A Family Update

Just thought I would post this, as it has been brought to our attention that we need to do some serious updating. If you would like to contact either Steve or Amy, you can reach us at our cell phones. Those numbers are as follows: Steve (507) 402-4530; Amy (507) 402-4529. You can also reach us via email. The best way is via Amy, but please be patient as I dont check my email all that often (due to no operable landlines to run internet). Steve may add his email address at a later post, so be watching:) Anyway, Amy's contact email address is: dapattenclanmamma@yahoo.com .
Update on the kids. Kenzie is now three years old, and is getting rather aggressive in turn. She is learning (bit by bit) that to be verbal gets results. She still clings in many ways, but she is learning that part of being a "big girl" is to not be so clingy. Abbi has become quite the instigator. I think that if God has her to be a lawyer at some point, she will do great. Unfortunately, that leaves me primarily to teach her when to argue and when to NOT argue. This wouldnt be a problem, except that she starts the arguments with Kenzie, and then throws lines from random movies at random times. This usually leads to quite the interesting conversation. We also think that Abbi will take my spot as resident NightOwl when she gets to college. Already she tends to stay up as late as she can, and then wake up as early as possible. The child is pure energy...if only we could have known beforehand, I would have gotten a monthly supply of Ginsing or something to keep up. To look at her now, and see myself only six or seven years ago scares me. To think I once had that much energy...where did it all go? It must have fled between Hudson's Ethics Finals, and numerous other finals, including NTI, and Sign Language. And to think I was only a Secretarial Major....hehehe. JohnMark (or Bubba as he is lovingly called) is growing like a weed. He is primarily in 12 month clothing, at 10 months. I dont care what the charts say, he is above the charts for the kids in this family. Already he is one pound less then Kenzie was at age one and two pounds less then Abbi at the same age. We may actually have a 20 pound child at age one...keep tuned for the update. He is also pulling himself up on things constantly. He is toying with the ability to walk along furniture as well...which is pretty interesting in and of itself. Thank goodness for diaper-cladded "rubber bummys". Bubba is also teething, and as Abbi did, breaks them in pairs, but like Kenzie, has no pain tolerance for it. This is the child that sat through a flu shot and did not flinch...but teeth are totally different. Guess it goes with being a guy..hehehe.
Well, I think that just about does it for now. Life goes on whether or not we want it to. For those of you who are parents, that means going to sleep with sweet little babies, and waking up with energetic kids that drive you six ways to insane within the first hour. For those of you who are not yet parents, that means going to sleep a college/high school student and waking up wandering what God has in store for you next, and where you are going to find out. I sit here on a friends computer, waiting while two of the three get shoes on so we can leave, and the third sleeps intently (until a kitten wakes him). Abbi continually is trying to avoid obeying, while Kenzie is lovingly aiding in her misadventures. To think that one day, this will all change, and they will finally obey, and want to-not just because they have learned to, but because God wants them to-continually amazes me. And whats more, we were once those kids, but through God's continual grace and mercy, we are no longer-even though we are capable of much more disobedience and occationally succomb to the temtation. With this thought I conclude this entry.