a bit of earth

Air Force

2012-01-13T09:04:00.001-11:00

Kelli and Caden spotted a model Air Force airplane when there were on a recent outing. Kelli went on to explain to Caden that his Uncle Ron was in the Air Force. Caden’s face crinkled up. Surprised and somewhat confused, he pointed at the model airplane and inquired, “Uncle Ron’s in there?!?”

Shameless self promotion

2012-01-12T10:18:00.003-11:00

Many of you know that I (Matt) have joined forces with area entrepreneur (and fellow Covenant alum) John Pa to start a film company. Our business is called Anastasis Films. We just finished our reel and I thought it would make sense to post it here for you all to see. Enjoy!

Anastasis Films Reel 2012 from Anastasis Films on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Greeting to cousin Abigail

2012-01-10T04:47:00.001-11:00

Yeah, it's a simple birthday greeting, but this video is super cute. And funny. Trust us, you'll laugh.

Caden sings the star-spangled banner

2011-12-22T01:03:00.000-11:00

2011 Summer Vacation - Part 2

2011-08-24T16:03:00.007-11:00

For the second part of our vacation we headed to the Outer Banks with Matt's family. Lots of pictures because it was too hard to narrow it down to just a few.

This girl could have boogie-boarded all day!

An intense game of Alphabet Go-Fish

The cousins (L - R) Maia, Victoria, Ethan, Caden, and Jonathan

The few who braved the hike up to the top of the lighthouse.

I can't remember what Caden was trying to explain, but it sure looks like it was important.

While the others were at the lighthouse, these two were just the coolest dudes on the pier.

The cousins looking over their prizes after figuring out Poppi's clever riddle.

Examining some beachlife on an early morning walk.

Gran and Maia

Daddy and Maia

I love this action shot.

Kite flying with Daddy

More kite flying

A little run on the beach with Caden.

We just "happened" to be vacationing at the Outer Banks as the same time as some good friends from St. Louis (who have since moved to MD). Maia and Peyton were each others first friends, having met at the age of 1. Peyton's Mom Missy has been such a dear friend of mine, so us Mom's and our girls met up one morning for coffee and donuts. Here are the girls after just seeing each other for the first time in over a year. They truly were speechless.

All the Seilback and McGuire kids. Obviously Caden and Asher would be good buddies if only we lived closer to each other.

Just looking at this picture makes me feel scratchy and claustrophobic!

Our last evening a rain shower passed over and we were treated to a beautiful double rainbow.

And of course our OBX week is always topped off with a visit to the Ruby's in VA Beach. Kelly is my oldest friend in life. We've been friends since the tender age of 3. That is something I do not take for granted because friends like that are rare jewels! Here are all the kids. . .

and the adults!

Six Flags

2011-08-11T08:22:00.001-11:00

We braved Six Flags last week for the first time with our kids. Overall, it was a mixed bag of a day. . .some good times and some not so good times. I guess that is to be expected with a 6 and 3 year old on a very hot and crowded day. Here are a few pictures of some of the good times because who needs to be reminded of the meltdowns and whining, right?

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Summer 2011 Vacation - Part 1

2011-08-06T15:58:00.005-11:00

The kids and I (Kelli) flew home to PA in July to spend a week at my parents. Each morning we started the day with breakfast on their wonderful front porch while watching the array of birds that come to my Mom's bird feeders.

Maia and Caden getting ready to help Nani fill the birdfeeders.

Storytime with Nani, and yes, once again we are on the front porch.

Maia and her baby praying mantis.

Of course every trip to Nani and Pop-Pop's wouldn't be complete without some rides on the 4 wheeler.

Maia and Caden enjoying the tractor and wagon that my brother, sister and I enjoyed as kids.

Enjoying a funnel cake at the Kutztown folk festival.

Yes, that is mule-power! Only in Pennsylvania Dutch country!

4th of July Parade with Nani and Pop-Pop!

Maia and Caden with their boats that Nani and Pop-Pop made for them to race down the stream.

Caden hauling the necessary condiments to the fire ring where we had a little cookout.

Maia hauling some of the other needed things for our cookout.

The kids and I visited my dear friend Lori in Lancaster. Our two oldest were born 2 days apart and we even overlapped in the hospital for a few hours.

Joyful reunion with dear Daddy who we really missed!

Camping Weekend

2011-06-08T16:33:00.001-11:00

This past weekend we camped at Hawn State Park, about an hour south of St. Louis.

Setting up the kids beds. I'm always touched by how important it is for little ones to know exactly where they will lie down their heads at night.

The Cade man enjoying some creek stomping, as we call it. It was a super hot weekend so we were thankful for the great stream that runs by the campground.

Maia and I enjoying the stream.

We found a few little sandy areas along the sides of the stream and built some castles.

Getting ready for our little hike.

Maia helping out with the dishes.

Playing UNO outdoors is way more fun than playing inside.

Our campsite.

Nothing like hitting the playground at 7am, PJs and all!

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Maia's First Softball Game

2011-04-30T14:16:00.004-11:00

Maia was a bit nervous before her debut on the softball field for her first game. One of those, "my tummy hurts. . .I can play outside Mom, but I just can't go to that softball game because my tummy hurts" kind of mornings.

But once we got to the field and she received her uniform and donned the catcher's gear, most of the nervousness seemed to go away.

She played catcher for one inning and somewhere between first and second base for the second inning. . .just a two inning game.

And practiced her hand stands with her friends while awaiting her turn to bat.

All and all, a good first game where no one on either team was called out, everyone got to bat until they hit the ball and hand stands by the bench were allowed. . .just as it should be for 5 year olds playing softball!

And we can't forget about this little guy!

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Easter 2011

2011-04-27T07:23:00.002-11:00

Decorating Easter sugar cookies with friends

While it is hard living so far from family, it sure is fun to open Easter packages!

Hooray for chocolate lollipops!

Maia working hard at some shrinky dinks we received in our Easter packages from family.

Caden got bored of the shrinky dinks after a while and resorted to making paint towers.

A few weeks before Easter we had the kids make brown bag crosses and as the days went by we wrote on the crosses some of the sin areas we struggle with. Then on Good Friday we painted the crosses in red to remind us of Jesus' blood that was shed to cover over these sins.

The traditional egg dying.

Getting ready for our second annual Easter egg hunt with our neighbor Tula.

Tula and Caden showing off their finds!

Maia and Caden trying out their new beach towels that they received for Easter.

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Caden's new friend

2011-04-26T07:17:00.001-11:00

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Maia's Spring Concert

2011-04-16T09:33:00.001-11:00

I took advantage of Maia being dressed up for her Kindergarten spring concert to get some updated photos of the kids

Maia was really excited to sing some of the fun songs they learned in music class this year but "a little nervous to be in front of all those people."

Maia and Caden

Maia and her amazing teacher Ms. Wege. We could not ask for a better teacher for Maia. As I've helped out in Maia's classroom I've quickly learned that there is such an art to teaching and Ms. Wege is incredibly gifted in this art.

Maia and some of her friends.

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Dinosaurs

2011-03-31T02:39:00.002-11:00

The Bank Robber!

2011-03-31T02:39:00.001-11:00

Kansas City Weekend

2011-03-28T16:01:00.003-11:00

We decided to surprise the kids this past weekend with a 2 day get-away to Kansas City. Here are some of the highlights!

Of course the kids were so wound up when we got to the hotel on Friday night that they didn't get to sleep until almost 10pm and then were up ready to go by 6:15 the next morning. We started out our day on Saturday at a place called Kaleidoscope, a free craft studio where kids can let their creative juices flow with card making, painting, cutting, taping, and much more. Maia was in heaven!

Matt and Caden painting a picture frame.

A look at the studio.

Maia turning the wheel on a puzzle maker. She drew a picture on a piece of cardboard and this machine turned it into a puzzle.

For lunch we went to a burger joint called Fritz's. You order your food on a phone from your booth and then little trains running on tracks above you deliver the food to your table. No need for books and crayons to keep kids occupied in this restaurant because watching the trains is enough.

Conductor Maia keeping an eye on an incoming train.

And our food is delivered!

A look at the train and tracks.

So just before this picture was taken, Caden was riding on Matt's shoulders. He asked to get down and then ran to catch up with Maia and tucked his little hand into his sister's. Although Maia and Caden love each other dearly, this isn't a super common scene in our home so we just had to get a picture of this. Usually Maia and Caden are chasing or wrestling, so this little scene of tenderness melted our hearts.

We then headed over to Science City where we were greeted by this not so friendly dinosaur.

Showing off my balancing skills! Actually the bricks suspended from the bike did all the balancing for me!

A little physics lesson.

Caden landing the space shuttle.

Look at that golf form!

Maia taking a little rest with the turtles.

Maia and a green iguana having a face-off.

Maia sporting some glasses she made at the art studio.

Enjoying the view from our 15th floor hotel room.

Local NBC piece on Joe's Place film premiere

2011-03-28T05:32:00.000-11:00

Israel. . .in the mind of a 5 year old

2011-02-02T09:45:00.003-11:00

So Matt recently spent 2 weeks in Israel for work. While he was gone I spoke with the kids quite often about some of the places he would be visiting. When he returned Maia was excited to hear about floating in the Dead Sea which according to her report is easy to float in because it has lots and lots of sugar in it! Then when we were talking about the Sea of Galilee, Maia was curious as to whether Daddy had a chance to "walk on the water." Yes, these two little ones of ours sure did miss their Daddy and it is clear that they think he can do just about anything!

Thanks for visiting Nani!

2011-01-24T16:43:00.002-11:00

My Mom came for a visit this past week. . .she probably wasn't planning on doing sledding but true to her up for anything - adventurous self, she joined us on the sledding hill. . .much to the kids' delight!

Maia was delighted that Nani could watch her at her swimming lesson.

And Nani even jumped right in at an after school playdate with Maia's good friend and neighbor, Julianna. We made quite the impressive playdoh supermarket/restaurant. Thanks for coming Mom! We love you and miss you!

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Future Snowboarder?

2011-01-24T16:14:00.001-11:00

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Saturday Morning Breakfast Guests

2011-01-24T16:06:00.001-11:00

I love how the relaxed nature of Saturday mornings lend themselves to fun and creative times with the kids. What started as dressing up stuffed animals led to inviting these animals to breakfast. After breakfast the animals stayed for a tea party and seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves!

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Snow Day!!!

2011-01-12T09:01:00.002-11:00

Making snow ice cream!

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Christmas Vacation Part 2 - With the Seilback side

2011-01-07T18:07:00.004-11:00

After a few days with Kelli's family in PA, we headed to Maryland to spend some time with Matt's family. All of his siblings live close to his parents so we got to see them all on a few occasions during our time there. Thanks everyone for making time for us and we look forward to our next time together.

The Seilback cousins (Jonathon, Victoria, Ethan, Maia and Caden)

A patient Daddy giving his little girl some shooting lessons.

Caden enjoying a toasted marshmallow. He enjoyed all parts of a smore independently but not as a sandwich.

"TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!!!" The past few days Caden and I have spent a fair amont of time playing Buzz and Woody. Any guesses on who is always Buzz????

We spent part of New Year's Eve around a campfire. Here are Jason, Ethan and Victoria roasting some hotdogs.

Enjoying a campfire with my kids. . .I could have sat there all night.

Maia learning the ropes of Poppi's tractor.

A little boy's dream!

No trip to Gran and Poppi's would be complete without a visit to Annie's playground. Here are two of my monkey's just hanging out.

After spending some time running around and swinging, we played some hide and go seek with the kids on this vast playground.

Matt's parents live close to a beautiful park so one morning we took the kids for a little hike. Caden was happiest on his Daddy's shoulders.

Mommy and her little hiker.

This girl could just hike all day.

Matt and Caden on the trail.

And of course there were some presents at Gran and Poppi's too!

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Christmas Part 1 - Celebrating with the Huzzard side

2011-01-06T15:13:00.002-11:00

We headed back East again this year to celebrate Christmas with both our families. First stop, Pennsylvania, to celebrate with my (Kelli) side of the family. 13 people (5 of which are 5 and under) in a cozy log cabin in the woods = lots of good times and laughter. It was a bit bittersweet as this will be our last time together for a while as my sister Lynn, her husband Nate and their little girl Abigail are headed overseas in February for mission work. While we are so exicted for them and grateful for their obedience to God's call on their lives, we will greatly miss having them around.

celebrating Abigail's 2nd birthday. . .she's wearing a dress my sister wore when she was 2!

Maia and Mitch - cousins and buddies

Aunt Lynn reading the Christmas story

Christmas morn

These lego-man headlamps were a hit with all the kids and provided lots of fun playing hide and go seek in the dark for both the kids and adults!

Maia and Abigail - the only 2 girl cousins need to stick together!

Nate, Lynn, and Abigail

Maia got this bug catcher vacuum/magnifier and vest for Christmas. . .this is her reaction to looking at the head of a walking stick that my Mom "saved" for her from the fall. Now that is a dedicated grandmother.

Our little clay nativity that most of the kids helped to create. . .I think that big orange giant is Joseph.

Caden and Mitch enjoying the snow!

Maia and Aunt Lynn making snow angels.

sledding fun!

My Mom and Dad with all their grandkids!

Maia with a captive audience for storytime.

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"MOMMMMYYY, I NEED YOU"

2010-12-06T14:49:00.005-11:00

One of the hardest things for me to deal with as a Mom is the sometimes frequent episodes of being called back into my kids rooms after they have been put to bed. The reasons are many. . .needing a drink, needing to go potty, the hall light needs to be turned off, my desk needs to be closed up, or I had a bad dream (when in fact no one had even gone to sleep yet). I think part of what makes this so challenging for me is that my introverted self has felt so starved during the course of the day that once the kids have been put to bed, I just relish the quiet and opportunity to process the day. So when I hear that "MOMMMMMMMYYYY, I NEED YOU!", it is like being yanked out of bed in the middle of the night (well, kind of). I'll be honest and say that there have been times, I have stormed into the kids' rooms after the second or third episode and VERY FIRMLY said "this is enough, now what do you need." But there are times like tonight, when I take a deep breath and say a quick prayer for the Lord to grant me more grace and head in calmly to find a little girl claiming she had a bad dream but who really just wants her mommy to lay next to her for a bit. Once there, she wraps her arm around mine and whispers, " I love you Mommy. . .is my hair tickling you?" She then goes on to tell me what boys chased her on the playground today and also to inform me that when she was younger her finger was only "this" long. I know the day will come when I'll miss these episodes, so I'll continue to pray for the grace to extend grace and enjoy the rich moments that often follow.

Knock, Knock

2010-11-02T15:21:00.003-11:00

Knock, Knock. . .Who's there?. . .Ghost. . .Ghost who?. . .BOO!!!! Yep, this was Maia's very own made up joke that she told LOTS of time on Halloween to score some great loot. And yes, we've learned that St. Louisans are pretty serious about kids telling a joke in order to get some candy. Matt stuck with Caden and some friends who had younger kids while I took off running to keep up with Maia and her friends as they flew from house to house. It really was a great night and Caden's first words to Matt the next morning upon waking up were. . ."I had fun trick-or-treating with you last night, Daddy."

Caden sorting through his loot and looking like he has a bit of a sugar high already

Maia and her good friend and neighbor Julianna heading back home with buckets and bags full. They don't even look one bit tired!

Matt the Mummy and his little pumpkin.

Maia, Caden and our elephant, I mean buddy, Tripp getting ready to head out.

One cute little pumpkin!

Sick

2010-10-24T07:40:00.001-11:00

Maia--getting ready to go for a walk with Mommy, Nanni and Pop-pop-- just rushed into my room to kiss my forehead while I lay sick in bed.

Bookworm

2010-10-22T15:40:00.002-11:00

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This girl loves books! A few weeks ago Caden and I went on our weekly trip to the library while Maia was at school. When she got home from school and found a new bag of library books in her room she didn't even bother to take off her back pack but just sat there for almost an hour looking through every last book. I always loved going to the library as a kid and can still remember the cream colored plastic mesh bags we would fill up and carry up to the check out counter. I can also still hear that familar thud that the librarian's card stamper would make as she dipped each card into the machine to let us know when each book was due back. I think we have been making weekly trips to the library since Maia was about 2 years old and now Caden has learned to look forward to our weekly trips as well. I wonder what little things they will remember about our library trips when they are in their 30's?

Happy Birthday Matt

2010-10-12T15:26:00.001-11:00

On Saturday we celebrated Matt's birthday. Maia, true to her creative self, made Daddy a birthday crown and an array of bookmarks of all sizes and colors. Matt's parents were in town to join in the celebration and treated us to a great dinner at Maggiano's. Many of you may know that if you eat "family style" at Maggiano's, the meal can be quite long, so Maia passed the time by "serving" us and Caden enjoyed "feeding" Daddy.

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Tomato dream

2010-10-12T01:29:00.001-11:00

The other night Caden woke up needing something. When I came into his room he wanted to know "why the tomatoes fall on the house?" I tried to explain to him that he'd been dreaming but he was convinced that there was "a really bad thunderstorm and tomatoes fall on the roof!"

It's Monday...

2010-10-11T01:41:00.001-11:00

Caden: "Is it Monday?"
Daddy: "Yes, it is..."
Caden: "You go to work?"
Daddy: "Yes, I do have to go to work."
Caden (leaning his head against mine): "ohhhh... I'll MISS you!"

Another Milestone

2010-09-20T15:07:00.001-11:00

No need to worry about this little firefighter showing up to the next fire in diapers. . .he has ditched the diapers and is most definitly potty trained. Maia basically potty trained herself in less than half a day and since she and Caden have fairly different personalities, I was trying to keep my expectations in check. But he really was a breeze as well thanks to Lightning McQueen underwear and treats like lollipops and marshmallows. We did two mornings of what I call potty-training boot camp which involves pushing fluids and setting up camp on blankets right outside the bathroom door and really not taking my eyes off of him. As soon as I saw any indication that he might need to go, we were on that potty in a flash. I really can't believe this little guy is old enough to be running around in underwear!

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Upon a Star

2010-09-17T16:18:00.001-11:00

On the way home from the balloon glow tonight, Maia was looking up at the stars from her place in the stroller next to her little brother. She began to tell Caden that “if you wish on a star, your wish will come true” but first she had to look up and check with her daddy to see if that was right. “Well, it might. You could try…” was her father’s sensible reply. And then, the wish: “When I grow up, I want to live on a farm…” Seal up this request Dream-maker and have your way.

7 Years Ago

2010-08-31T03:23:00.001-11:00

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Maia's First day of School

2010-08-26T16:51:00.001-11:00

Caden and the Cicada

2010-08-26T16:50:00.000-11:00

What's your favorite color?

2010-08-19T13:51:00.000-11:00

Maia to Caden: “What’s your favorite color?”
Caden: “lollipops”
Mais: “No Caden, your favorite color.”
Caden: “Girls”
Maia: “Caden, like blue or gray…”
Caden: “Um… Cookies.”

First Day

2010-08-17T08:23:00.002-11:00

Just wanted to share some pictures from Maia's first Day of Kindergarten! She really was excited but we could tell she also was a bit nervous. The parents were invited to come to the kids' classrooms after the morning meeting in the gym to observe for a few minutes. Maia's review of the first day was not as positive as I had expected. She said, "it was just too much. . .I didn't know what to do. . .I didn't know where to go." Things really were organized, but it is simply a whole new experience for Maia and I guess I forgot just how overwhelming it could be for the first couple days. She is going just 1/2 days, so when I picked her up I had my camera ready to take a little video with her telling us about her day, but um, I didn't even get the camera out because she clearly was not in the frame of mind for an "interview." We talked about her day off and on throughout the remainder of the afternoon and evening and it became evident that she was simply feeling overwhelmed by everything. By the time I tucked her in for bed, she seemed more encouraged and said, "tomorrow will be a better day Mommy." My heart could have melted when she said that. Anyway, we are really excited for Maia to be part of this school and their philosophy of learning. She will get to help take care of the school chickens, work in the school garden, and do art in their awesome art room. Oh and did I mention that the school provides a free breakfast for each child who wants it every morning in the classroom. Free. . .for every child. This amazed me. I'm sure there will be more school posts to come in the future, but for now, here are Day 1's pictures!

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Peach and Blackberry Picking

2010-08-16T08:33:00.001-11:00

Last week we braved the heat and made the trek to Eckert Farms in Belleville, IL to pick peaches and blackberries. On the day we went, Eckert Farms allowed each child to pick a bag of peaches for FREE! We didn't hang out in the orchards or blackerry fields too long because it was really, really hot, but the kids enjoyed the picking and we all have been enjoying eating fresh peaches that taste almost like candy.

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The Wheels On The Bus

2010-08-12T15:48:00.002-11:00

What was once just a fun toddler song is now a reality in the Seilback house. Today, Maia climbed aboard a BIG yellow school bus for the very first time. She actually starts Kindergarden on August 16th, but today was a "practice bus run" for the Kindergardeners. I'm so grateful that her little friend "J" who lives just a few doors down is also riding the bus and is in the very same class as Maia, so they took this maiden voyage together. While waiting at the stop, Maia said to "J", "let's sit together on the bus," and then when the bus pulled up, it appeared like Maia had a death grip on "J's" wrist and was not about to let go. The ride got great reviews from Maia and the driver "Miss Kathy" was so welcoming that this Mom is feeling a little more at ease about sending her daughter off each morning.

What's in the bucket?

2010-08-03T08:49:00.001-11:00

. . .why the salamandars, of course, that Maia caught and were just begging for a scooter ride!

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On Turning 5

2010-07-27T16:47:00.001-11:00

So our dear daughter turned FIVE in June. Where has time gone???? I was reminiscing today about the days just before Maia was born and how there is just nothing like the sweet expectation that comes with awaiting the arrival of your firstborn. Not that there isn't excitement with the arrival of subsequent children, but there are just more distractions then. Anyway, since Maia turned 5, I'll mention five words that immediately come to mind when thinking of this little girl. . .thoughtful, determined, athletic, spicy, and creative. I am so excited to see what interests Maia decides to pursue in the years to come. . .on one hand she is an all-out tomboy and loves bugs, getting dirty, and climbing trees, but on the other hand she loves to put on her ballet leotard and gracefully dance around the house and have her nails painted. If you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up she'll usually say a nurse and an artist. Recently she said to me. . ."mommy, if you are still alive when I'm older, can we be nurses together." Maia loves the outdoors, riding her bike, playing on playgrounds, painting and drawing and looking at books. Happy 5th Birthday Maia. . .you bring so much joy and laughter to our lives! Below are pictures from her 5th through 1st birthdays.

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In the Garden

2010-06-22T00:47:00.001-11:00

The End of the World!!

2010-06-18T15:00:00.001-11:00

Does a child's toy calendar hold a clue to the end of the world?!?

Camera DOWN!

2010-06-17T15:30:00.001-11:00

Caden calls out paparazzi daddy (and then resumes dancing):

On Turning 2

2010-06-09T14:53:00.006-11:00

Our little guy turned 2 on May 24th. We celebrated a couple days early while on vacation with my family at the Outer Banks and then tortured him on his actual birthday by spending many, many hours in the car as we traveled back to St. Louis. Caden is just a precious little boy. He just has such a sweet spirit about him. He loves to do anything that involves hopping or jumping and will climb up and jump off things repeatedly. He has a keen ear for the ice cream truck, garbage trucks, buses and any other out of the ordinary vehicle that may be making it's way down our street. He loves looking at pictures of monkeys and often won't let me turn the page in a book if the next page does not also involve a picture of a monkey. . .so we just get cozy and talk about and stare at the same page for quite some time. Caden really enjoys spending time with Maia and these two have a pretty special relationship which I hope remains through the years. Caden loves curry chicken (just like his Mommy!), watermelon, ice cream and gets super excited when it is time to pop popcorn the old fashioned way in a big pot on the stove. Right now he has a fascination with Lightning McQueen and Mack and can often be heard walking around the house saying "Ker-Chow." This fascination was likely generated from watching the Cars movie 4-5 times on our road-trip to NC. He is in the 95% for height and 75% for weight. . .just like his sister. It does seem like someone did send Caden a memo a few weeks back informing him that he was almost two and could now act like it, because we have heard more of the "NO!" word lately and have had an occasional meltdown when things have not gone as he had planned. But for the most part, he is a pretty easy-going boy. We are thankful beyond words that God has shared this little boy with us and entrusted us to care for him and nurture him in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Below are two recent pictures of Caden and then one from his 1st birthday and a few from his first couple months on this earth.

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Outer Banks Part 2

2010-06-04T16:28:00.002-11:00

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Outer Banks Part 1

2010-06-04T16:25:00.002-11:00

Two weeks ago we had an awesome time vacationing with my (Kelli) side of the family at the Outer Banks. All the cousins had a great time playing together. Enjoy some of my favorite pictures.

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An Early Birthday Celebration

2010-06-04T16:11:00.002-11:00

So for Maia, it seems her 5th birthday has eluded her FOREVER. She is one of the youngest in her pre-school class and among her friends outside of preschool, so it seems like she is always the party guest but never the birthday girl. But finally, her first 5th birthday celebration arrived as Maia was able to celebrate at school with her friends, even though it was a month early. Caden and I were invited to stay for the circle time and celebration that day, and I just could not stop smiling as I watched my little girl standing in front of her class, giving clues for the mystery items she brought in the mystery bag that day. I can't say enough about this preschool, Mt. Calvary Pre-school, her teacher is incredible, they are so intentional about everything they do with the kids, and the kids learn a ton without even knowing they are learning.

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Oh the things older sisters do!

2010-04-13T08:38:00.001-11:00

I had no part in this. . .I just went upstairs to check on the kids as they were playing in Maia's room and found Caden decked out in fairy wings and a tutu. . .and a big sister who was laughing hysterically. It cracks me up that Caden just went on playing with his trucks as if there was nothing unusual about this scene.

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So close and yet so far

2010-04-07T16:34:00.002-11:00

So a couple weeks ago, we packed our bags and drove about 15 minutes to stay overnight at a hotel. Why? you ask. Well a few reasons. . .popcorn, pool, cereal with marshmallows in it and free breakfast and dinner. Plus the sheer thrill of just staying a night in a hotel without piles of laundry and dirty floors staring at you. We really did have a great time and it was just refreshing to spend time with our kids away from the endless tasks that are always competing with our kids for attention.

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New Life

2010-04-07T16:14:00.001-11:00

"New Life" was kind of the theme around our house this Easter. It was fun to look out the windows and see "new life" bursting forth in our yard and talk about how "new life" is represented in Easter decorations through eggs, and little bunnies and chicks. Maia seems to really be understanding the most important "New Life" that we celebrate at Easter and what a joy it is to watch her grow in understanding of Jesus rising from the grave and the great hope that gives us. We had fun celebrating too. . .we dyed eggs, although this did turn into a lesson about dissection and the parts of a hard boiled egg as well as making hard boiled egg soup, we had a couple egg hunts, one with our dear little neighbor Tula and we even got to hold our neighbors new little chicks. . .what a treat! Gran and Poppi joined us for Easter this year which was a lot of fun. . .thanks for hanging out with us guys!

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Spring has sprung. . .

2010-04-07T16:01:00.002-11:00

and we are loving it! We just can't get enough of the outdoors these days. The kids and I have been eating lunch outside more often than in and inside toys have been abandoned for shovels, buckets, bats, balls, and frisbees. I took a trip down memory lane as I taught Maia the art of making mud pies and she took great care in decorating each pie, or cookie as she called them, with grass and violets from the yard before they baked in the sun. We plan to start a vegetable garden this spring, so more to come on that later, but for now, I hope you enjoy a peek into our world these days!

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Cousins

2010-04-07T15:49:00.001-11:00

My sister Lynn, brother-in-law Nate, and neice Abigail came for a visit in early March. The kids had a wonderful time together and yes, that is a picture of Caden and Abigail holding hands while sitting in their car seats. . .too sweet! Thanks for spending time with us guys!

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One is never too young. . .

2010-01-25T17:24:00.002-11:00

. . .to learn some carpentry skills. We are working on fixing up our third floor rooms to make one a guest room and the other a play room. The kids love to head up to the attic to help out. Maia has really learned the art of filling nail holes with spacel (or however you spell that word) and Caden doesn't like to part with Daddy's tape measurer.

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Just Passing Time

2010-01-25T17:05:00.001-11:00

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Yep, this is the sort of thing Maia does to pass time during her afternoon rest time. She really does keep us entertained and laughing around here. Speaking of Maia, I'll just give a quick update on what all she has been up to, especially for those of you who check our blog and have moved away. She is 4.5 years old and for her, her 5th birthday can't get here soon enough. She just can't understand why so many of her friends are having their 5th birthday but yet it is not her turn. Maia is still really enjoying preschool and is excited to start kindergarden next August. We have yet to totally decide if she will attend full or 1/2 day kindergarden, but I'm definatly leaning towards 1/2 day. She is itching to read and is really making progress. She loves those "I Spy" books and currently is really into making paper jewelry (so if you see me wearing some paper necklaces and bracelets, you know what that is about!). We have definatly seen some maturing in her over the past couple months. Bedtimes have not been the battleground they once were and our difficult cycles have not been as difficult as they were several months ago. We certainly still have our trying times but they are definatly in cycles and not quite so trying. It has also been encouraging to see Maia taking Caden (her "little buddy") under her wing. There have been times when I've been preoccupied and I know Caden is fussing or needing something but just havn't addressed it and before I know it Maia is saying, "Come on little buddy, lets go play" as she ushers him into another room and engages with him. Of course, this is not all the time and we have plenty of "I had it first," and "Stop that Caden!" moments. But we are encouraged and we do thank the Lord for this precious little girl he has entrusted to us.

2009-12-18T18:04:00.004-11:00

I'm almost finished reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to Maia for the first time. Last night as we were reading, I came to the part when Aslan comes back to life.

"Aslan's alive Maia!"

Maia-with a loud shriek of delight, "Aslan's ALIVE?! YAAAYY!!"

Halloween '09

2009-10-31T16:20:00.002-11:00

So I wasn't sure how Halloween was going to turn out for us this year seeing that the H1N1 virus has decided to set up camp in our home. Maia had symptoms of it 2 weekends ago, but it was mild and short-lived. . .then last weekend I had symptoms that improved after a few days and then started to worsen mid-week, then on Wednesday Caden became pretty sick fairly quickly and he tested + for the H1N1 virus but thanks to Tamiflu his symptoms were improved the next day, not gone but DEFINATLY improved, and that night Matt came down with it and has pretty much been in bed or on the couch since then. I wasn't sure if I'd be up to taking Maia out tonight, so my super-sweet friend Katie offered to be on call to take Maia trick-or treating if I wasn't up to it. Thankfully I felt well enough to venture out with the kids and we had a great time. Our new neighborhood is just an awesome place to trick-or-treat with many neighbors sitting around fire-pits in their front yard as they hand out candy and others giving out hotdogs, chips, and hot cider. The second picture is Maia showing Daddy her loot from the night. It cracks me up that this girl will organize and reorganize her candy MANY times over the next several days. . .did I do that as a kid????

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Laumeier Sculpture Park

2009-10-28T09:18:00.002-11:00

Recently I took the kids to Laumeier Sculpture Park an a gorgeous Fall Day. We weren't sure if there would be a place for Maia to bike but we threw her bike in just in case and we were glad we did. There is a long paved path just perfect for young bikers. The kids had a great time just running around and trying to figure out what these sometimes huge sculptures were. Maia and I loved coming up with names for the sculptures like, The Crazy Spaghettis. . .and. . .The Never Ending Caterpillar. (I can't figure out how to insert captions under pictures, except for the last picture, but I think its pretty easy to figure out what names go with which sculptures!) This is definatly a place we will be going back to quite frequently.

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Caden was so enamored by all the big "balls" that went on as far as his eyes could see into the woods. He just stood there and stared at them for the longest time.

Fun with the Cousins

2009-10-28T09:04:00.001-11:00

So one last post about our trip back to Pennsylvania in September. It was great to spend time with my brother Ron, his wife Pam and their 2 boys Mitch and Jake. The kids had so much fun playing with the Fisher Price Garage that WE played with as kids. Unfortunately one day our picnic was rained out so we had to move it into the garage, but never fear, Pam was there with another great idea. . .A drive in movie for the kids while the adults enjoyed sitting around the table. All the kids got on or in something with wheels and pulled up to the portable DVD player and watched a movie! And meal time was always an adventure with so many kids so close in age. Thanks for spending time with us Ron and Pam, we love you!

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The City of Brotherly Love

2009-10-12T16:56:00.002-11:00

It's taking a while to get blog posts up highlighting our trip home. . .life is so full but good. Our home renovations are coming along, with the bulk of the planned work done. . .now it's just finding the time to unpack the kitchen and find a home for everything. It seems that my days are just filled with daily life things and so I've kind of set a goal to unpack 5 items a day. . .not 5 boxes, but 5 items. . .now that seems manageable (most days!). Anyway, here is another highlight from my time home. My sister and brother-in-law made several trips out to my parents to spend time with us while we were home, but the kids, my Mom and I also went to Philadelphia for a day to visit them. Most folks dread driving the Schuylkill Expressway into Philadelphia (and if I had to do it everyday, I might too), but for me it just brings back fond memories of my college days in Philadelphia. While there we hiked in Wissahickon Park and finished off the hike with of course. . .Philly Cheesesteaks. Yum! It was also so fun just to relax in their home and enjoy Lynn's awesome chicken pie for dinner. Thanks for having us Lynn, Nate and Abigail!

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Fun at Gran and Poppi's

2009-09-27T10:03:00.001-11:00

While Matt stayed in St. Louis to work and oversee some of our home renovations, the kids and I headed East and spent some time with each of our parents. The following pictures are some of my favorites from our time with Matt's parents. Maia, Caden and I had a great time hanging out with their Seilback cousins, Jonathon, Victoria, and Ethan and of course Gran and Poppi. Another highlight were the turtles that Maia and Gran found on a walk in the woods. When I asked Maia their names, she said without missing a beat that their names were Audrey and Samsy. . .as if they really had told her these were their names. Unfortunately Audrey decided to make a run for it while we were inside eating dinner. . .we all said we would have loved to see how she manuevered herself out of the box and off the porch. After many, many tears from Maia and repeated explanations that Audrey wanted to be back in the woods, Maia decided to put Samsy back in the woods too, "because she could break if she stayed in the box." Of course no trip to Gran and Poppi's could be complete without a trip to Annie's Playground. . .an awesome playground built in memory of a young girl from that area who was killed in a car accident. I'm always touched when we go to that playground by all the life and laughter. . .how meaningful for this family who has experienced such tremendous loss.

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Two-Wheelin' It

2009-09-27T08:50:00.001-11:00

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This is just one of those achievements worthy of a blog post. . .Maia has ditched the training wheels and is now riding a two-wheeler!!!! It all started when I was home in PA at my parents for a few weeks (we were having some home renovations done so the kids and I fled the dirt and chaos) and Maia learned the art of balancing on a scooter. After several days of scootering all over the driveway, she asked to go on one of the big bikes and within 10 minutes she had it! Since returning to St. Louis the kids and I have gone to Forest Park and Maia has biked on the trails while I've jogged with Caden in the jogging stroller. This is one of those experiences that has really made me feel like my little girl is growing up. . .no longer is it just me pushing her around the park, but she is old enough, and strong enough, and has enough endurance to take herself around the park. I know it won't be long before we are going on some serious runs together!

Just Another Day At The Park

2009-08-16T09:05:00.001-11:00

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Jim and Joan

2009-08-16T08:45:00.001-11:00

Jim and Joan have become dear friends of ours. While Matt was working for a window cleaning company during seminary, he met Jim while washing his windows. Matt and Jim have been getting together regularly for the past couple years and Jim has been a great encouragement to Matt on many fronts. More recently we have gotten to know Jim's good friend Joan. They are both a delight to spend time with and our conversations with them are always so interesting and diverse and seasoned with a good bit of laughter. Recently Joan invited us over to have coffee and donuts in her garden. She is an amazing and talented gardener and it was just a beautiful morning of great conversation, fun times for the kids, and a delight to soak in the beauty of her gardens. Joan taught Maia and Caden how to drink out of coffee cups with lids which they took great pleasure in!

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Ahhhh, the Gardens

2009-07-26T08:48:00.001-11:00

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We love the St. Lois Botantical Gardens, we just don't get there that often, but hope that changes now that we are living a little closer. We went this past week with some friends and had a great time. It's hard to get a good clear picture of Caden these days as he is always on the move and Maia had a great time rock climbing, playing in the fountains, and running all over the children's garden.

Loving our Neighborhood!

2009-07-26T08:31:00.002-11:00

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These days, you can often. . .very often. . .find Maia, Caden and I walking around our neighborhood and town. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, being able to walk to coffee shops, the post-office, grocery stores, playgrounds, church and friends' homes. We love that we live far enough from the train tracks that the we don't notice the trains at night and they don't rattle our windows, but close enough that on our walks we often find ourselves sitting along the road waving to the conductors and watching for the caboose to come along. We love walking along and looking at and talking about all the different flowers people have growing in their gardens and stopping to study the bumblebees. We love that the people on our street have been so friendly and welcoming and we look forward to hearing some of their life stories.

Men At Work

2009-07-26T08:16:00.003-11:00

Since Matt has been using his drill so much around our new home as we get somewhat settled, he thought it was time to introduce Caden to some power tools. You can see by the second picture that Caden is quite enjoying the demonstration.

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Speaking of our new home. . .we moved into this 107 year old home in Maplewood, Missouri on June 27th. It is a great home with lots of potential, it just needs some cosmetic work done to make it feel more like home. We hope to have the kitchen remodeled in September and Matt is going to try to refinish some of the wood floors during that time as well (I'll be visiting family in PA and MD during that time so it will be a good time for all the noisy and dusty work to take place). This home has a great fenced in back yard and I look forward to doing lots of gardening next spring, for now I'm trying to read up on perenial gardens and come up with somewhat of a plan of what I want to plant and where. Anyway, we are so grateful for the provision of this home and pray it will be a home of warmth, love, and retreat for many.

A New Way to Stay Cool

2009-06-24T08:51:00.002-11:00

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To say it has been hot in St. Louis is an understatement. It has just been too hot to play outside for more than about 30 minutes, even for this outside loving family. Plus our house is not real conducive to extended play times as it is filled with boxes for our move this Saturday. So earlier this week, we decided to take our snacks and head to Home Depot to drive the car carts around while staying cool. I did have to get some oven cleaner, so I wasn't completely using the store for entertainment purposes but I hope the employees didn't mind the extra 45 minutes or so that the kids drove around.

Transportation Date

2009-06-24T08:25:00.002-11:00

Matt and I try to take turns planning a date for us once a month. So his last "transportation themed" date is going to be hard to beat. The surprises started as soon as I stepped into our van and realized he had completely cleaned it. . .inside and out, including all those hard to get grooves where nasty food remenants like to hang out. Now I love having a clean car, especially on the inside, but cleaning it is way on the bottom of my priority list so clean is not a word that I usually associate with our van. Then we head to one of my favorite restaurants. . .India Palace. . .a great Indian restaurant on the top floor of a hotel by the airport. So while enjoying great Indian food (one of my favorites!) and conversation we watch the planes take off and land from the airport. . .and for those of you who don't know this. . .I could watch airplanes all day long and never get bored. Then, when it is time to head home, Matt suggests I wait in the hotel lobby while he gets the car. After a few minutes I hear all kinds of racket from the parking lot and up drives Matt in our van, with tin cans tied to the back and messages written in shoe polish all over the windows and a van filled with balloons! Little did I know that our friend Corey had followed us to the restaurant and helped to pull off this part of the surprise. From there we headed home and the transportation theme continued as we watched Apollo 13. . .a favorite for both of us. Matt, I hope the next date I plan is at least half as fun as this was! Thanks for all your thoughtfulness! I love you!

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More random pictures from this past year

2009-06-04T09:47:00.002-11:00

Caden Walking!

2009-06-04T00:52:00.002-11:00

Well, it's a bit more like falling forward in this shot, but you get the idea. I'll try to get a better shot soon.

Photos remix

2009-06-02T03:28:00.001-11:00

Caden's First Birthday, Graduation, etc.

2009-06-02T01:00:00.002-11:00

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From Covenant Seminary to Covenant Seminary

2009-05-06T09:11:00.003-11:00

Next week, if all goes well with my finals, I will graduate from a four year degree program at Covenant Seminary. On June 15th I will return to Covenant Seminary to work in the PR department there. Last night I was offered a position here at the school where I will do some film work and some other PR type stuff.

Thanks for all of you who have prayed for us through this process! We are praising the Lord for this incredible opportunity. The position is a great wedding of my various gifts and I look forward to working for such a wonderful institution.

If you think of us please pray that the Lord would provide a place for us to live that would be good for our family and a place where we can show hospitality to others.

Glorious Randomness

2009-04-23T15:30:00.004-11:00

So today I had a surprisingly wonderful trip to the mall. Now I'm sure many of you are thinking I got some great deals on some cute new clothes or something like that, but I actually was just going to return a dress I had ordered to Eddie Bauer and then get some lunch with the kids at the Food Court to kill some time until taking both to the MD to get their ears checked for possible ear infections. (which by the way was negative for both of them) Then comes glorious random moment #1. . .I'm walking through the mall with the kids when an older man, walks by and says "You're a good mama." All I could do was mutter, "well, um, thank you." I'm not sure what he witnessed that prompted him to say this because I know for a fact that I was struggling to be patient with Maia's desire to stare at all the fountains from the second floor while reminding myself of the magical nature of fountains in the eyes of an almost 4 year old that can leave them entranced. But really I think the One who really knows our hearts knew that this mama (and yes, it is strange that this man called me Mama because Maia has been calling me Mama without fail for the past month or so) needed a little encouragement as I've been really lacking motivation in my mothering lately. Usually I have some plan for our day . . .you know, some fun activity or outing. . .but lately when Maia asks me at bedtime what we are doing tomorrow I've found myself saying "well Maia I really don't know" and when morning comes and the question arises again I have no better bearing on the day. So then it is off to the food court where dear little Caden breaks down the social barriers with custodian Vince. Caden just sat in the stroller and stared at Vince for the longest time with one of those open mouthed stares as Vince cleaned the nearby tables and floors that finally Vince stopped to acknowledge Caden and we ended up having a nice little conversation with custodian Vince. . .glorious random moment # 2. Then it is off to head back to the car and this time getting a close up look at those fountains along the way. I had recently emptied the change out of my wallet so we could have change for our yardsale so Maia resorted to just sitting on the ledge by the fountain and becoming entranced again by its magical nature when out of nowhere a business man walks up and hands Maia a penny to throw into the fountain while saying with a wide grin on his face "Make a wish!" Maia gives him a hearty "thank-you" and runs over to show me her new penny, throws it in, and if that wasn't enough the business man comes back and gives her more coins before hurrying off to whatever was next on his agenda. . .can we say glorious random moment #3! So as I was thinking over my day I realized that it truly was a gloriously random day that was worthy of a blog post.

Stand by Me (all around the world)

2009-04-20T02:51:00.000-11:00

Playing For Change | Song Around The World "Stand By Me" from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

Susan Boyle

2009-04-20T01:03:00.002-11:00

If you have not yet watched Susan Boyle on Britain's got Talent, do yourself a favor and click on this link NOW.

Joe's Place Documentary Promo

2009-04-16T03:34:00.002-11:00

Christmas at Joe's Place from Matthew Seilback on Vimeo.

Christmas at Joe's Place

A bit of heaven

2009-04-10T07:42:00.005-11:00

Sound of Music: Central Station Antwerp (Belguim)

The End Of An Era

2009-04-02T04:16:00.001-11:00

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Well the Seilback home has seen the end of an era. . .Maia is DONE with her pacifier! As some of you know, we tried to break Maia of her pacifier in January 2008. We prepared her for this event, she threw it away in the trash and we were ready to endure a couple nights, 3 at most, of difficulty falling asleep. Well after 7 nights of VERY little sleep and things getting worse and not better, Matt headed out to Walgreens at 4am (after our second round that night of hours of crying and screaming) to get another pacifier and save us all from losing our minds. We then decided to not try to wean her again for a while, seeing that she would be adjusting to a new baby in the house in May. So once we got back from Christmas break this past January, I started to poke holes in the pacifier hoping it would lose its appeal. When that didn't seem to phase her, I began snipping away a portion of the rubber every couple weeks. She would be sad each time she noticed that some of her pacifier was gone but was convinced it was because of the "cooking" (sterilizing) I would give it every couple days. Well last week, she just up and decided she didn't want her pacifier anymore and that was that. I was convinced she would be taking the plastic hub to bed with her once all the rubber was gone, but thankfully she gave it up before then. Knowing what we do of our daughter now, I'm not surprised she reacted so dramatically and with such endurance and intensity to the removal of her pacifier last January. In the past year or so, we have learned that our daughter has come equipped with quite a strong will and if she has a strong idea about how something should be done, be prepared to do battle. Maia walked at 9 1/2 months, basically potty-trained herself in half a day and I can count the # of accidents she had on 1 hand. She is definatly a child who is a determined go-getter. While there are definite positives to a strong-willed personality, not many of them are evident at 3 years old when emotions are so immature. That has left us dealing for the past few months with some tough and ugly situations. By God's grace we are learning how to deal with these situations with love, wisdom, endurance and patience, but it has been a process. It leaves us praying outside Maia's door most every night, pleading that God will use this strong will, that he has soverignly given her, for His good purposes and that Satan, who is on the prowl for the hearts of our children, would not have victory over her. It leaves us pleading that God would give us endurance when we are tempted to give in after a 2 hour stand-off. . .praying that God will break her will in those situations and help her to desire obedience more than getting her way. It leaves us humbled before God, admitting that we are unable to parent our children without Him imparting to us the wisdom, strength and unconditional love needed to do this in a Christ-like manner. We love our dear little Maia so much, and would appreciate your prayers for her and us as we journey through these challenging days!

The Fall

2009-03-27T08:52:00.002-11:00

Deep sleep. Lucid dream.
Loud THUD! Wailing voice!
AWAKE,
UP,
RUN!
Terror, panic, fear, horror, OH NO!
Imbalanced rush up stairs, limbs flailing, half-awake, fully terrorized.

She on the floor screaming, crying!
Me, breathless, heart pounding!
Her fall, creating the terror of a live nightmare in me.

Listening, calming, soothing, back scratching.
All is well, go back… to sleep.

(posted by Matt)

Maia's Floral Arrangement

2009-03-21T09:01:00.002-11:00

Maia brought in some grass yesterday to put in this little vase. Today she decided to accent it with a dandelion.

Remembering Forward, Part I

2009-03-19T01:09:00.001-11:00

My father once gave me this little piece of his old Visa Credit card after he had cut it up. It had this little holographic image of a bird on it. He thought that I would like it. And I did. For the longest time I kept it safely tucked away in the bottom of my blue and white pencil holder (where it sat nestled against the ends of mechanical pencils and pens, separated by a thin wall of plastic from the mini-paper clip drawer). It was something from him…

This morning I pulled a triangular tri-point highlighter (one of the three colors—green, yellow and red—at each of the triangle’s three corners) from my backpack and laid it on my desk. I was intending to neatly and safely file away the unused highlighter in that haphazard desk drawer filled with unused pens, pencils and paperclips when she came downstairs to say good morning. She picked up the triangle curiously. Almost as an afterthought I said, “You can have that if you want Maia.”

“I can?! Oh, thank you!”
Now I wish that I hadn’t selfishly shoved aside my first impulse to give it to her (I’ll use it someday) and had freely offered it to her to begin with. What would her reaction have been like then? Either way, it was something from her daddy, something that she could color with.

Remembering Forward, Part II

2009-03-19T01:08:00.000-11:00

I had memorized the floorboard creeks at Red Station (the name we gave to our house) from those countless hours of walking Caden back and forth, back and forth through the living room, into the open walk-in kitchen and back again. It wasn’t until some 9 months later that these acid reflux-induced-cry-soothing-exercises came back to me. I was doing the walk in the hopes of memorizing shorter catechism questions 3 and 4. Already the nostalgia tears at my heart.

I consider our move from this place and I’m tormented. I hate change. But its not so much the moving from this place as it is the memory of all that has taken place here. I have memorized my daughter’s life in little bits of 0’s and 1’s. My mind extracts first the memories that I have memorized from the videos that I have watched of her. The first fruits of my memory are tarnished and scratched by simulacra. My heart breaks at the impending celebration of her 4th birthday. What will it do at 14? 24? But then the pain would never be so deep if I hadn’t earned such great joy at knowing how wonderfully she is becoming her own person.

Sometimes she speaks with the matter of factness and confidence of an adult—about the simplest things—and it kills me. Eye brows raised, head straight ahead, gaze angled to the left, hands motioning meaningfully, “Yeah, maybe we could just color in my new coloring book when I get up tomorrow(!)” The exclamation point in her voice is almost optional—“I’m kinda excited about this, but I’m not gonna let on too much to that fact—because I’m 3 ½ years old now…”. Who teaches a 3 ½ year old how to be sublime?

So even as we move from this place to another, it will crush us to leave behind the cocoon in which so much of our past life gestated and formed into something beautiful. In that departure, I’m not sure what is more painful: the pain of leaving behind the place where our children have lived the entirety of their lives or the pain of knowing that we have already left behind little pieces of Maia and Caden’s past. And that—before we know it—they will be moving out from us in order to go into their own places in this world.

Our little Ballerina

2009-03-03T11:29:00.001-11:00

Caden Crawling on all fours

2009-03-03T04:46:00.001-11:00

9 Months

2009-02-24T15:35:00.001-11:00

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It's hard to believe our little guy is already 9 months old! What joy he has added to our family. We often call him Crazy Caden as sometimes he almost seems like he is going to burst beause of his excitement about life. I think we definatly have a mover and a shaker on our hands as he already gets himself up the entire flight of basement stairs and we've found him making his way to the top of Maia's craft table or completely lying on top of our coffee table bench. I savor those moments before bed when he tucks his head under my chin and we cuddle, sometimes until we both have drifted off to sleep. We love you Caden!

The Apple Agreement

2009-02-23T18:14:00.004-11:00

Yesterday, Maia and I watched this video we recorded a few months back of her promising never to use a computer that doesn’t have an apple on it. Today, while she was washing her hands in the bathroom, her little v-tech kids’ computer rested on the counter. She suddenly realized something and said, “Daddy, my computer doesn’t have an apple on it, but that’s okay…” I responded, “That’s right Maia… it’s okay.”

Won't You Be My Valentine?

2009-02-18T09:20:00.001-11:00

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So I (Kelli) love traditions and we just started a new one this Valentine's Day that I hope to continue for years to come. The tradition is simple, we each make a homemade Valentine card for every other person in our family and then open them together and read them out loud over a meal on Valentine's Day. I'm excited to see the kids growing maturity evidenced through their cards from year to year. So Maia had her card all made for Caden and we sat down to write a note in it. She dictates and I write. Now I have to say that the context for writing Caden's note was when we were waiting for his naptime so she and I could work on a special project together. So Maia's note begins. . ." Dear Caden, I love you most right before you go to sleep. Please go to sleep soon. . ." Did I say that I'm looking forward to seeing how the kids mature through the years???? I plan on keeping all these cards and I know it will be fun years down the road to pull them out and take a trip down memory lane. I got this idea from a book called "Real Love for Real Life - The Art and Work Of Caring." By Andi Ashworth. She took their tradition one step further and put together a fancy dinner each Valentine's Day for their family and then they opened their cards at the end of dinner. Sounds like a great idea to me but I think I'll wait until the kids actually appreciate a nice dinner to add that part. Anyway, in her book she writes. . ."Each year as Valentine's Day approached, moans and groans could be heard in the household. The cards had to be made one more time. But every year I insisted, and the family went along, and each year we ended up in tears as the letters were read. The Valentine letters were a way of setting aside one day a year to lavish written words of love upon each other, to encourage and admire, to make formal apologies, and to say wonderful and heartfelt things that might not otherwise get said. This tradition offered our family a unique opportunity to care for one another that we would not have had without intentional celebration." Anyway, Happy Belated Valentine's Day from our house full of monkeys!

Maia Sledding

2009-01-29T03:32:00.003-11:00

Check out 2 more vids of Maia sledding by going here:
www.youtube.com/mtseilback

Simple Encouragement: 3 Year Old Style

2009-01-27T17:03:00.002-11:00

I (Kelli) guess you could say that much of my thoughts these days revolve around all the unknowns and questions regarding our future. Some of these unknowns are: will Matt get a full-time ministry job and if so where will that be, if he does not at what point do we move to plan B, what is Plan B????, if no FT job offer do we stay in St. Louis or move back to PA or MD, what type of health insurance do we pursue if there is no FT job offer, what type of moving truck company do we use? I know it sounds crazy, but these are truly just some of the many questions that go through my mind each day, often many times a day. I told Matt the other day that I feel like the ONLY thing we do know is that we MUST be out of our apartment by the end of May. Not an encouraging thought for this I-S-F-J (for those of you familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality profile). Well anyway, the other day Maia and I were in the car running errands. One of Maia's children's CDs was playing and it is one of those CDs where the songs are all scripture. I know I was not listening to the words and can pretty assuredly tell you I was once again worrying about all the unknowns before us. But dear little Maia was obviously listening. The song with the words of Proverbs 3:5-6 came on, "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and He shall direct your paths." As the song ended, Maia spoke up from the seat behind me, "Mommy"... "Yes Maia" I replied. And then with her pure little 3 year old voice Maia said, "God will show us the way to go." It was then that I realized what song had just played and that this liitle girl had truly been listening to the words and shared her interpretation of those words with me. . .my eyes misted over as I paused and then replied, "Yes Maia, God will show us the way to go." Maia's simple interpretation of those words have been a great encouragement to me over the past few days. And as Matt reminded me, we do know ALOT more than that we must be out of our apartment by the end of May. We know that God has provided for us thus far and He will continue to do so and we know that God does have a plan and purpose for us for the furthering of His kingdom, and yes, we know that God will show us the way to go.

Caden crawling

2009-01-13T05:51:00.004-11:00

Well, it's more of the military drag/crawl, but he's getting there. Notice how he alternates arms as each gets tired.

Mark and Terri Ryan on Family Life

2008-12-18T19:02:00.003-11:00

Mark and Terri Ryan on Family Life from Matthew Seilback on Vimeo.

My assistant pastor and his wife discussing their family life.

Reindeer Cookies

2008-12-08T09:28:00.003-11:00

Today our friends Maggie and Caroline came over for the morning. One of the things we did was make these cute reindeer cookies. It was really a lot of fun and now that everyone is napping, I can't stop eating them!

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Caden playing...with the camera

2008-12-06T06:49:00.000-11:00

Trip to Eckert's Farm

2008-12-06T06:46:00.001-11:00

Recent Family Pics

2008-11-24T09:02:00.001-11:00

A Few Good Men

2008-11-14T15:43:00.002-11:00

So I happened to look out our window the other day and saw Matt and our neighbor Corey walking up the sidewalk and just had to snap a picture of them. . .

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Not only did they stop at Trader Joes on their way home from school to get some things that Janet and I needed but they also asked for balloons for our little ones at home. I know I take Matt for granted a lot of the time, but today I'm very aware of the great blessing and gift he is to me.

Halloween Fun

2008-11-12T09:39:00.002-11:00

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Prayer Request

2008-11-04T10:18:00.000-11:00

We'd appreciate your prayers today. Hopefully nothing alarming, but still a matter we'd appreciate your prayer in:

Today Kelli was nursing Caden while she and the kids were having a picnic in the park. From underneath Kelli's nursing cover Caden inexplicably started screaming. Kelli could tell that something had happened to his eye. Eventually his screaming settled down but he started up again when he woke up from his nap. Again, he eventually settled down, but his eye was very swollen and red. Kelli took him down to our pediatrician's office. The doctor seems to think that he either scratched his eye (though a cornea test didn't show anything), was stung on the eye or got something in his eye. However, she couldn't tell for sure, so she sent Kelli and Caden down to Children's Hospital to get his eye examined ophthalmologist. Kelli is on her way there now.

Would you please pray that all is okay with Caden's eye? Please also pray that he wouldn't be too uncomfortable while the doctor checks on him. If you'd just shoot up a quick prayer when you get this, that'd be greatly appreciated! We'll keep you updated with the latest.