Family Rezsnyak

summer 2011 in pictures

2011-09-05T00:30:00.001-04:00

We're back! It's been almost 3 months since we've updated this blog and our excuse is, again, that life has been busy. In April, I was promoted at work and with that came a switch from 20 hours a week to full-time. In late June, we moved out of my parents house into an apartment in East Syracuse. Scott and I have each celebrated a birthday and our anniversary! There's been lots and lots going on and I think the best way to "catch up" is with pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. Enjoy this photo journal of what our summer looked like:

Scott and Alexander starting the work on our soon-to-be totally awesome garden at my parents house in LaFayette

The boys taking in the sights and sounds of the Cazenovia Memorial Day parade that we enjoyed with the Merithews and Bluewolfs

Maddie and Alexander, playing around in the Merithew's yard

"relaxing" on the hammock

making pizza dough for our Friday night pizza

a quick stop at the beach in Long Lake on our visit with Grandma & Grandpa Rezsnyak

Grandpa Rezsnyak and a dead animal (fox, maybe?) that entertained for quite a while...

getting used to the potty

In Utica before the Boilermaker.
Have you ever seen a boy more excited to be sitting on a fire truck? Haha!

YOU'RE NUMBER 1, PAPA!!

Ho hum. Just waiting for the race to start...

Helping to make a batch of Strawberry Bread - the best recipe find of the year!!

What are you looking at, Nana?
On our beach vacation with Nana & Grandpa in Lewes, DE

helping Grandpa to finish up the last of his ice cream cake. Someone had to step in, you know?

Beach time!

a few of the first veggies to be harvested from the garden shown at the beginning of these pictures

Alexander stopping at his favorite place in the zoo
(buttons you push that light up to reveal insects or something...)

Getting ready for the first at-home haircut (2nd haircut ever)

in the kitchen again, making fruit salad

cousin Brayden and Alexander checking out the sights of the neighborhood

goof.

finishing up Papa's milkshake

Sleeping.
(notice the glove on his hand)

fun at the bounce place with the Merithews

It wasn't just the kids who had a good time...

Our first time finger painting. He sure loved it!

He ate an entire apple, almost all of the core, too - whoops!

enjoying a cold glass of milk after snarfing one of Mommy's birthday cupcakes
(Thanks, Mom!)

our FIRST round of ice cream at our annual Donnelly's visit near Saranac Lake for our anniversary

the 3 Musketeers

pictures and a poll

2011-06-14T10:28:00.000-04:00

I've successfully gotten my child addicted to television. Does it help the critics out there to know that he only watches PBS and that Super Why (a VERY educational show!) is his favorite?!

Ah...I think this is beautiful...

Doing a little digging in the rocks. He REALLY loves to dig. And I REALLY love that he's not afraid of getting dirty!

This child is so vain that he even poses in his sleep!

A nice visit with cousins David & Samantha and their super cute kids Joseph & Charlotte!

riding the tractor at David & Sam's. Not a clear picture, I know, but he loved it!

What better way to end the string of pictures than with a picture of Scott and Max on our way to Brandi & Dakota's wedding in May?

P.S. - a poll question. If your child went through the "terrible twos," when did it start, how long did it last and do you have any tricks of survival to pass along? This kid is so great and we love him so much AND he's starting to throw little mini fits when he gets frustrated. They pass quickly, which is great, but I would love to know if anyone has had success with calming and/or reasoning with a toddler. (Ha! Sounds pretty silly when I read it out loud.)

just pictures

2011-05-29T00:03:00.000-04:00

I haven't written any blog posts in a while because life has been sucking the energy right out of me. I work at a computer for 40 hours a week (I've been back to full time for about 2 months now - a story for another time) and the thought of sitting down at another computer to do the whole uploading pictures thing and attempting to come up with something that might be even slightly interesting to say is REALLY unappealing. So I just don't do it. But I want to change that because I like to think that there are some people in parts of the world who don't get to see Alexander on a regular basis and who might appreciate small glimpses into his life. So my new plan is: unless I have something particular captivating to say, I'm going to do posts that consist of "just pictures." Starting....

now!

This and the following picture are the result of sorting through/putting away winter accessories.
A goofball. Such a goofball.

Our fashionista son, modeling Mommy's winter scarf

I love this! Check out the baking powder footprints. He had fun making his mark throughout the house after he dumped almost an entire cannister of baking powder on the kitchen floor.

playing in the water after giving the plants a drink

I'll try to be back soon!

Bedtime Bottle Blues

2011-05-05T11:17:00.000-04:00

There's no doubting that parents of very young children can't help but compare their own to others'. It's just the way it goes. As hard as we try not to, we see the little boy 'X' or girl 'Z' doing something that our own child cannot do and we, at least a small part of us, if we are honest with ourselves, think "wait, my kid can't do that! Is there something wrong with him!!"

The fact that your friend's kid, who might even be a month or two younger, already knows the entire alphabet, or every color of the rainbow will, regardless of how advanced our own children are in other areas, make a jealous insecurity rear its ugly head, even if it's just a tiny bit and only for a second.

Lately we have been discussing how long Alexander should be taking a bottle. We heard about other children that were about his age that had given them up months ago, or that they were just trying to "kick that last one before bed." And every time we heard things like this Stephanie and I thought "man, should he not be on a bottle anymore?" And honestly we like our bedtime bottle time, before naps and when he goes down for the night, it relaxing for both us and him. So I asked around and got varying responses. Most of which was advice that we were trying to take anyway: Don't worry about it. But at Alexander's last well-child visit Stephanie thought to ask the doctor. She said that we should probably move to that end soon and that he wouldn't just give it up on his own (something we were kind of banking on).

Then Alexander got a cold. A really runny nose cold, so bad he couldn't breathe though his nose at all. Blessing in disguise. You see, about a week ago, or so, maybe longer, we snuggled up to give him his bedtime bottle and he said "No?" and pushed it away.. And I said, "NO? Are you sure?" and tried again, no it was. And he hasn't takes a bottle since, we even tried a couple of times since then, and he's just no longer interested.

We feel very happy and blessed that it wasn't a struggle to try to convince him not to want it! And it's just another sign that he's growing up, which is good (I have to keep reminding myself of that).

So, you can see why Stephanie usually writes these things. I'm a little long winded, but here's what you really care about, just a few this time around:

He absolutely LOVED the "Easter Bunny"

Wasn't sacred at all!

And, he makes a pretty cute one himself!

Don't hate him because he's beautiful.

Just chillin' out.

men at work

2011-03-17T10:44:00.000-04:00

These pictures melt my heart. This is MY love language in action! My two favorite men doing dishes. Ah...

update

2011-03-08T12:08:00.002-05:00

Whoops! The 17 month mark came and went and he'll be 18 months next week, so I guess this is a "just because" post. I'll fill it with pictures of Alexander and his current favorite things!

First, though, the big news in our little guy's life is that he got his first haircut this past Saturday! It was awful. It might just be on par with how terribly his first dentist appointment went. He hated it. Want proof?

Check out the unruly "before" hair

clinging onto Mama for dear life

GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!

Totally worn out from crying.

Is this pathetic or what?

And to top off the whole silly/totally traumatic experience, the container of blueberries that we brought along in hopes of it being a great distraction fell all over the floor and mixed in with the clippings of our baby boy's hair. It was ridiculous. And exhausting. And it's not even a good haircut (which is certainly not the stylist's fault!).

Side note/picture:

We took a weekend trip to Philadelphia with some friends in early February and, of course, took our picture in the famous "Love Park"

Okay, onto Alexander's current favorites:

scribbling on ANYTHING with ANY writing utensil

wreaking havoc on the kitchen floor

trying on shoes

vacuuming (or sweeping)

taking walks and just plain old being outside

sledding

and more sledding

playing guitar with Papa

playing the drum (I think this stemmed from his love of the book Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb)


Ryan Callahan. He talks about him when he's not here, he goes nuts when he sees a picture of Ryan, he just loves him!

pitching fits. This is a new thing and it's ridiculous.

another face of the fit.

There you have it. A glimpse into the busy life of Alexander Carlton Rezsnyak!

P.S. - If you want to leave a comment (which we would LOVE it if you would!), please post it on the actual blog page because we won't be on Facebook for a long while. Thanks!

workout at BJ's

2011-02-18T15:32:00.000-05:00

Alexander and I just got back from running a few errands (and a bonus lunchtime visit with Scott!). Our main destination was BJ's. It's been a beautiful day, so instead of carrying Alexander into the store and getting a cart inside like we normally do, I put him in this super rad car/cart that was parked in the outside corral.

This is just a picture from the internet, but it's identical to the one we used today

I'd never even noticed them at BJ's before and I've never used one anywhere else. For some reason it stuck out to me today and I just couldn't deny my son the experience of being able to drive his very own race car grocery cart!

Well, I think one time was enough. It was such a silly experience for me as the mom, the one actually doing the "driving." It might not seem like it in the picture, but this thing was SO long and ridiculous to maneuver. I didn't even a have a winter jacket on and by the end of our trip, I was so stinkin' hot from my unexpected workout! I had to apologize a million times as I passed by or turned near other shoppers because I inevitably got in their way with my boat (or car) of a cart. I even tried to explain to one person how tough it was to turn with, but they certainly were not interested in an explanation of why I was taking so long to get out of their way. Ha!

Anyway, yes, Alexander had a great time with the steering wheel for the first 10 minutes of our trip, but maybe I'll just buy a portable steering wheel that he can pretend with in a regular old grocery cart 'cause this momma ain't driving that piece of goofiness again!

Here's a "just because" picture:

This was from a couple of weeks ago. There is no good explanation for this except that this is what happens when you leave your husband, your son and a removable bra strap in one room...

hawks & chocolate

2011-02-03T20:37:00.000-05:00

(disclaimer #1: this is from Google, not route 81)

I noticed a hawk in a tree today. I never would have imagined myself thinking that was exciting, but today I did. And I might from now on.

You see, my husband has ALWAYS noticed hawks in trees and on fences and sometimes in pretty obscure places. To be honest (and this is probably news to him), each time he's pointed them out to me I didn't much care. He points them out a lot and I can never figure out where he's looking anyway.

Well, when I was driving home on route 81 today and spotted my very own hawk perched up in a tree I was so excited that I had noticed it! And then I got thinking about how awesome marriage is. Strange segue, I know, but what this bird sighting meant to me was that my husband has been influencing my life in a way I didn't even realize. I'm sure it hasn't been a goal of his to train me to spot hawks, but all of the time I've spent in his presence while he finds them has made me aware of a small, beautiful part of life that I bet I'd be missing out on if I weren't married to the man I am.

I think I'll try harder to find the ones he's pointing to from now on.

_____________________________________

On a completely different note, I am addicted to chocolate. Not in the funny-saying-on-a-refrigerator-magnet kind of way, but in a real way. I sneak an inordinate amount of chocolate into my mouth every single day. I have wrappers stuffed in every crevice of my car and I even sneak wrappers into my purse so I can throw them away when I get to work so no one at home will see what I've been eating. I'm seriously addicted. And it's not funny or okay. The problem is, I don't know how to change.

Recently I've had a few conversations with people about how I know I need to totally revamp my diet, but the second no one is around, I shove chocolate into my mouth . It's disgusting.

(disclaimer #2: this is from Google, not my life)

Taking care of the body God has given me should be a motivator. Being an attractive wife for my husband should be a motivator. Being around to raise my son should be a motivator. But obviously I'm a self-absorbed jerk who values 2 seconds of deliciousness over God, my husband and my son.

I know this is going to seem completely trivial to a lot people, especially if this isn't a struggle you have, but I would love it if you could give me some (helpful, and hopefully kind) thoughts. Have you ever overcome an addiction? What did you do? How did you attack it? What worked, what didn't? What was the hardest thing about it?

I need to make this change. There's too much to lose if I don't.

16 months (and almost a week - whoops!)

2011-01-27T16:56:00.004-05:00

Like everyone else in the world, this last month has been very eventful in the Rezsnyak family! There were all of the Christmas and New Year activities complete with family and friends that we were so excited to see (feels so far away, doesn't it?), our continued search for (and maybe finding of) a new church to attend, a "reunion dinner" with our old Bible study, a birthday dinner for Grandpa Borek and so much more!

The most recent fun has been a week-long stretch of the stomach bug that has apparently been sweeping the nation. It certainly had a hey day in our home - I am SO thankful that Alexander seems to be back to a normal kid today and I am SO thankful that I might be done with doing multiple loads of laundry every day because of puke & poop everywhere. Man, that got old fast.

Anyway, we have had so much fun just living life and are seriously enjoying watching Alexander learn and grow and change every single day.

There haven't been stats in quite a few months, so without further ado, here they are (from his 15 month appt. which just happened about a week ago, even though he's actually 16 months...):

weight: 22.12 lbs (20th percentile)
height: 33 in. (89th percentile)
head circumference: 48.5 cm. (no percentile given)

It looks like he'll be tall and lean!

What he's up to:

-WALKING!! (there's been a video posted on Facebook so you might have seen the big surprise already, but I'll post it again when it's picture time at the end of this)

-blowing his nose (and, for some reason, using the same tissue or cloth right away to clean something like a countertop or floor. Weird.)

-brushing his teeth (even spitting in the sink when he's done!)

-talking from the second he wakes up to the second he's asleep

-drawing/coloring (Keep your pens out of sight because this kid is obsessed - just ask Uncle Andy!)

-taking the top on and off of anything that has a top for what seems like hours at a time

-melting my heart by calling me "mommy"

-helping me cook any chance he can (he really loves to stir!)

There's so much going on that it's hard to keep track of it all, but we're busy and having fun! Here is some photographic evidence (captions provided by Scott this month):

My favorite coffee cup! I finally have one!

Back in my laboratory we are learning about science!

Uncle Andy...need I say more. Well, at least I know he loves me!

My very first Chinese meal, and it was homemade!


Uncle Andy showing me his super cool model train layout at the MOST!

I got really sick, and Papa had to stay up really late with me... I puked on him three time!

WHAZUUUUUP! ...oh, that's not cool anymore?

This really great action shot Mama took, I'm just drinking.

Mama and Papa think my curls will go away if they cut my hair, it's getting pretty long. Don't hate me because I'm beautiful.

My first time out playing in the snow... it's pretty cold.

Face plant - Don't just stand there and take a picture, HELP ME!

HE WALKS!

the big 1-5 (months, that is!)

2010-12-23T08:54:00.028-05:00

For some reason I just haven't been able to find the motivation to do this post, but I must. Our faithful readers would be devastated if I waited any longer, I'm sure. Ha.

On Sunday, Alexander hit the 15 month mark. We don't have his next doctor appointment until mid-January, so again, no weight, height or head stats. You'll have to settle for our observations and cute pictures like this one:

this boy turns into a different person when you take his clothes off! Totally naked is his favorite, but has resulted in too many wet spots, if you know what I mean!

On with the post.

It's always difficult for me to look back at the month and try to remember what's new and different because life just kind of flows together. It seems like he's always been doing the things he's been doing, even if yesterday was the first time he did it. Does that make any sense?

So, language is still the big deal around here. He learns new words at a crazy pace and it's so awesome to watch/listen. Like "brush." The other day we were in the bathroom and he saw a brush and started saying "brush" and smoothing out his hair with his hand. When I gave him the brush, he did it to himself with that and then brushed my hair. And every time he sees a coffee mug, he says "coffee cup" in a way that would need to be interpreted, but it's definitely what he's saying. And when he sees steam, he says "hot." And on and on and on. And maybe these examples seem insignificant to other people, but man, we are so proud of him and that brain God has blessed him with!

There's no upward mobility yet, but for what it's worth, we are finding comfort in knowing that he is fully capable, he just doesn't want to. He gets around very efficiently and apparently sees no need to walk. So, we're just thankful that there's nothing physical stopping him from it. And from time to time we realize that life is going to be insanely different once he is solely walking. So we're enjoying this time now.

A few fun things that happened this month:

-We took a family trip 3+ hours east to visit our friends Dan & Diane (my college roommate & maid of honor!) and we had a great time! The visit was far too short, but it held me over until the next time we get to see them. Alexander even said "Diane" which was so cool!

Here they are looking into the oven, turning the light on and off. She was a GREAT playmate!

And Alexander and I went to a cookie swap this past Monday with a few girls (and some of their girls!) from our old church. Mmm. What a great idea! And a fun time, too!

We have no pictures to document the occasion, but we got to celebrate our friend Ryan's graduation from SUNY Oswego AND his birthday all on the same day! Here's a "throwback" picture of Ryan, Scott & Alexander from this past February. He's a great friend and we're so proud and excited for him to have that college degree!

And now for what you've all been waiting for:

Pointing to, not picking, his nose!

bathtime with his new Noah's Ark bath toy from Granny (the new "official" name for Scott's mom)!

looking, with wonder, at the Christmas tree. He's been pretty great so far about not touching it!

the mouse and keyboard, on the other hand, he'll grab whenever we turn our backs or forget to shut the door. It seems that his favorite mischief to cause is of the computer variety.

happy to start the process of bundling up for a trip outside. Boots and snowpants are from Lori, a co-worker of mine. They're a few sizes too big, but serve their purpose well!

Well, he WAS happy. Now we just have our own little "Ralphie" on our hands...

eating some of the snow that came in the house from our boots. Don't judge me!

a favorite pose in the highchair.

Ha ha ha! One of Lori's hats was WAY too small for this kid's noggin! Looks a little artsy, I'd say!

just a close-up.

another favorite mischief-causing spot. the Brita pitcher on the top right, that spout has been pulled a time or two. Whoops!

and more mischief. Ripping paper out of a notebook. And he doesn't look too sorry, does he?

sorry for the gross open-mouth shot, but he thought it was SO funny when he realized he could put his finger into the wagon wheel pasta and pick it up that way!

he loves to drink out of a real glass. He may love using a straw more, but I have no photo proof.

And finally, a picture of what happens when Mama's gone.
Papa stuffs a WAY too small apple hat from the LaFayette Apple Festival onto Alexander's head and calls him "a little Christmas apple elf." Poor boy.

Merry Christmas! We hope your celebration of the birth of our savior is a beautiful one!

Love,
The Rezsnyak 3.
(idea taken from the formerly Mangine 5 - now Mangine Many.)

hooded towels

2010-12-01T10:31:00.004-05:00

It's Stephanie. Again. Looking for recommendations. Again.

I'm on the hunt for a really great hooded towel for Alexander. I want something thick and absorbent and good quality.

Is there anybody that just LOVES their hooded towel for their kids? If so, where can I get one?

month numero fourteeno

2010-11-20T15:48:00.024-05:00

We are having SO MUCH FUN being parents to this little boy! He makes us laugh a gazillion times every day!

Here's a sneak peek into some of things happening in his/our life lately:

Here at my parent's house we change him on a changing pad on a spare twin bed in his room. His favorite thing these days is to roll off the changing pad when he's diaper free and bask in the glory of his nakedness. He starts giggling like a mad man and usually sprawls out on the pillows striking model poses or stands up to look out the window, bare lower half for all to see. (Good thing we live in the country...) This boy absolutely loves being naked!

He's doing great with eating lately, mostly eating what we eat. Potato soup, pizza, grilled cheese, tuna noodle casserole. I still bring a jar of baby food with us when we go somewhere that I don't know what we're eating. It's a sure thing that he'll eat it and I'd rather feed him and make sure he's not a cranky guest than try to figure out what he might eat where we are. I recognize I need to start weaning off of that process soon...

I'm pretty sure that the mystery of why Alexander hasn't taken his first steps yet has been solved. On Friday night we were spending time with friends of ours and they had some sort of push and walk toy from their 2+ year old daughter. We had Alexander give it a shot and he thought it was the best thing ever! He took right off and was all smiles.

Then it clicked!

He LOVES pushing his stroller in the same way (throws a really nasty fit when we have to stop). And that's pretty much the only opportunity that we ever give him to stand up and get the feeling of walking on his own. I do things like lining our dining room chairs up so he can go back and forth and he definitely does the cruising thing around all of the furniture, but we didn't invest in any independent walk-encouraging toys for him. So, in came the one toy I totally forgot all about that's been sitting on the porch for months:

(FYI - this is a random photo from the internet because we're down a camera at the moment)

I've got to imagine that now that we've figured out the error of our ways, he'll be walking in no time! You can be sure the next kid will be up and at 'em by the time he's 2 months old! Just kidding, obviously.

His vocabulary and comprehension is, to be honest, a little bit shocking to us. I have to brag on my boy for a minute here and just say that he's making up for not walking by being a pretty big genius of a baby. Not only is he able to point to tons of things and identify them (both solicited and unsolicited), he also clearly understands a lot of concepts and which noises go with certain things/actions/animals, etc. We are amazed by his brain more and more every day.

And now for the most fun part of any blog post:

We didn't do the trick or treating thing, but Nana got him this Scooby Doo gear for the day!

pointing the way on our Mama and son trip to Highland Forest

one of his first couple days in the car seat facing forward. I LOVE being able to see him!

guitar lessons start early for Rezsnyak children

Papa and son sharing a chocolate chip cookie bar. Mmm!

our sweet sleeping boy. This is a pretty common position for him when we go in to check on him every night.

really into watching Sid the Science Kid (best show EVER!) in Grandpa's chair

Alexander, Mama and Great Grandpa Irwin.
Checking out the progress on our land!

Grandma and Grandpa Borek and Papa, the deforestation crew, taking a MUCH deserved Mickey D's break!

this is how Nana spent her time at a baby shower - the boy put her to work!

flipping through the Wegmans ad on the coffee table

the only picture I got from a visit with cousins Theo and Luke (and their mom, Jess!)

a typical messy face when he "helps" serve himself food

he has a strange tolerance, perhaps even like for the coon skin hat we brought back from Alaska.

Man, he's cute!

doctor, doctor...

2010-11-13T14:49:00.003-05:00

give me the news!

This is Stephanie again. And this post is NOT about Alexander. Weird, right? (His 14 month post is due to be published in just under a week, though)

I'm soliciting recommendations for a primary care doctor for myself. Scott has one. Alexander has one. I haven't had one since I was in high school and I don't want to go back to her.

If you like your doctor, I'd love to hear about it! Two things that are non-negotiable: I'm looking for a female doctor and she needs to be in the central New York area.

Bring on the opinions!

13 months

2010-10-19T11:39:00.020-04:00

Our little guy's personality is coming through more and more every day and it's hysterical to watch! He's becoming sneaky and funny and remains curious and observant of everything around him.

Earlier this week we went to The Hollow, a pumpkin farm-ish type of place near OCC. They have a bunch of "barnyard animals" (alpaca, pigs, mini pony, goats, etc.) and Alexander's face didn't change the whole time we were looking at them. They came up to the fence, pretty close to him, and he just watched. No smiles, no squeals, just looking. That seems to be his approach to most things. He takes the world in!

He's talking a ton and has a good list of words that I can understand, anyway:

mama, papa, nana, duck, on, water, car, tractor and cracker (which sound exactly the same coming from him) and a bunch of animal sounds. He's also really great at mimicking. I'm glad to know that all of the talking I do with/to him all day long seems to be paying off!

He is still doing the "cruising" bit, going all around the furniture and anything he can find to climb up on. The other day he was a regular old Spiderman, clinging to the walls and going from closed door to closed door. We've been saying for months that walking will be right around the corner, but who knows. There's something about letting go that seems to be a little too scary for him still.

He's had 4 teeth (2 top, 2 bottom) for a while and it's super cute now that you can really see them when he smiles. There's another one coming in and it's doing a number on him. Poor little man!

We're really enjoying the crisp weather and being outside. We're trying to take walks and just get outdoors to take in the beautiful colors of fall! We've also been going to a sing along/storytime at the Dewitt library every week for kids up to 18 months. That's been a nice outing and a really great chance for me to watch Alexander in action. We leave him in the church nursery each Sunday, but I don't get to see what and how he does, so I love this! He generally has no interest in any of the toys or books or other kids. He usually roams the perimeter of the room and examines things like the stack of metal chairs and the wheels on the strollers from all of the kids. And during the songs and stories, he still just takes it all in, not knowing what to think of the silliness!

Our (my) big question this month pertains to food. What can I feed this boy?! I've heard that toddlers go through stages of not having much of an appetite, but I really want to pack an at least semi-nutritional punch with what food he does eat. So I welcome your ideas. He seems to love toast and all things in the bread/cracker family, but I don't want to turn him into a carb addict like his mother. He does okay with yogurt, broccoli and most any fruit although...

...another issue. He mostly doesn't chew anything that doesn't slide down easily. He squirrels it away and then stuffs his mouth SO full that he ends up getting frustrated and whiny because he won't just spit it out. It's a battle for us to help him get the log jam out of there and then the process just starts over once his mouth is clear. Could it be that he doesn't want to chew with the new tooth coming through?

Anyway, I'd seriously love suggestions for the food situation.

I'll leave you with a "few" pictures (I should make it clear that I KNOW I always put too many pictures in these updates. I have a terrible time picking and choosing!).

a close up of Alexander's first fat lip!

and his first pony ride at the Apple Fest!

Lumberjack Alexander, all bundled up for a morning of work at our new land!

the boys, watching a Yankees game

not quite sure what to think of this goat.

or this gorilla, but I guess I'll shake his hand!

Yeah, this one looks good, Mom!

a new favorite "toy" (the stick vacuum)

and a new favorite pose (arms crossed - not sure where he got this one from!)

a view of the 2 top teeth (and the whole rest of the inside of his mouth, too!)

a very skeptical boy who doesn't know what to do with these crunchy leaves.

thinking on a rock.

Thanks for caring enough about our son to read this!

12 months = 1 year = WOW!

2010-09-24T07:54:00.019-04:00

This Sunday marked the big "1" for our baby boy! We had a party to celebrate and I unfortunately only have 1 picture to commemorate the occasion. There's a video of Alexander being sung to and being presented with his cupcake, but I can't get it from the camera to the computer, so...1 picture from the party will have to do.

First, the stats from his doctor's appointment yesterday:

height: 30.75 in (80th percentile)
head circumference: 47.5 cm (80th percentile)
weight: 20.8 lbs (20th percentile)

Doctor said he looks great and is very pleased with all aspects of growth, which makes mama and papa pleased, too!

He is such an incredible kid and we are so, so in love with him.

Onto the pics:

squeezing the life out of his carrot cupcake!

just laughing!

making sure the apples are good at Deer Run Farms with Nana

not the best quality picture, but a glimpse at his birthday morning pjs. Aren't they ridiculously cute?

Tooting a Corn Horn!

that's just corn on my face - no need to get grossed out (Uncle ANDY!)

I can yell just as loud as you can, Papa!

all bundled up for a walk

opening birthday presents from Nana & Gramps (No, they don't both have lazy eyes - they were looking above the camera at me while Scott took the picture!)

I had to take this just to show off this hysterical article of clothing. It turns out I have a thing for pajamas, I guess!

Hooray! Babies on the kitchen floor with pots and utensils - the best!

Oh, you know. Just thought I'd hang out here naked on the windowsill before bed...

We were having fun splashing around in water for a while when Alexander decided to try out the drinking style of a dog. It doesn't look like I have to worry about him lapping up the rest of meals...

Just a quick video of our boy doing his thing.

In other news - Alexander has his first 1st cousin! Aunt Lexi gave birth to Brayden Alexander Wednesday morning! Welcome to the world, Brayden! We love you already! (we'll post pictures after we get some!)

Thanks for sharing in the joys of our son!

Until next post...

book, anyone?

2010-09-08T11:50:00.002-04:00

Does anyone have this book (Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp) that we could borrow?

a fun-filled four days!

2010-08-31T07:29:00.022-04:00

So, from now on, I'm going to stop with the "Stephanie here" line at the beginning and I'm going to go ahead and assume that most people know it's me by now. If you know either of us well, you'll probably be able to tell within a few words who's writing! It's me (Stephanie) most of the time, anyway. On to the post!

We, the Rezsnyak 3, just had a great weekend! The fun started Friday afternoon when Scott got home from work and we headed straight for Beak & Skiff Apple Farm for Alexander's 1st apple picking adventure! Here are some pictures:

the fun starts with the wagon ride to the orchard!

A mom and her boy sharing a Paula Red!

a totally natural picture of Alexander sitting on the ladder he obviously climbed up.

Pick a good one, boys!

It looks like he found one!

This kid could not get enough apple! He LOVED chomping on them.

We even got to "drive" the tractor!

Just me and a John Deere...

Then on Saturday, Scott and I took off for an overnight camping excursion in Forestport where his mom and step-dad have some great land! We left Alexander with Nana and Gramps because he had a nasty head cold.

Oh, and one of the major highlights of the trip: a 2 hour plus drive from Forestport to Saranac Lake simply to enjoy a "two-tone cone" from the "world famous" Donnelly's ice cream stand that we first tasted on our honeymoon almost 3 years ago (tomorrow)!

the creation of the two-tone cone!

the complete and total enjoyment of the two-tone cone!

fireworks at Forestport pond on Saturday night. Interesting town.

a beautiful Sunday morning at our campsite!

And finally, Monday. Scott had to take a mandatory furlough day, so we went to the fair in the morning:

this is just about the only picture I took. He sure is having a blast...haha!

And we celebrated my birthday that night with Scotcharoos! Mmm...

Alexander was fascinated with the flame on the candles and was SO stinkin' cute when he puffed his cheeks to blow them out after watching me do it!

Fun weekend, right?!

On a side note:
Does anyone know of any great free or wildly inexpensive things to do with an almost 1 year old in the Syracuse area? We are (I am!) looking to get out more during the day, but don't want to spend money, especially when he can't do the "big kid" stuff yet. Any suggestions are welcome!

11 months old!

2010-08-19T08:11:00.041-04:00

Hi folks - Stephanie here. Sorry to all of the faithful followers that this post is a few days late!

It's been an exciting month in the lives of the Rezsnyak family! Here's a recap of some of the events:

-we officially moved into my parents house
-Scott presented a 100% original, totally kick-butt speech at the Primerica event in July (people were even coming up to him to get quotes from it!)
-we celebrated the marriage of one of my best friends from high school (Megan) and the man of her dreams (Loren) and it was awesome! They are so, so in love...
-we visited Matt & Martina in Alaska!
-we've done lots of visiting with friends and family around here, too, including the Rezsnyak family reunion and a 75th birthday celebration for Grandma Williamson!

As for Alexander, the man of the hour, he's doing great! He's had a top tooth coming in for a while now which may have exacerbated the jet lag problem when we got home from AK (which really was QUITE a problem...).

Still no appointment until September 22nd to give weight/height info, but he sure looks happy and healthy and handsome.

Foods he really likes:
blueberries, whole wheat Ritz crackers with cream cheese, yogurt, the "squash and zucchini" jar of baby food, any kind of bean he's tried and tons more that I can't think of!

Things he really likes:
our small green flashlight, kitchen utensils, spaces he can crawl into, playing the piano with his fingers or toes, being outside, laughing when other people are laughing

Man, he's great!

And now for what you've all been waiting for...PICTURES!

I've posted just a "few" of the nearly 1,000 pictures from the Alaska trip, but if you click the "Family Photo" link on the sidebar to the right, you can see all of them if you're interested.

even on an airplane, Alexander knows that it's important to buckle up for safety!

He also knows it's important for a baby to SLEEP on an airplane...

What else would you expect Alexander to be doing on his first morning in Alaska if you didn't expect him to be jousting with a foam sword while wearing a sombrero?

Grr...bring on the bears!

having fun with Martina at the Anchorage Museum!

Whoa - great catch Scott!!

"A sip of refreshing glacier water? Don't mind if I do!"

This moose and her 2 babies were so, SO close to our car. I kept rolling my window up and down thinking they were going to eat me! (dramatic? yes.)

THIS is what I imagined Alaska to be like. The snow covered mountains got me every time! B.E.A. utiful.

Family portrait.

I guess the 9.5 mile hike wore the little man right out! At least he's comfortable, right?...(ha!)

Check out this panoramic shot. Totally crazy. In LOTS of ways!

Well, he could be considered "carry-on" and this is where carry-on luggage goes, right?

The flight attendant gave him a bottle of single malt whiskey (unopened) to put him to sleep. And we thought it was REALLY funny! (so did the kid across the aisle. Scott & I think he probably put the picture that he took up on fail blog as a parenting fail...)

And here are a few non-Alaska related photos.
*Confession - some of them are from a few days after his 11 monthiversary.

ignore the fact that there is something screwy with the color and be amazed at the piano man before you!

bath time fun pre-shampoo...
bath time fun post-shampoo!
Good morning world! I want to shout it on the mountain tops that I'm 11 months old today!
A new favorite thing to do - crawl into spaces that look like I would fit! This t.v. stand fit the bill.
Really enjoying my first taste of zucchini bread (thanks Heidi - it was SO delicious!)
this box is another favorite hide out.
taking a boat ride at the Pittman's camp on Tully Lake. This was pretty much Alexander's face the whole time. He didn't seem to know what to think.

Thanks for reading and caring about our family. We'll be back in less than a month to celebrate Alexander's 1st birthday!!

10 months

2010-07-20T07:02:00.014-04:00

Stephanie again.

As of yesterday, we are the (still) proud parents of a 10 month old child - how crazy!

There are no weight/height stats because he doesn't have another doctor appointment until his 1 year, but he's getting bigger and looks healthy.

What he's been up to this month:

-waving
-throwing tiny temper tantrums when he doesn't want to get changed
-possibly popping another tooth through (he's been really "off" the last couple of days)
-trying lots of new foods
-swimming for the first time
-traveling to visit Uncle Keith (all of those pictures are on Nana's camera...)
-helping us pack and move
-snorting and roaring like a lion (or bear?)

A couple of other notes:
-As of 10:00 last night, I AM A STAY-AT-HOME MOTHER!!
-We are going to Alaska in 5 days!!

Here are a bunch of pictures. ENJOY!

like I said, he's "helping" us move
at a rest stop on the way to see Uncle Keith and his new house in Virginia
so happy
I'm assuming he's eating something he found on the floor...?
ah...refreshing water!
snuggling up with a pair of shorts he pulled out of the laundry hamper through his crib slats
proclaiming his love for the cheese he's eating!
Grr...(Uh-oh! I think we might have a bully on our hands!)
What? I'm just naked with a bib on and playing with Papa's camera stand...
the birthiversary boy!
one of his favorite activities - getting just close enough to the shoe pile to see if we'll say "no" (which we always do, and he actually listens!)

the sign says it all!

2010-07-17T18:56:00.003-04:00

Well, another move is under our belts and we are so unbelievably thankful for the following people and the way they helped us in a major way:

(listed in order of appearance!)

Greg & Roberta Borek
Jay Savage
Matt & Anna Hess
Randy Pittman
Doug & Diane Amidon
Keith & Missy Kleinhans (for the use of their house & pool after the hot day!)

Thank you a million times. Really. We appreciate you all and your willingness to take a chunk out of your weekend to help us. Again.

Have we said thank you yet?

got muscle?

2010-07-13T07:33:00.002-04:00

If you do, we need you!

This Saturday, July 17th, we will be making our 2nd to last move (hopefully EVER!). We're going to rent a moving truck for the heavy stuff like the couch, hutch, desks, etc. and we could really use some help if you're available. It should just be one trip from Chittenango to LaFayette.

We'll be getting started around 10 a.m. and if you let us know that you plan on coming, we'll have lunch and drinks for everyone after (we'd even take requests!).

Thanks again for being patient with us. We'll be sure to invite you all to our house warming party when we complete our FINAL MOVE next year!

Hope to hear from you and to see you Saturday!

Here's a picture...

2010-07-08T08:12:00.003-04:00

...just because. Aren't these the cutest little pajamas? The shorts kill me!

9 months old!

2010-06-22T15:11:00.010-04:00

Stephanie here.

There have been lots and lots of changes in our lives over the past few weeks, including Alexander turning 9 months old on Saturday! To start, here are the stats from his appointment today:

head circumference: 46.5 cm (80th percentile)
height: 29.5 in
weight: 19 pounds (25th percentile)

The doctor said he looks great and is very pleased with how he is growing and developing!

A few other notes about Alexander:

*He's CRAWLING! Last Sunday (June 13th), he was on his stomach for "tummy time" and that morning, he just took off! Even though it's an army crawl, which looks like it would take forever to get around, he's becoming quite a speed racer!

Here's a silly video of the very first day of him crawling (he's much faster now!):

Also, yesterday I found two of his bottom teeth coming in! We can finally say that he's teething!! People have been telling us that he has been teething pretty much since he was born because of how much he drooled.

And a few pictures:
Check out Alexander's shirt. That's what happens when your mom is an awful housekeeper and you crawl around on the nasty floor. (I'm on the hunt for a good mop - suggestions welcome!)

with Aunt Lexi on a visit to Grandma & Grandpa Rezsnyak's. It'll be so fun to have cousin Brayden to play with when he comes into the world!

Don't you have this much fun when you're wearing your bathrobe?!

In other news:
-there are 27 days until my last day of work (and I'm only working 12 of them!). Crazy!!
-we're moving into my parents house in August until our house is built next spring/summer (we'll be saving loads and loads of money and will be able to be close to the land as the building is happening)
-we're going to Alaska this summer to spend a little more than a week with Matt & Martina! We'll be gone July 25 - August 3 and we CAN NOT WAIT!

Life is good.

The Star Game

2010-06-12T11:35:00.002-04:00

A few years back, Stephanie and I were riding together in a vehicle. And we started to notice how many people had those decorative stars hanging on there houses. We'd drive by a house and say "there's one!" "Oh my gosh, there another one!" "There's another star there too!" It wasn't long before we would just yell out "STAR!" at the top of our lungs every time we saw one. And a new game was born. We officially called the game Star Search, partly because you are searching for stars, partly because I think I'm funny and Star Search was the original American Idol/America's Got Talent show from years gone by when I was a kid, although, now-a-days most everyone just calls the game "the star game." The game spread quickly! We mentioned it to our friends and they loved it! Some of them even taking it all the way across the country to Alaska and also to Maine. Other friends sharing it with their friends and youth groups around the area. It got bigger than we ever thought it would. In fact, we had no intention of it becoming anything beyond a Rezsnyak family car game. It became so big that people would every now and then teach us the game! It was crazy!

I only mention this, not because I'm looking for the fame and fortune that is due me, that's for the birds, but because as of late there have been a few people, even those close to us, that have made allegations that we did not invent this game. You can call me a liar all you want, you'll be wrong, but I can deal BUT I will not sit idly by while anyone insinuates that my wife is a liar!

So be sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Scott and Stephanie Rezsnyak together, certainly invented the Star Game.

Now, whether or not Dave Waite coined the phrase "gym-class hero"? I don't think that one will ever really be settled.

Birthday Wishes!

2010-06-02T17:10:00.003-04:00

For my birthday I'm raising money for Haitians Children's Home! Please follow the link to read more about it and consider donating! Click Here!

More about the Charity here:
http://haitianchildrenshome.blogspot.com/
More about the Mangine's here:
http://www.mangine.org/

a jam-packed miscellaneous post

2010-05-20T10:55:00.043-04:00

(Stephanie again!)

Hi all,
First off, thank you so much for all of your awesome advice on pinching pennies - we really appreciate it! I have to clarify that I did cancel my Facebook page several weeks ago, but this blog is linked to Scott's "FB" account so it shows up there. I read your comments when they come through to our e-mail. Thanks again for taking the time to help us out!

Okay, so Alexander turned 8 MONTHS OLD (almost 2 weeks ago...) and here's a quick update:

We haven't had another appointment since the weight check on May 4th, but we should be having a 9 month appointment in a month or so.

Likes:
-sunlight and the shadows that are created by it.
He loves watching light move around the room and seems to try to figure out the source of the light spot. It's so awesome watching him think and try to piece things together.

-food.
He is such a great eater!

-his piggy bank
It makes him laugh every time he sees it!

-standing
I'm completely convinced that he is going to walk before he crawls. He shows no interest in crawling whatsoever, but once you put this boy on his feet in any way, you can't stop him!

Dislikes:
-the vacuum
Alexander has a really bizarre and seemingly debilitating fear of the vacuum. It used to be in our bedroom where he could see it when he was in the doorway jumper and he would take jumping breaks to stare it down. I moved it to our "dining room" the other day to see if he would be as scared of it in a different location and sure enough, he clings to us when he sees it. He even still does a complete scan of our bedroom looking for it. So, if you come over, you'll know why the floors are dirty...(I'm working on an excuse for the dishes and laundry, too!)

-when his parents have "bad parent" moments that cause him pain
Weird that he dislikes this, I know, but here's the story...
Scott was first (phew!) with accidentally incurring physical harm. 90% of the time, Alexander does not tip over or backwards when he's sitting, but he was sitting up on the kitchen floor and there was no "just in case" pillow behind him and WHAM! From what I hear (I was at work), he snuggled up with his Papa and did one of those terribly sad cries that makes you never want to let him go!

And on his 8 monthiversary of all days, I pinch his poor tiny pointer finger in the buckle on the high chair. I had done it to myself a few weeks ago and knew that it hurt so, so bad and I have been very careful to keep Alexander's hands away, but he's so quick and snuck his left hand in there before I realized it. It even broke skin! I picked him up immediately and the same scenario happened with the scream and snuggle. Our poor little man!

And here's what our friend Gwenn would call a "photo barf" of things that have been going on in our lives:

Scott flying a kite at his Mom & Greg's house

all bundled up for the snowy weather (on Mother's Day!!)

our first loaf of homemade bread!

Alexander's first Hanes socks. Oh boy are they cute!

Is this kid cool, or what?

Happy 8 monthiversary to me!

Hanging out on a hot day.

My very first attempt at something creative in Alexander's room!

Even though he isn't flashing a smile right here, Alexander LOVES to "brush" his "teeth!"

So happy to be celebrating Great Grandpa Irwin's 80th birthday!

enjoying the sunset on Oneida Lake at Grandma & Grandpa Borek's where we had a GREAT time camping on Memorial Day weekend!

You'll have to look closely, but this is a picture of Alexander laying back in the stroller with his feet up and his finger up in the air as if he's calling a waiter over. What a goof!

Papa and his boy wading in the chilly morning water

My two favorite men taking a nap in the tent. Ah...I love my family!

Alexander in the pack and play while we take down the tent and clean up our "campsite!"

The end!

sacrifice

2010-05-12T07:05:00.006-04:00

Stephanie here.

I'm looking for suggestions in this post.

For lots of different reasons, Scott and I need to save money. Anyone that knows us knows that we are spontaneous with our spending. Well, we need to make a dramatic change to be wise with our resources and we need to do it pretty immediately!

What I'm hoping to get from this is different ideas on how people scrimp and save and make the most of their income and to hopefully gain some thought on how we can do the same. So take a second and send your suggestions this way!

*And just because no Family Rezsnyak blog post is complete without a picture of Alexander, here is just that:

"Forget sippy cups - give me a glass that I can fit my head in!"

we've gained, folks!

2010-05-04T20:26:00.007-04:00

Quick update from Alexander's "weight check" appointment today:

head circumference: 46 cm (85th percentile)
height: 26.5 in. (20th percentile)
weight: 17.4 pounds (19th percentile) - that's a 3 pound gain in just over a month!

The doctor said he looks great and that he's growing at a good rate now. She said we could add another "solid" meal to the mix in a few weeks, making it 3 a day. I'm having tons of fun feeding him a huge variety of foods. It is so cool to watch him experience new tastes and textures!

That's about all I've got for now. I'll leave you with a picture:

This is the "apples & chicken" dinner and boy did he LOVE it! He ate the whole jar in one sitting, which I think is the first time he's done that. Mmm!

7 months!

2010-04-20T16:37:00.018-04:00

Stephanie here!

Wow, it's been a really long time since we've done any sort of update on Alexander (who really cares about us anymore, right? wink, wink!)

Here's the scoop. As of his last appointment on March 30th (at 6 1/2 months old), his stats were:

head circumference: 44 1/4 cm
height: 26 1/4 in.
weight: 14.4 pounds...

A note on the weight - I was apparently, and completely unknowingly, starving him. With working part time, my nursing supply had diminished almost entirely, even with pumping at work. The doctor said he wasn't even in the 5th percentile! We have a weight check appointment on May 4th and there's no way this boy could pass for starving these days! We stopped nursing pretty much right after the last appointment and have been pumping him full of formula. I'm so thankful that he took to the formula so easily. It really helped me with the whole emotional aspect of giving up nursing to see him thriving, no matter where the food came from!

We've also been experimenting with "solid" food, so he's getting lots and lots of sustenance.

Here's what he's tried so far, and liked: *=REALLY liked!
sweet potatoes, butternut squash*, applesauce*, prune juice (mixed with rice cereal), bananas, carrots*,
frozen peaches and an apple in mesh sucker thing*

<--waiting patiently in his new travel eat-seat!

munching on an apple in the aforementioned "mesh sucker thing"-->

Here's what he's tried and 100% HATED:
green beans, and cat food (although the jar said it was beef in beef broth). We'll probably hold off on the meats until he can eat pieces and not puree. Sick.

This is a short video of the green beans incident. Warning: this involves a mother who thought it was funny to keep forcing vegetables into the mouth of her child that he obviously wanted to vomit right out!

A few fun facts:
Alexander...
-was dedicated this Sunday - thanks so much to everyone for their support and encouragement!
-loves to scream. Not a hurt or sad or mad scream, just a scream and Scott and I think it's hysterical.
-is able to stay sitting up on his own and has fun playing that way for long periods of time
-has been sleeping the through the night for several weeks now (6:30pm - 5am) and takes 2 major naps during the day!
-loves watching Scott and I brush our teeth. It stops any whining instantly.
-is a typical baby "techie" and is fascinated by cell phones and TV
-is turning into a totally unbelievably adorable little guy.

Man, we love this kid!

We love his sweet, fat feet.

We love his fashion sense.

and we just love EVERYTHING about him!!

FOR MORE PICTURES, follow the link below or copy and paste it into your address bar:

http://picasaweb.google.com/srezsnyak

That page is updated frequently, so bookmark it or save it somehow to check back for new pictures!

Winner...please?!

2010-03-04T18:19:00.002-05:00

Like all parents, we think that our child is the most adorable baby on the planet. For a quick minute, will you agree with us and help Alexander win the Parenting.com Baby & Child Model Search? If you have your own child(ren) and don't feel comfortable actually declaring that Alexander is the cutest, we completely understand. Would you just a take moment to click the link below and at least tell Parenting that he's the cutest?

Alexander thanks you for your support!

-Stephanie

Vote for me in this contest!

Contest details

There were 10 in the bed and the little one said...

2010-01-27T14:01:00.003-05:00

ROLL OVER!

You guessed it - we had a roll over - and it didn't involve a car, but it did involve a certain little boy named Alexander! This Sunday before we headed to church (I think), Scott was hanging out with Alexander on our bed and decided to see how he'd do on his stomach. He generally hates the "tummy time," so it was surprising how long he stayed in that position with no crying. And then I came in to join the fun and...no less than a minute after Scott headed to the bathroom, he rolled over onto his back after pushing and squirming his little feet around! So, that's that. Another milestone reached!

No picture of the "big event" because we didn't expect it, but here's one just because:

-Stephanie

From my perspective

2010-01-02T19:52:00.002-05:00

Stephanie here!

It's been a particularly trying day with Alexander. Scott had to go in to work today to do some year-end, or what I think should be called year-beginning (because it's January) inventory. The plan was that my mom and I, and Alexander, were going to do a quick bit of shopping and just have a little mother/daughter/grandson time while Scott was working. Anyway, I don't really need to get into all the details. Like I said, it's been a tough day. He pretty much has just cried all day. He didn't take his normal 2 hour nap in the morning that I count on because I sleep when he does during that one, he didn't take his early afternoon nap either, which I was banking on to have a little bit more time out with my mom, and it wasn't until around 5:00 tonight that he started looking like he might actually sleep. He had probably only slept for a combined total of maybe 45 minutes today which is totally nuts (in a not-so-good nuts kind of way!).

We usually start the going to bed process around 6:45 or 7 each night, so obviously 5:00 is much earlier than normal, but I knew he was SO tired. So, I put him in his crib a little after 5. At 5:50 (Scott now gone again having some "man time" which I am totally supportive of), he woke up completely inconsolable and stayed that way for a good 30 minutes until I tried feeding him, even though there's no way he should have been hungry. That worked for a second. Then back to crying. So I took him out of his room and sat on the couch rocking him and reading and singing to him and he was just quiet. In between pages of what I was reading (a MOPS magazine which I'm sure he was incredibly interested in!), I looked down at him and this is what I saw:

He was just staring at me, looking at me with his enormous, beautiful eyes. It hit me today. It was the most incredible feeling and tears just started coming down my face because I can't even believe that it's possible for me to love this boy as much as do. He's been crying all day long, raising my body temperature and my stress level all day long. And now there he was, just quiet and looking at me. And wow, even after a day like today, I absolutely love being his mother.

Thanks again!

2009-12-26T08:22:00.002-05:00

Thanks again to the Cool family for another great widget for the blog*. You'll notice the age counter under the title photo! This will settle a lot of arguments around the house!

*if you are a Facebook reader, check out the actual blog at www.rezsnyak.com

Man's Best Friend

2009-12-09T18:23:00.004-05:00

I posted a link recently on Facebook and made some comments in response to an article in which a little girl was attacked and hurt by a pit-bull that was owned by a friend. Most of, if not all, the comments I made are either exaggerations, or even contrary, to the way I actually feel about dogs. I knew that some of my friends would be upset by my off-the-cuff, reactionary remarks, but when my father said something to me, I knew I had to take some time to clear the air and let you know how I really feel about dogs.

Anyone that really knows me, and my wife can attest to this, knows that I'm actually a little bit of a dog lover. I especially love the fact that you can teach a dog to do just about anything in the world, most notably assist the blind and physically disabled. And in any argument over which is better, a dog or a cat? Well... cats are worthless. And that's something I'll never apologize for. And yes, Stephanie and I often talk about getting a dog once we have our own home, I've considered a herding breed, instead of a fence, to keep Alexander in the yard.

So I'm sorry if I have offended the dog person in you by the rash statements I made.

Many Apologies,
Scott

Ryan's Birthday Wish

2009-12-06T21:27:00.001-05:00

Ryan Callahan's Birthday Wish is something great! Check it out!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T11:00:00.003-05:00

Giving thanks is an interesting concept. It's an intimate and vulnerable thing to do. To look someone in the eyes and actually say 'thank you.' Thank you for what you did, how you acted, what you gave me, how you sacrificed. Sometimes it's really hard to tell someone Thank You.

For me, it's always been particularly hard to say thank you. Not when it's polite, that's easy, I've got polite down, but when it's really important. When I really mean it, that's when I'm least likely to say it. Friends that have volunteered their lives to the protection of my freedoms, my parents for raising me and taking care of me all those years, my friends that stuck with me through all the tough times when I was a sarcastic jerk, the teachers that built into my life, my wife for, well, actually marrying me! These are among the people that are least likely to hear the words Thank You from me.

Why is that, why do we so often neglect the people in our lives that mean the most to us. What a wicked curse we are struck with. I would love to have the courage to say Thank You to each of you for the parts you have played in my life. And maybe, by the Grace of God, I will.

---------------------------------------------------------------

This Thanksgiving we are thankful for:
Alexander! Our son
The support, both prayer and financial, for the trip to Ghana
Jobs... however many we might have a year
Another successful year of Marriage
Friends, new and old
Provision beyond our expectations
...and so much more!

2 months - ouch!

2009-11-19T12:54:00.004-05:00

So today was the first pediatrician appointment that I've had to go to sans Scott. I suppose I should get to used to the feeling because he has a job now and won't be able to go to many, if any, appointments with us anymore.

This was also the first time I had to witness my son experience the pain of shots! (He had a couple things done to him at the hospital, but I couldn't see him or hear him when those happened.)

Today was Alexander's 2 month appointment, so he had 3 shots and 1 oral vaccine. I had been going nuts with nervousness for about a week straight because I was so worried that he would scream bloody murder and never forgive me for making him go through the pain! All morning I was trying to assure him that this was for his own good and that the pain is just temporary but will prevent lots more terrible things from happening to him...Alas, just like every mom who's done this before knows, he did scream a little (not quite bloody murder) and he seemed to quickly forgive me. As soon as I picked him up after the shots he quieted right down and slept the whole way home!

A few quick stats from the appointment:

-"height" (that's for you, husband): 23 inches
-head circumference: 40 1/2 centimeters
-weight: 11 pounds 14 ounces

This could be a potentially "bad mom" moment. I took this picture (notice my feet at the bottom right) just to show the poor little guys 3 bandaids on his legs. He obviously didn't think it was worth it...

Just a picture of our super happy 2 month baby boy! Man we love this kid!

a small update

2009-11-13T17:52:00.002-05:00

Hi all! Just wanted to give you an update from an e-mail that Scott sent today. I don't know much, but here's the very little bit I do know:

-their team made it to Kete Krachi today (the north end of the lake) after a 9 1/2 hour drive (and it's apparently only 180 miles!) and some terrible roads!

-he's having fun exchanging details of Ghanaian and American culture with Albright, one of the Ghanaian men who is leading them in the their travels and mission at the lake.

-they are going to be going to Volta Lake tomorrow to meet some of the children who are slave workers there and he doesn't know much more about what will be happening there

-he would like continued prayer that the trip will be fruitful and that God will move in the area

That's all I know - I'll keep updating when he does! Thanks for praying for him and the team.

Left Behind

2009-11-11T22:15:00.005-05:00

Right now my husband is flying high above the ocean making his way to Ghana and Alexander and I are here, "left behind" in Chittenango.

You might think I say that with sadness or maybe with a hint of anger or sarcasm, but no. I have a few thoughts.

Yes, Alexander is new to the world and to our family like many people have expressed concern about, but my son and I are here without Scott because he is a great man who is gone for a short time to do great things. Our baby boy is here safe in the arms of his mother while his father is spending time trying to figure out a way to help child slaves just be safe...somewhere.

I don't have much more to say, really. I just want to be as clear as I can that I am excited for this opportunity my husband has to be out in the world doing the work of the Lord.

I couldn't be more proud to be "left behind."

Ghana Mission Trip - Blog

2009-11-09T11:46:00.001-05:00

If you are interested in keeping up with what's going on with our trip to Ghana, there will be a few people on the trip that will have internet access and will be updating a blog, I think daily. Please visit http://ehbcghana.wordpress.com

Ghana Mission Trip - Update

2009-10-12T17:14:00.002-04:00

Hello Friends and Family!

Thank you to all who were willing to support the trip to Ghana both financially and with your prayers. It's amazing to see the support! We are really blown away by the love of God shown through His people!

Other ways that you can support our trip, if you are interested, could include providing some of the following items:

-Ibuprofen (Adult and Children)
-Tylenol (Adult and Children)
-Aleve (Adult and Children)
-Preparation H
-Toothbrushes/Toothpaste
-Thermometer
-Reading Glasses (magnifiers)
-Deflated soccer balls
-Air pump for balls
-Soccer cleats
-Children's story books
-School Supplies:
--Spiral notebooks
--Pens
--Crayons
--Markers
--Coloring books
--Etc.
-Jump ropes
-Bubbles
-Flip flops (men, women and children sizes)
-Clothing (men, women and children sizes) - Please keep in mind that women wear long skirts, blouses and T-shirts. Men are smaller sized small or medium and wear pants, button down shirts and T-shirts. Children's warm weather clothing of all types.

All of these items are basic needs that we take for granted here in the States, but are precious commodities in Ghana. Providing a good soccer ball to a group of kids in a village in Ghana so they can play soccer is some of the best medicine* we can give them.

Some pictures of a new well!

The Brilliant Academy! A roof in a field. A more affordable school option. John Doe, the schools founder in the second picture.

Thank you all again for your support.

*not including actual medicine, of course!

First Blood

2009-10-08T12:11:00.002-04:00

Well, Alexander cut himself last night on the face with those little tiny razor blades we call finger nails. To be honest we're really surprised this doesn't happen more often, they're just so sharp. He sure let out a howl, howl, howl, howl! We didn't take a picture, thought that would be a little morbid. But he got over it pretty quickly. Poor little guy.

And don't forget to keep checking for new photos!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=155584&id=501514376&l=00172f27ad

Whoops!

2009-09-24T20:09:00.003-04:00

We had our first 'forgot to cover his manly parts when we were changing him and he peed all over me' moment today. It was pretty hysterical! He's so cute.

We also gave him his first at home bath yesterday. Which was fun, but mostly unnecessary. Being a new born he isn't really getting 'dirty' too much yet.

It amazes the both of us to no end how swaddling, something they've be doing for century upon century, really works. It just calms him down so much, which is totally awesome!

Being a parent? 10 out of 10 so far!

Alexander Carlton Rezsnyak

2009-09-21T13:49:00.005-04:00

The story: Stephanie's water broke at 1130 Friday night as we were brushing our teeth after a long and, for us, late night. Being cautious we called the doctor, she said that it probably wasn't the bag of waters, but to monitor closely to be sure. Stephanie had her first mild contraction at 1255, they were occurring about once every 20-25 mins. After about an hour and a half of that we, or rather, she decided it was time to go! We checked in at Crouse Hospital at 245, the preliminary check in triage said that she was 4cm, which seemed pretty awesome to me. We now had confirmation that she was most certainly in labor. Contractions came and went with more frequency and more intensity as time passed. At about six o'clock or so Stephanie had dilated to 7-8cm! Things were progressing nicely. Then out of the blue, and without warning around 630-645 she felt like she had to push! Diane, her mother and newly crowned GRANDmother, told me that this phase of labor could last anywhere from one to four hours OR MORE. I was crushed, thinking that my wife would have to go through such agony for so long, little did I know that she, or perhaps more accurately God the Sovereign had very different plans.

On September 19th 2009 Alexander Carlton Rezsnyak joined the world of the breathing at 703am! Weighing in at 7lbs. 3oz. and 20 inches tall! Both he and his mother are doing phenomenal. We could not have ever expected the birth to have gone nearly as awesome as it did. God has blessed us so greatly! Praise the LORD!

see more photos at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=155584&id=501514376&l=00172f27ad

Two Years Ago...

2009-09-01T21:34:00.004-04:00

we were joined together in Holy Matrimony. With Love in our hearts, God brought us together, binding us for as long as we both shall live. Certainly our journey has just begun, and we have a lot left to learn. But with our faces turn toward our Father we can know, how ever many years we have left together, each day will get better and better.

oh how the time seriously FLIES!

2009-08-30T21:19:00.002-04:00

Stephanie wonders...

Is anyone else noticing that the baby countdown is getting DANGEROUSLY close to zero?!?

HOLY COW!!

Whose Baby?

2009-08-21T19:03:00.003-04:00

A glimpse of what our baby might come out looking like!

Ghana Mission Trip

2009-08-04T23:09:00.003-04:00

August 5^th 2009

Dear Friends and Family,

As some of you may know by now, I am planning be a part of a missions trip to Ghana in November. This will be my first overseas mission trip and I am very excited about the opportunity. I will try to make this letter as short and to the point as possible.

The trip will include many facets of missionary work such as:

Distributing mosquito nets and other tools for reducing Malaria,
Distributing anti-parasitic medicine,
Follow-up with villages that have recently had wells dug (bore holes) for fresh, clean water,
Visiting and researching new villages to dig more bore holes,
Visiting the Brilliant Academy, a school that provides a low cost education to children that would otherwise go without. This visitation would include possible construction projects, time spent with the children, as well as meeting with the educators (which are the equivalent of high school graduates) to see if there are any resources that we can provide to help them educate, which could include training,
Pastoral conferences that will include pastor training and small group discussions that will cover a wide variety of topics including addictions,
Looking into more opportunities for the micro-loan program,
Reaching people with the Gospel, trying to meet both the Spiritual and Physical needs of the people of Ghana.

This is not a comprehensive list by any means, but I'm sure you can tell already that there is a lot of work that needs to be done. There is one more thing that strikes a chord in my heart, and that I believe God has called me to get involved with: some families in Ghana are impoverished to the extent that they are left feeling that they have no choice but to sell one or more of their children into slavery so that they can provide for the rest of their family. We have a contact in Ghana that we hope to get in touch with to see how we can help, to do whatever we can to save some of these children from this awful injustice.

I'm asking you to be a part of this mission trip with me by financially supporting my journey. As you can imagine, the cost to get to Ghana, Africa in not an inexpensive one. When you include air fare, proper documentation to travel between countries, and vaccinations (both required and strongly recommended) we're looking at a cost of about $3000.00. This cost is staggering if we were left alone to cover it ourselves as a family and that's why I'm extending my hand, in humility, to ask you if you are willing to help me get there.

If you would like to be part of this mission through your financial support, please send a check to:

Eastern Hills Bible Church

4500 Pewter Lane Bldg 8

Manlius, NY 13104

Attn: Office Manager

Please make your check payable to Eastern Hills Bible Church and write “Scott Rezsnyak – Ghana” in the memo line. All contributions are tax deductible. Any money raised beyond that which is necessary will go directly to support the people of Ghana (e.g. more nets, school supplies etc.). While money is important, it comes in a distant second to my need for your prayer support. Since prayer support is so important to the success of this mission, I would like to know if I can count on you in that area.

To Reach Those Out of Reach,

Scott.

So...we lied!

2009-07-15T22:21:00.003-04:00

My foot tastes good any way! (if you don't understand what I'm talking about, all the better!)

Here are some 3D videos of our baby from beyond the uterus! They're pretty great!

Baby Rez!
Part 1
Part 2 -moving hand around face.
Part 3 -mouth opens, very cute!
Part 4 -sucks thumb! ...almost.

If you look really close you can almost see a resemblance... well, maybe not...

Some Baby Stats...

2009-07-09T17:26:00.003-04:00

There are certain signs that this baby is definitely is mine, you know a Rezsnyak, so to speak:

Head Size Larger Than Average...
Head Rounder Than Average...
Head Hairier Than Average...
(i.e. full head of hair, including the sides
[which I guess is a big deal]and no, no beard yet)

I'm officially rooting for a boy, but of course I won't be upset if it's a girl.

-Scott

Baby Bump!

2009-07-02T17:53:00.003-04:00

Okay! With less than eighty-seven days left on the countdown, we finally decided to put up a "baby-bump" photograph.

It's crazy to think there's a little human being in there! We can't wait to meet 'em!

Time Flies!

2009-06-19T18:17:00.002-04:00

It official, LESS THAN

days left until BABY ARRIVES*!

*assuming that the due date is correct and he or she isn't late...

Motherless Children

2009-06-05T12:31:00.003-04:00

The following is an old Carter Family song written in 1927. Apparently Clapton had a famous version, but I am not familiar with it. I heard Ralph Stanley do a version of it the other day on Pandora, I was blown away, with his classic mournful timbre. It made me even more aware of the great work that the Mangine Family is doing in Haiti, with so many children there without mothers... Thank you Gwenn, you can give those kids something no one else can.

Motherless children sees a hard time
When their mother's dead
Motherless children sees a hard time
When their mother's dead
They are driven out in the cold
Cause they've got no place to go
Motherless children sees a hard time
When their mother's dead

Orphan children sees a hard time in this world
Orphan children sees a hard time in this world
Sister does the best she can
But she don't really understand
Orphan children sees a hard time in this world

Brother won't treat you like mother will
When your mother's dead
Brother won't treat you like mother will
When your mother's dead
You may ask for a piece of bread
You are told to go to bed
Motherless children sees a hard time
When your mother's dead

Friends won't treat you like mother will
When your mother's dead
Friends won't treat you like mother will
When your mother's dead
They will tell you what to do
Then they'll turn their back on you
Motherless children sees a hard time
When their mother's dead

Orphan children sees a hard time in this world
Orphan children sees a hard time in this world
Sister does the best she can
She really don't understand
Orphan children sees a hard time in this world

Simple Pleasures...

2009-06-04T17:19:00.009-04:00

A few days ago we decided to buy a bird feeder, something that I have wanted to do for some time now. Well, alas! I was so impatient about the whole thing I just plumb thought the whole thing went bust. Days were going by and no bird ever lighted on my bird-zebo, that I had seen anyway. To complicate matters I had to simply rest out feeder on the railing of our balcony, I had no other reasonable place to put it. I so desperately wanted to see some birds!

Yesterday or so I thought I started to notice that the seed was changing. I couldn't be sure, of course, but the little piles that were all over the place (stuff that I had spilled) seemed to be disappearing, or at least spreading out. Then today I noticed a little "gift" from a bird, a sure sign that a bird had been in the neighborhood!

Then nary a moment ago, I was at the sink for a second. I turned around and lo and behold! there was a blue jay at our feeder! I was excited. Not too excited, as to scare the bird. I finally had my long awaited guest feasting away!

Mike Keville Would be Proud!

2009-05-29T17:10:00.003-04:00

So yesterday morning I went to the dentist for the first time in over ten years. Yes that's ten, with a one followed by a zero. I had no idea what to expect. I admit I was expecting to have a few cavities that needed to be filled, but I was certainly not expecting the amount I wound up having:

ZERO! BOO-YEAH!

It wasn't all pleasant, however, apparently there have been some changes in dental technologies, and they all hurt more than ever.

Interesting side note, both my wife and I are missing both of our lateral incisors. They just never grew in... poor kid never had a chance at a perfect smile.

moving day #5?

2009-05-20T22:01:00.003-04:00

Hi all,
Just in case you didn't know, we're moving...again (someday we'll do a journey-in-pictures of our apartment life - that'll be fun!). We're hoping to be able to get the majority of the "big stuff" into the new apartment (in Chittenango) this Saturday and any help would be appreciated, especially helping Scott with the heavy lifting as I won't be of much physical use "in my current condition" as he likes to say. There will be bbq beef sandwiches, chips & watermelon (courtesy of my totally awesome mom!), some cold cuts to make sandwiches and drinks to keep everyone hydrated and energized!

We'll be getting started early and accepting help at any time during the day! Feel free to give either of us a call (Scott - 256-6789 & Stephanie - 263-1863).

Thank you so much in advance for your willingness to help (and for even considering it if you can't actually be there!). And especially thanks for your CONTINUED patience as we roam the apartment complexes of Central New York. Hopefully the next move will be into a house!!

See you all real soon!
the Rezsnyaks

Tick-toc-TICK

2009-05-18T16:11:00.002-04:00

I guess it was just a matter of time before it happened... Saturday morning I woke up to breakfast in bed, a very pleasant and unexpected treat (one that, as a man, I would never ask for). As I was adjusting to better able myself to eat I looked down and saw this big red spot on my leg. I immediately shot right up and knew precisely what had happened.

"THAT'S A TICK BITE!" I screamed. Upon closer examination I saw that there was a dark spot in the middle of the red area, and in the middle of the darker spot, a nasty little bug, clinging on to me as if his, or more likely her, life depended on it, which as it turned out it did. With Stephanie practically in the next county by now (she didn't like seeing the sight of something eating her husband) I was pretty much on my own. Whilst I ran into the bathroom in search of some tweezers Stephanie slowly came to her senses and looked up on the Internet the proper procedure for removing the tick. As it turns out, they will not let go, no matter what, even if you burn them (which I didn't do, thanks the info my wife retrieved). So, I just got a good hold on it and slowly, and painfully, pulled it out. Point of interest, up to this point I felt no pain at all. I literally could not feel it at all, as if it wasn't even there! When I started pulling, however, it was somewhere in between slowly pulling out a head hair and pinching off a good piece of your own flesh. In short, it wasn't pleasant.

The tick is dead! We put it in a jar and headed out to the Medical Center. Big mistake! In retrospect I almost wish I had decided to live as a permanent host to what would have quickly become a precious member of the family, I'm sure. But with 63% of Green Lakes ticks testing positive for Lyme, we went on our way. We spent the better part of the next hour in the waiting room, then my name was called and we thought, "that wasn't too bad." WRONG! Then we spent about an hour and half (at least) just sitting in the exam room, waiting and waiting... eventually the Physician's Asst. (which, by the way, is not a doctor) shows up, looks at me for about thirteen seconds and says "oh I'll be right back with a prescription." All lies, maybe a half hour later she came back. Told us that they will send the tick out to see if it is the kind that can carry Lyme and gave me the script and we were on our way.

I'm glad that I have the drugs, and that the tick isn't attached to me anymore, but it sure seemed like a bad way to spend a Saturday.

Oh, and that breakfast in bed? I had to eat it in the car on the way, cold. Figures.

Thanks for reading!

Cool!

2009-05-04T12:40:00.002-04:00

Thanks to the Cool family we now have a widget that shows the approximate progress of out developing baby. It's pretty cool, I guess.

Old-Movie Reviews

2009-04-22T11:49:00.007-04:00

I've decided to do short reviews of some of the movies we watch. Here is the first installment of Old-Movie Reviews (approved by the SRFIA).

Burn After Reading

Spoiler Alert: This movie is terrible! As my wife suggested this movie should have been entitled Burn Before Watching. This was just another typical Coen Bros. movie. Filled with every type of post-modern tripe that you have come to expect. Hint: if you've seen Fargo you've seen all of the Coen Bros. movies. They are all the same. At least O Brother, Where Art Thou? had a great soundtrack.

This film was allegedly a comedy. If adultery, very crude sexual references, the 'f' word, watching someone get beaten to death in the head with the blunt side of an axe and marriages falling apart is funny, the world is worse of than I thought. Burn spent so much time on character development I forgot what I was watching (and yet hated every minute of it, Coen magic!). By the time the plot finally rolled around I just didn't care, I just wanted it to be over.

There is one shining light to the movie, however! The acting. The cast was really phenomenal. George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, they all did a very fine job indeed! Especially given what they had to work with.

If I had some kind of rating system, this would score a "don't even bother."

Thanks!
Scott.

The New Job!

2009-04-18T17:40:00.002-04:00

Well, as many of you know, I actually got a new job the other day. I also know that many of you are beside yourselves just dying to know what it is.

As of April 27, 2009 I will be employed by a small, yet very powerful, environmental compliance company call Environmental Compliance Management Corporation. Basically, as an entry-level employee, I'll be assigned to various work sites where asbestos abatement is taking place taking air samples and make sure everything is being done in compliance with various NYS and federal laws.

Now you know about as much as I do.

Thank you to all who supported us in this trying time, for your prayers!

Thanks again!
Scott

My Deepest and Most Sincere Apologies

2009-04-14T22:25:00.002-04:00

Okay, I seem to have made a very large error in judgment. What was meant to be just a silly joke about how ultrasounds look pretty much all the same has offended, what turns out to be everyone I know. I am sorry for my comments, and I mean that. I'm asking all of you to please forgive me if I have hurt you with my words, this time, or any time in the past. I have a nasty habit of doing that, but I'm trying to get better. I meant no harm. And like I have said to a few people, we don't have any good ultrasounds yet, that's not for a couple more weeks, so there is still time for me to eat my words.

Mostly I want you all to know that I am VERY sorry for the comments I made.

Scott.

A Video.

2009-04-14T13:17:00.002-04:00

I'm not usually into the whole viral video thing, but this one is really great. Heartwarming to the max!

Lady From Britain`s Got Talent Really Has Talent This lady proves you can`t judge a book from its cover.

Another Baby Update.

2009-04-13T17:13:00.002-04:00

We have decided, as a family, that we were not going to be "those people" (even though just about everyone is) that make you look at their sonograms on the internet. As it turns out, they really just don't look that good. But because we know that everyone loves our still forming, yet fully alive child that lives within his or her mother's womb, we wanted to take a moment to update everyone...

So I guess our child looks a little something like this... of course I'm sure that it's nose is a lot larger by now.

That is pretty sweet.

The Unemployment Line is Long

2009-04-07T09:09:00.003-04:00

Well, most of you probably know by now that I'm out of a job. My one year stint with the USPS as a letter carrier came to an end on April 5th, because apparently the way to make up a $3 Billion deficit is to can all the guys that make the least yet work the hardest... but I digress...

Being unemployed is not easy, it's only really been two days now, officially, and the strain is already pretty heavy. We are really trying to lean on the Lord, to trust in Him and His goodness. But it's not easy with a wife and a baby in the womb. We're a little bit scared.

My wife and I read Our Daily Bread (ODB) every night before we go to bed, and very frequently we're really amazed at how the topic of the day fits into our lives so well, it almost seems like it was planned. And when I say "our lives," I mean the thing we just spent an hour talking about only seconds before we opened up the ODB to read that day's installment. Well, last night was no surprise (well, really it was a surprise, because no matter how many times something like that happens it always take you aback) because it happened again.

"Are you in a position where all self-sufficiency is gone? As you turn your eyes on the Lord and put your hope in Him, you have God’s reassuring promise that you need nothing more." That was the closing statement of yesterday's entry. It pretty much sums up where we both would like to go and are going, but where we both, regretfully so, are not quite yet. Please pray with us as the our Father teaches us how to turst in Him through this trial.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
—Lemme

Beard Today! ...gone tomorrow.

2009-03-23T08:16:00.004-04:00

A shot with the beard...

A side shot, only moments before execution.

That's some of my beard there... I want to cry.

The beard is gone, but it whispered something to me as it was going... "I shall return."

Kill Your Television

2009-03-05T07:14:00.010-05:00

A couple of days ago I read two articles in Relevant, a magazine that I subscribe to, and it did two things that were really great: it simultaneously changed the way and re-enforced the way I feel about Lent, and the entire Liturgical Calendar.

The first article was just a short snippet that said:

"We all know about Mardi Gras, and we're vaguely aware that we're supposed to 'give something up' for 40 days starting the day after. But what? Homework? Cigarettes? Carbohydrates? Maybe not the best choices. Lent really isn't a time to shrink responsibility you don't like or break a habit or addiction. Instead, go without something that hinders your relationship with God and others, or fast from a costly luxury. Then use that newfound free time or money to deepen those relationships..."

Then it listed a few examples but that was it, that was the entire "article," but it got me thinking...

Then I read another article, a few pages later Learning from Liturgy, (please read this article*, it's phenomenal) it really opened my eyes to what we often miss out on in our super-fast-paced lives and our neo-contemporary evangelical protestant churches. It reminded me of the importance of having a time specifically to remember the the life and death of Christ. To take time, in a very tangible and formal and somber way, to consider the Forty Days or that Last Week. Who can even take it in. To be beside myself at what the Lord has done for us. To mourn His death and celebrate His resurrection.

So... after some thought, even though I was a week late, I decided to give up television during the week for lent. Which is HUGE for me. I was totally in denial about the amount of TV I watch on a daily basis. No single thing in my life was taking so much out and putting so little back in. My relationships with God, wife and friends were all taking big hits. (Sitting there watching TV with your wife DOES NOT count as quality time together, even is she likes watching TV.) I guess I would just like to encourage you to consider lent. Consider what in your life hinders your relationships the most and give it up, it's not worth it.

*Just click on the page to the left of the pig, it'll zoom in and it'll be easy to read!

a quick thought

2009-02-20T17:27:00.002-05:00

Hi all,
It's Stephanie. I don't have anything crazy to share, or even anything really interesting or exciting, but I wanted to make it known to "the world" (the 5 or 6 people that read this occasionally) that I am REALLY, REALLY excited about having a baby. I look at other people's pictures and blogs (mainly the Mangine's) and get totally and completely filled with wonder at what our child is going to be like. Is he/she going to be a total maniac and talk and laugh really loudly all the time because that's what we do? Or will it be completely appalled by our actions and voices and want to retreat to being a normal, gentle little person? Are we going to be able to genuinely say we think our kid is the cutest kid ever or will we have to lie through our teeth until we've convinced ourselves that they might actually be cute? Is our kid going to proactively make a positive impact on the world? Will we create a loving, fun family environment that he/she will be proud to bring their significant other into when the time comes?

Gosh, there's tons of things that run through my mind all the time. Not worries, just wonders. I can't wait to meet this thing!

This Just In!

2009-02-11T08:50:00.002-05:00

A Bun in the OVEN! Yes, just in case you haven't heard. The Rezsnyaks are going to have a baby. We're still REALLY early in the pregnancy, but it's just too exciting to not tell everyone!

We went to the OB/GYN the other day to have a sonogram done, which was bitter-sweet. You see, we saw an image of our child, which was amazing! (OH MY GOSH!! I'm a dad...)

But, we also found out that the earlier estimates of how far along the baby is was off by about two and a half weeks. We thought we were well into our tenth week! (Morning sickness almost done!) But instead we are seven weeks three days. Oh, and no twins, which we would love.

Ultimately we know that God's timing is best, and we are both really excited to have a baby, either way, obviously.

So instead of sharing Grandma Amidon's birthday, he or she will share a birthday with Uncle Andy or maybe Auntie Alexis!

So, apparently, our child looks a little something like this... I think she has her mother's eyes, wouldn't you say?

The Life (and Death) of our Christmas Tree

2009-01-11T14:58:00.005-05:00

This was our first "real" Christmas Tree as a married couple. It was beautiful for what it was. (note the Fraser Fir is definitely the way to go for sure, especially if you live in "anti-tree" climate i.e. AK)

Our complex has an interesting policy concerning tree removal. (If you're super observant like my brother Andy, you probably noticed that one last ornament...)

Just throw it over the balcony! (Now it's gone, it fell out and smashed on the deck.)

Murder or suicide... they're still investigating.

New Year Beard Update!

2009-01-01T08:36:00.002-05:00

Hey ya'll, just in case we haven't seen each other in a while, I thought you might be interested to know, I've grown my beard out a little.

Just a quick note! ...Oh, and also

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Peace and Grace to you,
Scott.

Choice.

2008-12-26T21:03:00.003-05:00

Here's another video that a friend shared with us the other day. It's about fifteen minutes long, but it's really amazing. I think I'm starting to hear a call...

Vo-li-tion 1: an act of making a choice or decision.

Life is hard because sin makes it hard. There are certain things that are hard to talk about, because they're real issues that happen to real people. But enough is enough already.

Loving yours,
Scott.

Other resources can be found at:

cardboard testimonies.

2008-12-06T16:21:00.006-05:00

Hi all, it's the Mrs.

I'm learning a lot of things about God right now and I saw this video that I wanted to be sure and share. Maybe it's "old news" and you've seen it before, I don't know, but it made me bawl my eyes out just a few minutes ago. Sometimes (let's get real - a lot of times) I struggle with not having tangible evidence of Him here with me all the time, but when I get rid of my desire for instant results and wanting life to go as I plan, it's easy for me to see (and not need tangible evidence) that there is a God in control who only wants good things for me. God is so powerful and loving and patient with us and the willingness and ability that he has to restore us, no matter what we're facing in life, is incredible - nothing can compare - seriously.

Cardboard Testimonies from College Park Church on Vimeo.

My Deepest and Most Sincere Apologies...

2008-12-05T22:16:00.005-05:00

BUT- I have to say. As an official and public statement, I really don't like it when people have music on their blogs or homepage or FaceSpace or whatever. It's really obnoxious. You click on someone's link to read some humorous anecdote and a couple of seconds later... BLAM! The worst thing you ever heard... oh yeah, and you have to buy me new speakers because mine just blew. Thanks. Then it gets to the point that if you know that they have music, you try to see everything before the music starts, then close the window as quickly as possible. It's a hassle.

So, if you're one of "those," maybe consider not having music, or see if your particular player has an option that won't automatically play when someone loads your page, but that can be played by us.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter,
Scott Rezsnyak

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2008-11-27T07:46:00.004-05:00

Today is the day that we as a country spend time with our families and friends and consider the special blessings that God has put in our lives.

Well we wanted to take a moment from our very hectic morning to share some of ours with you in no particular order:
-Foot Rubs (Regardless of the motivation)
-Great Family relationships
-Spouses (I mean really nothing better than being married)
-Employment (even if goes unappreciated most of the time)
-A super awesome Church family
-Friends that stick (Even if they move hundreds, even thousands of miles away, which they will, of course)
-Those silly moments that just make you laugh and laugh
-Long slow mornings
-Adoption
-Jesus
-Babies (no, not yet!)
-You!

Well, that's just a few, Happy Thanksgiving!
Love Scott and Stephanie

I like my life as a wife.

2008-11-15T21:55:00.005-05:00

Hi again, it's me, Stephanie. I just thought that I'd get on here and write (quickly, I promise!) about something that's been going through my head all day long and it seems like something I should be sure to share. (No, I'm not pregnant.)

I really love being a wife. I know I'm still in the whole "newlywed" category, but I don't think that should be used as a positive crutch as if it's sure to stop as soon as we hit the "oldlywed" category, if that makes any sense. I know that things will change over time and with children and house responsibilities and such, but I really love my husband. I'm so glad that I married the man I did and I can't imagine my life being more full of love. It's such an awesome privilege to be able to support him in the ways he needs and appreciates, even if I can't cook anything other than soup and I had to try 3 different times/fabrics to make 1 pair of pajamas!

Anyway, that's all. Scott Rezsnyak is a great man and I'm glad that he's my husband.

a few (not so short) thoughts on food

2008-11-13T19:02:00.009-05:00

Okay, okay, I suppose it's time I (Stephanie) put in a thought or two to make sure you realize that there is, in fact, someone else that helps make up the "Family Rezsnyak" as our blog title implies.

I have to admit that I'm a little nervous about coming back into the blogging scene. The last time I tried it, I had travel adventures to write about which made it easy because people that read just wanted to know where I was and what I was doing. I didn't have to come up with anything creative or crazy, I just had to tell my story. Don't get me wrong - I still have a story to tell, it's just that now the plot line involves pretty average things that Scott and I find interesting or most of the time way more funny than most people think, and the scenery doesn't change much. (Well, maybe I take that back about the scenery not changing much - anyone want to help us move this Saturday? wink, wink. nod, nod. just a joke - ask us about it if you don't get it!)

Anyway, like I said, I'm nervous. Be gentle with me.

So, Scott wrote a few days ago that he likes the soups I make. I have to come out first and foremost and give my awesome mom credit for teaching me how to make the best smelling and tasting vegetable beef soup I can possibly imagine. It was a total hit growing up. I think I would have eaten it every winter night if she would have fed it to us, but I also think she would have felt like a bad parent if she fed us the same exact meal for 4 months in a row, so we only ate it a few times a winter. Now that I'm all grown up with a hungry postman husband of my own to feed and my mom has passed the recipe on, you can be sure the smell of vegetable beef soup will be wafting through the halls of building 47 several times a month for the next 4 months!

And, like you heard about the other day, I just learned how to make homemade chicken noodle soup from scratch and holy cow, what a crazy thing that is. I didn't have any idea that such a disgusting mess could come out of a tiny little chicken. Blach. I sure am glad I bought those Pampered Chef kitchen shears to cut through the bones, though!

I forgot to take a picture of the before/during the process, but I sure wish I had. This is the finished product:

I'm almost done. I just wanted to leave you with some more "food for thought!" This is a picture of the way bowls of ice cream typically look in the Rezsnyak home.

Can you guess whose is whose?

Stay tuned for super exciting entries on auctions and pajamas and other really, really interesting things...

THANK YOU!

2008-11-11T09:37:00.005-05:00

Thank you to all who served (or serve) our country selflessly! We owe it all to you!

Just to name a few:
Pastor Keville, N-O
Pastor Case, A
Matt Hess, M
Matt Bex, Af
John Osborne, M
Doug Amidon, N (Stephanie's father)
The Budlong's, N
John M. Kaptan, N-O
Chris Eddy, Af

If you're not on our very incomplete list we still love and thank you for you service!

Now it's your turn, tell us who the vets you know are, and of course- THANK YOUR VETS!

Back to Real Life...

2008-11-10T18:41:00.002-05:00

Okay, enough with that politico crap. In all reality I only find that stuff kind of interesting, not really much more than that. It's just really funny to me.

So anyway... as it turns out, my wife can make the best soups in the world. She's already world famous for her Vegetable Beef soup. It's just about the best thing you can eat, the broth is tomato based (I don't know if that's normal or not). But today, she made this Chicken Noodle soup... it was so good! I wanted to take the rest of it to the neighbors and be all like "see, this is good ole regular food, that doesn't stink!" They're (and by "they" I mean the Indian Nationals that live down stairs, the Latina and her Asian husband across the hall, and the woman that looks like she might be Korean-ish and her African-American husband that live directly below us) always making foods that when combined, and sometimes just by themselves, smell wretched! It's so disgusting. I won't go into detail too much about the soup because I'm hoping that she'll actually blog about some stuff soon... that would be pretty cool!

TTYL!
Scott

More Conspiracy...

2008-11-08T16:33:00.006-05:00

Generally I'm not one to buy into conspiracy theories, but this one was too much to pass up, check it out. I made reference to it last time... can you guess?

USA! USA! USA!

2008-11-05T18:16:00.004-05:00

America. The only country in the world where a kid born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia can become the first black president of the United States.

Amish Sundays

2008-11-02T15:12:00.000-05:00

We have these friends, Gavin and Andrea. Gavin is our associate pastor, Andrea is his wife. They told us of these friends they have that lived down in Texas that do this thing they call "Amish Sunday." Amish Sunday is a Sunday when you don't drive more than twenty miles per hour no matter where you're going. It's a blast! Matt Bex and I went from church, one Sunday, to Jreck Subs in Canastota, keeping in the twenty to thirty range the whole time. It was really hard, but it was great. The idea, at least for me, if not the guys from Texas, is that you just take your time, don't care too much about what's happening and just enjoy the day, slowly.

The more I think about Amish Sundays the more I want to institute it as a family rule. On Sundays: No cell phones, no internet, no excessive speeds. Just good quiet times that edify family, friends and community. Did you know that the Amish don't prohibit certain technology just because they're scared of it, or against it for technology sake, they actually try to determine if a piece of technology is either good for the family or bad; is it good for community or does it detract from it? I think this is one of the most beautiful aspects of the Amish faith. That family and community are so much more important to them than convenience and ease of labor. It's pretty great.

So could we really pull that off... I'm not sure. But having a Spiritual environment that really promotes family and community over getting to the next thing as quickly as possible, or having a day when there aren't a thousand text messages being sent to so-and-so, just one day out of the week when we slow down just enough to reflect on God and all that He's done for us, that sounds really good to me.

Do you like television?

2008-10-30T07:40:00.000-04:00

So, I've always wanted to get a personalized license plate, one that read REZSNYAK or even PEZSNYAK. I think it would be a lot of fun. But, because I live in NY and everything here costs a bo-gillion dollars, my wife says that "it's a waste of money." Ultimately I have to concede that she is right. So at least for some time I will not be getting a personalized license plate.

So... this leaves me always looking at other's plates to see if they have one, and if so, to see what kind of clever "plate language" they use to fit an entire sentence into eight capital letters (it's a lot like texting) and then try to figure out what it means. So the other day I was headed to work and I saw this guy with the most ridiculous plate I have ever seen. You know how its usually something like ILUVMOM or NOWIFE (I actually saw that one the other day too, funny). Well this guy's plate said IWATCHTV, really? IWATCHTV? That's the best you could come up with? So, you don't just like wasting your money on stupid license plates, but apparently you like wasting your time also, great.

That's all I got!
Love Scott.

What's the Deal?

2008-10-27T21:24:00.000-04:00

I heard on the news the other day that the big newspaper in Chicago is endorsing, for the first time in the 100+ years of the history of the paper, a democratic candidate. Not too surprising, it's Barack's home city. Whatever, right? But this got me thinking: How in the world does a newspaper (not that anyone is reading you anyway) justify endorsing anyone, seriously, this seems like a major conflict of interests. If the Chicago Tribune, or any other news source, really wants Obambam or McChin to win, how can we trust their reporting. Plus it could really wind up biting them in the end. I remember the story of a small paper in Texas that endorsed Kerry in '04, it was shut-down-closed-for-business within a matter of hours, literally. So I just don't get it. I hear by rescind all subscriptions to any publications that officially endorse any candidates.

Also, what's so candid about a candidate anyway, I mean, EVERYTHING they say is scripted.

Oh, and don't think you have me figured out just quite yet, I don't really like McCain either, they're both a couple of jerks if you ask me.

That's all for now!
Thanks for reading,
Scott.

New Car

2008-10-21T21:33:00.000-04:00

Well, we finally got our new car on the road. I say new as if its new, but really it a 1996 Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon. It pretty cool. I think it needs a few things here and there, but when it's all tuned up it will be great!

A New Turn

2008-10-19T22:00:00.000-04:00

This is our new blog... for those of you who might read such things. I hope this will be, like everyone else's blog, a place where we can share updates, thoughts and photographs and other fun stuff with everyone. I hope you enjoy, I also hope that Stephanie and I will be motivated to post often.

Thanks for reading!
The Rezsnyaks.