The Peck Family

We're moving!!

2009-07-17T05:17:00.000-04:00

Here's where we started, near the end of January 2007 (Megan at 6 months old):

And, here's where we're ending:

...ending...

meaning this blog.

But, don't worry! We're moving...

meaning this blog! :-)

We never expected Nathan EVER, so when I began this blog, he wasn't included in our benstephandmegan name. It's not a big deal, but I feel slightly badly every time I send an update and type out benstephandmegan. Poor little guy. :-)

BUT...I thought it would take waay too much work to set up a new blog, transferring old posts, etc, etc. So, I never bothered.

Well, I researched a bit a few weeks ago and it wasn't hard at all! It was actually quite easy, after I remembered seeing an export/import button in my blogger settings! YAY!

So... if you've bookmarked us, followed us, subscribed to us, whatever, whatever...join us at our new family home: 4 Pecks = 1 Full Bushel: Our Everyday Life.

*Those of you already on my blog update list will continue getting those emails. If you aren't and want to receive post updates, send an email to (bnspeck AT gmail DOT com) and I'll add you. Or, there's an email form through feed burner on our new blog.*

Hope to see you all there!! (By the way, there's a brand new post over there, so you'll have to stop by for that! ;-)

We have a Bambi!!

2009-07-08T07:46:00.001-04:00

:-D

Megan's THREE!!!

2009-07-07T11:49:00.003-04:00

Our Megan turned three years old yesterday and we celebrated with Grandma P and Grandpa and Grandma W. Megan got everything on her "Dora" wishlist...and then some! It was a fun day!!

On Sunday, Megan went up front to get her birthday lollipop from Uncle Ray. I couldn't believe she went to retrieve her "loppy-pop" all by herself and even nodded her head to the questions she was asked...all without tears. But, this picture that Nana snapped shows that she certainly wasn't joyful, either. hehee...

The big birthday girl with Daddy and Mommy

Making wishes and blowing out candles (on her small, pink Dora cake with star sprinkles) :-)

Pink, inside and out... :-) (the best closeup I got of the cake was, of course, after we'd cut into it...)

Holding her Dora clock, while wearing her Dora backpack and watching her new Dora dee-dee-dee :-)

Testing out her new Dora umbrella with Grandpa W (while wearing her new Dora jammies)

How far we've come!! Click to see Megan at one and two. *sniff, sniff*

Without the rain...

2009-07-01T13:08:00.003-04:00

Rain can be such a nuisance.

It can delay plans and prevent outdoor activities.

It can make days feel gloomy and dreary.

But, without the rain,

...my garden wouldn't grow.

...I wouldn't have a good excuse to curl up with a good book.

...I wouldn't spend time inside baking.

But, mostly, without the rain, we'd never see this:

I took these last night around 7:30. It's not very clear, but the beginnings of a double rainbow are in the first picture.

It was a gorgeous rainbow!

A Birthday Wish List, A Rocking Horse, Cookies, and A Trip to the Zoo...

2009-06-29T12:47:00.007-04:00

Before I begin (warning: long post ahead), did you know that Megan will be turning THREE next Monday?!!! I can't believe it!! Most of you who see her quite regularly, still don't believe she ever talks. Well, she has been quite vocal in her birthday wishes.

Megan adores Dora. I tried my hardest to keep Dora from invading our house, but I failed. If you really want to hear the whys I tried and the whys I failed, email me. :-)

Anyway... I uploaded a *NEW VIDEO* with Megan telling me all she wants for her birthday. Translated: it's ALL DORA. (cake - small and pink with star sprinkles, clock, air balloon - that's really just a regular balloon in her language, jump rope, backpack, map, and dee dee dee - dvd).

We'll see if she gets it all.... grandparents?! ;-)

The rest of my post is also pretty random. We helped Grandma P clean out a shed a few weeks ago, and brought home one of daddy's childhood toys. The kids are loving it!

Both kids helped mama make some chocolate chip cookie bars. Nathan really wanted to do all of the work...he may be a future Bobby Flay! (oh yes...that's paint on the stool...not food leftovers) :-)

Watching them bake was eventful, too... :-)

Last Monday, we took a special family day and made a trip to the Syracuse Zoo.

I did something I said I would never, EVER do. I wore crocs in public for our zoo excursion. You know, my feet didn't hurt at the end of the day. Still not sure I'll wear them in might-actually-run-into-people-I-know public, either. :-)

Megan and Nathan waiting to go through the admission line:

Nathan loved most of the animals, but Megan was pretty skittish and stuck really close to daddy. Her favorite part was reading the zoo map and telling us all which way to go.

THAT WAY!!

Megan's favorite animal was the elephant... but, by far, her favorite thing was the cotton candy.

A little sibling love:

We're still keeping busy. We got a load of logs that Ben has been working on in all of his free time. He's got it all cut and is now working on getting it all split.

I've been re-moving again this week. I had to do a lot of furniture rearranging for carpet cleaners last Thursday and painting our bedroom and hallway Friday and Saturday. Now, I've got curtains to make and hang...

I've also been working on combining my recipe and book review blog into one: Her Creative Side. I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out!

Oh, yes...and, did I mention that Megan's birthday is next Monday?? I have a house to clean, a small, pink DORA cake to make, presents to wrap....

More, more busyness!

Hope all is well with you!!

Family Fishing Fun!

2009-06-19T07:52:00.002-04:00

Say that 10x fast! :-)

My gift to Ben as a new father was a pink Cinderella fishing pole. Ok, it was "really" for Megan...but, it was definitely for daddy, too! We have patiently waited until Megan grew a bit older.

This summer was finally the time...we took Megan fishing last Saturday night after Ben got out of work.

Megan was so excited! She kept flinging her pole around in the backseat and jabbering away about fish and worms and water.

I had tried to prepare her earlier in the day, saying over and over that fishies wiggle and squirm when they come up out of the water. I fully expected an America's Funniest Home Videos moment of screeching and pole-dropping once that real live fish appeared! :-)

Not so. Megan didn't get very CLOSE to the caught fish...but, she had no real fear and no screeching or running away.

She loved it! She caught several sunnies and blue gills, so overall, our first family fishing outing was a success (aside from Nathan picking up some goose stinkies...)! :-)

And, a summer family outing isn't complete without some ice cream! :-)

Have a great weekend!

The squeamish should look away...

2009-06-15T09:39:00.001-04:00

...really.

Butterscotch pudding is not pretty.

Although, he obviously thought so...! :-D

Recovering

2009-06-05T14:08:00.003-04:00

The last week has been loong and a bit rough. The entire family got a nasty stomach bug and it really knocked us all out. I think we are all finally feeling closer to normal!

I have so many things to catch up on -- blogging is one of them. I have many pictures still on my camera, and just haven't had time to get them to the computer. I've also had a bit of free time to finally fun read again!

I have several entries for both my recipe and book review blogs, but just haven't had time yet to get everything posted!

So, we are still alive...

Here's a picture my dad took just before church, when my parents visited us a few weekends ago:

Aww, I love my family!! :-)

WOO HOO!! WOO HOO!!!! We bought a house!!

2009-05-26T15:45:00.007-04:00

YEP!! Closing on the new house was this afternoon at 3. Ben and I are the official owners on all of the legal-schmegal stuff. :-) Ahhh! What relief to have it all over with! We are praising the Lord for his wonderful blessings and pray that we will continue to serve Him in our new home.

And now (especially for you, Joy), some INSIDE pictures of our new home.

This is basically what you see when you walk in the main door:

To the right of the main door is turning into "Ben's" room, as it is filling up with what trophies he has so far (the white door is my pantry):

To the right of the main door, an area big enough to sit ALL around our table!

Standing at the table, here's what the kitchen looked like the day we moved in:

Today:

The living room, which I love. It is so comfortable and homey. We've only got assorted (plenty comfortable) chairs to sit on at the moment. We're working on getting a couch...we've just been too busy to shop for one.

The other end of the living room. Behind the computer chair (another "assorted chair") is a sliding glass door out to the front porch, where the porch swing is...

The attic. May not look that important to you...but, someday, it will be turned into Nathan's room and very likely, our homeschool area. There are 2 dormer windows to the right -- you can see the sunlight a little...

Our bedroom. I had a hard time getting a good shot. It's hard to show how big the room really is. I already have quite a bit of STUFF in each of the corners. :-) I'm working on making curtains that coordinate with the new bedding I just made.

More pictures of the kids' room (it's the same size as our bedroom):

And, I guess if I showed pictures of the attic, some of you may be interested in the bathroom:

So, that's the INSIDE of our new home. We are fitting in so well here. I can't get over how quickly we have all adjusted.

My parents came for a quick visit this past weekend and my dad and Ben saw a FOX. I was glad some wildlife appeared while they were here.

So, the unpacking continues. Yes, it still continues. Ask me in a few years if I've put everything away yet! lol!

First Week...

2009-05-17T21:20:00.002-04:00

Each day this past week has been FULL. Both Ben and I have fallen into bed, exhausted, each night. Besides the continuing unpacking and organizing and more painting, the beginning of the week saw the delivery of some appliances and the end of the week brought the installation of them, as well as Nathan's 15-month well-baby check.

Please continue to pray that things will continue to progress (um, this week would be REALLY nice!!) with the closings on both houses. It seems there is always another paper that needs to be signed....when we thought we'd signed everything already. *sigh*

A few pictures. My new fridge being delivered:

I have made sure the kids have most of the toys in their room. I'm hoping to limit the ones in the living room. They love to play upstairs. And, yes, poor Nathan will have to live with the purple curtains for awhile. :-) I liked them...

Megan making a letter "train" on the fridge:

This was definitely a "Please smile nice for Mama" picture:

Our Nathan's 15 month well-baby check on Thursday went well. He is now 19 lbs, 14 oz... dropping from the 3rd percentile at the last visit into the 2nd. He is also 30" tall...jumping from the 5th percentile (last visit) to the 16th!! That surprised me! I'm not sure how his round little belly really plays into the whole number thing, but the stats make it sound like he's a tall, skinny kid! lol! :-)

A family practice doctor saw Nathan first -- I think she's working on becoming a pediatrician. Anyway, I wanted to laugh when she asked me, "Can he stand on his own for more than 5 minutes?" I was like, "Um...yeah...he climbs trees!" lololol :-)

I love this picture of him (yes, he doesn't match)... but, I love the view behind him, too. We just love our new house...!

Enjoy your week! We have another busy one ahead!!

We're all MOVED!

2009-05-12T13:56:00.005-04:00

Ben brought a UHaul home on Friday night...and, we loaded all of our belongings and moved to the new house on Saturday. We had more help than I'd anticipated for the move, so it all happened quickly!

We'll be unpacking and settling for...well, for forever. :-) But, although there are several miscellaneous boxes being shoved around, we've made a pretty good dent in the unpacking so far.

Haven't said much about the house, but I will tell you all now: I love it! I thought it would take weeks, months even, to feel comfortable here. Not so. It already feels like home! (I don't know...maybe that's because we've been packing and living in such disarray for months, that the "new" disarray seems normal?!) :-)

The house sits on 23 acres and we've already seen wildlife (not counting our children): one woodchuck and a total of 4 deer. :-)

And, now for the pictures, in no particular order:

Ben took the kids out for a walk in the woods last night. Megan told me she saw a "tree falling down" and that you have to be "KIET" (quiet). :-)

There are 2 swings on the carport...the kids LOVE them, and would stay there ALL day if I let them!!

The front porch has an "adult" swing, :-) but Daddy and Megan enjoyed it together our first night in the house.

Our other house was a one-story. The kids are also loving the stairs. No tumbles, yet. This also shows the colors we painted the living room. A tan and reddish brown.

View of our half-unpacked living room:

Sitting on the bank, watching a train go by. Down over the bank is our driveway, then the road, then the train tracks, and finally the Susquehanna River.

And, what sold Ben on the house:

(Can you see them? I took this picture this morning. Two deer outside our living room window).

So, that's the new place!! We would appreciate your prayers that the closing on our old house happens quickly. It was supposed to take place yesterday, but the buyer got a USDA loan and the extra red tape is taking a bit longer. Our realtor thinks closing will be by the end of this week... we hope so!

Thanks for letting me share our new house with you! Let us know if you want to visit! :-)

Just a quick glimpse....

2009-05-05T18:59:00.002-04:00

Yeah, a mite overwhelming!

Actually, this was taken a couple of days ago. It's worse now! :-) The coyote was once on our computer desk...he is now on top of the TV, the desk is gone, and that whole corner is stacked HIGH with boxes.

But, the more boxes there are, the more progress I've made...right?!

Or, at least that's what I keep telling myself! :-)

Boxes, Boxes, and more Boxes...!

2009-04-29T09:06:00.002-04:00

Our realtor called yesterday afternoon and the buyer has declined any repairs suggested by the inspector! We are PRAISING THE LORD!!! Thank you so much for praying! We still don't know what the inspection report revealed, but it couldn't have been anything serious (or expensive), like the roof or septic! Again, praise the Lord!

The buyer even asked to move up the closing date!! We agreed, and as long as everyone's paperwork comes in, we'll be closing on May 11th!

Yep, less than 2 weeks from now!! YIKES!

Needless to say, the boxes have begun piling up around here! There is so much to do...and, my little helpers aren't really all that helpful! lol! :-)

Here are a few pictures for you - Nathan talking on the phone to Aunt Leah (he LOVES to chatter to people):

I had an impromptu yard sale last Saturday. Did surprisingly well! The kids enjoyed being outside and climbing in and out of the lawn chairs:

Only 2 boxes (of college textbooks) made it back into the house:

"Helping" (ahem) Grandma P:

Any blog updates between now and the move are highly unlikely! As soon as we get internet access established, we'll let you know what's going on! Please note that our email address has already changed. If you weren't in my address book and haven't received that email, please update: (bnspeck AT gmail DOT com). Any and all addresses with "htva.net" will soon no longer be received.

We are so excited and appreciate your continued prayers that the move will go smoothly.

Pictures from the Park

2009-04-23T10:30:00.004-04:00

I promised a few pictures from the park. The kids LOVED it. When it was time to go, I couldn't even bribe Megan away with chicken nuggets and fries from Wendy's!! :-) She kept saying, "No ganks, Mama. No, ganks!" (No thanks) :-)

We haven't had any more showings since the open house on Sunday... but, Sunday night we also received (and accepted!) an offer!

The offer is pending inspections which will take place tomorrow (Friday) morning, beginning around 9:30. We would greatly appreciate your prayers that the Lord will continue to have His hand in all of this, pass or fail!

Our God can do the impossible, right?! He made the sun stand still, He parted the Red Sea, and He calmed the storm... our septic system is small potatoes in comparison! :-)

We'll keep you posted as we can!

Playing

2009-04-19T15:39:00.003-04:00

The weather was absolutely gorgeous this last Friday and Saturday. After the kids woke from their naps on Friday, we all went outside to use up some excess energy! It was really the first time Nathan's been "outside" since he was born! At least, since being independently mobile!

He found a broom beside the garage and carried that ALL over the yard with him. I had to direct him to the dirt and sticks and stones!! lolol! He still preferred the broom! (I told Ben he's going to be a custodian when he grows up! OR...make the perfect husband! heheee!) :-)

Nathan even got mad when the broom couldn't accomodate the slide...so, he gave up the slide and trotted off with his new broom friend!! What a silly kid!

I took a ton of pictures and will only share a few with you (for now). On Saturday, we had to leave for more house showings, so I took the kids to a nearby park. I have pictures from then, too, but will share more another day!

SPRING!!! :-)

Thanks for praying for "no rain" today... it didn't rain for our open house! We haven't yet heard from our realtor whether we had many visitors or not, but...it didn't rain! :-)

Hope you all have a great week!

Little Helpers

2009-04-17T11:07:00.004-04:00

Ben and I were doing a few things outside at Grandma P's house last Monday. On one of my trips inside, here's what I saw:

My two darlings were helping Grandma sweep and clean! They were loving it! I've really got to put them to more work around here!! :-)

...and, I need all the cleaning help I can get!! Our house is officially on the real estate market! Our realtor pounded the "For Sale" sign into our front yard on Tuesday.

We've had 5 showings between Tuesday and Wednesday!! We also have an open house scheduled for this Sunday.

Of course, we'd love for our home to sell quickly, but please pray with us that it will sell in the Lord's time. We know He will provide for our every need regardless of the house being sold or not!

If you could also pray that it won't rain on open house day!! Showers are in the forecast...

Last Year - This Year

2009-04-15T12:35:00.002-04:00

Last Easter:

This Easter:

Last Easter:

This Easter:

Nathan's first fat lip...

2009-04-11T08:13:00.002-04:00

TIOGA COUNTY: Authorities believe that 3" Sleeping Beauty, age unknown, allegedly struck a young man in the mouth with her dainty crown at about 10:40 am on April 10. Beauty was captured and detained on charges of assault and is awaiting release in the nearest toybox.

The young man was treated for his injuries by his loving mother. The boy's sibling denies any involvement in the crime.

Won't the Easter pictures look great?! :-)

Reflection

2009-04-10T08:24:00.005-04:00

Today's entry may be a bit chatty. However, I've been told that people do actually read my blog... C.H. :-)

I've been doing a lot of reminiscing the last several days. When I was younger (probably up until midway through high school), we (our family and my two uncles and their families) always spent Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve at my grandma's house.

My sisters and I (sometimes after an argument) rotated spending the night before at her house, helping her get ready for the party: running the vacuum cleaner, filling her orange candy dish (which is now one of my most cherished possessions),

and setting the table. Those nights and the following day were always so fun with grandma.

Two things I always looked forward to at grandma's get-togethers (besides the food!):

-- the "pass the ring" game (seems that when I was finally old enough to participate, though, the older cousins were too "old" to be interested anymore! I think I got to play it once, before older cousins were too busy with boyfriends and babies of their own)

...and,

-- the singing.

The pastor at grandma's funeral yesterday made a comment in passing that he'd heard this family was a "singing family."

Not until he said that did I realize how much I missed those times of singing after we'd stuffed ourselves on grandma's good cooking.

It's been years upon years since that same family sang. Each individual family has grown and each family has begun their own traditions. Most of us don't see each other anymore unless a wedding or funeral comes up...

Well, yesterday we sang. Wasn't quite the same as sitting cozily around grandma's living room, listening to the harmonies of my uncles and cousins...but, it was still nice. I enjoy singing...and, I'm sure it's because of the family in which I grew up.

Grandma loved the singing, too...

We closed her service by singing a song that I've only ever heard our family sing. And, this hymn was always the last song we sang at our get-togethers before we bundled up and went home for the night...

Living By Faith

I care not today what the morrow may bring,
If shadow or sunshine or rain,
The Lord, I know, ruleth o'er everything,
And all of my worry is vain.

Chorus:
Living by faith (Yes, living by faith),
In Jesus above (in Jesus above),
Trusting, confiding in His great love (yes, in His great love);
From all harm safe (safe from all harm, safe)
In His sheltering arm (His sheltering arm),
I'm living by faith (I'm living by faith)
And feel no alarm (feel no alarm).

Our Lord will return to this earth some sweet day,
Our troubles will then all be o'er,
The Master so gently will lead us away,
Beyond that blest heavenly shore.

******************************************
I've been humming Living By Faith ever since yesterday. And, as my uncle said as he closed Grandma's service: This song's for us...not grandma. She's no longer living by faith - she's living by sight!! Isn't that exciting?!! :-)

John 14:6 -- "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

I didn't take many pictures while we were at Grandpa and Grandma W's. It was a quick trip. But, here's Megan opening her Easter goodie bag:

Enjoying her bright pink Peep:

The ride home. She was pooped:

Nothing cures exhaustion more than a chicken nugget happy meal! :-)

A Week of Ups and Downs

2009-04-05T21:30:00.003-04:00

Although most weeks in our life seem busy, this week seemed extra full...with plenty of ups and downs. In no particular order:

My grandma turned 91 yesterday and went to heaven tonight, around 8:30 pm. She hasn't been doing well for awhile now, but this last week was rough. I am so happy to know that she was saved and that I will see her again.

I have so many happy memories with her. My sisters and I spent many, many nights at her house...learning to bake pies and make cookies. She always let us drink pop, and Celeste pizzas and Pringles were a special treat!! She was one very special lady and I loved her so very much. I will miss her...

Earlier this week, on Tuesday night, I finished my dishes and went to put my rings back on. (I take them off because our water discolors them). My wedding band and amethyst ring were on the counter, but my diamond engagement ring was GONE. Frantic could hardly be the word to describe myself.

I searched everywhere I could think of. I even went through 2 bags of garbage and 3 bags of shredded papers. Nothing.

The trash went out Wednesday morning, and both Ben and I were sure we'd missed it and it was gone for good.

I still kept searching and crying and praying, but was pretty upset... feeling pretty sure I'd never find it.

Last night, I decided to make some garlic bread for supper. Took a half stick of margarine out of the fridge:

?!?!???!?!!!!!!????!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY!!!!! I was so relieved and excited. Can't explain it... just glad it resurfaced!

More happy news:

We've bought a house! :-)

We're very excited! It's only 7ish miles to work for Ben and 2 to church!!! The property is quiet and private and just what we've been wishing for! Pictures will come as we move in...

For now, we're getting our house back into selling shape. The house wasn't too bad last summer when we tried selling ourselves. But, now...we want a realtor to do the legwork. :-)

So, we're fixing and painting... lots of little things add up to one pretty long list!

I painted our bedroom this week. I loved our dark burgundy walls. However, it does make the room look awfully small...so, I repainted for selling. My arms are SORE!

And, just a few kid pictures to finish off this long overdue post!

Nathan enjoying his lunch. He LOVES food!

Megan told me her puppy was "Buster." (For those of you who don't have kids...or they've outgrown the cartoon stage, she is pretending to be Darby, from Tigger and Pooh. She didn't tell me... but, the "Buster" clued me in). :-)

We'll be heading up to my family's for my grandma's funeral on Thursday. It will be nice to see family and friends... Please pray that Megan and Nathan will be well-behaved for us!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-01T16:56:00.001-04:00

Miscellaneous Pictures

2009-03-25T08:19:00.003-04:00

I just realized I had several pictures on my camera from two weekends ago when we visited my family that I never posted. Also a couple from the last few days...

Daddy is a busy guy. When he's not busy at work, the kids love to watch him work. Grandma P's shed doors needed to be replaced and the kids stared out the window almost the whole time he was working. If the weather had been warmer, I'm sure daddy would've enjoyed their help!

Then, when we were at Grandpa and Grandma W's, Daddy helped cut down a few wayward trees. Once again, he had a captive audience:

The cousins (L to R, back: Josiah, Megan, Caleb; front: Nathan, Micah)

I love this picture! :-)

The kids like to sneak off and play in their bedroom. Since they can still manage to find trouble when there shouldn't be reason for any, I check on them often. Here's what I saw the other morning... Megan reading to her little brother. They were both quite intent - never saw me leave and get the camera OR notice me take a picture. Awww :-)

A very miscellaneous selection of pictures for you. Our life is quite miscellaneous. :-)

Family Pictures

2009-03-17T08:42:00.002-04:00

We got our family pictures back, and we're pretty pleased with the results. We got some good final shots, despite Nathan being hours away from his high-fever flu and our typical serious Megan. :-)

I didn't buy the optional CD that would allow me to make additional prints. The ones I posted, I had to scan and resize. I'm hoping to photoshop the family one to get some wallets printed for our friends and family. I *thought* I'd ordered wallets of the family picture... but, I guess I didn't... and it's extra expensive to reorder, because I forgot!! :- Eergh! Oh well.

For now, you can enjoy them here:

The kiddos:

Our serious little Megs:

Our silly little Nay-Nay:

The daddy and mommy:

The Fam:

Not only does she truly talk, she can sing, too!!

2009-03-13T10:02:00.004-04:00

Megan came up to me the other day holding high Mr. Potato Head's nose and tongue, saying "ONE WAY! ONE WAY!" I knew right away what she was doing. She was holding those potato body parts like a sign (in Sunday School, the kids get to hold up signs for some of the songs we sing). She handed me the tongue, looked at me expectently...so we sang.

After we finished one song, I asked her if I could get the camera so Daddy could see her sing, fully expecting her to clam up once the camera was going, but hoping she wouldn't! Ahh, she sang with me!

So, not only does she talk... she sings! Here's *video* proof! Megan loves the CD we listen to in the car:

With almost every song, I hear loudly from the backseat, "Mama! Mama!! Megan's song! Megan's song!!" One of her favorites is "I've Got The Joy, Joy, Joy, JOY!"

So, grandparents... the video is really for you. (I've been told that Megan's mama once sang "Stop, and Let Me Tell You!" at the top of her lungs in the backseat of the car...over and over and over and over and over....) :-)

A little side note, you'll notice Megan's eyewear - how can you not?! She LOVES those things!! And wears them all the time. ALL. THE. TIME. Seriously, she even goes to bed with them!!! She is a silly girl!

You know it's been a slow week....

2009-03-11T08:23:00.004-04:00

...when I only had 2 pictures on my camera!!

These were taken after our family picture outing last week. We'd stopped at a Wegman's for lunch: SUBS! I picked up some chocolate chip cookies to entertain the kids as we drove to Grandma P's.

Other than those 2 pictures, there's not too much to report! Nathan's fever lasted about 3 days...and, ended in a rash. But, he seems all recovered now and so far, Megan did not catch whatever virus he had.

I am loving the stage that Nathan is in right now - he knows he can make people laugh. You can see it in his eyes!! :-) He also just began saying "uh-oh!" and thinks it's hilarious when he fake coughs. Ben and I were talking the other day - we think he's going to be our family entertainer. He is something else!!

Nathan also seems to be going through a growth spurt the last week or so!! Seriously, he is eating any and everything his little hands can grab! I didn't expect this until he was a teenager...!! :-) If this keeps up (which all you boy-moms are nodding and shaking your heads, aren't you?!), we're going to have to increase our grocery budget long before he turns 10!!!

So...that's all I have to report! Enjoy the rest of your week!

Lots to say...

2009-03-03T11:46:00.002-05:00

Let's see...

Yesterday was Ben's day off, so we took a trip to Walmart to get a family picture done. Mostly, I wanted an official "1 year" picture for Nathan. The session went better than I'd expected. Nathan wasn't really very happy and Megan, well...those of you who know her, well, you know how she was. :-) The final pictures turned out pretty well. We won't get them back for a couple of weeks...and, then I'll be sure to share.

We stopped at Grandma P's on our way home and Nathan was REALLY warm. Long story, short: I took him to the pediatrician this morning (with a 104 fever) and he has a viral flu that the doctor says is lasting about 3-4 days with pretty high fevers. NOW I know why he wasn't all that happy for pictures!! He was miserable...and, he still is! As I type this, the tylenol seems to be working and he's playing pretty happily. We'll keep dosing the medicine and pushing the liquids...he'll probably get a nice bath to cool him down this afternoon.

Always something!

Megan gets so excited when we tell her it's time to go to church. She keeps repeating "Dunny Dool! Dunny Dool!" (Sunday School). She is learning that when we read our Bibles and pray, we grow in the Lord. Here is how I found her the other morning:

We keep her Bible in her purse so that it doesn't get lost. She had dug it out...and was reading.

And, here's how I found Nathan... stuck under his crib. I really have no words for the strange things he does. This post by my friend pretty much says it all. :-)

Megan got a new PINK carseat and Nathan is now using her old one. She was soo excited.

I've recently begun a few other blogs. I really don't have time, and probably won't be able to update them all that often. I wanted a place to store all of my favorite and successful newly tried recipes. If you click on the pictures, you'll be taken to our recipe blog. Not much there yet - there's also a link on this blog's sidebar that will show when there are updates. I'm trying to remember to take pictures of the finished products. That's proving harder than I thought! :-)

Light Oat Bread

Honey Mustard Chicken

My other blog is for book reviews. I was recently accepted by a publishing company to give reviews of their books and products. Since I loove to read and get to choose which book I want to review (and get a copy for free), I thought I'd give it a try! I realized that if I disliked the book or just don't want to keep it for my own library, I can use one of my favorite sites: paperbackswap to get something I DO want! Seems like a win-win for me! :-)

Hope you are all having a good week...and staying healthy!!

Thankful

2009-02-28T09:29:00.004-05:00

I can't count the times I whisper, "Thank you, Lord, for my children."

I whisper, "Thank you, Lord," when Nathan is giggling and Megan says silly things.

I whisper, "Thank you, Lord," when both kids are frustrating me beyond end and then I remember how hard we prayed for their safe arrivals.

I pray, "Thank you, Lord," when I see how much they adore their daddy.

I smile, "Thank you, Lord," when I see Nathan's belly hanging out of his jammies. Thankful that the Lord meets our every need.

I whisper, "Thank you, Lord," for BOTH kids! I love watching them play together and love on each other. They both have their moments, but they really love to be with each other.

Thank you, Lord, for my children!

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." Psalm 100:4

Butterscotch Brownies

2009-02-21T16:30:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures that I wanted to post back in January, but, never got the chance. Megan got to make Daddy some special treats: Butterscotch Brownies. I am not a big fan of them, but Ben likes them. Megan was so proud of herself (mommy only gave minimal help), and after daddy got home from work that night, he woke her up just to share one with him.

This was my Grandma G's recipe...

_________________________________________________

Butterscotch Brownies

1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted

2 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Blend together butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, and beat until smooth. Sift dry ingredients together and add to butter/egg mixture. Stir in vanilla and nuts.

Spread into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE.

_________________________________________________

Ben is happy to have another baker in the house... :-) I'll be happy when she does the clean up... :-)

...or is it just me?!

2009-02-11T12:02:00.003-05:00

Nathan is going through a stage right now where I can see many of my baby pictures. Does anyone else see the resemblance or is it just me...? :-)

*Edited* I forgot to mention Nathan's 1 year doctor's appointment yesterday. Megan was good as gold, which was what I prayed for. Her crying in the past has made doctor visits a bit difficult! Nathan is still in the 3% for weight, weighing in at 18 lbs, 12 oz (a little over a pound heavier than Megan was at a year) and 5% for height, being 28" tall/long (1/2" taller than Megan at 1). Nathan got 2 shots and had to have his blood drawn for a lead test. I wasn't expecting the lead test, as it wasn't required when Megan turned one. But, NY laws have changed since then, I guess. If I'd known I'd have to trek through the hospital hefting 19 lbs to the lab, I would've employed the stroller!! :-) Nathan did really well, though... but, we were all glad to get home after a loong morning!

Nathan's Birthday Bash

2009-02-09T14:09:00.005-05:00

Grandma P and Grandpa and Grandma W all helped us celebrate Nathan's first birthday on Saturday night. We had homemade spaghetti and meatballs - which Nathan catnapped through! :-) We then had cupcakes and a Carvel ice cream cake... mmmm! After a little tub time to remove all traces of birthday cake, Nathan opened his presents. Well, actually... Nathan didn't open a single one. His sister did all the honors. Nathan didn't seem to mind...

Megan helping Nathan blow out his candle

Not too sure what to do next...

He figured it out... :-)

Clean boy ready for gifts!

An excavator!

Boxes are more fun than the toys themselves!!

Daddy and Nathan playing with all of his new trucks...

Ready for church

Nathan's 1st french fry... (he's not looking like he enjoyed it, but believe me, he did!) :-)

More french fries, please!!

Our tired-out birthday boy....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NATHAN!!

2009-02-07T06:55:00.000-05:00

It's a common saying, but it's so true: what a difference a year makes!! Our little 4 lb 11 oz baby boy is ONE today! He's walking and talking...well, in his own language! :-) He giggles and laughs... he brings us joy and we're so happy that God blessed us with him.

Hours old:

First time home:

(Megan's changed quite a bit in a year, too!)

Today...

We love you, Nay-Nay!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! :-)

Our Kids

2009-02-03T20:35:00.002-05:00

Just a couple of pictures to get the grandparents through the rest of the week:

Grandpa and Grandma W will get to see the kids in person this weekend. They'll be coming to help us celebrate Nathan's birthday on Saturday. Our little guy will be turning ONE!!!

Been a while...

2009-01-26T10:17:00.002-05:00

We have been busy, busy! Such is life...and, I'm sure you all can say the same thing! In just a few weeks, things have changed quite a bit around here. Nathan can now climb on and off the couch...and, has several bruises to show for it! :-) From the couch, he can now reach all those things I thought were safe - such as the lamps! :- I have changed more light bulbs since that little boy arrived than I can count! He is eating more finger foods...as I'm trying to avoid paying for baby food much longer. We're also working on breaking his nighttime bottle habit. I was able to get rid of the naptime bottle in just a day... nighttime is proving to be much more difficult. I've even given him just water in the bottles, hoping to discourage him. Nope... he's guzzling the water faster than the formula!! Silly kid! :-) One of these days, he'll sleep all night!

Megan is doing wonderfully with potty training. She is only in diapers for nighttime and rarely forgets to tell me that she has to go. I think I'm going to let her pick out some special underwear the next time we're in Walmart...I figure her choices will probably be Dora or Cinderella... :-)

We never fully stopped looking at houses to move into the last few months. These past 2 weeks, we've been in a bidding war over a house a few miles from us. Saturday, our realtor called and told us the sellers took the other offer. We were initially disappointed, but, also anxious to keep looking. We know the Lord has the perfect timing and the perfect place....

And, now for a few pictures! Here's one of Grandma P pulling the kids on a sled...indoors! (It's tooo cold to sled!) The kids don't know any different, and they had just as much fun! :-)

Oh yeah... she's stylin' - where she comes up with her get-ups, I don't know! :-)

Look, ma!! I can do it all by myself!

Nathan had climbed on the couch and was sharing Megan's cereal. She was letting him, which was even cuter (to mama, at least)! :-)

Enjoy your week!!

A Big Helper...

2009-01-12T19:25:00.002-05:00

While we were at Grandma P's on Saturday, we noticed Megan in Grandma's pink "wood" gloves trying as hard as she could to remove wood from the bottom of the stack. She kept trying and struggling (as we snickered a bit). Finally, daddy brought in a box of kindling and asked Megan to put the sticks in Grandma's blue bucket. What a little helper!! She worked so hard transferring sticks from daddy's box to grandma's box. Her little cheeks were so pink from the heat of the wood stove. Then, she grabbed the broom to sweep up the snow and mess that daddy had tracked in. I've got to put her to more work around here!! lolol! :-)

Today was our best potty training day!! I actually took her to church in underwear yesterday... scared to death, I was, but she really did great! One little accident during the morning service, which I was prepared for. Today, I didn't bother with the clock-watching and putting her on the toilet every so many minutes. She told me herself most of the times today, and of those she didn't, she always went when I took her! YAY!! I think she's caught on!!

A long week and an almost shiner!

2009-01-10T20:37:00.003-05:00

It's been a loong week of potty-training and next week will hold much of the same, I suspect! Megan is actually doing quite well. By Thursday, I felt like we were going backwards instead of forward....but, Friday and today were very good. We're trying to take it one day, one potty visit at a time! :-) I have been getting encouragement from many of my mommy friends (muchly, Danielle...thanks!) who have done this before!

Nathan had himself an exciting week! On Monday, he fell/knocked over a chair of Megan's and gave himself a little bloody gash under his eye. I was sure he'd end up with a black eye...but, he never did. It healed quickly - couldn't even notice it last night....and, then today, he goes and falls into Grandma's table and ends up with a puffy lip. Aahh, yes! He is all boy! :D

Megan "holds" Nathan on the couch when I vaccuum...

...and, she was trying to show him her pretty pink toenails (diversion tactic by mama to keep her occupied on the toilet), and he just didn't care!

Playing with her donut from her new tea set:

Megan was putting Cheerios on Nathan's head and they were both dying of giggles...

Hope you all have a great week!

We're alive...but busy!

2009-01-07T13:44:00.002-05:00

We're alive! I have begun potty training Megan in earnest this week. Clock watching has not given me much time to take or post new pictures! She's doing pretty well... ask me again at the end of the week! :-)

Here's a picture of Megan and daddy sharing a Frosty last Sunday afternoon:

2009

2009-01-01T20:25:00.002-05:00

We didn't do anything exciting to ring in the New Year; although, sleeping in this household can become pretty exciting when one little boy allows you to do so! I don't think anyone was awake as our clocks slowly moved from 11:59:59 to 12:00:01.

Ben was able to get out of work early today, so we spent the afternoon as a family. I got a Fry Daddy for Christmas, so we made donuts! :-) Megan had fun cutting out the holes...

We now have a Cheerio-eater in the house! I am constantly crunching on evidence all through the house. He eats fistfuls! :-)

Here are a few picture of Megan working on her donut dough:

She was quite unhappy when I took them to the fryer. She didn't understand they had to be cooked before she could eat them... even after she'd eaten some dough and spit it out. I'm thinking it may be time to dig out the play-doh Aunt Stacey gave her for Easter last year...

Hope you all have a wonderful 2009!

GANKS!!

2008-12-26T09:00:00.006-05:00

Picture overload today... I had a hard time picking just a few!

We had a wonderful Christmas day! Ben and I woke up just before 6 am, which is Ben's normal workday wake up time. We tried to go back to sleep... of all days the kids actually slept in, we couldn't!! I finally got up and made breakfast, which is not a normal occurance! :-) Even more rare, Ben and I enjoyed a QUIET breakfast all by ourselves!! We had coffee cake, scrambled eggs, and sausage. Still... the kids slept! They finally woke up around 8.

Megan was quite awed by the pile of presents under the tree. She kept saying, "WOW!" "OH!" and "OOOOH!!" :-) After opening presents, we took our time getting ready for the rest of the day. We headed to Grandma P's around noon for a yummy ham dinner...and more presents! I couldn't believe it -- but, I left my camera at home!! Didn't get any pictures from Grandma P's!! Oh, well! Those things happen.

It was a very nice day as a family. Tomorrow, we head to Grandpa and Grandma W's. Megan keeps talking about them... I think she's excited! :-) Now, here are the pile of pictures!

I set up my tripod and got a picture of the whole family before we left for our Christmas Eve service. I think it turned out pretty good! Nathan looks ready for bed, and Megan's making a goofy smile, but at least no one's crying! :-)

Nathan woke up first... he went straight for the bows... on MOMMY's presents! :-)

We got Megan a little camera... she loved it! It's actually a cheapy $15 digital one and I couldn't wait to load them onto the computer to see what she'd captured. She took pictures all day... but there were none on the camera!! Who knows what buttons she was pushing, but she was having fun!

She even set her doll on the couch with the baby bottle for a little photo shoot... cracked me up! She's quite the role player, even when she herself doesn't cooperate in the real-life situations!

After present #2 or #3, Megan started to run to the couch, then turned around and said, "GANKS!!" (Thanks!) It was so genuine, Ben and I just started laughing and I almost cried. :-) She was so excited and happy. It was so fun to watch her this year!

Nathan was excited over his big CAT dump truck! :-)

Megan all decked out in her gifts from Grandma P... a hat and mitten set and a doll carrier (the doll was from Daddy and Mommy)...

Megan also got a little Dora doll from Grandma P. Dora can go in the tub and has flippers. Megan kept putting the doll face down...then, joining her to SWIM together! :-)

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas day with your families, too! :-)

200 posts...and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-24T14:17:00.003-05:00

This post marks my 200th post on this blog!! Can't believe I've been keeping you all updated on our lives for that long! Thank you, faithful readers! :-)

So, for my 200th post, the Peck family wishes each of you a very Merry Christmas!

Now why didn't I think of that?!

2008-12-19T09:06:00.004-05:00

When I asked, "What are you doing, silly girl?!"

She confidently replied, "BOOTS! SNOW!"

Well, of course! :-) She must have heard about the 8-11" of snow we've been forecasted for today. Hope you're all snug and warm...or, if you have to venture out, have cereal box boots!

Isn't that a cute ornament?? I saw one on a friend's tree and HAD to get one for Ben. It's about 2" high and we picked it up right at Dunkin Donuts. Something fun and different on our tree!

Family Fun...

2008-12-16T19:07:00.003-05:00

The kids were singing and playing in their room the other day. Ben and I were just having fun watching and listening to them. Megan buried daddy under all blankets, pillows, and toys that had been on her bed.

We were all in such a happy mood that I put the camera's timer on and hoped for a family snapshot, since our last one was taken in the summer - the one in the blog's sidebar. Well, a snapshot it is! None of us are dressed well enough to even go out to the mailbox (notice Nathan's missing pants in the previous pictures and Megan's non-matching hot pink polka-dots)! :-) Nathan is obviously not looking... but that's us! Our family:

I then showed Megan the picture-taking button on the camera and let her snap a few. She was soo funny! You could tell she was so proud of herself... saying "GOT IT!" (Even though the camera was pointing at the diaper pail and her hand was over the lens)! :-) Here are 2 that are actually recognizable!

Megan is so fun! Raising children is certainly challenging, but a 2 1/2 year old is also SO fun! We love to listen to her chatter on.

Two quick stories that are mostly for the grandparents' sake - but, I also save my blog every month and hoping that someday, when I have more than 2 minutes to string together, I will be able to scrap these precious memories:

Megan has yet to tell us "I love you" by herself. She will repeat it when we say it to her. I try to put Nathan to bed about 10 minutes before Megan so they don't keep each other up. We always have Megan give him kisses and say, "night-night" and "LUB-YOO." :-) Last week, I was buttoning up his jammies when I heard Megan, with no prompting: "LUB-YOO, NAY-NAY! LUB-YOO!" Awww! Just melted my heart!

With my heart all mushy-gushy, I put Nathan down and told Megan it was time for bed a few minutes later. She's been whining a bit lately about bedtime and we've been working on stopping that. As I scooped her up to head to bed, she kept pointing into the living room saying, er, whining, "CULL-LUL! CULL-LUL!" I saw her coloring books and thought, "Color? No, you're not taking crayons to bed with you!" (She takes lots of odd things to bed with her...) She just kept saying, "CULL-LUL! CULL-LUL!" I finally let her down so she could show me what she was asking for. She ran to the couch and began patting the cushions, "CULL-LUL! CULL-LUL" My mushy heart puddled!! Megan wanted to CUDDLE!!!! With her mama!! We cuddled! :-) That was my "LUB-YOO" that night!

Christmastime is comin'...!

2008-12-13T20:23:00.003-05:00

December is passing by so quickly! We finally got our tree up. At 7 months pregnant at this time last year, we just put a small pre-lit 4 foot tree on top of the tv. Seeing that Nathan is walking already this year... we decided to use it again! It's perfect!! Big enough, that Megan is impressed. "OOOHHH! PITTY! PITTY! CHRI-MISS!" And, little and out of the way enough, that Nathan can't destroy it! :-)

This next week is going to busy. Lots of baking and gift-wrapping to do.

More Thanksgiving Pictures

2008-12-03T09:59:00.003-05:00

Just a few pictures from our trip to Grandpa and Grandma W's. Megan had so much fun playing with the books and toys at their house. She also loved chasing their cat, Kit Kat, and would run all through the house yelling "aaaahhh-you, kit kat??" (where are you, kit kat?) Nathan showed off his walking skills and received plenty of praise just for being cute.

Josiah ATE a Thanksgiving meal with us!!! (He only waved the pickle around - he's still on pureed/ground food). But, he had turkey, squash, potatoes, and broccoli. After tasting the broccoli (which was a broccoli/cheese casserole), he said, "Mmm, I love it." :-) Josiah will be starting with a new feeding therapist soon. Please pray that getting used to a new girl and her approach will not make him go backwards in his eating progress so far!! He is currently learning to CHEW.

Smiling with Great-Grandma W:

Micah and Nathan:

The cousins have LOTS of fun toys!!

The kids seem to finally be over their colds. Mama now has a pretty sore throat and stuffed-up head... hoping it won't last long! She has Christmas baking to do!!!

Another Thanksgiving...

2008-11-29T20:12:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family this weekend. My grandma was able to come and spend the afternoon with us. The kids had fun together. We all ate and ate and ate... then, ate leftovers! :-)

Before we left for the weekend, I tried to take some pictures of the kids for possible Christmas cards. I got a cute one or two. Then, Aunt Stacey set up a "studio" in her house to try out her new Black Friday camera. That photo shoot did not go so very well. Enjoy the pictures anyway!! :-)

Thanksgiving Week

2008-11-25T09:06:00.003-05:00

The past week and a half have been a bit tough. Both kids have had icky colds. Megan seems to finally be on the mend, but Nathan's nasty cough has been holding on. Although, last night I didn't have to get up in the middle of the night as early as past nights to give him his medicine, so I'm hoping today is the upswing! Both kids' noses still need a lot of wiping! :-)

On top of Nathan's awful cold, last night I felt a 2nd tooth that's popped through on his bottom gum! No wonder he's been absolutely miserable! Poor little guy!

In spite of the sickness, Ben and I still have much to be thankful for! Thankful most of all for our Savior!

II Corinthians 9:15 "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."

Thankful for each other. The Lord has given us a wonderful marriage.

Thankful, too, for our beautiful children that He has blessed us with. Years ago, we wondered if we'd have any...

Thankful for our families.

Thankful for our church family. Thankful for our WARM and cozy home. Thankful that the Lord always provides for our needs and blesses us so many times with our wants. Thankful for so many things!

Leaving you with a few pictures. Megan got a flower from Grandma P. She calls it "ROE-SISS!" (roses). And, she likes to wear it behind her ear:

Megan and Nathan playing. Megan is laughing LOUDLY and Nathan is just, well, tolerating his sister! Actually, he thinks she's pretty funny. :-) He lights up whenever she calls him BUD or KIDDO!

Our Megan's imagination... she put styrofoam bowls on top of her head. Ok, no real surprise there. But, then, I overheard her saying, "CAPTAIN!!!" I turned around to see her saluting as well! Where she picked that up, I don't know...but, it made me laugh. :-) (All while dressed in her Cinderella dress-up gown)...

Hope you all have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! We'll be having turkey dinner at our house on Thursday with Grandma P, and then planning to visit my family this weekend. Please pray that Nathan's cold is all better by then!! I know Aunt Stacey is anxious to see Micah (who just turned one!!) and Nathan walking and playing together!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Ben's Buck!

2008-11-19T09:04:00.002-05:00

Ben shot his first buck yesterday afternoon!

And he's off!!!

2008-11-16T14:50:00.002-05:00

Nathan took his first steps last night!! By the time our very loud praising and cheering was over, he'd taken several steps -- his longest jaunt being 3 steps long! :-) Our Megan must watch out! Now she's got someone to chase her back!

I was finally able to get a snapshot of his lonely toofer on the bottom gum!

And, this picture is especially for Grandma W: lololol! :-)

Have a great week!

New Video

2008-11-03T20:32:00.002-05:00

I posted a *New Video* for the grandparents of Nathan giggling at Megan. Doesn't matter what she does, he thinks she's hilarious! She was playing with some beads that Grandma P gave her... he thought they were funny if they dragged on the ground. She knocked some papers off the table... he just about got a stitch in his side. What silly kids!

The video loads kinda slow and seems to pause as it plays. I'm not sure if it's just on my end or everybody's. Sorry about that. Again, scroll to the bottom to turn off the music to hear the video's audio. The video is about 1:40...more with the annoying pauses. But, you should get the drift.

Oh yeah - after I say, "you're a silly boy!" Nathan double winks at me. It's cute! :-)

Enjoy!

Nathan's Doctor Visit...

2008-10-27T17:26:00.011-04:00

Nathan went for his 6-month doctor visit today. He is a healthy 16 pounds and 26 1/2 inches. I checked Megan's baby book when we got home...and, Megan was also 16 pounds at his age. Nathan seems to be growing so much faster than I remember Megan ever doing...but, I guess not.

Nathan continues to accomplish new things overnight! Last Wednesday, he stood alone for the first time! Since then, he seems to enjoy letting go of furniture and grinning to show us how proud he is of his new ability!

Also, today... I felt a sharp, jagged nub on his bottom left gum! YAY!! A tooth is popping through! Nathan has just not been his normal happy self the last few days... we, of course, always chalk such things up to teething, but this time it was true!!

So, tonight, I have a fairly unhappy baby boy: three shots at the doctors, no nap, and a new tooth. The shots and nap could make for an exhuasted boy who sleeps well...but, with the added tooth, I'm not so sure!

Here are a few pictures of our adventurous, growing boy. Nathan climbed through the kitchen chair while I was doing dishes. He happily hung out on the rung for awhile until he figured out how to get his back end through.

Have a good night!

*PS* That's not garbage next to him; I sorted through the summer clothes and bagged up the grown-out-of stuff... :-)

Bad Timing...

2008-10-22T09:25:00.003-04:00

I was so impressed with my sister's photo shoot (Click to see the results! They are amazing!!) that I wanted to try my own. Well, I didn't time things right...so, mine didn't turn out well at all. The sun was out when I decided to give it a go... but, by the time I dressed the kids and set up the camera, the sun had gone behind the clouds and the wind was whipping...and COLD! I only got 3 other shots besides the ones I'm posting... you can obviously see that the kids wouldn't look at the camera (typical of any kid, I know...but, I was hoping for better!) With Nathan beginning to eat the leaves, Megan's nose beginning to drip, the weather soo cold and the sunshine hiding - making the lighting not what I'd wanted - I gave up! :-)

Maybe we'll get another warm day? (We went to Grandma P's last night...and there was SNOW falling on her hill!!!! I am NOT ready for winter, never am!!)

...ahhh...maybe next year!

Been Awhile...

2008-10-21T13:17:00.004-04:00

Thank you to everyone for the many cards and emails you sent after Dad P died. We appreciate each and every one of you for your continued love and prayers.

We are beginning to adjust to life back at home. I am the first to admit that I am not a very good housekeeper, but the house had really been neglected the last 2 weeks or so! Yesterday, I was finally able to give it some much-needed attention, as well as catch up on laundry. Today, our plumber was here fixing a long list of things... I think I can finally drain my kitchen sink at full speed and without a waterfall occurring over my washer/dryer! :-)

I have several pictures still on my camera -- some great ones of Megan helping Grandma P with some sorting/cleaning. Once I get them on the computer, I'll share! But, for now, here are a few you might enjoy...

Uncle Jim and Aunt Linda brought Megan a whole slew of purple "pretties"...including dangly clip-on earrings. Megan loooved her "wee-wings" :-)

Nathan needed a cup o' joe to keep him going... (don't worry! it was an empty cup!):

I took this picture on my way home from Dad and Mom P's a few weeks ago. This lake is basically in their backyard! Nice, huh?!!

Hope you all have a great week!

Home at Last

2008-10-11T19:40:00.000-04:00

Five weeks and one day after his diagnosis of liver cancer, Dad P went home to be with his Savior this morning, October 11th, about 4:30 am. The Lord allowed Mom, Ben, and I to be at his side throughout the night. Dad P's niece (and his doctor), Amy, was also with us and was such a help and encouragement to us. We are so thankful to know that Dad was saved! We can rejoice knowing that Dad is no longer suffering...but is healed and whole! Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and prayers the last several weeks. It has meant so much to us. Please continue to pray for us - and Mom P, especially - as we begin to adjust to our new "normal."

This picture was taken just a few weeks ago, while Dad still felt up to a picture. We will treasure the memories we have of him...especially those memories of him spending time with the 2 grandchildren he adored.

Pictures as promised...

2008-10-09T19:01:00.002-04:00

Here are a few pictures of Megan playing with her cousin, Riley. He is 6 months younger than she is...

Riley brings his dirt bikes so he and Megan can "RACE!"

Then, Riley had to show Megan the fine art of looking for deer:

Megan tried looking for deer after Riley left...but, I think Riley forgot to tell her which end of the binoculars to look through!

They've had some fun times together! Nathan is often close behind... he can't wait to watch for deer!

Determined

2008-10-07T10:03:00.002-04:00

Our Nathan is one determined little guy. He is 8 months old today and officially cruising. He never stops moving...not even in his sleep. He will squirm and finangle himself until he reaches what he wants - usually whatever his sister has!

Here's how I found him the other day (his one and only goal - Mr. Potato Head):

Of course, then he was quite unhappy, because mommy had to take it away and remove the chokable-gag-inducing Mr. Potato Head's arm.

We've been spending a lot of time at Grandpa and Grandma P's. Here is a picture of the kids listening to Grandma read a story:

I have some other pictures of Megan playing with her cousin, Riley, that I hope to post later this week. Enjoy the beautiful fall days!

Brotherly Sisterly Love...and Annoyance

2008-10-02T14:59:00.003-04:00

Now that Nathan is more mobile, Megan is beginning to see him as a playmate...sort of. She can also be bossy! I've overheard Megan more than once saying, "TOUCH! TOUCH!" spoken in a stern voice with a finger wagging (really meaning, "DON'T TOUCH THAT! IT'S MINE!") There have also been a few gracious moments, when I see her handing Nathan a toy, saying "Here, Nay-Nay! Toy, Nay-Nay!" With his newfound mobility, Nathan now falls and bonks his head numerous times throughout the day. One of these moments caused Megan to visit Nathan, crying and sitting on my lap, and say, "K, Nay-Nay? K?"

But, my favorite thing to see lately is this:

Megan has spontaneously begun to give Nathan hugs and kisses. It's very sweet. Even though, most of the time, Nathan starts crawling away as fast as he can! :-) Nathan may soon have a new nickname - my fault. I called him "Mr. Trouble" the other day...and, shortly after, saw Megan looking at him and saying "Trouble! Trouble!?" :-)

I have just begun giving Nathan baths in the tub. I found it easier with both him and Megan to avoid the tub until they could sit on their own. Needless to say, the first 2 attempts have not been happy times. He hates it. Megan cried with him the first time... the second time? I think she was just irritated:

Oh, joy. Nothing like trying to wash a screaming, slippery, STRONG little boy! Can't wait for his next bath! :-)

A few pictures...

2008-09-23T09:31:00.002-04:00

I just love watching Megan play. Her imagination is really developing. I love to listen to her when she's supposed to be napping (ahem!)... I can hear her "reading" her books and talking to her dolls and stuffed animals. She has a small pile of post-it notes that she likes to carry around with her. A few weeks ago, she kept bringing them to me and saying, "nack? nack?" It took me awhile before I realized she was giving me a snack! :-) Then, yesterday, she kept calling them "dollars" while thumbing and "counting" them. Today, she has several of them stuck on another piece of paper. She is shoving the paper through the rungs of the stroller (that is supposed to be taken to the basement). I heard her saying "mick, mick!" And, "ooh, hot!" Then, "no, warm!" After several minutes of this, she brought me her paper and said, "cookie?" So...she's baking! :-) And, just minutes ago, she took one post-it, held it up to her eye and said, "shhheeeeze!" Must be taking a picture of her pretty cookies! lol! She is at such a fun age!

Always food at grandma's! Eating lunch...

Eating dessert (Grandma made mommy an early birthday cake!)...

Grandma sent the leftover chocolate cake home with us. Megan and Nathan bombarded daddy as soon as he sat down with his plate:

Daddy shared...

...with both kids! :-)

Hope you are all enjoying the nice fall weather! The days have been absolutely beautiful!

A mostly Nathan post!

2008-09-21T19:21:00.003-04:00

In only about a week and a half, our little guy has gone from Army-flopping crawling to real hands-and-knees crawling, to sitting by himself (and getting himself into that sitting position), to pulling himself up to furniture!! Nathan is one active baby! I posted a *NEW VIDEO* of Nathan crawling (mostly for Grandpa and Grandma W who have yet to see the boy in action)! Scroll to the bottom to turn off the music's audio.

Mama!! Look at me!

Waaaaaaaaaaaa!!! (Nathan was crying during naptime; when I finally checked on him, I found that he'd managed to pull himself up to the side of the crib - first time - and, was scared to death! He wasn't sure how he got himself there, and he certainly wasn't sure how to get himself down!) :-)

Look, mom!! I can reach Megan's bed!

One lonely Megan picture... still stylin' :-)

:-)

We also wanted to let you know that we got the results of Dad P's biopsy late last week. It confirmed what we already knew. The cancer in the liver is beyond treatment. We appreciate your continued prayers for Dad and Mom P. We'll update as we can...

Hope everyone has a good week!

Just to let you know...

2008-09-12T08:31:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to post quickly and let you know that Dad P's biopsy went well yesterday. The doctors performed a less-invasive needle biopsy, so Dad didn't seem to be in too much pain from the procedure itself. Megan and Nathan were quite well-behaved despite the very long day and no naps - thank you to those who prayed for them! :-) We won't have the results of the biopsy for at least a week. We appreciate your continued prayers...

A few pictures for you. Megan wanted to see her butterfly hairclips (in the mirror) -- and, then just kept grinning and "cheese!"ing! :-) So, I wanted a picture of us!

A girl who knows style!! lol!

A gray, rainy day is forecasted. A book sounds good! Hope you are all well!

Seasons of life...

2008-09-10T08:06:00.004-04:00

As the leaves in our front yard are indicating a change in seasons, we also have seasons in our life. Some seasons are full of joy, other seasons are difficult. We are thankful to know our God who gives us strength and guidance in all of life's ups and downs.

Dad P hasn't been feeling very well for a week or so. He went in for some bloodwork and a catscan last Thursday/Friday. It was determined that he has liver cancer. He is scheduled for a biopsy tomorrow, but, it appears that there won't be any options for treatment. The cancer appears to have already spread throughout the liver.

"Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.

Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart."

Psalm 36:5-10

I know we would all appreciate your prayers in the days and weeks ahead.

We would also continue to ask for prayer regarding the season of our housing. We did receive an offer on our home - which we have neither accepted nor declined...yet. However, the home we are interested in buying just sold. As there is no rush to move TODAY, we are praying once again for wisdom and direction. Psalm 27:14 - "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."

A very HAPPY season: Nathan has begun holding his own bottle!! YAY!! We still need to get up in the night to give him one (yes, yes, we know it's bad...but you're getting uninterrupted sleep!! lol!) But, our quality of sleep has improved greatly in the last week! And, boy! Getting a good night's rest makes a big difference in the morning!! :-)

Premiering soon on Food Network: Cooking with Grandpa!

Chilling out with cousin Devon:

Megan has just begun to dress herself...it's hilarious! She is soo determined!

(Ok, mama buckled the back...but, we had to get the full effect! lol!)

Thank you again for your prayers!

Fall is here...

2008-09-07T15:47:00.002-04:00

The wind was really blowing on Friday. When I opened the door, this is what I saw:

...our yard just full of leaves. Megan kept saying, "oh no! oh no!" Dead, crunchy leaves and chilly, foggy mornings! Fall has arrived!

Grandma and Grandpa W visited us over Labor Day. They had been to the state fair and brought Megan a present - a candy necklace. We didn't tell her it was candy, and she didn't figure it out until they left. When she did, well, it rarely left her mouth!

Sharing a giggle! I love watching the two of them! Megan can really make Nathan laugh - especially during naptimes!! :-)

Megan loves the bumbo seat and sits in it more than Nathan. He won't sit still long enough for me to use it.

I hope to have some more pictures and things to share later this week.

And we're off!!!

2008-08-26T10:06:00.003-04:00

Nathan has officially begun moving this last week! Army crawling from one end of the living room to the other! He's fast! I am constantly gasping, "How'd he get that?!!", when it seems I cleared all the chokable toys only moments before! He can reach into the smaller toy basket and seems to come out with whatever he shouldn't have! It's a bit difficult for Megan to differentiate between the small toys or too-small toys...so, that just means I must be paying attention to what's out at all times!

Megan loves to play with her "LELLERS" (letters). She thinks they're "AWPUM!" (awesome - Ben said something was awesome to her the other day, and now that's her newest favorite word). She definitely repeats what we say! She did something cute one night and I looked at Ben and said, "She's so adorable!" A little voice piped up, "DOE-BULL!"

I posted a *NEW VIDEO* of Megan. She took a dishcloth out of the clean laundry and had been "cleaning" the floor. A few minutes later, it became a handkerchief. It cracked me up...she's never achoo'ed/sneezed before! (To hear the audio, scroll down to the bottom of the page to turn off the music).

For those of you who've been reading since I started this blog, you may remember a baby girl who always got rings stuck around her leg? Well, it looks like her little brother may be following in her footsteps:

Nathan got a toy stuck around his leg...and cried. Until mommy showed up with the camera. Then he was all giggles and smiles...

We have been very busy! We've had several people come through our house - no offers yet, though. We've also looked at several houses - one has serious potential. We'd appreciate your continued prayers for wisdom and the Lord's direction!

Hope you're all enjoying the last few weeks of summer! Can't believe September is just about here!!

Ice Cream...

2008-08-18T13:45:00.004-04:00

We always have ice cream after our VBT's closing program. So, here are some pictures of the kids enjoying their cones... :-)

Megan never did eat her cone. Once the ice cream got too low for her tongue to reach, she just waited for it to melt. She then drank the melted leftovers.

Even Nathan got a taste -

Mmmm!

Oooh!! :-)

MORE!!

VBT Review

2008-08-15T17:18:00.003-04:00

The week of VBT went much better than I had anticipated. Getting out the door on time each Sunday takes a little planning...and, the help of Ben! So, I wasn't quite sure what would happen doing it every day by myself for a whole week! But, I prayed about it...and, the Lord got me out the door each day, EARLY, with kids (and myself) dressed and fed!

I realized that needing to remove Nathan's disruptive screeching (even if it's usually happy!) from the auditorium only made Megan cry (if she was sitting next to me). So, with the exception of Monday's opening and today's closing, Megan sat with various adults and kids and seemed to do just fine. She knew enough by Wednesday that her points could get her a lollipop in our VBT store. When she came up to me after one closing, she immediately said, "POP! POP??" :-)

Our theme this year was "Joshua - A Man of the Lord." Plenty of kids and perfect weather. It was another great VBT! And, here are a few pictures from the week that I'd promised (because I'm not yet asleep):

Beanbag toss for points:

Free snacks!! :-) (notice her new bracelets she bought at the VBT store)

Giving Nathan a ride during snacktime:

Nathan fully enjoying his ride! :-)

Pastor handed out twizzlers every day during snacktime. Megan preferred them over the cookies and usually had her hand out as soon as she saw Pastor and his twizzler bag!

Tic Tac Toe for points:

The whole group of VBT'ers:

Nathan, ready to go home, waiting for mommy to spend all of Megan's points:

Hope you all had a good week! Our busy-ness continues through until at least the middle of next week - among the things to do: a house to clean and a visit from our woodstove installer. I'm hoping for a breather next Thursday! :-) Maybe...

A busy week ahead!

2008-08-11T14:53:00.003-04:00

Today began our Vacation Bible Time! Since Megan is now 2, she gets to participate! She was her typical sober self for the opening...but, was digging through the store/toy boxes at the end. I think she'll warm up as the week goes on...

LAST year:

THIS year:

Trying to decide what to spend her points on:

Our napper during snack time:

We'll see if I have any more pictures to share at the end of the week...if I'm still awake! :-)

Loong Day

2008-07-31T08:28:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I had to take both kids for their well-visits. Nathan for his 4-month and Megan, her 2-year. The pediatrician's office had rescheduled the appointment 3 times, pushing it back over a month from it's original date. I tried to reschedule THIS one to an earlier time or a different day -- late afternoon on Wednesdays is never a good time. The receptionist informed me that she couldn't get us in for another month if I did that... eergh! Since Nathan really couldn't wait another month for his next set of shots, I took the badly timed appointment.

The appointment went just as I expected. Two crying kids! :-) Megan started whimpering as soon as the nurse called "Nathan and Megan." Megan only got louder as we walked down the long hallway to the exam room while Nathan giggled and grinned in the stroller, oblivious to the pain that awaited him. Megan didn't need shots or anything painful, but she certainly did not like the nurse or doctor poking and prodding her. My shoulder was soaked from tears and a drippy nose. After the doctor left the room, she sniffled, "sticker?" When I told her that, yes, the doctor told her she could get a sticker...smiles reappeared. Megan doesn't need to be seen again until she's three...but, since she'll be with me for Nathan's appointments, I'm still expecting doctor days to be full of fearful tears for her.

Nathan did fine. He whimpered a bit when he could hear me but I left his line of vision. Shots went fine...stopped crying as soon as I picked him up. Quite cranky from the time we got home until he finally fell asleep around 9 pm. He seems a little better this morning.

STATS: Both kids are healthy.
Megan - weighs 20 pounds and is about 30" tall. Hard to get an exact measurement when she's trying to jump off the scale. She has dropped into the 0 percentile... I think that just means there's no one else like her in the whole wide world!! :D
Nathan - weighs 13 1/2 pounds and is 24 1/2" tall. He is in the 3 percentile. And, no matter what any chart says, we think there's no one else like him in the whole wide world, either!! :D

Here are a few pictures:

Nathan seems to enjoy the Johnny-jumper thing. Megan hated it as a baby, but loves it now! She thinks Nathan is a big toy to bounce and spin around!

Ready and anxiously waiting for daddy to get home from work:

Phew! That was a long post! Hope you all have a good day! I hope the kids take good naps...I'd love to squeeze one in myself!

Like Father, Like Son

2008-07-29T08:02:00.001-04:00

(Thanks, Nana!!) :-)

Fun at Grandpa and Grandma's!

2008-07-28T13:02:00.005-04:00

We visited with Grandpa and Grandma P this Saturday. It was a beautiful day, so Megan got to ride in the little wagon that was daddy's when he was little. Even Nathan took a few loops around the yard! Every time the wagon stopped - either to prop Nathan back into an upright position or for the wagon puller to catch his/her breath - Megan would jiggle the side of the wagon and chant, "bumpy! bumpy!" - which translated, really meant, "GO! GO!!" :-) After the wagon ride, Megan got to play a little baseball, too. Both kids (and grandparents!) had fun!

Here are several pictures from the afternoon:

Enjoy the week!

RAAAYYERRR!

2008-07-25T09:24:00.000-04:00

I came into the kitchen the other day to find Megan on a chair, pulling the curtain, yelling, "RAAAAYY-ERRRR! Raaaayyyy-errr!!" It took me a couple of seconds to realize she was calling for our dog, Razor! Up until now, Megan has always called him "goggie" or "puppy." It was so very cute! :-) At least Megan was calling for Razor so sweetly...we usually yell out that window to quiet him when he's barking! :-) My, how our children pick things up!

Forgot to mention in the last post that Nathan is growing, too! Several nights in a row last week, he woke up with a leaky diaper! Ick! I figured that meant it was time for a size change! Yep! Our big boy has now graduated to size 3's... and, no more leaking! :-) Both kids have doctor's appointments next week -- Megan's 2 year visit and Nathan's 4 month -- so, we'll see how big he really is then.

Have a great weekend!

Growing and Changing...

2008-07-23T08:46:00.002-04:00

Life gets so busy nowadays...with two! :-) When I wake up in the morning, I feel like I just went to bed...and when I fall into bed at night, I feel like I just woke up...? I still take quite a few pictures, but they stay on my camera a lot longer! Transfering them to the computer often gets forgotten.

Nathan is learning to sit with the help of the boppy. He doesn't stay there too long - he'd prefer to roll back and forth from one end of the living room to the other.

He also loves to watch Megan as she plays. You can't see her in this picture...but, that's who Nathan is staring at. Megan, of course, rarely pays attention to him - unless he is grabbing a toy she thinks SHE should have! Lessons in sharing have begun! :-)

Grandpa and Grandma P gave Megan (and/or Nathan?) a ball and bat. Megan has loved learning to hit the ball...and, I can tell daddy loves to be teaching her! They have been having a lot of fun on the rare nights that Ben gets home before Megan is in bed.

Megan doesn't swing the bat, yet...just holds it. So, it takes a lot of talent for Ben to throw the ball just right so it hits the bat! :-)

Megan seems to have gotten the head cold that Nathan had at the end of last week. We've had quite a few nasty coughing spells around here. A little tylenol and cough syrup seems to be helping the miserable!

Hope you're all doing well! We love hearing from you!

Megan's Birthday

2008-07-14T16:08:00.004-04:00

First of all, thank you for your prayers for Josiah. The procedure went smoothly, and Josiah did very well. Andy and Stacey probably won't know the results until early next week. Please keep Josiah in your prayers as he continues his feeding therapy. As Stacey said on her blog, it'd be GREAT if he would eat and enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with us!

Megan had a lot of fun entertaining both sets of grandparents while they were here to celebrate her 2nd birthday! She was given many fun and pretty things to enjoy - among them: Mr. Potato Head, Princess jammies, new crayons, a puzzle, a new purse...and more! Megan ate pizza for supper and cake and ice cream, of course, for dessert!

Mommy made the cake. It was my first attempt at a "frozen buttercream transfer." The short of it, place a piece of wax paper over any image (like a page from a coloring book), then, trace and fill in with frosting. Freeze just enough to make the image hard enough to transfer to your cake. Megan LOVES Curious George...so, I chose him to grace her cake. She didn't seem to notice - too much going on. But, the next day when Ben was getting out the leftovers, she got all excited, pointed and said, "GEORGE!!!!" :-)

Cake and ice cream eating was MUCH neater this year! :-) But, I think it was enjoyed more! Only 2 bites of cake were left on her plate!

I'm pretty sure Megan had a GREAT birthday! :-)

Prayer request

2008-07-13T16:01:00.004-04:00

Please be in prayer tomorrow morning (Monday, July 13th) for our nephew Josiah. He will be undergoing an Upper Endoscopy - where they put a scope down his esophagus and take a biopsy of it. For those of you who don't know, Josiah has autism and for him, is mostly displayed in severe feeding issues. He is 3 years old and does not eat solid food. You can read what Stacey wrote about it in the 2 most recent entries on her blog.

Yesterday, we celebrated Megan's 2nd birthday with both sets of grandparents. I'll be back tomorrow with more pictures from the day!

Cousins at the Zoo

2008-07-07T09:47:00.006-04:00

Were our cousins AT the zoo?? Or did we go with our cousins TO the zoo?? You can decide, but those monkeys looked a little familiar... :-)

Ben had the 4th off, and we decided to make a quick trip to visit Grandpa and Grandma W. We had a nice picnic on Friday afternoon with Mike and Leah and Andy and Stacey. Then, on Saturday morning, we wanted to take Megan to the Seneca Park Zoo. Our nephews (along with parents and grandparents) came along, too. It was a gorgeous day and everyone seemed to have a good time. Megan seemed to like the seals and elephants best.

Cousin Riley's hat passed to Megan, now passed to Nathan:

Swinging:

Nathan and Micah (3 1/2 months apart):

In the butterfly house:

Waving at some animals:

Who wants to ride in a stroller when you've got a daddy?? :-)

Watching the elephants:

Nathan was so good at the zoo! Of course, someone was always holding him, which puts him in happyland!

A snack break...and family picture:

WOW! An empty polar bear exhibit! The polar bears were sleeping on a rock... Actually, there was a waterfall, creating bubbles that Megan was looking at:

A pooped baby:

We had a fun weekend! Hope you did, too!!

Oh yes, new with Nathan -- he can now roll from his back to his belly! Now, he rolls all over!! He's on the move...no stopping him now! :-)

Megan's TWO! Happy Birthday!!

2008-07-06T20:00:00.001-04:00

We now have a 2-year old!! We can't believe it! We'll be celebrating this next weekend with both sets of grandparents. So, we didn't do much for Megan today. She got to eat ice cream for supper and will be sleeping in her brand new TWIN big girl bed (Thank you, John and Tracey for helping us get it)! She also got to open some alphabet/number fridge magnets which she loves playing with. We also let her have a tea set that my cousin Carla gave Megan when she was born. I've had it packed away and knew that it was the right time for Megan to enjoy. Right away, she began pouring and stirring "tea" and serving it to mommy and daddy. :-) Thank you, Carla and Rachel! We'll send you pictures of an official tea party soon! :-)

Happy Birthday, Megan! We love you!

Helping daddy put together her new bed:

The big girl bed! (Funny sidenote - Megan doesn't like the sheet over her. She loves her blanket from Aunt Michelle...and, MUST poke her toes through the holes. She kicked off the sheet, found HER blanket, poked her toes through, and THEN was happy in her new bed)! What a silly girl! :-) If you look closely, you can see her toes through the blanket! lol!

Tea time!

Another day...

2008-07-02T08:49:00.003-04:00

That glazed over we're-not-fully-awake-but-we-love-to-watch-Saturday-morning-cartoons-specifically-Tigger-and-Pooh-together-on-Saturday-mornings look:

Cheap snack you must try, if you never have: homemade microwave popcorn! Pour 1/4 cup popcorn kernels, 2 tsp oil, and 1/4 tsp salt into a brown paper lunch bag. Fold top edge tightly, 3 times. (Online instructions say to use 2 staples...I'm a little nervous to put a staple in the microwave, although it's said to be fine for this application)! Shake to coat. Place bag in microwave and cook for 2-3 minutes. YUM!!

I can't wait to try some different variations! We've already added a tsp of sugar for kettle corn -- and that turned out not-so-bad! The very bottom cooked a bit too much because of the sugar -- it didn't burn, but it was close! :-) I'm also on the lookout for popcorn salt...couldn't find it in the grocery store. It's finer and supposed to stick to the popcorn better than regular table salt - also causing you to use a bit less.

Let me know if you give the brown paper bag a try - and any yummy versions you come up with!

Told you I had more...

2008-06-26T09:47:00.002-04:00

A few more pictures for you today.

Happy boy after a bath. Look how big he's getting!

Both kids vying for daddy's attention on Father's Day afternoon:

Yesterday, I came into the kitchen to see Megan on a chair in the middle of another "helping" moment:

Trying on a new hat:

Today, it's time for me to pack away several of Nathan's 0-3 month clothes and get out the bag of 3-6 month things to replace the empty drawers I will be creating. Several of the summery outfits still fit, but he's grown out of most of the sleepers. He needs more room for his tootsies!

I've also gotten out Megan's potty chair...but, she seems just as terrified of it as she does the potty seat for the big toilet. So far, potty training seems difficult! :-)

Open for Business!

2008-06-24T10:24:00.003-04:00

I think this has been the longest time between posts since I started our blog! (I'm sorry, grandparents!) We have just been extra busy the last month or so. I finally had time to transfer the many pictures that were sitting in my camera...

We'd like to proclaim the grand opening of PEX-press Trucking! Ben has started his own hauling business. Getting the truck road-ready took a little longer than we thought. Hours, hm...months!...of parts-finding and installing and inspection has finally ended - at least for now! Ben handed out his first batch of business cards yesterday and has his first job today! Ben will be delivering and hauling material on a part-time basis. Who knows? Our son may inherit a large fleet someday...but, for now, here's how our family business started way back in 2008: :-)

Now, some kid news! Megan is turning into a good little helper. She loves to hold the dustpan for Mommy when she sweeps. Hey -- Megan herself will even sweep, if she can wear her glass slippers! lol!

I haven't started a consistent solid food routine with Nathan yet. But, we did try sweet potatoes the other day. I'd say he approved!

And, here's Nathan all spiffed up for church. I ended up leaving the tie at home! But, it made for a good picture before we left! What a handsome little fella!

What else is new? We've put a for sale sign out in front of our house! (Which is another reason I've been so busy!) We've had some interest...and, we're interested in a few houses. We're just praying that the Lord would give us wisdom and clear direction on buying/selling...and everything in between! Megan and Nathan can't share a room forever! And, it would be so very nice to be closer to work and our friends.

Hope you all have a great week! I have a few more pictures that I will try to post this week!

Surprise Visit!

2008-06-12T13:50:00.003-04:00

Around 5 pm last Saturday, someone knocked on our front door. My mom and Stacey were on the porch!! They'd been to a ladies' retreat in Cortland and went just a bit more out of their way to stop by and say "hi" on their way home. Ben knew about it...but wasn't supposed to tell me. I was certainly surprised, or I would've folded the laundry that was sitting in the living room! :-) Aunt Stacey brought Megan her birthday present a bit early: a full Cinderella dress-up outfit, complete with magic wand and "glass" slippers! Megan looved it! Not one to get too excited around most people (lol), you may not be able to tell from the pictures or *new video.* But, the first thing she said when running into the living room after her bath that night was "shoes! shoes!" She then proceeded to clomp around the house in just her glass slippers and diaper, waving her wands saying "boo! boo!" (Bibbity, bobbity, boo!) :-)

I've given Nathan some cereal for the first time in the past week. No grimaces or gagging. He seemed to like it. Megan has to participate in any activity, so I let her have a spoonful of the goopy goo. Hahaa! You should've seen her face! I doubt she'll be begging for anymore of her brother's food after that!

Today is very nice, compared to the awful heat wave we had for several days in a row! I hope you've all managed to keep cool! Enjoy the pictures and video!

Growing Up...

2008-06-05T12:25:00.002-04:00

Put on her first pair of her OWN shoes all by herself...can you tell?!

hehee!! :-)

Cool!

2008-06-03T08:04:00.001-04:00

Just a silly *video* I took of Megan the other afternoon, a new thing that day. In order to hear the audio, you'll need to scroll to the bottom of the page and turn off the music.

Family Fun

2008-06-02T11:36:00.002-04:00

We had such a fun day on Saturday! We're not planners, but we're not very spontaneous, either! That being said, we woke up Saturday morning and decided to go out for breakfast (if I could get everyone ready in a half hour)! I did...so, off we went!

See that plate in front of Megan? That was HER $1.50 "kids" breakfast!! It was as big as her parents' plates! She actually ate quite a bit of it, too - bites in between coloring breaks!

After a few other stops, we decided to stop at a little park. It had just stopped raining and the slides were still a bit wet. Megan wouldn't go on them at first and kept saying, "Wet! Wet!" So, we tried the swings instead, which she just loved! She said over and over, "Wheee!" and "Wind!"

We were able to try the slide out before we left. Megan had no fear! I was behind her, ready to go with her...but she didn't seem afraid, so I let her go. And, she wanted to go down over and over! Up the stairs...down the slide...up the stairs...down the slide! Needless to say, she wasn't very happy when it was time to leave. We'll have to take her again, soon!

Vonage

2008-05-30T15:48:00.002-04:00

Anyone use Vonage or a similar service?? What do you think...do you like it? Is it worth it to switch?? Please let me know - email me, please, if you don't want to leave a comment! We're thinking of ditching ridiculously high-priced Verizon, but a bit afraid to...

That question was my main reason for posting today, but I won't leave you without a picture! My 3 most favorite people in the whole wide world:

Blowing bubbles is fun, but hard, frustrating work! (Especially when you dump half the bottle all over yourself! hehee!) :-)

Thanks in advance for any Vonage advice! Have a great night!

Photo Shoot Attempt

2008-05-27T09:39:00.004-04:00

Must I even explain?? lolol! (I resized for the web, so you can click to see a better image)

I think I'm going to order a print to frame this one! Totally depicts our life right now:

Nathan cooperated!

Have a great day!

May 27

2008-05-26T20:58:00.002-04:00

May 27, 2008 marks our 8 year wedding anniversary. How time has flown! How we have changed! (For the better, we hope!) Some pictures for your amusement! :-)

Engaged: April 1999

Wedding Day: May 27, 2000

Today: May 27, 2008

Ok, for the mushy part -- we've experienced quite a bit in these past 8 years, and we love each other more now than on our beautiful wedding day! We have the Lord to thank for that -- and pray for many more years together!

Sibling adoration

2008-05-22T17:56:00.002-04:00

Not much going on. Nathan finally gave his mama a laugh the other night. He spends more time awake and loves to talk to his sister, when he's happy!

Megan loves to talk with her baby brother, too! Just lately she has tried to pick him up... I have to keep a close eye on her!! She's quick!

Here they are holding a conversation known only to them:

Nathan's face looks different to me every day! I'm hoping to do another mommy/daddy comparison one of these days! I see a lot more Ben...but, there are definitely some moments when he looks exactly like my baby pictures!

This afternoon, I was changing the sheets in the kids' room and Megan had to be next to Nathan. Next thing I know, she's grabbing his legs and kept insisting, "Stinky! Stinky!" Nathan took the leg flinging in stride and did NOT need a diaper change, but it gave me a good giggle! Megan will be a great mommy someday! :-)

Hope you're all having a good week!

Busy, busy, busy!

2008-05-16T08:13:00.002-04:00

Time gets away from me these days! If it's not one thing on my list, it's many things on my list! And, those many things keep growing into many, many things!! I think I'm behind! :-) I'm trying to slowly weed out the junk in our house, but it isn't easy! Megan seems to be getting some more teeth (I feel several sharp bumps on her upper right gum) and is extra needy (and whiny!) lately...and Nathan, of course, still needs plenty of attention himself. One of these days, I'm just not even going to look! I'm just going to sweep my arm over a shelf and whatever falls into a garbage bag won't ever be seen again! :-) That'd be a quick and simple way to clean everything out! And a lot less stressful for whenever we move...someday!

The kids and I ran errands yesterday. I was able to open a savings account for Nathan. I had set aside some gift money that he received and finally had the energy to forego the drive thru and take both kids inside the bank! I'd say I'm doing pretty good...I didn't get around to setting up Megan's savings account until she was 6-7 months old!

New with Nathan: On Mother's Day, he gave us his first LAUGH! Daddy was making silly faces and he laughed two times in a row. No giggles since, but Nathan just loves to smile and talk to anyone who will listen.

New with Megan: She is learning how to blow dandelions. Although, now that we've shown Megan how to "blow," she likes to blow any and everything else...like a mouth full of milk or chewed up goldfish. Hm, yeah...not funny. Now trying to re-teach Blowing 101.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

First Shots

2008-05-06T08:23:00.006-04:00

I took Nathan for his 2-mos well-baby visit yesterday (late appointment - he's 3 mos). I checked Megan's baby book on Sunday night to see her weight at 2 and 4 mos so I'd have a guesstimate. She weighed 9 lbs at 2 mos and 11 1/2 lbs at 4 mos. I can't tell if Nathan is growing around the same rate Megan did -- I just feed him! :-) But, I figured from Megan's stats that Nathan might be around 10, 10 1/2 lbs. And, he was!

Nathan now weighs 10 lbs, 5 oz and is 21 1/2 inches long. Both numbers in the 5th-below 5th percentile. Nathan didn't see his regular pediatrician (the office didn't send me the appointment-change letter); so, the nurse practitioner squeezed him in. She said I could start solids next month if I wanted to...and, that was about it. I didn't have any questions. Megan and Nathan are close enough in age that I feel like I was just going through 1st shots with her. Oh, yeah...there was that! :-) Nathan got 3 shots, and Megan screamed louder than he did! Nathan stopped crying as soon as I picked him up; Megan cried during the entire visit - almost. As we left and walked down the hallway, Megan saw the nurse and waved while sniffling and saying, "buh-bye, buh-bye."

I was glad when it was all over!

My 2 handsome guys:

Nathan's getting so big! Time for another diaper size graduation! I'm using up my last package of size 1's...and, it's time for size 2's! I'm also planning on switching brands. Prices just keep going up and up, and I can no longer justify $11/wk diapers per kid when the cheaper ones work. Making the decision easier was my shopping trip yesterday... there were no Pampers size 1 or 2's left on the shelf! I've thought about switching to Luvs (got a sample in the mail and liked them)...but, they didn't have size 2 in those either! So, I bought White Cloud size 2 and tried them when we got home. I think they'll be just fine. Megan still has a stash of Pampers to work through - but, I hope to start potty-training by July, so we shouldn't have to buy too many more diapers for her. What a wondrous day that will be! :-)

Finally got all clothes sorted this weekend! It was a JOB! Megan loved one of the nightgowns we found -- she said, "RELLA!" when she put it on (Cinderella). She also began twirling so she could see the nightgown "spin." :-) Soo cute! She grabbed a hat and twirled around and around the living room.

The funniest part -- she took off the hat and bowed!!! (Where in the world did she pick that up?!!)

Hope you all have a great week! (Welcome home, Nana and Grammie!! We've missed you and can't wait to see you!!)

Say, "CHEESE!"

2008-05-04T15:46:00.001-04:00

On to project #2!

2008-05-01T15:14:00.003-04:00

I finally finished my biggest project on my to-do list this week! Yay...but, no rest! It's on to project #2: sorting Megan's dresser! I've told many that this is a most difficult task for me! If I do it while Megan is awake, she helps too much! You know, taking the clothes out of the "toss" pile and putting them in the "keep" pile. Or, taking from the "keep" pile and putting clothes in the Salvation Army bag...! :-) If Nathan is awake, he most likely needs to be held... so, I've been procrastinating the sorting for weeks now! The weather is getting warmer, so I need to pack away the winter clothes and dig out all of the spring-y, summer-y stuff. It is not a task I enjoy, but I NEED to get it done! I'm hoping I'll get it all done to my satisfaction by Saturday! Yes, it'll take me at least that long! :-)

A few pictures... here's how I found Nathan asleep the other day:

More shoes...purse swinging from the arm...jibber jabbering away!

Me and my kiddos (Don't have many pictures of me with the kids...I'm usually the picture-taker! Ben took this for me last Sunday):

And, enjoy the new *VIDEO* of Megan running around the house in my high heels! (You'll have to scroll to the bottom of the page to stop the music if you want to hear the video's audio).

We're still alive!

2008-04-28T08:25:00.004-04:00

I just had a very busy week last week, no free time to post...and, it looks like it'll be just as busy this week! Even today, I'm uploading pictures and typing between diaper changes and bottles!

I'm always keeping my eye out for houses that are for sale closer to church and Ben's work. On my way to church Wednesday night, I saw a "For Sale" sign on a house only 3 - maybe 4 - houses down from church! The outside is very well-maintained with a beautiful big yard, complete with a swingset! The inside looks like it might need some updating...but nothing too terrible. With the price of gas so high, Ben's commute would be cut over half...and we could walk to church in nice weather! I'm also thinking I could get a craft room! **Aaahh!** Sounds too good to be true, huh?? Well, it is. Like most houses we've checked out, this one is just a bit out of our price range. I think we'd be laughed at if we offered what we could afford; although, who knows!? The sellers might just be desperate enough to accept! lol! Oh well...we'll keep looking and dreaming of desperate sellers...or big checks in the mail! lolol :-)

Here are some pictures:

The closest I've been able to come at capturing one of Nathan's smiles. Here's a picture of the tail end of one:

BIG blue eyes! (also looks like he has a stubborn-set jaw, doesn't it?!)

THANK YOU, Uncle Al and Aunt Rachael!! Megan looves her new slide!!

First time picking dandelions, or, "RAH-RARHS!!!" Megan had so much fun seeing a yard full of such "piiitteee" (pretty) flowers! :-)

Got to get back to my busyness...! Hope you all have a great week, despite the cold and rain that's forecasted!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

2008-04-18T20:32:00.003-04:00

...a beautiful day for a neighbor!

The weather yesterday and today has been gorgeous!! Yesterday morning, I made my first Walmart attempt with both kids...and, I'd say it was a success! They both behaved in the store -- Nathan did all of his crying in the car on the way to and from! Then, after lunch, we decided to visit Aunt Rachael. Megan loved playing with all of the other kids -- Aunt Danielle came with her girls, too! We were all very tired by the end of the day...but, it was a good tired! Must've been! Nathan slept a 5-hour stretch last night!! I just may go to Walmart and Rachael's every day if it makes him sleep! lol! :-)

Then, tonight, Megan played outside with daddy when he got home from work. She loves discovering things in the yard...mostly sticks! :-) She also found a few "rah-rarh!"s (flowers) that she picked all of the petals off of. Then, she used her sticks to whack her ball around -- not sure if she's playing golf, lacrosse, or baseball?! Whatever it was, she was having fun. Nathan sat in the bumbo seat for a little while and then decided he'd rather sit in mama's lap while watching his big sister.

Hope you've all been able to enjoy the nice weather, too!

Chubby Cheeks and Shades

2008-04-16T15:52:00.002-04:00

Just a few pictures today. Proof of Nathan's chubby cheeks...look at that double chin a'comin!

Daddy bought Megan some shades last time we were in Walmart. She already has a pair, but, Ben couldn't resist. (Daddy's girl??!) Anyway... she's played with them, but not until I showed her herself in the mirror did it click what/where they were. Oh, boy! Then Megan just cracked us up. She began talking to herself...kissed the mirror...and winked at herself!!! We were laughing so hard! Ham alert!! :-)

Our Weekend

2008-04-14T08:44:00.004-04:00

Even after all these years (8 in May!), Ben still surprises me with flowers! He brought these home on Friday... they are soo pretty! (And, he's pretty wonderful!) :-)

Nathan is growing bigger and bigger every day! No idea on weight. He won't go to the doctor's until May. But, he's certainly filling out his clothes and cheeks! :-) Starting to get some "pinchable" fat on his legs, too! :-) Nathan has begun cooing and gave us his first smile last Saturday - we've gotten a couple more since. It's perhaps a little too early to tell, but, we've had to work awfully hard for those smiles! That's exactly how Megan was (and is!)... do we have another sober baby on our hands?!

Saturday was beautiful! Ben did a little yardwork and Megan HAD to be with her daddy!

Then, Ben worked on the lawnmower and guess who HAD to be his helper?

Giving "Nay-Nay" bedtime kisses

All prettied up for church

Hope you all have a great week!

Birthday Weekend

2008-04-07T10:54:00.004-04:00

My grandma is very special to me, so I was very glad that we were able to be with her to celebrate her 90th birthday. The party was just after lunch, so Ben, Megan, Nathan, and I went a couple of hours early to visit in Grandma's room (she is now living in a nursing home). We were also able to sit with Grandma in the dining room during her lunch. We wanted to be able to visit with her without the loudness and craziness that gatherings are bound to be!

The party itself was nice. I got to see several of my cousins - some that I haven't seen in at least 15 years!

Megan loved the cake! (You should've seen all the frosting on the chair when she was done!)

I've debated whether or not to get one of these... I finally saw a double stroller on craigslist (on Wednesday, got it Thursday!) that was about half the price of a new one. We don't often use a stroller...but, for those times when we WILL (the mall or zoo), this will be great! We used it at Grandma's party in case we needed to take a walk to keep the kids happy.

After Grandma's party, we went over to Stacey's house for supper.

The obligatory-whenever-we're-all-together-oh-what-a-circus family pictures - Take one: hm. Well, besides terrible lighting, a squirming Josiah, and a not-looking Megan or Mike...where's Ben? And, where's Nathan?

Take 2...getting worse! Some adults laughing...others with pasted smiles...children who have NO desire to be there:

Take three...better. Only Megan is really unhappy. Success? Not really... we're missing Josiah! *Sigh* I don't think it will ever be easy -- or that we'll ever get a somewhat perfect picture. All we'll really get are memories of the moment... good and bad! :-)

Megan and Caleb eating dinner together:

How we all felt after this weekend:

Hope YOU all had a good weekend!

Weekend visitors...

2008-03-31T11:16:00.002-04:00

Grandpa and Grandma W came for a little visit this weekend. Megan had fun playing with them and put on quite a show. We love when they visit us, because it doesn't feel like company! We never feel the need to make conversation or entertain them (although Megan does that all by herself)! Grandpa and Grandma make themselves right at home...dad using the remote and mom checking her email and baking banana bread! :-)

Here's Megan playing with Grandpa W. There is just something about daddy, Grandpa P, and Grandpa W! They can get Megan to giggle and be goofy like no one else can!

Sorry about the red-eye in the next two pictures... forgot!

In just the last 2 days, Megan has begun to say her brother's name. "NAY-NAY!" she yells as she points to him. "NAY-NAY!" :-)

Megan bouncing and jumping on our guest room bed... uh, an air mattress in the living room!

Looks like we have a quiet week at home ahead. We'll be heading up to Grandpa and Grandma W's house on Friday for the weekend - my Grandma is turning 90 and we're having a little celebration for her. I'm told that Megan's cousin Caleb is anxiously awaiting her arrival - he is looking forward to someone new to play with! And, I know that Aunt Leah and Aunt Stacey are excited to see Nathan...they haven't met him yet! And, I can't wait to see how much my nephew Micah has grown!

Our little guy!

2008-03-27T09:49:00.001-04:00

We are still getting to know our little Nathan Alan. But in these short 7 weeks, we know these few things about him. Nathan:

loves to be held
gets hiccups after almost every feeding
cries a lot
just graduated from newborn diapers to size 1!
likes to snack, thus is ALWAYS hungry and eating!
loves to be rocked in the rocking chair
likes to sleep on his belly in the pack 'n play
doesn't sleep soundly for very long periods of time; would rather catnap
loves to look at and listen to the things going on around him
is often found with his hands tightly clasped together or into tight fists
doesn't really like the swing or bouncy seat (much to mama's dismay!)

We are anxiously awaiting Nathan's first smile. It should happen sometime soon! Really, we're anxiously awaiting ALL of his milestones and watching him grow and change.

*Many thanks to Uncle Paul for the picture of Nathan...taken on Easter Sunday*

Our Sweetie

2008-03-26T10:44:00.002-04:00

At almost 21 months, Megan:

has 8 teeth
loves bathtime and her duckies
can say several words; some are: "ball," "no," "baby," "wow," "pooh" (pooh bear), "cup," "nose," and "kitty"
loves to draw and color
has to be wherever daddy is; loves to "help" him with anything he is doing
loves to play with mama's hair and cuddle next to her while drinking juice or milk
waves at the TV whenever Tigger and Pooh is on
knows where her nose, ears, eyes, mouth, belly, and toes are
loves jello jigglers
uses any cloth or piece of clothing to "clean" around the house
loves to sit in her dolly stroller
tickles her baby brother's toes

But most of all, our Megan is...our sweetie!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T19:56:00.005-04:00

We hope each of you had a wonderful Easter celebrating that our Savior is risen! We enjoyed a nice Easter breakfast at church!

Before heading to church, I tried to get a few pictures of the kids in their new clothes. Megan was quite uncooperative - and even looks bored in the second picture! :-)

The best I could do while she ran around the tables at church:

Enjoying some scrambled eggs and toast (notice the fork that was in her other hand? it worked for a little while, then she decided her fingers were much more efficient!):

Our complete little family:

Tuesday's Toy Dilemma

2008-03-18T10:45:00.004-04:00

I keep trying to get a nice family picture. Very difficult! Here's a quick one that we snapped before church on Sunday. Ben laughed that I propped the camera on top of our tv...when he bought me a tripod for Christmas! I just didn't have time! We were supposed to be walking out of the door! So, this picture was the only one snapped...it will have to do for now! (The never-going-to-happen-dream picture would be of Megan smiling and a no-pacifier, eyes-opened Nathan... ! Ha - maybe someday!)

Trying to rock both crying kids...

A turned-upside-down doll stroller makes a great reading chair!

On Saturday, we bought Megan her first purse - for Easter (there are pink flowers on the front). She has loved carrying it around and putting little toys in it. This morning, I found her walking around, purse swinging from her arm, with a puzzle piece held to her ear as a phone, jabbering away. Cracked me up! Such a little lady!

This afternoon is Operation Toy Sort and Store! I've mentioned it before, but, it's true!! Megan has waaay too many toys for such a little girl! A week or two before Nathan was born, I knew I needed to do something to make room for a swing and bouncer. So, I bought a 20-gallon rubbermaid tub and tossed whatever toys would fit in there. STILL the living room was full of toys and books! When my mom was here, she bought another 20-gallon tub...and, I filled that one, too!! Nathan is now almost 6 weeks old and Megan hasn't even noticed 2 WHOLE TUBS of "missing" toys! I had every intention of rotating the toys in the tubs with her one toy basket that is under the end table...but, now I don't know! I just don't have room to store a rotating toy store...and, Megan would still rather play with a flashlight, Ben's deer grunt call, bowls and spoons, boxes...basically any non-toy item above and beyond what is in her average-sized toy basket! Most of the toys aren't girly, so I can pack them away and get them out as Nathan grows...but, not quite sure what to do with them until then. I know what Ben wants to do....

I can tell my energy is starting to come back! There is no other reason that I would tackle such a job! :-) My blood pressure readings are also staying in the normal (to low) range! In fact, I've been feeling quite light-headed when I stand up or stand in one spot for too long. So I called my doctor yesterday, and he gave me instructions on weaning myself off of this last medicine. Yay!

Hope everyone is doing well! I'm off to clean Megan up from her peanut butter and jelly lunch!

Mama's Big Helper

2008-03-12T16:11:00.002-04:00

Megan pats her legs when she wants to hold her brother. Today, Nathan was hungry at the same time Megan wanted to hold him...so, I let her do bottle duty. She did a great job! Even holding the bottle upright enough so that Nathan actually got to eat! (Too bad I couldn't teach her to change dirty diapers!! lol!)

I am so thankful that Megan has adjusted so well to Nathan being here. Most days, I think she'd rather give him kisses than her mommy! Seeing them together just makes my heart melt! :-)

Just another day...

2008-03-07T08:51:00.005-05:00

...and just a few pictures to share. Nathan is starting to be alert a bit more. He loves lifting his head and looking around, listening to all the noise his big sister makes. His eyes are pretty blue -- Megan's had a dark cloudiness to them and are now brown. I'm thinking Nathan's just might stay blue or green! I can also tell he's growing! His feet are right to the ends of his little preemie outfits!

On another note, my blood pressure has been pretty normal so my doctor is having me stop one of the meds that I'm on. We'll keep watching it and he says that he hopes I can start weaning off of the other med soon. I hope so, too!

Here are the pictures!

Megan was helping "feed" Nathan. Mommy had taken something to the kitchen and when I came back, there was formula all over Nathan's face! :-)

Playing ball while wearing one of mommy's high heels (isn't that how YOU play ball?!):

In this modern day of email and blogs, I don't send out many birth announcements, if any. Nathan is now 4 weeks old...and most of our friends and family know he has arrived. However, I still can't resist making one, because that kind of thing is fun for me. Besides, I made an announcement for Megan, so Nathan should have one to go into his baby book as well! I have other birth pictures I want to order prints of, so eventually I'll get prints of this, too:

Making the announcement took me days of a free second here, a free minute there, but I finally think I'm done with it. I'm hoping that I can make Nathan a printed digital scrapbook of his birth story like I did for Megan. I didn't finish hers until she was a year old...Nathan might be 18 before his is finished! :-) I'm sure that whatever free time I will have for playing with my Photoshop Elements will be quickly eaten up by dishes or laundry or some other much more important task! Noo...I know me, I'll be kicking myself that I left the dishes because I used naptime to play with my digital scrapping! :-) Well, we all must have a LITTLE fun, right?!