8 yrs and counting....

It's a party!

2012-02-23T16:42:00.003-08:00

Trying to get a picture sent off to C.... was a not so easy feat to get EVERYone in the picture and smiling... but I think we came out alright in the end:-D

Oops where's gma and aunt S and Mbaby...

O there's Mbaby... PULLING my Hair! haha

Awww there we go! all bright eyed and bushy tailed... well except for Mbaby... but it'll do:-)

Love you, Babe!

Love,

L1 and family

Sweethearts

2012-02-15T07:44:00.001-08:00

my honey +2kids = a wonderful day of thanking God for the things I love most.

I told L2 that it was Valentine's Day and that it was a day to remember all the things we love most and thank God for them. I asked her to think of some things she loves and is thankful for her answer was surprising and it melted my heart! Her reply? "Ummm, Jesus!"

(Lord, I pray you will always be her first Love.)

Valentine's isn't a real thriller around here and most of the time C has surprised me with something special on a random day of the week Valentine's falls on which is fun... but this year was a little different... an AWESOME different... we decided that L2 was old enough for her first date... with Daddy. I had the pleasure of staying home with a handsome date myself!

This little man and I made daddy's Valentines gift

(with a little mess to top of the evening of coarse! Flying jar of powdered sugar! Blah!)

Made daddy Mexican chocolate pralines:-)

First photo with her first date.... LOVE it!

Precious memories....

C took her to the Build a bear store and let her pick out her gift and dress it to her taste... I am thrilled at the results! C recorded a sweet message in it for her to always remember.

These are the sweet memories I love most! Thank you God for my family!

Love,

Ear protection and BlendTec

2012-02-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

We always made fun of those cautious people who took the time to protect their ears from possible harmful noises. Well... we invested in a few of these bad boys while in the sport of target play. They have been a life saver or shall I say EAR saver!

In the FIELD...

AND at HOME!

Making Almond butter is fun and always has been... but with my 3 horse power engine in my BlendTec Blender... it gets alittle noisy... so while L2 is trained to cover her ears with her hands when she sees me even touch the thing... and instead of trying to temporarily move the kids to another county while blending to protect their ears... I decided to try these bad boys at home!

BRILLANT!

Now the kids don't have to move and they can "help" me in the kitchen for those many noisy projects! Why didn't I think of this a year ago! haha

Tired of trying to STIR that "NO STIR" butter? Well this recipe is awesome and keeps in the fridge spreadable as the moment it was made! Seriously... "NO STIR" required!

3c raw then roasted almonds

1 t. canola oil (optional)

1 pinch salt

Blend for about 10-15min till desired consistency with occasional stopping to scrap down sides.

(will look like dry nut crumbs for the first half of blending don't fret and don't add liquids)

The Perfect Almond Butter EVER!

have a little let over in the blender??? Don't wash it out yet!

Add: 1 hefty scoop of ice-cream

a little milk of choice

1 banana

and Blend... then you have a ....

Happy Husband

With a DELICIOUS Almond butter milkshake! :-D

Have a great day!

Love,

6mo and a haircut

2012-01-28T07:58:00.000-08:00

My baby boy desperately needed a haircut... it's been growing out of control and along with his growling... I felt like I had birthed a bear instead of a tender-hearted and determined little boy... SO he turned 6 months this week and I thought it due time he got his first haircut!

First attempt with daddy... but momma couldn't bring herself to cut it... you know how that is, right?

Yep that's how we grow 'em around here:-D

cutting a 6mo old's hair can be a challenge...

You can just hear what's running through his little head..."mom really... come on it's not THAT bad!"

Ah! a toy! BRILLANT!

So one last BEFORE picture and...

my LOVELY little assistant... She's seriously the BEST helper EVER!

My little man! He looks so old now!

Enjoy your weekend!

Love,

2012-01-19T08:26:00.000-08:00

So 1 inch weather man? Don't think so!

My little Mbaby favorite past time? doing push ups... he'd out do most grown men! Really... this is his favorite thing to do and he growls while doing it... I think I"m gonna change his nickname to BrotherBear.

If you're a grandma to this little sweetie you're most likely gonna receive one of these little beauties for Valentines.

and a few to hang on our tree:-)

Enjoy the blizzard!

Love,

2012-01-13T07:06:00.000-08:00

Love to see these two play together... it's such a joy and I am so thankful!

L2 thought she'd let M baby wear her hat this morning...

Little bug... we'll see how this will go over when your teenagers:-)

Highly doubt this boy will let his sister dress him!

What a cutie! Can't get enough!

Hope you've had a great week so far!

Love,

2012-01-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

Am I crazy? taking a 2yr old and a 5 mo old to a pottery place???

Nope... they were troopers and did quite well... we met our friends there and shared the day painting and playing. Thanks for letting us join you B!

Little man O... he's such a cutie:-)

Well hello there... how do you do? my Mr. and Mrs Bowl. (Those are my lips... I painted my lips and kissed my bowl. Romantic? No... dull and chalky would be the word.)

We had a variety of things we painted and all turned out absolutely adorable!

M baby where'd you go?

Crawling backwards...

Under the bed. My little goonberries... I love you so much!

L2 is growing so much! Can't believe how time flies... she's such a big helper and such a sweetie... Love you L2!

And for Auntie C here's her "chicken run" silly face:-)

Have a wonderful day!

Love,

LONG post:-)

2012-01-01T18:17:00.000-08:00

So it's been awhile... TX then home, Indy and B-town then home, S Christmas then home... our Christmas then off to IL now home... and I'm gonna be on DETOX this week... I'm gonna enjoy all the memories that were made these past few weeks, I'm gonna enjoy my little family, and I'm gonna thank God for the blessings He's given us in the year 2011...

with no further ado here are a few photos from out last week...

Doing a much needed cleaning of Papa's nose... he had boogies but no hands to blow it with so the girlies thought they'd help him out... see we do LOVE you papa Joe!

Papa Joe... L2's favorite man of the week:-) (he has really nice ear lobes... haha) Aw seriously ... grandpa and the little girls... so sweet!

Mom really? hanging with just the girlies?? they giggle and wiggle all the time!

3 silly girls in a tub... rub-a-dub-dub:-)

All the great grand-girlies:-)

Christmas at home was nice a Peace-filled:-)

We had a big group over to celebrate Christ's birth... watched the Nativity and drank hot cocoa and decorated ornaments.. BIG thanks to S and G for supervising the kiddos painting:-)

Christmas at my sisters... M&D K flew home and we had a wonderful couple of days hanging around with good food and fun. L2 LOVES her new kitchen and all the goodies that have been given to go with it:-)

M baby is growing growing and GROWING! He was such a joy to have this year! He was definitely the greatest gift this year:-)

ALMOST crawling... seriously... he just turned 5mo and he's scooting backwards at a crazy fast pace... now he gets on all 4s and rocks and lunges forward and face plants in the carpet... it'll be soon enough my life is going to change and I'll be chasing around this little nugget!

SO I'll cherish the quite times when he is still my sweet baby boy:-) what a smushy squishy little dude he is!

He's a GROWING boy and is now eating anything I give him... and then some as you'll see on An's blog...(homemade jerky ) Mmm.

Next on my to-do list to start the year??? an appointment with Michael Buble' and a warm drink of some sort:-) Relaxation... get ready here I come a running... I need you!!!! haha

God bless!

Love,

L2 and Family

2011

2011-12-31T14:34:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! and hope ya'll had a very blessed CHRISTmas season!

We have been all over the place the last couple of weeks and will post more on that later... but for now... enjoy your New year and may God continue to reveal Himself to us as time continues on...

We thank God for our family and friends and our new little Baby M ... 2011 was a wonderful year and I can't wait to see what God has planned for 2012!

God bless your year!

Love,

L1 and Family

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T05:52:00.000-08:00

I'm thankful for my family!

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

I am thankful today that I live in a land that is FREE and that we are able to share the greatest thing on Earth with our children... the Gospel of Jesus. This morning I told L2 that I was especially thankful today for her and baby M... I asked her what she was thankful for and with eyes lit up she exclaimed " Jesus!" How precious is that!

happy Thanksgiving!

Much love,

C, L1, L2 and BabyM

Snow! Cookies! and Friends!

2011-11-17T08:29:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday we got SNOW! Seriously... SNOW! Bring on the holidays! and what better to start this wonderful season of Thanksgiving then baking with friends... the 2 things I love!

This kid did such a GREAT job!

(and yes... our fish is alive... many have asked us if it's dead... he perks up when food is around!)

these 3 did a WONDERFUL job decorating:-)

and these added a wonderful touch to church lunch on Sunday!

Hope you are enjoying your week!

much love,

Blue!

2011-11-13T18:46:00.000-08:00

Coming home from a pizza party....

Our reaction:"Oh no!"

and then L2 says " Look daddy! Blue! blue lights daddy and red and white! "

Oh yes sweetie those are blue and white and red lights! daddy is being told to drive slower! I think it was about the only time when we actually laughed when being pulled over... M baby wasn't liking the carseat so the officer had sympathy on us and just gave a verbal warning. (thank you sir!)

Oh it's the little things in life that make me smile:-) Have a wonderful start to your week!

Love,

Little helpers...

2011-11-08T16:12:00.000-08:00

My little guy is 3 1/2 mo old already! What a doll! ahem... I mean what a stud!

I think I've used my b-day mixer everyday if not twice a day! LOVING it!

Made angel food cake for Sunday lunch:-)

Plan on dressing it up with lemon whipped cream and berries... Mmm... I miss spring!

I think we spend at least 4 hrs a day in the kitchen doing something... be it making a meal or a craft or experimenting these two are such great helpers!

L2 helping me roll our Christmas clay ornaments...

Daddy and L2 LOVE licking the whisk after I make icing... MMMmmm!

One happy little helper! Mommy loves you very much thanks for being such a sweet little girl!

Have a great day!

Love,

Daddy Love...

2011-11-03T19:29:00.000-07:00

I must say... we love Daddy ALOT around here:-)

smiles and giggles...

oooos and awes...

kisses and cuddles...

All are priceless!

Love you babe! Your such an awesome daddy! We are blest to have you!

Happy weekend!

Love,

twenty five

2011-10-26T07:19:00.001-07:00

Bake my own birthday cake???

It was about 11pm on the eve of my b-day and C is finally done with work. I jokingly try to get him to go and bake a cake for me:-) I think everyone knows that C does NOT cook. So he tries to convince me to come with him and bake it... after about 15min of trying to convince HIM that he really CAN bake a cake from a box... I finally give in and waltz out to the kitchen to help... LOW and BEHOLD! Something I always really really (secretly) wanted:-) was on the counter waiting and in my favorite color! So needless to say I was MORE than HAPPY to help my wonderful hubby bake my birthday cake! Thank you babe! This is way too much... but I am LOVING it! Love you!

Tea anyone? L2 got a tea set for her birthday!

Love watching her play...

With friends just chillin'

and cuttin'

Poor bambi's mother:-(

It was a blast and really cool to see how this process happens! Thanks G & B!

Have a great day!

Love,

2011-10-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday our sweet little Bug! We love you and Thank God everyday for your precious spirit... sweet smiles... and silly giggles! I can't believe you are 2 years old!

Play date with some friends....

Finger painting....

Made some finger paint... SUPER easy: equal parts of flour and water and food coloring!

Walla! Finger paint:-)

Gpa & Gma K got L2 the PERFECT gift... a GATOR... L2 LOVES Swamp People which are people who live to hunt gators... and L2 likes that. Forget princesses and ballerinas... bring on a spoon as a shot gun and a blow up gator and this girl is a happy chick! Oh dear.

Birthday morning... showing Baby M her new bicycle and gator:-)

Thank you all for the birthday cards and Love...

Love,

My boys

2011-10-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

What handsome dudes I must say so myself:-D

2011-10-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

We took a quick day trip to the zoo with some friends! It was so fun... we went Sunday evening and it was wonderful... We were literally about the last ones to leave. These two are about 5ish months apart and two peas in a pod! They were so fun and I love that they both had piggy tails!

L2's reaction to a "real LIVE" Gator! haha it was hilarious... "no likey daddy no likey"! She does LOVE them on the pbs videos though.

Checkin' out the zebras.

The entourage of strollers.

Always dreamt of going to Australia... guess this might be the closest I get for a while! haha

Our little Roo.

and a Daddy Roo? oh dear.

M baby slept the whole time.

Missed the opportunity to have newborn pics done... so here are a few we did get... An where are you when we need you? haha

My Sweet Babes... Lovin' it!

Love,

2011-10-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

Seems like time literally flies... like when you fly to TX and it only takes 2hrs instead of 20hrs driving? Yeah... I feel like time is in fast forward mode and I just can't soak in enough of these precious kids.

M likes to stand at the back of the couch and look at these cool balls that my friend gave us. Thanks B!

L2 LOVES play-dough... we made it right before baby M arrived and has been a favorite since! She's making pizza and cookies and pretzels... Mmmm would you like some?

L2 has not been too photogenic lately... only wanting to see the pictures I take and not realizing she has to stand still and smile first! haha So sorry about half smiles and half closed eye lids. Hope your enjoying the sunshine today!

Love,

My Heart sings....

2011-09-15T09:25:00.001-07:00

"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:3

This sweet sweet spirit of this little girl lightens up any day! I have been feeling the need to share the gospel more with strangers... but where is my courage? Where does my voice disappear to when I open my mouth? I know the need is great ... but I am small. So I have prayed and prayed that something might move me to get beyond my own self and become bold for the name of Jesus. well God answers prayers using sometimes the very small to do big things! This little girl of mine God is using... not only to open my eyes but the eyes of others. We will be in the grocery store or target or anywhere and all the sudden out of such a small little girl comes this sweet voice of both innocence and courage singing (very loud) Jesus loves me all three verses! or Jesus loves the little chilren of the world.... or what hits me This little light of mine I GONNA LET IT SHINE... won't let satan blow it out or hide it under a bushel, NO I'm gonna let it shine Let it shine till Jesus comes! There is no hiding, there is no shame... I pray she never loses this, I now understand what Christ meant when He said to have a childlike Faith... Wow. I am encouraged now every time I step foot out the door with my little singing angel by my side. Thank you God for renewing my spirit... may I use it for your Glory.

You put a song in my soul and wanna let it out
Your Spirit in my life well it makes me want to shout
I'm moved to sing with every beat of my heart
You put a song in my soul when you made me

People think I'm crazy when I'm praising your name
Well, I get so excited 'cause there's nothing quite the same
The smile on my face comes from the smile in my heart
You put a song in my soul when you made me

I will still be singing 'til the day that I die
And Lord I heard you promise a home up in the sky
My joy is in your Spirit, and song in your name
You put a song in my soul when you made me! (C'mon)

Song in my soul, I will lift my voice to you
Song in my soul, And I'll give the praise to you
Song in my soul, I will give my life to you
Song in my soul!
Song in my soul, I will lift my voice to you
Song in my soul, And I'll give the praise to you
Song in my soul, I will give my life to you
Song in my soul!

Everybody needs to know that your love endures forever (love endures forever)
Everybody praise His name, lift your voice in worship to the Father (worship the Lord)

I love you my sweet sweet little girl... may God continue to use you for His glory!

Love,

2011-09-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

These two absolutely ADORE each other! I love it!

For the last couple of weeks M has been cooing and smiling... he is such a handsome little man ( okay I may be a bit bias but it his pretty stinkin' cute!) I think he looks like the mini version of daddy with a hint of asian flare! :-D

As M gets older I am seeing that he is one patient little dude. He is almost always happy in any situation even when his cousins and sister smoother him with love!

Last tuesday we had a house full as Gma L and Gpa J came out and stopped in for dinner... we had to celebrate the big 70 with her! And Bless L & A &boys for coming up under a 4hr notice! We love you guys and are so thankful we can have you up here on a whim!

Cheers to Gma L!

I feel so blest and as the 1yr anniversary of living up her rolls around... I continue to thank God for the family and friends he has blest us with... no matter the distance, we cherish them and every moment we are able to spend with them!

Here comes Fall! Enjoy!

Love,

2011-08-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

An amazing Big sister!

L2 is loving our little man and will read to him, sing to him, cuddle him, hold him, kiss him and etc etc! She is such a help to mommy and informs mommy when it's time for "mommy/daddy hold it"... if he makes a peep.

This is pretty routine at our house... L2 wakes up from her nap and wants to snuggle baby M. So sweet! Every time I look at these two I am overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness and Praise God everyday for His continued faithfulness!

Love,

2011-08-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

I'm a BIG sister now! We are SOOO happy!

2 days before we had our little boy ... we went to the 4-H fair for the morning... it was nice to know I wasn't the biggest thing moving around there:-) These horses are insanely HUGE!

L2 loved the petting zoo... a baby miniature pony.

First things first... we had to see baby's "ears".... Everyone who knows us really well knows that L2 LOVES ears! She is loving baby and is adjusting quite well... the first night was hard... but baby and L2 are getting back into a groove ... hoping for smooth sailing from here on out:-)

Micaiah James 7.27.11

@2:30pm

8lbs 4oz. and 21inches long

I have to say... this labor and delivery was insanely a breeze! went for a 40wk doc appt. and an hour (10am) before I thought, man these contractions are getting pretty tight... should probably have someone drive me just in case this is "real" labor. So C's mom drives me and L2 up to the appt. I wait in the waiting room for 1/2 hr because my midwife was delivering another babe... Girls in background can't believe I can sleep sitting up and guessing it's a boy by how I was carrying. Finally get into the back and tell the nurse I'm almost positive I'm in "early" labor. Was brushed off alittle because I wasn't really consistent in the timing and I was still cheerful and happy. Meet midwife at 11:45am Hoping to discuss being induce somehow in the next few days and hoping to have made some progress to at least a 4cm... She checks... her reaction "WHOA you're a whopping 7-8cm with head right there ...!" So needless to say I did make some progress:-D Still not sure what was going to happen they ship me off to the LBD ward and get me registered all the while my mom-in-law is calling C to get his behind up here because there's a baby on it's way SOON! I still couldn't believe what was happening because I wasn't in pain and felt like I've felt every other day... So still hoping to have this baby that day the nurses settled me into a room finally around 1pm and I'm still thinking... "this is crazy". After changing they broke my water @ about 2pm... climb into a nice warm bath and things start heating up a hair more... and literally... I feel as though I blinked and he was here in my arms @ 2:30pm!

God is so good! we are doing well and healthy and hoping to get used to a new normal:-)

Thabks for all the prayers! God bless your day!

love,

L1 and family

Baby it's HOT outside!

2011-07-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

While we are STILL waiting... We are enjoying the blessing of AIR CONDITIONING! It was hilarious... L2 and Lola came in after being outside a while and both just laid down and chilled under the dining table... Hmm must be a good place to relax:-) L2 has been pretty opinionated on which bows she wears... so notice 3 in her hair!

This little guy is so ADORABLE! LOVE it!

Sunday we were invited to ride ponies at our friend's house ... Must say, it doesn't matter how hot or humid it is... you say pony or horsey and the kids are ALL about it! It was so cute!

Don't know if you notice but L2 is barefooted... takes after her daddy in that regard. He normally rides bareback and bare footed when we're at his grandparents house... so funny!

Okay this is what the temp read in our car on the way to my doc's appt. yesterday! 112 degrees! + what feels like 110% humidity. Never thought I'd see these numbers here in the good ole' midwest!

This mama is desperate to try anything... a few laps on the pony (which yes... held a 39 1/2 wk prego woman just fine and I didn't need any assistance getting on up there, though I had many willing young gentlemen waiting to assist and hoping my pants didn't burst a seam! haha) and still... baby is content just hanging out inside mama. I guess I should be thankful to feel so good and to have a happy baby... I am blest!

I am hoping one of these days I will be able to post our newest little addition! Due Monday.

Enjoy the sun and have fun creating ways to keep cool! Gazpacho soup with grilled sandwiches are a great meal to beat the heat and eat!

Love,

While we wait...

2011-07-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

Waiting... waiting... and waiting... I can't WAIT to see meet our little baby! I'm starting to go batty! But while we wait... we are enjoying the last days of just the 3 of us squirrels...

Caught L2 with a book singing Jesus loves me... SO sweet!

Where our sweet new baby will sleep...

(Thanks Gma L for letting me use the family heirloom crib... SO Excited to be able to use it soon:-)

L2 cheesing it up... She was so proud to have put on a headband by herself... what a cutie!

Have a great day!

Hoping next post will be introducing our new one... Or I feel I may stay 9mo prego forEVER!

I know... JUST........ NEEED......... PATIENCE!

Love,

2011-07-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

It's July... Yay! The month I should be popping this little bean out! We had a great time with family this past week at the Lakes... can't believe how old my niece and nephews are... my eldest nephew is 15 and 5'10! I actually have to look UP at him... makes me feel like a little old lady!

It's been fun to pick the "fruits of Caleb's labor" :-D We ( I mean he) actually planted a few things in our garden this year and they grew! L2 loves to help me pick/eat "broc-ee" and today she lifted basil out of the basket and said "daddy... look basil!" .... My girl knows what basil is! So fun!

Papa her favorite pal this past week...

Snacking with Daddy...

Love the look on L2's face...

Hope ya'll had a great 4th!

Love,

36ish wks and some sun!

2011-06-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

Gma G has been wanting to take pictures of the "girlies" up at the lake so today was the perfect day to do such a fun activity! It was such a blessing to spend time watching the cousins playing and to enjoy some much needed fresh air and sun! The best part... my hubby was able to come along... I must say he is the BEST uncle and Daddy in the world! Love you babe!

Our little family , can't wait to meet our newest soon!

I remained fully clothed as I didn't want to scare and scatter strangers... though it probably would have been nice to have some privacy:-)

These girls absolutely adore each other! Just love watching them!

Can't wait to see some of the final pictures off C's camera...

It was just beautiful and may God be praised for the sunshine and warmth! What a great memory... Thanks gma G and aunt S for such a fun day!

Love,

Happy Father's day, Daddy!

2011-06-18T16:07:00.001-07:00

Took my hubby out for dinner to night on a random gift card I found in our house... Mmm! I know lame right? So I made up for it by getting him a new mower! Will have to post pics soon of our freshly mown lawn... In the last 8yrs of marriage this was the FIRST time we have ever needed a mower! Happy Father's day babe... The yard looks great!

To a daddy whom I love so very much!

Just today L2 was watching Daddy making mommy some shelves and was getting a little frustrated at how the screws weren't going in smoothly... after he was done L2 (with a huge smile and great expression) says " Good JOB daddy!" nothing better to hear then that you are always going to be your little girls hero...

Love you Babe!

Love,

A weekend Away...

2011-06-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

We had a BLAST this past weekend with some of our cousins and their sweet daughter C... C and L2 are only 6 days apart so these two were quite the pair! So fun to see them play together and it was just so nice to spend time with S & A!

Here we found this adorable bench that L2 found fun...

C & L2 cheesin' it up...

along the canal walk in indy...

The girls first sleepover party! These two were definitely 2 monkeys jumping on the bed! Giggles, giggles and more giggles! So cute!

L2 balancing on the window sill...

Still smiles after we walked and walked around the square trying to find something for dinner! Mmmm our tummies were happy now:-)

(A is due in December with another little munchkin, Yay! and I am ready to meet our little bean next month YAY!)

Matching H&M dresses...

Nose? Yep it's fun to see how they both are into the same things... What cuties!

We had a great time and what a blessing it was to see more family this weekend!

God Bless your day!

Love,

It's finally WARM!

2011-05-24T07:18:00.000-07:00

Oh what a BEAUTIFUL DAY!

Enjoy the weather!

Love,

8yrs!

2011-05-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, Last week C and I celebrated our 8th year of being married! I can't believe how fast it has gone and can't remember what it was like with out this man in my life. We are so thankful for God's provision and faithfulness as we have journeyed through the past 8 yrs. Can't wait to see what God has in store for us in the future! I love you babe... thanks for all you do and for putting up with me with such patience and love!

C surprised me and took me to the Tulip festival in MI... It was GORGEOUS!!!

Love,

Mini Me

2011-04-23T08:12:00.001-07:00

Just like daddy...

Just like mommy...

Oh dear...

Happy Easter!

Love,

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

Wow it's been a busy week! Lot's and LOT's of rain... notice anything odd in the picture of the kitchen??

Yah... a soft spot in the ceiling where C was able to stick his figure through! Thanks rain!

And more interesting things found in my kitchen while my parents were visiting...

COW TONGUE!

Yah... looks better cooked and peeled... yah you have to peel it! Gag! Thanks gap Jo for providing it... thanks mom for cooking it! It did taste good...

You know when my dad's around... anything peanut butter will show up!

Aww more giggles with Gma:-)

Enjoy your day!

love,

B-town Visit

2011-04-19T19:09:00.001-07:00

my parents came to visit! Yay! We have had a great time and even got to visit B-town on Sunday... which is always a blessing! L2 enjoyed "papa and grandma" very much...

Lovin' on Papa

Like father like daughter... my little artist in the making:-D

I must say I love this picture because of L2's smile... precious!

A Baby Belly and Rain boots... just a few of my FAVORITE things!

watching papa spell L2's name different ways and drawling a house or something.

Awww... grandma... gotta love grandmas!

my great aunt "E" and sweet little "K" what a doll!

Cousins... so special! love this picture...

Have a blessed Easter weekend and may we remember the most precious thing of all... Jesus Christ, and the ultimate display of Love.

Love,

2011-04-08T16:30:00.001-07:00

Okay... I have had a request to post a pic of my "baby bump" well I have to admit there aren't a whole lot of pics to choose from, and most I'm wearing a coat. Which I have been able to hide under all winter and as I get to know locals here... they had no idea I was prego till just lately when I've left my coat at home and Presto! a Belly has popped out:-D So here's a picture of L2 mimicking "mommy's baby"... and in the back ground is a good shot of my belly and who knows what I'm talking about. haha But the girl to my right is also expecting 2 wks before me... LOOK how cute she is!

Here's my mini me :-D

Love,

2011-04-07T15:33:00.001-07:00

My Little Bean... Wow has she Grown! I have been having problems uploading my pictures to the blog so hopefully we can now update it:-D

L2 is almost 1 1/2! She's been a true blessing and we are so excited for her to become a big sister this summer....

So I've been in cooking mode the last week or so, I think part of my nesting is to make sure that we'll have enough food to feed an army if necessary... Here L2 is "washing" my apples and making daddy "apple sup" (soup) She loves helping me with things in the kitchen and I love seeing her use her imagination:-D

This past weekend was a LITTLE ... okay ALOT stressful as L2 was dealing with a 104.4 temp of and on for a few days... Praise God that she is well and remained happy through it all. I think I'm the one who cried. Here's her nicely chilled Ramboo fever headband...

She loves SHOES or "bootshoe" as she calls them... Hmmm you're probably think she gets this from Mommy... however nobody really knows how much Daddy LOVES shoes too:-D

we're starting to feel more at home and making friendships with those in the community... Remembering that God always can use you no matter where you are. There is always a hurting heart or a lost soul who is needing a friend to introduce a very important friend, Jesus Christ.

Love,

2011-02-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

When we bought our house we peaked and noticed that most the main level had hard wood floors... Yay! Well they have been well worn and so we didn't know quite what to do... but here is a before and after picture... I am pleased with the out come and CAN"T wait to move in!!! (soon)

Before...

After...

Great job Babe!

Make it a great day!

Love,

2011-02-01T16:21:00.000-08:00

A few recent pics from our week....

L2 toting around her little doll....

Surprise Birthday Party for Uncle L... Happy Birthday!

The Birthday man himself ( Sorry A... not too many pictures)

What a cheesy smile... This little nugget is continually cracking us up by her funny faces, expressions and giggles... we just LOVE her! She now tells us when she has to go potty... which is a good thing... but keeps us on our toes!

Keep tight and stay warm during our lovely winter storm!

Love,

Remember this?

2011-01-20T13:14:00.000-08:00

Remember this little bug... Aww so little and fragile... miss those days...

OOOOO! We get to do it again... YAY! Praise God!

Another Baby Schafer due July/2011!!!

Love,

Play Or work?

2011-01-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wander who it is you're talking to or what they look like when you call a business or company? I often times try to imagine the person I'm speaking with and what they might be doing... I don't think that's weird is it? Anyways... if you call Schafer-Ilustration... you might imagine my husband in an office in a button up and khakis and a paper weight on his desk... well that just isn't the case MOST times you catch him...

Popping off poor rodents and then answering the phone "hello this is C ... how can I help you??" O my... haha never know what we might catch him doing next time!

Do you see the poor thing towards the fence post? I didn't realize it was there until he got off the phone and said....

"hey babe... check this out!" O how I love my sweet darling dear.

Love,

2011-01-12T13:57:00.000-08:00

Well here are a few pictures from the last few weeks... Tearing wall paper turned out to be one of L2's favorite things to help with!

The Kitchen is near complete... it had old dingy oak cabinets and PEACH countertops! Yah... PEACH! hello... we weren't gonna stand for that:-) Plus the previous owners took all the appliances so that meant... new ones for me:-) The countertops are now pewter and cabinets have been painted an blue hue.... i think that the white appliances help brighten up the space:-) Not my dream kitchen but it'll do for now!

Hard at work....

credit has to go to my hubby... he spent much time sanding and learning his paint sprayer and finished it in a few days:-) I love the new sink and faucet too! I'll try to post more soon... super exciting!

Love,

It's a MAD house!

2011-01-08T14:04:00.000-08:00

Crazy.

That's all I can say for the last few months of our adventure here in the FROZEN tundra called the midwest. We're currently ripping, stripping and trying to nail or paint our house back together again. We are very excited for this new chapter and appreciate our family so much! What a great support and help they have been. C got a new computer and we haven't the time to download any pictures yet.... But soon I will have an update with color pictures... yay! L2 is a nut... she is getting so big and walking/running around and away from us... oh what a joy :-) She is also expanding her vocabulary and can say a whole load of things... it's so cute to hear her sweet little voice yelling "TEASE! More TEASE" as she pats her chest in effort for a good snack. Love it! Well Ya'll have a wonderful weekend and soon... I will have some pictures:-)

Love,

2010-11-14T14:56:00.000-08:00

Whoa! Snow on November 5.... and a CHRISTmas parade last night!!! Let's just say that Caleb is officially starting the fires and Oak Ridge Boys music:-) We had a COLD awakening last night standing outside in what felt like -2 below... but I think I COULD be exaggerating:-) haha Let's just say I'm currently searching for a Eskimo coat:-)

Have a blessed day!

Love,

2010-11-04T07:17:00.000-07:00

L2 and I went to visit Gma G earlier this week ... our goal? To "help" gma bake her cinnamon rolls. We had a blast watching and learning with her and the smell that hit me when I walked in her home was SO HEAVENLY! I enjoy her so much and L2 had just as much fun as I did helping... here are a few pictures from our time there...

Orange zest icing.... MMMmmm!

Gymnastics in the Kitchen...

Rolling...

and letting it rise.... again...

Thanks Grandma! We love you so much! We've been enjoying the "rejects" from our day... I think C ate one whole pan the first day!

Love,

2010-10-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

GUESS WHO TURNED 1 !!!!

Our little Ducky!

Time has flown and we have had a blast this fall... God has blessed us so much we are so thankful. Gma G came to visit us for the weekend... We had so much fun with her and L2 loves her as much as I do and that is so precious to me...

M & D K got L2 a fun little aqua doodle thingy... brilliant invention! She LOVES it!

On Sunday afternoon we had a little get together with some friends and family to celebrate the first year of L2's Life...

Thought this pic was so precious

Pumpkin carving!!!!

Cake! Lemon cake with yoghurt and blue berry sauce... Mmmm

L2 loved the pumpkins...

Most of the kiddos...

I think she enjoyed her cake:-)

Gma S got L2 the cutest little baby doll... it's a little asian girl with pig tails... adorable! L2 loves her and points out her eyes, nose, mouth and ears... so sweet! Family is definitely a blessing ... a way God designed us to be able to get a glimpse of what unconditional love is and how love is really a verb and not just a feeling... What a wonderful weekend thanks to all who were there with us! L2 is now trying to repeat words you say... and it sounds really close! She loves to draw ( hmmm :-) and is growing unbelievably fast! Thank you Lord for this wonderful blessing, I pray I can be a godly example and show her your love and power in all that we do and that she continues to her Your name being praised! Amen.

Love,

Long time NO post!

2010-10-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

Whoa.. it's been a bit of a whirlwind the last few weeks... Here we are at the park by the Zoo! Unfortunately my camera died right before the Zoo... big bummer. But enjoy the pics from the last few weeks!

L2 and her cousin "tater" They are a hoot together... best buds in the making:-)

One day we were over at the Gramm Garden and L2 and I had a blast picking the last of the garden... Yummy!

L2 with the Girlies

L2 eating a fresh tomato ..... Yummy!

L2 is growing so fast! It's hard to believe or admit that she is going to be a 1yr old next week! Along with her hair her personality is hilarious and we love everything about her! She has been trying to talk which is so fun, saying "Moooorrr" (more) and "babee" (baby) she loves them! she gets so excited and then points and says "babee"... it's so cute! She weighs 17.5 and I have no idea what her length is anymore:-) She also loves pushing things while walking behind them... I love this age!

Oh happy day!

Love,

2010-09-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

So okay... maybe I have a little time for a break in the madness:-)

Thought I'd share a few shots from L2's daily routine...

Squats.

Helping with the dishes.

finding new places to read.

climbing in and out of things.

and standing and watching things outside. She's non-stop... I love this age! What a little nugget:-)

Love,

2010-09-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

We have quite busy the last couple of weeks/days.... you could call it madness!

But in the madness we've been able to get together with some of our closest friends .... Here are a few pictures from the last week or so...

L2 & E are best buds... one picks her nose... the other offers their finger to help:-) Here they are after dinner...

awww kisses for everyone!

This picture is too cute... reminds me of one of those sappy cards you want to send to a friend you REALLY miss!

E with her daddy....

the 4 amigos and their offspring

OH my I think I've said this a hundred times before but this is my FAVORITE place to eat here in the great state... Mandola Winery... or something Lisna (italian)

So ducky has been helping mommy with some packing.... Hmmm maybe I'll munch on it, that'll be fun! haha

Enjoy your day!

Love,

2010-09-13T08:04:00.000-07:00

L2 is almost 11mo old already! Time has flown by so fast.

Scary. Sad. Exciting.

Last night we had a BBQ at our friends house, it was a hoot. C came into the house and said "hey babe... L2 knows how to ride a bike now..." What? So I went outside and watched my little nugget sitting on a bicycle perched on the seat like a little birdie on a twig... riding like there was nothing to it.. Without hands! haha her balance is quite impressive, she can now ride a bicycle and get out of her crib, say "daddee", sign "more" and say "utt oh" when she drops something... stick out her tongue each time I say "uck or yucky" even if it's referring to something else besides what gross thing she just put in her mouth and enjoys going potty on the toilet, oh boy.

Like I said time is flying by and soon my little baby girl will be a 1yr old:-(

Scary. Sad. Exciting.

With enough said I'll leave ya'll with a few pictures from our weekend...

L2 with another little girl from church.. too cute!

These to are best buds...

C took her on a big loop around and i think she would have keep going...

Have a wonderful day!

Love,

2010-08-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

L2 is quite the little girl... she continues to bring joy in our lives and as her personality continues to shine... she brings lots of laughter to our home...

Here are a few pictures of what L2 has been up to lately...

Poor people... L2's favorite face to give, as of late, to those she doesn't really know but likes... Poor PapaS... this is what he got often while we were up there and as the time progressed... if we even mentioned his name she'd make this face. :-( What do you do? LOL I mean you can't laugh in front of her and now I think she does it out of love... because I often get this face followed by a smile and hug... Hmmm?

Doesn't she look old? She's now 10 1/2 mo old! What a little nugget!

Her giggles ... it's like if sunsets had a sound and you could touch the clouds...

We are so thankful to God every time we think, see or touch her!

A few of my Favorite things...

2010-08-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

I thought since I have been absent in the last few weeks I would share a few random but favorite things as of late...

A sleeping baby....

My wagamama cushion .... oh so soft!

The smile on their faces when they are together... it's so precious I often cry.

Eating GELATO in the middle of Hill Country with friends....

And baby legs... and cloth diapers... the combo is TOO cute!

Oh yah... those thighs!

Make it a great day !

Love,

2010-08-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

In a memory filled with love, hugs and smiles... I will miss you...

I will miss your soft hands, teddy bear hugs, cute smiles, your laugh, and the days I was blessed to spend with you.

May you rest in Heavenly peace and I will see you again in our Father's Glory!

Love you Grandpa 1921-2010

Sweet memories....

A Rockin' Ducky

2010-07-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

Too cute! I found this at a restore for $8 and was pretty excited... L2 LOVES this little horse and can now rock on and on and on by herself... pretty cute!

Proud to be a cowgirl in the GREAT State of TX!

Singing the star spangled banner... okay maybe not... but singing something happy!

She's been trying to say... "YEEEHAWWW!" hahaha and almost has it down pat...

Have a blessed weekend!

Love,

Summary of our trip:-)

2010-07-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hello! Welcome to a post that is I think the longest one I've ever done! And because I am inept the pictures are backwards. We had such a wonderful time visiting family and friends... We definitely are blessed. As we have been back and forth the last year we have felt a strong calling to spend more time with family in the North region... God is working and as we continue to pray over this please pray with us.

Awww Ducky is glad to be home and back to work with Daddy:-)

Corn season! MMmm... what is this?

I can eat it!?

Here g-gma I'll help!

Love you gpa!

Waiting for the grown-ups to come out of church:-) Just hanging with the girlies... LOVE IT!

So my camera decides (on it's own of course) to do some funky coloring and lines through half my pictures... I think it looks cool, so let's pretend that I know how to photo-edit and did this on purpose:-)

I love my hubby SO much that I had a donut made specially for him! PB & J anyone? I forgot that Amish friends don't like their picture taken but this friendly chap was pretty cool and forgave my memory:-)

Awww.... my favorite people! What cute babes!

Swimming is a natural thing for ducks ... so it's only natural for our Ducky to love it too!

Too cute! Swimming with Gma S at the cousins house.

Gpa & Gma P needed some help working on their bedroom balcony... here C is just getting started...

Too cute! Big cousin Ike.... what a wonderful daddy he'll be!

the girls have gone crazy!

The biggest... okay maybe not the biggest but one of the coolest things that happened was that we went into a little town in IL with Gma & Gpa P to try to find some grub to eat... Pizza hut, McDonalds, DQ or this little ma&pa place... Ding Ding Ding! haha So as we were sitting out in the car for 5 minutes trying to decide whether or not we'd be regretting this venture we spied a familiar face in the window! This young (97yr old) lady lived on the farm in IL where C and his family grew up in their early years... Neila made the best turkey an mayo or bluegill sandwiches for the kiddos and always had a smile on her face... It was a pleasure meeting her again and to show her 4th generation P... with a little Korean thrown in there:-)

We loved seeing everyone and hope to see ya'll again soon!

Love,

Our adventure up North....

2010-07-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

We are back!! We have been blest to have been able to take off and head up North for almost 3wks! We spent the first part of our trip in IL with Gpa and Gma P. Love those two sooo much! In fact I think L2 did as well! Here are a few pics from our adventure...

L2 LOVED climbing all over grandma

don't know if you can see it but there's a cat up in that tree... nice going Lola lu!

this is such a sweet picture... I love the look on both their faces!

Memories...

really a cool drive over the Mississippi River (yah remember learning how to spell that in grade school?)

a really neat shed... hmmm I think C's looking at this as a precedent for a new house design.

L2 and I goofing of in the truck as C is helping a lady push her truck across the gas station lot... What a sweet man I love him so much!

Bored, ducky? yah getting there...

Well, we'll have more pics when I download my pics from my camera soon! Lot's more fun to share:-)

Love,

We've got a climber!

2010-07-12T17:09:00.001-07:00

Ahhh... we've been enjoying our stay and rockin' here at Grandma's is a blast ,but I must say... I am ready to return home... Here's a few pics of our lake... isn't it just screaming COME JUMP IN ... It's 90 some degrees!

(that is not me in the hat:-) it's some random lady who never knew she'd show up on my blog!)

I left the room a few weeks ago and guess ducky was wanting to come too!

Also while we were here one of our friends wanted a little model to show off her beautiful handmade bow and hair accessories... so if you jump over to www.marieds.blogspot.com you'll be able to see a few of the pictures from the shoot. I'll post more when we can:-)

Love,

Sweet Reflections

2010-06-25T07:57:00.001-07:00

This is a likely scene from Lola and L2's day... lot's of kisses... if they aren't together L2 quickly crawls toward Lola and the kisses BEGIN!

The last night C and I were making dinner ( cheese toasties MMMmmm! Hey it was a long day with my kiddos at the famous CHUCKEE CHEESE"S... I was so overstimulated I was jittery all night! Let's just say that L2 will probably never step foot there again ... ) Anywho onto my post... We caught L2 kissing her reflection on the fridge... it was too cute not to share with ya'll!

Awww....

Wow... more kisses for baby!

Awww too cute...

Can't wait to see our friends and family soon! Counting it down!

Love,

2010-06-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

Wow... times flown! What have we been up to lately? Well C just got back from a week away:-( in H-ville working on a Sip Panel roof project...

The man in overalls is Earl... how cute!

C said it felt like they were working on Noah's ark:-)

We have been enjoying the SUN and HOT weather! L2 has been army crawling all around the last few weeks (at her 7 1/2 month mark) waving hi/bye and saying "hiii dadade" and teething some more! YAY Ducky! She's in the 40th percentile for weight and 80th for height... a perfect little bundle of joy!

Loving time in our little pool with "Dadadeee"

YAY for summer!

Love,

The Tire Shoppe

2010-06-04T14:56:00.001-07:00

New little car needed a new little upgrade.... okay not so LITTLE! 4 new tires! Oh well... I think the old tires were put on in '02!

Okay daddy... how long is this gonna take?

Let's have some fun.... PEEK-A-BOO!

Reading about car maintenance and safety... yeah we do things alittle early around here:-)

Checking out the tire dude selling mommy and daddy new tires....

Yep... I think this one will do!

Love,

Whoa treated like Royalty!

2010-06-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

Just a few more pics of our weekend... Now can you guess why we love going over to the Edgits ?

gotta have some wine...

and classical music on a baby grand...

which we all enjoy!

and this... little princess is quite pleased to have such loving servants who are willing to do ANYTHING for her... what a hard life!

Love,

Coming soon the adventure at the Tire shoppe!!!

Houston we're ready for take off!

2010-06-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day with the Edgits:-) (a loving nickname mind you:-)

We had a blast... alot of firsts for L2:-) Whom is about ready to crawl... just got to get a good push off and I'm sure she'll never stop... so I'm trying not to be too pushy.

On the TRAIN!!! YAY L2's first train ride:-)

L2 loves to give kisses now... but only when she wants too... so here's L2's first kiss to mommy on camera! YAY!

This isn't the first time I've said this but... ISN"T SHE TOO CUTE FOR WORDS!!!

L2's first Imaxx... which she slept through the whole thing... go figure must take after mommy:-) Though I did enjoy this one it was the Hubbel Imaxx. YAY!

Awww.... She's getting to big too fast! Flipping through her book as we head home from an excellent adventure!

God bless!

Love,

Remembering Malakai...

2010-05-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

Today was not just an ordinary day for us... it was a day that we remembered our sweet son. He was born late morning 2yrs ago today... I can remember that morning like it was yesterday... the fear. the unknown. the peace. the joy. I thank God for my precious babies He has blest us with... each their own little person and each teaching me more about God's love and His wonderful gift called Grace.

Looking forward into the future was impossible that day... but with God ALL things are POSSIBLE! Thank you God for giving me such a wonderful husband and a daughter that brings a new kind of joy!

We love you sweet Malakai... we miss you and can't wait to hold you again!

Love ya'll,

2010-05-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

More of the Trip up North...

E and G were all over L2 at the my Favorite Korea restaurant... it was super cute:-)

L2 with 1st cus once removed or something like that:-) haha J is such a natural... L2 just loved her!

2nd cousins! C was born 6 days before L2... what cuties! Can't wait till they're older and can play together:-)

L2 and Daddy...

What a strong little bug.... She just held it like it was nothing.... must get those muscles from her Daddy!

More to come shortly!

Love ya'll!

-L1

Trip Up North

2010-05-16T12:50:00.001-07:00

Well we are back!

And we had a blast seeing our family back home... I hope ya'll enjoy our new blog and know that I am going to be using nicknames throughout this for security reasons. I hope you enjoy the pics!

Gpa&Gma S. our first stop was actually a wonderful surprise!

L2 enjoying GRASS ... yea it comes in oodles up there!

L2 with her cousin M...

J is so sweet with L2 ... this is just one of multiple kisses!

My beloved Gpa K. L2 entertained him for a while... why do we have to get old? So sad.

Gma G... what a sweetheart! I love this woman SOOOO MUCH!

WHAT? A Modern home in amish country?? how cool!

L2 and I hopped out of the truck to get a quick view of the yearlings... it was FREEZING! But man is it beautiful up there... I love the diverse cultures in our country... It's what makes America... America! and may God bless it and may we continue to live to bless Him back!

Love,