End of an Era

School starts tomorrow.  Yes, on August 12.  I know, what were they thinking???

Where did summer go?

Watching Eli feed ducks!

Feeding ducks!

We had much fun this summer, but I am sad it's over.

Eli's Birth Story: 3 Years Late

I wrote this in my journal for Eli shortly after he was born and have planned to blog it for over a year.  :)  Enjoy!

Eli Andrew Zsiga was born at 2:09 pm on Tuesday, July 9, 2007.  He was over 2 weeks past my due date, but can never use that as an excuse!  My pregnancy was pretty good.  I didn't get too sick and I wasn't miserable.

I was schedule for an induction on the morning of the 24th (my 2nd since I had gone in a week earlier and decided I wanted to wait for Eli to come on his own.).  I started bleeding about midnight and called the hospital at 3:15am when I was still bleeding.  They said to come on in a few hours early.  I was having mild contractions and was given Cytotec and hooked up to some fluids and antibiotics (for strep b) on the IV.  About 10:30am I got Pitocin to speed up labor,  I was dilated to 3cm all morning until noon when the doctor decided to break my water.  At 12:45 I was dilated to a 7.  I got up just before 2pm to go to the bathroom and when I came back I felt like I had to push.  The nurse had said to let her know if I did.

The doctor came back in, said I was ready and everyone rushed around getting things ready. (The rapid progression was not expected after it had taken hours to get past 3cm.) I tried to push during the first contraction and I had some trouble.  I couldn't figure out how to push.  I did some panicking and decided I was done.  :)  The nurses coached me and I did better on the second contraction.  On the third contraction I was told to push until the baby came (Eli's heart rate was dropping and they wanted him out.).  I pushed and pushed and pushed.

Then Eli came out in one swift motion and was skinny and not breathing.  His throat was stuff with birth stuff (you don't want to know ;).  The nurses took Eli and put a tube down his throat to suck the gunk out.  Then he was better and breathing!  Andy did not get to cut the umbilical cord because Eli was not breathing, which was sad, but it was more important to have a healthy baby!

weeks old

3 years old

You can read Carmody's birth story here!

Playing Preschool

Eli and I do school work several days a week.  He loves it and I think he may be learning something :)  Sometimes we do Hooked of Phonics Kindergarten curriculum (don't be impressed, he is just learning the alphabet right now!), we use flashcards to practice colors, shapes, and counting, a Kumon workbook that helps him learn to write and draw, it also is good for number practice.  We have a sticker workbook with a transportation theme.  Our newest activity is magazine cut and paste to learn colors and practice motor skills.  After we finish colors, on to letters and munbers!

Here Eli is getting ready to glue

Working hard!

Perfect placement is key!

Here is the finished product- YELLOW

Happy Birthday to Eli!

Eli's 3rd birthday was last weekend and he had a great time at the Track, riding go-karts, bumper boats and bumper cars and playing mini-golf!

Opening his helicopter from Uncle Luke

Bike from Grandpa and Nana, now to figure out how to pedal...




A Wii game from Papa and Grandma- Mario Cart and Toy Story!

Blowing out the candles on his dirt pudding birthday cake.

Eating a worm!

Bath Time

The kids love to take baths together. They laugh the whole time. Carmody thinks Eli is the best thing ever. He relishes in the role of big brother. :)

Blogging Bore

I have not posted anything in a month. And the last several posts have been book reviews. I am unmotivated, but I have high hopes that I will be back to blogging sometime soon. We've been doing lots this summer. A cross-country trip, lake days, Silver Dollar City visits, Eli's birthday and more. Lots to write about, but nothing written.

Book Review: Same Kind of Different as Me

I had heard about this book and when Thomas Nelson opened it up for more reviews I jumped at the opportunity! In exchange for my honest opinion Thomas Nelson Publisher sent me a copy of Ron Hall and Denver Moore's book, Same Kind of Different as Me. I was not compensated in any other way.

This book starts out telling the stories of two men growing up in the 1950's. They seem very different, but similarities pop up along the way. The book switches between the lives of Ronnie and Denver, called 'lil Buddy. You learn that Denver grew up in Louisiana as a sharecropper who never learned to read or drive a car. He spent year after year working for 'the Man'. After 30 years he decides he's had enough and hops on a train, ending up in Fort Worth, TX. He is homeless and in and out of jail. He is unreachable.

Ron Hall has come a long ways from his lower-middle class roots. He married a sorority girl and became an investment banker. On the side he began buying and selling expensive art. That business soon became full-time. Ron played the part of benevolent Christian family man. But the pieces of his facade started falling.

When the two men meet, because Ron's wife talks him in to volunteering at an inner city mission, they both change and many more people change as well. As both men see life in a different way they draw closer to God.

I was in tears by the end of the book. I told several people about it the day I finished. I would recommend this memoir! I like how the story builds, bouncing from one chapter to the next. I love how these two men see that there is now distinction between those who are in Christ. And when these men follow God, their community is impacted and lives are changed.