Time is Flying

Eleanor turned nine months old last Monday (the 19th.) I was going to write a little update on her then, but decided to wait until after her well-child check-up this morning.

First of all, time moves much faster when you have two kids. I thought it sped up when I had Noah, now I'm pretty sure we're on warped speed. My baby is nine months old! Can you believe it? Technically, in less than three months I'll have a one year old. I don't know whether to cry about how quickly she's growing up or cheer that we've almost made it through this first year. On her birthday I have a feeling I'll be doing a bit of both. =)

We visited her pediatrician today. Dr. Warmoth is fantastic. If you live in the Grand Haven/Spring Lake/even Muskegon area, I would highly suggest him. He is patient, knowedgeable, and really interacts with the kids, which I feel is a pretty important quality to have if you're going to be a pediatrician. Anyways, it was not the best of visits and it started while we were in the waiting room.

I had brought along a blanket to set out on the floor and put her on it with some toys. The girl is active. She doesn't just sit. If you're trying to just hold her on your lap - it's not going to happen. She twists and turns and flings her upper body back to look at you. She grabs for your hair, jewelry, ears, etc. If you turn in her direction, you'll find her face centimeters from yours before she tries to cover your nose with her mouth. We try to constantly have something in her hands so she's not destructive.

So she is sitting on her blanket playing with her toys when along comes a little boy who is probably about two years old. He stops and crouches down to look at her and babble. His mom comes behind him, grabs him up and tries to politely tell him not to play with the sick baby: "See the poor baby. She's sick. Look how sick she looks honey. You don't want to touch her."

My baby is not sick. She's here for a well-child visit. She has no runny nose, she's not coughing or sneezing. She is also sitting in the healthy child area and not the sectioned off sick kid area. I don't tell her this because (a) I'll probably never see her again so does it really matter? and (b) I don't know her or her boy and don't want him touching Ellie anyways. Maybe he's sick!

I continue watching Ellie play as the little boy comes from another direction and tries to hug her. His mom again snatches him away (which I am relieved by because that means I don't have to pull Ellie away while trying to explain that he really shouldn't hug babies he's never met) and explains again not to touch the sick baby.

At this point I tell her that she is not sick, she's here for her 9 month check-up. Thankfully, they are called in for their appointment before she can respond. Saved by the nurse. Although now I am wondering if I have a sickly looking daughter.

We're called back and the nurse takes Ellie's measurements. Her head is in the seventy-fifth percentile (she and Noah are big head babies - I know this personally because I pushed them out.) She weighs 17 pounds 1 ounce and has dropped from 50th to 16th percentile. She is 27 1/4 inches, putting her from 75th to 35th percentile. Later, Dr. Warmoth tells me this is not uncommon as the first 24 months are spent kind of all over the place for some kids on the growth charts.

When Dr. Warmoth came in we talked about how she is doing developmentally. I had questions because by this age Noah was crawling, pulling himself up on furniture, and walking around furniture. Ellie is not doing any of the above. I don't want to compare them though because I know every kid is different. She does, however, sit unassisted for really long periods of time (which she has been doing since 5 months) and yesterday she started going from the sitting position to laying on her stomach and she decided to become an inchworm overnight. This morning I sat her down on the floor, she pulled herself over until she got on her stomach and then took off across the room like a caterpillar. Not quite crawling, but pretty darn close. The baby gates are going to be coming out soon enough. Dr. Warmoth said that he's seeing more and more kids not pulling up onto furniture until 10 or 11 months and expects her within the next 6 weeks to have mastered that.

Here's the bummer part of the visit: she has her fourth ear infection in four months. We've had one a month since October. They're always double ear infections, too. So now we have a referral for the Ear Nose Throat Specialist to talk about tubes. Yippee.

Other than all that stuff that I'm so sorry to have just bored you with, here are the things we love about Eleanor:

*She is a chatterbox. She does Mama and Dada and recognizes me and Tim while saying it. She's not just babbling. She also does Baba for bottle and Nana for Noah, although that's a new one she's still working on. She is constantly talking or screeching to the people and toys around her.

*She is still a bit of a diva, but either she's getting better or we're just getting used to it. She's demanding.

*She has Tim completely wrapped around her finger.

*As I said before, she is active. Until this inchworm thing, she would lay on her belly and then spin herself in circles with her arms. She looked like a bottle in the Spin-the-Bottle game. She also loves her Johnny-jump-up or whatever the modern name for it is. Her feet look like a ballerina's when she jumps because they go out to the sides when she pushes off and then as she comes down, she lands with them perfectly turned out and heels together, knees bent. Then she pushes off again and again and again.

*She is just an absolute joy to our family. She is a challenge as we learn her personality, which has been so different from Noah's yet at the end of the day we're so thankful for her. She belly laughs like Noah does and speaking of him, she cannot get enough of her big brother.

*We get many comments on her eyes and the shape of them. I had noticed they were different when she was a newborn and a nurse had commented once on her "beautiful eyes. They're so unique." Well, who knows what to expect when you hear the word "unique"? Anyways, I listen to people comment on how they don't look like mine (or Tim's if he's around, and then they look at me for an explanation of why that might be. I don't know but I can tell you that Tim IS the dad!) Our friend, Kerin, was over last weekend and finally placed a shape on them - teardrops. I don't know what side of the family they come from, but we think they're beautiful.

So that's our Ellie. Yesterday I cranked up the heat for a couple hours and put them in their bathing suits and we had our own "beach party" in the kitchen with a picnic for lunch. It was a good way to beat the cabin fever for a little bit. That's why she's wearing a bikini in the above picture even though it's the end of January. Also - you can see at the top of her head a little bit her very first ponytail. I am trying to post more pictures from our fun, but blogger is being difficult so they'll have to wait for another time. And yes, Deidra, I must have a thing for chubby baby bellies in bikinis because I did get Wyn her's and now Ellie's. Next up is Sophie!

It Never Fails...

So it has been a week since I've blogged last. For some people that is not a big deal, but for those who are like me - who like to write and find release in doing it - it feels like a long time. I felt out of touch with life last week. Tim worked really long days Wednesday and Friday and had Tuesday and Thursday off. On Wednesday and Friday nights he did not get home until 10:00pm (they were working almost 2 hours away.) On those nights I would put the kids in bed and have about 2 1/2 hours all to myself...to do anything I wanted. The difference between this and naptime is that with naptime, I have no guarantee of how long it will last or if they will even sleep. With bedtime, they go down quickly and I know they're asleep until morning (except for those random cries out for a binky from Ellie.) On Wednesday night I spent the time writing. I worked a bit more on my novel. I also wrote up a couple...articles? I don't really know how to describe them. They're just little 3 page thoughts I guess. On Friday night I read. It was wonderful.

I have been reading a lot lately. After all, I have the Blizzard of Books at the library going on so I constantly have my nose in a book. Last Thursday I turned in my first 5 and went home with a box of chocolates.

They're gone.

Tim helped.

No, really, he did. We also threw out the last three because they were coconut and we don't like coconut.

Our friends, Unty and Kerin, came over Saturday night. They brought over some ingredients and we combined them with what we had and made a Mexican buffet. It was yummy. After the kids went down we made funnel cakes with a mix my sister had bought me for my birthday. That was an adventure but they turned out just like at a carnival. Greasy and delicious.

Today Jen and I spoke at Calvin College. Every year for the past three years we have talked to the interim Women's Health class about sex. We share our past sexual/physical relationship stories and talk about God's forgiveness, the importance of boundaries and accountability partners, and that if you haven't had sex - don't until you're married - and if you have or are - it's not too late to stop and start over. I think it went well. Every year on our way to the car afterward, we criticize ourselves, praise each other and lament on how the previous year seemed to go better. Then we remind ourselves that every year we have the same conversation and if just one woman has been touched, it's worth it. We spend time leading up to the morning praying that God would open hearts and guide our words and that's all we can do. The professor asks us back each year so we must make some type of impact. The girls are then required to write a response paper and the professor sends us their papers for us to read. We then are able to take their thoughts or questions and use them to help shape our talk for the next year.

On a different note. I got a package in the mail today from a close friend from college. She sent a very sweet note with it and in it pointed out all the neat ways that God has been providing things for us - little things especially. It prompted me to reflect on some of those ways and how cool God really is. I wanted to share some because I thought maybe it would prompt your heart to also reflect on the little ways that are easy to go unnoticed that God has provided in your own life. Maybe you can take the time to thank Him.
*We did not think we would be able to buy a Christmas tree this year because they are expensive! Seriously, I had no idea since we hadn't bought one for the past two years. Our realtor sent us a card in the mail for a free Christmas tree from a place in Grand Haven. We had a beautiful Douglas Fir (my favorite and we've never had one) for Christmas.
*Tim brought home roses in December for me. He had a coupon for a free dozen and when he went to get them, he found out the coupon had expired the week or so before (that's what happens when he forgets things.) He persuaded them to honor the coupon and they did. He's good when it comes to bargaining/bartering/haggling (is that what they call it?)
*Speaking of those three words above, Tim had to file a claim for a new cell phone. I accidentally washed his (the one time I forget to check the pockets in his jeans - thank God we have insurance on our phones.) No one told us that he had 30 days to file the claim. We were waiting for some extra money because we knew it was going to cost $50 to file it. When he filed the claim just after the New Year they told him he was outside of the 30 days. He talked to a manager and fought his case and they honored the $50. After all, if it's not written anywhere on the paperwork and no one tells you, how are you supposed to know? So that saved us the cost of a new cellphone
*An old friend from high school asked if I wanted a pair of jeans that were too short for her. They were my size and so over the weekend I got a package in the mail with a new pair of jeans! They fit perfectly and are a brand I could not afford myself at this time. Thanks, Bekah!
*We thought we were going to have $50 to live the next two weeks on - and that would have to cover groceries and gas (with Tim driving to GR every day.) I had one day of panic mode, but I was also PMS so the hormone center was already pretty much in hyper-overdrive. The next day I again gave it over to God telling Him I had no idea how He was going to pull this one off, but I couldn't wait to see it. In my head I was making a mental note of where to donate plasma and what things in the house we could sell off. Sunday brought about an email for an interior designer wanting Tim to paint her and her husband's master bedroom this week on his days off. And again God has provided.
*Before we painted the kids' bedroom, we were visiting our friends, Chris and Rachel. I was trying to describe the color I was envisioning to Rachel and she actually had a scrapbook paper (with birds on it even!) that she showed me. It was the exact color I was trying to describe! She ended up giving it to me, along with another piece that had birds on it that look like the ones I wanted on the tree mural. Tim took in the one piece and had Sherwin Williams color match it for the paint for their room and then Rachel came and painted her birds (that the scrapbook paper ones looks like) on the tree I painted. Recently I framed the two pieces of paper as artwork for their room and it looks great on the wall.
*And last for now, but certainly not least, I'm just getting very sleepy, the friend that sent me the package (Kelly) had sent some facial products that weren't working for her skin. One of the products, a skin revitalizer, I already use and know it doesn't make me break out. The other one is a foundation primer that I have yet to try.

What is a little way that God has blessed you?

Free Baby Food at Meijer!

Even though I make my own baby food, I still keep an eye out for good deals because when we travel it's easier to just bring some jars along.
That is why I was super excited to find Beechnut baby food on sale at Meijer this week 4/$1. I heard there is a coupon in a recent Smart Source insert that was $1/10 jars, making them a total of $1.50. I have that insert but it didn't contain a coupon! Bummer. So I decided to look on Beechnut's website to see if they have printable coupons.
You have to sign up for their e-newsletter (I have a separate email account for coupons and junk mail) and you get a coupon for $1 off 3 products. You can print this coupon twice. My Meijer let me use the extra 25 cents from the coupon (since it's only for 3) toward another jar so I ended up with 8 jars of baby food for absolutely free!
If you have the $1/10 coupon AND the two dollar off coupons, you could spend $1.50 for 18 jars of baby food, which would make them eight cents each!

Big Step

Tim's meeting yesterday did not go as we thought, BUT it was a very clear closed door and obvious answer to prayer. Aaron (the guy he met with) would like to hire him on as permanent full time but can't past the house they start next week because he doesn't have work lined up after that. He works with 10 builders and, with our present economy, none of his builders are building right now. There is a second part to it as well in that to put Tim in the position he wanted to, he would have to let go of the guy who is there now. This was already an ucomfortable feeling for Tim because he knows the guy from college and Aaron does as well. Aaron is going to be talking to the guy this week to find out if he's serious about staying on and if he can maybe start working a little harder.
Talk about a closed door.
Now this is where it gets really interesting for both Tim and myself. We felt nothing but peace after finding all this out. When Tim told me on the phone what happened, at any other time in my life I would have started crying, hyperventilating, freaking out and stressing about how we're going to survive. Instead I got off the phone with him and said, "Ok, God. You know. I don't. You have always provided, and I know You will continue to, so we'll see how You are going to work in this." I didn't rush to the computer to check out jobs online or call a friend (or my mom) and vent about everything.
I just started trusting Him. After all, Tim has work. That in itself is amazing - especially in his line of work and the fact this is Michigan. As he and I talked last night we realized that with the crew he has been with for the past year, they have 3 houses lined up starting in February. That should carry them through to May. Tim has had two former clients whose interiors he painted for side jobs call him in the past couple weeks and want him to paint the exteriors of their houses this summer. So, really, he has work provided through the summer. He and a couple of the other guys are going to sit down again with the "boss" and talk numbers because the $5/hour paycut won't work for any of them since they all have families to provide for, but maybe they can meet somewhere in the middle.
I don't say this to brag "look how good a Christian I am because I don't worry" because I do struggle with worry. I worry about everything from Tim getting in an accident on his way to and from work. I worry about my kids: are they developmentally where they should be? Why isn't Ellie crawling yet? Is Noah being nice to kids at preschool? Are kids being nice to him? I worry about myself: is this tightness in my chest a heart attack or just anxiety? If I eat this cookie dough am I a failure?
I tell you this to show that God can grow us! He does grow us. I've never in my life been able to respond to any financial or job situation without severe anxiety attacks and tears. Yet yesterday, I felt His peace - truly felt it and was calmed because I took my worries and gave them to Him. All I can do is live today moment by moment knowing that He holds my tomorrows.
And if I can do it, anyone can so there is hope for all of us worriers yet.

Tasty Treat Tuesday

Are you ready for this? It's deeeeelicious! We have had it for breakfast, and when we're in the mood, we have had it for dinner and made it a heartier meal by serving it with some scrambled eggs and sausage or bacon. I don't think it's healthy, but it sure is tasty!

Puffed Pancake with Fruit Sauce
4 eggs
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. milk
2 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 T. butter or margarine
2 T. sifted powdered suga
1/2 t. cinnamon

Topping
3-4 c. fresh or frozen fruit of your choice (the recipe actually calls for blueberries but we usually make it with frozen strawberries - yum!)
1/2 c. water
1 c. sugar
1 t. lemon juice (I don't think I've ever actually used lemon juice and it still came out fine)
2 T cornstarch mixed with a little cold water

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; beat until smooth at medium high speed of electric mixer. Place batter in freezer while skillet is heating.
Place butter in a 10 in. oven-proof skillet; place in a 425 degree oven for 4 minutes or until butter sizzles and skillet is hot.
Pour batter immediately into hot skillet. Bake 27-34 minutes or until puffed and golden. DO NOT OPEN OVEN BEFORE 25 MINUTES. Combine powdered sugar and cinnamon and sift over hot pancake. Serve immediately with topping. Use whipped cream if so desired.
For topping: Steam berries with water until soft. Add sugar and lemon juice. Continue to cook about 2 minutes. Wisk in cornstarch mixture - just enough to thicken slightly. Stir until thick and bubbly.
This recipe is from the Grand Rapids Baptist Schools Cookbook: Volume 2.

My word of caution: REMEMBER that the pan, having been in the oven, will be hot for a long time afterward. I have burned myself a few times in the hurry to get everything served and grabbing the pan without thinking. Please think. =)

I Love This Book

One of my goals for 2009 is to finish reading the Bible. I'm reading it straight through from Genesis to Revelation because that is how I read any book. Right now I am in Proverbs (this is a goal that is ongoing from last year.) Yesterday I came across a verse that made me jump for joy. Ready?
Proverbs 16:31 - Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.
I have quite a few strands of gray woven into my brown hair. I have always said that as I age and gray I don't want to highlight, dye or cover it up. It is expensive and time consuming to keep up! I have watched my mom do it for years, both with at-home kits and salon appointments. In October I had my hair highlighted at the Douglas J institute in Grand Rapids. I did this because I had a coupon for a free service and who would turn down FREE highlights, when they're normally upwards of $50 minimum. Tim has always supported my plan to gray gracefully (since it saves him money in the end.) Every once in awhile I wistfully wonder if I should pick up a box of L'Oreal at the grocery store. I never do and now I at least have a verse to back me up in my graying. My grays are the start of my crown, or maybe they start at my crown...

I also came across another verse yesterday that I have heard before, but you know how it is when you read it at a time that God has really prepared you for?
Proverbs 16:3 - Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Now, I'm not going to go all Joel Osteen on all of you and say that we should strive for wealth and worldly success because I don't think that is what life is about (Right, Renee? Renee loooves Joel - and that is complete sarcasm.) But isn't it nice to know that the Lord's hand is in what we do when we ask Him for guidance and follow? I was checking out the verse in Tim's Bible because his is a Study Bible and has little footnotes at the bottom and for this verse it says: Commit. Lit., roll. Roll your burdens on the Lord; although they may cause you anxiety, they are not too great for Him.
It is such a refreshing reminder. "Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing...nothing is too difficult for Thee." (Did anyone else sing that in church?)
While we're on a spiritual post today, I'd like to ask for prayer for a few things.
1. Our friends, Josh and Sara Troast. Sara is 28 weeks pregnant with her second baby, a boy who will be named Jacob. She is starting to show strong signs of preeclampsia. She had it with their daughter, Elaine, and delivered her at 30 weeks. Please keep the health of Sara and baby Jacob in your prayers as well as guidance for the doctors in making decisions.
2. Tim has a meeting today for work. His job could be changing as he might start working with another crew. We're praying for a good interview today as well as guidance in the decisions ahead. The crew he has been working with were told they were going to have to take a $5/hour paycut and, after looking at our budget, we simply cannot live on that. We would be scraping by just to pay our bills, gas and groceries and we don't even have debt! However, with this new job, he gives up being self-employed which means, above all, he couldn't take off work to do side jobs and that is where he makes good money and builds contacts.
3. Hmmm. I thought I had another one. I guess it slipped my mind if I did. Oh, well. I would appreciate your prayers on the first two and will keep you posted on God's answers. Thanks!

My Heart Will Go On, Leonardo...

Create your own FACEinHOLE

My friend, Jen, sent me a picture of her face in a Twilight advertisement. I jumped on the website and made some creations of my own.
I am sad to tell you that in high school I saw "Titanic" three times in the movie theater.
"Neeeeeeaaaaarrrrrrr, faaaaaarrrrrrrr, whereeeeeeeeeeeever you are, I believe that the heart does go ooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn."

One Good Thing About Winter

I was telling this story to Tim the other night and he got a kick out of it, especially the fact it gave him something to laugh at me about...because that's what marriage is all about, right? Laughing at each other's oddities.

When I was young, my sister and I often played with the neighbor girl, Sarah. Often means every day in the summer and as much as possible on the weekends during the school year. I grew up on ten acres of land and Sarah's family had probably about the same amount so we spent our days exploring and playing in forts.

There was one game in particular that I remember well. We would go up to a small tree and pretend it had buttons on it. These buttons would take us to whatever land the chooser decided. We would then explore the land and head back to the tree to find a new land.

Stephanie and Sarah would groan when it was my turn to pick the land because they knew one place that we would inevitably have to travel to.

Book land.

That's right. Book land.

With overwhelming excitement (on my part) I would press the buttons and say "Book land!" and we would twirl around, our eyes closed, only to open them again and find ourselves in a land full of books wherever you turned.

Book land was always cut short as Stephanie or Sarah would run back over to the tree to push the buttons to travel somewhere else.

"So you're fantasy land was a library?" Tim laughed.

This is what a nerd I am. This is how much I love to read. My childhood was spent either playing outside or reading books indoors. My dad would become so frustrated as our family vacations in Florida were spent with me on the sand, my nose buried in a book. What can I say? I hate salt water. If we were at Lake Michigan I was in the water the whole time. Gulf of Mexico? No, thank you.

Tim has learned to live with and accept my book fetish. He even encourages it at times, helping me to look for old books at antique stores that might interest me. He can't understand why I would want to own old Nancy Drew books because "they don't look very old or interesting" to him but to me...oh, to me Nancy Drew symbolizes summers in the library looking for new ones to be returned. It was a young girl's way of being a detective and catching the bad guys. He won't let me buy the Nancy Drew books yet. I'm still working on him.

When he comes home and finds me reading a Karen Kingsbury book, he knows that most likely dinner is not on the table, Ellie's diaper has not been changed and Noah's movie may or may not be on repeat. There is almost always a clump of tissues next to me on the couch that have been soaked in my tears. I'm trying to change, people, I really am. I'm trying to limit to naptime and bedtime but sometimes when you start reading during naptime and get all caught up in it....

Anyways, one of the things I love about January through March is that our local libraries run a winter reading program for adults. For every five books you read, you get a small prize and a chance to be entered for the Grand Prize. The small prizes are things like a box of chocolate, a containter of nuts, a certificate for a free car wash or video rental, etc.

Today I went to get my first books for the reading program. I chose:

*Dawn's Light by Terri Blackstock - It is the fourth in her RESTORATIONovel series. I read the first three and then forgot about this one until I saw it today. Unfortunately, they didn't have it on the regular shelf but they had it in large print. Again, how desperate am I? I'm reading a large print novel because the regular one is checked out.

*Thursdays at Eight by Debbie Macomber - I really liked her Shop on Blossom Street books. They included a lot on knitting within the story lines. I thought I would give this one a try. It's about a small group of diverse women who meet together for breakfast on, you guessed it, Thursdays.

*Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon - I enjoyed her Mitford series books. They are so funny and yet always have the life lessons woven in. This is the first in her spinoff series about Father Tim.

*Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott - This one I'm actually least excited about. I was not crazy about her book Traveling Mercies. She is very funny, yes, and very honest and raw. However, I found her spiritual beliefs to be kind of pick-and-choose-what-you-like-about-the-Bible and focus on those. I figured I would give her another try to see if her thoughts on faith have changed or if they remain the same.

Now I am off to read! It's naptime and I have a little over an hour before I have to wake them up to head to an appointment. Now I have to figure out which one to start with...

Tasty Treat Tuesday

At the suggestion of Daniella I have decided to try making Tasty Treat Tuesday a weekly feature.
Today's Tasty Treat is actually a meal and you can find it on my other blog (click on the link and will it take you straight to the post with the recipe.) It is super yummy, easy to make, and healthy.
Let me know if you try it out and how you like it!

Can It Really Be 2009?

Wow! What a whirlwind year this has been!
I have been thinking about what I learned this past year. Here are some things I have come up with (you can pick and choose, obviously, which posts you want to go back and read):
January - God can speak through others to tell you what you need to hear. Read this for proof.
February - God has provided me with a fantastic husband.
March - Kids tend to mimic just about everything...including giving their toys time-outs.
April - Don't ever expect your second pregnancy, labor or delivery to be like your first...but you can love your second child just as much as your first and in a way that is unique to the individual. Welcome, Eleanor.
May - Research before going just anywhere for a haircut. Although, if you're very brave (or dumb) you can be like me and do the "Recession Special" haircut and do it yourself! (Although when I did this in November it turned out to be my favorite!)
June - I cannot reach perfection. Also, I still think running is dumb.
July - There is spiritual battle all around us.
August - Cloth diapers are not only easy, but very economical. So is making your own baby food. I can't believe I was ever intimidated by these things! Although after trying a couple different kinds, I would highly recommend the BumGenius 3.0 for cloth diapers. It's a one size fits all (6-36 pounds) so you make your upfront investment and never worry about buying diapers again!
September - I don't need a million dollars to be happy....just $400,000. =)
October - Many times God will give you a perfect afternoon that makes up for the day you want to run away. He never gives us more than we can handle, right?
November - God is in control. God is faithful. God provides. There are times when God speaks directly to your heart. I need to keep listening and especially overcome this writer's block.
December - Christmas this year just amazed me. God amazed me. He reminded me of how much He wants to be in relationship with me.

I also was reminded of how important family is all throughout the year. We were blessed to be able to take a trip in Ohio that allowed us to visit with Tim's parents, Randy, Deidra and Wyndham. We took a vacation over Labor Day with my family. We took two trips to Virginia and were able to not only visit with lots of family members (and even meet some!) but stay with Jeremy, Carrie and their kids whom we really have enjoyed being able to spend time with.

It was a year of babies for us: we brought Eleanor into our family. We welcomed Sophia into Randy and Deidra's. Eli joined Matt and Stephani and Emma. Silvia made her appearance into Jack and Kelly's. Our friend, Sara, announced her second pregnancy. I mourned a niece or nephew as my sister miscarried and rejoiced with them at Christmas when they announced their current pregnancy. I checked Lydia's blog for news of Beatrix's birth. I will check Lacey's in a few months for news around her expected little one. We also watched with joy as Matt and Jeana became parents to Emma, the precious girl they have long prayed for and waited to hold. What fun it has been to watch their family adapt and transform.

The internet has brought about friends both new and old. I have reconnected with my old friend, Renee, who I have known for YEARS but didn't stay in touch with after she moved in high school. We stay in close contact now through Facebook and phone. I am so thankful for God bringing her back into my life and for the ways in which she has challenged me. There are college girls that I didn't know well who I feel I have formed blog-relationships with. Just check my side-bar for any number of them! And I have even made new friends through blogging - like Daniella!

Even though I love music but am not musically talented in real life, I can still be a rockstar. =) We spent New Year's Eve at the Lewis' and lost track of time while playing Guitar Hero/Rockstar or Rock Band or whatever the heck it is. I just know it's great fun and, depending on the song and how serious I take it, I can sing well enough for a 90% or bad enough for a 65%. Or I can fail out. But that's ok. Because I'm a rockstar, baby! Plus, I can tear it up on the guitar.

God has blessed us with so much in 2008. We have had our share of difficult times that He has brought us through and taught us during. We have had our share of blessings. He is ever faithful and because of Him and knowing He never leaves us, I welcome 2009.