Paducah (Round 2)

The three of us spent the weekend in Paducah, KY for Aaron's second round of interviews at St. Matthew Lutheran Church. Aaron also preached and led worship on Sunday. We all had a great time meeting everyone, looking at houses, and eating great food. We were even able to attend the Paducah Symphony Holiday Pops Concert at the beautiful performing arts center in town. How nice it was that Aaron's mom and grandma came down to help watch Nolan while we were running around. Everything went very smoothly. While nothing is for certain, we are hopeful to hear on Sunday that Aaron will receive the call to be their pastor.

5-Year Anniversary

We recently celebrated our five-year anniversary. Sounds cliché, but it is hard to believe that it has been five years already. We started our day with a nice hike through South Mountain Park. Nolan enjoyed riding in the hiking backpack once again. He looked so much bigger sitting in it than he did just two months ago when we were in Utah!

After a nap Nolan was ready to go along with our next adventure, which was a nice dinner at a "fancy" restaurant in Scottsdale. While the food was good, the best part of the evening was a confused comment by our waiter.

Lindz: "I would like to start with the field greens salad, but I don't want the goat cheese on it. I can't have dairy."

Waiter: "Sure, no problem. Are you allergic?

Lindz: "Well, I can have it, but my son can't."

Waiter: "Oh, like, cuz it leeches out of your skin when you hold him?"

Lindz: "Huh? No, I'm nursing him."

Waiter: "Oh, right. Well, that makes sense."

We had a good time laughing about that one. This was the same waiter who after being informed that Nolan was 8-months old asked if he was walking. He assured us that it was OK that he wasn't walking yet. Boy were we relieved to hear his well-informed words of assurance!

After dinner we went to the Phoenix Zoo and checked out their "Zoo Lights" display. It was actually a little hokey, but we still had fun. And most importantly Nolan did great, even though it was already well past his bedtime. And again we heard a memorable quote; this time from a tired little girl. With the characteristic whiny, high-pitched, little girl voice she exclaimed, "Ugh, it smells like elephant, again!" Classic!

What is Next???

Here's an update on where we're at now and where we might be going.

A few months ago we were given paperwork on four congregations in Indiana and Kentucky ready to interview and find their next pastor. After we both looked over the options we decided to pursue a call at a congregation in Paducah, KY. We didn't like that the congregation is so far away from family in Ohio, but on paper the church seemed like the best fit for Aaron.

Downtown Paducah, KY

Last weekend Aaron flew out to Paducah for an interview with the call committee at the church. The interview went well and Aaron enjoyed meeting the people and finding out more about the church and town.

Apparently the church liked Aaron as well, because they have invited the three of us to come back in order to meet Lindsey and Nolan, interview with the church council, and have Aaron preach at a service. We bought our plane tickets and will be going to Paducah in two weeks.

The original Lutheran church depicted
on the flood wall mural in Paducah

Shortly after the trip we should find out whether the congregation will extend a call for Aaron to be their next pastor.

It is an exciting time! Keep checking back for updates!

Southern Utah Fall Vacation

We recently returned home from a wonderful week-long trip through Southern Utah. Our proximity to the beautiful National Parks has been one of the best parts about living in California and Arizona. After realizing that we only having a few weeks/months left in Arizona, we figured now was the best time to visit Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks.

We set out on a Sunday, dropped off our dog with some friends (dogs are a big hassle to have in the Parks), and drove north. Our first stop was a campground thirty miles outside of Zion. We had not intended on driving that far on our first day, but the road leading to the campground where we had planned on staying had recently been washed out and was accessible only with four-wheel drive. The benefit of driving further that first day was that we were able to make it to Zion National Park early on Monday and spend the whole day there.


Zion is a beautiful place. Like Yosemite, it's main attraction is a valley surrounded by intimidating canyon walls. Unlike Yosemite, whose landscape is dominated by granite, Zion is made up of sandstone. One of the consequences of this geological makeup is that most of the trails are very sandy. Let's just say that a sandy floor does not make hiking very easy (especially while carrying a child on your back)! Nevertheless, we conquered several beautiful trails and were rewarded with breathtaking views of the landscape.


We stayed at Zion for two nights before heading out on the two-hour drive northeast to Bryce Canyon. The drive between the parks was absolutely gorgeous, as we were driving through the peak Fall colors in the area. Throughout the drive we were surrounded by mountains, red and gold leaves, and green pastures.

Bryce Canyon National Park bears little resemblance to Zion. In fact, nothing in the world looks like Bryce Canyon. Bryce is known for its hoodoos, which are pillars which the elements have eroded, leaving spiky towers of rock. The most popular way to explore Bryce is to drive along the top of the canyon, stopping at the dozen vista points which overlook the valley of hoodoos. We drove along the park to take in the sights, but we quickly realized that the best way to see the park would be to hike down into the canyon.


The next morning we hiked down into the canyon and felt as though we had landed on a different planet. The rock towers were much more impressive close-up, where we could admire the unique formations. It was easily the most rewarding hike we attempted all week.

At the conclusion of this five-mile hike we left the park and drove further northwest through what is known as the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to the small towns of Escalante and Boulder. This drive is regarded by many as the most scenic drive in the USA. It certainly was amazing to behold. Even though the drive took us several miles out of our way, we would recommend it to everyone.

Even though we had just hiked a five-mile trail at Bryce earlier in the day, we decided to explore another trail down in the Lower Calf Creek Canyon near Escalante. This hike was a spur-of-the-moment addition to our itinerary and we got a pretty late start. We eventually made it to the waterfall at the end of the trail, but dusk was already upon us. We "power hiked" the two miles back to the trailhead, hoping to make it back before darkness settled in. As if that wasn't stressful enough, Nolan decided he was hungry/tired/sick of being in the backpack and cried the whole way back. We ended up making it back to the car and actually had enough sunlight remaining to enjoy the rest of the drive to our final destination - Boulder, UT.

Boulder is a town with a population of roughly 200 people - the last place you would expect to find an amazing restaurant and lodge; but that is exactly what we found. We stayed at Boulder Mountain Lodge and ate at the superb Hell's Backbone Grill. It was a wonderful way to end an exhilarating and exhausting day.


We would have loved to stay at the lodge for a couple more nights, but we had to start making our way back home. As we drove back we continued to admire all the Fall colors and unique landscapes. Our final stop was at a campground on Lake Powell in Arizona. We didn't have time to explore the area very much, except that we did a quick hike to an overlook of the Colorado River called Horseshoe Bend, which is a fairly famous landmark in Arizona. It was a nice way to finish our trip.


We had a wonderful time and would recommend that everyone visit beautiful Southern Utah, especially in the Fall. You can see more of our pictures by clicking here.

6 Months!

Nolan turns six months old this week! We can hardly believe how quickly the time has flown by. This month he has been a very busy boy...learning how to roll over, working on sitting up (as you can see by the picture with his friend Elle), having his first tooth come in, "chattering" to us (with ever increasing volume!), sleeping better through the night, and going on his first hike seated in a backpack on Daddy's back.

One of Nolan's current favorite activities is to laugh at our dog, Lana, anytime she comes close to him. He thinks she is hilarious right now and giggles even more when she comes up to lick him on his hands or face. Lana is still ambivalent towards Nolan but has been very gentle with him. We love trying to catch these family moments on camera!

This month Aaron did some "substitute" preaching a couple weekends in southern AZ, and Lindsey has been busy back at work in the schools with the 35 or so kids on her caseload. Nolan and Aaron are having a great time together during the workweek, and Nolan has adjusted well to Lindsey being gone during the day (thankfully, we're all sleeping much better again!). Now that we've adjusted to the new routine, we are anticipating Aaron's placement in a synod and getting anxious to find out where the next place on our journey will be.

We were also able to travel to Pasadena to visit our good friends from Aaron's Fuller Seminary days and met baby Elle (above), Nikki and Luke's little girl who was born in June. Our friends, Becca and Andrew, are expecting in January and we were able to visit with them as well. Quite unexpected and very fun that all of us will have children within 1 year of each other! Below is another picture from our trip. Nolan loved going for a hike in the backpack on a trail by the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, CA.

The Last Two Months

Once again time is just flying by and we haven't been able to keep up with our blog entries. So, to catch you up to speed, here's our latest update in convenient, bullet point style.

• Lindsey and Nolan spent the majority of July back in Ohio, visiting friends and family, and escaping the terrible AZ heat.


• While they were gone, Aaron traveled to Romania. He worked at an orphanage/preschool for Gypsies (a heavily-oppressed minority population in Eastern Europe). It was a quick trip, but he enjoyed the opportunity to serve and hopes to return in the future. Check out the pictures by clicking here.
  


• Nolan was baptized at Lutheran Memorial Camp (the summer camp where Lindsey and Aaron met). Aaron, fresh off the plane back from Romania, performed the baptism. Rain almost moved the service inside, but beautiful weather busted through at just the right time. We had a blast seeing a lot of family at the baptism. Click here to see some pictures.
  


• Lindsey completed her two-year Master's degree program at San Jose State University. We met both sets of parents in Northern California and had a wonderful week-long vacation. Everyone enjoyed seeing Lindsey "walk" at her commencement ceremony (carrying Nolan as she received her diploma - how symbolic!)


• Aaron finished up his year-long internship at Desert Cross Lutheran Church at the beginning of August. He is thankful for all the opportunities to learn and grow; and he feels much more prepared to serve as a pastor.


• After five months off, Lindsey returned to her job as an Occupational Therapist with the Tempe Elementary School District. She was pleasantly surprised at how it felt nice to be back in the routine and talk with someone more conversationally-engaging than Nolan; but already feels just a little overwhelmed with the workload.
  


• Since Lindsey is back to work, Aaron has been a full-time stay at home dad. It took a while to get on a new schedule, but both Nolan and Aaron are enjoying their time together. Nolan sure misses his mommy though; he has started waking up often in the middle of the night just to spend "quality time" with Lindsey.


• Nolan is growing like crazy. He's now five months old and weighs 15 lbs, 10 oz. He looks more and more adorable every day and he enjoys showing off his smile to everyone.
  


• As of right now, Nolan is in the midst of his first cold. He's not too terribly upset, but he's obviously not 100%. He just alternates between light napping, coughing, sneezing, grunting, and rubbing his nose and eyes. We broke down and bought a humidifier to help out with the adverse effects of the AZ dry heat.


• Aaron spent the weekend back in Ohio, interviewing with the Ohio candidacy committee. He was approved for ordination, which means that he is eligible for a congregation to call him to be their pastor. At the end of the month, we will be assigned to a region of the country. In the following weeks we will then be placed in a "synod" and will hopefully have some congregations requesting an interview. We'll definitely post that info as soon as we can, so keep checking our blog for updates!

Don't forget, you can always see Nolan's latest photos by going to http://picasaweb.google.com/acstamper

3 Months Old!

Boy, this updating of the blog is challenging to get done with a newborn around! Nolan turns 3 months old this week and is continuing to wow us with his smile. He just started to giggle this week and loves Aaron or I talking and babbling with him. He's also working on figuring out how to push up on his arms while laying on his tummy and seems to be beginning to attempt to roll from his stomach to his back.

Over Father's Day weekend, Nolan went on his first camping trip to the Sedona/Flagstaff area. He did a great job on the trip and enjoyed riding in the carrier during our hike and sleeping in the tent. Mommy & Daddy forgot to pack warm blankets for ourselves, making the nights a little chilly, but Nolan was nice and toasty wearing a handmade sweater and hat and bundled in lots of baby blankets! We enjoyed "escaping" the summer heat of Phoenix for a few days and were happy that the trip went very well. The picture above is from our hike to the Inner Basin in the mountains near Flagstaff. We had to drive up a steep dirt road to the trailhead and then hiked a couple miles (uphill...not so easy with a 13 lb baby strapped onto your stomach!) to reach 9,700 foot elevation. Nolan's favorite part seemed to be looking at the white bark of the aspen trees in the forest as we walked along!

This week Aaron is at camp with the Confirmation kids from Desert Cross, and Aaron's mom is coming out to spend a week with us (and help me out with Nolan and Lana!). Hard to believe how quickly the weeks are flying by and how rapidly Nolan grows and changes!

2 Months & Counting!

It's getting hard to keep up with these postings...Nolan is keeping us very busy! Since the last update, his personality has begun to come out and he loves smiling at us, imitating our facial expressions (especially sticking his tongue out!), and making all sorts of new sounds and coos. He had his 2 month doctor's appointment last week and weighed in at 11 lbs 14 oz and was 23 inches long, putting him at right about the 50th percentile for his age. He also received his first 3 vaccinations (which was hard for me to watch!) but did very well and seemed to be feeling just fine following a short nap.

Nolan's highlight last week was having his Grandma Sue come to visit. They spent many hours reading, playing on the floor, napping, and smiling at each other. I was able to get the final chapter of my thesis written while the two of them spent time together and now am looking forward to many weeks of being able to really enjoy my time at home with Nolan.

Aaron is busy at work with a summer preaching series, an adult education class on the NPR program "Speaking of Faith," and preparing for the final steps in his call and ordination process. Hard to believe that we're nearing the end of his 4 years of seminary! Next month we will submit preferences for where we'd like to go for the first call, and we expect to hear about a region and synod placement in October (with church interviews to follow in the couple months after). We plan to be in Tempe until at least November or December and will share more info as we know!

8 Weeks

Nolan continues to get bigger by the day and has started making lots of new cooing sounds. He had his first "day trip" to the Superstition Mountains last Friday and seemed to enjoy watching the light and scenery out his window. We took along Lana and had our hands full trying to keep her in the back of our new vehicle. Traveling with a baby and a dog will certainly be interesting!

After some wondering about Nolan's fussing during breastfeeding, we visited the pediatrician last week and found out that he has an allergy to something in my milk...most likely milk protein from dairy and soy products. So, I've cut those out (it's amazing how many products have milk protein in them!) and am now learning how to adapt my eating habits and doing without some of my favorite foods. I'm hopeful that with a few months of dairy-free eating I can gradually phase back in some of these foods in small amounts. Thankfully, Nolan continues to gain weight well!

7 Weeks Old!

Nolan somehow has already turned 7 weeks old today! He has been busy taking in the sights and sounds around him and loves to watch Aaron and I very closely. Around Mother's Day, he began smiling back at us with a big, wide grin. Quite the Mother's Day present! He is also becoming more interested in the toys that hang from the bars on his floor playmat and his bouncy seat, bating at them with both hands and watching them very intently. Nolan also loves his baths in the evenings and often tries to lick the warm water...getting out of the tub, however, is definitely not his favorite thing!

He has gotten to go on several outings including meeting my co-workers at the preschool, visiting Aaron at work, a Baby-and-Mommy yoga class, and a few restaurant and grocery store outings. He loves being out and about taking in everything! And I must admit, I love being out of the apartment for a little while!

Click here for more new pictures of Nolan.

4 Weeks Old

Well, the month has flown by! Nolan is now four weeks old and growing like crazy. It seems like he changes overnight almost every day. We had wonderful visits with both sets of grandparents during our first 3 weeks at home with Nolan and couldn't imagine making it through those first weeks without the support and extra hands. Nolan had his first outings to a nearby botanical garden and an olive mill while his grandparents were visiting. He's also been to church a few times and seems to enjoy sleeping through his dad's sermons!

The picture above is our new car...yes, crazy to even think about buying a car when we have a newborn; but we quickly realized that the safety and space of our vehicles were no longer going to work. So, we made the decision to buy a Mazda 5 "microvan." Luckily Aaron was able to quickly sell his 1996 Grand Am (although it wasn't easy for him to part with his first car!). We're very happy with our new wheels and the peace of mind that we're driving something much safer for Nolan (and with enough room for Lana, too).

This past week we have now been settling into parenthood "on our own." Nolan is definitely keeping his own unique schedule right now but we're napping when we can and taking night shifts to keep ourselves as rested as possible. He is keeping me very busy with frequent feedings, and we're still trying to become comfortable and confident with breastfeeding. Nolan is beginning to gaze more intently at our faces and seems to recognize voices much better within the past week. He enjoys his "tummy" time while laying on our chests and shows off his strength with picking up and turning his head from side to side. He has grown 2 inches and gained a little over a pound this month--soon those newborn clothes aren't going to fit anymore!

Check out more recent photos by clicking the link below.

Click here for new pictures of Nolan.

Lana & Nolan

So our dog has a few issues; most of you know that. She's not exactly the most outgoing pup. In fact, she would rather gnaw off her foot than meet a stranger. Therefore, Lindz and I were not quite sure how she would react when she would meet our baby.

The first moments home were honestly a little stressful. Lana walked right up to the car seat, sniffed, and seemed ok until Nolan made a squeak. Then she barked, backed up, and let out a soft growl. Nothing I was afraid of, but it wasn't what we wanted to hear.

Well, long story short, Lana has taken quite a liking to little baby Nolan. She can often be found laying in front of his crib when Nolan is napping. And she likes to lay at Lindz's feet when she's nursing. She even whimpers when Nolan cries. It has been great to see Lana welcome a new member of the family. Here's a video of Lana reacting to Nolan's first attempt at "tummy time."

Why "Nolan?"

Some of you may be wondering how we came to decide on the name "Nolan." Neither of us have personally met someone named Nolan. I am most familiar with the name from the Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan. I tossed out the name to Lindsey and was almost surprised to hear he say she liked it.

Selecting a name proved to be difficult given Lindsey's previous jobs working with special needs kids. It was not uncommon for me to suggest a name and have Lindsey say "Um, I like it, but I worked with a kid with that name and he bit/scratched/hit me." Nolan was unique enough that Lindsey had not worked with any boys by that name, so it wasn't tainted. We liked that the name is unique but not weird or awkwardly spelled. And we couldn't think of any negative nicknames associated with it.

Nolan is an Irish name meaning "noble." When combined with the middle name Christopher (which is also my middle name), he name means "Noble bearer of Christ." Sounds cool to us!

First Doctor's Visit

Click here for updated photos of Nolan

We took our first family outing yesterday for Nolan's doctor appointment. He doesn't seem to mind riding in the car seat (yet!) and is a very content passenger. In fact, he is a much better passenger than patient. It's not that he was very fussy during the appointment, he just happened to let loose about a gallon of pee when we undressed him on the exam table. Seriously, a gallon. Here's the picture to prove it!



Besides that incident (as well as the pooping on the scale incident), it was a great visit. The Doc was impressed with his demeanor, vital signs, and weight. He is now 20 1/2" long and weighs 7 lbs 10 oz. This means he's lost 1/2 a pound since birth, which is normal.

Nolan has been such a blessing and (so far) has been fairly easy to take care of. We're adjusting to the new sleep patterns and learning to decipher his different cries. Lindsey and I both look at each other a few times a day and say "I can't believe he's really here." It all seems very surreal, but also very amazing.

Thank you for all the cards, phone calls, prayers, and well-wishes. We're so fortunate to have such loving family and friends.

Nolan Christopher Stamper

Hello world! Nolan Christopher would like to say hi. The big guy was born this morning (March 31) at 7:11am. He weighed in at 8lb 2oz. Hard to imagine how much he would have weighed had he gone up to or past his due date!

Click this link to see pictures of Nolan.

Everyone is doing well. The only little hiccup was that the nurses weren't too happy with Nolan's lack of crying. Seems he was not able to get the maximum use out of his lungs. So Nolan spent a couple hours in the NICU being observed. He has since graduated cum laude with a degree in loud crying (we were so proud!) and has been returned to us.

The journey begins...

Fiesta Bowl

Lindsey and I had quite the exciting evening on Monday when we went to the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. It was the first bowl game either of us have been to. Now, you're probably wondering why I say it was an exciting evening given that the Buckeyes lost. That's a fair question; but you watched the game, right? I can think of no better word to describe it than "exciting." I sure thought we were gonna win, but I guess you can't give a Heisman-caliber quarterback a full 2 minutes to drive down the field. Gotta feel bad for the seniors who go out having lost the last three bowl games; but I think some of Ohio State's credibility as a football powerhouse has been restored given how well they played.

Here are some photos from where we were sitting:

National Anthem w/ 100-yard flag

Buckeyes making their entrance

At least our band kicked Texas' butt

Brandon Saine's touchdown run to put the Buckeyes up 21-17.
I was so confident they were gonna win that I told Lindz to
get out the camera so we could take a picture of the victory....
I must have jinxed them.

At least we had a good time!