Celebrate!

Our nephew, Owen, turned 2 today! Wow! Time flies. We buzzed up to meet him, soon after he was born. I thought these pictures were so cute!


Connor and Samuel look so little! (And William was just a "bump" on my tummy:)








The big 2 year old, with his Mommy


The cousins, Aunties, and Uncles...





Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Visit

Our Auntie Becky and Cousin Alyssa came and visited us last week! We had lots of fun with them. Yeah, our Mom and Dad stayed up till around 1 am chatting and cracking up. When Auntie Becky and Daddy get to laughin'...it's pretty funny! We got to sleep on the floor in our Daddy and Mommy's room. Madeline was so excited that they were here, she didn't fall asleep till 2:30 am. Ahh...those Aunties!

We had fun hanging out and showing Becky and Alyssa our tricks. William actually chipped his front tooth by trying out one of his newest stunts: his super-duper somersault. Bummer, huh. Oh, well, it'll fall out, eventually.

Ok, the rest of you, Aunties, when are you going to come have a sleepover? The pressure is on!

Just ask Auntie Leah

So, this is what a girl does when she doesn't have any hair! (My Nana loves headbands on little girlies!) Just ask my Auntie Leah. She knows all about headbands and bonnets!

Happy Weekend!

Ok, so I had to post this...

If you're lacking in motivation for cooking, I just found a great site! This lady ("pioneer woman") not only cooks, but she's a photographer too. I didn't have much time to peruse her site, but it looks fabulous and full of fun ideas. I LIKE pictures, when it comes to cooking. (makes it look so easy!) My sis was saying that this lady just finished a cookbook and also does some things for SouthernLiving. WARNING: do not look at this site on an empty stomach!
www.thepioneerwoman.com

My Newest Invention...

Honey Bunches of Oats:

3 c. small oats
1.5 c. rice krispies
1.5 c. cornflakes
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
2 T. flaxseeds
1 c. honey
1/2 c. olive oil

Mix together, spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees, till 1st signs of golden brown. Take out of oven and cool. (it will crisp up as it cools) Store in fridge.

excerpts...

~Oh, just some things I've been re-reading and reminded of...

"The world is a powerful, unrelenting undertow, pulling children to destruction. Looking at statistics alone, the probability is overwhelmingly against their moral survival. The training parents give and the wisdom they impart can make all the difference in their outcome. You hold an eternal soul in your hands. You cannot afford to give in to weariness, indifference, laziness, or careless neglect. God chose you two as the parents of these children!"


"Fathers and Mothers, you are the window through which your young child understands God. A child learns the character of God by observing it in his parents. Parents don't have the be perfect; just be a balanced representation of God's personality."

"...As the child relates to the figurehead of parental authority, in like manner he will later be prone to relate to God. If parents allow their commands to be treated lightly, the child will take the commandments of God lightly also."

"...those disciplined to lovingly obey their earthly fathers are more ready to obey their Heavenly Father."

Tying Strings:
~First and foremost, look at your children with pleasure, and smile at them. Bathe them in facial expressions of pleasure adn satisfaction.

~Enjoy their company, and demonstrate it by inviting them to go w/ you when the only reason is a desire to have them with you. For the very young, look at pictures or read a book together."

~Sit on the floor and play. Tumble and roll, laugh and tickle.

~Take them on outings of adventure, excitement, and "danger"

~If they can walk, they can carry in groceries. Brag on their achievements.

The idea is for them to feel that they are very special to you, and for them to know that you find great satisfaction and delight in sharing with them. If you order your life so your children feel needed, they will desire to walk in harmony with you."

New Site...

Hey Moms!! I just found this great website for saving $$. It's www.neverpayretailagain.net

There's a way to get 2 pkg Huggies Diapers and 1 pkg of wipes for $11. So if you're interested...you may want to check out the site!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my baby sister's 5th birthday! I was 21 and finishing my last semester of college when she was born, late on March 9th. All of us girls were in the delivery room + my dad. We got a good laugh when we found out that all the nurses decided my Dad was a lawyer. He had rushed Mom up to the hospital and was still in dress clothes, from a seed corn luncheon. He does look pretty dapper in all the pictures. :) Evangeline was a chubby, round faced 8 pounder.



Eva is named after two great-grandmas: Eva Miller and Rose Marthaler. She's the caboose on the end of the family and definitely the exclamation point. I've seen a huge change in her the past year. She's definitely calmer and has learned how to handle her frustrations: by communicating. :)

She and Justin became best buds after the infamous Lasagna Plate Throwing Night. Now she will eat lasagna, no questions asked, w/ a smile and her bro-in-law. And, don't think she'll ever try that one again.

Eva's all girl. She loves to paint her nails, and even got a manicure for her 5th birthday. (the bonus to having older sisters) She loves to sing loudly and make up the words. She reads fluently and is raising our eyebrows w/ her ability on the piano. (guess that Mozart Effect has some truth to it, huh?)




At the tender age of 18 months, Eva became an Aunt. She actually takes her position very seriously, though I don't think she really thinks of herself as an Aunt. Maybe more like "cousins." She, Samuel and I-man are the 3 musketeers. She's also a very good policewoman, when it comes to making sure Samuel and William tow the line. She's a fun auntie, and will have fun introducing her lil' neices to dolls, house, and dress-up soon!








We're so glad you're in our family, Evangeline! Life would definitly have been pretty boring and sleepful w/ out you. :)



Happy, Happy Birthday!
Love,
Justin and Megan
Samuel, William, and Madeline

Smoothie Recipe

1 c. frozen blueberries
1/2 c. pineapple
1 banana
3 cups orange juice

Blend in a blender till smooth. I like to add several spoonfuls of yogurt, for extra creaminess. These are great bedtime snacks or breakfast drinks...and much healthier than ice cream. ;-)

laughs

...so I had to post these funny pictures of my Nigerian relatives...

An update of sorts

I've been bad at taking pictures since our Florida trip...I suppose because we've been busy with projects and I took my fair share of pictures on the trip. I just uploaded 330 pictures to Walmart.com to print. I've vowed to keep up w/ printing pictures, since I got 18 months behind and just caught up in January.

I promise to post pictures soon of our renovations soon. I gotta have Justin help me hang up some pictures and move the curtain rod in Madeline's room. But, when we officially get "done", I'll show you all what we've been up to! I really like how they turned out!

Now, I'll shock you guys again by posting this picture of my 6 month old, going potty on the potty! Yes, we're trying infant potty training this time around. Hey, I'm willing to at least try it! I get the heeby-jeebies when my kids hit around 1 yr. old...when I'm changing MY OWN CHILDREN! (that's bad when you're the mom, and think it's gross!) SO, my sister has had w/ success w/ Gracie, so I thought I'd try it w/ Madeline. I had heard of it before, but thought, "Yeah, right, that's for people w/ 1 kid, who do nothing but wait around for their child to have to "go". Well...I've realized that it's not my 100% consistency and you don't have to start when they're newborns. But you start conditioning them to realize that going potty on the potty is the "norm", not in their diaper. Hopefully I won't have to "untrain" this time.


Having Justin home for a few weeks was a huge blessing! He's never been home for more than a 3-4 day weekend our whole married life! Yeah...hopefully the next baby comes during his "slow season". That'd be glorious to have him around for several weeks, instead of days! So...he's been doing lots of projects w/ the boys, helping my dad on the farm, & helping me do my honey-dos. And, I might add, that we've been gloriously off-schedule! I am happy for a routinue, once again!

We've been just enjoying each day of life we have together. With the passing of Justin's Grandpa and a 26 year old friend, we've realized that each day is a gift and tomorrow is promised to no one. We have a more sober perspective on life, and what we're here for. With the state of our economy, the culture, our country, and the world we live in, it's been an eye opener for us to concentrate on the important stuff: God, the Bible, teaching our children, fortifying our marriage, being wise w/ our finances, investing in relationships, praying, & serving others. We've been reading through a book about the end-times. Wow, that's interesting. For the 1st time in history, all the major players are set! It's exciting to be living during this time in history. I have to keep reminding myself that God has not given me the spirit of fear. That's what I tend to do, when I start reading through Revelation. The good thing is, that I'm on the Lord's side, so really, there's nothing to fear. I guess it's just the "unknown" part that gets me. ;) Yes, and it's good to be reminded, so we can live preparedly. Several things I've been reading have said that the Rapture can take place any time. It says in the scripture (corinthians) that it will happen "in the twinkling of an eye" It's a reminder, that's for sure!
"Only one life, twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last"

So, there's an update w/ some picture for you. I'm ready for warm weather!

I'm eatin'!

I'll be 7 months on Saturday and I love to eat! I remind my Mommy of Samuel, when he was a baby. I eat everything my Mommy gives me...even peas, green beans, and avocado! I'm a big girl! Oh, and I like smoothies too. My Dad makes them and they're excellente'!

Wild Bill

So here's what my 20 month old has been up to!