Thoughts From The Two Of Us

A Morning Smile For You!

2012-02-10T06:31:00.000-08:00

Here's my little guy this morning!

Little Mommy

2012-02-06T12:08:00.000-08:00

Here's little mommy, Clara, with our sweet little friend, Susannah! Susannah was good sport! :-)

The other day, the little mommy even managed to get Hil sitting on her lap... she wanted me to snap a picture, but I think I was in a hurry to get going and didn't take the opportunity.

1, 2 and 3

2012-02-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

Monday and Tuesday of this week, Stephen had to put in some late hours at work. Thankfully, we are very blessed and that is out of the ordinary for him. Well, Monday night, the kids had been down for some time, and Stephen still wasn't home. Clara was having a hard time getting to sleep, probably due mostly to the fact that she had taken a nap that day. So, she kept making noise, asking me questions, etc. I was on the couch reading at about 10:30 when a little girl comes around the corner and asks me "Mommy, did Daddy die?" Too precious! You never know what's going through those little minds! And Clara is always saying something new, funny or darling!

Kiah has been taking his time in the talking category, but is slowly adding to his word list. One of our favorites right now is his word for Clara: "Yah-yah". He has also been broadening his scope of foods that he'll try and that seem to strike him as edible, which is a blessing! He loves playing with balls, tackling his sister, watching videos, and playing outside. He'll also sit and look at books.

Clara has enjoyed doing some simple, 24 piece puzzles lately. After doing the one pictured below several times with help, she sat down a few weeks ago and did it all by herself! Seemed like she'd hardly started and she was done! I don't know who was more please about it: her or Mommy! Probably Mommy!!!

We're sooooo blessed by our little people! They bring us tons of smiles! And yes, they honestly bring lots of challenges! I thought discipline and training was going to be rather easy and straight forward... before I had kids. I could totally see what OTHER people where doing WRONG!!! And now... well, it's not nearly as easy as I thought! I'm sure there are all kinds of people who can see the many things I do wrong. May my many short comings encourage me to look to the Lord for wisdom, strength and all that is needed! And thank You, Lord, for the MANY joys You allow to be mixed in with the challenges.

In the realm of baby number 3, Mommy has been feeling a little "blah", but the nausia has not been too bad, perhaps less then with the first two! The other day I was sitting on the couch with Clara and we were both enjoying some hot chocolate. I was in a slightly reclining position and sit the cup down on my stomach. I was told "not to spill" and then was also quickly instructed "don't put it on the baby!" :-)

Important Lines

2012-01-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

Clara has been voicing some important lines lately that I MUST share with ya'll.

This first line she randomly chose to voice to a small group of ladies gathered for Bible study last night. "Mommy was feeling yucky so she got something to eat."

The second line she has used at least twice, once when she had been told to make the announcement and once when she had not.

"Don't you know, Mommy's got a baby in her tummy?"

Yes, she's telling the truth folks! We just found out about a week ago that we've been blessed with an addition to the clan! We're thinking the due date may be around the end of August / beginning of September. We're so blessed!

Wintry Song

2012-01-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

Do you ever just feel the urge to sing... even when surrounded by mud and grey skies? Well, something like that seemed to happen to Clara when we were out playing for a bit today. Let me guess the mud and grey skies weren't bothering her much at all! While she was in the singing mood... Hil was in more the exploration mode.

I did learn a lesson today, and that is, before you go to all the work of going outside... snow boots, snowsuits, etc... have somebody make a trip to the potty first! We'd been out for about 20 or 30 minutes when the urge suddenly hit a little someone. :-/ You live and learn!

Tackle!!!

2012-01-18T16:50:00.001-08:00

Surface Rust

2012-01-16T18:22:00.000-08:00

This is Stephen.

I recently wrecked my dear wife's car. We got the same make and model, just a year older, with 20k less miles. I used the rest of the insurance money to buy parts. Here's the problem. Before I bought the car I was thinking....that's a lot of rust. But there is a saying here in New York that sellers like to say. "Awww, that's just surface rust." Meaning it's solid. In fact, the shipyard I just came from saved money in paint by allowing the surface of the ship hull to rust which acted as a protective coating during the 3-4 years it takes to get the ship to float. Before the ship is floated out of the dry dock for final fitting, the rust is brushed off and a new coat of paint applied.

I have decided that with vehicles (and trailers) that it's a different story. Exhibit A:

The above is the old shock I removed. It took me 7 hours to replace one, uno, ehud, ein shocko. Why? You would never guess this but it was because of surface rust! It's not the inside rust that falls in your eyes when you are working, it's the surface rust. It was not the rust on the inside of bolts that inhibited removal of the corresponding nuts, but the surface rust. In fact, the surface rust was so bad, the threads had distinctive layers parting away from the original base metal causing three peaks instead of the preferred single peak. I had to hacksaw both the top and the bottom, and then because I didn't cut the bottom close enough, I had to file down the about 7/8" diameter metal rod about 1/8" before I could break the bolt out of the hole. There was no rust on the inside of the bolt.....that checked out OK. This was all done on my back, in a parking lot, on a bed of ice. The nice thing about ice for a shop floor is that your cardboard really slips out from under the car easily...at least until it gets saturated with water.

This is my new jack that Gracie let me buy to get the job done. Thank you, Honey! My 3.5 Ton Napa jack is sweet!

During one of my many resting times....I mean, inspection periods....I got a picture of a random undercarriage shot looking at my emergency parking brake. The picture doesn't do it justice. I also broke a gas tank band. I think that problem was actually due to inside rust in this case, but it broke because I was scraping the surface rust, so I actually attribute the failure to both.

The good thing about all of this is that I now have a great new jack, and my other car that I thought was really rusty is now suddenly seeming very low on the rust scale. HA!

Rust, auto accidents, tsunamis, earthquakes, drought, famine, and theft. Nothing lasts in this life. Where will your soul spend eternity?

What?

2012-01-12T18:48:00.000-08:00

Here's a "cuteness of the day" for you:

I was looking at a book with Clara and one page had several different types of birds with their names. I went through the names and came to "Great Blue Heron". After I told her the name, the little lady piped up and said something along these lines:

"I don't like those ones. They kill... they try to kill... they try to kill the baby Jesus."

It took a few seconds for it to dawn on me that "Heron" sounds very similar to "Herod", the king, who did indeed try to kill baby Jesus.

So precious!

Team Color and a P.S.

2012-01-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

Some adorable team coloring that was going on this morning! For some reason, sister didn't seem to mind the "help". Too precious! If only it was always like that! :-)

And a P.S. to my anniversary post: Stephanie said in her comment that she hoped me had been able to do something fun for our anniversary. Yes, indeed we did! My hubby took me out to a Thai restaurant and we greatly enjoyed a DELICIOUS meal together! And we took our friends up on the offer to babysit for us... so it was the first unchaperoned date we've had in quite some time! :-)

The Couples

2012-01-09T17:46:00.000-08:00

Stephen captured this preciousness on his phone this evening! I just HAD to share! :-) The little lady really loves to get dressed up. She's wearing my veil. And the little man obliged long enough to snap a picture.

And the parents of that adorable little couple celebrated FIVE years of marriage this past Friday! FIVE years! Wow! Where did the time go???!!! I have been sooooo incredibly blessed and privileged to be the wife of my Stephen! Each day I experience his love, faithfulness, patience and leadership! Stephen, I love and respect you... thank you so much for the honor of being your wife!

A New Year... And A New Look

2012-01-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

So a couple nights ago Hil got a new look! These are phone shots, so not the best quality but they'll still give you an idea. :-) Daddy gave him a good buzz. The new look reminds Stephen of Hil's cousin, Phin!

And this ought to bring back memories to my fam... as buzzes are what my brothers always sported when they were younger.

To my friend, Stephanie S., if you're reading this, Clara said Hil looks like Gideon. :-)

Happy New Year... From A True Daddy's Girl!

2012-01-01T13:22:00.001-08:00

The Snowmen

2011-12-24T18:34:00.000-08:00

Two cute snowmen that were out in our yard this morning! Fun times were had. The boy actually got into throwing some snow! :-) The girl got cold before he did!

Just Enough...

2011-12-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

We were blessed with just enough snow a few days ago to be able to go get our first sled and give it a shot! The videos are from yesterday afternoon when Stephen took Clara out and gave her the first ever rides. Hil was napping. However, this morning I got to take them both out and have some fun! They both enjoy it! Hil pretty much doesn't want to do anything but sit there and ride around or watch Clara and I play. The big bulky snow suit might have something to do with that. He did a good job of keeping the mittens on... surprise, surprise! He does think Mommy throwing snow is very funny... unless he gets it in the face! Enjoy!

I know, it looks like she's headed right into the street... however, there is a good size ditch there to work as a safety block.

Summer Memories

2011-12-15T18:34:00.000-08:00

Here are more of those pictures I finally got taken off my camera! They're old, but thought I would still share some of them! First two are from our trip to family camp in June.

The rest are from our visit with Grandpa and Grandma M. later in the summer! They made a long trip out to see us as well as other family along the way. What a treat! Enjoy!

Sweet Boy

She Loves Her Daddy

Sittin' with Pop pop

Mom and Dad M. didn't come alone... they brought along this lovely couple who are friends of theirs!

Apple Picking (We did apple picking and blueberry picking all in one day!)

The Roles I've Been Given

2011-12-03T16:44:00.001-08:00

The other day a little girl draped a sheet over her head and told me she was called "Mary". Then she changed it to "the bride". Shortly thereafter she went and got me veil from my wedding day and I helped her put it on. A few minutes later she showed up at my chair, veil on and holding the sheet around her and said "Hey, hey. I Raechel (her new Auntie whose wedding Clara was just in)." She then wanted to know if I would be "Uncle Randy". I obliged for a little while and we walked around and played wedding. Didn't know that one of the Mommy jobs was playing groom. :-)

The next day, she was Mary and I was given the role of "Jophis". :-)

Another thing I've been requested to play lately is "dragons"!

We love that girl!

Part 2 of Randy and Raechel's Wedding

2011-11-27T17:37:00.001-08:00

LOVE THIS ONE! Flower girl and bride on the big day!

Couple with the groomsmen. Picture time after the wedding.

Randy and Raechel with Raechel's little sister, Abigail, and Clara and Hil

Four sisters: Anna, Amy, Melissa and me. We now have three sisters-in-love as well, so there are really SEVEN of us sisters!!!! I'd love to have a picture of the seven of us!

What a GREAT uncle! Fun times during clean-up after the wedding.

Clara and Uncle Caleb!

Aunt Melissa and Hil! As you can see from the pictures, their uncles and aunts invested soooo much time in Clar and Hil during the short visit! It meant FUN times for the kidos AND a break for Momma and Daddy! :-)

The wedding was so lovely and visit with the family, such a wonderful treat! It went so fast, but pictures and memories are such a blessing! Thank You, Lord!

Finally... Part 1 of R and R's Wedding

2011-11-26T16:02:00.001-08:00

After a long wait, we have picture from the camera to share! As I mentioned before, some sort of a technical problem has developed and we haven't been able to download pictures from the camera to the computer. We're still haveing the same problem, but I went down the drug store today and used one of the photo kiosks to put a bunch of pictures on photo cds. So... are you ready for some pictures from the last several months?

We'll start with some that aren't that old, namely, pictures from the end of last month when we traveled to TX for my brother, Randy's wedding to Raechel! We arrived Tuesday night and Wednesday we met up with the crew. Randy and Raechel took us to the coffee shop where he surprised her when he came down to TX to ask her to marry him. After surprising her at the coffee shop, he took her down to the harbor, and that is where he popped the question. The following pics are from the tour of the harbor area:

Hilkiah and Aunt Anna

Volleyball lessons from the pros! Uncle Mark and Uncle Caleb with Clara!

Now it's Hil's turn.

The lovely couple of the hour! Randy and Raechel

Fun times with Uncle Caleb down at the harbor

A day or two later, Clara and Aunt Sherry with their "matching shirts"! Sherry is my brother Mark's lovely bride of almost one year!

Day before the wedding: me and Aunt Margie

The groom-to-be and ring-bearer-to-be.

Me and my lovely sister, Amy

Add caption

Two handsome groomsmen working on the groom's cake: my brother Mark and my dear husband, Stephen

Finishing touches: Mark

Raechel, the lovely bride!

Melissa! My baby sis.

Flower girl!

Stay tuned for part 2!

Chilly Weather Cuteness

2011-11-22T17:36:00.001-08:00

Yes, the weather has turned chilly, and with it comes the cuteness of little ones sporting winter hats! Daddy captured this preciousness on his phone several days ago!

Welcoming Sabina Kaydence!

2011-11-21T11:35:00.001-08:00

Friday night we received a phone call from my sister, Melissa, informing us that our brother, David, and his wife, Amity, had welcomed their precious little one into the outside world! We were so happy to hear the wonderful news! Our little niece has the beautiful name of Sabina Kaydence and has a lovely head of dark hair! Welcome to the family little one! We're so happy you're here! And Congratulations David and Amity!!! She's beautiful!

Our GF Journey: Report 1

2011-11-15T18:06:00.001-08:00

So, the beginning of our Gluten Free journey has been a mixed bag. After getting home from the wedding we began in earnest. I went out and bought things I'd never bought before, like Xantham Gum, tapioca starch and potato starch. I also took things that I HAD used before and started milling them into flour... things such as rice, millet and quinoa.

I've learned that crepes are super duper easy to make gluten free and be very happy with the results. I've learned that yeast bread is NOT. Thus far I've tried making yeast bread three times and haven't been thrilled with any of the results. They actually all turned out quite well... none of them were flops... they were just such a far cry from good old wheat bread. So, that's been the most discouraging part thus far. Poor Clara even managed to gag herself on my latest loaf.

One of the most encouraging products so far: totally delicious pumpkin cookies that turned out so GREAT! My man REALLY liked them, which made my day! Here's the link if someone wants to give it a shot: http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/dessertsandsweets/r/glutenfreepumpkincookierecipe.htm. They were extremely yummy.

Tonight we had muffins made with sorgum, quinoa and corn, and was quite happy with them - encouraging!

We've found a GF pasta that is excellent which, if you know us, was pretty much a necessity if this GF thing is going to last for any length of time. :-)

So, like I say it's been a mixed bag. Despite the not-so-great yeast breads, I'm feeling ready to keep going! It's still a fun and interesting experience! And it helps that the kids and I have not gone totally GF ourselves, just Stephen. So though all of our baking is GF as well as cooking that he'll be eating, the rest of us still get our gluten here and there. :-)

And there you have it, report number 1.

"Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart"... Already!

2011-11-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

This video is just so precious and amazing! A little 2 year old reciting all of Psalm 23! May the Lord richly bless her parents for investing time and effort into helping her learn the most valuable thing in the world, God's Word!

Our precious little ones are capable of so much more then we realize! There is so much more I could be doing to teach and invest in Clara and Hil... And when I am spending time with them, I need to keep evaluating whether the things we are learning and doing are the BEST, or of just mediocre value. A big thanks to these parents for this precious reminder! And, Way To Go Little, Andi!!! May you learn and love God's Word for your whole life!

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105

"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11

Beautiful Fall

2011-11-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

We've been blessed with some lovely fall days and have been able to get out some and enjoy them! Yesterday... it was one of our favorite farms where we picked apples, pulled around one of their great wagons and visited the petting zoo once again! Today it was simply time out of doors, some of which was spent in the leaves... as you can see!

Clara Speaks

2011-11-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

The Clara-isms were flowing freely today...

While driving around in the car with Mommy, Clara noticed someone out in their yard "scraping the leaves with a fork." :-)

This evening, I was putting herbs in capsules (to prepare them for being swallowed :-)) and Clara decided to help me (I was impressed that she actually managed to get some herb into a few capsules and get them put back together). After the herb fell out of a capsule she'd been filling she exclaimed, with drama in her voice, "Oh dear! I'm throwing a fit! How I can do this?!"

At another point this evening I overheard her stating "I think gluten free is a better way." You know what new phrase she's been hearing quite a bit in the last little while!

Bro, Sis and Popcorn

2011-10-31T20:06:00.001-07:00

Post-Wedding Conversation

2011-10-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

We arrived home safe and sound last night from the TX wedding! It was a bit of a whirlwind trip... Tuesday to Sunday. My brother, Randy, married his beautiful bride, Raechel, in a lovely ceremony on Saturday. I'm blessed to have such a dear new sister!

Stephen, Clara and Hil were all in the wedding. I wish I could share some pics from the big day... but as I mentioned before we're having downloading problems.

I wanted to share some quick snippets of coversation with Clara from earlier today.

Clara: "Can we go back to the wedding area?"

Me: "What do you mean?"

Clara: "Can we go back to the wedding area?"

I again question what she's referring to.

Clara: "Where Uncle Caleb is and Uncle Randy married Aunt Raechel."

Ahhhhh! Heart wrenching to Mommy who would LOVE to be back with all of them too! I explain that we can't go back there because it's far away and Uncle Caleb and Uncle Randy and everyone aren't even there any more either.

.... more conversation....

Clara: "They go to moonlight first? They have to go to moonlight first?"

Took me a second or two... but I think moonlight may be a take off on "honeymoon". I love it! I think I like "moonlight" better!

Well, the trip was such a treat... and as you can see Clara had a grand time too! She and Hil greatly enjoyed the love, care and fun times with Uncles, Aunts, Grandparents and new friends! Hopefully, I will manage to work around the picture downloading problem and still share some pics of the wonderful day!

Two Trips and a Journey

2011-10-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

I know... long time no post! Well, I'm finally sitting down to type a bit about our lives of late... provided we still have an audience out there after such a long "absence".

Ok, we'll start with trip number one (referring to the post title:-) ). A couple weeks ago, I headed off on a business trip... but it wasn't my business trip. :-) Stephen's company sent him to beautiful Lake Placid for two days of work related training and he got to take his little family along! What a treat for me. We weren't sure up to the very last minute whether or not the kids and I would be going, due to the fact that both C and H were dealing with sickness. But in the end we decided to go ahead and go for it... and it turned out to be a nice little get away. The first evening we did a cookout fire, cooking "silver dollars" in the coals and roasting biscuits on unrolled coat hangers. During the two days Stephen had training, the kids and I visited a couple Olympic venues, including the site of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice". We also got to ride on a ski lift and then ride an elevator up 26 stories to see what it's like to be on a ski jumping tower! I don't know what kind of person you have to be to strap on skies and actually choose, of your own free will, to swish down that steep slope and take off into the air going, ideally, 60 miles an hour,... but I can tell you one thing, I'm NOT that kind of person!!! I got some GREAT pictures during those few days, but unfortunately either our camera or the computer is having issues and we haven't been able to download any from the camera for quite some time now! I have a few things on my phone... so might share some of that later!

The second trip is an upcoming one! This week we have the much anticipated excursion to my "little" brother's wedding! I'm so looking forward to getting to see my dear family! Lord willing, all my siblings will be there, except for David and him wife, Amity, who are expecting their little Blessing from the Lord about two weeks after the wedding. They will be missed! Clara is looking forward to getting to be flower girl and Hil will be make his debut as ring bearer. And my Stephen is to be handsome groomsman.

The afore mentioned "journey" is of a completely different nature. Stephen is suspicious that he may have a gluten sensitivity of some sort and is wanting to try going off of gluten for awhile to see what happens. At first, the idea of starting to cook and bake without gluten was NOT too exciting or appealing to me. However, I've started warming up to the idea and after thinking more about it, talking to a friend who is also starting to experiment with GF, and watching some videos online, I'm actually getting excited! I think it will be fun! I love trying new things in the cooking and baking arenas (mostly because I'm a fan of food :-)... so this should be actually quite enjoyable! So, we begin a journey of learning about such things as Teff, Xantham Gum, and Amaranth... and how to bake with them! It may be a short term journey or it may last for a life time... either way it should contain lots of learning, experimenting, failures and, hopefully, lots of success and yummy and nutritious food! I'm looking forward to really getting started on the adventure once we get back from the wedding. Expect more posts on this as we head off on our GF experiment!

So there you have it... two trips and a journey.

Together

2011-10-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

Clara is no longer the only little one who likes to dance around here Enjoy the sweet performance!

"Look Mom! No Hands!"

2011-10-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

Look closely and you will witness the reason for me suddenly "losing control" of the video!

Monday's Moments To Remember

2011-10-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

It was cold and grey at the park. However, some rays of sunshine still made their way to my heart. The first was arriving and finding that hundreds and hundreds of Canadian geese had decided that the small pond and it's surrounding grass would be a good place to gather. An impressive sight.

Some more rays of warmth cut through the chilly day as I pushed my little Hil on the swing. I decided to sing him a song with accompanying hand motions. After I sang one or two he rewarded me with his sweet grin and encouraging round of applause then signed for "more"! So of course, I sang some more. More smiling, clapping and signing for "more". How can a Mommy say no? On I sang. And on he clapped and requested encores!

Thank You, Lord, for using my little son to bring sunshine to a grey, cold day!

A few weeks ago....

2011-09-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

We have a lovely lake near us that offers a super playground, excellent walking, biking road, equipment rentals and even a free tram ride. The kids and I finally took the tram a little while back... it was a 45 min ride and I wasn't sure if they'd get to bored and squirmy. There was a 10 min break part way through where they were able to get off and play. They did great and we had a good time!

Precious Little Singer

2011-09-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

Here's my precious little singer, singing along with an instrumental cd (Jaime Jorge). She's not singing real words, just making stuff up as she goes along. :-) And the microphone is the vacuum cleaner hose. :-) Enjoy the boy chiming in at the end!

Am I Neglecting Something?

2011-09-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

"Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?" Luke 17:17

Food for thought from William MacDonald's book "One Day At A Time":

"The Lord Jesus healed ten lepers but only one returned to thank Him, and that one was a despised Samaritan.

One of the valuable experiences for us in life is to encounter ingratitude, for then we can share in a small degree the heartbreak of God. When we give generously and do not receive so much as an acknowledgment, we have a greater appreciation of Him who gave His beloved Son for a thankless world. When we pour out ourselves in tireless service for others, we join the fellowship of the One who took the place of a slave for a race of ingrates.

Unthankfulness is one of the unlovely traits of fallen man. Paul reminds us that when the pagan world knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful (Rom. 1:21).....

..... Ingratitude permeates all of society. A radio program called "Job Center of the Air" succeeded in finding jobs for 2500 people. The emcee later reported that only ten ever took time to thank him.

A dedicated school teacher had poured her life into fifty classes of students. When she was eighty, she received a letter from one of her former students, telling how much he appreciated her help. She had taught for fifty years and this was the only letter of appreciation she had ever received.

We said that is is good for us to experience ingratitude because it gives us a pale reflection of what the Lord experiences all the time. Another reason why is is a valuable experience is that it impresses on us the importance of being thankful ourselves. Too often our requests to God outweigh our thanksgiving. We take His blessings too much for granted. And too often we fail to express our appreciation to one another for hospitality, for instruction, for transportation, for provision, for numberless deeds of kindness. We actually come to expect these favors almost as if we deserved them.

The study of the ten lepers should be a constant reminder to us that while many have great cause for thanksgiving, few have the heart to acknowledge it. Shall we be among the few?"

- William MacDonald

This has given me some good food for thought! So VERY often I'm guilty of ugly ingratitude toward the Lord and the many incredibly loving, kind and generous people He has blessed me by putting in my life! May I become like the Samaritan in Luke 17... having a heart of thankfulness and taking the time and effort to express it!

2011-09-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

Overheard recently:

A little girl saying or singing "Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace". I was blown away and realized she had picked that wonderful passage of Scripture, describing the Lord Jesus, from our "Sing The Word" CD! (www.singtheword.com). So precious and thrilling to mommy's heart!

Same little girl in her car seat singing "I don't have a friend like the lowly Jesus. Not, not one. Not, not one." A wonderful hymn adorably reworded... and one I had no clue she knew any part of.

Struggling with recently:

Trying to "retrain" a little boy who has become very used to sleeping in Mom and Dad's bed over the last couple months or so and wondering how to deal with his frequent night time waking. Not fun, but I must remember his precious baby days will soon be passed and I may be missing them before I know it.

Enjoyed recently:

An impromptu twirl around the room with the whole family to the beautiful song by Selah, "Wonderful, Merciful Saviour".

A lunch all together at a local Polish restaurant.

Sampling PG Tips Special Blend Tea, from my Dad's store. Very good!

Those moments when the cuteness of my precious kidos just hits me so hard!

A little boy becoming more and more funny and interactive!

A little girl sitting with little brother and informing me that he is "Stephen" and she is "Gracie". :-)

Same little girl taking food orders with pen and paper in hand and bringing Kiah and I drinks in the form of unopened cans of tomato sauce.

The little boy making pretend eating or drinking sounds from the tomato can given to him by sis.

Thank You, Lord, for Your countless blessings!

Moments... From The Last Couple Weeks

2011-09-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

Hil at the park

Christa and Clara and a job well done! :-) They both enjoyed working on this all together. This was Clara's first time to work on this kind of puzzle! There was lots of help from Mom... but the way it was enjoyed makes me want to get more at a similar level.

Grandpa and his VERY faithful little shadow... taking a lunch break at the fair!

Me and the little man.

Me and my babies!

What A Treat!

2011-09-07T19:58:00.001-07:00

What a treat this holiday weekend was for our little family! We got the fun of having Grandma and Grandpa M., along with another dear couple, here visiting! In the space between Thursday night and Tuesday morning, we managed to pack in a trip to one of our favorite farms for blueberry and apple picking, an excursion to the State Fair, lots of chatting and apple peeling and freezing and BBQing hamburgers! Grandpa also spoke at the chapel Friday and Sunday. We all enjoyed the visit and it went so fast! We sure do miss living near family, but it is such a joy when we get to have these times together!

Talk About Skills!!!!

2011-08-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

And don't miss the other new post below. It contains a great mother / daughter conversation!

Quite Grown-up

2011-08-31T11:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning I was packing up some snacks for the kids to have while we were at chapel, when in walked a little girl and we had a conversation that went something like this:

Clara: "What are you doing?"

Me: "Packing snacks for chapel."

C: "I can't want any snacks 'cause I'm the Mommy."

Me: "Oh ok. Well, maybe you could feed them to your baby (doll)."

C: "Ok"

.... a second later...

C: "She can't eat any because she doesn't have any teeth. She can only drink her bottle."

This girl sure brings smiles to her Mommy!

The Family is Growing!

2011-08-14T15:24:00.001-07:00

Yes, sir-yyee! Summer is a good time to announce when families grow! Gracie and I would love to announce and welcome the newest member of our extended family, Raechel P., who accepted the kind invitation for marriage from the gregarious, fun-loving romantic you all know as, Randy, uncle to Clara and Hil. We approve of this arrangement and look forward to the forthcoming announcements of the matrimonial festivities. Welcome to the family Raechel!

This month's post....Hahahaaaha! Sorry we've been so long.

2011-08-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

This is Stephen.

Clara greeted me at the door recently looking like this. And the first thing she said was "I Gracie, this my baby, and (pointing to the real Gracie) this.....this.....this is Momma." Something very cute for the end of the day. Like getting desert before supper.

These are two neighbor girls that we have been getting to know, Sarah (7) and Christa (4), sisters. They came to the Sunday morning meetings this morning and we get along great.

This picture was taken last weekend. The little girl next to Clara is from Rochester, but the other two girls are local with us. We also have just gladly received a new family from Winnipeg, Sam and Hannah. Their daughter, Isabel, is not present. Poor Hil is outnumbered with the ladies!

Sorry we haven't been getting as many posts in. Hopefully that will not always be the case.

Peanut Butter and Honey

2011-08-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

Today:

I have this habit of coming up with new nicknames for my kidos. They can be rather random or can have a logical source. Well, one I've used occasionally for Hil is "Peanut-butter man"... not that he likes the stuff... it's just nick name... maybe had something to do with occasionally calling him "Peanut". Well, I had used it at one point today and I heard my little girl say "I ah honey girl." :-)
Peanut-butter and honey... great combination! I think she may have just gotten herself a SWEET new name! :-)

More Things Said By Clara...

2011-07-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

"Daddy? You know I love you." -After helping me cut some plywood to fix the changing table while putting on her shoes to help me jump start one of our vehicles.

"I was hiding and then it came down. I was hiding in the closet." -First thing in the morning while cleaning up a freshly made, dirty diaper.

"OK, ok, I the mommy and you the daddy. Bye, See you." -While she has a baby doll in one arm and her purse over her other shoulder, talking over her shoulder as she's walking away.

"I getta hava treat!" -After she found out she was going to get leftover pizza for lunch.

Me at the dinner table- "Eat more food, Clara."
C- "OK, but I hafta finish what's in my mouth."

I was driving to PA two weeks ago and broke down along side the road. A spark plug had vibrated out. While limping to a parts store with one spark plug out I hear "Maybe it's broken, Daddy, maybe the engine is broken."

Then my Helper wanted to assist in fixing the vehicle, but it was to boring just holding parts. So she resorted to running around the car shouting orders and acting out a whole action scene for an upcoming movie. I wish I had the video of it all. At one point, I am under the hood and she is in the driver's seat turning nobs and switches and yells around the open door, "Push the red button, Daddy, the RED BUTTON!"

"Daddy, come here and lay down. Lay down. OK, good. I the doctor from California."

Callin' Big Sis

2011-07-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

Earlier today we were walking out in the apartment parking lot. Clara was way ahead of Kiah and I. I had called out to her a few times. After a bit I heard a little voice next to me call out something that sounded like "Ce-la!" I suddenly realized what he might have been trying to say so I tried calling out "Clara" a few more times The little man once more called out and it once again sounded like an attempt at big sis' name (Te-la or Ce-la)! Awwwww!!!! Made this Momma happy!

At 14 months Hil says "Mama", "Da", and the occasional something that sounds like an attempt at "Bye-bye" (Ba-ba) and "Hi". And he will occasionally mimic something we just said. Then there are the many sweet baby sounds... we must enjoy them before they are gone!

Precious Moments And Things We've Lately Enjoyed!

2011-07-07T11:54:00.001-07:00

Picture this...

... a sweet, bare-footed girl, dressed in a white and blue dress, peacefully swinging at the play ground. Her sweet blonde hair in a little ponytail. The sandals had been shed shortly after arriving at our area elementary school playground. Then this dear little picture opens her mouth and adds to the cuteness by saying:

"I have no shoes. I'm just swinging. Just relaxing."

Oh, we love that girl and the cute things that pop out of that mouth!!!

I was swinging next to her with Hilkiah on my lap. I glanced down at one point and saw Hilkiah signing "more". He just recently started using that sign and his first time was while Stephen was pushing him on a swing about a week ago, so I think he may relate it to swinging. I don't know that he really understands what it means... but it's awefully cute! The only other sign he uses is "all done". He just puts his little arms straight up in the air and often says "Ahhhhhhh!" along with it!

Another cute Clara moment from recently relates to a recommendation I'd like to make to all you Mommies and Daddies out there. The other day CB (as we've taken to calling her lately) was jabbering away. I likely wasn't paying the closest attention. But suddenly I heard her say something about "skunk and reptiles" REPTILES???!!! Had that just come out of her mouth? Skunks we've definitely seen in books and pointed out and talked about. But the word reptiles isn't something you hear us saying as we look through an animal book. It's sooooo fun to hear them pop out with new vocabulary word... even when they don't full understand what they're talking about.

I'm quite sure I know where she picked up the word. She's been watching a great video over and over and over called "Flight and Spike" It's an excellent creation science video sold Biblical Discipleship. We picked it up recently at a convention we were at, and have we ever been glad we did! Both of the kids really enjoy watching it and we are love the excellent truths that are taught. Some of the animals covered in the film are Dinosaurs, Owls and Porcupines (or "pine-cones" as Clara calls them).

Another great resource for we recently came across is musical CDs put out by Sing The Word. Years ago, a very musically talented family started making quality recordings of Scripture put to music and they now have a collection of 7 different cds that they have done! We purchased two of them recently and have been soooo happy with them! They've done an excellent job with their recordings and they are such an enjoyable and beautiful way to store up God's Word in our heart and the hearts of our children! Some of the cds are aimed at younger children with shorter verses and simple songs while other cds have longer passages of Scripture. We got the two for the youngest ages... but even though younger ones are the target age group even Mommy really enjoys listening!

So, those are a couple new things that we've appreciated lately. If any of you reading this have recommendations for resources you've enjoyed using in the bringing up of your kidos... please pass them on to us!

2011-06-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

It's been forever since I last posted! Been quite the negligent blogger of late... thanks in part to the fact that we are having some problem that isn't allowing us to download videos and pictures from our phones. Maybe that will help me use more WORDS in blogging... instead of primarily pictures and videos! So far, it's just meant that I haven't posted! :-/

I had to share a cute story from today. Out of the blue Clara says to me "I be the Mary. You be Jophis (Joseph)." And she proceeded to put her blanket on her head like pictures of Mary and we wrapped a stuffed animal in a blanket. Later on we both dressed up with blankets and headbands on our heads, like Mary. So precious to see her learning, connecting, and understanding more about the BEST Book in the world!

We've been going to a farm I previously shared about quite a bit lately! Asparagus, rhubarb and strawberries have all been in season and ohhhhh what a treat those have been! We've enjoyed other special things at the farm too like a jump house, the animals, ice cream and apple cider slushies! We did the u-pick option on the strawberries. I felt rather stressed worrying about the kids damaging plants and berries and Clara picking ones that weren't the greatest. I can get too worried about so many things! It was neat to have had the experience, though since then I've been going the route of the already-picked ones!

And there is a recipe I'd like to share for strawberries! We tried this one the other day and, ohhhhhh, it was so yummy as well as being very simple! They are Strawberry 'n' Cream Tarts and they were light and delicious! I definitely want to do these again! I made the crusts with a simple recipe of graham cracker, sugar and butter, which I pressed into muffin pans and refrigerated. Give them a shot... they're delicious!

My Not-So-Quiet Children

2011-06-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the hilarity!

The Farm!

2011-06-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited about this local farm! It's about 10 to 15 minutes from us and in season they have quite a few different crops which you can buy in their store or roll up your sleeves and pick yourself! The crops include strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, tomatoes, a large variety of apples and more! They also have a few animals that the kids can pet and hand feed. We visited today for the first time and the kidos were both pretty excited about the animals. Clara however, was not content to touch them through the fence and feed them. She desperately wanted to go INSIDE the fence and specifically wanted to HOLD a chicken! On another visit I might try to see if either of those is an option.

The "Squirm" and the Sand Bag

2011-06-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

We got to go out for a while and enjoy the lovely outdoors. The weather was great with a breeze! Thank You, Lord Jesus, for beautiful mornings, sweet and inquisitive children, the opportunity to stay home with them and watch them learn, grow, and play. What a gift!

Clara-isms

2011-05-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a little girl started begging for "Chocolate Tea"... known to the rest of us as hot chocolate! :-)

A week or so ago, the same little girl and I were sharing some food out of the same bowl. I was waiting for her to take a bite with her fork, and then she decided to wait for me, and said "Go for it." :-)

Passing On A Blessing...

2011-05-28T04:31:00.000-07:00

Stephen and I have really been enjoying the daily devotional book "One Day At A Time", by William MacDonald.

Today's verse and thoughts particularly stood out to me and I'd like to share part of it with you. I found it a blessing, encouragement, and convicting.

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18

"The Bible teaches that we become like what we worship. That important insight is found in today's text. Let's break it down this way:
But we all- that is, all true believers;

with open or unveiled face- sin causes a veil between our faces and the Lord. When we confess and forsake the sin, we have an open or unveiled face;

beholding as in a glass- the glass or mirror is the Word of God, in which we behold

the glory of the Lord - meaning His moral excellence. In the Bible we gaze upon the perfection of His character, the beauty of all His works and ways;

are changed into the same image - we become like Him. We are changed by beholding. The more we are occupied with Him, he more like Him we become. This change is

from glory to glory - from one degree of glory to another. The change does not take place all at once. It is a process that continues as long as we behold Him. The transformation of our character is effected

even as by the Spirit of the Lord-the Holy Spirit produces likeness to Christ in all those who gaze by faith upon the Savior as He is revealed in the Bible.

....I do know that reverent occupation with the Son of God produces moral resemblance to Him.

The way to holiness is through gazing upon the Lord Jesus. It is not ordinarily possible to think of Christ and of sin at the same time. During those moments when we are taken up with Him, we are most free from sin. Our goal then should be to increase the percentage of our time when we are beholding Him."

~William MacDonald

I tend to ask the Lord Jesus to cleanse me and make me what He wants me to be... and then rush on with my day, my thoughts, my activities, etc., instead of focusing on Him as I go about the responsibilities He has given me.

What or Who are my thoughts full of today? What or Who am I showing that I truly worship by my choices in thought, action and word?

Help me Lord Jesus to make you the center of all my life!

The Outdoors-Man and the Daisy Princess

2011-05-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

We tried out a new park today. It was beautifully surrounded by a woodsy area and was so lush and green. The playground didn't have much to offer, but I think the kids had as much or more fun playing with sticks, leaves, etc. They make the best toys!!! Clara kept wanting to go plunging into the woodsy area to explore. Maybe we'll bring Daddy back there sometime and she can do some of that!

My Little Lady

2011-05-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

Wearing Mommy's hat earlier today....

Our little Clara turned three on Saturday! Where did those years go? Sometimes I look at her and it just strikes me what a big girl she already is!

She had a VERY fun day, starting off the night before by celebrating with our friends at Bible study with cupcakes, candles and being serenaded with "Happy Birthday To You". She blew out her three candles... with three blows! :-) Saturday we had waffles and she enjoyed opening gifts and spending much of her day trying out her new treasures! Daddy grilled hamburgers for supper and we had french fries (pronounced "fren fries"), which is probably her all time favorite food! We probably could have JUST had "fren fries" and that would have been even better! :-) Supper was topped off with ice cream cake! It was her first birthday after starting to really connect with the concept of birthdays, and it was fun to watch her experience the day. One of the things that struck us was the way she took time to enjoy her gifts and not just rush to open the next one. She would be quite focused on looking through the new book and Mommy and Daddy would be the ones eager to have her open the next gift! :-)

She is growing up so fast! She's a good big sister through, like all of us, she can be selfish and she can also be rough! However, Hilkiah is starting to dish out more of the roughness himself so she's having to put up with quite a bit too! Clara's vocabulary is ever expanding and we often hear her singing phrases from various songs. The other day it was "One day He's coming, Oh glorious day!" Stephen and I were both right there and it just melted our hearts!

We love you, precious Clara! May you grow up to be a lovely young lady who comes to love the Lord Jesus with all of your heart!

Talents Developing Before Our Eyes

2011-05-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hilkiah has been taking "great strides" in developing his walking ability! I was very impressed to see today that he is still able to do quite well, even with his "work boots" on. (Anna, weren't you with me when we found those at Salvation Army?)

Clara is getting very good with her tricycle talents! :-)

Lookin' Mighty Fine!

2011-05-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

Hil was looking so sharp and grown-up on Sunday, that I had to take some shots of the sweet little man!

Let Her Works Praise Her...

2011-05-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

My little lady very willingly started helping fold a load of laundry today. Even after Momma walked away for a bit, she kept at it. And, oh, was Momma ever tickled-pink to see this collection of neatly folded wash cloths and hand towels! There is something soooo thrilling about seeing your little one make an accomplishment like that! I had to share the impressive work!

"Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates." Proverbs 31:31

Just looking at the picture makes me happy! What a big girl and what a helper!

Tail Gate Picnic

2011-05-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

We'd heard a local BBQ place highly recommended and decided to give it a try this afternoon. It was totally packed so Stephen decided on take-out and we had ourselves a tail gate picnic!

Gorgeous!

2011-05-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous morning here! It rained earlier and is still cloudy, but it is so fresh, cool and beautiful out. Stephen had to go in to work for a couple hours to run a test, and the kids and I ended up taking a little walk. Here's a couple pics from our outing.

What happens when you give a one year old a chocolate animal cracker?

Clara seemed to really enjoy the outing... running around investigating, picking up sticks and rocks. At one point she started turning around with her arms out and saying "beautiful". I had her do a pose for me.

It Flew By...

2011-05-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

Then: May 4th 2010

Now: May 4, 2011

I know, it's a lot of pictures... but at least the grandparents will appreciate it! :-) Another thing the grandparents will like... if you blow up the picture where his mouth is wide open... you'll see the molar he is now sporting! That makes a total of nine teeth now!

Little man, we love you so much and you have become sooooo precious to our hearts! Your smiles and laughs are such rays of sunshine in our lives. Hilkiah, you're our gift from the LORD! Happy Birthday!

First Steps

2011-05-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

Hil took his first steps and maintained his balance last Saturday. This was taken last Monday. He is still working on his new skill, but who taught him how to be a comedian at the same time? Sometimes he will squat up and down, up and down just-because-he-can.

Because the clientele of this blog site appreciates videos, I am supplying this BONUS video:

Today, you also get a BONUS to the BONUS:

Enjoy the vids.

Gracie made chipati (Indian bread) and chickpea curry. They both came out splendid!

Bananas, Baby Steps and Curry!

2011-05-03T06:57:00.001-07:00

We got treated to some sibling cuteness the other night as Clara shared her banana with little bro! Though he looks a little overwhelmed he did seem to enjoy the experience overall, as he kept opening up for more. In about the last week he has made a noticeable increase in the amount of solids he's willing/interested in eating, which has been fun.

Another big thing for our little man... over the last few weeks he would occasionally take a step or two as he lunged at you or something else to hold on to. Then on Saturday, while at our friends' home, he took two more steady steps toward me! And since then, he has taken several more! Stephen captured about 5 or 6 steps last night on his phone camera... we will have to download that soon! And tomorrow is a big day for our little guy!

On a totally unrelated note, tonight is our vegetarian night and I'm planning to try a garbanzo bean curry. Here's the link for what I'm thinking to try. Stephen and I enjoy Indian food and I've been enjoying experimenting with some new recipes!

Look At Me Mom!

2011-04-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

I understand this propensity for climbing may run in his Daddy's side of the family! He just had to prove once again, that he totally belongs in this fam!!! :-)

Something I Have Really Been Enjoying!

2011-04-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

So, I've been on a whole grains kick lately. We've been milling some of our own wheat for a while and I grew up with a home wheat grinder. But thanks to various contributing causes, I've been getting interested lately in pursuing whole grain use for our family in a more major way. Some of the things that have been encouraging me in that direction are as follows: some persistent health issues in our little family which would be nice to deal with, getting to chat with a friend who has recently been getting into more healthy eating, things I have been learning through the Bread Beckers about the MAJOR health benefits of whole grains which have been freshly milled and prepared... and my hubby buying me a new electric grain mill a couple months ago!

I've been learning that wheat is an extremely nutrient dense food. There are 44 basic nutrients that our bodies require to maintain healthy life... and all but 4 of them are contained in wheat!!! But we NEED to be consuming it in whole grain form... and if at all possible, freshly milled! I've learned that there is a LARGE difference between freshly ground whole wheat flour and whole wheat flour we buy from the store. As soon as wheat is milled it begins to oxidize and lose the rich, God-given nutrients that the grain is full of. Within 72 hours as much as 90% of the nutrients can be gone! And that's just talking about the difference between fresh whole wheat flour and the not-so-fresh whole wheat from the store... we haven't even gone into the white flour issue!

I have been greatly enjoying learning from the Bread Beckers, a family run business in Georgia that sells all kinds of grains, other healthy products as well as appliances to help in food preparation (we bought our grain mill from them). But beyond being a store they also offer a WEALTH of free information, training and inspiration through their free online video classes! They're fascinating and enjoyable and I come away so inspired to prepare healthier food for my family and try ideas they've shared!

When I made whole wheat bread in the past, I almost always put in part white flour and part whole wheat. I didn't think you could have very nice homemade bread without at least SOME white flour. And if I was going to do 100% whole wheat I thought I would probably need to add gluten and maybe soy lecithin. But I had neither and gave it a try without, using a recipe from Bread Beckers and have been so pleased! It IS possible to have very enjoyable bread made at home with 100% whole wheat! And beyond that, pancakes, cookies, cakes, cinnamon rolls, and more, can all be delicious as well! No, I haven't had great success every time... but I HAVE had A LOT of successes and been so pleasantly surprised and encouraged!

I've been having so much fun learning from these video classes and trying new things in my kitchen. I'd encourage you to join me. Check out some of the videos and consider ways that you can include into your family's diet more of the incredible nutrients that God has given us! In general, it seems the more man messes with the incredible food God made for us... the more we mess it up! We cannot improve on God's creation!

Throughout the classes, Mrs. Becker shows you various things they sell through their store... obviously, most of us can't run out and buy all of it! And we really don't need to in order to make some very healthy changes and additions to what our families are eating. The number one thing I would encourage someone to consider getting is a good grain mill. The Beckers have recieved MANY testimonials from people who have had major health improvements... simply by beginning to mill and bake their own bread. They share some of them on their website.

You'll see that there are several different classes available! So far, I have enjoyed the "Getting Started Class", watched a bunch of the "Healthy Eating Simplified" series and seen part of the class on making pasta. If you are new to the idea of doing your own milling and bread making, I imagine the "Bread Making 101" would be a good place to just check it out and learn more. The "Getting Started Class" would also be a good place to start... as the name might indicate! I greatly enjoyed that class!

Well, there is plenty more that could be said... but I will leave it at that for now!

My Music Men

2011-04-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

Stephen has been pulling out his guitar lately and playing it for chapel. Hilkiah thinks practice sessions are just wonderful!

But don't be fooled by the first few pictures. The little man was not content to sit on Daddy's lap and listen. Oh no. He must be part of this and display his own impressive musical talent! Poor Daddy.
If you blow this one up, you will see that he has a guitar pick in hand and a wide open mouth!

Trouble maker indeed... but an awfully cute one!

Captured Moments and "Clara-isms"

2011-04-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

About a week ago we had a day of unusually warm weather and were able to go to the park jacket free! Yay! Here are a few captured moments to share:

Come on, Mom! And yes, I did take one trip down the slide. :-)

And here is a close up of the little man's first ever hair cut. Didn't Daddy do a great job???!!!

Now for a few cute "Clara-isms" from lately:

Excerpts from her prayers: "Please Mommy get better. Please Clara get better. Please Hilkiah get better. Please Daddy get better. Please all the guys get better." We had all been sick awhile back and she really noticed us asking the Lord to help us get better. The Lord blessed and we are thankful to all be in much better health now... but Clara has still been regularly asking for us to "get better". :-)

Clara's sharp little eyes noticed buds on the trees outside our window and called them "blueberries".

Cute phrases the girl has been using lately: "Let's see here...", "Just a second", "One question"

Another new thing is pretending that she is someone else. The other day she was pretending to be our new friend Marilen followed closely by pretending to be "Aunt Anna".

Must Be One Of Us

2011-04-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

It's official. Kiah is definitely a member of this family. He likes pasta. You pretty much HAVE to in order to fit in around here.

And after he got his picture taken... Sissy needed hers taken too!

Kiah's First Haircut!

2011-04-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

As a treat to my large anonymous fan club, I submit the following video for your viewing enjoyment.

Gracie and I both think he looks like a cute little boy now that I cut off his mullet.

Join Us... On An Excursion To The Zoo!

2011-04-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

We took an excursion to our local zoo today and I was impressed! Unfortunately, what had started as a sunny day had turned overcast and cold by the time we got there, but we had an enjoyable experience anyway.

There was a large variety of exhibits, a good number of which are indoor... an excellent feature in this climate! :-) I was extremely happy with the lion exhibit, and I think you may be able to see why in the following video!

Another highlight was the penguin display! If you find Clara's long jacket unique... that's because it's mine. I had dressed her in a sweater that was too light for the weather and, thank You Lord, had an extra windbreaker along!

After our long walk around the grounds in the chilly weather, fries and hot chocolate hit the spot! Unfortunately, Momma drake all the hot chocolate... but thankfully, Clara didn't seem to mind.

And fries weren't the only treat to be enjoyed, as you shall see....

Clara's last trip to the zoo had been in VA on her second birthday. Remember that, Mom F.?!!! Clara pretty much just watched people, pulled leaves off bushes, and other such non-animal related activities. Had a great time though! :-) This was totally different today. She was definitely getting the idea of checking out the different animals this time. Still found the other people interesting too! :-)

It was a fun outing! Another gift from the Lord to be thankful for!

Fun Videos from the Blackberry

2011-04-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

I have been saving these for a while. When I am at work sometimes I take a break and have a mini video-fest.

Stay tuned. I will down load some more in three more months......or sooner if I get some good comments.

Stephen

The Boy

2011-04-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

The boy has been showing his "boyness" lately. Brings us smiles. You should see the way he can turn a calm bath tub into a hurricane with simply two little chunky hands violently smacking the water! Rather messy, but too cute to cause much frustration in the parents.

Then there's the way he likes to stand next to the coffee table and clear everything on it onto the floor... and also open the little drawer and empty it of all the little cup coasters.

Then there are are the grunts and yells that come out of his little mouth.

Then there's the ball. Yup, he's already learning to throw a ball. Too cute! He's fairly good at it (says the biased Momma) but it does still land behind him sometimes! :-)

Our little man brings us much joy! And I know we will need much patience, grace, and wisdom from the Lord in how to raise him to be a manly man who is tough, strong, can take risks, and get dirty, and who is also a godly gentleman... like his Daddy and Grandpas! The wonderful adventure of parenting a boy has begun!

Enjoy the video of our little guy! (Are most of you able to see the videos we're posting? I know at least one friend was having a problem with one of them.)

2011-04-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

My thoughtful husband called me up from work a couple days ago and said it was a nice day out and that the kids and I should get out and go walk or something. So, the kidos and I ended up at a beautiful lake near us where we walked and Clara had a grand time playing around in the lovely outdoors! She hasn't done much of that lately! For quite a while during the second half of our walk, she ran ahead of me, pulling this big stick she had found. She must of burned a lot of energy that day! :-) Kiah-man seemed to greatly enjoy himself too... every now and then he would wave his little arms up and down in this very happy way.

Enjoy the pics and video! And don't miss the following post regarding illnesses and Clara's doctoring skills.

Doctor Clara

2011-04-01T05:21:00.000-07:00

We have all been sick here. Poor Hilkiah has had congestion and coughing that has just gone on and on! We kept thinking it would just run it's course and go away... but it didn't. :-( Then about two weeks ago Stephen came down with some nasty sinus infection or something. Then Clara came down with something... and then me too. On Monday we gave in and went to Urgent Care... all four of us. Both of the guys were put on antibiotics. Clara and I weren't. We all seem to be on the mend now! We have much to be thankful for... including a little girl who enjoyed playing Doctor last night! :-)

Beautiful Blessings!

2011-03-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

Today was a lovely day here! Weather was in the 50s and the sun was shining! Yay! Spring is coming and I'm ready for it!

The kidos and I took a little walk to our apartment complex's playground and enjoyed the beautiful outdoors! After looking at my phone and seeing that the next week doesn't look like it's suppose to be as nice weather wise as today, I decided that we'd soak in some more sunshine and warm weather, and we took a walk around the block before going in. Clara chose to walk instead of riding in the stroller and collected various rocks and sticks along the way. Good times! Of course, all was not sunshine and bird songs... while Clara was playing at the playground she says "what's this one?" and hands me a dried up bird dropping! Didn't inspect that for too long!!! And then later on our walk her shoe encountered something that someone hadn't picked up while walking their dog. Yuck! Such is life, isn't it? Great blessings can come hand in hand with some challenges too! But the blessings often far out weigh the challenges!

Kind of like parenting. There are those times when it just seems never ending. Moments where it feels like "where can I go to clock out of this job?". We JUST cleaned up those toys... and now they're all over the floor again! I'm trying to get a job done and not one but two little people want Mamma's attention. And the list goes on. BUT... then there is that joy and pride that might be difficult to put into words at the new accomplishment of my little one. It mights seem like something small and insignificant to someone else, but it makes me sooooo happy! Then there's that little smile or big laugh that is just about the cutest thing ever! There's those two chunky hands learning how to clap, the most precious blonde pony tail bouncing up and down as a little girl walks along, a little voice trying to sing a new song she's learning and a little man toddling along using the toy car as a walker. There's that feeling of "oh you are the most precious little thing ever and I could just hug you and squeeze you and kiss you!!!!!"

So, one day I might be wondering where I can go to get a break, but the next day I'm so thankful I get to stay home and be full time Mommy to my precious babies! Yes, GREAT blessings come hand in hand with some pretty big challenges! But, it's worth it!

"Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox." Proverbs 14:4

Yay!!!

2011-03-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

We finally found an easy and quick way to put videos on our blog!!! Videos from our new phones go on super easy!!! Here are a couple recent ones!

2011-03-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from my phone...

2011-03-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

An overworked Aunt Anna! Much of what you see behind her is empty boxes or boxes that are just full of packing paper. We were very happy when the lady came to do the empty box and paper pick-up!

Anna was a HUGE help with the unpacking and getting situated! And it was such a treat to just have her here visiting!

My funny girl!

We went out on a family stroll this afternoon. Rather chilly out, but it was a good time anyway! Clara really enjoyed it... I think she may get rather cooped up being inside so much. I'm looking forward to spring!

Yay! Back to Blogging!

2011-03-11T13:50:00.000-08:00

We now have internet up and running in our apartment and I'm excited to beginning posting again! Hooray!!! When we were in temp. housing we had to use the computer in the lobby... and once we got our phones we could have posted from them... but typing a post with your thumbs on a little key pad seemed rather laborious to me! But now we are back to regular internet access and I'm a happy camper!

We're getting settled into our apartment here and looking forward to spring! Actually, adjusting to all the snow and cold hasn't been too bad... kind of a new adventure! But I am looking forward to warm weather, the kids being free to run around outside and play, farmers markets, etc.!

Tonight will be a full night. Clara and I have been TRYING to make a chicken curry. We'll see how it turns out! A little later we have Bible study at the home of some new friends. I'll have to share more very soon about the neat group of Christian believers we have been so blessed to meet up with!

For now, I will say goodbye and turn my attention back to the kitchen!

We're HERE!

2010-12-29T12:50:00.001-08:00

Well folks, we made it!!! After a long but very good trip, we've made it to Syracuse! We enjoyed a great trip down south, visiting family and ending with Mark and Sherry's beautiful wedding! Then we headed north, again spending time with friends and family who showered us with wonderful hospitality! Thank you all for making us so welcome!

The kidos did well on the LONG trip, though we definitely had our rough spots where they had just HAD IT with the car seats! But we made it and for the most part, they did great!

And so, we're here. Ok, I admit, it's been overcast since we got here, and very COLD and there's a fair amount of snow on the ground. However, it's not too bad. We'll likely learn some tricks about how to dress in this weather, and hopefully we'll see the sun before too long... and we should be fine. :-)

We've settled into temporary housing in a Resident Inn. Stephen's company has put us up very nicely in a very comfortable furnished place that has two bedrooms and two baths. There's also a kitchen/dining/living room. Even has a fireplace! Does it get any better???!!! Oh yeah... we haven't actually used the fireplace yet... but still, nice to have it! :-) It's so great to have a place to settle into! We are currently have house hunting and other errands. You can pray we'll have widom in the house hunting!

Stephen is due to start work on the 4th! He's been looking forward to it! It's a blessing though to have a little time to get situated, look at rentals, etc. before he starts.

Thank you for all your prayers for us along the way! Have a blessed New Year!

2010-12-07T13:56:00.000-08:00

Life has sure been full! We arrived safely home last Tuesday night after a wonderful time with my family! What a treat is was to get to spend a whole month with them!!! They are so special to me and I miss them! Saying goodbye was hard... even though I have my brother's wedding to look forward to!

We got home with less then a week before the movers were scheduled to arrive. And whoosh! The week is already gone! The week was full with things to do before the movers came, our last young peoples Bible study, the chapel Christmas banquet, and goodbyes to many dear friends who have been sooooo good to us during our two years here. At the Christmas banquet, friends from the two chapels we have been involved with here gave us a very touching, encouraging and heart felt send off. Thank you so much all! We greatly appreciated it! You have been such dear friends!

Monday morning the movers arrived. We were still desperately trying to get things done. I had been feeling very overwhelmed and frustrated that last night with all there was left to do, but the LORD worked things out and got us through it. As far as packing goes, all we had to do was pack together the things we want for the trip and the time in temporary housing. The packers packed the rest, which was SUCH a HUGE blessing. And would you believe three guys were able to pack almost the whole house into boxes in ONE day???!!! That would have taken me weeks! Today, which is Tuesday, they did a bit more packing and then loaded up the truck. They left at around 2 in the afternoon. So all in all, they packed up our house in 1 1/2 days!

Last night and tonight we are staying at the home of our dear friends who are out of town. What a blessing it has been to have a place to go and crash or let the kids play! Some other friends blessed us by having us over for dinner last night and we are going to meet up with them again tonight! Thank you so much to each one of you dear friends who have given so much love and care to us throughout our two years here!

Tomorrow should be busy with some last errands and we plan to take off either later in the day or possibly the next day. Thank you for all your prayers as we embark on our new adventure!

Tomorrow morning, Lord willing, after a few more errands, we hit the rode. The plan is to slowly make our way down south to my brother Mark's wedding, visiting friends and relatives along the way. After the wedding our goal is to make a leisurely trip up toward NY, again, visiting relatives!

Surprise and Thanksgiving!!!!

2010-11-26T11:12:00.000-08:00

Well, our little family is all back together again and we're continuing to enjoy time together with the fam! Had a great Thanksgiving! There were about 20 of us! We feasted royally, chatted, and watched the teenagers play a rousing game of zip-zap... craziness!!!

We have so much to be thankful for... wonderful family (who we actually ENJOY being with!), more good food then we can hold, a new adventure before our little family, our LORD who is so good to us and patient with us... we are so blessed!

Now for a few pics from the last couple days.

So, I showed up at the airport on the 23rd to pick up my hubby... and what a surprise!!! Who was that handsome guy with the beard???!!!! :-)

Security Checkpoints and Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T10:31:00.000-08:00

This is Stephen -

I promised some friends that I would post about my airport security experiences this trip. I had been "wanded" and then "patted down" about 4 weeks ago according to the new standards. I have been patted down by Marines and Israeli security before, been fine. This last "pat down" made me feel violated. It was sexual assault.

The short story about this last time was that I passed through without any additional searching. There was no naked scanner at this airport, so the only recourse if you need additional searching is the groping procedure. I have heard from 2 good sources that as long as you don't trip the metal detector, you will have a greatly reduced chance of getting groped. So I took off all the metal I could, even things I normally keep on like my glasses and wedding ring (sorry My Love!).

You could still get randomly snagged, but the chances are reduced. The rest of the trip I was pretty sick and have been recovering.

We can still be thankful for the air travel we have, the peace we enjoy (compare this country to any muslim country), and the professional law enforcement officers that are on duty.

The Proof!

2010-11-13T12:32:00.000-08:00

And here he is folks! Sitting up all by himself! Thank you Aunt Melly for specially taking and down loading these pics! And don't miss the longer post from earlier today, or Stephen's great one from yesterday!

2010-11-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

Here are some LONG overdue pictures from the currently West Coast part of the family. Enjoy! Thanks to "Aunt" Melly... these are all ones she had already down loaded.

And yep folks, all those official announcements my dear hubby made are true.

My brother David is a happy man! I'm happy too! And I think they will make a super couple! Welcome to the family, Amity!

Hil truly is sitting on his own and is continuing to be a happy, content little sweetie. Seems to enjoy his new skill!

And yes, Lord willing, we are going to be embarking on an adventure to a new part of the country! We will miss our dear Virginia friends, but are thankful for the new opportunity!

Learning to play video games with Aunt Amy!

Treating the world to a rousing "reading"!

New Friends!

... and I wonder why they call her "The monitor junkie"! :-)

Good Job, Uncle Caleb!

And Stephen, Honey, I enjoyed your last post!

It's Official!

2010-11-12T14:46:00.000-08:00

There have been a few official things happening in our lives. Here is a few:

1. My brother-in-law David just got engaged to a lovely, young, long-time friend named Amity. Congrats to you both! May you serve the Lord with gladness!
2. Hil turned 6 months. He can sit up all by himself. I wish I had a pic!
3. I have accepted a job offer and we are moving north, into Yankee territory! We are moving to the State of New York. I at least hope people in New York have a little state pride and can sing their state song. Not so in VA. There is a little meeting of like-minded believers in Jesus Christ who we will be able to join as well.

When I put in my notice with my boss this week, he came and gave me a slip of paper that said the following:

My first job was working in an Orange Juice factory, but I got canned. I couldn't concentrate. *This is just a classic one-liner that everyone should memorize and use at appropriate times*

Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe. *tough way to go!*

After that, I tried to be a Tailor, but I wasn't suited for it--mainly because it was a sew-sew job. *Your singin' my song, brother!*

Next, I tried working in a Muffler Factor, but that was too exhausting. (Is Gpa Sush laughing yet???!!)

I attempted to be a Deli Worker, but any way I sliced it, *can you guess it?* I just couldn't cut the mustard.

I studied a long time to become a Doctor, but I didn't have any patience. *no comments needed on this one folks. the next one is better."

Next, was a job in a Shoe Factory. I tried but I couldn't fit in. I became depressed and soulful. *ba bom - bom tsaaH*

I got a job working for a Pool Maintenance company, but the work was just too draining. *whacka whacka whacka*

[can you even handle any more people........?]

I got a job as a historian, until I realized there was no future in it.

*My sides are hurting! Stop Stephen, STOP!*

And for the Grand Finale..............

Finally, I realized my calling. I have been working as a Professional Fisherman. Because I found I could live on my net income.

The End.

The really scary thing is that my 2.5 yr old daughter is more slap stick than me! Don't say I didn't warn you!

CA moments

2010-11-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

As my dear husband mentioned in his post, the kidos and I are in CA enjoying a visit with my family. It had been over a year since I last saw many of them. We're having a very good time, but I sure do miss my wonderful man! He's planning to join us in about three weeks... that that's a long way away!

As you can imagine, C and H are enjoying all the attention and are very loved my Grandma, Grandpa and all the aunts and uncles! Here are a few pics to prove it. :-)

These first two have a story behind them. Stephen told my sister, Melissa, that she could keep Hilkiah until he is 14 but he had to be able to work on cars when Stephen got him back. So, she got that project started very quickly!!! :-) Perfect timing, as Grandpa had a mini van project going on that day!

Would appear Hil got the volleyball gene! Check out that set!!!!!

First Meal Without Gracie

2010-10-26T16:01:00.000-07:00

I don't have a picture, but this is what I fixed up: Egg (from the backyard!) and bacon sandwich with sauteed onions, mayo, El Tapatio hot sauce, cheddar cheese, Italian spices, Mrs. Dash SW Chipotle spice, and fresh mint leaves for my veggie. I tried it as a closed and open sandwich....the closed tastes better, but the open looks better....hmmmmm, difficult choices.

Now here's my question. How many egg sandwiches am I going to make over the next 4 weeks?

HAA! You have no faith in me! We shall see.

My little tribe got to CA OK. I know they are in good hands and enjoying themselves. My dear sweet daughter evacuated her stomach during the final approach into Chicago....she has my motion sickness propensities. Last I heard, her uncles were chasing her through the house as she was squealing with delight.

-S.

A smile and a thought...

2010-10-21T04:56:00.000-07:00

A couple sweet shots to bring you a smile:

And a quote that struck me today:

"The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else."

- Oswald Chambers

Convicting and encouraging.

Today

2010-10-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

Today Stephen is working second shift, so we got to enjoy having him around this morning! He was able to get a lot of work done on one of our cars! Yay for mechanically minded husbands!!!

Of course, he needed a lot of supervision, management and direction from a certain small, but capable source:

Later in the morning, the kids and I headed out to meet up with some new friends.

This was Kiah-man's second time ever to try out park swings!!! Enjoy! :-) And blow up one of these pictures to check out how his hair likes to stand up on end!

I know, if you're not one of the grandparent followers of this blog, you're going "alright already with the swing pictures!"... but if you ARE one of the grandparent followers, you're just eating them up!!! :-)

And about an hour and a half after getting home, you could see signs that nap time was right around the corner. :-)

Honestly!!! Who needs a teething toy...

2010-10-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

...when you've got perfectly good toes to chew on!!! :-)

Equally in the culinary department, may we recommend a couple recipes we've enjoyed lately!

These are from one of our favorites, Eating Well. Eating Well sure lives up to it's subtitle: Where Good Taste Meets Good Health!

The first is Sesame-Honey Tempeh and Quinoa Bowl.... except I made it Sesame-Honey Chicken and Quinoa! :-) I've never used Tempeh and figured chicken would be just great... and it was! Give it a shot this was "yumm-oh", as we say around here! :-)

The second was Hungarian Beef Goulash . Delicious! Super crock-pot dish! We ate it over rice. I did makes some fairly significant changes when I made it and we enjoyed how it came out... however, according to the recipe, it might be even better! Instead of diced tomatoes, I put in tomato sauce. Also I did NOT put in the beef broth, I simply threw in four beef boulion cubes. Not having the extra liquid probably made it a thicker and richer sauce, and I really liked it that way. Besides, with the tomato sauce and slow cooking the meat, we ended up with plenty of sauce! Also didn't use the caraway seeds, bay leaves, or parsley. They would probably be great additions, but turned out just fine without. Give it a try! This ones a keeper!

Note: I was just now reading online that cooking caraway seeds to long can turn a dish bitter, so if you do use 'em, might want to add them at the end. I have no experience from caraway... so I don't know!

Beautiful Mornings

2010-10-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

Since Tuesday we've been blessed with some beautiful, sunny, cool days. Several of those mornings, the kids and I spent time out in the yard. I was able to do some yard clean up and we let the chickens out. Clara is now able to catch them fairly regularly. Some of them are "smart" and just run away, and in those cases she isn't able to get them. However, some times they just freeze and sort of hunker down, in which case she is able to simply pick them up. She has been having a grand old time carting them around, bouncing them, showing them to Kiah, carrying them into the bushes, talking to them, etc. And believe it or not, they put up with it quite nicely!

Down At The River

2010-10-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Went down to a little beach on the river with Emmie Lou a few weeks ago. Girls had a grand old time, as you can see! They're like two peas in a pod when it comes to water... very little fear! When it came to Emmie Lou, it seemed more like no fear! :-)

Month in Review: September 2010

2010-10-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

Wow. September is already gone and October begun! Time surly is flying by! Ok, a quick recording of this past month and a few of it's happenings for this family.

We started it off with a Labor Day trip to York, PA to visit family. The kidos did well on the long trip and what a blessing it was to visit and spend time with some relatives, who we haven't yet got to know too well!

We started up a home Bible study, primarily for people in the neighborhood who are interested in learning more about the Lord and His Word!

Stephen was very blessed with a more interesting job at work to spend time on and has been enjoying that. He was able to work some long days so that he could take a day off this week. On his long days, we were able to go and meet him for a picnic supper!

Clara continued to grow and learn so quickly! She enjoyed playing in the river with her friend Emmie Lou, playing at the park, playing with neighborhood girls who would come over, painting, and entertaining her little brother. She is popping out with longer and longer sentences and keeps making us laugh with funny stuff she says. Here are a few examples:

The other day she and I were walking out to the car. It was about the fourth day in a row that was grey and wet. It was also a warm day, so add muggy to the grey and wet. Well, we go walking out and head to the car when I hear a little girl say "Priee (pretty) day, Mommy. Priee day." Made my morning! :-)

She called me "honey". :-)

She's been been using cute little phrases like "Let's see" and "hold on".

Kiah-man (or Ki-boy, as his sister likes to call him) lived his fifth month on the outside. He is getting so big and cuter and cuter. He's been a happy, easy going little guy. Such a blessing. Sleeping through the night has been hit and miss :-/ But last night was wonderful! He went down a little late, but slept until 8:00 this morning! What a treat! Kiah also popped in his first two teeth this last month. They make his adorable smile even cuter!

Our once a month young peoples Bible study started our new topic, which is an in-depth look at the offerings, primarily found in the first several chapters in Leviticus. Before that we had done a study on the book of Joshua. We have been so encouraged and blessed by the young people that are a part of this study!

I've been keeping busy with my responsibilities as wife, mommy and homemaker! It truly is such a wonderful job and such a privilege to be able to stay home with my little family. Sure, there are days when I would like to "clock-out"... but I wouldn't trade it!

One of my new interests is learning more about using herbs for natural healing and general health. I've been learning quite a bit and enjoying it! One of these days I might have to share some of what I've been learning! I love The Bulk Herb Store! They have tons of free information and you can buy bulk herbs at SUCH reasonable prices. Right now I'm sipping a cup of echinacea and peppermint tea, sweetened with honey. Echinacea is good for boosting your immunities. Peppermint has health benefits too, but we mostly drink it for the great flavor!

September was a month full of challenge, joy and great blessing! Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Memories

2010-10-05T12:04:00.000-07:00

The pictures of Hil and Stephen, in my last post, reminded me of these ones of Clara with her Daddy! Had to go find 'em!

Cute Little Feet!

Playin' With Daddy

2010-10-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

Clara hit the hay really early last night and Kiah-man got to have some play time with just him and Daddy! :-)

Enjoy!

Now That's A Mouth Full!

2010-09-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

Claires popped out a rather long sentence today... of course, it was a sentence of instructing little brother to behave himself!

We were getting ready to make granola and she had pulled out the oatmeal (pronounced something like "e-mail"). We had it sitting up on the counter. I was holding Kiah and Claires was standing on a chair, when out comes this very "big sisterly" type admonition.

"N-touch e-mail Ki-boy. K?" Translation: "Don't touch oatmeal Ki-boy. K?" :-) Gotta love it.

Speaking of granola, I did one of the simplest versions of granola ever today... and once I've tried a bowl of it, I'll have to give a report on the results. It contains simply: oatmeal, flaxseed, almonds, raisin, craisins, olive oil and honey... and that's it! Super simple... and healthy!

The Late Night Meeting on the Lord's Day

2010-09-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

This is S: I was in the kitchen and G told me that I need to come to the kid's room to see the "meeting" that was going on. Once I saw it and heard the spontaneous singing of this "meeting" I had to grab the camera. First of all, Clara's bed has a shelf right at mattress level, so to keep her pillow from slipping out, we filled her headboard shelf with hymn books that were given to us. Below is what was happening. I took a little video but we can't post video yet. You would have heard a little of the singing. :o)

Makes me think of the following:
...a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife....Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! 2 kings 5 (i.e. - waited on the prophet like the girl waited on the wife.) little truth still equals truth.

...And Moses said unto Korah, ...seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hah separated you from the congregation of Isr. to bring you near to Himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? Num 16

Unto you therefore which believe He is precious....

Hold 'Im!

2010-09-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

"Hold 'im!" That's how Clara lets us know she wants to hold her little brother. :-) She likes to hold him, but it usually only lasts for a few moments. Yesterday, she was doing such a great job and it was soooooo cute, so I ran and crabbed the camera and got a couple precious shots.

Claires is a great sissy. She loves to goof off and make Kiah laugh and smile. However, we have to watch her, as she can get too rough pretty quickly.

And if "Hold 'im!" is what she says when she wants to hold Hil, "Hol-jee" what she says when she wants us to hold her. She'll bounce up and down sometimes, going "Hol-jee, hol-jee, hol-jee!!!" And if you didn't know what she was wanting... it might take you a while to figure it out! :-)

More Of That Tummy Time!

2010-09-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

Clara thinks tummy time together is just so great, as you can see!!! Kiah-man... mmmmmm... not too crazy about it just yet.

Fort Fun... Living Up To It's Name

2010-09-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago we enjoyed trying out a different park, called Fort Fun! Good name for it. We made the excursion with our neighbor and her little girl, Emmie Lou, who is a month older then Clara. Fun times were had. One of Momma's favorite parts was that it was a beautiful day and there were quite a few trees, which gave lovely shade!

Fun times with Emmie Lou and new friends!

These twins were just too cute! You should have seen them toddling around! Their names were Hope and Faith!

Sweet Little Hands Discover Sweet Little Feet!

2010-09-10T05:56:00.000-07:00

Kiah-man has been working on the challenging art of reaching and grabbing things! And in the last few days he has discovered these neat little things that are always there on the ends of his legs and can be grabbed with his sweet little hands! :-)

After seeing Kiah get his picture taken, somebody else seemed to want a picture taken of HER "footies"! :-) So, there you have it:

Stay tuned! Hoping to come back later today with some pictures from our adventure to fort fun!

Two Precious Blessings!

2010-09-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

They are already becoming buddies!