Come On In 2010!

I am so glad that tomorrow is a brand new day and the start of a new year. The last day of 2009 sure has not gone quite the way I planned.

To start off with, Micah did not fall asleep until 2:30 this morning. Today was my work outside the home day and I was supposed to get up at 5:00 so that I could get everything packed and everyone dressed to be out the door by 7:15. Somehow, the alarm did not get set after Joe left for work at 3:30, and I woke up at 7:02! Thirteen minutes is simply not enough time to pack lunches, nurse Micah, fix bottles, shower, dress three children, give everyone their meds, dress myself, and get supper in the crock pot. I finished up and walked out the door at 8:00, only forty-five minutes late. I called my boss on the way to the sitter and left a message saying that I would be in a little later than usual. When I got to the sitter, she met me at the door saying that her child was sick with a fever and she thought he had the flu. LOVELY!

I gave up on work for the day, packed all of the kids back into the car and headed home. Both Noah and Jonah were upset that they did not get to play at the sitter's house, so they were not in the best of moods. During Jonah's nap time, Noah and I experimented tried out a new recipe that turned into a disaster. Not only did we waste perfectly good ingredients, I ended up with chocolate strung from one end of the kitchen to the other.

After Joe came in from work, things calmed down a bit. We went to my Grandmother's house to have supper (my crockpot chili from this morning) and shoot fireworks. By the time we got home it was time for bedtime routines and once again meds all around. The kids have been sick for some time now. It seems as soon as they get over something, they come down with something else. I am dispensing thirteen prescription medicines among my three children twice a day.

I was telling Joe that I don't know how I have managed to keep all of the kid's medicines straight for the past few weeks when I realized that I had just given Noah one of his medicines twice. Not only had I given it to him twice, but I had given him double the dosage amount each time. This meant that my child had just ingested four times the amount of medicine that he was supposed to have.

1-800-922-1117

Does anyone recognize that number? It is the poison control hotline. I memorized it when Noah was a baby after he drank a bottle of formula mixed with Christmas tree preservatives. (Long story for another time!) Anyway, I spoke with a very nice lady who took all of my information and told me that Noah would be just fine. He just needed to drink plenty of clear liquids to dilute the meds in his system. I gave him one glass of juice and three glasses of water. Did I mention that I give meds at bedtime? I am assuming that I will be changing sheets in the morning.

So the last day of 2009 has definitely not been my best. Come on in 2010...it can only go up from here!

Proud Momma

Me: Noah what is your best Christmas present?
Noah: You know!
Me: Well, I'm pretty sure, but I want to see if I am right.
(Thinking he is going to say his bike)
Noah: The best gift is Baby Jesus!

Bumps And Bruises

Jonah has once again proven to us that he needs to be in full body armor at all times. Tonight we decided to put some pork chops on the grill. Joe was out back getting the grill ready while I was in the kitchen getting the rest of supper done. Noah was out riding his new bike through the mud, Micah was eating Cheerios off the floor, and Jonah was standing at the back door feeding the dog leftovers...with a spoon. Pretty normal evening at my house. All of a sudden I heard several thumps. By the time I reached the back door, Jonah was at the bottom of the steps on top of the dog. Joe got to Jonah before I did and said that he saw the whole thing but could not get there in time to catch him. Jonah had lost his balance and both he and the dog went for a quick trip to the bottom of the steps. Jonah ended up with a scrape down the side of his face, a bump on his arm, and a cut right on the top of his head. Add that to the cold that he already had and he has turned into a horrible crank! Hopefully all will be feeling better soon.

Merry Christmas

It is hard to believe that an entire year has passed since I sat down to write last year's Christmas letter. Time really has a way of getting away from us! Looking back over the events of this year, it seems as if some of them were only yesterday.
January
This was a big month for Noah. He turned five years old, lost his first tooth, and experienced his first ER trip due to a scary case of croup.
February
Joe and I found ourselves outnumbered as we finally welcomed Micah Joseph Givens into our family. He came to us weighing 9 lbs. 3 oz. and was 20 inches long.
March
A month of adjustment as we all tried to figure out our new "normal" and I recovered from my c-section. Micah gave us his first real smile and Jonah got his first haircut.
April
Oops, a bump in the road. Just when we thought we were getting the hang of things, Joe had to take me to the ER on Easter Sunday and I spent five days in the hospital with an infection. Joe and I celebrated our sixth anniversary with me being released from the hospital. Many thanks go to our families for stepping up and taking over for us.
May
Busy, busy, busy! Trying to make up for lost time we packed a lot of activities into this month. We picked berries, visited the Great Swamp Sanctuary, celebrated Joe's 33rd birthday, and started fencing in our backyard. We also welcomed our newest addition to the family, a black and white bunny named Spotter Bunny Givens.
June
Noah overcame his fear of heights and started sleeping on the top bunk. I began praying that Jonah would develop a fear of heights and would stop trying to be an acrobat. We seriously considered putting him in body armor! My birthday fell on Father's Day, so Joe and I shared our special day.
July
Another busy month. Micah cut his first two teeth, started rolling, and ate his first bite of solid food (mashed banana). We spent July fourth down at the river enjoying family. Joe and I decided that we would send Noah to Kindergarten outside of the home, so Noah and I toured schools and finally decided on Edgewood Baptist Preschool. All of the boys enjoyed Veggie Tales Bible School at church.
August
We spent a lot of time at the beach, trying to stay cool. Jonah started sleeping in his big boy bed. At five years old, Noah experienced his first trip to a mall to do school shopping. This just shows how far out in the sticks we really do live!
September
Jonah really started verbalizing more and was not shy about talking! Noah started his first day of Kindergarten and LOVED it. I settled into a good routine of spending time alone with Jonah and Micah in the mornings and then getting them down for naps when Noah came home around twelve so that he and I could spend time together.
October
Micah's top two teeth came in and he started crawling. We had a birthday party for our now two year old Jonah. As a family, we enjoyed several Harvest festivals and antique tractor shows. The boys dressed as the three blind mice for Halloween. Joe was the farmer and I was the farmer's wife. We won first place in the group category at our church harvest costume contest.
November
I learned that baby oil gets sweet tart chews out of a toddler's hair. Jonah learned not to go to sleep with a sweet tart chew in his hand. Micah learned how to pull up to a standing position. We all learned how important it is to give to others and were thankful that we were able to do so.
December
This month we are focusing on the true meaning of Christmas and celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Book of Luke tells us of the Christmas story beginning with; and it came to pass. I have taken that phrase to heart this year. This too shall pass...and so I am going to enjoy every minute while I can.
There will come a time when these crazy days of raising a family have passed and all I will be left with are the memories of these days. Because of that knowledge, I am trying to cherish every moment we have together and store up plenty of memories to keep me company for when "this too has passed." May you also use this Christmas season and coming New Year to create cherished memories with those that you love.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
Joe, Denise, Noah, Jonah, and Micah Givens

Busy Season

One live nativity, four Christmas programs, two family reunions, Christmas shopping, one school Christmas party, Christmas caroling, and two birthday parties....this all in addition to our regularly scheduled programing! It has already been a busy month for us indeed.

This morning I woke up feeling like the rush was over. We are ready. The gifts are wrapped and under the tree, the Christmas cards have been sent, and the house is clean (relatively speaking... remember that I do have three children). I stayed up late last night making sure everything was finished. Now it is time to slow down and take in the rest of the Christmas season. This week will be about enjoying our family while remembering the true Reason we are celebrating to begin with.

We will take time this week to finish reading all of our Christmas books, to laugh at the way Jonah sings Christmas carols, to discuss those important questions that Noah has been asking more and more of, and to watch Micah try and fit the baby Jesus from the nativity scene into his mouth just one more time. So pardon me while I am away for a few days, it is time for me to slow down, make memories with my family, and really contemplate God's incredible love for us.

Rice Patch Christmas Program

We had our church Cristmas program Sunday night. Noah was the only one of my boys to have a part in the actual program. After the program we all gathered in the fellowship hall and had a special visitor.

This is Micah with Pa, waiting for the program to start.

Noah was a shepherd (on the right).

Both Micah and Noah took a turn sitting in Santa's lap. Despite the fact that I have no pictures of him, Jonah really was there that night. He was just not really sure about sitting with Santa. Add to that the fact that I was really not sure about putting him on stage in front of our church congregation, and there you have the reason he stayed behind the scenes. However, he did get close enough to Santa to inform him that he wanted a bike for Christmas.

Edgewood Christmas Program

Noah's school Christmas program was last night. He had been practicing for weeks and was so excited to perform. He even picked out a button down shirt and brand new tie to wear. That is a very big deal for my casual dressing son!

This is the entire school on stage for the final song of the night. He had his class Christmas party today and now he is out of school for two whole weeks. Christmas vacation, here we are!

Wise Man

Noah was in the first of three different Christmas programs last night. He filled in at my sister-in-law's church because they needed an extra wise man. He did great, even though his crown kept falling off. Tonight is Noah's school Christmas program. He has really been practicing for tonight and I think he will do very well. I hope to get better pictures there.

This is a picture of the "big cousins" taken after the performance. Noah as a wise man, Susannah as an angel, and Savannah as Mary. The "little cousins" did not participate. Christina backed out of being an angel at the last minute, Micah was just too little to have a part, and I did not trust Jonah to get up on stage. Maybe next year...

I'm Starving!

Noah tends to be a little lot dramatic. This week as I was cooking supper, he came into the kitchen proclaiming the he was STARVING. I knew this was not the case, so I did what any good mother would do; I ignored him. The cold shoulder treatment did not phase him at all and he continued on...

Mom, I am really starving. I'm so hungry that just now when I went to get up I could feel my bones! My elbows and my knees are bones, right?

Live Nativity

Joe and I took the boys to see a live nativity tonight. Small children and live animals...what could be better? The performance was great, but the animals sure were uncooperative! Of course the runaway sheep and the wandering donkey were the parts that the kids liked the best.
I found myself thinking of all the nativity scenes I have ever looked at. Most of them portray the animals as calm, quiet creatures just looking on at the miracle unfolding before them. Tonight's animals were certainly not the calm ones I had always imagined. Sure, tonight the animals may have just been frightened by all of the lights, noises, and people around; but then how much more so would the animals at the First Christmas have been frightened by the strangers in their stable and the heavenly hosts of angels singing praises? Perhaps God calmed the animals that night, maybe not. I guess we will never know this side of Heaven, but tonight sure gave me a different perspective on what it may have been like that night so many years ago when the Savior of the world was born.

Wordless Wednesday

What Would You Do?

This afternoon, I took all three boys into Wal-Mart to pick out a toy for Noah's class gift exchange. While we were there we just "had" to look at the bicycle accessories, since both Noah and Jonah are asking Santa for new bikes. We were looking at the horns, lights, and reflectors when I noticed a man in his early twenties looking at the bike locks. I am normally not very observant at all, but this guy caught my attention. He looked very masculine, but was wearing a man bag.
I don't know about any of you, but my husband would not be caught dead wearing a man bag. I married a man who would rather walk around carrying a baby bottle in his back pocket than to carry a diaper bag, much less a purse!
Anyway, back to the guy wearing the man bag. I was letting the kids have fun with the bike horns when I saw this guy grab a bike lock off of the shelf, slip it deep into his man bag, zip it up, and begin to walk away. I stood there in shock for a moment wondering if I had really seen what I thought that I had seen.
Now let me ask you...what would you have done if you were in my shoes? Would you have said something to the young man? Would you have sought out an employee? Would you have looked the other way? What if your children had witnessed the incident? Would that have changed your reaction?

This is what I did.

NOTHING.

I looked the other way, instantly regretted it, and now I am up entirely too late at night replaying what I should have done and blogging about it. After thinking about this all day, I know what I will do if it ever happens again. What about you? What would you do?

Medicine

Jonah's approach to avoid taking his medicine...

No, it did not work...but it was creative!!!

Home Alone

My Mom watched ALL of the kids ALL night last night so Joe and I could have some time alone. We dropped off the boys about 6:30, went to dinner, and then finished our Christmas shopping. We got home about 11:30 and that is when the fun really started...

There is nothing like a husband and wife spending a romantic night at home alone. No crying for a sip of water, no begging to stay up for just one more minute, and no babies in our bed. Instead of running around tending to children, we spent the night running around catching our mouse!

Bet you didn't think that was what I was going to say now did you!! Now I am off to go get the boys and begin the Sunday morning rush to get ready for church. Thanks Mom for babysitting!

Snow

No, this is not my house. Holly sent me this picture this morning of her house in Texas. Yes, it is covered in snow! As soon as Noah got out of school, I showed the picture to him. I just knew that he would be amazed at snow in Texas. I said, "Noah this is Aunt Holly's house." Noah looks at the picture and says, "It is not a very good picture is it?" I said, "That isn't the point! Can you tell what her house is covered with?" Noah's response? "It looks like bricks."

I guess snow in Texas isn't as exciting to a 5 year old as it is to me.

EEEKKKK!

Remember July of last year when I thought I saw a mouse in the house? Remember when I wasn't taken seriously and the mouse problem multiplied? Remember when I thought we were done? Well, it is nearly a year and a half later and they have returned!
Joe brought in wood for the fireplace last night and obviously a little critter came in as well. It ran across the living room floor this morning nearly scaring me and Noah to death. Of course Jonah is in there right now trying to convince it to come back out of the wood pile and eat his cracker. I have no idea what I will do if he succeeds. I am off to buy more glue traps and metal traps and poison and whatever else I can find to get rid of a mouse before it turns into me having to get rid of many mice.

Jonah

Today I met with Jonah's allergist for our consultation. I am a little frustrated right now because I came home with bad news, good news, and no news.
First the bad news. Jonah's egg allergy is as bad or maybe even worse than it ever was. To sum it up, we were sent home with two EPI pens and told to keep them with him at all times. The nut allergy was very minimal, but since Jonah seems predisposed to developing allergies, we are to keep him away from all nuts (guess that cuts out all those family reunions for a while! LOL!!) as well as shellfish for at least one more year.
Now the good news. There is still a possibility that Jonah will outgrow his egg allergy and Jonah is NOT allergic to milk. We can start giving him milk products again immediately. He actually had chocolate milk and cheese tonight. (Not together of course!) He is only allergic to one inhalant, some type of mold that the Dr. said not to even worry about. The Dr. also figured out the crazy discoloration on Jonah's skin. It actually has nothing to do with his severe eczema, but is a genetic disorder called Linear and Whorled Nevoid Hypermelanosis. He will never get over this and will always have "spotted skin" but that is the least of our worries. His "spots" make him special and I love every one of them.
So that is the good and bad news, but basically it leaves us with no news. We have been avoiding all of his known allergens and he still is no better than before. He is still having multiple bouts of diarrhea a week and is digging at his flaky, itchy skin until he is making himself bleed. The doctor is giving him one more round of yet another antibiotic to try and heal his skin, but to be honest, I really do not think it is going to work. I hope I am wrong, and I am willing to try anything...but I am still discouraged. I just want him to feel better and to not hurt so much.
My mind knows that it could be much worse. I could be sitting in a hospital with him or not even have him at all. But while my mind knows that, my Mother's heart just wants him to have the best life possible and wants to "fix" him. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to seek out answers.

Micah

Micah had his nine month old well child visit this week. He of course is as healthy as a horse, and weighs nearly as much too! He weighs twenty one pounds and some odd ounces!! He got a little stick to check his iron levels and they turned out fine. He now has four teeth, is crawling like a champ, and is pulling up on everything he can find. He has learned how to drink from a sippy cup and feed himself finger foods. The sleeping through the night is still a work in progress, but I think we may be getting there soon...at least I hope so!

Noah

Noah had an ear infection about a month ago...first one EVER! It cleared up quickly, but he developed this really nasty cough that just would not go away. After school Monday, I noticed some red spots around his eyes, on his forehead, and even on his eyelids. He then started complaining that he could not breathe very well, so off we went to the pediatrician.
Turns out that he had another ear infection (different ear this time) and the red spots were actually broken capillaries from violent coughing. The doctor put him on a whole host of medications. Steroids, antibiotics, albuterol (sp?) treatments, cough syrup, nasal spray...basically the entire pharmacy. Through it all he has insisted that he still go to school. He is still enjoying it so much and can't stand the thought of missing a day. He says he feels much better, the spots have faded, and last night he actually slept without wheezing. I think he definitely is on the mend!

Givens Family

The official Givens Family portrait.

Picture Day

It is here again...the dreaded annual Christmas picture day. Inevitably the photo session runs into a nap time, feeding time, or potty time. Today I think we hit all three! We did get some great photos, but the process of getting there was not very fun at all.

Notice the tongue sticking out? That was Micah letting us know how he felt right from the beginning.

Jonah was REALLY tired and REALLY needed a nap.

Joe tried to bribe Jonah with a piece of candy, which then ended up in the picture.

Micah really wanted to be fed.

And Noah was just tired of the babies not cooperating.

Like I said before, we did manage to get some good shots of our family. Here is one of my three handsome men. I will share more of the "good" pics later.

Happy Thanksgiving

This month has really flown by and as I sit here reflecting on Thanksgiving, I keep realizing how much we truly have to be thankful for. This Thanksgiving I am most thankful for my husband. I have to be married to the best man on earth! This post is dedicated to My Joseph and some of the things about him that I am thankful for.

Joe has played Mr. Mom all week long, not because he had to but because he wanted to. He changes dirty diapers, and wipes snotty noses. He is an amazing father and I am so very thankful that our children get to enjoy their father.

I know that every week, Joe is going to hand me his paycheck...no questions asked. I am so thankful that we are blessed enough that I do not have to go to work outside the home and that Joe and I have the type of relationship where he trusts me enough to know that I will handle his hard earned money responsibly.

Joe understands my addiction to Caffeine Free Diet Coke and will go out in the middle of the night just to get me one if I happen to run out.

Happy Thanksgiving to my hubby, you are my best friend and the love of my life. I am so thankful that God put us together. I love you!

First Dentist Appointment

Today was Noah's first dentist appointment. I had been meaning to take him for quite some time, but just kept putting it off. For some reason, he was incredibly excited about his dentist visit. His teacher said that was all he had talked about in school all day long!
He did very well and let the dental hygienist and the Dentist poke all around in his mouth without even one complaint. The dental hygienist found one small "sugar bug bite" on one of Noah's back teeth. For all of you who do not speak pediatric dentistry, that equals a cavity.
The Dentist wants to fill it next week. He said it is not a big deal, Noah will not have to get a shot, and should be in and out in less than thirty minutes. So my question is this...if it is a baby tooth that is going to fall out anyway, why fill it? Is the Dentist just trying to make an extra buck or is there a real need to fill a small cavity in a baby tooth? Have any of you had any experience with cavities in baby teeth? What did you do? I guess that is more than one question, but any advice would be appreciated!

Sweet Tart Chews

Oh what a morning this has started out to be! Obviously, Jonah was hiding a piece of candy from me when I put him to bed last night. The little sneak then fell asleep and got it stuck in his hair!
I was in total shock when I got him up this morning and saw a large pink sticky blob of candy entangled in his hair and plastered to his scalp. Ugh. Definitely not the way I had planned for my Monday morning to go.

Thank God I have Internet and was able to Google what to do!!! What did mothers do before Google? A bottle of baby oil and a few snips of the scissors later, and the candy was all gone.
It is not too obvious....is it?? Oh well, I guess we will be a little later taking our Christmas pictures that I had planned! Now please excuse me as I am off to see what else Monday has in store for me.

Shoe Box Ministry

Our church is participating in the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child shoe box ministry. As a family, we decided to do two boxes, one for a boy and one for a girl. We have been purchasing items for a week or so and Monday during the little ones' nap time, Noah and I wrapped and packed the boxes.
After we were finished he and I joined hands and prayed for the recipients of the boxes. I said a general prayer asking that the children who received our box would feel God's love and then let Noah say a prayer. Noah's prayer was a lot longer and a lot more specific. Just a few of his requests were that his box would be received by a boy exactly his age who loved Hot Wheels cars, had never had a magnifying glass before, had always wanted a fishing game, and really liked the color orange. I am sure there were more specifications, but I can't quite remember them all.
When Noah was finished praying, I asked him if he thought he was limiting God by making all of those requests. Of course he responded by asking what it meant to limit God. I tried to explain to him that it would be difficult to find a little boy that was exactly like he prayed. I gave him an example of how it is easy for me to make him a sandwich, but if he requests twenty different things on that sandwich, he may not get it because that would be much harder for me to make.
Then he said something that blew me away...

But I'm not asking you to do it, I'm asking God.

Wow! I was reminded by my five year old that I serve a God that is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. My God is able to meet all of Noah's criteria. He can fulfill all of Noah's requests and I pray that He will. I serve a God who is limit-LESS.
If you ask Noah what omnipotence means there is no telling what he will come up with, but his grasp of the concept behind the word is far better than I will ever be able to wrap my mind around. I have a feeling that I am never going to be able to teach my children anywhere near what they can teach me!

Not Again!!!

Poor little Jonah is sick AGAIN! After feeling better Thursday and Friday, we have started the whole cycle over again. I am beginning to think that he never even had a virus, but that it is just an allergic reaction to the antibiotics that the Dr. put him on for his skin issues. I had stopped giving him the meds when I thought he had a virus, but started back this morning since he was doing so much better. Well, Jonah has thrown up all morning and is now passed out on Joe's chest. I take that to mean that it was the meds making him sick all along. I guess we will wait and see what the Dr. has to say on Monday. I hate it when my little ones are so sick. Hopefully Jonah will be back to his normal self soon.

Standing

Guess who is pulling up to a standing position?

Micah Joseph Givens

We are so proud of you!

It Is Amazing...

...what popsicles, prayer, and a little TLC can do! Jonah is feeling a little better. He still has a persistent fever, but has not thrown up all day. He even felt like eating a bit if banana this evening. Hopefully we are on the road to recovery.

Not What I Meant

Jonah saw a new Allergist yesterday morning. I had prayed before the appointment that when they did the allergy test that his egg allergy would be gone...that he had grown out of it or been cured somehow. Guess what happened??? Yep, the egg allergy did not show up on the skin test! Instead they found that he is allergic to milk, peanuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, and pistachios. I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but my answered prayer is sort of a bummer. There is a possibility that the skin test was inaccurate so the Dr. is doing a blood test to confirm the results. We will not get the blood results back until December so until then he is to stay away from eggs, milk, tree nuts and all peanut products. It looks to be a very challenging month for dinner menus.
The allergist has also started him on a rigorous treatment plan to try and calm his severe eczema. That however has already been put on hold this morning due to other issues. Jonah started vomiting about nine last night and is still sick this morning. He has vomited so much that he has burst blood vessels in his eyes. He is napping right now, but even with Tylenol and Motrin, I can't get his fever to come under 100. I have spoken with his pediatrician and he thinks that it is just a virus. Right now we are trying to wait it out. He is miserable, but I am doing my best to keep him comfortable. Please pray for his little body and for the rest of us that we stay well.

Happy Halloween

Three blind mice.

See how they run.
They all ran after the farmer's wife.
She cut off their tails with a carving knife.

Have you ever seen such a sight in your life?

Three blind mice!

Harvest Time

Yet another harvest carnival for the kids to enjoy!

Micah with one of the children's favorite sitters, Miss Amanda.

Child Locks...Part Two

Once again I have been defeated by those stupid child locks. Don't get me wrong, I think that child locks are a wonderful invention. They keep my children safe in the car until I open the door and can safely get them out. However, there are times when I wish they had never been invented. This morning was one of those times.
Today is my work outside the home day. After getting all the children buckled in with all of their various paraphernalia, (book bag and lunch for Noah, diaper bags for Jonah and Micah, and all the toys they could not live without for one day) I remembered that I had not grabbed my cell phone. I told the kids to sit tight and ran back inside. I grabbed my phone and came back to the car to a sight that made me want to just go crawl back in bed and start the whole day over. Noah has had a bit of a cold and accompanying cough. As I have mentioned before, Noah has a horrible gag reflex. He obviously started coughing as soon as I left the car and proceeded to throw up everywhere INSIDE MY CAR!!!
Noah sits in the middle, so he had tried to climb over Jonah to get out, but because of the child locks he could not get out the door. So there was puke all over the backseat and all over Jonah. Poor Jonah was just sitting there saying, "It ucky, it ucky, it ucky!"
As if that wasn't bad enough, Noah then must have realized that he could still get out of the front door of the car because he had climbed over the seats into the front seat spewing his lovely breakfast of grits and eggs all over the front of the car as well.
Joe and I have decided that we will be going back to a one vehicle household soon so we have been making our lists of what each of us wants included in the new vehicle (since we will be sharing it). His list so far is pretty extensive. My previous list was pretty simple; a bench seat in the front and four full doors. However, it has now been revised to add absolutely no child locks!

Here Comes Trouble!

Noah crawled around nine months. Jonah crawled at ten months. Our little overachiever Micah started crawling yesterday on his eight month birthday. These are the sounds coming from our house this morning:

No, you can't have that.
How did you get over there?
No, Jonah! You can't ride on the baby!

Oh what fun we are going to have now! Although I am excited for this milestone (Hopefully his new found independence will give me a bit of relief from having him attached to my hip 24 hours a day), I still can't help but feel as if I am losing a little more of my baby every day. They just seem to grow up much too quickly.

New Arrivals

Yes, it is true. Four months after Micah got his first two teeth, his top two teeth have officially broken through. Notice the passy in his hand. He does not suck on it but instead uses it as a teether. He has learned to grind his teeth and is driving me crazy with them. That has to be the most grating sound on the planet.
He is still just as bright and bubbly as ever. He loves his Mommy and loves to cuddle. He is trying to crawl, but hasn't gotten the hang of it quite yet.
His gums are a little swollen on the bottom which makes me think that more bottom teeth may be arriving soon as well. He really does not complain of them at all and so far has had an easy time of cutting his teeth. Knock on wood!

Busy Birthday Harvest Sunday

We ended Jonah's birthday party by getting ready for the annual Church Harvest Fun Day. This included face paint and costumes. Linda was in charge of face paining and Granny Faye was her first client...

Makayla got her face painted like a snow tiger.

After Linda was done, I painted Granny's hair green.

She added Aunt Rita's black hat.

And here you have the finished look...1st place in the adult category!

(We still aren't sure what she actually was)

Noah, Jonah, and Micah were the three blind mice. Joe was the farmer and I was the farmer's wife. Too bad the contest was in the middle of Jonah's nap time. We did however win first place in the group costume contest.

One sleepy blind mouse.

Linda did a great job on Noah's face.

There was lots to do at the Harvest Fun Day. Everyone enjoyed face painting, bingo, two jumping castles, basketball, frying pan toss, baseball games, balloon darts, fishing with Jesus, apple bobbing, hair painting, coins in the hay, costume contests, cake walks, pumpkin carving, hot dogs, tricycle races, trunk-or-treating, and even a hay ride. It was a little chilly, so I stayed with Micah and Jonah while Joe went with Noah on the hay ride. In Noah's words...that was the bestest time EVER!

This is Mr. Jim Brown, Pa, and "Uncle" Jerry.

(They aren't wearing costumes)

Mr. Jim Brown, (in the picture above) is our new pastor. I say new not because he just filled the position, but because after many months of prayer and discussion, Joe and I have moved our membership to Rice Patch Christian Church. We have been attending and serving there for years, but finally made it official on Sunday. This is a decision that we both felt was needed and it was a blessing for us to see both sets of my parents take the time to join our congregation to watch us take that step.

Birthday Party

We held Jonah's second birthday party this weekend. The cake was really good. Thanks Linda! Too bad we didn't take the picture until after we cut it, because it was really pretty as well.

Joe helped Jonah eat his cake.

Jonah did a much better job of getting it in his mouth this year.

Jonah Mommy opened the Birthday Presents.

Aunt Dea came and spoiled Micah some more.

The kids got plenty to eat.

Noah enjoyed playing with "the cousins".

And obviously someone showed me how to work a digital camera.

Thanks Mom!! Expect many more pictures in the future,

.....if I can remember to take them!

Jonah's Year In Pictures