Only for you, Faith

My dear friend Faith, who gets frigheningly excited about these things, "tagged" me again to write about random things, but this time there's actual questions so it's easier, and therefore quicker, so I'll indulge her. Love you, Faithy! So if you're interested in what I think of my husband, read on.

All About My Great Husband…

1. Who is your man? Daniel John Stump (aka dude)
2. How long have you been together? 8 years
3. How long did you date? 2 years
4. How old is your man? 27. He robbed the cradle. Just kidding, we're 9 months apart. Sorry Natalie but I'm not Honey.
5. Who eats more? Pizza? Dan hands down. Chinese food is a toss up. When it comes to chocolate, I rule.
6. Who said “I love you” first? He did. He says I can laugh about it now, but I still feel bad that I was so surprised I didn't say it back until the next day.
7. Who is taller? He is. Actually, when I wear my Spice Girls' platform shoes...
8. Who sings better? He does. Though neither of us would make it past round 1 of American Idol. At least we know it.
9. Who is smarter? Anything related to math, and he wipes the floor with me. But then again, he's never written a book. I'll let you decide.
10. Whose temper is worse? Probably his. Ok, defitely his, especially during football season, but mine came out in full force as soon as Jake hit about 18 months old and started morphing into Mr. Hyde. My easy, perfect baby and my seemingly anger-free personality...poof, gone. (These are green M&M's he swiped at Christmas and got all over himself and my carpet.)
11. Who does the laundry? I wash it, I dry it, I fold it...and neither of us puts it away.
12. Who takes out the garbage? He does, and thanks.
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Hmm. If you're in the bed, he's on the right. If you're standing at the end of the bed, it's me. Like anyone cares that I'm clarifying.
14. Who pays the bills? I do. I can't have him finding out that I'm not the bargain shopper I claim to be. Oh wait, I got this jacket at Ross. For $6.99. I'm totally serious. Why would you not bargain shop?
15. Who is better with the computer? Probably him. I don't have any witty comments on this one, sorry.
16. Who mows the lawn? He does, though unlike Faith, I'm perfectly capable of doing so.
17. Who cooks dinner? Normally it's me. But if you want something really tasty, he's the man. He should be the next Food Network Star. I would have said the next Iron Chef, but he's not very fond of tripe ice cream.
18. Who drives when you are together? He does. Probably saves us money on speeding tickets.
19. Who pays when you go out? He does. If I have to calculate a tip I feel woozy.
20. Who is most stubborn? We both are.
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Neither of us. We're both always right.
22. Whose parents do you see the most? Probably his. Mine are off galavanting in Hawaii right now where we can't swing by as easily.
23. Who kissed who first? Actually, Ryan kissed Michelle first. Then Dan kissed me (he couldn't let Ryan steal all the thunder of that awesome double date they had planned.)
24. Who asked who out? It was all him. He had it all thought out, so I had no excuses. Even if he hadn't, I'd have said yes. He was the man. Still is.
25. Who proposed? I did. I got down on one knee, and...just kidding. He did and I cried.
26. Who is more sensitive? Me, though it kills me to say it. It's not like anyone would believe me if I said him.
27. Who has more friends? Me. I'm nicer.
28. Who has more siblings? He does. 4 to 1.
29. Who wears the pants in the family? Definitely him. Speaking of which, I need to sew those jeans again.
30. What’s your favorite thing about your man? He pauses his football game and wrestles with his boys, even when he's exhausted.

Olive Ainsley Grace

We're surrounded by babies!! Congratulations to our friends Vergil and Kelsey on the birth of their first, a girl, Olive Ainsley Grace. She was born happy and healthy and adorable on Tuesday October 23rd. Vergil is our pastor at Gresham Bible Church and we became fast friends with he and Kelsey when we met them a little over a year ago. He wrote an email to our church awhile back, which includes Megan and new baby Elsie, and warned everyone not to drink the punch at the potlucks. There's tons of new babies and pregnant mommies walking around at GBC! They've started a blog for Olive, but these last few days have been crazy so there's not an update yet, but I'm sure one is coming soon, right Verge?

Welcome to the world of parenthood, Browns. We are so excited to see little Olive grow up, and to see you guys take on the role of mommy and daddy. You're going to be great parents!

Elsie Mae

Congratulations to my best friend Megan and husband Eric on the birth of their baby girl. Elsie Mae joined big sis Jenna on Friday October 19, and I couldn't be happier for this sweet little family! She is beautiful, such a tiny miracle. Check out pics and more of the story on the Wood's blog.

I'm so glad I got to hold you today, Elsie. I'm hopefully going to be seeing a lot of you over the next few years. Not that we've discussed this, or even thought about it, but the odds of your mother and I being related through marriage some day have gone up since you entered the world. Ty and Elsie, Jake and Jenna. Ty and Jenna, Jake and Elsie. Hmm, guess that's about it. Promise me at least a Prom date with one of my boys, okay?

Megan and Eric, we so appreciate your friendship and can't wait to see how Elsie adds to your lives. Thanks for being great parents who are raising beautiful daughters to be women of God. We love you guys!

Dad's are the best

Wednesday I took the kids to Dan's football game. The rain held out long enough for the boys to run around and me to have to pull both of them off the field multiple times. There is one kid on Dan's team that is not a lot bigger than Jake, but I'm not ready for them to be tackled without pads quite yet.

We had a great time even though Dan's team lost the game. It was frustrating for him because he would tell the kids exactly what the other team was about to do and how to stop them, and yet his players wouldn't listen and would end up watching as the other team scored a touchdown. Teaching and coaching have a lot in common. I know there are days when Dan feels like the kids just aren't learning a thing. But however frustrating those days are, I'm proud of Dan for the work he does.

Thanks Dan, and other teachers out there. I know some days you really don't see it, but you do challenge and inspire these kids to be better people. But most importantly, you're on a mission field making a difference for eternity by showing these kids what it looks like to love Jesus. Even in a math class. And even on a football field.

19 months old

19 months old is not the typical milestone people blog about. However, 19 months means that Ty is now the age that Jake was when I gave birth to him (When I gave birth to Ty, not Jake. Wow, that would have been a pregnancy for the books.) Thinking about the way Jake was, and the way Ty is now...well let's just say if we'd had Ty first, baby number 2 would have come a lot later. A WHOLE lot later. Let me just say before I go any farther, that I LOVE THIS CHILD. He is a delight to me, and I love that he is not his brother. That would be boring, and folks, my life is NOT boring with this kid. Here's a little taste of 19 month old Tyler Daniel.



"Heil, Tyler!" Sporting the Hitler 'stache after a chocolate chip cookie. Appropriate because I'm convinced he and Felix are secretly organizing a plot to take over the world.




Telling me in no uncertain terms that he didn't appreciate not being consulted on the haircut idea.




This is Ty after any meal, any day, any time, any place. Just imagine him in different shirts, possibly with different colored dipping sauces covering his entire body, and you have an accurate picture of my son every time he eats.



This picture was taken this morning. I had my camera out looking at our recent pictures when I heard the terrifying sound of silence in the kitchen. This is what I saw. Pretty sure those drawers weren't built to withstand a 28 pound child searching for a snack. Ty's life illustrates the concept of "silent but deadly." I have a few more recent stories proving this point. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera readily available, but I think you'll get the picture. Ha ha.

Ty sitting on the couch watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and eating a tube of toothpaste. The living room floor covered with potpourri. The living room floor covered with quite artistic figure-eights of maple syrup. Ty cutting a hole in a brand new shirt with safety scissors. The kitchen table covered with 2/3 of a box of Kix cereal. Yes, that is a candle with bites taken out of it. The toilet full of an unrolled roll of toilet paper and half a box of Kleenex. 1283 baby wipes individually scattered on Ty's bedroom floor. Ty falling down 1/2 a flight of stairs after giving me a defiant look and standing up despite my warnings. (He was fine, I was 2 feet away and saw the whole dramatic thing.) Ty's face as he takes a sip of the apple cider vinegar he pulled out of the kitchen cabinet. Ty dipping his cup into the dog water and gulping away (this happens quite regularly.)

The list could go on and on. Happy 19 months, baby. Whew, I'm glad you're still my littlest.

Claude Louis Berthollet

My new favorite French chemist: Claude Louis Berthollet. Wanna know why?

"Cl2(aq) + H2O(l) H+(aq) + Cl-(aq) + HClO(aq) The H+ ion of the hypochlorous acid then dissolves into solution, and so the final result is effectively: Cl2(aq) + H2O(l) 2H+(aq) + Cl-(aq) + ClO-(aq)"

That clears it up, I'm sure. For all you uneducated individuals out there, I'll rephrase it.

BEFORE:

AFTER:Mamma's got the magic of...Clorox.

Oh, and this is for you, Diane. And Mom. And Dad. And pretty much everyone except my husband.

Walk like a man, talk like a man

I'm once again struck by how fast my babies are growing up. Jake just had a bath and was curled up on my lap under a blanket, and the scent of his squeaky clean little body made breathe deeply and smile. I told him I wanted him to use the same baby shampoo and sit on my lap until he graduates from high school. He said "okay" and then I told him that in a few years he'd be saying, "stop sniffing me Mom, I'm too big to sit on your lap, you're such a nerd." Then he brought me back to the present when he said "You're such a nerve, mom. You're a big nerve."

Jake is old enough now that he rarely mispronounces a word, but when he does, it never fails to crack me up. Ty of course has many words that are not quite perfect, but he's learning fast. I'm going to miss baby talk. Here's some of my favorite Jake-isms and Ty-talk.

wipe-kin = napkin
Beedits = Felix
Fewix = Beedits = Felix
Tih-tat = Tic Tac (aka Ty's reason for living)
aminal = every 3 year olds' version of animal
cimanin = cinnamon according to Jake and Emeril Lagasse
ownz = orange
Mohness = "doggy Alcorn" = Moses (Alcorn's dalmation)
meemac = music
nonny = laundry (most with permanent ownz tih-tat stains)
hot = everything Ty's not allowed to touch, regardless of temperature
abbies = owies, ie. what happens when Ty touches anything hot (this time temperature applies)
WOW, can't believe I forgot my favorite one: Ty calls bread "fred." And just FYI, zucchini fred rules.

Well I may be a nerve, but at least I've got 2 little boys who always make me laugh. Don't grow up too fast, okay?

Honesty 101

Honesty 101 is now in session. The reason I haven't posted in a while is because I haven't had anything amusing to post. I enjoy making people laugh, and having people think I'm clever, and I'll admit that I haven't been very clever lately. I've had boring days, and busy days and a run of really bad days. I've admitted and apologized to my husband and kids and my girls Bible study that I've just been in a bad mood and can't seem to shake it.

Jake and I have been reading Dr. Seuss' Hop on Pop. There's a line that pretty much sums up my life right now: "Dad is sad. Very very sad. He had a bad day, what a day dad had." ("Ang" or "mom" doesn't really rhyme as well as "dad," but it sure seems to fit).

I've been wallowing in my small little problems. Rolling my eyes (and wiping tears from them) when yet another minor catastrophe bombards my day. I feel like nobody notices or cares quite enough about the woes of Ang's world, and so I talk about them all day long to be sure everyone is listening.

"Angela Marie Stump!"

"Yes, Lord?"

"I'm listening, and I'm not sure I like what I hear. You want recognition for each diaper you change and pity for your circumstances from a stranger? What about your eternal reward? Is my 'well done' not enough for you?"

Hmmm. Right. Needed a little perspective, didn't I. Well, I found it with the help of the Bible's promises, and a short story someone forwarded to me. I'm condensing it, but here's the part that got me:

The Invisible Woman by Nicole Johnson

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip! and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought this for you."

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

1. No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. 2. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. 3. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. 4. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Thank you, Lord for giving my soul a little food. I'm ready to shake the mood. I'm losing the 'tude. It's all good, dude.

You get the point.

Got to love Costco

One tank of gas finding a parking spot, $40. A lifetime supply of Easy Mac, $6.99. Ty's body weight in Goldfish crackers...priceless.

Have it your way

First of all, before I get to my exciting life, let me say CONGRATULATIONS to friends Faith and Bryan on the birth of baby Luke on Sunday morning! Look at some adorable pictures of Luke and big sis Peyton on their blog. I can't wait to meet him! Way to go Faithy. I know you thought he'd never get here!

Now to my exciting life. Oh wait, there's nothing exciting to say. Life is returning to normal around here because Dan is back in the grind. But I do have some random cute pictures. Oh, I know what I'll do to entertain you...

Do you remember those "choose your own adventure" books? They're even doing movies these days with alternate endings on the DVD's. How about you choose which caption would go best under each of these pictures:

A. Jake loves his sunglasses.
B. Jake loves being naked.
C. The combination of the two just makes the kid giddy.
D. Skillful photography makes this picture wedding-slide-show appropriate.

A. Ty is refusing to let us help him eat.
B.Ty should be taking baths at least 3 times daily.
C.Ty read once that mac and cheese smeared in your hair once every few days has been shown to reduce the occurrence of split ends.

A. Felix has made himself at home these last few days. Last night he took advantage of the quiet after the kids went to bed to catch a snooze in the loving arms of Elmo.
B. I've agreed to assist the biology community in documenting the natural habitat of the puggle species. It appears they are attracted to the color red, and enjoy taking long naps in front of particularly large televisions.

Daniel John

On September 1, 1980 my life was forever blessed by the birth of a tiny baby. I'm pretty sure I wasn't even conceived yet, but I'm also pretty sure God had me in mind when little Danny J. Stump was born to John and Ann. This tiny baby didn't stay very tiny for long, and soon he was obsessing over sports stats like Jake obsesses over cars. He collected zillions of baseball cards that are still in our attic and at his parents house ("guaranteed money in the bank some day"). He was the man in middle school, ruling the basketball court, football field and track.

And then one day he met a pretty girl. They became fast friends and that friendship slowly grew. She watched him play basketball in high school, and break his hand playing football his senior year, and she realized how much she cared about him. They went to the winter formal together and held hands. They got married one summer day, and the pretty girl thought she couldn't love him any more than she did at that moment. But then they started to share their lives together and she realized how blessed she really was. They hardly ever fought, and even though his mom had spoiled him (love you, Ann!), he still remembered to do the dishes every once in a while, and always took out the trash.

Then they had a baby, and the girl knew by looking at Dan's face that he would be an incredible father. She was right. He has the perfect mixture of what a dad should be...wrestling with his boys, disciplining them in love, and never letting them go to bed without kisses from daddy.

He is a fantastic teacher, whose students love him and proved by their scores on the state test that they learned a ton from him. He is an awesome role model for the junior high guys that he coaches in football and basketball. I'm excited to bring our boys to his games again this year. They're so proud of daddy, as am I.

Thank you Ann, for giving birth to your little boy who turned into my big man. You and John did an incredible job of raising him, and I am truly grateful.

And thank you Dan, for loving me and our babies more than you love ESPN in high def on your 50 inch plasma. We love you, too. Happy birthday, dude.

Love at first sight

Ok, I've been trying to blog ever since noon yesterday when I got home with Felix, but since Dan is back to school and I now have 3 little ones to handle by myself...I know all of you are dying to know, or maybe it's just Diane, but I'M IN LOVE. This puppy is cuter than his pictures and so lovable, and he sleeps on my lap and frolics in my backyard. Hmm, never thought I'd use the word frolic in one of my blogs, but it's the most accurate term for his playful bouncing around.He slept in the kitchen last night in his dog bed curled up with an old blanket of Ty's and an old binky of Ty's that he's quite fond of. He cried for less than a minute when we locked him in there with the baby gate, and then he proceeded to sleep through the night. Good thing too, because there may have been bloodshed if Dan had to get up with him. But he didn't need to. Felix is perfect. Yep, perfect, no bias here.I took him to the vet today and he's totally healthy and doesn't need any more shots for a year, and even though I almost passed out when they gave me the bill, everybody at the vet's office (staff and other customers) told me they'd never seen a cuter dog, and they want to get one, and I'm the coolest person they've ever met...you know, that sort of thing. I'm such a proud mommy. OH, and just so you know, Dan never wants to be referred to as Felix's daddy. I can't imagine why. He's been Scrooge about the whole thing, and yet Felix was asleep on the couch next to him when I got home from the store tonight (I thought he had made a strict "no mangy mutts allowed on the furniture" rule, but maybe I misunderstood.) We're pretty much an open house these days with the cuteness of the puppy and the hugeness of the TV, so stop on by if you're in the area. And if you happen to swing by Walmart on the way, I have an ever growing grocery list...

And no, I will not be posting any pictures of the ridiculous TV. So don't ask.

The deal has been made

I can't stand it anymore. I wanted to give baby Jack at least a day to be the excitement around our family, but it's been 45 hours since his birth, and everybody loves him, he's the cutest thing ever, yada yada yada. (Kidding of course, he IS the greatest.) But now I'd like to call to your attention the deal that Dan and I made about a plasma TV and a dog. If you don't remember this deal check out my blog posting from May (http://dastump.blogspot.com/2007/05/aint-nothin-but-hound-dog.html).

Well, there is now an enormous plasma TV standing in my living room. So as of Tuesday there will be...a tiny dog standing in my living room!!! I'm sorry, I can't help the excessive exclamation points, I usually hate them, but did you read what I just wrote?? DAN STUMP IS GETTING A DOG!!! Actually the only thing Dan did to get the dog was get the plasma. The rest was up to me. So I'd like to introduce you to my new baby boy.
He is a puggle (a pug/beagle) and he may be the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life, aside from Jake and Ty. And Dan of course.

We're going to name him Felix. Dan isn't excited about the dog, but at least he is pleased about the name I suggested because of Felix Hernandez, a pitcher for the Seattle Mariners, whose games we will now be watching in perfect clarity and sound from our ridiculous new TV (which I'm convinced makes our living room 200 square feet smaller.)

Marriage is all about compromises, isn't it. I have to watch all my favorite TV shows and movies on a state of the art television, and Dan has to suffer through precious floppy ears, adoring eyes and a wagging tail. We are so sacrificial, aren't we?

Jack Timothy Franklin

Congratulations to my sister Karina and husband Dan who had a baby boy last night!! (Karina was the one who actually delivered him, for which I'm sure Dan is very grateful, but he was as involved as a daddy can get.) He was born at the hospital where I work and I was actually in the ER yesterday from noon to midnight, so I got to run upstairs and be standing with my mom outside the door to listen to his first cries. I teared up myself, and I'm not a crier.

He was born at a little before 9pm and weighed 7 lbs, 12 ounces and is 19 1/2 inches long. SO PRECIOUS. Plus he's adorable which is really nice because I don't have to lie to my sister. Or make comments like "oh, what a...little blessing you have there. He's so...little, and such a...blessing."

Jack Timothy Franklin, I'm so glad you came out to play! A lot of people have been waiting for you. Jake is thrilled that baby Jack is out of Karina's tummy, and can't wait to see him. Ty is also thrilled (alright, he has no idea what I'm talking about, but I'm sure he would be thrilled if he could grasp the concept.)


Here's the cute little Franklin family. Big bro Matthew will be 3 in November. Brothers...priceless. Karina and Dan, you guys may have some sleepless nights and grouchy days, but looking into your little man's eyes, and seeing his big brother kiss him and hug him...wow, it doesn't get better than that.

Love you guys! Thanks for making me an auntie again!!

I've been tagged

Well, Faith has inspired me/forced me to get back to the blogosphere. I've been tagged. That means I have to tell you 8 random facts/habits about myself. This will probably take me 5 days to finish because 8 random facts/habits about myself don't immediately come to mind...besides the fact that I think using the backslash key multiple times in one paragraph is funny/entertaining. Okay, before I get to these random facts about myself I have to tell you the rules (which I have copied/pasted from Faith's blog.)

The Rules:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (If you don’t have a blog, email me)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

My 8 random facts/habits about myself:

#1. I've seen King Tut's underwear. When I was little my dad took our family on a 2 month trip to 6 different countries to visit some of our church's missionaries. We went to Egypt and the highlight of my 6 year old life was not seeing the pyramids, it was seeing King Tut's underwear (looks like a typical loin cloth) in the Egyptian National Museum. I just read my last sentence and realized I sound like I know what typical loin cloths look like. You know, the typical loin cloths, like the ones Dan has in his top drawer. Anyway...

#2. I have never seen Gone With the Wind or Casablanca. I'm hoping I never will.

#3. I hate mucous. Not that most people don't, but because I'm an ER nurse this becomes difficult because my job pretty much revolves around bodily fluids. If the words "bodily" and "fluids" make you woozy, just skip right to #4 because I'm not done yet. Urine, feces, vomit? Bring it on. Blood? Glove me up and I'll dive right in. But when I'm starting an IV on Mrs. Smith in room 1 and she chooses that moment to attempt to provide "that sputum sample the doctor wanted," because she's had a "productive cough with green phlegm" for 2 weeks, I'm gagging like a pregnant woman opening a can of tuna.

#4. I bite my nails. Always have and probably always will. Faith said this one too when she got tagged, but unlike Faith, I've never really tried to stop. Nails are overrated.

#5. I would rather scrub my toilet than put away my laundry. Especially the clothes that need to be hung up. I lay them nicely on my bed so they won't wrinkle, then lay them nicely on the floor when it's bedtime...so they can get nicely stepped on in the morning which reminds me to either hang up said clothes or never buy clothes again that require being hung up.

#6. I have an unnatural fear of moths. I'm not the type of girl who screams and gets up on a chair when I see a spider, or a mouse, or even a snake, but for some reason I just can't handle moths. They're dirty and ugly and have huge hairy bodies, and they fly around your face...ugh.

#7. My husband is my best friend. People say that, but I mean it. I love to just hang out with him. He makes me laugh, he makes me think, he can always get me out of a bad mood. Sometimes we stay up way too late just talking about the past and dreaming about the future. We tell each other "I love you" multiple times a day, but somehow it's never cheesey. Heaven forbid I have any cheeseyness in my life after I've worked so hard to preserve my anti-cheese personality.

#8. My kids are miracles. Of course every child is a gift from God, but I was never sure I could get pregnant. I only have one ovary because of a tumor that grew on my other one, which was removed when I was in high school. After that surgery I've had 2 more to remove endometriosis which is supposed to make it very difficult to get pregnant. On top of that I have a thyroid problem which can also make you infertile. My body wasn't exactly a welcome wagon for a baby, yet by age 24 I had two beautiful and healthy boys who make me smile more than they make me sigh. As Jake would so eloquantly say, "Fanks, Jesus." Yes, Lord, fank you very much.

And now I have to tag 8 other people...good luck! Becca, Jane, Melissa, Heather, Mel, RaeAnn, Kelsey, and Holly.

Maui, HA or Wood Village, OR?

We're back. I know you've all been waiting on pins and needles to hear how our trip was. You can't wait for us to share our exotic stories. You want to hear all the exciting tales of world travelers. You want to live vicariously through us because of the amazing adventures we experienced. And so I'll tell you. Highlight #1: I read seven books. Seriously. Seven books in eight days. Do you know the last time I read even seven CHAPTERS of a book? Actually, reading seven paragraphs uninterrupted is unlikely. Seven sentences, maybe. Ok, reading seven WORDS in a row without having to stop to change a diaper or prevent a flow of blood from Ty's head from staining the carpet, is more accurate.

So reading was seriously my highlight. Before I bore you to tears, you should know that we did do other things. We snorkeled and saw sea turtles and amazing tropical fish. We saw the Bourne Ultimatum twice (there's a nauseating story about why I only saw about 1/3 of the movie the first time, which I'll leave up to your imagination because it's probably shorter and better than the true story, and no I'm not pregnant again.)Take a breath. We ate fancy but also cooked in our oceanfront condo. And last but most certainly not least, we got tan. I'm talking T-A-N. Here's my before and after photos.

Yes, I was frightened of what the sun would do to my skin.

You can see that I got over my fear and embraced the sun.


Alright, you get the point. I'll wrap things up. We had an incredible time. So, you ask, how does the island of Maui compare to the 1 square mile of Wood Village, OR? Read on, my friends.

Wood Village vs. Maui, round 1: Wood Village has an air conditioned house. Maui has a hot sticky condo...but the breeze out on the lanai from the ocean 20 feet away feels pretty darn good.

Round 2: Wood Village has a down comforter and body pillow ready at bedtime. Maui has one top sheet that wraps itself around your sweaty legs as you desperately try to kick it to the sweltering ground...but there's also no one screaming at you to get out of that bed before you want to.
Round 3: Wood Village has watered down juice and PB&J's for lunch. Maui has Mai Tai's and Cheesburger in Paradise.

Round 4: Wood Village has Jake and Ty. Maui does not have Jake and Ty but also has no temper tantrums, no snotty noses, no split lips after tripping over toys, and no nap schedules to worry about except my own.

Round 5: Wood Village has a three year old telling me he loves me and missed me, and a 17 month old who wraps his chubby arms around my neck and puts his head on my shoulder.

Wood Village wins in a knock out.

We can't come to the phone right now...

This is Dan and I August 3-10. We'll be in Maui without the kids. I'm sorry, but I just have to say it again...Maui without the kids. Love you boys, but right now we're sipping pina coladas on a gorgeous beach and getting ridiculously tan. Ahhh, life is beautiful!

Jacob Gary

Let's pretend it's August 3 for a few minutes. Why, you ask? Because we're bad parents and we're leaving for Hawaii without the kids on August 3, which happens to be Jake's birthday. Hey, we saved $100 per ticket to leave on Friday instead of Saturday, so we'll feel guilty the whole way, but I'm thinking we'll get over it as soon as we step off the airplane.

So it's August 3, and I am looking at my three-year-old and thinking, "wow, even though that epidural didn't work for 3 hours, he really was worth it." Not that I ever doubted he would be, but I am still amazed at the intensity of my love for that little boy. How can I love him more today than yesterday, because yesterday I couldn't possibly have loved him more.

Some days he's easy to love. Most days, let's be realistic...he's three. But even on those days that I consider actually letting him drive his hotwheels down the freeway as requested, I still find myself thanking God that He gave me such a precious and unique gift.

I'm so proud of the little man he is becoming. He is funny, and thoughtful. He is tough, but he still gives out hugs and kisses freely (maybe too freely, but we'll work on that later.) He loves his baby brother with a passion. He's insanely smart for his age...well, maybe it's selective intelligence. He can't remember where he put his socks, but he remembers the make and model of every person's car he's ever seen in his life.

Jacob Gary Stump, you are my treasure, my delight, and you will forever be my baby boy, no matter how many inches taller and pounds heavier than me you'll get. (Please, God let him weigh more than me someday.) I love you with all of my heart and I am so excited to see what God has in store for you! Happy birthday, Jooj-a-roni.

Ella Kate Huson

There's something about holding a tiny newborn baby that makes you feel as if the world has stopped for a moment, and God and all of heaven is smiling down upon you and this precious miracle. My friend Heather had her baby girl, Ella Kate, on July 16th and she is beautiful. I was holding her last night and there was a quiet voice inside my head saying "look at this amazing example of God's goodness to her mommy and daddy," and then there was the not so quiet voice saying "I am so glad I'm not the one waking up with her at 2am."

I've got to say, though, Heather and Steve are really doing well. Baby girl's been easy on them so far, sleeping 4 hours in a row at night. Heck, Ty didn't sleep 4 hours in a row until he was 9 months old, and because I got up every hour while I was pregnant with him to relieve my smooshed bladder, I'm estimating there were about 18 months of nights that I would have KILLED for 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Not that I'm bitter. Not at all.

Actually, as much as sleep deprivation can be a hazard to anyone's emotional stability, I tried to make the best of it by praying for my boys during those midnight feedings. There were many nights that I forgot, or just plain refused to, but I hope my prayers weren't in vain. Jake might not amount to anything because he slept through the night at 2 months and never looked back, but I'm pretty sure Ty will be the next Pope with the amount I've prayed for that child.

Heather and Steve, welcome to the greatest adventure you'll ever experience. You will laugh, you will cry, you will pray like you've never prayed before. Parenthood is the most exhausting and exhilarating task you will ever be called to. I know you're up for it!

And little Ella, welcome to the world. You've got a lot of people who love you and are praying for your new little family. You are truly a miracle, in more ways than one.

Til death do us part

It was six years ago today that Angela Alcorn became Angela Stump and Dan Stump became...the luckiest guy on the planet. Just kidding. If I were to iron his shirts like any good wife should do, THEN he would be the luckiest guy on the planet. But I have to remind him every once in a while that I'm not super-wife. So ironing is out.

Back to my love story. We've never had the gushy, whispering-sweet-nothings-into-each-others-ear type of relationship, as many of you can attest. Our nickname for each other is not honey or darling or schnookums, it's dude. Seriously. But I can guarantee you that our love goes just as deep, probably deeper, than the couples we make fun of for sitting on the same side of the booth at a restaurant while the other side remains empty.

I was looking through some old notes I'd saved from when we were dating, (because even though I fell asleep during Sense and Sensibility, I am, after all, still a girl) and I found this one, which made me smile. This was written on a piece of paper torn out of a spiral notebook, on Valentines Day of 1999, shortly after we had started dating (we were seniors in high-school). This will give you, my dear reader, a better idea of the way our relationship has always been:

"Ang--Even though I think Valentine's day is a pitiful holiday, I guess we get a chance to spend some time alone together so that makes it decent. The other night all the guys were talking about their girlfriends or the chicks that had enough talent to go out with them, and I realized that no one is even close to you. Don't get a big head or anything, but as far as I'm concerned you're head and shoulders above the rest. Deepening our friendship has truly been awesome, especially spiritually. I pray often that we will continue to strive for purity and that our relationship will be pleasing to God. I hope our relationship is as fun for you as it is for me. The last 3 months have been a blast and I know there are many more good times on the way. Later, dude."

That's my man. I don't think I got a big head, but I am confident he still thinks I'm head and shoulders above the rest. And we HAVE had more good times, more than we ever could have hoped for. And there are still many more on the way.

Daniel John Stump, you are my knight in shining armor, my prince charming, and I'm your princess with the glass slipper, and we'll live happily ever after, yada yada yada. God sure knew what he was doing putting the two of us together. But all joking aside...

I love that you constantly make me laugh. I love that you do the dishes when I'm just about to pull my hair out. I love that we have fun just being with each other. I love that you are a great father and a true example of a godly man to our boys.

I love you, dude. Happy anniversary.

Sorry, boys!

I knew I needed to do the ugly baby post while my kids are still young and can't read the things I wrote about them. (If you didn't read my last post, "An ugly contest" read that one first, you'll appreciate this one more!) Of course now I'm realizing that theoretically they are going to have access to this blog for years to come. So I'd like to take this moment to clarify that I am convinced those ugly pictures had to have been doctored. No way were my children ever as ugly as those pictures make them out to be. And now I'm going to celebrate my kids' astonishing beauty by posting the "best of" collection. This one was much easier, of course, because of how many gorgeous pictures I had to choose from. Not nearly as funny, but shockingly magnificent, I'm sure you'll agree. Cute, no...breathtaking, don't you think?

The Best of Jake collage.

The best of Ty collage.

My favorite Jake picture. It had only been one year, but I couldn't imagine (and still can't) a better thing than the love between a momma and her boy.

Jake and Ty, now you won't have to go to therapy. Even if you weren't cute, you know I'd still love you. But I'm sure glad I don't have to put paper bags over your heads when I take you to WalMart.

An ugly contest...

You know how Regis and Kelly do a beautiful baby competition? You send in the cutest picture you have of your baby and think for sure you'll win because the other 399 million babies that will enter the competition could not possibly be as beautiful as yours. I've been looking through some old pictures and thinking I should start a Ugliest Baby Picture competition. Holy moley. Or, as Jake used to say, "hohwee mohmee" some of these pictures are bad. I mean really bad. I'm posting these so that all you other parents out there with kids not nearly as cute as mine (usually) are, will be encouraged that even those adorable Stump kids are sometimes...hideous.

Jake's ugly collage. Wow. I've got this competition in the bag. Top to bottom, left to right (like reading, hmm)#1 Looking into the sun, and evidently trying to hide his lips. #2 17 days old and looking like an old man. An old, very bored man. #3 Attempting to smile, but just being ugly. #4 Never again will I let Dan near Jake's hair. #5 Slimy newborn, need I say more. #6 Futilely practicing the "hey baby" look. #7 Seriously. #8 Vomit on the face of a child, priceless. #9 Green snot is not really photogenic.

Ty's ugly collage. Are you sick to your stomach yet? #1 Afraid of the camera...or maybe just a case of rice-cereal-phobia. #2 Again, newborns are not cute. Ever. #3 Snapped right after the best picture ever taken, deciding one cute pic is quite enough for today, thank you. #4 Usually it's nice to see even one small piece of your child's face in a photo. #5 Yep, that's my baby. Sorry. #6 I tried to get a picture of the rash he had on his face, and you can't see how ugly the rash is because of how ugly the child is. #7 Coughing, and guaranteeing himself a top prize finish in my contest. #8 Why I started blogging AFTER Ty's early months. #9 Praying he would grow into his enormous head.


My favorite Ty ugly picture. The face only a mother could love.

Grown-up time!

We went to the beach this last weekend. The kids stayed home.

I'll rephrase that--the kids stayed "home" at both grandparents' houses (one night at each). I suddenly got a vision in my mind of the day we can actually leave our kids HOME, meaning our home, without supervision for a whole weekend. I'm picturing 16-year-old Jake washing and waxing his new Dodge Ram truck he's been saving for his whole life. I'm picturing 15-year-old Ty trying to help big bro, but ending up tripping over the hose and gashing his head on the driveway. Jake rolls his eyes because Ty still has stitches on his forehead from an incident last week. Jake grabs the keys and they head to the ER. They pull into the parking lot and Jake is now furious with Ty for bleeding all over his new truck, and while Ty is staggering in to the ER, Jake grabs a bottle of Windex and a rag from the glove compartment and goes to town.

We may be taking a lot more family vacations than I anticipated.

So back to the beach. We had such a great time. We went with three other couples, and it was so wonderful to have some full uninterrupted conversations that never started with "look at my eyes" or ended with "because I said so." We went to the Tilamook Cheese Factory and had 210 samples of cheese (we went through the line a few dozen times) and ate insanely delicious ice cream. We roasted s'mores on the beach and Vergil impressed us with his marshmallow roasting skills, and Kelsey impressed us with her idea of using Reeses peanut butter cups instead of plain chocolate. Yum is an understatement.
The guys built a pretty impressive sandcastle and we took a pretty impressive amount of pictures of it. We ate fish and chips and clam chowder at Mo's (I'm not a seafood gal, but their chicken strips are to die for.) We slept on air mattresses in the living room and laughed until we cried and until we wanted to shoot ourselves because of how late it was. So much for a restful vacation, but boy was it worth it.


Eric and Megan, Natalie and Paul, Vergil and Kelsey...
thanks for
an incredible weekend!