It'll all come out in the wash...

Literally. Figuratively. It WILL all come out in the wash.

So, this idiom means that we shouldn't worry because it will turn out all right in the end. It's a rather fitting idiom for this post, though.

If you haven't heard, my cell phone went missing last week Thursday. It was a rotten day. Alex was fussy, fussy, fussy & refusing to nap. Nothing was going right. I couldn't get anything done. I was frazzled, trying to do 4 loads of laundry in one day, do some cleaning, and take care of my cranky kiddo. We needed clean sheets on our bed, Alex needed clean clothes, and Keith needed a lot of clean work clothes for his trip to Pittsburgh.

Then, while I was running a few local errands, I couldn't find my cell phone. I looked everywhere that seemed logical. No cell phone.

I got home, and moved a load of laundry from the washer to the dryer.

"Thunk".

Um, that's not the sound you're supposed to hear when wet clothes land in the dryer.
Guess what? I found my cell phone.

Now, what do you suppose a cell phone looks like after 45 minutes of agitating in the washer?
The pretty teal paint is chipped in a few places.
It's dripping with water.
Water is SLOSHING behind the screen.

This is my brand new cell phone. I'd only owned it for about 6 weeks, and I was excited to have nice, new cell phone that has good enough reception to actually...well... make a phone call. My former cell phone, which I'd been using for 4 years, didn't really do that any more.

So, living in our high-tech world, what did I do first?
I went to Facebook, changed my status to request help for a wet cell phone, and then googled "cell phone in washing machine". (Try it sometime; I'm not the only idiot in the world!)

Within minutes, I had the answers I needed:
DON'T turn it on; the water might cause something to short.
Remove the battery.
Open up everything on the phone that can be opened in order to air it out.
DON'T use a hair dryer; you might overheat important elements in the phone.
And, the most unusual advice:
Stick it in a bag of uncooked rice.

After 2 days, it was a no-go. The phone turned on, but the screen just showed a bright grayish-white color. After 3 days, same thing. I gave up, figuring my phone was a lost cause. I activated an old phone of Keith's, and I figured that this was a valuable lesson to always check my pockets when doing the laundry.

On Monday, though, the screen came back in a cloudy, hazy way. It was functioning, but not well enough to use. By Tuesday, it was back to life! I have my wonderful cell phone again!

Here's the really cool part - Keith is in Pittsburgh this week, and I'm really missing him. I hate it when he's gone; a nightly phone call just isn't the same as having him here.

When my cell phone 'died', I'd had a blue-green floral wallpaper on the screen.

When my cell phone 'revived', the wallpaper was a picture of Keith & Alex.

I never changed the wallpaper. Really. I'd taken that picture on the day I got my new phone, but it was a little blurry so I didn't use it. I have no idea why the picture changed, but I'll tell you - it made my day!

So...having a bad day? Don't worry - it'll all come out in the wash! :)

August pictures

Alex doesn't like it when Mama sits by the computer. He either cries or swats at the keyboard, resulting in text like this: ee4y63uirbn argi Since that is rather hard to read, I haven't been updating as much. I can READ other websites & blogs, but I can't write paragraphs. It's too challenging. He's currently playing with my cell phone, so my hands are momentarily free. I started this post on September 3, but didn't get very far. It's now September 10th, and I'm just getting around to finishing this.

Here's the August update...

I picked up this dinosaur toy for Alex at a garage sale. Whoever previously owned it was a very organized, tidy person. The dinosaur ($4 deal, by the way) was in perfect condition; it even had the original instruction manual taped to the back!
Alex loves the lights and music, loves to watch the balls go through the "tunnels", but most importantly - Alex loves to use this toy to pull himself to a standing position. Who stole my BABY?!

This picture was taken at Alex's first concert. (Yes, Angie, that's your arm!) A group from our church spent a day at the World Pulse Music Festival in South Bend. It was an all-day (free) Christian music festival. Our seats were far from the stage, but that was kind of nice - we could still chat, Alex wasn't subjected to overly-loud music, and we all had a great day! We brought our own lunch, so the only cost of the day was a snack & then dinner at Burger King on the way home.
Church kids (and Angie's nephew Cole) with Alex
This was taken at Grandma's house when we celebrated Alyssa's birthday. Poor Alex was not in a good mood that day. Diane had been waiting to see him, as she hadn't seen Alex in...um...2 months? (Bad Aunt Diane!) She really didn't get to enjoy him or see my happy boy, though. Alex just didn't cooperate.
Seth is my neighbor's 4 year old. Lisa just went back to work, and I'm watching Seth when he's not in preschool. We're having fun making playdough, coloring coffee filters, taking walks, having picnics at the park...all sorts of stuff! Alex just loves having Seth around. (Maggie's pretty excited about it, too.) Seth & I took Alex to the park a few weeks ago, and Alex went in a baby swing for the first time. He just giggled, grinned, and had a great time. I hadn't brought my camera, so Daddy & I took Alex back to the park that night. Unfortunately, Alex wasn't really in the mood for it. He cried in the swing, but he had fun in Daddy's arms.

The annual Frieling Family Reunion is held in August. So here we are at the park by Grandma & Grandpa Schurman's house, chatting with cousins & aunts & uncles, eating yummy food, and playing guessing games. Alex actually stayed in a pretty good mood, even allowing a few extended family members to hold him for a while.

What do you do with a cranky Alex? Stick him in something unusual...a suitcase, a laundry basket, a cardboard box...whatever is handy. Nine times out of ten, it results in smiles & at least 10 minutes of happiness.

Grandma Purdy & Nana requested to take Alex swimming, so we went up to Uncle Jim's house in Crown Point one Sunday afternoon. Alex was definitely not in the mood to swim. This is about the happiest face he had while in the water. Poor Grandma & Nana...they got to see Alex in the water, but I can't imagine it was the most exciting thing they've ever experienced!

This is in Uncle Jim's house after Alex got out of the pool. Papa found Alex's smile! :)

That's about it for August. In case you're wondering, Alex is sitting on the floor next to me, holding my flip flop in one hand, my cell phone in the other, and fussing for my attention. Sigh. I'll try to update the first part of September during naptime.

Grace: The Unmerited Gift From God

http://busscherfamily.blogspot.com/2008/08/grace-unmerited-gift-from-god.html

Kathy updated her family's blog with a post that brought me to tears. It's obvious that they are still struggling, and we all know that they will struggle for a long time to come. It's also obvious that their faith is strong, and I know they are allowing God to work in them & through them. If you haven't seen this yet, please click the link above to read how you can pray for Brian & Kathy's family. Thanks.

--

When my sister & I attended the visitation for Grace, they were all out of cards. My mom brought one to me a few weeks later. I've read it many times, and I still can't read it without crying. It's hanging on our refrigerator, and it will stay there for a long time to come. Grace's picture is my daily reminder to pray for Brian & Kathy's family, and the words inside are my reminder to cherish every moment with Alex.

Everone who reads my blog knows the frustrating moments of parenthood far better than I do.

• when Alex decides he wants to be clingy all day, and I can't accomplish anything...


• when he's up multiple times during the night for no apparent reason, and all I want is to get three consecutive hours of sleep...
  
• when I'd just like to finish a chore or a project without interruption...

...all I need to do is remember that Alex is an amazing and precious gift from God. We prayed and waited for him for what seemed like a very long time. We are priveleged and blessed to be the parents of this sweet, happy little boy.

As he gets bigger and more challenging in many ways, I'll need the reminder even more: Alex is a gift to be cherished and treasured.

I hope I never forget that, and in those frustrating moments with your own kids, I hope you'll remember it, too.

Happy Birthday Jessica!

(It's a bit late, but I finally have a chance to get the pictures on the blog.)

Jessica celebrated her 12th birthday last weekend. In just one more year, she will be a teenager! It's evident that she is no longer a little girl - she chose to have a spa party this year. No more of that little kid party stuff! :) After the food, cake, and presents, Jessica and her cousins/friends gave foot massages, manicures, and pedicures to the ladies...and even to a few of the boys. Aaaah, that felt so nice! (But don't ask about Kyles fingernails & toenails...you don't want to know!)

Here are some pictures from the occasion:

Grandma Purdy made this amazing waterslide cake.
Jessica & her cousins/friends watched as she opened her presents.
The Spa
Playing together
Uncle Kevin & Alex

Fisher Price House Party!

I won a Fisher Price House Party!

I'll leave out all the details, but I signed up to win a chance to host a Fisher Price Toy party for babies & their moms. I won one of the Indiana spots! That means I get to invite 10 moms with children 2 & under. They come to my house & get free toys.

No one has to buy anything. They just get to try out the toys with their kids. It's basically a free in-home advertisement for Fisher Price.

I get $200 worth of new Fisher Price toys. I get 4 pretty fancy toys! I feel guilty about that, so I'll probably do a drawing for one or two of the toys. Everyone who comes can enter, and one of them can go home with a bigger toy.

Here are the toys I'll receive:
1 Laugh & Learn™ Smart Bounce & Spin Pony™
1 Laugh & Learn™ Fun with Friends™ Musical Table
1 Amazing Animals™ Spinnin’Around Musical Zoo
1 Go Baby Go Crawl & Cruise Musical Jungle™

Here is what guests will recieve:
10 Fisher-Price toys to share with your guests, including Poppity Pop™, Rock-A-Stack®, and Friendly Flip Phone™
10 Infant Product Guides
10 coupons for the Fisher-Price®


We have a Bounce & Spin Zebra that I picked up on clearance. The new one - Bounce & Spin Pony - actually is interactive for older children. At 12 months, you can use it just as is - a fun pony that makes noise as you bounce & spin. As they get bigger, you can hook it up to your TV with a wireless setup, and your little one can interact with what's on the screen to play & to learn colors, numbers, shapes, etc. Wow!!!!! I think someone else can have the zebra as a baby gift.
The musical jungle looks really fun. Balls go through the elephants ears/trunk, down the monkeys hands & through the slide, and somehow they pop out of the hippo. Alex would love this toy now, I think!
Either this zoo or the table below will be my party drawing give-away. I'll have to see what I think when they arrive.
The table can be used with or without legs, depending on your baby's age.
I just think this is SOOOOO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I suppose that happy parents make loyal customers? Whatever the case, THANK YOU Fisher Price!!!

August So Far...

Okay, I lied. These start on our anniversary - July 31st. I haven't updated for a while, so it's another picture day.

See? Keith IS wonderful! Happy Fourth Anniversary, Keith! Wer celebrated at home with grilled ribeye, baked potatoes, green beans, corn, & rolls. Keith said it's better than a restaurant.


The picture above is supposed to show Alex's 2 teeth. He didn't cooperate.

The picture below shows Alex "helping" me with the laundry by unfolding all the wipes.

This is one of his favorite seats.


I volunteered to test a new fabric softener. I just had to be able to complete 5 loads of laundry in a week. (Ha! I can handle that!) You get free softener (obviously) and now that I've completed the survey, they're supposed to send me another free product. Here are a few pics I took during the survey:

Comparing my regular fabric softener (yes, I'm cheap...) with the survey softener.
Odd looking, isn't it? You might have guessed it's an all-natural product made from recycled papers. It's the newest 7th Generation product. That company hasn't let me down yet. These do the job of softening & removing static, but they're unscented. I look forward to them introducing a scented variety. I'm waiting on my other free "green" product to arrive in the mail. I'm so curious to know what the thank-you gift will be!!!!

Do you think he's helping with the laundry? At least he's not bored or crying while I fold clothes!
Thanks for the corn, Angie! Alex held an ear very happily while I shucked the rest.

Look what happens when you give Alex a teething biscuit...

Most of you know that I don't let Alex watch TV. I think TV for babies is absolutely ridiculous. After 7.5 months of parenting, I still feel that way. Ask me again when he's a year old. Until then, no TV.

However...

...THIS is what happens when Jon & Kate Plus Eight is on. I usually watch it in the afternoon for a little humor while I'm making dinner, folding laundry, nursing Alex, etc. If he's not in my arms, Alex is on the floor with his toys facing the OPPOSITE direction so he can't see the TV. On this day, I was making dinner. I peeked in on Alex to find he had turned himself around to watch Jon & Kate. He loves to hear/see all the little kids on this show!

Uh-oh...We're in trouble, people...somebody discovered that the toilet paper roll looks very entertaining. At least he's not mobile yet! Look out, Mama...

This is my little guy today. He has a cold, and he feels miserable. He's all stuffy, has a cough, and I think he has a sore throat because he keeps making funny throat-clearing sounds & whimpering. He really doesn't feel well. Poor kiddo! He just about fell asleep with his head back while I dried my hair today. Every time he falls asleep, though, he wakes up screaming a short time later. I feel for him. If only I could make it all better :(
That's all so far. Just a bunch of pictures for those of you who have asked when I might update the blog again. There you have it - an update *Ü*

Grace

My cousin's little girl passed away over the weekend. Grace was 18 months old, and this was a tragic accident. Please pray for comfort for the Busscher family as they deal with this awful tragedy.

http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/08/family_blog_shows_toddler_who.html

http://www.funeralquestions.com/obits/NVLY/memorial.asp?listing_id=112798

Hug your little ones just a little harder today...and every day.

Thank God for blessing you with such precious little ones to love!