially for their amazing tan lines in the summer ;). My wonderful hubby bought me a pair two years ago and I was thrilled. What I discovered about this wonderful sandal is that they come with a price- smelly shoes and feet every couple of months. If you have owned a pair you know exactly what I'm talking about. Every now and again they go through this stage of absolute stinkiness and I'm not sure what the best way to eliminate it is. Have you tried anything that works well?

*This post is dedicated to my friend Mel who is always great about being interactive in her blog posts and I know wants me to talk about something other than a baby all the time on here ;)

A Happy Heath in the Morning

2010-07-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 7/21

Smiling, cooing, yawning, sneezing and grunting. Pretty much a collection of all things Heath does.

Video by Grandpa Manz

2010-07-12T08:01:00.000-07:00

Another Heath highlight reel by Grandpa Manz of his first days of life and the little movements he was making.

One month!

2010-07-09T09:00:00.001-07:00

Heath turned one month old on July 3rd. It is true what everyone says, time has flown by and so much has happened in one month's time. I'll try to capture a few highlights here of Heath's first month of life.

- At 9 days old Heath moved into his second home at Maple Hill West, sadly parting Pomfret that treated him so well for the first week of his life.

- Heath has been a champ eater and enjoys eating all of the time. He does not refuse food- ever. In fact he had a growth spurt at 2-3 weeks where he ate every 90 minutes. At 5 weeks he is starting another growth spurt with hunger pains often.

- At 2 weeks he moved from the bassinet to his big boy crib, prompted by his noisy sleep habits that were keeping mom and dad awake.

- At 3 weeks he started sleeping at night with a 4-5 hour stretch followed by a 2-3 hour stretch. This of course has changed now that we are back in hungry growth spurt mode. But it was beautiful while it lasted and we have hope it will return.

- Heath loves to follow his morning eating with some time in the bouncer and 'push it out' time as we call it where he usually fills his shorts with some grunting. He is the happiest boy during this time practicing his smiles and cooing for us.

- We have really enjoyed cloth diapering. We tried disposables for one overnight attempt to see if it would help him sleep longer- it didn't and they smelled terrible- I was just trying to use up what the hospital gave us. Heath has already outgrown his infant G diapers and about to retire two of his fitted diapers as well as this boy keeps growing!

- Heath has been coming to Vintage with us on Sundays since his second week and behaving pretty well. The most fun is when he conveniently fills his shorts during the silent times- he is a loud gassy little boy. :)

- After week 2 Heath started having what we call 'fussfests' which are colic episodes of screaming without any desire for being consoled. They are exhausting and you feel a bit helpless as a parent but we are learning a few tricks and trying to intercede the fests with some interventions when we see them coming. We are seeing a bit of improvement.

- Heath has had many visitors from out of state come and stay- Grandma and Grandpa Manz, Oma and Opa Henkelmann, Great Uncle Dietmar and Great Aunt Dania, Uncle Greg and Aunt Whitney, and tons of our local community from church and work have stopped in to meet the little guy.

- It has been a roller coaster of a month with the move and my health issues, but we are discovering many new things about Heath and love having him as part of our family.

Heath with his grandparents

2010-06-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

After their two week stay, Jonathan's dad (Grandpa) made a video from their visit.

Heath's Birth Story: Part 2

2010-06-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

While in triage with Nurse Abby she stated/asked 'so you are going to do the whole epidural thing then?' I said a little sheepishly 'I was not planning to use any drugs if that is possible.' OK. A little later Abby told me the anesthesiologist was leaving for the night and he wanted to know how sure I was about this plan or if he should just sleep in their break room at the hospital until I essentially changed my mind. I didn't know how to respond and was SO thankful for Candice at this point who stepped up for me and said you can send him home. Then looked at me and said we can always call him back if we need to but we'll stick with your plan. :)

10:30 PM We are moved to our labor and delivery suite- a really nice spacious set up that included our own shower and bathroom in the room. Shortly after getting in there I asked about the tub down the hall hoping it wouldn't be booked and Abby said nope it is all yours I'll go get it ready. I asked if a lot of women use the tub (thinking I would literally have to take a number) and she said not really- most women just go straight for their epidural when they come in and stay in bed from there. I was shocked, but thankful that meant I didn't have to worry about hogging the tub. We enjoyed a good hour and a half in the water which had some jet bubbles and relaxing warm water to help keep my body relaxed during the contractions. After that they wanted to get a check on me and hook me back up to make sure my vitals and Heath's were all doing good. They were and I had moved to 5 cm dilated. Everyone else seemed happy about this news, I was thinking it would have been better if it had jumped to like an 8 or something ;)

4:00 AM After many ice chips and consistent intense contractions (not much else excitement from midnight to 4) I finally hit that 8/9 cm mark and felt better that this baby was coming soon and I wouldn't be in labor forever.

5:00 AM Still had not progressed past a 9 and they suggested having Mari, our midwife, come in to break my water so that it might push me closer to being fully dilated and ready to push. The birthing team agreed this was a good plan and 30 minutes later Mari was awake and at the hospital with us with that magic hook. The contractions afterwards felt like they doubled in pain although Jonathan later said that on the machine they weren't actually spiking as high but he knew I was feeling them more.

6:15 AM 10 cm dilated and we get the go ahead to begin pushing! Abby's night shift was ending at 7am and I thought cool we will be able to stay with her and have Heath. Oh the naivety. She stayed with us until 7:30am and transitioned the morning nurse with all my information as they encouraged me through the pushes. She never said she was leaving or anything like that but J and I both talked later and reflected that with her passing off information we were thinking 'really- how much longer is this going to go on?' Well the answer was a total of 2 hours pushing. It was hard, I was exhausted- but also incredibly determined. Especially when they say you are pushing well and they could see Heath movingcloser there is a new surge of energy to finish this labor and deliver a baby. My team was great- Jonathan was so supportive and did not pass out with all of the medical happenings. Candice was incredibly helpful for both Jonathan and I to have a third body who had been through this journey and it just felt like she knew exactly the right words to say to keep me focused ahead. Honestly I never thought once during labor that I might want to call that anesthesiologist and get some drugs. I loved that Abby did not push the issue and afterwards thought- wow they didn't offer me anything at any point- that's kind of cruel, didn't they see how much pain I was in? :) But oh how thankful I was that everyone was on the same page and supportive.

8:18 AM Heath William Manz was delivered into our lives, exercising his lungs right away. They put him on my chest almost immediately after Mari cleared his airways and he looked straight into my eyes. The moment is unforgettable. I kept telling him how good we did and how proud I was of his heart rate staying strong so I didn't have to have any other interventions. They weighed him in at 8 lbs 4 oz and 20 3/4 inches long. I was relieved to hear he was a good sized baby and felt proud of my pain tolerance- almost justified knowing he was a big boy and natural birth was still possible. 31 hours after my contractions began we were officially a family of 3.

Heath's Birth Story: Part 1

2010-06-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

Wednesday June 2nd

1:00 AM I woke up with fairly strong contractions about 5-6 minutes apart. I had thought maybe the week before I had felt contractions- but feeling them this morning I knew they were different- real. So I tried to go back to sleep and 'rest up' but they were a little more painful and I was a lot bit excited. So I went to the living room couch to not wake Jonathan up- I was thinking one of us should probably be rested for the day.

3:30 AM I felt like the contractions had stayed close for long enough that I should tell my parents in California so I called them (1:30am their time) and said 'I think you are going to have a grandson today.' I felt excited to tell someone and wondered if I should call our doula, Candice or wake up J yet, but held out a bit longer. Good thing I did because at this point the contractions faded back to 10-12 minutes apart. The intensity stayed about the same, not exactly pleasant, but bearable. I watched several episodes of The Office as I waited for time to pass and something to 'happen.'

7:ish AM Jonathan wakes up and I excitedly run to the bedroom to tell him that he is going to be a daddy today (well at the time I thought it would be that day). He was pumped and shocked I didn't wake him up, but later very grateful as we had no idea how long of a day/night we had ahead.

8:00 AM I called my midwife's office to tell them about my exciting night and see if they wanted me to come in for a quick check. They didn't. The nurse was sweet but she was obviously treating me as a first-time mom who likely was having Braxton Hicks contractions because they were spacing out instead of getting closer. I tried to convince her they weren't- they were real, not like the fake ones I felt the week before. She said wait til they get closer again and for 2 hours then call back.

9:ish AM We went out to breakfast at the Little Bread Co and had a nice egg sandwich. Contractions were still about 10 minutes apart- had one in the car going over, one in the place and one coming home. Sitting at the table I closed my eyes as I breathed through the contraction and the woman at the table next to us asked if I was okay and then excitedly congratulated us as her two year old was rather impatient and all over the place (but I think her congrats were genuine).

The rest of mid-day was rather uneventful, albeit the contractions every 10-15-20 minutes. It was disappointing as they got further apart and so I stayed home from work and was on email. I seriously considered going in to Shelia's going away party as I wanted to be there but thought I would probably steal the thunder if everyone saw me contracting at regular intervals in the room. Jonathan went in for one meeting but otherwise worked from home.

7:ish PM Jonathan talked with Adam and we put in requests for a few dvd's to borrow and a delivery from Sonic with their milkshakes. We started Zoolander and it was clear to me that I would not make it through this whole movie. Contractions stepped up a big notch in their intensity and started moving back to 7-8 min apart and then 4-6 min.

9:00 PM We decided that it was time to head to the hospital as we hit that magical two hour mark of closely timed contractions. I thought we could stay at home longer but by this time the pain really was stepping up and I thought the baby might come real soon so I wanted to be there. Our doula and friend Candice was getting off work at this same time and would meet us up at the hospital.

9:30 PM We arrive at the Emergency Room (the other entrance is closed at 9 so we had to go through ER). The woman at the desk read my face and said 'labor?' I nodded yes. Jonathan parked the car and came in to meet me sitting in the wheelchair. They said the ER was packed and they didn't have a spare to offer us an escort- would we mind wheeling ourselves to Labor and Delivery? Sure. Literally this is what we were told: "Ok- take a left through the doors, right, left, right, curve around- it'll make sense when you see it- then left and you'll see the entrance." This sentence was delivered in a matter of .5 sec. We smiled and started wheeling thinking 'we will see signs along the way I'm sure.' We didn't. The maps did not include labor and delivery and it felt like forever as we took this joyride through the hospital passing empty information counter after another. Meanwhile contractions were happening and we paused a few times to breath. Eventually we looked outside and could determine better where in the building we were and needed to head. We did laugh about the journey- then and now.

They checked us in to triage to evaluate my status before deciding to check us in to a room. We met our nurse for the night- Abby (a wonderful woman), and Candice met up with us there. They took lots of stats and we got to first see the contractions on the 'earthquake' monitor here (where you see the intensity on the squiggly line). I was 100% effaced and dilated 3 cm. Good enough news for them to admit me, but honestly a little disappointing after the day that felt like it was going on forever, because well it was. And little did we know this was only the beginning!

Moving on up.. the hill

2010-06-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

So an hour after Heath was born 6/3/10, Jonathan received a text message from his co-worker (and our friend) Adam saying 'check your email- you are moving to Maple West.' Back in April (when life was more calm and we had lots of spare time to pack boxes) Jonathan had conversations with his Director about the possibility of moving residence halls for an opportunity to be challenged in his work life after two years of serving in the honors residence hall. Pomfret has just about the best students you could ask for with little judicial load and some great RAs and programs. Not really desiring to leave this great place we were in, we also know that investing in Arkansas long term means it is important for Jonathan to show progression in his work and after years of being in Housing, a healthy challenge was probably due.

So after a month and a half of discussions and uncertainties it seemed pretty clear that we would not be moving. So my nesting began and we prepared Heath's room in Pomfret. Then Heath came (after 31 hours of labor- yes I am going to say that as many times as possible because I am damn proud), and then the text came. Jonathan gingerly told me the news about an hour later cushioning it with 'we don't have to talk about this now, but...' So I chose not to think about it. Emotionally and physically overloaded, it was important for sanity to be kept to just not think about it. Both of our parents would be in town the next week and so we took Heath home to Pomfret for 7 days and then the following Saturday moved from Pomfret to Maple Hill West with the gracious help of parents, Adam, Will and Brittany. THANK YOU!!!

In one day they packed everything up, moved it and began unpacking it in our new place while I tried to stay in my zen-like postpartum state not processing all of this overwhelming change at once in our life. (In the meanwhile we also had our second anniversary and Jonathan's first father's day, 4 parents visiting and then my aunt and uncle in town after J's folks left). It's been a crazy June to say the least.

We did our final walk through in Pomfret today and I held up pretty well. Then we got to the kitchen and I looked at that tiny stupid easy-bake oven that I have hated for the last two years and the tears came. I thought- so many meals have been prepared in this oven and shared with the people we love. Birthday cakes for the RAs every month, or some other snack for weekly staff meetings, our first Thanksgiving meal that we hosted with my family in town, baking cookies with friends at Christmas... all done in that stupid oven that I'm now crying over. Yes- I am thankful for the upgrade in our new apartment- fully equipped with a full size oven, dishwasher and non-cinderblock walls- but Pomfret was our first home together as newlyweds and we filled every inch of that ugly shoebox apartment with laughter and love and memories. Leaving the walls is easy, leaving the RAs is the hardest, but I know we are starting a new chapter in many ways and beginning in a new place is a marker of all that is to come.

Smile!

2010-06-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

** sorry for the facebook restrictions- I tried to load this quickly via FB and didn't realize it would not allow everyone to view it so I have re-loaded the video directly on here**

It's hard to be upset about no sleep in 8 days when you see a face like this! We have discovered in the last day that Heath has inherited Lyndsy's dimples and this has made him all the more adorable in our eyes of course. The smile finally comes at 1:06 in the video but of course you can enjoy our 'new parent encouragement' along the way for that smile to come out!

Heath live in action!

2010-06-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

Pictures can only describe his cuteness so far- the real taker is watching him live with those beautiful eyes open! So here is 3 minutes of just that- taken the afternoon we left the hospital, daddy is holding him. We are so helplessly in love!

Heath's Birthday

2010-06-03T17:05:00.001-07:00

Introducing Heath William Manz

Born Thursday June 3rd 8:18AM

8 lbs 4.3 oz 20 3/4 inches long

Mom and Baby are both doing great- just in dire need of sleep! We'll update the blog later with more details of the 31 hour labor journey- he is well worth it!

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Schimpf!

2010-05-29T04:37:00.000-07:00

We had the joy of celebrating with our friends Will and Brittany last night as they entered marriage! She was a beautiful bride and he- a glowing groom looking at her! As promised, Heath hung in for the ride and even a few spins on the dance floor. He is now welcome to come at any time :)

Good friends and good drinks

2010-05-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Jonathan and Adam played in the band at church so we had a full crowd of visitors at Vintage with Will and Brittany coming too. Afterwards we had brunch at Common Grounds and shared in some delicious conversation.

Snickerdoodle coffee- so yummy!

Fresh squeezed orange juice!

We love our friends.

Laundry and watermelons

2010-05-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

As is typical of most all our Saturdays we got caught up on laundry from the week prior. A new part of this laundry routine as begun to include little people clothes. Here is a shot of today's spread as we washed all of our cloth diapers in prep for Heath. Once he arrives this will become an every other day routine- every third day if we are lucky. And on that note if you wanted to give Heath a gift- he will gladly take some flip diapers (or any other spread) from our registry at Terra-Tots.

As we have hit the 37 week mark our veggie/fruit tracker now equates Heath's measurements to that of a watermelon and it will stay at this stage until delivery. Since we bought one at the grocery store tonight I thought this photo shoot would be a good comparison =)

The profile shot proved that the belly was the same size as the watermelon.

Both belly and watermelon were/are heavy.

Pics lately

2010-05-09T13:31:00.000-07:00

A few things happening lately in preparation for Heath and celebration of my 27th birthday!

The 'wolf pack' takes on the task of building the crib. We purchased a crib on craigslist and it was excellent except for it didn't fit into the bedroom doorway and so while trying to make it fit, the plastic fittings on the drop down front snapped off. While looking online for the replacement part we found that the crib actually had a recall out and so we filled in the paperwork to get new parts. Well surprising to us a huge 100 pound box arrived with a completely new crib except for the mattress spring which we still had. All in all- it worked out great and we now have a brand new crib for a used price.

It is finished! In a recent trip to Memphis to celebrate Will's upcoming wedding these three drove to buy stock in refreshments for the reception. Adam and Jonathan surprised Will with matching wolf pack tshirts which they shamelessly wore at the same time on Beal Street. (The three wolves howling at the moon picture from The Hangover and what Dwight wears in The Office).

A beautiful bouquet from Jonathan on my birthday- a nice hand delivered surprise at work!

Another birthday present- we installed Heath's carseat! We are getting used to seeing it in there and knowing it is still our car =)

Positive Psychology

2010-04-24T06:37:00.000-07:00

I thought you all would appreciate hearing this recent conversation between J and myself.

L: Oh wow I just noticed that I have the beginning of stretch marks forming on my stomach.

J: Oh yeah?

L: Hmmm. (pause) I think they make me feel skinny.

J: The stretch marks make you feel skinny?

L: Yeah.

J: Why is that?

L: Because it is my body's way of saying this is not a normal size for you and it's trying to accommodate.

Insert laughter here. And applause for my husband for handling that with style- I'm sure it was similar to a 'do these jeans make me look fat' conversation.

Part of our birthing classes have been talking through encouraging statements during labor and what positive things the coach can say to help build confidence for the mom. I love our instructor and she will give us phrases to use instead of saying this is painful, recognize that each contraction is 'powerful and your body's way of bringing the baby closer to you.' I guess all of this positive psychology is wearing off on me, and I think that is a good thing!

This 36 week picture does not lie- the stretch marks are there and getting a little longer each week.

The Final Countdown

2010-04-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

I woke up with this song from Europe in my head. After I pushed through the images of Gob from Arrested Development coming out for his "illusion show" (read magic tricks), I thought about how many Sundays I will have left of waking up early because Heath is moving inside me. There are 7 weeks remaining until our due date of June 6th. It's hard to know of course when his actual birthday will be, but getting into single digits here is pretty exciting, and a little nerve-inducing too.

The physical preparations are getting checked off weekly. The car seat, crib and bedding are all here and mostly ready. I cleared out space for a little closet organizer in the second bedroom so Heath has a spot his very own for all those tiny onesies. He has plenty of blankets thanks to his Oma and stuffed animals thanks to the TX Henks. We have showers coming up at the end of the month with work and church friends that will hopefully fill out his cloth diaper stash.

The physical motions of preparing are all steps in getting closer for emotional and mental preparedness I think. The longer I am pregnant the more I appreciate God's design of a 40 week gestation period. Unlike engagement where we were mentally and emotionally ready at proposal but needed time to make physical arrangements for a wedding event, pregnancy has been the opposite experience for me. I've also come to accept that one will never feel fully prepared or ready to be a parent. We've been attending birthing classes and I'm feeling more confident in labor and delivery- but after that is bam! parenthood. And what classes do you go to for that? Sure there are books and people have plenty of advice to offer. Pregnancy has been a deeply spiritual experience for me on my journey with God and I am leaning more into that as the final countdown approaches. I think it is less about my personal preparedness and more about my willingness to trust in God's provisions. I think our marriage continues to be a lesson in learning how to love unselfishly and a relationship where we sharpen one another in becoming a closer reflection of the image we were designed in. Those things give me confidence that God is still at work and will continue to be when Heath joins us on the outside.

Kickin it again!

2010-04-16T18:58:00.001-07:00

We are back in kickball season in northwest Arkansas and Great Balls of Fire is off to a good start going 3-2. This last weekend's win was particularly gratifying as we beat the Alchobolics who is a team that the whole league is not a fan of because of the sheer number of jerks on the team. It was a sweet 6-4 win! Jonathan is pulling out some new curve balls at the pitching mound this season and I am holding down third base as the coach on offense. Here are a few snapshots of this past weekend- the first fully sunshine game day that we've had.

Jonathan warming up on the mound.

Doing my thing as 3rd base coach- they are all listening to me very well, I guess I can be pretty convincing in that way.

A nice side profile shot I thought you would all enjoy of Heath. I didn't realize the shirt was going to fit that way until I got to the field after a wedding shower and changed there.

The team- beaming with joy after the glorious win!

Hello, my name is...

2010-04-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Heath William Manz

The Championship Match is Set!

2010-04-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

We are down to the final two:

Wesley vs. Heath

Here is an updated leader board.

Predictor Score

1Rosa Edwards 99

2Carrie Anderson 97

3Kathryn Wheatley 88

4Tom Breunig 86

5Dieter Henkelmann 75

6Kali Lucas 71

7Kerri Smith 71

8Mike Seals 62

9Beth Smart 61

10Michael McAllister 60

Our visitors

2010-04-03T14:07:00.001-07:00

We had a full house last week with my mom in town on her spring break. She was here a full week Saturday- Saturday! It was a great week for her to be around as we scheduled some of the usual stuff for her to take part in. She came to water aerobics two nights, our check up appointment with Mari- who got us into the ultrasound room so Oma could take a peek!, we started our first birthing class she came to with us, and then she worked on sewing all of the soft things for Heath's room.

On Wednesday my aunt Dania and cousin Hope drove up from DFW to join in the girl fun and brought up an extra sewing machine as well! By default of our space, we had to bunk these two up in the same room on the trundle daybed and they were just like little girls at camp!

Here is a peak at some of the work that was getting done- Dania is finishing up the bumper pad.

The valance for the window was completed- and I love it! It's fun to see the fabrics we picked out in February come to shape.

I told Dania to pose with the bumper pad- she wasn't quite sure how exactly it should be modeled.

My mom knew exactly how she wanted to display the dust ruffle she had been sewing for Heath's crib- "Olay"

We took a few parting snapshots after having a great Saturday morning of croissants at Little Bread Co. and walking through the first Farmer's Market of the season.

I have pretty special women in my family and I was blessed to have them around- even if we were all living on top of each other for a few days. I think it was great practice for Heath's arrival :)

"I had a great visit - all the things we were able to do, new places to eat, some shopping, and laughter that will last forever =) I talked as often as I could so Heath could start getting use to my voice. We are incredibly blessed as a family. Jonathan was a great sport to have us all. Thanks for the special time" Oma

Final Four!

2010-03-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

These will be 'playing' April 3rd with the two going on to the championship being posted after that.

(1) Benjamin vs.(1) Wesley

(1) William vs.(1) Heath

While this has been decided one round at a time, not knowing who the final winner will be- it looks like we have a repeat of last year's NCAA tournament with all four #1 seeds making it into the final four!

Elite 8 in Baby Madness

2010-03-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

These will be 'playing' Saturday and Sunday this weekend with the Final 4 being posted after that.

(1) Benjamin vs. (2) Jacob

(1) Wesley vs. (2) Cooper

(1) William vs. (3) Aiden

(1) Heath vs. (2) Caleb

The leader board heading into the elite eight games reads as follows:

Rank	Predicted Final Winner	Points
1	Carrie Anderson	73
2	Kathryn Wheatley	72
3	Tom Breunig	70
4	Dieter Henkelmann	67
5	Rosa Edwards	67
6	Kali Lucas	55
7	Kerri Smith	55
8	Mike Seals	54
9	Beth Smart	53
10	Jennifer Perkins	48

Round 2 Picks

2010-03-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

Baby Madness continues- the second round has been decided. Check out the bracket to see who is advancing to the sweet 16! The front runners are coming forward, but still no determined winner yet!

For those of you who did not log on to bracketmaker to start your own- you can follow to see how the pool has narrowed thus far. These will be 'playing' Thursday and Friday this week with the Elite 8 being posted after that.

(1) Benjamin vs. (5) Brody
(3) Reese vs. (2) Jacob
(1) Wesley vs. (4) Bentley
(3) Ethan vs. (2) Cooper
(1) William vs. (4) Austin
(3) Aiden vs. (2) Carson
(1) Heath vs. (5) Grayson
(3) Keagan vs. (2) Caleb

Let it snow, Let it snow, and again

2010-03-21T06:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend has brought the 5th snow storm to Arkansas for this winter. Thursday and Friday were absolutely beautiful spring days this past week. People were wearing shorts and flip flops as the temperature peaked 70 and spring break was being welcomed this week. A quick turnaround from Friday to Saturday came as this winter front approached. At 3pm we settled in at home after picking up groceries and running errands. Shortly after the hail came and then it started to snow.

After starting the Baylor game at 5pm a thin layer had pretty well covered everything and we thought we better take a picture while it is still light outside. "Not sure if it will be there in the morning"

The snowflakes continued to pick up momentum and size. This captures some of them pretty well, but they were amazing to watch. It looked like cotton balls falling. (It was a lot to take in at once from sitting on the couch watching the Baylor game on the laptop, the Kansas upset on the tv and this outside the window!)

SUNDAY MORNING:

Guess we didn't have to worry about not having anything to take a picture of in the morning. The snow continues to come down even now and is predicted to continue this afternoon.

Judging from our tabletop I would estimate that we are close to 1 foot of snow. If you compare this picture with our post from February's snow where it was 8 inches, this looks massive.

With our back gate being closed and the snow piled pretty high up there, it is a good thing we don't have anywhere to be but warm inside our home! Church and kickball were both cancelled for today.

Round 1 Picks

2010-03-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

Round 1 of Baby Madness has been decided. Head over to the bracket to see the winners and the upsets. Carrie Anderson is first on the leader board after round one with 25 points.

Second round wins will be posted Sunday night.

Baby Madness

2010-03-13T20:01:00.001-08:00

It's March Madness (Go Baylor!) and time to start guessing Sweet Pea's name. In the competitive spirit, we have created an NCAA style bracket with 64 names. Like the NCAA tourny, each name has a seed (1-16 w/ four regions). The lower the seed, the better we like the name. However, always be on the look out for some upsets. Thanks to the Pomfret residents for giving us some suggestions...especially the more creative ones. Go here Baby Madness to make your predictions. First click on "Championship Bracket" and then "Predict It!" which will be found in the upper left hand corner. After each round of the NCAA tournament is complete, we will update the bracket. On the night of the National Championship, we will unveil the baby's name!

A snapshot of our hallway outside the apartment so our students can participate in the predicting! They have paper brackets on our board that they can fill in and post on the wall in order to win a free homemade dessert for the prediction winner :)

The fine print: We reserve the right to change the name at any point before the baby is born. Why? Because we are the parents and can do that. :)

Entering the Third Trimester

2010-02-24T11:07:00.000-08:00

A few thoughts on this stage of the pregnancy- here is what I've been noticing/experiencing recently:

It is very difficult to wear shoes with laces when Jonathan is not around to tie them for me. At the same time, dress flats are hardly bearable by the end of a work day so tennis shoes have been my new accessory with slacks, classy I know.
My walk is becoming more like a waddle and I've noticed that I don't move as fast as I used to. Instead of leaving my office for a meeting five minutes before start time, I have needed to give 10-15 minutes for the stroll.
While aquarobics continues to be a great de-stressor at the end of my day and a healthy workout, my body is not quite moving the same way it did a month ago. The 'sprints' in the water are slower as my knees don't lift up quite as high and the ab exercises at the end are laughable.
Pregnancy brain. Too many instances of where this has occurred but the most blatant are the forgetting my car is at work and taking the bus home. (and yes I said are as in plural because it has now happened twice!)
I know I'm not the 700 lb man that needs a crane to lift him out of bed, but it is feeling a little more like this. Those non-existent ab muscles don't quite help you sit up like they used to and I've had to roll the legs out then push with my arms. I've noticed I try to stay in one place at night now instead of rolling over to my sides back and forth, but with this effort to stay motionless I've also woken up with numb limbs.
Feeling Sweet Pea move has been incredible and as he grows the kicks and rolls are stronger and obvious. I stare at my stomach sometimes just to laugh at seeing my belly move without any effort on my part. Jonathan has also been able to hear his heartbeat by listening with his ear to my stomach- something very cool that he can experience that I won't (see above note about limited movement- you don't know maybe 6 months ago I could have reached my ear to my belly!) :)
The emotions. Thankfully I have felt more like my laughing self in these past weeks than compared with the 1st trimester. The urge to cry at small things has not gone away and I'm still moved by Folgers commercials and now Olympic stories that are airing. But I would rather have this paired with my ability to laugh at myself and the situation- like when I showed up in my ruffled hawaiian swimsuit in the middle of the SEC swim meet in our natatorium. Yes I cried when I told Jonathan about it as I went home without getting my aquarobics in and and feeling mortified that I was standing in front of all these competitors looking all too pregnant and not in competing attire, but now we laugh at this!
There has been a shift in my mentality recently from thinking about the pregnancy to focusing on preparing for labor and delivery. I've been flipping to the back sections of the books to get to the basics. We will start our lamaze classes at the end of March and I think this will feed my need for more information. Also contributing to this mentality shift is the fact that two of my girlfriends I grew up with have delivered beautiful healthy girls this month! Welcome Lainey Marie Taunton and Charleigh Jill Atkinson!

Weekend in Tulsa

2010-02-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

We were about due for a get-off-campus and get-out-of-town trip and last weekend was perfect! One of our marriage goals is to attend a conference/retreat once a year together that will be an investment in our relationship. This year the retreat fell on Valentine's weekend with a romance getaway in Tulsa, OK. (It's about 2 hours from us). Eagle Family Ministries is a local non-profit investing in families and relationships and we were happy to join them in Tulsa with about 8 other couples. We stayed at the Renaissance Hotel which met my hotel snob standards :) (Of course, it is a Marriott property after all)

A few highlights of our weekend-

Eating: Cheddars, Ted's Cafe Escondito, Chipotle, Panera and Krispy Kreme (I tried to support DONUT but they were closed on Sunday, what's up with that? )

Shopping: We picked up Sweet Pea's car seat and stroller thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Manz and some sweet February coupons! Here are the car seat and stroller.

We also went to JoAnn's Fabric store and picked out the material for the nursery gear. Here are a few sneek previews of what Oma will be sewing when she visits next month.

Investing: The retreat was awesome and we really enjoyed spending time together and not talking about work. The homework assignments given I would encourage other married folk to commit to: kiss for 10 seconds a day, hug for 30 seconds a day.

It was a refreshing getaway and excellent way to spend our Valentine's.

Snow Days in Arkansas!

2010-02-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you have heard of all the winter storms hitting the country these past few weeks. Arkansas has gotten a few of the hits- nothing major like the east coast, but exciting and pretty nonetheless for Arkansans. We were disappointed in December when we were in Georgia for the Christmas snow Fayetteville experienced. Since then we have had three different storms hit and drop ice/snow for us. The University closed one day and had a 2 hour delayed start two other times. Here are a few pics of our backyard with the 'big drop' of 8 inches one day!

It's been one of Those weeks...

2010-01-28T07:35:00.000-08:00

Remember the Laughing Cow Cheese commercial that aired this last year? The woman had a crazy day at work but then was lucky to catch the last bus out and had a relaxing ride home- got there and then realized she had driven to work that day. I think she was pregnant.

Jonathan came in from running this morning and asked me with a concerned tone- "Where is our car?" I said I didn't know- did someone steal it from our spot? Then he asked "Didn't you drive it up to your office yesterday?" "Yes- yes I did ...and then walked home!" Crisis averted- no need to file a police report, just need to go up the hill and retrieve our car. Pregnancy brain strikes again!

Baking Sunday

2010-01-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

My adventures today began with a new book I picked up Saturday at Potter's House Thrift store. It's called Mi$erly Moms and was 50 cents, including 11 chapters of helpful hints on how to save money and a large section dedicated to recipes and grocery shopping. Since Jonathan and I sat down with our budget last week to evaluate where our monthly money is going and a large chunk of it is food I decided this would be worth the 50 cent investment. It's a super quick read if you ever come across it- and some good ideas!

So first on the agenda was homemade granola. Since she pointed out that the average box of cereal is $3.50-4.00 it adds up pretty quickly for what can be one of the most affordable meals of the day. So there were a few homemade recipes to avoid the brand name cereal boxes- make your own pancakes- and syrup (I bought maple extract to try this later in the month!) and make your own granola. I haven't had it with milk yet, but it smelled delicious making it and tasted really great fresh out of the oven. For those interested- here is the recipe:

Nonfat Granola

5 cups quick oats

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup concentrated apple juice

1/2 cup dry milk

1/3 cup honey

2 tb. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup dried fruit (I used raisins)

Mix sugar, juice, dry milk and honey in saucepan, and heat until sugar dissolves. Combine other dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Pour sugar mixture slowly over dry mixture and blend well. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

After my fresh granola came out of the oven I used one of the book's snack recipes for Chewy Granola bars. I think my grama's are better but I enjoyed trying this one out and it is very simple. Because I used the hot- out- of- the- oven granola, my chocolate chips melted a bit more and they look more like chocolate no-bake cookies.

Chewy Granola Bars

1- 1/2 cup any granola

1/4 cup honey

1/8 cup chopped peanuts, other nuts, or chocolate chips

1 egg

Combine well and press into a greased 8x8 baking pan, about 1/2 inch thik. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Slice into bars after they cool.

Next up in the oven came the scones! We have some blueberries on hand so I threw those into them and they turned out smashing. I've always been intimidated by scones for some reason, they've always appeared complicated to me, but after attempting them, they are totally not! You roll the dough into a circle and then cut 6 slices like a pizza. This recipe came from my trusty red and white check BHG cookbook.

Scones

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/desserts/scones/

After making the first three treats I was exhausted from standing- so Jonathan stepped in and cleaned up my mess in exchange for taste testing everything fresh out of the oven. Then came dinner time and I had seen a recipe earlier in the week from the new food network show Ten Dollar Dinners. I was confused because the recipe didn't have a picture- which is why I'm including one for you here of our meal. There is no actual sauce for this pasta dish- but you toss the italian sausage and veggies with the pasta before serving and all of the flavors just cover it.

Sausage and Roasted Vegetable Penne

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/sausage-and-roasted-vegetable-penne-recipe/index.html

(We used whole wheat linguine because it's what we had in and no mushrooms because we aren't fans. Everything else we mostly stuck to the recipe posted online)

Hope you have a creative week in the kitchen! If you have tried a new recipe lately feel free to share.

What's in a Name?

2010-01-19T19:05:00.000-08:00

We thought it would be fun to include our residents in the naming adventure and collect their suggestions. We updated the bulletin board outside our apartment to announce we are having a boy! For many of the residents this was the first they had heard we were pregnant since I wasn't showing much of a belly during the fall semester. It has been so fun to hear their conversations outside our door as they stand and ponder names or read what others have written. You can see that we have gathered quite the collection!

Here is a close up of one of my personal favorites- Lemonjello with the correct pronunciation below it. We have also had many attempts to play on Manz: Hugh-Manz, Aquah-Manz, Spydah-Manz. I mean we did ask 18 years olds for their thoughts. .. and they are enjoying sharing their creativity with us!

In the update everyone has been asking- nope we aren't anywhere close to picking a name for sweet pea. We are enjoying the suggestion phase and taking a look at all the options. Still plenty of time left for the deciding. I predict we'll have something by May.

I resolve to..

2010-01-19T18:46:00.001-08:00

Send at least one card a month in the mail to someone I love. I (Lyndsy) miss writing notes and while I love skype and email for all my out of state friends and family, there is just something special about writing and receiving a note in the mail. Plus I stocked up on the last postage change for the timeless stamps so we are covered. I will have 12 less stamps by this time next year!

Finish reading the books I have started. I admit it, I have a problem. I love books and reading, so much so that I cheat on them and can't have just one. This results in my overflowing nightstand with books I have picked up to re-read or ones I've been given to read. Here is the short list of what I will finish this year- maybe more- but for sure these:

Go Green, Save Green FINISHED 12/30/09 (It's what inspired me to get completing!)
East of Eden FINISHED 1/18/10 (A gift from one of my youth ministry students in '05 that I started on our honeymoon in June '08)
The First Five Years: Make the Love Investment that Lasts a Lifetime FINISHED 1/20/10
Total Money Makeover
Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crisis and a Revolution of Hope
Seeds of Hope (My favorite Henri Nouwen reader that I am going through for the 4th time)
The Rights and Responsibilities of the Modern University
Biblical Exegesis (A re-read from college)
Belly Laughs FINISHED

These two we are reading on a weekly basis every Sunday night to chart Baby Manz's growth:

Watch me grow
What to Expect when you are expecting

I enjoy the new year and the reflection time for thinking about how I want to develop myself. Two things may not seem like a lot but I know it will provide me with deeper connections to others and deeper reflection for myself through reading.