I do apologize that I (Tanya) haven't updated in a while... can this thing send an e-mail notifying me someone has posted something? I kinda (don't hurt me) forgot about this...

Okay first off (as many of you may know because Oma loves to tell) - It's a Boy! Due Jan 19th.

We are busy busy... with cleaning up a watery mess of a basement, school, soccer, swimming (all 4 of us have been swimming actually, meaning Oma is getting some good therapy in); Young Families / Young Married events; still busy with the LMCC worship team (Matt-guitar, Tanya-vocals); the Bridgman Church Softball League season is over (the Prez & V.P. of the league, aka: Matt & Tanya, sigh with relief... Matt was our church's coach, and played short-stop too... I think he can also juggle while standing on his head); Matt's into the semester at Purdue, Tanya is done with her BBA (except one itty bitty exam that must be made up from when we were in FL during Stephen & Julia's wedding... the teacher forgot about it, threw everything out from summer, the exam software became corrupt... you name it! The exam will allegedly be ready in October - oh just pray for grace). Nathan will be home soon! That's good news! Sorry to be jumping all over the place with this update, but additionially, Isaiah learned to ride a 2-wheeler, thanks to the greatest dad in the world, and he's working on mastering swimming. (I'm just happy he's now comfortable in the water. The Arnolds remember how he felt about the pool this summer. I mean, we still have much work to do before he becomes Michael Phelps, or even as good as daddy, but we're making progress.) He's also reading very well, but he's only in kindergarten (at a private school with only four other kindergarteners and two 1st-graders in the classroom, so the teacher-student ratio is good enough that they can keep challenging him).

Okay... I can't think of much else, but praise God for a much emptier basement! Aunt Mary - I should send you some pics. Oh, and what's this I hear you're on facebook? Debbie Stanford told me... with the Babbels and so many others on there, I'm comtemplating getting one. I'm thinking it might be better than myspace.

So one more thing to share, because it makes me laugh. Isaiah wants to be a rockstar like Stephen. I catch him in the living room one day (which has now become a regular show he puts on for guests), having made a little runway stage, black plastic guitar in hand, and singing along (some of the words are made up) while playing Anberlin music from my mp3 player of a cell phone... okay, I'll just let you watch the video and enjoy. Oh yes, he also said he wants hair like Stephen's (Stephen, man I meant to tell you all this, but I figured you were busy on tour and I knew a text would get lengthy. Matt's like, "Have you told your cousin about this?" as he chuckles at Isaiah's behavior. So, sorry I'm a bad cousin). Anywho, if my memory and eyes don't fail me, this might have been the day that Isaiah decided to cut his hair himself to look like a rockstar... maybe he couldn't want to wait for it to look like Stephen's (which would take a miracle), or maybe he's working on his own image. He says his band is called "Crazy Boys," which in the car on the way home from school one day sounded like "Greasy Bones," which made for lots of laughter for the rest of the ride home. Now he's contemplating a name change. He told me I'm his manager so I should decide, but I just don't think I'm ready to make that kind of a big decision. :) Anyway, watch and enjoy. Talk to you all soon!

(If you're up to it and have one that I don't know about, look up yiddiegirl@hotmail.com on myspace, or maybe one of these days I'll look for you on facebook.)