Some Photos

Josiah Turns Four
Cake by Kathy










Josiah's been working out!












Joe and The Boys Go Fishin'










Josiah's Big Bass








Self Portrait (It's not Mike)












Happy Heavy Duty!

















What a Sucker!







Josiah's First horse ride!

NFL Musings

Here's what makes the NFL the best league, hands down. While making my picks this week, I felt absolutely sure I would get at least 13 of the 16 games correct... The Browns, I mean sweet Aunt Gertrude! So without any further ado

10 Things I Think 2 Weeks into It
1. Jeff Fisher may be the best coach in the NFL
2. Bill Bill is, unfortunately, probably better
3. Frank Gore's run was the greatest all time. Except for a lot of other ones.
4. Brett Favre... see last times 10 Things
5. Broncos are SUPER BOWL BOUND, BABY!
6. GriesEEE, GriesEEE, GriesEEE
7. Read Sports Illustrated's "Start 'Em/ Sit 'Em" segment. Do the exact opposite.
8. I had the Saints at 8-8 before the year started.
9. I had the Chiefs 1 - 15.
10. 49ers are a quarter of the way to my wildest dreams (8-8)

Stop, Collaborate and Listen

Joe is back with a brand new addition... Thanks, Vanilla.
Actually, much belated thanks to all those who came to help on the addition. Things are going well, but slowly. Working full-time, being a youth pastor "part"-time, and... well all the things a busy dad does makes for slow going...

I am nearly ready for drywall (which will change the look in a hurry.) As I was ripping out the old bathroom, I decided that all the joists and EVERYTHING needed to get ripped out... That was fun. But, I got that done, the new floor put down, and the partition walls put up. I got the rest of the overhang cut down, the walls all plumbed up, the cathedral framed in, the interior walls put up, some recessed shelving put in, the new stack put in, the electrical mainly put in, proper vents up, insulation ready to go, floor leveled up, windows put in, soffit and fascia put on, gutters put on, old stool/sink/tub ripped out, old plumbing ripped out, new plumbing ready to go, 3 loads of junk dumped and burned, and probably a few other things...

Our Fall Unit at youth group has begun. We are "Diving Deeper" as a theme. We have begun the "People of" curriculum... The first week was "Passion" and the 2nd was "Problems." We have a special speaker this Wednesday, Sept 19. On September 26 we will be studying People of Prayer. (It is also the National Day of Prayer.) In Sunday School, I have concluded our summer unit on the parables of Christ (all 39 of them). Our new unit is "Heroes of the Faith." We have begun with my personal favorite, Martin Luther.

Things at UBC are still going well. One of our drivers has called it quits... Our new driver has started. I am still working at the counter and driving. I'm the only guy who drives our big boom truck, as it is too difficult for any of the other guys to figure out. The boom is great for drywall. I had a few to 3rd story windows last week. (The last was on Friday in the midst of a stiff breeze... a little tricky!)

Family life, as usual, is absolutely splendid. Jacob ("Heavy Duty") is sitting up, starting to crawl, and ready for Algebra 2. His newest thing is a superb "speed boat" impersonation. Just imagine a chunky kid with loads of spit. (or remember back to Andy as a babe!) Josiah is loving school... He is a pretty good help around the house. He really enjoys going out to our friend's to empty the junk wagons.

Pray for us in regards to this rather busy schedule... Also please pray as our house (especially the kitchen) is constantly a mess...[due to construction (me) and not Kathy!]

Much thanks again for all those who helped (or gave up their hubby for a loooong day).
It is greatly appreciated.

Joe

Summer Days Slippin Away

Well, the calendar has turned to August. Actually, I turned the calendar to August as we don't have an automated calendar. Actually, we do... on the computer. Anyway.

Lumber yard work at UBC is going well. I am slowly being trained at our front desk, which will be the next possible promotion for me. It's hot outside. I am not a big fan of hot. (Hot being anything over 70.)

Youth group work is going well. I have just about finished developing the "People of..." curriculum. We will be integrating small groups into our weekly meetings. We also will be incorporating mentoring as well. I also plan to develop a service program (shut-ins, nursing home, widows, and those less fortunate.) I am working on a missions trip to South Dakota for next summer... Please pray for me as I develop these. The wily Devil often enlists those from our own ranks to oppose that which is best. Pray that I have the humility to realize what is opposition and what is wise advice!

Family life is going well. Josiah and I have nearly finished his fort in the backyard... We do quite a bit of fishing. Kathy and Jacob joined us for one such excursion. Kathy got to see her firstborn catch a few fish... (I also caught one. Yes, just one.) We will be celebrating 8 years of marriage on the 14th. Each day has been better than the last. (That was for my wife, who will probably read this and then edit out this parenthetical thought. Or she might not.) We have passed into the minority (the average marriage lasts slightly more than 7 years.)

With the aid of Bob Jr. and Dad, we will be doing a rather extensive remodeling project, beginning this Thursday, Lord willing and weather permitting.

Josiah will be going to pre-K within a month. After a lot of consideration and prayer, we have decided to enroll him in Benton Public School (aka, Our Back Yard.) He will have school Monday thru Thursday 8:10 until 11:15. He is very excited. (Especially for his supplies and new school shoes!) We are all excited.

Anyway, it is time for vanilla ice cream!

Joe's NFL Predictions

Super Bowl: not the Raiders or Falcons. Probably Denver and Cowboys

Bears Record: 11 - 5
49ers Record: 8 - 8
Titans Record: 3 -13
Broncos Record: 11 - 5

10 Things I Think:

1. The NFC is terrible
2. Mel Kiper should play baseball. He gets 30% right (.300) and he's an all-star, borderline hall of famer.
3. Bill Walsh had more impact on the game than Parcells, Gibbs, and Ditka COMBINED.
4. Matt Schaub (or however its spelled) will be the most overdrafted Fantasy player. But he'll have great numbers every 3rd game.
5. Vince Young is... difficult to rate. He needs to get better. He probably won't. But I guess Donovan did, kind of. And Culpepper. Steve Young actually did... Vince's stats last year: More picks than TDs. Hmm. 52% completion rate. 67 QB rating... Hmm. Hmm. THIS GUY MADE THE PRO BOWL!?!?! What a joke. Still could be good, except his team is terrible. But, they have one of the top 5 coaches on their side, which will help.
6. Cardinals, the "team to surprise everybody" for the last 3 or 4 years, still won't.
7. The Lions will.
8. If you have the number one fantasy pick, grab Deshaun Foster. I'm hoping I have the number two fantasy pick.
9. Brett Favre is the QB version of Curtis Martin, only with a few more amazing plays b/c of his arm strength. Should have done more with the raw athleticism that he had. Both are compilers, but both deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, no question.
10. Marvin Harrison retires at the end of the year.

Alternate Ending For Harry Potter

And so Harry died by the hand of Voldemort.

Chubba Bubba

I took Jacob in for his 4 month checkup last Tuesday. He's almost 20 lbs and 27 inches long! The 20 lbs didn't surprise me because I carry him around everyday and have noticed that I'm acquiring biceps now. : ) But the 27 inches long part did surprise me. Nice to see him growing so well though. Jacob is turning into such a funny baby. He loves to look right at people's faces and "talk" back to you. Joe can really make him laugh. It's a goofy Ernie-sounding laugh.

We've been enjoying our summer. I've been doing a lot of re-evaluating the last few weeks. MOPS is over and that's been a wonderful thing! I've decided to quit working Tuesdays at the library, at least for the summer. Then I can decide again in the fall if I'm ready to work a weekday again. I still work Saturday mornings, but that's not nearly so stressful as Joe is usually home and I don't have to worry about cleaning my house for a babysitter to come over! ; )

We are doing the summer reading program at our library and that's been lots of fun. I didn't realize how many books Josiah and I read together until we started charting them for prizes! Makes me feel good as a mom. : )

Our neighbor Jamie put up a decent sized inflatable pool for her 5 year old son Nathan. They don't mind us using it during the day when they're gone. That's been lots of fun on these hot afternoons.

Oh and I've done some garage-saling too. Though I don't seem to hit the jackpot like Rachel does (nerd!) but I've found a few cute things here and there. And Josiah really gets into it too. I didn't think he'd like hopping in and out of the car/stroller, but he considers it an adventure.

Well, that's our little update for now. Take care everyone!

A Special Day

The low hum of a box fan was all that could be heard in the modest, two-story home. Somewhere on the first floor a gray, fluffy cat was prowling about searching for a sun-lit patch of carpeting. The early morning sun was indeed just beginning to creep through the partially drawn curtains. Today was a special day.

On the second floor, a black on gray cat could be seen perched near the edge of a dresser. With a quick twitch and a soft thu-thump, the cat jumped to the floor and made its way to the edge of a bed. The cat boldly announced the beginning of the day with sharp, trilling "rowr." From the pillows, a muffled voice clumsily responded, "Copy, go downstairs." However, Copy was far too determined to wake the would-be sleeper... Soon, a steady stream of "rowrs" could be heard in the bedroom. As if in answer, a quiet voice from the adjacent room began to quietly sing. The man pulled his head from the pillows and listened groggily as the words "a wee little man was he" could be dimly heard coming through the walls. With a quick smile and shake of the head the man swung out of bed.

As he stumbled out the door towards the adjacent room, the singing abruptly stopped, then began again. The sweet singer had switched songs. Now the words "I am one of them and so are you" could be heard. The man quietly opened the door; however, the door would not be quietly opened and announced its opening with a shrill squeek.

The singing stopped once again. The singer was standing in the middle of his bed with a "friend," a blue, stuffed puppy. The singer gave the man a huge smile and said, "Is today this morning, Daddy?"

The man couldn't help but smile... and then affirm, "Yes, today is this morning, Josiah."

"THEN TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY! IT'S YOUR SPECIAL DAY, DADDY!"

The Daddy couldn't help but to agree. This day, like every other day, truly was... special.

Joe Gets Another New Job

Yes, I move through my jobs rather quickly... Actually, I am still employed at UBC in Platteville. However, I have recently been added to the pastoral staff at our Free Methodist Church in Pville. This is a paid, part-time position. I am very excited about working directly w/ youth again...

One of my duties is to develop the curriculum for grades 7 - 12, both Sunday School and Youth Group. I have looked and looked at various publishers but have yet to find anything worth purchasing.... Does anyone know of (or have) any publisher they would recommend. I was a bit surprised to find that Regular Baptist Press (despite being Babdist, heh, heh) had the most variety. However, quantity does not mean quality (except, of course, regarding Super Bowls and Joe's dominance in that regard).

As of right now, I am planning to write the curriculum myself... but why reinvent the wheel? (Unless I guess, you come up with a better wheel. I mean, I'm all for the Amish, but rubber is superior to steel in the wheel business. Or something. Whatever. This is actually how my thoughts progress, which should give everyone some insight on why I struggle at stopping things from spewing from my brain through my mouth. Spew is a fun word. Try it sometime. Spew. Spew. Spewing. To spew. Spewed. Spew, spew, spew... )

I plan to start with a Sunday School unit on the parables. I'm thinking that Youth Group nights I may start with People of _____. (Power, Passion, Prayer, Problems, Things that Don't Start with P, etc.)

For those not familiar with the Free Methodist Church, read our shorter discipline. If you are strapped with time, just check out the official FMC website. I don't know what it is but Google or Yahoo should help.

Gone Fishin'

Recently, Josiah and I went out fishing. It was Josiah's first time! There is a beautiful little river near Benton, the Fever River. (Don't let the name scare you, though. After all, there IS an antidote!) This is "one of Wisconsin's premier smallmouth bass fishing streams." (From the WI DNR site). Josiah and I caught one 11" smallmouth bass our first time out... And that was with a Twister and a bobber. (I was teaching him how to cast...) The Fever is also home to trout, walleye, and "chubs".

Josiah found it quite funny that another name for cow poop is "cow pie". He was quick to note that "cowpies are not for eating, though."

We've now gone out a few times; however, the rain has made for some poor fishing... The Fever is starting to go down and clear out, so we may try again this weekend...

I'll bring the camera this time and post a few pics later on!

P.S. We also got the hammock back out... Excellent for taking naps after a rigorous fishing expedition!

Easter Pictures

Guess which of these photos was not from Easter Sunday!

Joe Gets A New Job

I have recently been hired at the local UBC (United Builder Corporation). Though I did take a bit of a paycut, the hours are much better and there is great opportunity for growth in the company. UBC hires 90% of sales people and 99% of managers from w/i its own company. Further, most of these hires started from the ground up, being a delivery driver.

I spend the majority of my day taking breaks. I try to squeeze in a delivery or two between breaks, if possible... Obviously, it is a much different pace than my previous job with Pepsi. Pepsi itself was a great job, and I left on great terms w/ the owner... However, my only certain future with Pepsi was going to be rotator surgery!

I actually already have 2 "promotions" due to my experience at Pepsi and working w/ Dad. I am officially a "experienced" driver. My next promotion will be salesman... Anybody wanna buy some lumber?

I mainly drive around our big International dump-bed delivery truck. I am being sent for training for a monster boom truck that we just acquired. This truck will be used mainly for shingle, OSB, drywall, and trusses. It is remote controlled/ joystick controlled. I am the only one from our location that is being sent! I am quite excited! I've already been driving it around the yard and practicing... Shifting through 12 gears takes a lot of practice...

I really enjoy my job and so far it has also been a great family decision too! Josiah got to sit in my semi the other day... He thought the air horn was quite neat... He also enjoyed the dump bed!

BWAAH-BWAAH (sound of air horn)

Joe and Josiah Go on a Trip!

My firstborn and I just recently completed an exciting trip to the amazing land of... yep, Nebraska! Filled with such wonders as: no hills, lots of wind, chaff, and rock roads! State motto: "Get in, get out--as fast as you can!"

One of my good friends from college (the legalistic one, not the "liberal" one!), Chris "Shuf" Rohrbaugh and his family live out there [wife Jhoanna, son Willy (7), daughter Katie (4), and daughter Charlotte Ann (1.5).]

Shuf lives on a nice 3 acre spread with a beautiful 40x40 shop w/ concrete floor. The family actually lives in the house, though! Shuf runs an organic farm with his dad, Paul. They are also both leaders in their local Baptist church. They live entirely off custom processing chickens and steers. They also sell at the farmer's markets in Omaha and Lincoln. (They live about 1 hour south of both outside the "town" of Steineur.) Though they don't make much, they still have a great way of life.

I had this week off from work, so I decided to take my "Scoop" (Josiah) with me on a 8 hour trip to NE. Josiah did remarkably well and really enjoyed the one on one with his Daddy. I am amazed at his vocabulary and "maturity" for a 3 year old. He was extremely well behaved and just loved going to the farm. His favorite things that we did were feeding the chickens, chasing the roosters, and riding the 4 wheeler.

One of the projects he helped with was getting some salvage lumber at an abandoned farm. Josiah was very helpful and made sure all the brambles were whacked down for us with his stick sword. Scoop also enjoyed playing with his "cousins" and his goofy "Uncle Shuf."

We also had the opportunity to go to a circus in Lincoln. Josiah missed his nap and was a bit cranky at the circus until... the "Amazing Bears!" One bear rode a ridiculously tall bike, a motorcycle, walked on his hands, and many other cool tricks. There was also some well-trained tigers and one rather bulgy lion. The big ol' lion was not having any of the "leaping for the audience" stuff. He did, however, run AROUND the fences much to everyone's great amusement. This circus also featured elephants which did rather neat tricks. Their large elephant is actually the largest elephant in North America to balance its entire weight on a solid rubber ball. To be honest it looked impossible! Josiah did not really appreciate any of the human elements of the circus (trapeze, heights, "jumping around") except the one where the humans balanced on balls and went up a 3 part ramp and then back down. It looked quite difficult. Josiah got a really cool light-up, noisemaking sword. (For the very low price of $5...) But he immensely enjoys it. Another thing that he enjoyed were snowcones (2), popcorn (1), rootbeer (2), and cotton candy (1). Needless to say he was rather sticky by the conclusion of the evening!

Both of us managed to get a sinus infection while we were out there. Much to my chagrin, I believe my 3 year old is tougher than his 28 year-old dad!

Back at the Homefront

While Joe and Josiah ventured off to Nebraska, Jacob and I stayed home and enjoyed some quiet.

We had several appointments to go to, and I confess I enjoyed it just being mommy and baby.
Jacob battled a little virus for a few days. Not strep, and no fever, but his poor little cry got pretty hoarse before he got better.
Other than that, Jacob is doing very well. He's growing! He is now 14 pounds and 23 inches long. Not bad for a 7 weeker.
I enjoyed watching a few chick flicks and catching up on some spring organizing projects at home while my men were gone.
So as I'm sitting here typing this, Josiah is singing Zaccheus and it's one of the cutest things I've ever seen. Happy sigh.

Big Wet Snow

Well, over this weekend (Feb 23/24/25), we have received about 8" of snow... some rain... and large bundles of cash. Except we didn't get the cash in large bundles. We actually didn't get ANY cash... can you believe that?

Jacob is doing well. He is not much of a cryer (crier?), but he is a bit of a groaner/ grunter. If you have seen the cinematic film "Ice Age" or its sequel "Ice Age 2: the Revenge of Sid" you may recall a squirrel-type character who is always after an acorn that simply refuses to be eaten. Anyway, the squirrel is named Scrat and, when reaching for his acorn, makes a grunting, groaning, strectching noise... Jacob sounds like that... So, as a result, I obviously refer to him as "Diego." No, wait! I actually call him Scrat!

Kathy is doing well. Josiah is doing well. I am doing well. Actually, we all have colds.

Most Recent News...

Well, our family of three has just recently increased to four!

Jacob Wayne was born February 1 at 1:40 AM.
He weighed 8,14 at birth; dropped a bit; but is now over 9#.
He was 20 1/2 inches tall; shrunk a bit; but is now over 4' tall!
Actually, he's probably about the same height.

Josiah is a very proud big bro!

Kathy is doing well, too!