Counting Our Blessings

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T04:50:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish all our loved ones, family, and friends a very Merry Christmas. In all the busyness of the holidays, let's remember the TRUE meaning of Christmas! We are enjoying a vacation visiting my family in PA and will be heading to MI Sunday evening. We are making every moment count! Making memories! Blessings to each one of you!

Mother's Day

2010-05-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

Me and my 4 blessings on Mother's Day!

We took this picture especially for a frame Missy gave me for Mothers day. It's part of a lavendar gift set in a heart shaped box.

Wednesday before Mother's Day, Wes and I drove 2 minivans to PA. Penn View's campus days was Thursday through Saturday and there were 3 high schoolers from our school that wanted to go. Of course I wasn't going to miss a chance to go see my parents. After checking in to renting a 15 passenger van, we decide that we would have to drive our van and Wes' Mom's instead. It was going to cost 500.00 plus gas to rent one!!!! So, about 11:00am Wednesday morning, we headed out. We also invited Dawn and her 3 children along because her parents live just off the campus of Penn View. Wes had the 3 students and Darren and Missy in Mom's van and Dawn and her 3 children (Kaylee, Matthew, and Erin) were in our van with me, Ethan, and Samuel. There wasn't a dull moment in our van, as you can imagine, with 5 children under the age of 5. It was a long and tiring trip, but God helped keep the drivers alert. (Dawn spotted me for a few hours, which helped tremendously and I was able to get a little shut-eye, with the help of my earplugs, lol!) We got in to my parent's house soon after 2am PA time (we had met Dawn's brother earlier) and fell into bed for a few hours. Mom cooked us a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage gravy, and biscuits. Wes, Darren, Daniel, James, and Jessica headed to Penn View sometime early afternoon. I was privileged to attend the Mother/Daughter Banquet at my parent's church (Big Valley BIC) Friday night with Melissa and my Mom. Somehow we were roped into singing 2 songs as well. We had a special evening! Saturday morning Mom and Dad took us to their favorite local restaurant, Sticky Bun, for breakfast. Yummy! Then we went to Goodwill and got some great deals! We managed to squeeze in some games over the few days we were there and we made some great memories just sitting around and talking. Mom and I also went to a local greenhouse and we got some beautiful hanging baskets for her front porch, one from me and one from Dad for her for Mother's day. It was a whirlwind weekend since we had to leave Saturday afternoon to head back to TN, but I'm so glad we could make the trip. It had been years since I had been able to go to the M/D banquet and the Lord just worked it all out that it was the same weekend as campus days. God is so good to us and just gives us extra blessings sometimes just because He loves us! Now we are looking forward to Mom and Dad coming for almost a week the first week in June. I can hardly wait! We did take a picture of Mom, me, and Missy, but it was with Mom's camera. I will try to post it as soon as she emails it to me.

After getting in around 3am TN time, we fell into bed once again tired, but thanking the Lord for his tender mercies in giving us a safe trip up and back. I have never driven that many hours in a row before and I know it was God who helped me do it. We felt renewed and refreshed when we got up for church the next morning, I know God multiplied the few hours we were able to sleep. We had a nice Mother's Day service. All of Wes' side of the family (except for Karl- "We missed you!") went to Mom's house for a delicious dinner cooked by Dan and Tim. Thanks, guys for your thoughtfulness! We are truly blessed with such a wonderful family!

Mema and her great grandchildren.

Mom and the grandkids. The first picture with the newest addition, Trevor. He's such a cutie!

Couldn't get a perfect picture of all of them. Any of you who have tried to take a picture of more

than 2 children at a time know what I mean. Lol!

I am so thankful for my 2 Moms, one that God chose for me when he allowed me to be born to her and the other (who is more a Mom than a Mother-in-law) that became my Mom when I married her son. I love you both!

Winter fun!

2009-12-30T07:42:00.001-08:00

The kids (and Uncle Tim) have really enjoyed the sleds Grandma bought for them. They have had fun sliding down a small hill near the house. Even Short Dog got in on the action.

Look out, here I come!
Karl's dog Short Dog. She's a nice dog.

Let's race!

Tim giving Darren a push.

The beautiful frozen lake. This is the view from Mom and Karl's living room. It has big windows on 3 sides. It was so relaxing to sit and look out on the beautiful snow coming down. That's Darren walking on the bottom right.

Beautiful winter scenery!

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's

2009-12-30T07:32:00.000-08:00

Passing out presents.
Opening Uncle Dan's gift.
"Wow!" Samuel's new favorite word.
A new toy from Grandma and Grandpa. We are all tired of hearing "Do you know the muffin man" and "Twinkle, twinkle little star" and have threatened to take the batteries out, but no one has yet. LOL!

Christmas '09

2009-12-29T19:23:00.001-08:00

3D glasses to go with a Crayola set each of the 3 older children got. Missy loves monkeys.

Samuel's new horsey from Missy.

Ethan's new coat in his favorite color.

New jammies!

Our pets

2009-12-29T19:17:00.000-08:00

Buddy's favorite spot. He's always laying on the rug at the front door when we get home. Such a good guard dog!
Missy took this picture for student convention. Unfortunately it didn't even get judged so she didn't win anything from it. There were so many there, they just had to pick the ones that jumped out at them, so to speak.
Our cat, Maya. She's such a funny cat with a unique personality. We love her.

Missy's new baby doll

2009-12-29T19:12:00.000-08:00

Missy has been wanting one of those reborn baby dolls, so she used her birthday money and some she had saved to buy one she found on Ebay. She is so happy with her and has named her Hanna Faithe.

2009-12-29T19:03:00.001-08:00

This is an outfit that I redid for a little girl we know. Her Dad goes to our church. It was a little jacket with a matching set of pants. He wanted me to make the pants into a skirt for her. I had never done this before, but had read someone else's blog (thanks, Alanna :) ) who had done it, so I decided to tackle the project. It turned out pretty cute. I bought a cream turtle neck and bonded the "sweetheart" onto it then zigzagged around it. It was on the bottom of the pants and I didn't want to just cut it off and throw it away, so I thought I'd see if I could salvage it somehow. She looks really cute in it.

2009-12-29T18:58:00.001-08:00

First Haircut

2009-12-29T18:48:00.001-08:00

Samuel got his first haircut a few weeks ago. He was such a good boy. He was a little wiggly, but wasn't scared of the scissors.

Such a happy fellow!
All done! This was as good as I could get. He was ready to get down!

Christmas Pictures

2009-12-29T18:32:00.000-08:00

When we went to the Gatlingburg area the second week of December, I wanted to take some pictures of the kids for a Christmas card. Dan's tree was so pretty, so I took several there. We also went to the Bass Pro Shop so that's where the last few were taken. (in front of the fireplace at the entrance.

This was our Christmas card this year.

"Dear Santa, I want......"
What a cutie pie!

Our sweet Missy!

What a clown!

Darren, the explorer.

Pastor's Appreciation

2009-10-27T23:32:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday, our wonderful church family blessed us with a pounding (not all of which made it into the picture!), beautiful cards, money, flowers, 2 lovely poems matted and framed, a beautiful soft throw embroidered with "The McDonalds", lots of kind words of appreciation, and the Sunday off for Wes. Even the children got some toys. We are so thankful for the Church family God has blessed us with. We love each one of you and thank you for all you have done to make us feel loved and appreciated!

Random Cuteness!

2009-10-27T23:25:00.001-07:00

Just had to share these pictures of Samuel and Ethan that I took awhile back one Sunday after church. Mostly for the benefit of loved ones who live too far away :(

Happpy Birthday, Missy!

2009-10-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, October 25th was Missy's 9th birthday. We celebrated together at Mema and Papa's house. We put lunch together and had a really nice time! I love my Missy-girl and thank God for blessing me with a daughter. I only hope that we can continue to have a close relationship like my Mom and I did and remain best friends! She is such a sweet girl and is growing up to be quite a little lady! Our prayer for you, Missy, is that you will grow up to be what God wants you to be and will always love and serve Him!

Lounging around waiting for lunch to be ready.

Ethan and Uncle Tim playing a new matching game.

Mema and Mom hard at work. Guess I should put this camera down and help, huh!

Darren loves to read!

Mmmm! Can't you smell the roast, mashed potatoes, and gravy? Come on, grab a plate!

Missy wanted a Monkey cake for her birthday. She loved it!

Opening a few of her presents.

Uncle Dan wasn't able to be with us this year, but sent her present. He has been buying her the Growing Up Girls each year.

Missy loves to play dress-up.

Happy Birthday, Wes!

2009-10-27T22:51:00.000-07:00

Trying to play catch-up here. Wes celebrated a birthday September 18th. I guess this post is better late than never. I thank God for such a wonderful husband and I love the life we share. I wish you many more happy birthdays!

A new tractor (or two) from TSC from his boys! Too bad they aren't full-sized!

Ethan gave Daddy some of his farming toys from his toybox. I thought that was so sweet!

"Just what I wanted, a mixer!" Sometimes you do what you gotta do for a box. You know? It was a baseball hat from Missy.

35! Can it be! LOL!

Happy Birthday, Samuel!

2009-10-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Samuel turned a year old September 8th. It's hard to believe that it has already been a year since we welcomed him into our family. He is such a sweet and pleasant child and we thank God for him!

I used to be able to rearrange the order of pictures, but haven't been able to do it that last several posts. Don't know what's wrong, but you will have to excuse the order here. Some of these weren't from his birthday, but were just too cute and I wanted to share them. Look out, here I come!

Happy Birthday to me!
Mmmm! This is good cake!

I think I'll go in for a closer look.

Just a quick attempt at cake decorating this time. Short on time. Those of you out there that decorate cakes, don't look to close. At least it tasted good!

Such a sweetheart!

Happy Birthday, Ethan!

2009-09-13T03:23:00.001-07:00

Well, our Ethan turned 5 on August 23rd. We had a creek-side party for him and I think everyone had a great time. It was a little cooler than the last few days had been, but I don't think anyone minded. Even the kids went right into the water and didn't complain a bit. We had Little Ceasar's pizza, cupcakes, and soda.

The birthday boy and Todd and Dawn's three, Kaylee with her back to us, Erin standing, and Mathew behind Erin.
The birthday boy with his Birthday ribbon from Grandma McDonald. I took a folding table along to make things easier.

Blowing out the candles. I somehow managed to fit 5 on one cupcake.

It was so funny! When he opened a card with money in it, he would kiss it. Funny boy!

Ugly fuzzy spiders from Uncle Dan that Ethan loved to play with from his shop. This boy loves creepy, crawly things. Well, at least stuffed ones, sometimes not so crazy about the live ones.

More money, Mom!

Cars from big brother, Darren. (He lovingly picked them out of his collection to give to him) So sweet!

He loves his cars!

Fishing pole from Grandma and Grandpa Larsen.

Samuel enjoying a bit of cake.

Look at those curled toes.

Missy enjoying the water. Too cold for me!

A view down the creek. Notice Uncle Tim out there wading.

Ethan and Clara.

Tim was complaining about the rocks hurting his feet, so I offered my flipflops thinking he would say, "No way!". But he took me up on it. They look good, Tim! LOL! Pink's definitely your color!

Piggyback ride on Daddy's shoulders! Such fun! Gotta love those baby blues and that toothy grin!

Look how strong I am, Mommy!

Hanna and Missy- BFF! The waterfall is so pretty and I love the peaceful sound of it. Such a fun evening!

2009-08-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

Snuggling with Daddy on a Sunday afternoon.

2009-08-21T21:40:00.001-07:00

Our Ethan-man will be 5 on Sunday. Happy Birthday, Buddy. We love you very much and are so glad that God gave you to us. You keep life interesting and remind us to laugh often. May you give Jesus your heart at a young age and alway live for him.

Just one of Ethan's expressions that cracks me up. 'Course I asked him to do it for the picture.

Our Two Little Cowboys

2009-08-21T21:12:00.001-07:00

Playing dress-up.

Our Big Boy Samuel!

2009-08-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here is my sweet Samuel. He is 11 months old already! Hard to believe! He is such a sweet little guy and brings such joy to our lives. He loves his brothers and sister and I think he is really going to miss them this school year. He is so used to them playing with him and keeping him entertained. The last few days he has followed me around like a lost puppy. He is such a joy to have around!

"Mmm, this pig skin tastes good!"

Happy baby! He loves to clap his hands.
He loves to cross his ankles and almost always does this the moment he sits down. I think it is so cute!

School time is here again...

2009-08-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

Our church school, Freedom Hill Christian School, started this past Thursday, August 20th. Darren is in 5th grade this year, Missy is in 4th, and Ethan started Kindergarten. He was so excited to start school that for the past week, he has been asking me several times a day when school would be starting. This was Thursday morning before they left for school.

All ready for the day!

My big Kindergartener. Hard to believe that he will soon be 5! Buddy wanted to get in on the action.

I am so proud of my children!

Surviving the Jungle!

2009-08-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

The last week of July we had VBS at our church. Our theme was "Surviving the Jungle". Wes and Ryan ("Amos" and "Jasper") were our tour guides. Each night we looked at a particular item that would help us survive in the jungle of life. We looked at The Living Water, The Bread of Life, The Bible as Our Roadmap, The flashlight-God's Light on our Path, and The Compass-to help us plot our course and give us direction through the Word of God. We had a great time and the children seemed to really enjoy themselves. We had 61 on our biggest night. A lot of work and preparation went into it, but God really helped us and we pray that something that was said or done would stick with each child and that they would give their hearts to Him.

Happy Anniversary, Babe!

2009-08-10T22:19:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary. I love you, Honey! Thanks for 13 wonderful years. I thank God for you!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to two of the best Dads I know!

I have been blessed with a wonderful Father who always lived a godly example before me and taught me about my Heavenly Father. He took us to church whenever the doors were open. I thank God for him and am blessed to call him Dad. I love you, Dad!!!

I am also thankful that God allowed me to meet Wes. He is a wonderful husband and father to our children and I thank God for bringing us together. Thank you, Honey for all you do for our Family. I am so glad you are in my life! I love you!!!

Look out, here I come!

2009-04-13T10:18:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of our growing boy. He has mastered sitting up and is trying to crawl. He rolls all around and eventually gets from point A to point B. I think he enjoys his new freedom. Such a happy little guy!

Trying to get his toy.
Look out! Here I come!

2009-04-13T09:32:00.001-07:00

I have been meaning to update our blog for some time now and always there is something else vying for my attention. So, today when I had a few moments to upload some pictures, I thought I'd better get at it or my faithful few will think I dropped off the face of the earth or something like that. So, here goes....

Samuel turned 7 months on April 8th. Hard to believe that he is that old! He has been sitting up on his own for some time now, but, as I said earlier, I haven't been too faithful at this blogging thing ;) Now he is trying to crawl and gets up on all 4's and rocks back and forth, but hasn't figured out how to coordinate his arm and knee movements. The kids are so excited and try to entice him with different toys just out of arm's reach. They also get down beside him and demonstrate how to crawl. It's so cute.

Our home (farmette?) has been enlarged by two... pigs, that is! Here they come! Our good friends Ryan and Pablo, with the help of my Dad, helped deliver them. Here the poor things are in the back of the trailer.
Wes brought his tractor from Tim's equipment shed where it is being stored till we can build one. He didn't want Ryan to have to drive his truck back in the field where he might get stuck from all the recent rain.

Unfortunately we can't claim the cows in the background. Maybe someday we can add some to our growing farmette!

The flowering tree was a gift from our ACTS group for Pastor's Appreciation. They used it for a money tree. It was so beautiful with all the flowers on it. It is a cherry tree. Now it is growing out green, but unfortunately they are only leaves, not green backs. LOL.
Backing the trailer down to the almost dry pond. Wes fenced it in and put the pigs in there in hopes that they will help seal it off. Wes enlarged it(see an earlier post) and no matter how much rain we get, it doesn't hold much water. I think the pigs will enjoy the mud.

Here they are in their happy home. Missy has named them Piggly and Wiggly.
Our good old faithful dog, Buddy.

2009-03-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

Missy wanted me to take some pictures of her in her dress with my bouquet. I think they turned out pretty good. You can see her dress and jacket a bit better in these.

Introducing...Mr. and Mrs. Karl Larsen!!

2009-03-22T03:26:00.000-07:00

Well, the title says it all. Yesterday at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, Mom became Mrs. Larsen and we welcomed Karl into the family! It was a beautiful wedding and God blessed us with a lovely spring day, as well. Darren, Missy, and Ethan did a great job! I didn't get very many pictures due to being in the wedding party and having an unhappy, tired 6 month old. Can't wait to see the photographer's pictures! I will have to post the link to her website for you all to view as soon as it is available. I'm sure more pictures will be posted on Dan and Paula's blog as well, and I will try to post some more if I can get some from them.

Dan did a great job on the flowers and decorations. Besides Mom's bouquet and all 3 attendant's flowers and the centerpieces on the table in the reception hall and flowers on the cake, etc., etc., he made two gorgeous silk arrangements that you see in the corners of the platform on the pedestals.

Missy was the flower girl and Ethan was the Bible bearer.
Doesn't Ethan look so cute! I just had to zoom in and crop him out of the picture so you could see him better. He did such a good job and took his job very serious. The Bible was the one Mom gave to me with Nathanie's name inscribed on the front. I thought it was so nice of her to do this in remembrance of him.

Darren lit the candles and escorted Mom up the aisle and gave her away. His line in answer to, "Who giveth this bride..." was "Her parents, children, and grandchildren". It was so sweet. You could tell that he was proud to walk his Grandma up the aisle. I made Samuel's little overalls out of some leftover fabric. I thought they turned out cute. He was getting very tired and did not want to smile for anything. Hopefully the photographer's pictures turned out better. I also made Missy's shrug.

And here is the lovely bride. She couldn't keep herself from smiling and just glowed. Her bouquet was beautiful!

Mom and her sister, Pam Shirah.

A Joyous Announcement!!!

2009-03-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

God has led two lives to take one path

Please join our family on this joyous occasion

when our Mother

Patricia Jane McDonald

will be married to

Karl Avery Larsen

on Saturday, the twenty-first of March

Two thousand and nine

at one o'clock in the afternoon

Immanuel Baptist Church

709 East Gaines Street

Lawrenceburg, Tennessee

Wes and Joy McDonald

Dan McDonald

Tristan and Paula Stinebrickner

Tim McDonald

Cake reception following ceremony.

Our Valentines Day

2009-03-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

My sweet hubby surprised me with these beautiful flowers and a balloon for Valentine's Day. He is so sweet and thoughtful. Since we didn't have anyone to watch the kids for us, we decided to bring the restaurant to us. We invited some Mexican friends, Pablo and Chano over. Pablo makes a mean fajita and I had been hearing rave reviews of them, but had never had a chance to taste them. They were delicious! We had a really nice time. It was a great idea and we plan to do it again!

Aren't they beautiful!? Of course, they were from All Seasons! They lasted a long time.

Our happy cook, Pablo.Mmmmm, good!
Ethan loved them. Look at that big mouth :)
Yummy! Can I have a bite, Darren?Samuel was content to sit nearby and play in his swing while we ate. What a good baby!

Happy Birthday, Tim!

2009-02-11T12:30:00.001-08:00

Wes' "little" brother, Tim turned 23 Monday Feb. 9th. We love you, Tim and wish you all the best!

He got a baseball cap with a light on the end from Mema and Papa. It will come in handy on those dark early mornings going to the deer stand.

Ethan trying to fill Uncle Tim's boots. Wait a little while, Buddy. It won't be long till you'll be wearing that size (too, soon, actually).
Clowning around with Uncle Dan and showing off their muscles.

Say, "Cheeeeze"!

We had a fun evening at Mom and Tim's. Mom made a delicious supper (requested by Tim) of fried chicken, rice, gravy, corn, green, beans, and salad.

Our Budding Photographer

2009-02-06T09:09:00.000-08:00

Darren went to a Junior Student Convention today. He entered several categories, one of which was photography. Here are some of the pictures he took the other day. He entered the first one. We were going to use the second one, but when it was blown up, it was fuzzy. Which one of all of them do you like best? I also liked the icicle picture. He was really looking forward to going. Missy also went as an observer. We wish all the kids our best, but they are all winners in our book!

Happy Birthday, Mom

2009-02-05T15:38:00.000-08:00

Even though we wished you a Happy Birthday over the phone, I thought you would enjoy a "live" performance. We love you and wish we could be there to give you a birthday hug. I thank God for you! You are the best Mom in the world! I also thank Him for the great friendship we have always enjoyed. Hope you had a Happy Birthday!

2009-02-05T11:30:00.001-08:00

Mom has met someone who has made her smile again. We are so thankful to God for answering prayer and helping her to meet such a nice man. Karl Larsen has brought the sparkle back into Mom's eyes and we wish them God's best! We had an enjoyable weekend getting to know Karl and hope he likes all of us as well as we like him :) Hopefully we weren't too overwhelming for him. The McDonald clan can be a bit loud and boisterous when we get together. LOL! We are looking forward to getting to know him better!

This and that

2009-01-27T10:33:00.000-08:00

I love this little guy! He's full of life and energy, yet likes to take time out of his busy day to hug his Mommy and tell her he loves her. What a sweetheart! As some of you may know, I collect teapots. These are the latest ones I have added to my collection.

The one in the front left was from a lady I work with. Someone she knew was getting rid of it and she knew I liked unique teapots, so she gave it to me. It came with the creamer and sugar bowl to the right of it. I think it is so cute! My Mom gave this one to me when we were up in PA over Christmas. The little teapot sits on the cup. I love the blue and silver!
And this one I found at Goodwill the other day. I have never seen a lighthouse teapot before and I really liked this one and for a few bucks, I couldn't resist. My Mom gave me this candle for Christmas and it smells heavenly! Even when it isn't lit, you can smell it from across the room. It smells like cinnamon and apples. Mmmm! I bought the plate at Goodwill the same day I found the lighthouse teapot.

2009-01-27T10:19:00.000-08:00

Samuel loves sitting in his high chair!

Christmas Morning Videos

2009-01-27T07:38:00.000-08:00

These are some videos from Christmas morning. I have tried to upload them several times and they didn't work till this morning. So, better late than never, huh?

2009-01-27T07:10:00.000-08:00

2009-01-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

2009-01-26T10:05:00.001-08:00

Here is a picture of the decorated wreath that my Mom took. Notice Ethan's green mouth from licking off the spoon.

Samuel, our big boy!

2009-01-24T13:59:00.000-08:00

Big boy Samuel in his high chair. He was 4 months on the 9th. He was 15# 0.5 ounces at his 4 month check up. He's such a happy baby and sleeps most nights from about 8-6:30. He is eating stage 1 fruits and veggies and loves them. Just wanted to share a few recent pictures of Samuel so you can see how he's grown.

Baby cereal face!

Ethan was playing with his trains one day so I put Samuel beside him so he could watch. He loved watching the trains go round and round.

Christmas in PA

2009-01-23T19:26:00.001-08:00

We left for PA Christmas evening and drove through the night. The children travel better at night and we prefer it, too. We stayed until Tuesday evening, driving through the night again. We had a great time, even though it went way too fast. We made a lot of memories and enjoyed time together as a family. I have been realizing that, the older I get, that time spent with family is a treasured thing. Especially at Christmas time, gifts are nice, but it would be fine with me to just get together without the gifts. I do enjoy giving gifts, though, as I'm sure others do. So, here are some pictures from our visit. We can't wait to get together again. I wish PA and TN weren't so far apart :(

Samuel enjoying a little one-on-one time with Grandpa.
Darren loves to play games and had been asking for Operation for awhile now.

Missy loves porcelain dolls and Barbie, so this was a great gift for her.
Ethan loves to color and I like these color wonder sets because they don't color on anything else!Missy loves to wear pantyhose. I guess it makes her feel grown up! She also loves to listen to music and sing along.

Darren is our budding artist and got several paint by number sets this year.

Mom modeling her new gloves from Missy. They were so nice and soft.

Dad got a Christmas CD from Missy.

Ethan loves cars and trucks. What boy doesn't?

My niece, Jayna, Joel's oldest daughter opening her present, and art set.

Samuel wasn't too impressed with the gift-giving. He'd rather sleep on Mommy's lap.
The kids had fun playing with Jayna's new art set.

Samuel chillin' in the swing. If you look close enough, you can see he's sucking on his two middle fingers. It's so cute! He doesn't suck on his thumb, just his fingers. Mostly the two middle ones.

Making a wreath with Grandma. It's a family tradition to have a wreath to eat at Christmas time. It is made with corn flakes, butter, marshmallows, and green food coloring. They are so yummy! Kind of like a rice crispy treat. Grandma Slagenweit always had one waiting for us at her house at Christmas time. Now my Mom is carrying on the tradition.

Giving the grandkids instructions. BTW, isn't her kitchen pretty? What you can see of it, that is. You can check out her blog archives to see better pictures. I think they did a great job in redecorating it, and the rest of the house as well.

Ethan loves to clean the spatula. What a big mouth ;)

Now for the decorating part. You use red hot candies and silver ball BB looking candies. Sorry I didn't think to take a picture of it when it was done. It didn't last long, either. LOL.

Christmas Day

2009-01-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

Around noon we all gathered at Mom's house for Christmas dinner and to exchange gifts. It's always such a fun time and this year was no exception. Being together is what's important! Just as we did with our children that morning, we read (or quoted together) the Christmas story from Luke 2. I can't believe Christmas has come and gone for another year! Now we look forward to next year.

Dan made a beautiful centerpiece to brighten the table.

Whenever we all get together, a game of football is often played in the front yard. As you can see, the weather on Christmas day was rather mild so no one wore coats.

Missy looked like she had been rolling in the mud by the time she came in. She probably had!

Christmas Morning

2009-01-16T13:51:00.001-08:00

Christmas morning we spent some time just as a family. Wes read the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2 and we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus (both family traditions). Then we took turns opening our presents. The children are always so good about waiting their turn and they love to see what everyone else is getting. I got them all puzzles made from a picture of themselves.

Missy loves to scrapbook and I found this cute kit the day after Thanksgiving for her. She loved it.

Missy with her puzzle.

Missy found this doll at Christmas in the Country and fell in love with it.
Darren got these teething beads for Samuel and Ethan was having fun helping him play with them.

We got Samuel this Johnny Jump-up and he loves it. It keeps him close to me when I am in the kitchen and he loves to bounce in it and spin around.

Ethan's last present was a new bike. He loves it!

Christmas Eve

2009-01-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve we all went to Mema and Papa's house for chili and lots of other goodies. We had a great time of visiting and just being together as a family. That's what Christmas is all about, right? These are a few pictures of the evening. Dan made the gorgeous centerpiece. Paula is helping herself to the yummy chili.

Tim deep in concentration as Darren is trying to stump him in chess. Missy loves to have someone play with her hair.

Church Play

2009-01-15T11:39:00.001-08:00

The children had a little play before the main one with a Grandpa reading the Christmas story to his grandkids. Darren was Grandpa and Ethan and Missy were two of the grandkids. It was cute and they did a good job.

The church play was about a rich man who had his priorities mixed up. Dan was the rich man.

Stephanie was his secretary.

Jill played his wife and Janna was their daughter.
Jill is not happy with the man Dan has become and told him she was leaving.

The secretary offering a listening ear.

One of the reasons Jill and Janna were leaving was because Janna had gotten pregnant and Dan was unforgiving and unsupportive. They were going to go to Jill's parents till the baby was born.

Wes was his accountant, Mr. Cheatum. At the beginning of the play, Dan was praising his accountant because of all his slick ways in finding the tax breaks. But here they are discussing the audit the IRS had just done and now he owes a million and a half in back taxes.

Ryan and Tim were the night shift cleaning crew who came upon Dan after he had drank a bit too much in his depression. They talked very country and were hilarious. They were ex-cons who had found Christ.

They told him about Christ and helped him to get his life straightened out.

Here Dan is explaining how he had gotten saved. Notice Dan's stylish coveralls. He had to change into them after "losing his supper".

They did a great job and the play had a good message.

School Party

2009-01-15T11:21:00.000-08:00

The school party was Friday, December 19th. As you can see, I am very behind on my blogging, but I thought, there is no time like the present to get caught up. Ethan and Samuel are taking a nap and I have a half hour till time to pick up Darren and Missy from school. We'll see how much I can get done in that amount of time. I digress, back to the party. They had a great time, as you can see. They drew names, and Missy's friend, Hanna got her this doll. Of course Missy loved it!

Ethan with his gift from the little girl who drew his name.
Playing the "find your shoe" game where you take off your shoes and throw them in a big pile and mix them up. Then whoever can find their own shoes by just feeling for them and put them on the fastest wins.

Best buds!

A group of the kids (not all of them) before the party got started.

Missy and her friend, Braelynn.

New Family Picture

2008-12-28T14:52:00.001-08:00

We are enjoying a few days in PA with my parents. We took a few moments after church this morning for a family picture (even though my brother, John was not able to be here with us). I think it turned out pretty good, even with trying to get 6 children looking at the camera and smiling. I will post more pictures later of our visit.

Church Choir

2008-12-26T03:47:00.001-08:00

Before our Christmas play on December 21st, our church choir sang some songs and also played the bells. The first picture is of us deep in concentration playing the bells. Sorry I don't have a video clip of it. It was really pretty. I enjoy singing in the choir and though I didn't participate in the play this year, I'm glad to have been able to do this.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T13:51:00.000-08:00

We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! God bless you all as you celebrate Christ's birth! He is the reason for the season!

School Christmas play

2008-12-24T05:46:00.000-08:00

This past Thursday evening was Freedom Hill Christian School's Christmas play. This is the student body singing various Christmas carols at the beginning of the program.

Joseph and Mary with their "donkey".

"No room in the inn".

I think Missy made a lovely Mary.

Missy wanted to use Samuel for baby Jesus, but I wasn't sure if he would cooperate or not, even though she is very good with him.

Ethan was the cutest little shepherd ever! I'm not partial at all, am I?

The cast! They all did such a great job, including their director, Ms. Paula.

Ethan doing fish lips. He's such a fun little boy!

It was Paula's great idea to put Samuel in the cradle and I think these pictures turned out so cute!

Bass Pro Shop

2008-12-24T04:30:00.000-08:00

December 11th we went on a mini vacation to the Gatlinburg area. Every year we like to go over in December for a few days to see the lights and get in the Christmas spirit. We left Thursday morning about 10am and drove most of the day, even though it usually only takes about 4 hours to go over. With stopping to feed Samuel, stopping for food or bathroom breaks, etc., it took longer. Samuel didn't like sitting in his carseat and created quite a rucus! When we got to the exit we take to the Sevierville area, we decided to stop at the new Bass Pro Shop. We had been by it several times before, but never took the time to stop. We didn't stay long, but walked around the two levels and checked out the Christmas decorations they had out. It was really a neat store and quite a bit different than our Nashville store at the Opry Mills Mall. We always enjoy the Bass Pro Shop.

They had a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the store.

A view from the second floor balcony. What a huge place!

Three of our four. Samuel was snug-as-a-bug in his carrier.

Ethan liked this big deer. His Grandpa McDonald loved to hold him up to his mount on the wall and let him touch it. At first, Ethan was scared of it, but eventually got to the point where he would ask Grandpa to hold him up so he could pet his deer. What a great memory of Dad that we will always cherish!

Having fun with a little target practice in the shooting area.

See, snug-as-a-bug! ;)

Missy always loves the stuffed animals.

My sweet Missy-girl!

The kids alway like the huge aquarium.

A Dollywood Christmas!

2008-12-24T04:18:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights of our trip last December was going to Dollywood. It is a winter wonderland there and all the shows are Christmas shows with many of them with Christ and the true meaning of Christmas at the center. We had a great time again this year. It was probably about 34 degrees but didn't feel too bad. We spent Friday afternoon and evening there, since it didn't open till 1pm.

As you can see, Samuel is in his Mei Tai carrier where he spent most of the day, only getting out to eat and have a diaper change. He was very content there and checked out the sights and then snuggled down for a nap. Having him there instead of in a stroller also kept him warmer. It is the most comfortable carrier that I have tried.

I don't know what Ethan was doing here. He's such a clown and loves making funny faces. I think he looks rather rabbit-like in this picture.

In this one, his hat make his ears look like an elfs. He makes a cute little elf, in my opinion! See his map in his right hand. He carried that around most of the day to "help us not get lost".

Samuel looks like he's almost ready for a nap.

Wes was so kind to carry Samuel for awhile so that I could ride a few rides with Darren and Missy. The last time we were there was this past summer when I was "great with child". I couldn't even ride the gentlest of rides. We had fun!

Ethan loves riding the kiddie rides. He feels like a big boy. Look at that grin!

As it got dark and the temperature started to drop, I zipped up my coat as best I c ould over Samuel to help keep him warm. It's a great look, I know! LOL. Ethan's looking a bit tired. We were on our way out of the park.

The lights looked so beautiful after dark. I wonder how long it took to decorate it all?

Every twig and branch on this tree was covered in lights. It was beautiful!

We had to make time for a quick stop in the candy shop for various flavors of homemade taffy and some peanut butter fudge (my favorite).

This wreath just inside the gift shop was huge! It would look great on the side of a barn somewhere. Look at the pinecones. They're as big as Ethan's head!

We had a great day and headed out of the park tired, but happy. We made lots of great memories as a family and look forward to the next time.

More vacation fun!

2008-12-24T02:15:00.000-08:00

One of the things Darren really wanted to do was go to Ober Gatlinburg and go ice skating. So, Saturday afternoon we drove up there and let the kids skate to their heart's content. They had a great time and did pretty well.

Ethan didn't do so well on his own and had to have Daddy help him, but he had fun and that's all that matters.

I only have still pictures because I thought about videoing them skating the moment the stepped off the ice. Oh well, maybe next time.

On the way back through Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, we stopped at one of the many race tracks so that Samuel could eat. Daddy, Darren, and Missy made use of the delay to ride the race cars. Ethan was sacked out in the back seat after wearing himself out ice skating so that's why he isn't in these pictures.

Our little shepherd boy!

2008-12-19T09:15:00.000-08:00

Ethan's part in the play was "Alas and me a shepherd boy have not to give this gift of joy". He was looking back at his teacher, Mrs. Paula, and she was prompting him in a whisper, so he was whispering, too. I thought he looked so cute dressed up as a little shepherd. Notice his little thumbs-up at the end. He does that a lot, and also winks, too. It's so precious!

Missy's solo in the school play.

2008-12-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

Missy played Mary in the school play tonight. She had a solo and I think she did a really great job. We are so proud of you, sweetie! I will try to post more pictures of the play soon.

Christmas parade

2008-12-10T07:36:00.001-08:00

After the party, we went to the Christmas parade in Lawrenceburg. It was a cool night, but not too bad.

Darren, Missy, and Ethan with their friends Kaylee and Hannah.

Ryan and Dan combined efforts to make this gingerbread house float to promote their businesses. I thought they did a great job! You can check out Dan's blog to see some better pictures of it.
I thought my Dad would like this truck.

This is Todd's uncle's (Jim Stinebrickner) float. You could enter to win the shed on the back.

I thought this was cute.

One of the local school's marching bands. I always love the music!
It was too cold for Samuel to be outside, so Wes' Mom kept him in the van with her and Sis. Belew. They were parked right behind where we were standing so they could see, too.

Most everyone was throwing out candy. The kids gathered quite a lot!
We live in a small town and this was a typical small town parade, but I would rather live here than in a big city somewhere. We always look forward to the parade every year.

Christmas Party

2008-12-10T07:05:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday afternoon was the annual children's Christmas party at the hospital where I work. The kids always enjoy it.

The tree in the front lobby is always so pretty.
I cropped this picture out of one of all 4 of them because Darren and Ethan were looking at me and not the camera :) Missy loves her baby brother!

Eating a quick lunch of chicken nuggets, mini corndogs, chips, fruit, and Christmas cookies. They also had some delicious fruit tea!

Getting a prize out of one of the ladies' pockets.

Balloon tying. Missy got a black kitty (like her cat Maya), Ethan wanted a red sword, and Darren chose a black sword.

3 months old already?

2008-12-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

Our sweet Samuel turned 3 months today. It's hard to believe. He has discovered his hands, as you can see in a few of these pictures. It is so cute when he holds his hands together and grins at you. He also laughed out loud this evening for the first time! It was so precious. He only did it twice and we couldn't get him to do it again. We love him so much and are blessed to have him as a part of our family.

Decorating the tree

2008-12-01T08:24:00.000-08:00

We put up our tree last week. I like to have it up before Thanksgiving so that we can really enjoy it, but I didn't quite make it this year. At least we made it before December began. I helped the children set it up and put the lights on it and then I gave them free reign in decorating it. They really seemed to enjoy themselves. We had Christmas music playing in the background and had an enjoyable evening.

Ethan is showing me one of the ornaments Darren or Missy made at school. Real Christmassy, don't you think? ;)

One of our country ornaments. I bought these last year after Christmas. I like the rustic look.

We use pinecones, too :)

Looking for the perfect spot.
Decorating a tree while laying down? Ethan seems to think it's easier.Ethan really seemed to have a good time.

Darren had giving up on decorating. It was getting late and he decided he'd had enough.

Flowers for Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T15:22:00.001-08:00

My parents sent us these gorgeous flowers for Thanksgiving and I had to share them with you. Thanks so much, Mom and Dad! Wish we could have spent Thanksgiving together. Maybe next year!

Dan did such a great job arranging them. He has a florist/ gift shop here in town. You can check out his blog in my links for more info.

Thanksgiving service

2008-11-27T08:45:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday night was our monthly Missionary service. Mema (Wes' Grandmother) is our B.M.M.S. (Bible Methodist Missionary Society) president and she did a good job of getting it all together. The children had little parts as well. Darren is in the middle with the red shirt, Missy is the last girl on the right, and Ethan is next to her with his head down. He must have just looked down when I snapped the picture because he isn't really shy :)

Singing a song.

Mema had the children attach "feathers" to the turkey that spelled Thanksgiving.

Mema had asked that everyone bring a fruit. The children walked around and gathered it all and put it in two baskets. Then Dan sorted and arranged them so nicely. They were so kind to give us a basket and the other one went to Sarah and Everett Witherow, a shut-in couple.

Our beautiful fruit basket.

A Thanksgiving blessing- meat for the freezer!

2008-11-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

Wes, Tim, and Missy went hunting this morning and came home with 2 deer. Wes killed a 3 point and Tim harvested an 8 point. We are very thankful for the meat to add to the two doe Wes killed a few weeks ago. It is a beautiful, mild fall day here in southern middle TN. We hope that you are having a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends and that you, too are counting your blessings! God bless you and yours.

Hey, Grandma and Grandpa!

2008-11-21T13:14:00.000-08:00

Just trying out my new camera. We got a Canon Powershot S5 IS. So far so good! It takes great pictures. More to come later!

Tater-topped casserole

2008-11-13T16:49:00.000-08:00

I fixed another delicious casserole tonight. I got it from my Kraft Food and Family magazine. BTW, if you've never subscribed to it, it is great. Just go to www.craftfoods.com. It's free and great for families! There are always quick and easy recipes with few ingredients. Just the way I like it! It may seem like all I make is casseroles because that's about all the recipes I have posted. I do like to make casseroles for the above reasons and we like them, but it isn't all I cook. Anyway, this recipe is yummy and even Darren who hates peas ate seconds. I changed the recipe slightly to make more servings. The original recipe was baked in an 8-inch square pan.

Preheat oven to 375*. Brown 1 lb. hamburg and 1/4c. minced onions. Drain (and rinse if using the full fat stuff) or use lean. Spoon into a 9x13 pan. Stir together 2 cans 98% fat free cream of mushroom, one can milk, one cup shredded cheddar cheese, and one 16oz bag of frozen vegetables (if you don't like cruncy green beans, thaw first. I will do that next time). Pour on top of hamburg. Top with one 32oz. bag of frozen tater tots. Bake 35-45 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown and casserole is heated through.
Mmm, Yummy!

School program

2008-11-13T07:57:00.001-08:00

Our school had a PTF program a week or so ago. This past 9 weeks the older grades had reports due each Monday about a different part of the state they were assigned to study. For the program they had to dress up as a historical person from that state and say a little bit about them. They also got their 9 weeks awards. The batteries were low on my camera, so I didn't get any good pictures of the skit they did. They all did a great job! Many thanks to Ms. Paula for all she did in organizing and practicing with them. I think it takes a SPECIAL person to be a teacher and she and Sis. McDonald are special and deserve a big thank-you for all their love, dedication, and hard work.

Missy was Willa Cather (a famous writer) from Virginia. I found this cute dress at Goodwill for a few bucks the end of September and she loved it. Doesn't she look cute!

Darren was Daniel Boone from Kentucky. I didn't really plan too well for him and wish I would have scouted around for something that looked like buckskin. We have several nice Goodwills and a few nice consignment stores nearby that I like to go to. I doubt they had camo back then. Oh well, it worked with the coonskin cap :)
All lined up and ready to go. The girl behind Missy was dressed as Helen Keller. She looked so cute in her dress. Her mom said she got it on Ebay. Don't you just love Ebay!

Ethan proudly leading the march. Wish the picture wasn't so washed out.
Ethan's K4 class telling what they have been learning. As Ms. Paula teaches them a new letter, they also learn it in sign language. Ethan loves school and is doing well. Kaylee is his classmate and is Todd and Dawn Stinebrickner's oldest.

Missy giving her speech about Willa Cather.

Darren talking about Daniel Boone. He's getting so big!

Good job, Ethan! Way to go!

My little princess!

Darren with his awards.

Darren also did a project where he had to collect different substances and label them. He did a good job and had fun finding everything.

My handsome hubby closing the program.

Congratulations to all the students on a job well done!

My Mei Tai!

2008-11-13T07:43:00.001-08:00

Missy loves to carry Samuel around, especially in this new carrier I got on Ebay a few weeks back. It's called a Mei Tai and has oriental origins. I love it! Not only is it cute, but it is so comfortable! You can wear baby on your front facing in or out, on your hip, or on your back. You can use it for newborns all the way to 30# plus! They have lots of cute ones on Ebay and I have even found a free pattern online. One of these days I may get creative and make one. It looks easy. Samuel loves it and usually falls asleep quickly in it. I like to use it when I am out shopping. It keeps my hands free and he likes it much better than sitting in his carseat in the cart(I think it's safer, too). I usually have to "fight" Missy to get to carry him. She always gets lots of comments about it from strangers. She loves her baby brother!

Go, Titans, Go!!!

2008-11-06T10:52:00.001-08:00

Go, Titans, Go! Undefeated 8-0! Yeah, Titans!

Hamming it up for the camera!

A dumb question

2008-11-06T10:42:00.000-08:00

I am wanting to buy a new camera and am having a hard time finding one that will upload to blogger. I want one with around 10MP and 12X zoom. My laptop is HP with Windows Vista. What kind of cameras do you all have? I bought a new Kodak Easyshare Z1012IS with 10.1 MP and 12X Optical zoom and love the pictures it takes, but when I took a video clip and tried to put it on my blog, it wouldn't upload. How do you all put videos on YouTube and then put them on your blogs? Is that a better way than just using the "add a video" feature when posting? I know I am totally ignorant in this matter, but could use some help. Thanks!

Happy fall, ya'll!

2008-10-30T15:12:00.001-07:00

The kids went on a field trip to Holiday Acres Farm today. It is an annual fall outing. It is right here in Ethridge so it's nice. They have a petting zoo, corn maze, hay ride, playground, giftshop, and of course all the traditional fall decorations for sale. They always have a great time. I was wanting to take some fall pictures of the children and I think I got some cute ones.

Missy found a kitten she liked.

I had never seen such a set-up, but I'm sure the goats like it.

Pete the donkey.

Meet Wilbur...

...and Charlotte! Thank goodness she wasn't real!
What a life!
Ethan liked to pet the animals.

The bunnies were so cute!

Another cute picture!

Ethan wanted to hold a kitty, too.

A "corn" box.
The weather here has been so beautiful lately and today was no exception. Wish it would stay like this. I'm dreading having to bundle up against Old Man Winter. Hope you all can make some time to enjoy this lovely time of year and make some memories. I love fall!

We have two chefs!

2008-10-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

Not to be outdone, Darren asked if he could cook supper tonight. So he fixed Stroganoff.

Our ingredients! I usually keep several different flavors of these on hand for busy nights. Everything you need is in the box and it is only a little over $3.00. Not bad for a family of 5. We fixed corn (that we put up this past summer) and had a delicious meal, even though it wasn't gourmet.

Some nights this is enough for all of us, but tonight we should have fixed 2 boxes. I guess the kids were hungry :)

I'm 7 weeks old!

2008-10-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist sharing a few pictures I just took of Samuel. He was in a smiley mood, so I took advantage of it. He was 7 weeks old yesterday(can it be?) I know I've given you quite a few choices, but which one is your favorite?

3.
4.

Maya wanted to get in one the photo shoot. Of course, I really like this picture of Samuel.

8.
9.

Our new cook!

2008-10-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

We have a new cook in our house. Missy wanted to make supper last night so we made Easy Chicken Bake.

Our ingredients, minus the chicken that was already browning in the skillet and the water and butter used to make the stuffing.

Making sure it's a perfectly level 1/3 cup :)

The recipe called for a 16oz. bag of frozen mixed veggies (thawed and drained), but I had canned on hand.

Mix 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces and browned), 1/3 C sour cream, 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, and veggies together in a large bowl.

Spread in an ungreased 9x13 pan.

Top with the stuffing that you've already prepared as directed on the box.
Bake uncovered in a preheated oven to 350* for 30-45 minutes or until stuffing is browned and casserole is bubbling around the sides.

The finished product! It was really good and with the veggies in it, it is a one dish meal. I think I will make it with frozen veggies next time since I prefer the taste, but the canned ones did fine.

The proud chef!

All dressed up in our Sunday best!

2008-10-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

Just a few shots from yesterday.It was such a lovely fall day!

I like this picture better, but I cut off part of Wes' head :(

Cuddling with Uncle Dan.

I thought these pics of the kids turned out pretty good. I needed some updated ones for the side of my blog.

What a sweet little girl!

Can't you can just see the orneriness in Ethan's eyes?

Darren's quite the handsome young man in a suitcoat and tie, don't you think?

All 4 together. This picture was the best I could do. Ethan was not in the mood at the moment.

Happy Birthday, Missy!

2008-10-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

Our Melissa girl turned 8 Saturday October 25th. It's hard to believe! She's becoming quite a lady and we are so proud of her and thank God that he allowed her to be born into our family. Every Momma needs at least one little girl to dress up and shop with and be best friends with. I hope we are always as close as we are today, like my Mom and I always were. I never understood other girls not being close with their Mom's because I have a great Mom and we have always had a close relationship. She is one of my dearest friends today. Okay, this is a birthday post and not a Mother's Day post, I know, but I just had to give a plug to my wonderful Mother. Well, we all gathered at Mom McDonald's house for Sunday dinner and had cake and presents afterwards. Missy's birthday was actually Saturday, as I said earlier, but we celebrated with extended family Sunday. Saturday Grandma, Aunt Paula, Uncle Tim, Mommy, Missy, Ethan, and Samuel went out for breakfast to Shoneys (Missy's choice). Daddy and Darren were on a junior hunt. We had a nice time together. Then Missy went with Grandma and spent some one-on-one time with her. Then we all went to Tupelo that evening to pack up and move Uncle Dan back to Lawrenceburg. So, that is why we didn't have a birthday party for her Saturday night. Friday evening we had a small cake and she opened one present (pink bunny slippers shown in a later picture with her new PJ's). Now, on to the party!

Opening a present from Ethan.

"Thank you, Ethan!" How cute is that? Look at Ethan's smile. You can tell he's really pleased with how much Missy liked her present.

A gift from Grandma and Grandpa Keefer-a math game. She really likes it and her and Darren have been taking turns with it. They also sent a card and money.

A new purse! A girl can never have too many ;)

New PJ's from Aunt Paula and Uncle Tristan!

Cute PJ's! How can you not love PJ's? Notice the bunny slippers. They are so soft!

My First Cookbook from Mema and Papa. She has been really taking an interest in cooking lately, so I'm sure she will get much use out of it.

Apron and raincoat from Darren. Friday evening he also gave her a book out of his own collection. I thought that was really sweet!

A new baby doll! Just what every girl needs! Just one more to add to the nursery! But this one "breaths",sucks its pacifier,snores, opens and closes its eyes,cries, coos and moves its mouth.

And someone started the "tradition" of giving the other siblings a small present even when it's not their birthday so they don't feel left out. I think this started when Darren was little. Missy got a box, too.

Dan has been giving Missy the Growing Up Girls figurines that start at birth and go through 16 years of age. They also have a graduation and wedding one, I think. The 8 year old one came in the mail Friday. He also gave her this cute pink poodle purse that was tied on the end of her balloon bouquet that we got from his shop, All Seasons.

She wanted a Belle cake this year. I was happy with the way it turned out.

This is actually how dark yellow it was. The flash in the above picture lightened it.

Daddy helping Missy blow out her candles. She was having a hard time with one of them.

Just clowning around. That's Tim on the chair. I'm sure he had done something to deserve it ;)

Deep, intellectual conversation, I'm sure!

Samuel had had enough partying for one day.

Stuffing and pork chop casserole

2008-10-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

This is a casserole that I like to fix. It only has 3 ingredients and yet it is delicious! All you need is a box of stuffing mix (I use generic chicken flavor or cornbread flavor), 6-8 medium thick pork chops (I've used thin and it is good, too), 1 package of pork (or chicken) gravy mix. Put your pork chops in a 9x13 pan. Make stuffing as directed, mound on top of each pork chop (I just spread it over the top of them). Make gravy as directed and pour over top of stuffing and chops. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 2 hours on 300*. I usually just fix a vegetable or two and you have a delicious and easy dinner. Enjoy!

Our growing boy!

2008-10-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

Samuel had a checkup at the pediatrician last Wed. when he was 5 1/2 weeks old. He weighed 11#5oz and was 23 3/4 inches long. I took these pictures yesterday and today. He is smiling so much now. This morning at 2 am he thought it was time to smile and coo. I couldn't resist smiling back and cuddling and kissing him even though I wanted him to get down to business and eat so we could go back to bed. Oh well, I can always take a nap today. He's only a baby once and I want to treasure every moment!

What a cute grin. I had to snap it quick and cut off part of his head.

Oh so sweet!

Such a happy baby!

Look at him holding his head up like he thinks he is a big boy.

Half a grin.

Apple dumplings

2008-10-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

The other night for dessert we had apple dumplings. Wes helped the kids make them and they had fun. They were delicious and didn't last long! They are really easy to make, too. I got the recipe out of a Parents magazine awhile back. All you need is a can of Pillsbury Grands biscuits (we used generic), 8 apples (we used Gala), brown sugar and cinnamon. Heat oven to 350* and peel the apples (small apples). Core and slice apples into eighths. (the recipe called for the apples to be just cored and left whole, but Wes thought it was easier this way). Toss them in a bowl with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon, coating well. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each biscuit into a 7" circle. Place the apples in the center of each circle. Gather up the edges together to seal completely using toothpicks to secure. (we didn't and they stayed together fine) Place dumplings 2" apart on greased baking pan and bake 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. These would be delicious with vanilla ice cream, but I didn't have any on hand and they were great plain. Sorry I don't have any pictures to post of the kids making them or of the final product. I was busy feeding Samuel while they were making them and then I didn't think of it later. Hope you enjoy them!

They said, "I do".

2008-10-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

Janna Dunlap and Steve Postal got married this past Saturday, October 11th. It was a beautiful wedding! They go to our church and we have watched their romance blossom. We wish them all the best as they begin their life together.

The happy couple!

Wes' brother Dan played for the wedding.

Ryan and Jill Mathews sang.

The back of Janna's dress.

The cake was beautiful and delicious!

I thought the topper was so pretty and unique.

Her flowers were so lovely and the colors fit so well in an October wedding.

Cutting the cake. Such a lovely couple!

Awwww! Heather and Ryan, two of our very dear friends.

Dan was holding Samuel and he was in a smiley mood.

Such a good big brother!

2008-10-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

The other day I was busy in the kitchen and Samuel started to fuss a little in his swing. I heard Ethan singing and I peaked around the corner to see what they were doing. Ethan was sitting beside the swing singing ( I don't remember what) to Samuel. It was so sweet! He was also playing with a matchbox car on the tray of the swing to entertain him. I wasn't quick enough with the camera to catch that. He is such a good big brother and is always so concerned when Samuel fusses or cries. He wants Mommy to "fix the baby". Thought you might smile as I did.

Look who's a month old already!

2008-10-13T09:41:00.001-07:00

Our baby is growing up! He turned one month on Wednesday, October 8th. He is smiling more every day and is more and more alert to everything going on around him. He is holding his head up better every day. We love him and are so blessed to have him in our family!

It's hard to catch a smile on camera. When he is all smiley, I usually don't have the camera handy. And my camera had a delay, so by the time the camera takes the picture, he has stopped smiling.

Baby Dedication

2008-10-06T08:05:00.001-07:00

We dedicated Samuel to the Lord Sunday evening September 28th. The first picture was taken by my friend, Heather (on her cell phone) during the service. We were so glad to have my parents here so that my Dad could dedicate him. It was a memorable and emotional time. We want all of our children to grow up to love and serve the Lord.

Notice my brother-in-law, Tim peaking up behind Wes and Ethan. He was up on the platform counting the offering and popped up just as the picture was being taken. He's such a clown! Of course, this was my favorite picture. Oh well :)

Baby Shower!

2008-10-06T03:39:00.000-07:00

Our church gave us a baby shower Friday the 26th during a church get-together. We got a lot of really nice gifts and enjoyed fun, food, and fellowship with our friends.

Diamond, one of the little girls in my Sunday School class gave Samuel this bear. It was one of her own bears and ever since she knew about the shower plans, she wanted to give this to Samuel. She is the one on the right and you can tell how pleased she was. I thought it was so sweet and was the most meaningful gift of all.

Another one of my SS girls, Hannah (she's in the back on the right) and her mom, Stephanie gave us this cart cover. I had really been wanting one and I love the print on the one they picked-black and white toile.

A Goodwill gift card! I love it! And diapers, we really need those!

Cute PJ's from Grandma McDonald. Actually, the gift in the next three pictures were from Grandma.

Our home has just been enlarged by two feet! How cute!

Two cute sleepers. Gotta wear those quick! My little boy is growing too fast!

I LOVE this diaper bag from my Mom and Dad. It is so roomy with lots of pockets, wipes clean, and is so stylish. It also was from Walmart so it didn't cost an arm and a leg like a designer bag. It was stuffed with clothes, too.

The cute (and delicious) cake!

A special thank you to my sister-in-law, Paula for getting it all together. I love you like a sister!

A long-awaited visit!

2008-10-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a long-awaited visit from my parents last week. They left PA Wed. the 24th and drove part way down before stopping at a hotel. They arrived here Thurs. evening and stayed a week. We had a wonderful time and made many memories. The time went way too fast, as it always does. While they were here, we did some updating. My Dad is a wonderful painter so we put his talents to good use.

He painted Missy's room pink about 3/4th of the way up and then yellow on the top. My Mom added the border in between that I had found at a yard sale some time back for a dollar or so a roll. I think it turned out cute and Missy loves her new room.

The next project was the kitchen. The walls used to be a small red floral print. I think the tan is a big improvement and I can't get over how different it looks! Thanks Mom and Dad for all your hard work! I collect teapots, as you can see, and my Dad built a shelf on top of my cabinets to help organize and display them better. Wes had goten the shelving for free at some point and it was just what we needed. Dad cut them in half lengthwise and they were the width we needed. The ends were already green and matched my counters perfectly! I really like the end result!

My coffee nook! As you can see, my coffee is perked and ready to go! Decaf caramel-Yummy! I took this picture after my parents left, so there is only one lonely cup :( My Mom and I enjoyed many a cup together during this visit.

Teapots, teapots everywhere!

Dad hard at work. I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of the many things you did, Mom. You both are the best!

The boy's room was done during a previous visit. It is tan and brown.

These curtains were given to me. The bottom is burlap material.

Grandma got to give Samuel a bath. He's not too impressed.

Dad caught a cold while they were here. He was dosing up before going to bed.

This picture was taken before his first baby tub bath.

Proud Grandparents.

Ethan loves to kiss his baby brother. He's so gentle with him.

Almost every time I go to get Samuel out of his cradle, he's laying like this.

Our little angel!

2008-10-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures last week and am just now posting them. Samuel was 2 weeks old. A friend of mine (Jill Mathews) gave us this shirt soon after I found out I was expecting. It was his first gift and meant a lot to me since we were praying and trusting God for a healthy baby. Thanks, Jill, for your thoughtfulness.

Precious tiny hand!

I love baby feet!

Sleeping angel.

Cute little toes!

I think this is my favorite picture. I had this pose in mind ever since I saw the shirt.

I love this picture of Samuel's feet, too.

Our little miracle!

Our little boy is growing!

Weekend Trip

2008-09-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went on a little trip to Haverhill, OH for a one-day convention. The theme was "Is Sunday School Relevant Today?". It started Friday evening at 7:30 with one evening session. Then Saturday, there was a session at 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00. Wes was asked to speak for the 9am session and his topic was "The Importance of Sunday School to Our Children". I thought he did a great job! We decided to leave Thursday evening and drive a few hours so that Friday wouldn't be such a long driving day. We didn't leave as early as we wanted to, and drove to Bowling Green, KY. We stayed at a really nice Sleep Inn. By the looks of the place, I figured it would be expensive, but it was only $59. When Wes told the lady that we had 4 children, she gave us a suite for that price that also had a fold-out couch. What made it an extra good deal was that instead of a typical Continental breakfast, they had scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, sausage, baked apples, danishes, bagels, fruit, yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, coffee, juice, and milk. We figured that saved our family of 6 about $40. It was a delicious breakfast and we thank God for leading us to such a nice hotel at the first try. Isn't it encouraging to see how he looks out for his children! I didn't really consciously pray for us to find a good deal, but He knows just what we need and takes care of us. The room was extra nice and the bed was comfy. We got a good night's rest and Samuel let Mommy get several hours of sleep between feedings. Friday we decided to make a detour and go see Lincoln's birthplace and childhood home. The children seemed to enjoy it. I've always like history and love to go to these kind of places.

All ready to go!

Samuel likes to ride "joey-style". It's also easier on Mommy's back than just carrying him. I always get lots of comments when he rides in his sling.

They built this memorial building around the replica of the cabin Lincoln was born in to protect it from the elements. The caption at the top says "Here over the log cabin where Abraham Lincoln was born, destined to preserve the Union and to free the slave, a grateful people have dedicated this memorial to unity, peace, and brotherhood among these states". How our country has changed since he was president!

Somehow we don't have any pictures of Wes in them. He says it is because he had the camera. How convenient!

Lincoln's childhood home.

I also wanted to take some pictures of Ethan since he recently turned 4 (I like to take them every year around their birthday until they get school pictures). I think they turned out good. Which one do you like best. I like them all, but can't decide on a favorite.

Photo Shoot

2008-09-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

The other day I was taking pictures of Samuel trying to get a good one with his eyes open to send to our connection newsletter. As you can see, I didn't have too much luck. I had just fed him so thought he would be cooperative and happy, but he was just tired and kept wanting to eat his fists. If you wake him up, no matter how recent his last meal was, he thinks it's time to eat.

Obviously not too impressed.

Yawn! Aren't you done yet, Mom?

Enough with the posing already!

My eyes are open and that's all I'm doing!

Here's a smile, and that's as good as you're going to get for now!

Later that same day, he seemed to be in a better mood, so I though I'd try again. I got two good ones. Which one do you like best?

Ethan wanted to get in on the picture-taking. Isn't he cute!

This is the picture that they took at the hospital. You can't really tell because I took a picture of the picture with my digital camera, but the blanket is yellow. Mema made it for him and it is beautiful! There is a pearly thread through it that makes it look extra nice. Thanks, Mema, we know there is love in every stitch!

Happy Birthday, Wes!

2008-09-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

My darling husband and best friend turns 34 today. Happy birthday, sweetheart! I wish you many, many more! Thank you for being such a wonderful husband and father. I love you, honey! You're the best!

Sacrifice

2008-09-16T15:58:00.001-07:00

I found this website on someone else's blog when the Republican National Convention was being held and have enjoyed seeing behind the scenes into the McCain/Palin campaign. The link will take you to a post on Meghan McCain's blog of a good YouTube video that shows the sacrifices our soldiers have made. I am thankful for our armed forces and the sacrifices they make daily to protect our freedom, at home and abroad.

McCainBlogette.com - Sacrifice

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Sleep deprived, but still blessed :)

2008-09-15T07:14:00.001-07:00

I will always treasure those first few days in the hospital when it was just me and Samuel during the day. I could just snuggle with him and nap with no responsibilities like laundry, dishes, cooking, or cleaning hollering to be done. I couldn't get enough of looking at his sweet face and thanking God for the blessing of a healthy baby. All too soon those relaxing days were over and it was time to get back to the real world. It was good, though to be home in my own bed and back with my family.

All ready to go home.

Tucked into his cradle for the first time. This peaceful expression was short-lived, however, and I was up frequently to feed, change, and rock him. He is doing better now (1 week old), and sleeps an average of 2 hours between feedings during the night. Mommy survives with an afternoon nap!

First bath at home and not too happy about it!
Almost done!
All squeeky clean and ready for bed.

Some beautiful flowers from CED, an electrical supply company Quality (the company Wes works for) deals with.

Balloons and candy from Mom McDonald.

A lovely arrangement from the church.
The children wanted to bring something to Mommy, and Mom M. was so nice to help them buy some flowers. They didn't want them all in one big vase, but each chose a color and put them in individual bud vases. The yellow ones are from Darren, Missy chose the red, and Ethan gave me the dark pink roses. I thought it was so sweet of them.

This arrangement was from Quality where Wes works.

I never lack for helpers who want to hold Samuel, as you can see in the next few pictures. Ethan loves to hold his baby brother and is very protective of him. If he cries, he is quick to find the pacifier to help him be happy. Or he will come find me to make sure I know the baby is crying and tells me to "get the baby".

I love this picture! Darren is looking at Samuel with an expression of such love and adoration. I think it is precious!

Missy has also been a big helper. She always wants to help rock and burp him. If she's around, I can forget just sitting and snuggling. She'll come and steal him away :)

Having some one on one quality time with Daddy. His Daddy loves when he is alert and likes to talk to him and tries to coax a smile out of him. He is starting to try to smile. It is so sweet.

Missy took this picture of us before we left for an auction Saturday.

Our first Sunday at church as a family. I am very proud of our family. God is so good!

His second time in his swing. He liked it better this time, with the help of a pacifier held in by big brother :) He is a good baby and we are so thankful!

More pictures of Samuel

2008-09-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

Just couldn't resist posting more pictures of our bundle of joy. I am smitten!

Samuel is here!

2008-09-09T05:46:00.000-07:00

In the wee hours just before going to the hospital. 40 1/7 weeks.

We welcomed Samuel Luke into our family at 1:04pm Monday 9/8/08. He weighed a whopping 9#8oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. God blessed us with an easy birth and a healthy baby. We are so thankful. He also has lots of dark brown hair. His brothers and sister were all born with light peach fuzz. Ethan's had a reddish tint to it and Darren's and Missy's were light blonde. He is a good baby and loves to eat. We are in love with him. He definitely will not lack for attention.

What a precious baby!

9#8oz!

Dr. Karen Davis. The best doctor there is. She is a Christian and was so supportive throughout my pregnancy with Nathaniel. We thank God for her.

A proud Daddy! Finally one of our children has his Daddy's dark hair.

Big brother Darren.

Missy is thrilled with her baby brother.

Ethan checking out his baby brother.

We are so blessed to have such wonderful children!

I love these pictures of Samuel. He's so alert!

Boys and their toys

2008-08-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

What's that saying, "The difference between men and boys is the size (or price) of their toys"? (or something like that) Well, it's true. Wes has been "playing" in our pond. For awhile now we have been wanting to expand our pond and improve it's water retention. Lately, he has been using various equipment to do this and has been having fun doing it. No we don't own the dozer. One of the perks of working for a large company with contacts with rental companies, is the deals you can get. Those of you with boys know that they enjoy pushing sand or dirt around with their Tonka trucks, dumptrucks, backhoes, or whatever they have. What more fun than to have a life-sized "toy" to move dirt around with. Well, he looks like he's having fun, doesn't he?

Remembering Nathaniel

2008-08-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

One year ago today we welcomed our sweet baby Nathaniel into the world and he lived and died in one split second. We prayed for God's will and were trusting Him for a miracle, but God chose to take him on to heaven. Even in our grief, God gave a sweet peace through it all. And though we miss him, we know he is safe in heaven and is celebrating his first birthday with Jesus.

We love you, Nathaniel and will see you one day in heaven.

The Weaver

2008-08-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in the daily struggles and trials of life, we need some encouragement. When I was going to nursing school back in '93 I was so homesick! Even though it was only a little over an hour away and I came home every weekend, I would get almost physically sick when Sunday came around because I knew I would have to go back in a few hours. I know it was just the Devil fighting because I knew this was what God wanted me to do. I really enjoyed nursing school, once I was there, and had lots of friends. Maybe it was just being away from my Christian upbringing and all that was familiar. Or maybe it was just God preparing me to live so far away from my parents, as I do now. Anyway, I struggled with it all during that first semester and am embarassed to say that on more than one occasion I called my poor parents in the middle of the night crying and needing to talk. I felt so foolish, yet could not reason with myself. Finally, one Sunday, a dear couple, John and Irene Bawel, whom I have utmost confidence in, came over to council me and have prayer with me. God answered prayer, and I don't remember being homesick again. Irene gave me a copy of a poem that has been an encouragement to me different times over the years. One of those times was last year when Wes lost his Dad in a tragic work-related accident and later when we were going through our difficult pregnancy with Nathaniel. Different times I would think of that poem and one day as I was looking through a sale paper from a local Christian book store, I saw a wall tapestry with the poem on it. I showed it to my mother-in-law and told her that it meant a lot to me. She didn't forget it and bought it for me for Christmas. Thanks, Mom! It now hangs beside my recliner in the living room and whenever I need a bit of encouragement, I read it and remember how far God has brought me and how many times He has answered prayer and has been with me in the difficult times. Sometimes we need to remember that just like a weaving, if you look at the underside, the threads are all jumbled and don't look very pretty. Things don't make much sense looking at it from that perspective. But if you look at it from the upper side, from God's perspective, when the weaving is done, it is beautiful and makes perfect sense. God sees the challenges and struggles that you and I go through and sometimes the threads in our lives aren't always bright and cheerful, but God can use the dark threads to weave a beautiful tapestry that can minister to someone else, if we will let Him. Someday God will explain the reason why.

The Weaver

My life is but a weaving between the Lord and me;

I cannot choose the colors; he worketh steadily,

Oftimes He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride

Forget He sees the upper and I, the underside,

Not 'til the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly

Shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why,

The dark threads are as needful in the Weaver's skillful hand

As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.

Just remember that God has a plan for each one of our lives. Even though everything that is happening in our lives today may not make sense right now and we may want to question His plan, God sees the upper side that is beautiful and makes perfect sense. One day He will make things clear to us. Or, if we never find out the "why's" to lifes problems, we can know that He is in control and he has promised to never leave us or forsake us.

Happy Birthday, Ethan!

2008-08-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

Ethan turned 4 today. It's hard to believe. He is growing up so fast! We had a small family party and had a great time. Ethan chose a dinosaur theme so I had fun creating his cake. I think it turned out cute. We had subs, chips and dip, cake and ice cream. Ethan got lots of nice presents, as you can see in the pictures.

Mema and Papa got him this soft blanket.

Veggie tales books (among other things) from Grandma and Uncle Tim.

"Reading" one of his cards.

Darren helped by reading his cards to him.

A John Deere tractor from Uncle Dan. You can tell from his expression how much he likes it.

Coloring, one of his favorite things to do.

Ethan loves to put puzzles together. His Aunt Paula got him this Lightening McQueen puzzle.

Look, I'm all done!

Happy Birthday, Ethan. We love you bunches and bunches and wish you many more happy birthdays!

Baby #5

2008-08-22T16:58:00.000-07:00

We are expecting baby #5 any day now (due Sept. 7th) and since I didn't have a blog until just recently, I thought I would post a little about it. These ultrasound pictures may not be as exciting to you as they are to me, but I thought I would include them anyway. Last year Aug. 29th we lost our precious Nathaniel John. He was 34 weeks when he was born and had a lethal skeletal dysplasia. A form of dwarfism. We found out when I was only 13 weeks pregnant and it was a long and trying pregnancy filled with lots of ultrasounds and Dr. visits, but God was so good to us and strengthened our Christian walk through it all. I knew there was no other option but to carry him as long as God would allow and give him every chance at life. We were never pressured with abortion, for which we were thankful. We hope that someday we can use our experiences to help someone else. As I said, Nathaniel had a lethal skeletal dysplasia where the arms and legs are severely shortened and the rib cage doesn't grow. So, when he was born and tried to take his first breath, he was immediately ushered from the safety of my womb to Jesus' arms. Is there a better place to be? We know he is safe there and never have to worry about him making it to heaven. Sometimes it's scary raising kids today. It was a difficult time, but God gave such peace and was with us through it all.

I really wanted another baby and began to ask God that if it was his will, that He would bless us with one more. We have already been blessed with 3 wonderful, healthy children, but somehow our family didn't feel complete. God answered my prayers and I soon found out we were expecting another precious baby. When we were thinking about what to name him (after we found out it was to be a boy), we decided to honor Wes' father who had gone to heaven last March by using his initials S.L. His name was Smokey Lamont and we knew from past conversations that he would not have wanted us to name any of our children either of those names. As a preacher, he often signed his name Rev. S.L. McDonald. So, in looking up "S" names, I ran across Samuel, which means, "asked of God" and I was sure that was what I wanted to name our baby. I thought it was very appropriate, because that is exactly what I did. We are anxiously waiting to meet him, whenever he decides to make his appearance. His name will be Samuel Luke.

Me in all my glory at almost 38 weeks pregnant. Do I look as tired as I feel?

My first ultrasound at 8 1/2 weeks. He was just the size of a seed then, but oh so sweet to see!

Ultrasound at 13 weeks. "I'm growing!"

20 weeks and 1 day. Look at those healthy long legs!

It's a boy!

A profile shot at 20weeks 1 day. What a cutie!

Looking right at his sweet face. Look at his chubby cheeks at 28 weeks 1 day!

What a big foot for such a little guy!

My last ultrasound at 37weeks. Everything still looks good! PTL! We can't wait to meet you, baby Samuel!

Ethan starts K4

2008-08-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

Ethan started K4 Tuesday August 12th. He was so excited about starting school, he had everything laid out and ready the night before. He was up and dressed before anyone else. He goes Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8:30-12:00 at our church school-Freedom Hill Christian School. We are blessed to have a good ACE school right here. We thank God for good Christian teachers who are dedicated to not only teaching the three R's, but who want to see all their students serving God. His teacher is his Aunt Paula and she says he has been doing very well so far. Wes' mother is over the upper learning center. When we asked him what school was all about, he said "coloring"- one of his favorite things to do. He has been doing lots more than that, of course. Miss Paula is teaching them the letters of the alphabet and the letter in sign language that goes with it, along with a lot of other things. Every morning, and sometimes in the evening, he will ask if it is time to go to school. We'll see how long the enthusiasm lasts. His older brother and sister have long past that stage:)

All dressed and ready for school. He's such a big boy. It hardly seems possible that my "baby" (though not the baby of the family for long) is old enough to start school. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. He is a lively little guy and loves to laugh and make others laugh. He has brought much joy to our lives!

Hard at work with his classmate and friend Kaylee Stinebrickner. This is Todd and Dawn's oldest little girl for those of you who know them. If you ask Kaylee who she going to marry, she will tell you Ethan. Ethan is quick to agree. We'll have to watch these two:)

I don't know what this goofy grin is all about, but I think he still looks adorable!

Look! I'm all done! He does such a nice job coloring, don't you think? He loves to color and concentrates so hard. I think he does pretty good for a 4 year old to stay inside the lines.

Standing by their offices. They have been proudly showing them off when we are at church to anyone who will come to the learning center and have a look.

MMMM, yummy cupcakes! Even sweeter with my sweetie:)

Breaktime. Looks like he's concentrating really hard on the basketball goal.