Friday, January 30

What a kid. . .

Peter playing Pool on the wii:

"How many times do I have to tell you to GO IN THE HOLE!?"


Peter commenting on me using the restroom:
"Did you just go potty?"
"Yes, I did"
"Oh. . .I thought it was Tim"
"Excuse ME?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I mean DADDY"
"That's right. . .you are his son, so you call him 'Daddy', not Tim."
"But YOU can call him Tim"
"I like to call him 'Honey'"
"Yea, but you usually call him 'Tim'"

. . .ouch. I think I'll be working on my cute 'pet names' for Tim this week! :0)


Peter at the Hardware Store, down the piping isle:
"Wow. . .looks at all of these pipes! They are incredible! (later)
Look at this one, Mommy. . . it's super huge!!!"

Thursday, January 29

Holding on to these moments. . .

Peter: "Can I have some toast with peanut butter, no jelly please"
Mom: "Sure."
Peter: "Are you going to use a COASTER?"
Mom: "No, but I will use a TOASTER. Daddy and I got this for a wedding gift when we got married"
Peter: "You guys are already married!"
Mom: "I know, we got this as a gift when we were married, before you were even born"
Peter: "Oh. I wish I could get married"
Mom: "Really? Who would you like to marry?"
Peter: "YOU!"
Mom: "Awww. . .thank you, Peter. We won't be able to, because you're my son, but that was sweet. . . . . illegal, but sweet!"

Snow Day!




Yesterday, we had a snow storm that covered the ground. I'm guessing anywhere from 6-10 inches fell in a matter of a couple of hours. It was crazy, but beautiful. There's nothing quite as peaceful as watching snow fall. It's even more amazing to think of each one of those flakes as unique and different from any other snowflake. How wonderful to think that we are all different, unique and special. We possess different gifts, different talents, different fruits, different. . .well, differences.

{Psalm 139: 14}
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well


(pictures by Lisa Moad)

Tuesday, January 27

Prayer Need

Please pray for the Salo family. Peggy, a dear friend of our family, just passed away after a long-time battle with cancer and other health issues. She was such a encouraging testimony to SO many people.
She would be in the middle of chemo or radiation and would still remember to send you a birthday or anniversary card, and wouldn't ever be a day late!
Her earthly body had gone through so much, and even though this was sudden and unexpected, I rejoice that her body is now new, whole, perfect and walking beside her Savior. . cancer free and disease free!

Please pray for her family. . . .
Daughter and family
Son and family
and husband, Glen.

Thanks so much!

Christmas 2006

This is Peter's second Christmas.
He was 21 months.


Saturday, January 24

25 Random Things About Me

I saw this on Facebook as a fun note to fill out about yourself and thought it would be fun to post it here, too!


1. I became a believer at the young age of 6.
2. I have been playing piano since I was 4, but didn't start lessons until 7.
3. I have been married to the love of my life, Tim, for almost 7 years.
4. Tim and I dated for 4 years, so we've been 'together' for almost 11 years.
5. Tim and I actually went to the same high school, but he graduated before my freshman year.
6. I almost got a grand piano rather than a ring for my engagement.
7. I have been writing and producing music for 5 years now.
8. I prefer Caribou over Starbucks
9. I have a hard time saying 'no' to anyone/anything
10. One of my best friends died last Summer.
11. I worry way too much!
12. I never leave my house without lipstick or earings.
13. I am very vain.
14. I am in 3 different Bible Studies.
15. The only lifesaver flavor I like is cherry.
16. I now like nuts. (my taste's changed after kids)
17. I have no regrets. . I firmly believe that everything that has/will happen in my life has a reason and a purpose, by God, whether to mold me or to break me.
18. My best friend is also married to my husband's best friend.
19. I love knitting
20. I love cross-stitching
21. I love card making
22. I wish I loved scrap-booking, but see it more as a chore.
23. I love to wash, but not dry, dishes.
24. I pray a lot.
25. I wish I read the Bible as much as I pray.

Friday, January 23

Two Steps Forward


James has completed two more mile stones this week.
NO PATTY: He is officially off of his pacifier (Peter used to call it a 'patty', so that's what Tim and I call it for James)
NO WALLS REQUIRED: James can now stand up on his own, without using any kind of support. He's growing up so fast!

We're still in one piece!

Today, I sit thinking about the exhausting week we have had this past week.
Both, Peter and James, caught colds. I think I could have won a gold metal for wiping runny noses. Then, Peter got viral conjunctivitis in both of his eyes. No fun! James ended up with a croupy cough along with his runny nose, which is hard for a little guy who doesn't even know how to blow his nose yet!
I topped off the week with a sinus infection that was starting hurting my ears. I was fearful that I had an ear infection and finally went to the doctor. Thankfully, it wasn't an ear infection, but now I'm on two antibiotics.
Then, Tim (who has been 100% healthy this entire time) had horrific pain in his ear, thinking it was what I had, so he just waited it out. After swelling and redness, I gave him the check book and off he went to Urgent Care. Turns out it was, indeed, a ear infection with fluid behind his ears. So now, here is what our shelf looks like.

It used to just hold my flour/sugar, but is now the official medicine cabinet. I told Tim, "Aren't we still in our young 20/30's???? Why does our medicine collection look like we're in our 80's??!!"

Sunday, January 18

Peter Posts

I'm going to start posting some home video's on here.
So, here is some of my favorite moments with Peter, when he was little!

Friday, January 16

Small Sacrifice

So, James is teething, which means late nights and early mornings for both of us.
Last night was another one of 'those nights'. He went to bed at a decent time, but was up by 4:30 this morning. After Tim gave him some medicine and a sippy cup, his crying and screaming didn't seem to be stopping at anytime soon, so I told Tim that we needed to just drown him out for a while and let him exhaust himself back to sleep.
After a half hour of that, it was obvious that he was NOT going back to bed. Tim was working first shift today, so I knew that he for sure needed his sleep, so I got up to cradle James.
The second I picked him up, his screaming and crying *magically* stopped. Amazing!
I rocked him for a while, then tried to coax him back to sleep, but then cradled him in my bed so that he could still be in my arms. It worked wonders! The only problem now was my coughing. I think I may be getting a bad cough/bronchitis thing going on, so I had to gradually work my arms out of underneath his little body, without waking him up. It took a couple of minutes to do so, but I eventually made it clear for take off!
I left to take some medicine and drink a glass of water, then headed back to the bedroom only to find James and Daddy, both sleeping peacefully. I wasn't about to disturb them, so I folded up a blanket and laid down on James' floor in his nursery and tried to fall back asleep next to his space heater. Not the most comfortable sleeping arrangement in this world. The heater kept me warm, but the floor kept me awake.
Tim woke to his alarm and got ready for work. He asked me if I was going to put James back in his bed. I said something along the lines of "Ahh. . . .be my guest" - (meaning NO WAY!)
So, Tim gently placed him back in his bed, waking him just enough for James to look up at Tim and go back to sleep, and boy, was I was relieved!! I thought 'Yeah. . .this means I can get more sleep!'.
So, as I drug my limp, sleepless body back to my bed, I found my once fluffy pillow, now drenched with slobber. I could only laugh at that point.
I have given up my sleep, my bed, my electric blanket, my comfort and now my pillow for this little boy. I would do it again in a heartbeat though.
It's amazing to think of all the many ways that we, as parents, make those 'small sacrifices' for our children. I was thinking about that today, as I woke up (at 9:45 none the less, James let me sleep in!) . . . the sacrifices that Mary and Joseph had to make for Baby Jesus. Joseph had to sacrifice his reputation, as his family and friends probably thought he was marrying a promiscuous young girl who was now carrying a baby, possibly someone else's baby. Mary, had to sacrifice a lot too. She sacrificed not only her social life but her young perfect figure and her wedding. She did not get the wedding she had dreamt about as a little girl. She, instead, had to quickly get married and then have a baby. What a life! Then, of course, we have Jesus' sacrifices. The most obvious one being the Ultimate Sacrifice, Himself.

His own life.


But, as I was laying there on the floor in James' room, I thought, "Wow. Jesus was born in a stall. A feeding trough. Not the most comfortable place for a King to be laid in, after birth.

Mary and Joseph had only what they brought with them, as they traveled. No heater. No electric blanket. No SLEEP!
So, there's my thought for today. I hope that someday, my children will notice these small sacrifices and one day do the same for their own children.
Proverbs 31:28
Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her

Ok. . .change that rule!


Our little James, even at such an early age, got used to the fact that Daddy was gone during the evening (on second shift). He started to want to talk to him on the phone when I would call Tim at work. I would have Peter and James say good-night to him before bedtime and James (even though he wasn't actually talking) would make noises and sounds into the phone for Tim to hear. Once he was able to say 'Da Da', it became even more fun to have him 'talk' on the phone. . . .until now.
A few days ago, we experienced our first 'Oops. . . .gonna change THAT rule!'. We used to let James walk around the house with a phone to 'talk' with. He was so adorable! He would place it behind his head and say "Da Da" all day long. Well, then I get a call from Montgomery County. They asked if there was an urgent emergency at the house. I said 'no' (thinking this was a prank call). Then, the lady informed me that there was a '911' call that came from the house (actually moms house, we were visiting her) and that a dispatcher would be on his way. I was mortified! I apologized and waited by the door for the officer. Luckily, he was very nice and very young. I explained the situation and how I didn't even know he knew how to push the buttons on the phone. Apparently, he hit 'talk', waited for a dial tone, pressed '911' and then as soon as a teller answered, he hung up. That little turkey! As I was introducing James to the officer, he started to look around the place, probably looking for anything suspicious. I don't blame him. Peter, however, thought this was the coolest thing ever! a REAL Police Officer! I must have been twenty shades red.

I kept thinking, 'Peter never did anything like this when he was younger'

He never played in the toilets - like James.
He never screamed just because he could - like James.
He never threw full body temper tantrums - like James.
He never devoured everything in sight - like James.


So, today, I am going to do my best to see the good in their total opposite personalities. My goal is to appreciate them, discipline them and love them according to those differences.

Lord, help me to be the best parent I can be for these boys in each unique situation. . . .and thank You that James loves to be social :0)
Amen.

Thursday, January 15

A Parents-Christmas

This year, Tim and I decided not to get each other gifts this year. Instead, we were going to jointly buy a wii and a new large flat screen T.V. for our mantle. We used the T.V. right away (right after Thanksgiving) but we waited to use the wii until the week of Christmas.


Then, we added to our collection and got a wii fit!
And, after a week of working out on it, I'm officially sore, so it works!!!!!!

James' First Oreo

I think he likes them!

Simple Thanks

Today, on this chilly Winter day, I am thankful for Pigs in a Blanket, Peas and Peanuts.
(and so is James and Peter!)

Wednesday, January 14

He's Home!

Dad gets to finally come home!

Sunday, January 11

Home Coming for Dad

So, my dad came home last night, from his LONG 5-month deployment to the Middle East. He was a little 'too close for comfort' to some big time 'enemy' territory, but our Great God kept him safe every minute along the way. We were SO grateful and excited to see him come home!
Here is the sign that my family made for him. (The hand prints are of Peter's & James' hands!)



After all of the hugs and excitement settled down a bit, dad took a tour of his home and kept commenting on how 'large' it was. His face said "I can't believe I live in a MANSION!!" He had been living in a closet that was turned into an office, so you can imagine his glee of coming home, to a REAL home! Tim and I had gone to Bills Donuts, to pick up two of his favorite donuts just before going over to their house. So, I presented him with a large cream-filled/powered sugar donut as he was sitting in his favorite recliner and he said it was like Heaven on earth!!!! We celebrated his Christmas before dinner. He got all kinds of neat things. His 3 biggest gifts were, New Rocking Chairs (from David and Caralee), A Metal Detector (from Tim and Stephany) and a wii (from mom). During and after dinner dad got to share some of his interesting stories about his trip to Quatar.

Video's to COME!

Welcome Home



Tonight, my Dad (Steve) is coming home from his 5-Month deployment to the Middle East.
The one thing that he has mentioned missing the most is donuts! But then again, what man wouldn't?
Peter and I made a 'Welcome Home' sign, Caralee is bringing balloons and we have all of his favorites (meatballs, cheeseball, donuts, cake, etc) ready for his homecoming tonight!
We will also be celebrating Christmas tonight with him! He missed many big momentous occasions while gone (i.e. His Birthday, His Anniversary, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years) So, we have a couple of great surprises for him tonight!


Check up for more pictures and stories of his Homecoming, tomorrow!!!

Tuesday, January 6

Christmas Day!

After Tim and I and our boys had 'our Christmas' together, we headed over to my Mom's house for Christmas with her, my sister (Caralee) and her hubby (David).
. . . .and, as usual, My Mother said "I don't have any presents for anybody, I'm so sorry!" - which I think she has said every year of my life, and then we wake up to something that looks similar to this. . .







'THE MOUNTAIN' as Caralee and I call it.
And, you can't see it in this picture, but the gifts wrap around the back of the tree, from the left chair all the way under the right chair until it is touching the entryway.




Can you find Peter?

James' new fire-truck!

James, NOT helping Peter open his gifts

Peter's new books!

James' new Bug Book! Oooo, it's soft!!

Dee-Dee helping Pete find more gifts under the pike o' presents

If you look close at James' face, he is grinning from ear to ear! He knew what THIS gift was. . .sippy cups!!!

This was the best way to make sure that James didn't open Peter's gifts and Peter didn't open up James' gifts. Poor kid had to sit in confinement for about an hour. He didn't mind, though. Caralee kept bringing him presents to open!

Christmas Eve

This morning, I made homemade sticky buns, with pecans. This was a hit last year with the family, so I saved it for Christmas Eve. Peter even ate them! (He's not one for 'new' foods, so the fact that he ate them WITH the nuts too, was a huge deal!)
Today, we are going to be going over to Grandma and Grandpa Weldon's house to celebrate Christmas with them and Pat and Catherine too! Peter was very excited, because he knew that TODAY was the day that he would get to open gifts! It was also good incentive for Tim and I, to make sure that he remained on his best behavior!
Since my dad is still over seas, we decided to spend Christmas DAY with my mom at her home and Christmas Eve with Tim's parents. We also invited my Mom to our Christmas Eve Dinner and to our church's Christmas Eve Service. Every year, we have a beautiful service, filled with singing, Scripture reading and then we always end the service with an a cappella version of Silent Night, while we all light a small candle we each received before the service. It brings tears to my eyes every year (and of course Tim's eyes too. . .he's a big softy!) What a beautiful way to express our praise and worship to our Newborn King!
The Weldon's had a catered meal ready for us, for an early dinner and we ate WELL!! My mom sat with us and we talked the night away. . . almost forgetting to get everyone ready to go to church!
After our church service we said our good-bye's to Grandma Shaeffer and headed back to the Weldon's for the Weldon-Christmas.
James: Walking always with one hand straight up in the air!

Peter and Grandma Weldon

Peter and James, playing together!!

The boys, opening their gifts. . . .




Pat: opening his duck!

Mommy watching James drool all over his new doggy!

Grandma Weldon, Great-Aunt Eleanor & Grandpa Weldon watching the boys open their gifts

James it a bit overwhelmed with his gifts!

Uncle Pat and Peter making funny faces

Monday, January 5

December 23rd

Today was another eventful day, and became even more eventful, due to the harsh weather.

Everyone came over for breakfast again this morning. Peter, was so excited to see Pat and Catherine again, he woke up extra early just incase they would be there early.
After breakfast, we all sat around while Pat and Peter went outside to do a test drive of his new big-wheel! It was cold outside, but that didn't stop the boys from having fun!


After Grandma and Grandpa went home, Tim and I put the boys to bed, for a good nap, I made some coffee and we enjoyed some catching up with Pat and Catherine. It was so nice! We told funny Christmas stories and shared some of our own family traditions. We really enjoyed that down time with them!
I received a call from my mom (who was in Columbus, dropping my Aunt off at the airport), saying that the ice on the roads was horrific and she wasn't even going to bother driving home. She had seen enough crashes on the roads to last her a lifetime and she didn't feel safe driving back to Dayton, so she stayed in a hotel room at a local hotel. I emailed my dad, who is still in the Middle East, to let him know where she was, and then Tim and I watched the news to see when we were going to get this storm.
Well, we ended up getting an Ice-Storm, which I didn't even think existed until today, that within the hour. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING had ice on it. The term 'Black Ice' was an understatement. Tim insisted on getting some 'last minute' stocking stuffers and I had the boys to get ready for our car ride to a restaurant. I was very nervous about Tim being out in this weather, but he was safe and sound and met us at the restaraunt. It was very tricky holding James while holding Peter's hands, trying to cross a street covered in ice. The Lord was looking over all of us that evening and keep us safe!
We headed home to let let Pat and Catherine get their doggy, to bring back to their hotel room, but I couldn't get my car up our driveway, so I parked on the street and had to walk through the yard to make it to the front door. I made it to the door, but on my way back out, I slipped on the ice and fell down on our sidewalk. It was weird, because it felt like it was in slow motion. . I remember thinking 'Oh, no, I'm going to hit my head!', so in the seconds it took to fall, I lifted my head so that when I fell I wouldn't hit in on the concrete. It worked and I was fine! I hurt my hands pretty bad, and kept ice on them for the remainder of the evening, but the concern of my sweet hubby for me, made it better!
We went home, and Tim walked the kids into the house and we tucked them in bed. We were all very excited about tomorrow, Christmas Eve!

Friday, January 2

December 22nd

Patrick and Catherine came in to town the night before, but it was late, so we waited to see them for breakfast at our house this morning.
It was a cold, brisk morning. Peter was up and looking out the window, waiting to watch them pull up in our driveway. Sure enough, right on the dot, Pat and Catherine knocked on the door with a huge present in hand. . ."Oh, boy", I thought, "And it begins. . ."
Peter was so excited to see them! Pat, right away, showed him the wrapped gift and told Peter that it was for HIM. . . ."Open it, bud!" he said.
Peter's eyes were so big as he tore through the wrapping.

Sure enough, a big present means a big gift!

He got a BIKE!!!!! Well, better than a bike . . A BIG WHEEL!!!

Peter wasn't really sure what it was but he was super excited about it! Right away, Pat, Catherine and Tim started putting the bike together. Since it was cold outside, we let Peter ride it in the house.


Which. . . .also lead to his first 'big boy' boo-boo. He threw himself backwards, trying to pull a 'wheelie', and put a small gash in his head, which did bleed a little, had a little bit of a bloody nose and a bleeding tooth. He didn't care for it at first, but Patrick talked it up to being 'a man', so Peter felt really tough and proud of his injuries!
We enjoyed a full breakfast with the Weldon Grandparents, Great-Aunt Eleanor, Pat and Catherine and our family of four. So, pretty much, after breakfast, we all just sat around, while our bellies went into shock. lol
Grandma and Grandpa Weldon, Aunt Eleanor and the rest of the Weldon-gang played with the boys all morning into nap time while Tim and I cleaned up a bit. I made some peppermint hot chocolate and soft pretzels and we all just relaxed. For hours!! It was the perfect beginning to our Christmas week!
We had big plans for dinner tonight. Grandma and Grandpa Weldon took us all to a very nice (and fancy!) French restaurant where we enjoyed very fine dining! Grandma really thought ahead on this one, because she booked us to have our own private room (with doors and everything!) for the kids to 'run around' and play in.


They didn't have a kids menu. . . .shocker!. . . so they mixed some fancy noodles with some fancy cheeses. . .and whallaaa! French-Mac & Cheese!!! And, of course, James ate anything and everything that anyone gave him. He ate two breakfast bars and a bag of cheerios JUST on the way to the restaurant and THEN ate MORE at the restaurant. What a bottomless PIT!!!
Tim had a large steak with 'french fries' and a apple tart for dessert. I shared a shrimp and scallop appetizer followed by a baked flounder dish and then a berry tart and coffee for dessert. We had a really lovely time!

December 21st

Tonight I had my last Christmas Concert, with my band Glorious Ruins.
The concert went beautifully and the audience seemed to really enjoy it. We had a love offering at the conclusion of the concert and we were able to make enough to begin our next project, a full Christmas C.D. We will being recording this Spring and will have it ready to sell by this Fall.
Peter sat during the entire program and tried to sign with the signer, sang the songs he knew and even 'air-drummed' with our drummer. After the concert, Peter came up on stage and gave me a kiss on m cheek and said "Wow, Mommy, you did a good job singing!" Then, our drummer let Peter play on his drum set as loud as he wanted. Peter thought he had landed on a cloud!